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Jul 19

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Pay up Pompey

A warm Addicks’ welcome to Richard Wood, signed yesterday on a one-year deal.

I have seen some question the validity of Wood’s signing over Matt Taylor, who CP released. I liked Taylor, but Woods is three years younger and has played the bulk of his football at Championship level, well over 200 games compared to just 12 that Taylor played in the 2nd tier.

Taylor was a good club man, and a leader but Wood has also been club captain at both Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry. I’m happy to have him as part of the squad.
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Jul 18

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Thanks to Matt Wright

Hmmm, the Newshopper have just posted a story that CAFC’s Communication Manager Matt Wright has resigned to “search for a new challenge.”

I have corresponded with Matt a number of times during his 13 years at the club, and he has always come across as a dedicated hardworking professional. Matt has built a great team around him and for a club with a smaller Comms budget than most, and getting smaller all the time, he has been behind some excellent initiatives often leading the way amongst it’s peers, the club’s Twitter account for example.
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Jul 18

Nathan Jones leaves Addicks

As so often happens with success your best employees get headhunted.

Nathan Jones, who has performed wonders with Charlton’s promising and hugely successful U21 Development Squad has moved to Brighton as part of new manager Oscar Garcia’s coaching team. Jones played 150 games for the Seagulls and is a Spanish speaker.
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Jul 16

Good first impression

I popped along to watch some of the Badminton at the Island Games late this afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality I witnessed. There was a couple games going on, both semi-finals at the Bermuda High School.

Two brothers from Menorca featured in both semi’s but both lost. Albert Navarro Comes to Ben Li from the Isle of Man, who was backed by some noisy team mates, and brother Eric to Paul Le Tocq from Guernsey.
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Jul 16

4 Comments

Infrastructure

Back to Bermuda last night after a quickfire visit home. At one point yesterday between junctions 5 and 6 on the M25 I was convinced I might have to extend my stay another day as the congestion was so bad. Only because I left my mate’s house in Chislehurst so early did I make my flight.
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Jul 12

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NatWest Island Games 2013

I am fortunate to get readers from all over the world, particularly Addicks in far flung places, but two of my favourite comments in all the time I have been doing this were on a post I wrote for the Island Games two years ago.

First of all Isle of Wight Blogger and Charlton fan Wighteye left a comment followed later in the day by Shetlander Addick Sam. Other writers of Blogs will tell you that there is nothing more reassuring than people leaving comments, and I get markedly excited when they are from overseas Charlton fans. Yes, the Isle of White and Shetland Isles are across the sea.

Anyway, the reason I raised this is that tomorrow here in Bermuda the XV Island Games begin. 2,200 athletes from 24 member nations will take part in 17 different sports held across the island over the next week kicking off tomorrow night with the Opening Ceremony at the National Stadium.
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Jul 8

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London waiting

I’m leaving for London Wednesday night for a couple days of work and then some family weekend time wrapped up with a few beers with some mates on Sunday evening in Bexley Village.

Not for the first time I have just calculated that I will be away for 4 nights and will sleep in 4 different beds, 5 in 5 if you include the overnight plane journey. Sadly, although that sounds very titillating, it, er, won’t be.
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Jul 7

A British Wimbledon Champion

7/7 is a day synonymous with London and today in glorious sunshine the nation finally witnessed a British winner of Wimbledon after 77 years of disappointment and mostly forlorn hopelessness.

Great credit to Andy Murray who many had written off as a nearly man, but with Ivan Lendl at his side the Scotsman has taken his game to another level the past 18 months.
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Jul 6

Feed the Pig

I mentioned Joe Pigott yesterday and right on cue the young striker hit a 1st half hat-trick in the pre-season opener at Welling this afternoon.

Pigott, 19, is a big lad and according to a text I got from a mate was very composed in front of goal. Hopefully we will see some more of what he can do pre-season. Powell played two different sides for each 45 minutes with Kermorgant scoring one and laying two on for Pigott. Green scored the 5th for the 2nd half team. Powelly and the many Addicks present would’ve been pleased with the first run out of the summer played in bright sunshine.
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Jul 5

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Curtain raiser

Charlton’s first pre-season friendly tomorrow as we head to Welling for the traditional curtain-raiser. Mark Gower and Richard Wood will be the only new faces on show at Park View Road with Scott Wagstaff, Matt Taylor, John Sullivan, Yado Mambo, Danny Haynes, Ricardo Fuller and Salim Kerkar all departed.

Richard Wood has been on trial and is a centre-half with almost 300 appearances under his belt for Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry. He is 28 today and would fit the bill for a 5th central defender alongside Morrison, Cort, Dervite and Feely.

Ceddy Evina has been back training with the club, and was offered a new one-year deal, although he initially turned it down. There has been no sign of a move for Jonathan Obika and unless I missed it no announcement on which 2nd year scholars were retained or released.
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Jul 4

Independence

Today 237 years ago wasn’t one of Britain’s best days in it’s history, but I have overlooked that and accepted my companies offer of a day off to celebrate America’s independence. My company are headquartered in London, I am in Bermuda, but hey, small details.

Those of you that have read any of my worky posts, and I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t, will remember that our workload is heavily front-loaded into the first half of the year, getting steadily more frenetic as the calendar rolls around to July 1st.
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Jun 30

5 years

It is five years today that I left Chicago for Bermuda. In the blog post I wrote the day after I arrived I said work was like the first day at school, and I have just been thinking about that, and remembered how long 5 years was when I was actually at school.

Can you remember how long being at school appeared? I stayed on in sixth form for a year, but 5 years is a whole lifetime at secondary school, and it is seems implausible that I have now been in Bermuda that long!
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Jun 29

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The Russians are coming!

Just when you thought it was safe to go out in the knowledge that we won’t be signing any one, the ever reliable Daily Mail informs it’s readers that a “Russian group of investors want to buy Charlton.” And why wouldn’t they?
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Jun 25

Blackhawks up

It maybe almost exactly 5 years to the day that I left Chicago, but the city is still very much in my heart and last night I sat up late and cheered on the Chicago Blackhawks to a late, late victory in Boston to beat the Bruins and win the Stanley Cup.

The Blackhawks trailed Boston Bruins 2-1 with less than 76 seconds left on the clock in the final period. The Bostonian’s were rocking the stadium after a dominating performance and I was expecting it all to come down to a title deciding game 7 back in Chicago later in the week.

But this Blackhawks team, which had alreadyhad a record-breaking season, is resilient. Bryan Bickell scored first to equalise and sombre the mood in the TD Garden and then just 17 seconds later Dave Bolland wrote a new paragraph in the history books as smashed in a deflection to put the Blackhawks ahead.
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Jun 24

Supermoon

One of the things I love about Bermuda is the stars. Because of the lack of light pollution and remoteness of the island the stars and moon provide the night skies with such an intense glow especially on clear evenings.

Saturday night’s Supermoon was so big and vivid that as we sat outside enjoying drinks and dinner with friends at a great little place called The Dock, the moon was like a huge burning candle sat overhead.
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Jun 19

Start at Bournemouth

Nothing unusual there as we have kicked off with the Cherries twice in the last few years, but this time we will be the visitors which will give Addicks fans an opportunity to have a summer weekend on the south-coast.

The opening league Valley game is Middlesbrough, who handed us our biggest defeat of last season, so we owe them and this is followed by Barnsley away, Doncaster at home and then I would think my first appearance, Leicester City at home. All these are Saturdays.
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Jun 17

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‘Charlton red’

And, it’s a football shirt…. has a henly neckline (oh, that’s got you hasn’t it?), is polyester, probably far too tight on the non-athlete, will be hidden under a coat for most of the season and will cost around £50 a pop, but most importantly of all, it’s the right colour!

Last season’s kit was hurried out and Just Sports gave us a catalogue kit in red, this time around we had the whole Nike line to choose from (let’s face it, we’re not big enough for them to design us a bespoke range) but thankfully because to me it is the most important thing, they have got red shade from the palette right!
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Jun 16

Castle Harbour

Happy Father’s Day Dads.

Whilst we have to celebrate two different Mother’s Days, because it falls on a completely different day here and in the U.S., I only get to revel in one. Once actually we were in Mexico and we had to get wrapped up in their Mother’s Day celebrations too as that was also incommensurable. Bloody expensive that year.

Anyway, I had a lovely day today as the three of us hired a little motor boat and cruised around the very scenic Castle Harbour at the north-east end of the island.
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Jun 14

Sun shines on the righteous

We lucked out massively yesterday at the Merion Golf Club. The forecasters were predicting all kinds of doomsday scenarios – thunder, lightning, tornadoes, flash flooding, 75 mph winds – neither of which happened in the leafy Philadelphia suburb of Haverford, named incidentally from the Welsh town of Haverfordwest after this little corner of Pennsylvania was founded by the Welsh Quakers in 1681.
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Jun 11

US Open Golf

This afternoon I fly to Philadelphia for work-related things tonight and part of tomorrow but the principal reason I will be in the Commonwealth of Philadelphia is for the start of the U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, about 8 miles west of the city.
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Jun 8

1 Comment

Cat trick

Yesterday was my companies Global Community Day. I had volunteered to do some painting at what I mistakingly thought was a kids charity but I later found out was an animal shelter. Easy mistake to make!

Our brief was to repaint 3 rooms that are used as indoor cat playrooms. This was a particular own goal on my part as I hate cats, and these rooms, which probably hadn’t seen a lick of paint for a decade stunk like a feline public toilet.
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Jun 5

Bermuda 1 England C 6

I didn’t get the chance to go along to the National Stadium last night, but fellow Addick @Bermuda_Red did and this what he had to say:

“6-1 to England. Glad I went, nice evening to sit and watch a game – good atmosphere. At the start I wasn’t sure who I wanted to win, but left at the end feeling good about an excellent performance by England C – well executed simple but fast passing game, lots of movement off the ball – more fun than watching the “A” team – that said the Bermuda team would make a lot of other teams look good. In fairness to Bermuda it wasn’t their first team either. Nahki Wells wasn’t playing and others missed out also. Jonte Smith was the standout Bermudian – he plays for Crawley Town. Maybe 2,000 attendence. Bigger than expected – which included at least 3 Charlton fans.”
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Jun 3

Gower signs

Rumoured to have been on Chris Powell’s original target list last season, CP finally got his man this morning when Mark Gower signed a 1-year deal with The Addicks.

A year older of course but Gower showed what he could do when he came in on loan at the end of last season. The ex-Southend midfielder showed all of his Swansea traits during the final game against Bristol City simply and expertly passing the ball around the park and it was his superb pass that released Pritchard who crossed for Jackson the put the icing on a cake of a great afternoon with our final goal of the campaign.
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Jun 2

New kit

There’s a great thread on Charlton Life with some superb mock-ups of when next season’s kit will be announced and what it might look like.

The Andrews Sykes Group only sponsored the shirts for a season and there is a possibility that they may extend for another 12 months, however it is believed that the owners are hopeful of a bigger windfall following a successful season back in The Championship.
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May 31

Ceddy turns down offer

Wolves this afternoon appointed Kenny Jackett as Head Coach. It’s about the most sensible decision to come out of the Molineux boardroom for some time although I will be interested to see how Jackett works with Head of Football Development and Recruitment Kevin Thelwell and fan’s public enemy No.1 Jez Moxey.

Millwall’s search continues with St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas the bookies favourite and it must have been a bloody big ladder that Brighton walked under as their woes don’t seem to be ending any time soon.
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May 27

12 Comments

Not bitter

There’s nothing worse I have decided than supporting a team that I really have never cared for very much against a team that I loathe. My brother actually went today, wearing his Charlton shirt under his jacket, sat with some Watford friends. I couldn’t have faced that to be honest even before the game, and judging by his texts he won’t be doing it again in a hurry neither.

In my mind the power struggle in south-east London doesn’t really change much. Palace’s board will have to decide how much of their new found wealth they will gamble on a team now short of it’s only quality player, and whether they spend some money on trying to upgrade Selhurst Park during the campaign like Blackpool did, because it will easily be the worse ground to grace the Premier League since Fratton Park.

Probably for the first time in a generation Palace will pull in bigger home crowds than us, but that will be the floaters coming through the gate, not Charlton fans I’d hope, even if there are a number of lapsed season ticket holders out there. Millwall mind you could really have suffered if they’d dropped into League One.
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May 24

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May 24th

Today, May 24th used to be a holiday in Britain to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday and in an effort to promulgate the British Empire the holiday was encouraged in the Commonwealth and in 1909 Empire Day was born in Bermuda, later becoming Commonwealth Day.

This day in 1909 a patriotic children’s parade ran from Somerset to St Georges and over a century later, this morning thousands of people lined the streets to watch a colourful and noisy parade of floats and performers to celebrate what is now Bermuda Day.
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May 23

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What would Laurie Abrahams say?

I wonder what Paul Kemsley thinks about Sheik Mansour wading into the American soccer scene waving handfuls of greenbacks? Kemsley, a business associate of Tony Jimenez, has spearheaded the romantic revival of the New York Cosmos and the formation of Mansour’s joint venture with the New York Yankees will be a real blow for the self-confessed Spurs nut and former director.

Cosmos with Pele, Carlos Alberto and Eric Cantona all on the payroll have poured a lot of money into the rebirth of the iconic 1970’s franchise including a proposal for a gleaming new stadium in Belmont Park.

Which makes New York FC’s approval as a MLS expansion team all the more stranger and hurried is they lack any plan for a stadium, something that has been compulsory for other MLS teams. In fact NY FC haven’t even announced a temporary venue, although Flushing Meadows in Queens was named in the press release, it doesn’t appear any more than a suggestion.
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May 22

Showcase

Last week our 3-year old daughter made her first appearance on stage. It was what being a Dad is all about. The little one excited, skipping off backstage arm in arm with her friend. Me, a nervous wreck.

Since last September she has been attending a local dance school called In Motion. At first she cried and the other half had to sit in the corner why my daughter looked at her with one of those “why are you making me do this Mummy” grimaces.
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May 19

2 Comments

Good on Parky

Riveting wasn’t it? The battle to finish 4th. I nearly wet myself when Newcastle got a free-kick in Arsenal’s half with a couple minutes to go….

More exciting and relevant to us Addicks was Yeovil’s first ever promotion to the 2nd tier. Gary Johnson, who was mentioned in dispatches for the Charlton job post Parky only re-joined the Glovers in January last year. He kept them up and then took them to promotion today, 10-years after he brought them into the league. Welcome to The Championship Yeovil, lets hope it doesn’t rain on our trip down there next season!
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May 18

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Norwegian Breakaway

The 18 deck, 1,063 foot long cruise liner, the Norwegian Breakaway pulled out of Bermuda yesterday with 5,800 people on it and headed back to New York after it’s inaugural trip.

The Norwegian Breakaway, the 8th largest cruise liner in the world, cut an impressive figure at Heritage Wharf at Bermuda’s Dockyard this week. The ship will make weekly cruises to Bermuda from Manhattan until the end of September and brings many thousands of much welcome visitors.
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May 16

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Cort stays, Haynes departs

Disappointing news that Danny Haynes is to be released, which is also a little bit of a u-turn by Powell.

I am probably overthinking this but Powell’s latest decision maybe more to do with budget than anything else. An injury-prone striker who I would expect is at the higher end of the wage table maybe too much of a luxury for CP and he may consider that he could use Haynes wages more beneficially? Certainly that was the case with Fuller, who was easily the highest paid player at the club.
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May 14

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Wigan run out of wiggle room

After the euphoria of Saturday when the romance came bursting back to the FA Cup tonight Wigan became the first ever team to win the FA Cup and get relegated in the same season. The Latics finally ran out of legs tonight and Arsenal cruelly rolled them over.

Wigan now face losing many of their best young players plus their talismanic manager. Next season they will have to face another 8 league games as well as however many Europa Cup games, at least 5 before December, plus cup games of course. That will be a heck of a schedule. I can’t see them featuring heavily amongst the favourites.
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May 13

6 Comments

A few beers with Richard Murray

That is what I had last Thursday evening here in Bermuda. Arranged by a fellow Addick on the island the two of us had a most enjoyable couple of hours in Richard and his son’s company talking Charlton and football in general.

Those of you that have met Richard personally before will know he is very candid and honest. I’m not going to betray any confidentialities, not that there was anything earth shattering because there really wasn’t and those that were at the Bromley Addicks a week or so back would also have heard Richard being very supportive of the owners Michael Slater and Tony Jiminez and less so of others.
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May 11

3 Comments

40 years of love

My longest ever football memory was 40 years ago this weekend.

I don’t remember having any interest in football before May 1973, my Dad was a lapsed visitor to The Valley working weekends and providing for his family amidst power cuts and miner strikes, so I suspect the opportunity to sit down as a family to watch the pinnacle of the season was one that he was looking forward to.
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May 8

Four off to horizons new

Always sad to see players get released although Waggy was very upbeat about his imminent departure when I spoke to him last week. He felt, rightly so in my opinion, that being a free agent will make him more appealable to clubs and he is hoping for another crack at The Championship. His attitude over the years since his debut in 2008 has been exemplary and he deserves the opportunity to make a good career for himself and I know all Addicks wish him every success.
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May 8

Sir Alex Ferguson

It was a bit of a shock to see that Sir Alex Ferguson had announced his retirement this morning but I suppose it is a bit like Prince Charles being named as king…. you don’t want to believe it, but it’s going to happen one day.

Sir Alex’s longetivity, unweiding power, undying competitiveness and legendary success is unlikely to ever be matched especially in the days of player power and egotistical club owners.
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May 5

Charlton Athletic 4 Bristol City 1

What a perfect way to round off the season and I was delighted that I could be there to witness it and fourth consecutive home win adds much greater credibility to our season’s home record.

Pre-match was a little insight into what is must be like to be a Man United fan as one trophy followed another paraded around the outside of the pitch. It’s also nice to take ones seat knowing that the result didn’t matter, but we were all hoping to sign the season of in style.
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May 3

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Team spirit

I had a smashing time at the Charlton Players Sponsor’s Dinner last night. I took a mate as my date and we sat on a table with Danny Hollands and Rhoys Wiggins, two nicer lads it is probably harder to meet.

Wiggins was particularly good, engaging and opinionated. Hollands is more softly spoken but gracious and an everyday fella.
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May 2

Sponsor’s dinner

I’m off to The Valley tonight for the annual Shirt Sponsor’s Dinner. For the 2nd year I sponsored Danny Hollands and although unfortunately he has not played anywhere near as much of a significant role as he did last season I am still looking forward to being in his company.

Hollands has another year on his contract but one would have to think that he may leave in the summer with Bournemouth being a good bet. Mind you I was surprised as anyone to see him start at Middlesbrough and apparently he played well after being out injured since January.
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May 1

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Butlers Wharf

I’m in the City of London not as refreshed as I would like after an overnight flight from Bermuda into Gatwick, but this afternoon I have some meetings before I join up with some friends tonight for drinks and dinner.

I’m staying the night in the Butlers Wharf area on the south side of the river, and walking through here this morning it brought back some nice memories. I actually first worked not far from here but that was before the days of Hays Galleria and Butlers Wharf, but I have always liked this part of town.
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Apr 30

16 years apart

Crystal Palace take their Class A drugs, fireworks and warm tins of McEwans to The Den tonight for what should be a firecracker of a game.

Ordinarily when these two clubs come together I favour the Bermondsey boys. I mean it’s not much of a choice is it, but if I had to say one it would be Millwall, but that was before tonight.
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Apr 28

Smiles all round as QPR get relegated

That photograph has left a little bit of a sour taste. It’s a still of Kermorgant passing the ball into Fuller for what would have been our 3rd goal but was ruled offside. A little bit sour but not as sourpuss as Tony Mowbray who was way up near the front of the ugly queue.

QPR and Reading played out a pathetic goal-less draw to join us next season. Relegation is normally met with tears and anger but all I saw today was smiles and apathy. Reading under Adkins with a lot more stability will bounce back I am sure, but QPRhahaha are back to where they belong, well almost, that might take another season.
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Apr 27

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Middlesbrough 2 Charlton Athletic 2

A pretty decent result up on Teeside today, although a little annoying that we gave away the two-goal lead so late after dominating the 1st half and racing into a lead.

The result ended our away campaign with one of the best records in the division, even though Tony Mowbray thinks massive teams like Middlesbrough should roll over little teams like Charlton!

I’ve stared at the table and it is hard to see how we would have crept into the top six, even if we’d got all 3 points at The Riverside, and then all the moons aligned next Saturday afternoon over SE7. I think we’d be looking at Bolton getting thrashed at home by Blackpool and Palace needing to lose their last two games, and heck that would take all of the fun out of the their game with Millwall on Tuesday.
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Apr 26

1 Comment

CAS Trust

I have trumpeted a Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust for many years. I wrote about it in 2009 when Ben Hayes took the temperature of fans to see if a Trust was viable. Barnie Razzell and friends have done an exceptional job in getting the new Trust up and running and despite still only being a few months old the small group of Addicks have gotten the Trust some very good air time, which I know has taken a lot of effort.

The Trust says it has a network of 1,800 fans, of which I am one, but what I am not yet is a member.
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Apr 24

If only

Millwall’s defeat to Blackburn last night keeps them looking nervously over their shoulder. I think they will still get out of it, although their rapid disappearing support seem less concerned than most. The Lions have Forest at home, then play a crucial match against Palace next Tuesday which could either hilariously derail Palace’s play-off hopes or spin Millwall into a panic-stricken last game of the season away at Derby. They will surely miss Shittu’s influence too.

Just imagine if we’d beaten Millwall 2-0 at The Valley in March instead of the other way around and think (just for a second) how the table would look now?
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Apr 23

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More trophies for the cabinet

Charlton’s U21 Development team swept to the League 2 – South Division title yesterday after beating Millwall 3-1 at Sparrows Lane. This on the back of the U18’s winning their Development League after they thrashed Bristol City away 5-0 the day the first team put 6 past Barnsley. The future is bright, the future is red & white!
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Apr 21

2 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

My name is Jonathan Obika…. I come from White Hart Lane, and I can play…. What can you play?
I play football…O B, O B, OBIKA, OBIKA, OBIKA, O B, O B, OBIKA, OBIKA, OBIKA!
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Apr 18

1 Comment

Work matters

It’s the crazy season at work, the 2nd Quarter is huge for us in determining our year. Days are long, sleep is interrupted by a meddlesome brain and we have a continual stream of clients in the office from overseas and any calorie-watching is chucked out of the window.

I have managed to reverse myself out of a work conference in Los Angeles next week. I’m not normally someone that ducks out of a excuse to get on a plane but the journey from Bermuda to LA is pretty oppressive and even though I quite like LA and it’s eccentricities the trip will entail a lot of time travelling across town in cabs and also spending hours upon hours in oxygen infused conference rooms far underground in hotel rooms.
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Apr 17

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Cougars Town

The other night I was driving home from work when a ramshackle parade of open sided trucks and vans followed by a couple of cars drove past me decked in the colours of green and yellow. It was I soon realised thanks to three shiny trophies being shook by it’s passengers Bermuda’s equivalent of an open-top parade.

The Devonshire Cougars last weekend defeated Somerset Eagles 3-0 to collect the Bermuda FA Cup, the third and final piece of silverware available to Bermuda’s football teams and now all owned by the Cougars after they completed the treble of League, Friendship Trophy and the FA Cup.
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Apr 16

Cardiff City 0 Charlton Athletic 0

It was Cardiff’s night and we neither rolled over and sat on the periphery of the party nor pooped it for the excitable Welshmen. What we did come away with was a further valuable point and another impressive team performance.

I couldn’t watch on the various live feeds because I had too much going on at my desk plus frankly I’d still be watching now as work’s internet would be buffering until the buffalo’s came home….
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Apr 14

5 Comments

Six love

I was 11 when I was at The Valley with my Dad to watch us beat Southampton 6-2 on a school night. That was in 1976, the same season we also beat Burnley 5-2. I thought thrashing teams was a regular thing.

However it took until yesterday, 37 years later, in South Yorkshire for a Charlton side to once again put six goals past an opponent. It was The Addicks biggest ever away victory and Barnsley’s joint worst home defeat. 600 Addicks were there and I expect in years to come thousands will talk fondly of being present, like they do for the 7-6 Huddersfield Town win.

There were plenty of occasions when we scored 5 in a match, well plenty is exaggerating but I remember some of those very fondly.
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Apr 13

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Barnsley 0 Charlton Athletic 6

The biggest away win in our 108-year history. Who would have thought it? Powell Out!!

Firstly I feel so happy for the 672 Addicks that were at Oakwell today, a little lot jealous as well, but they will rightly be talking about this day for the rest of their lives. Our record at Barnsley is hardly stellar and I personally think Oakwell is the coldest ground in the country so those that made the journey can feel very righteous.
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Apr 7

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Charlton Athletic 2 Leeds United 1

I have seen mixed reviews of the game yesterday but performance aside it was a big win that has us now looking at nine teams below us above the bottom three.

I knew as soon as Luke Varney came on the scriptwriter was busy changing the storyline, but despite a despair fogging The Valley and my head Jonathan Obika delivered our first injury-time goal of the season from a lovely Wiggins cross and three valuable points were added to the four others gained last week.
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Apr 5

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The best beaches in the World

Recently Trip Advisor listed Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay as the 8th best beach in the world. I am not really a beach person, even though there is one at the foot of our garden, but I think in years to come one of the abiding memories of having lived here will be Horseshoe Bay.

The beach is the most well known on the island although there are many hidden coves that are equally beautiful, but it is at Horseshoe that the island’s famous pink sand and clear coral filled sea is like no other.
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Apr 2

Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Charlton Athletic 0

My Brighton mate text me after the game and said that Charlton “fought like tigers.” This Brighton fan said: “Hats off to them, they did a fantastic job on us. Their scout needs a raise because they played an almost perfect game. Tactically, that was the best I have seen a side defend against us. It wasn’t just as simple as kicking us off the park or sitting deep and trying to hit us on the break or score from a set piece, it was thought-out from front to back.”
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Apr 1

Warnock out

Leeds United Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: “We would like to thank Neil for his efforts during his time as our manager and share his disappointment that we could not achieve promotion this season.”

8 points from the play-off’s with 6 games left in this ridiculously erratic league. Old foe Neil Warnock became the 36th manager to leave a club this season and Neil Redfearn will instead make a return to The Valley as manager of Leeds next Saturday. Redfearn was caretaker manager before Warnock arrived just over a year ago.
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Mar 31

Kites and cakes

Flying kites in Bermuda is a long held tradition began apparently by a teacher who made a cross kite and set it flying from a hilltop. The teacher then cut the string and the students watched it sail upward towards the sky copying Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

Every Easter adults and kids alike make kites using sticks, coloured paper and glue. Ours however came in plastic wrapping with some simple instructions!
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Mar 30

Charlton Athletic 3 Bolton Wanderers 2

The Easter that keeps on giving. Although at around twenty past twelve (3.20 at The Valley) my daughter and I had just got absolutely soaked by a downpour looking for Easter eggs on an egg hunt. After legging it to find some shelter, I checked my phone…. 0-2. At that point if I’d seen an Easter bunny I would have boiled it right there and then!

A great win today for us all but dedicated to those at The Valley who have seen some car crashes at home this season.
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Mar 28

Subject to work permit

We have seen those immortal words before. I think Christian Bolaños was the last player we lost due to the Home Office. In fact my own life has been very much subject to work permit these last 10 years.

Anyhow, it is a work permit that is required by Florent Rouamba if he is to remain with Charlton until the end of the season. The defensive-midfielder from Burkino Faso has a very decent pedigree with 30 caps plus an African Nations Cup Final appearance and Europa Cup experience on his CV.
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Mar 27

A life lesson from the old Yugoslavia

I missed the England game last night because I was busy organising my socks into pairs. I find this slightly more stimulating. Yes, if Yugoslavia still had a team they would be world beaters but then again so would the Austro-Hungarian’s!

I find all the consternating quite unbelievable. I mean the writings have been on the wall. Look at the last 8 of the Champions League, watch how Manchester United are running away with the Premier League with probably the most average and workmanlike side to ever win the title since Leeds in 1992.

The top sides pockets are full of cash and long-term debt and their academies are full of African and Latin American’s. A young English manager or coach hasn’t got a cat in hells chance of a top job and our best young players can’t get a game.
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Mar 24

14 Comments

Olympic disadvantage

There has been a lot of recent conjecture about season ticket renewals amongst Addicks. Since the return to The Valley the club has done an excellent job of marketing and pricing season tickets just right in encouraging supporters to commit up front to home games. Much of this loyalty and not insignificant financial undertaking has been due to the bond between fan and board, a bond that no longer exists. Ironically this is all against the backdrop of the best supporter bond between manager and player for many a year.

Last week a couple of news stories made me concerned about the future of our fan base. West Ham’s move to the Olympic Stadium was confirmed at significant cost to the local council and the taxpayer and not an awful lot to the club. For example I’d be surprised if the £2m a year in rent even covers the maintenance. Plus the sale of Upton Park will more than pay for the Hammers’ outlay of £15m. Gold and Sullivan are not at silly as they look.
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