The eye of the Tigers
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I think Iād rather forego next seasonās 6 points than have Millwall join Palace in the Premier League.
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May 12
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Review of the season
I enjoyed having the stress levels reduced over the weekend with no Charlton game. Less so if you are a West Ham fan. Looks like weāve come to the point where VAR will decide the Premier League title and relegation.
Play-off semiās conclude this week, the Championships ones were tight. Bolton, with no Rob Apter in their squad, and Stockport (Tanto came on as a sub) have the advantages.
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Swansea City 3 Charlton Athletic 1
And relax. Thatās it then, all over.
Defeat on the final day of the season losing to Swansea 3-1 in South Wales.
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Game 46
So here we are then. We made it, game 46. Swansea City away.
You couldāve had a baby in the time since the opening day against Watford, which is actually still quite fresh in my memory. Not having a baby, Iāve never actually had a baby, but the Watford game. What a great day that was even though I spent 14 hours of it on an airplane.
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Lloyd Jones
Lloyd Jonesā name will appear on the POTY trophy for the second successive season.
Jones follows such Addick luminaries as Mark Kinsella, John Humphrey, Mark Aizlewood, Nicky Johns, Richard Rufus and Keith Peacock in winning the fan voted for award two yearās running. John Humphrey won it three times in a row between 1988 – 1990.
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The journey continues
How nice was it to follow yesterdayās results after the conclusion of our game. Stress levels: zero.
Oxford shoved Wednesday aside and Derby, Hull and Wrexham will contest the final place-off place next week. Meanwhile it does look like Millwall will need to beat Oxford, whatever happens in the Southampton v Ipswich game on Tuesday.
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Charlton Athletic 2 Hull City 1
Iāll say it again. Phew.
Fantastic to win today to secure our Championship status after our first year up. Two wonderful goals allowed us all to let out massive sense of relief.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Ipswich Town 2
I felt I needed to sleep on last nightās game.
That wasnāt particuarly successful as I couldnāt get our situation out of my head, plus my alarm went off at 4.30am as I had an early flight to catch. The anxiety is real.
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Sheffield Wednesday 1 Charlton Athletic 1
We are such a hard watch. There was absolutely nothing praiseworthy about that, and we were second best all over the pitch.
It is like every game is on a loop and weāve been playing the same match for weeks. We are simply incapable of taking care of ourselves.
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No faint hearts
How we all feeling?
Iām making my way home after being away for 15 of the last 17 days and in that time saw the Addicks in the flesh twice, watched the Watford game on the box, and will be back in front of the small screen on Saturday.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Preston North End 2
Apologies for another delay on my post match thoughts. I was at The Valley again yesterday and again had to drown my sorrows afterwards.
This morning I woke with my stomach churning and that was not due to the late night Brick Lane curry.
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Watford 1 Charlton Athletic 1
Another very good away performance. Itās been a nice run since the Millwall debacle.
Today we held a better structure, defended smarter, characteristically battled for everything, and wasnāt it great to see Matty Godden score.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Bristol City 2
Iām heading home to Florida today and was at the game yesterday. We really are crawling to the finish line, well not even crawling more frozen to the spot.
It was another frustrating display as we lost at home for the third time in four matches.
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The final straight
So here we are then, the final block of matches. 7 left, 4 at home, 3 away. The finish line in sight.
Hopeful too, that we see the return of Matty Godden and Harvey Knibbs, although the official channels are being usually schtum about the injury situation.
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Silly season
The silly season is back.
Bristol City today sacked Gerhard Struber and replaced him with 78-year old Roy Hodgson. The ex-England manager has been retired since leaving Crystal Palace over two years ago, and will take charge of City for the remaining seven games of the season starting with us on Good Friday.
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Charlton Athletic 0 Norwich City 1
The Addicks fell to their 7th home defeat of the season today losing 1-0 to in-form Norwich City.
For 45 minutes we were second best by a stretch, but we had a good go in the second period and although the best team won, on another day we couldāve snatched a point with more luck, and a better referee.
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Oxford United 1 Charlton Athletic 1
Iāll take that. 7 massive points this week, and from three such different games.
We were excellent last Saturday at home to Birmingham and thoroughly deserved the 3 points. The long Wednesday trip up north to Middlesbrough saw a masterclass defensive performance and we snuffled all 3 points to take home. Today we were poor, and we contributed to a poor match, but still managed to come away with an important point.
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Middlesbrough 0 Charlton Athletic 1
Wow.
A breathtaking result and 3 points being brought 300 miles home tonight. Heroes on the pitch, and heroes in the stand.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Birmingham City 0
1-0 to the Charlton boys.
Huge win at home today that was peppered with some really strong individual performances and a real desire from the team to get the win.
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Play-off places extended to 8th
The attempted Americanization of the planet sport continues. In Americaās MLS 18 teams qualify for the play-offās and they have a best of three āknockoutā in the first round, so we can only look forward to that.
It was annonced today that EFL Championship clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams effective next season. I mean of course they did, it was owners casting the vote. The day before Turkeyās voted to abolish Christmas.
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Charlton Athletic 0 Wrexham 1
We did not deserve to lose that. At all.
Our best attacking display for many weeks, but it resulted in defeat and a blank in front of goal telling the serial story of us not being clinical enough. Seminally we were just unable to create enough clear cut chances from our midfield and wide players.
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West Bromwich Albion 1 Charlton Athletic 1
There I was thinking wouldnāt it be great if we really took the game to them tonight and show that we are better spirited, better organized and a better team. Then the game kicked offā¦.
We were bad, very bad, but one piece of quality grabbed us a valuable point. Losing really wasnāt an option tonight.
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Southampton 1 Charlton Athletic 1
That was a terrific and hard-fought point today.
Tuesday was so disappointing, but the players showed real character today to bounce back and take a point from a very good Southampton side, who have individuals a cut above this level.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Portsmouth 3
I couldnāt watch yesterdayās game as we were on our way to watch Andrea Bocelli in Tampa. Me and the operatic-other half drew straws to see if we listened to the game in the car or Bocelliās greatest hits.
Fortunately she won.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Stoke City 0
A big, big win.
It was an enjoyable watch, the odd bit of anxiety aside, but better still was the huge 3 points that gives us some breathing space. The clean sheet was fully earned and we wanted it more all over the pitch. We are so better structured, Clarke and Chambers give us balance and poise, Coady is the linchpin, and Dykes an old school number 9, who leaves it all out on the pitch.
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Charlton Athletic 0 Queens Park Rangers 0
As the clocked ticked around to 90 minutes I was bemoaning that it was two points dropped. We had done more than enough to win the game.
Then during the 8 minutes of injury time, QPR had 5 chances and we were clinging onto the point
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Leicester docked 6 points
Leicester City have been docked six points by the EFL for breaching financial rules after they were charged by the Premier League in May for a profit and sustainability (PSR) breach in the three years leading up to 2023-24.
The deduction is applied immediately meaning they fall from 17th to 20th in the table and put another body between us and the bottom three.
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Leicester City 0 Charlton Athletic 2
It feels good doesnāt it.
An absolutely vital win on the road at Leicester today, and brilliant for those 2,500 Addicks that went up there. They deserved that and it was great to see the scenes at the end.
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Millwall 4 Charlton Athletic 0
Humiliated. Again.
It doesnāt really matter who manages, who plays, the result is the same. There has been some tough watches against them in past years, but blimey that was an embarrassment.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Derby County 2
Very disappointed about that. This should be a winnable home game, at least a game not to lose.
First league defeat of the year, but we have limped to this point, and too often tonight we were loose and ponderous in our play all over the pitch.
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Moving on
Talking Point š£ļø
Hopefully we have all moved on from Saturday. Iāve never been embarrassed to see a Charlton win, not going to start now.
Lucky, fortunate, skittish, fortuitous.. but never embarrassed.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Sheffield United 0
Well, a few hours have passed allowing me to digest what happened this afternoon. Wine helps too.
We were extremely fortunate of course, but Sheffield United were their own worst enemies, which only they can control and 3 points is 3 points and we really needed them.
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Blackburn Rovers 2 Charlton Athletic 2
Just a few lines on todayās game as Iām laid up trying to fight the flu, and losing badly.
Very disappointing to be 2-0 up, and not bring back the three points today. Their first goal was the killer I thought, and both goals conceded were really poor from our point of view.
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Like a new signing
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Where have they been hiding Joe Rankin-Costello?
Nathan Jonesā 6th summer signing, he arrived from Blackburn just in time to join the summer tour to Slovenia, and was signed for a fee said to be Ā£750,000.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Coventry City 1
A performance full of character this afternoon as Nathan Jonesā team breathed new life into our hopes and dreams on the first day of a new year.
After Monday night, it was interesting to me at least, that Pompey went down 5-0, but we played like we did today against the runaway leaders with the best away record in the league.
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No one ever said this would be easy
Talking Point š£ļø
I am sure I am not alone, but I feel low and worried about those Addicks this morning, but I am here to attempt to put a positive spin on proceedings.
The overblown foreboding and anti-Jones sentiments in some of my comments and many hundreds on Charlton Life possibly need to press the brake a little.
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Portsmouth 2 Charlton Athletic 1
That is a dagger through the heart. 9 seconds after Pompey restarted the game they got their second goal. That is absolutely criminal from Charlton.
Probably like me and most of us I suspect the players expected the referee to blow his whistle as they kicked off, but that defending is inexcusable.
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Norwich City 1 Charlton Athletic 0
It appears I was lucky to miss watching todayās game. That sounded turgid at best.
A worrying performance after a couple of positive ones. Losing is one thing, but losing in that manner will no doubt raise concerns once again.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Oxford United 0
A huge win.
It was at times a draining game to watch, but there was also plenty to enjoy. Lotās of positive performances and we showed all the aggression and defensive bravery that heralded our start to the season.
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Birmingham City 1 Charlton Athletic 1
A great point halting an awful run of results. We turned up today and navigated tough moments, defended like our lives depended on it, and got the goal when we were on top.
That was something to absolutely get behind from the reds today. More please.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Middlesbrough 2
An emotional night ended with a fifth consecutive defeat.
The club and supporters as well as the referee, Boroās team and fans beautifully remembered Headphones Norm, and there was a more spirited 2nd half to cling onto.
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Charlton Athletic A Portsmouth A
This was a big game, with a big build up to a date so important to Addicksā fans. It ended in tragic circumstances and our number is sadly one less today.
The outpouring of love and affection by those that knew Norman Barker or simply knew of him has been both heartwarming and sad. Yet we should all take solace, and Iām sure his family do, in that when your time is up, what better place to be than in a noisy Covered End surrounded by thousands of your best friends. Many of whom rushed to preserve Normās life of course.
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Not season defining
Iām glad that you guys, at least the ones that commented, had similar feelings to me after yesterdayās game.
I went on Charlton Life post match and there appeared a lot more pessimism, maybe that stemmed from disappointment or a sudden realization that we are sliding down the table, but I try to look for indicators and study body language, and it was a different team to the one that subsided on Tuesday night.
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Coventry City 3 Charlton Athletic 1
The Addicks went down to a fourth consecutive defeat today, and thatās 11 goals conceded in a week, just one less than in all the 15 games prior.
It was better though, I felt like the spirit was back, and the first half hour lifted hopes that those first 15 games were not an apparition.
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Stoke City 3 Charlton Athletic 0
What the hell has happened. That was brutal and the players truly let Nathan Jones down tonight.
After Saturday I was expecting an aggressive, in your face, defend at all costs start and there we were 2-0 down after five minutes, and even the most optimistic knew then that it was game over.
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Yesterday
A few comments on yesterday before we consign it to room 101.
That wasnāt us yesterday, it hasnāt been us, and now we have to make sure it doesnāt become us.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Southampton 5
I havenāt watched a first half performance that horrible for a long time. It was startling how easy they dismantled our defence and rolled us around all over the shop in midfield.
It was only thanks to Kaminski and luck that it took them 14 minutes to score their first, and by the time they scored the 5th half an hour later, it had become like a very bad dream.
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International break
Synesthesia. Todayās word.
Mixed senses of disappointment this weekend as we have no game, and not waking with that nervous excitement stomach churn of what lies ahead, but also quite thankful that the day will be more relaxing.
The sometimes-enigmatic-other-half will be happier that she wonāt have to attempt to read my mood tonight before we go out for dinner!
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Wrexham 1 Charlton Athletic 0
I am old enough to remember the 6-0 FA Cup shellacking at the Racecourse, and other than a league win at The Valley in the early 1980ās, Wrexham gameās have rarely provided us much if any good fortune.
Equally three of our four losses this season have come in the games coming before the international break, so the omens werenāt good especially with whispers of further injuries and illness to the squad.
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Charlton Athletic 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
Who doesnāt love a last minute winner.
Euphoric scenes again at The Valley tonight as Sonny Carey scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to make it 23 points from 14 games. We sit 5th in the table as we go to bed tonight.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Swansea City 1
That was a point won today and not two lost. Despite taking the lead we were unable to take hold of the game and in the end were baying for the final whistle.
We werenāt ourselves today, definitely not the best version of ourselves, but we didnāt lose and move onto another busy week.
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Charlton Athletic 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1
That became very uncomfortable but it was another 3 points as we reach the first season marker sitting nicely in 9th place.
Another big crowd watched a very good first half, and then got the Addicks across the finish line to bounce back from the defeat at Preston last time out.
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Preston North End 2 Charlton Athletic 0
Defeat today in heavy winds but we canāt be too downhearted. These days were always going to come, but we sit top half as we go into the second international break.
Itās been a long week especially for those travelling fans who today had to beat difficult train and weather conditions, but their backing was magnificent again.
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Derby County 1 Charlton Athletic 1
I think we have to be pleased with a point tonight and it was a fair result.
Derby have had an underwhelming start to the season and were under a lot of pressure to win. The only shame is that after quelling early 2nd half pressure we couldnāt build enough possession to bring back the 1st half home boos.
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Charlton Athletic 3 Blackburn Rovers 0
I was at The Valley today, and I was moved by that performance and how it was saluted by a pulsating stadium.
We were irresistible in that 2nd half and thoroughly deserved the win in what was possibly the best pressing display Iāve seen from us under Nathan Jones.
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Sheffield United 0 Charlton Athletic 1
We all wouldāve taken a point beforehand, but that is a fantastic win.
It was important that we started solidly and we did, but in trademark Nathan Jones style we finished really strong and Tanto Olaofe got the winner with 89 minutes on the clock.
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Quiet week in some parts
Itās been a quiet week in our corner of South London, less so in the south of Sheffield where Chris Wilderās return is getting all of the media attention.
We can, as Nathan Jones would say, only affect things that we can control, and after their stuffing at Ipswich a reaction was probably going to come anyway.
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Charlton Athletic 1 Millwall 1
History always repeats itself, something always happens and it is a given in this game that Millwall will score late, and late they did.
The hurt continues and it will take a couple of days for the fog to clear and when it does it will show that we played very well and were the better team.
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Transfer window
It was quite nice watching last Mondayās transfer deadline pass without having expectations of loads of last minute signings, although whatever happened to David Datro Fofana was a slight dissapointment, if it ever was a thing. Weāll probably never know.
Weāve had so many last minute signings that have turned out to be crap at best, that itās so much more comforting having new players in the building early in the window. Jonesā stance on loans also means we are not scrapping around in the Premier League academy barrel hoping that the next young hopeful turns out to be Conor Gallagher.
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Queens Park Rangers 3 Charlton Athletic 1
I think that was a warning call today. We didnāt deserve to lose that match, from 60 mins on we looked the most likely to win, but we left Loftus Road with our tail between our legs.
I think us fans need to remember the ultimate goal here. Possibly our surprise element has been exhausted, we have to be better, and we have to learn quicker but for long periods as the away side we still had the upper hand.
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Reflections
Talking Point š£ļø
The problem with these early kick offās is that it leaves a long time for reflection. 12.30 is 7.30am here, and thatās a lot of day to wallow, sulk, or be grumpy. Just ask the missus.
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