Skip to content

Sep 18

1 Comment

Derby County 3 Charlton Athletic 2

Another lesson tonight at Pride Park. You don’t win many games after being 3-0 down and starting as sluggish as we obviously did.

It’s a learning curve and without any sign of recruits, Powell will have to rely on his man-management skills and I hope that we take the last 25 minutes to Ipswich on Saturday and not the first 65.

As fans we have to stick with the boys, I read a lot of negative stuff on Twitter this evening and they are the sort of supporters we can do without.
Please click for more

Sep 17

Train spotting

I’m in Chicago the whole of this week and in true Charlton traditions I am attending a Rail Conference, which will include a visit to America’s largest inland intermodal in Joliet, south-west of the city. Oh, I see that you have logged off….

Anyways, I will also have the opportunity to catch up with some old friends and work colleagues, and plan to be as near as I can to updates as the Addicks attempt to redeem themselves at Derby on Tuesday night.
Please click for more

Sep 16

2 Comments

Rick Everitt

The ‘new broom’ continues to sweep our club of some of the most influential people in Charlton Athletic’s recent history. Men that objectively question the new owners’ policies are being kicked out of the door one by one. We may have got our Charlton back on the pitch but in the boardroom it is a Charlton that we don’t know.

It has become apparent that Rick Everitt was sacked by the club’s owners over the weekend, maybe even before the Palace game on Friday night, ironic when you consider that he wrote an article in the match programme proclaiming our next football for a fiver game at home to Barnsley. One of the many supporter initiatives that was began by Rick.

More people will know and recognise Rick, then he will them. He was already a serial home and away traveller before he found himself as one of the most important characters in the ‘Back to The Valley’ movement. In those dark days of Selhurst, it was only people like Rick and the Voice of The Valley fanzine that kept some of us coming back.
Please click for more

Sep 15

2 Comments

Charlton Athletic 0 Crystal Palarse 1

24 hours later and still massively disappointed. Seeing that lot celebrate like they’d won the World Cup was galling, I hate to think what it was like in the stadium. But it’s one game, and they don’t get to leave The Valley with their tails up very often.

However, let’s not kid ourselves, and honestly I don’t think many of us are, but we are in for a long and tricky season. This division, practically a Premier League 2, is tough. There are some very good teams, and players, particularly young ones, within it, and when two of the weaker sides are your biggest rivals then that is not helpful.

Please click for more

Sep 13

Friday night live

Despite a 13 day gap between matches tomorrow seems to have come around really quickly. I am trying to see if I can watch the game live on the box somewhere, although I may have to settle for a dodgy internet feed. Nothing like being there of course where I hope Addicks make it as uncomfortable as possible for the Croydon lot on and off the pitch.
Please click for more

Sep 11

1 Comment

Hurricane Leslie wrap

A few people have asked me if we survived, and the answer is quite comfortably. Leslie passed by here gathering speed on Sunday night and is now belting Newfoundland. It left as it started on Saturday night with an incredible sunset, and the island breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Scattered power outages affected around 800 people but not us, roads were littered with debris, ferries, buses were cancelled and the airport closed but business was pretty much back to normal on Monday. Ostensibly what happened was a very wet and windy and boring tucked up indoors of a weekend.

The photo is of Leslie captured by NASA’s Terra satellite as it moved past Bermuda on Sunday.

Sep 11

Murray – champion at last

Today is a rather sombre day in New York City but late last night the Arthur Ashe Stadium was anything but sombre as another titanic Grand Slam tennis final between two gladiators came to close almost 5 hours after it started.

It was a breathtaking match to watch. The first set was gruelling with the tie break lasting longer than many women’s sets. Murray sensationally won the next set, but then the impending doom started to set in as Djokovic roared himself back into the game.

Both players were hitting some brutish returns as games often went 30 and 40 shots and as Djokovic powered himself back into contention on his favourite surface, Murray started to cut a familiar disconsolate figure and at the end of the 4th set many may have gone to bed fearing another ‘if only’ Murray tear-jerker.
Please click for more

Sep 11

Never forgotten

Remembering today the thousands that tragically and needlessly lost their lives 11 years ago including 176 of my work colleagues. RIP.

Sep 9

Hurricane Leslie update – Sunday 2pm

Outside the one window facing the Atlantic Ocean that is not boarded up I am finding it hard to decipher the sea and the sky, it’s just a canvas of murky grey. The rain is coming at the window like someone is stood outside with a power washer but the winds aren’t that bad.

According to the eminent Bernews 800 homes are currently without power, we are currently ok, although the telly is a little shaky and the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore is giving us regular updates stood on the beach at Elbow in his waterproofs.
Please click for more

Sep 9

7 Comments

Paralympics

The final day then of London 2012, an end to an historic and extraordinary 6 weeks. If in a year or two’s time the Olympic Stadium is hosting football, it will be such a shame.

During my very swift weekend visit back to the UK I found myself in Gatwick, Nottingham, Eastbourne and Chislehurst but what I couldn’t be drawn away from was the London Paralympics.

The gripes about the adverts aside, although trust me after watching US telly for 10 years, the UK’s commercial stations are a lot less disruptive, from what I saw Channel 4 were doing a sterling job of showcasing the most watched Paralympics ever.
Please click for more

Sep 8

Hurricane Leslie update – Saturday 6pm

Hurricane Leslie has finally got itself into gear and is now motoring at 8mph across the Atlantic Ocean but fortunately she is still driving in a direction away to the east of the island.

Leslie has dropped it’s strength and is now classified as a Tropical Storm (sustained winds less than 74mph) and is located approximately 250 miles south-southeast of us. The sea temperatures down there apparently are a little chilly but there is plenty of warm water ahead and it is then that Leslie will regain hurricane status. Hurricane’s are powered by warm surface sea temperatures.
Please click for more

Sep 5

1 Comment

The calm before the storm

The waters are very flat around the isles of Bermuda today. Glass like in fact. Yet 400 miles away from us lies Hurricane Leslie and she is looking at us licking her lips. If she was a bus she would have ‘Bermuda’ written on the front of it, because that is her next stop.
Please click for more

Sep 2

1 Comment

Nottingham Forest 2 Charlton Athletic 1

Away games can often stick long in the memory because of the overall day and not the hour and a half squeezed, sometimes unfortunately, in the middle. Yesterday was one of those games.

My son and I along with a couple of mates travelled up on the train with Dave and Pete and we had plenty of time to manage our expectations over a few pints in The Canal House before the walk to the City Ground, which these days like many of the countries historical old stadiums is a mix of large modern double tiered stands stood next to low and cramped wooden ones as clubs decide to stick or move.

We each agreed beforehand that a point would be a terrific result, but in truth despite a very late flourish Charlton were never at the races and were often outclassed by an impressive looking Forest side.
Please click for more

Aug 31

Deadline day

Ensconced at my parents home with the south downs glimmering in the blue sky out of the conservatory window, I’m on my third coffee while my son sleeps on the sofa following our return from Bermuda overnight.

In between catching up on the family news and reading the local paper, I, like most other football fans, am keeping a close eye on transfer deadline day. I have yet to throw myself at the feet of the hysterical Sky Sports News but I would think it is only a matter of time.
Please click for more

Aug 30

2 Comments

Fleeting return

My son accompanied by me leave Bermuda for Gatwick later today. It has been a busy and enjoyable two weeks with him staying with us, and it makes me specially happy to see him and our daughter get on so well together.

Hopefully we can get some sleep on the plane, I’m pretty good on my own but not sure my son will co-operate as he insists on watching three films. My Blackberry at least will be pleased of the rest after I have abused it’s sorry arse all week with me feverishly searching for Charlton transfer news.
Please click for more

Aug 27

2 Comments

Interesting few days ahead for Addicks

4 more days until the transfer deadline and I think perhaps a nervy few days ahead for Addicks’ fans.

According to The Mirror Charlton are to pay £500,000 for long-time reserve ‘keeper David Button, aged 23. One would assume that this allows John Sullivan an opportunity to go out on loan. With money tight half a mill sounds a little farfetched for a 4th choice goalkeeper.
Please click for more

Aug 26

3 Comments

The year I got back

My birthday today…. thank you. Older, wiser and tireder but don’t feel sorry for me because just a couple of weeks ago I actually realised in all seriousness that I am a year younger than I thought I was! I can’t tell you how much that gave me a lift. It’s almost as if this next year is a free one, right?
Please click for more

Aug 25

1 Comment

Charlton Athletic 0 Hull City 0

We were at the pool today so the only real observation I can make is that I was about as wet as those at The Valley.

5 points from our opening three games is a more than decent return especially when I think that all three opponents will be challenging for a top 6 place. Rather sadly, because I am pretty convinced he’d be a Charlton player if it wasn’t for a change in our financial situation, Sone Aluko sounded the Tigers most influential player and it is a wide, quick and direct player that we probably lack the most.
Please click for more

Aug 23

2 Comments

Son-dial

My son arrived here on Saturday night and we have been flying around and squeezing as much fun and togetherness in as is possible, with the added ingredient of my 2-year old daughter thrown in, who is besotted by him.

His first day was Sunday and unusually it rained the whole day. He didn’t look impressed as he had left Kent Saturday morning just as the UK weather was improving but normality soon returned and it’s been hot and sticky since and we haven’t ventured too far from the water.
Please click for more

Aug 21

2 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Leicester City 1

The Valley for night games has been a bit of a drag in recent years, but tonight back in the Championship playing a team with real Premier League intentions the glorious old stadium was rocking to the tune of proud Addicks willing and cheering their team onto a fantastic victory under the lights.

I think that we saw the real the difference between League One and The Championship tonight. Leicester are a good team, with good players and a very strong bench. Yet our strikers, on the night were more clinical, including one man, super Yann Kermorgant. I would have given anything to see the Breton clasp his finger to his lips after he scored.
Please click for more

Aug 20

3 Comments

Farewell and good luck Paul Hayes

Paul Hayes today moved to Brentford on a free transfer. For someone that was only at the club for just over a year and played in 22 games, he was remarkably popular with Charlton fans.

Hayes handled himself with dignity and professionalism, and his like are unfortunately a dying breed. He was obviously well liked by his teammates as well and his early form, some crucial goals and partnership with BWP was the platform on what our record breaking season was built.
Please click for more

Aug 19

2 Comments

Birmingham City 1 Charlton Athletic 1

It was a terrific result at St Andrews on Saturday, gutting to only draw after a last gasp equaliser, but nothing should be taken away from the way we approached the game and dominated it at one of most people’s (including me) tips for a play-off finish.

Backed by a noisy travelling support Charlton passed the ball better, commanded possession, dictated the pace of the game and carved out some excellent opportunities. My focus is on the fact that we moved the ball positively and created chances as opposed to some that are worried that we missed them. BWP, Kermorgant and Jackson were all culpable but they were in the right positions to miss.
Please click for more

Aug 17

Here we go

So 91 days after the Addicks poetically won promotion from League One at Carlisle’s Brunton Park, we play our opening Championship game of the season in Birmingham tomorrow at St Andrews, home also to a magical moment in Charlton’s history.

Since the party after the Hartlepool match, Addicks’ fans have mostly moderated their expectations for this season and I don’t think I was alone when a little anxiety struck me after the fixtures came out.

Please click for more

Aug 17

French fancy

On the eve of the new season, a new signing. Powell’s 4th signing of the summer is former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back and wonderfully named Dorian Pierre Dervite-Vaussoue.
Please click for more

Aug 16

Our Championship rivals – part 3

In the final part of my Championship rivals series are those teams just happy to be here and will make survival their number one priority.

Unfortunately, perhaps, the Doncaster’s, Plymouth’s, Scunthorpe’s and Colchester’s have already been squeezed out of the 2nd tier in recent years. Even Luton were in The Championship six seasons ago. Now the league packs a punch with some very big names, very few of whom would look out of place in the top division.

In fact only six of the 24 clubs have never played in the PL, and only one of those (Peterborough) has never played in the top flight.
Please click for more

Aug 15

Our Championship rivals – part 2

Part 2 and those sides that would consider themselves play-off potential. These clubs range from the ‘we are too big too be in this division’ to those that actually have a ‘realistic chance of top 6’ or those that were ‘once glamourous’ to those that are ‘not glamourous at all and will have Liverpool fans hurrying for their A-Z’s.’
Please click for more

Aug 14

3 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Leyton Orient 1 (3-4 on penalties)

Hmmm, well lets move on from that. The CAFC Player service wasn’t working, ironically after I have just paid for it and the price went up. Funny eh? No.

Therefore I followed it sporadically on a combination of online media and it didn’t come across very well. Those at The Valley, home fans anyway, didn’t seem to be impressed but it is important to recognise the importance that Powell put on the game.
Please click for more

Aug 13

Our Championship rivals – part 1

I have had a little study of our fellow Championship teams, most of whom we know quite intimately, but the majority we haven’t crossed swords with for a few years.

I am going to split the teams into 3 groups: Promotion candidates; Play-off hopefuls and Teams concentrating on survival. Naturally there are teams that the bookies make short-odds favourites like West Ham and Leicester last year, but I have always thought that the play-off’s in this division are in reach of a large number of clubs with always two or three surprise teams giving it a real crack. Then, and there aren’t many, there are a handful of clubs who’s sole ambition is to not get relegated.
Please click for more

Aug 13

Palm Beach and the other side of the tracks

Back from a couple of days in Palm Beach, Florida to round off our summer holiday. An interesting place is Palm Beach, not to be confused with West Palm Beach. Both are in the same Florida county but are separated by an Intercoastal Waterway and three bridges.

On one side of the water multi, multi million dollar homes owned by a cast of rich people and shops with items in the window that don’t have a price tag (“if you need to ask the price, then you can’t afford it sir”), and on the other side a rather run down looking neighbourhood with more Dollar Stores and Pawn Shops than I think I have ever seen in one place.
Please click for more

Aug 13

2 Comments

Back to 4-4-2

Following my 866 word dissertation on Chris Powell’s formation’s last week he reverted back to a wholesome 4-4-2 at Craven Cottage on Saturday starting the game with 11 players from last season’s squad, and not an awful lot different from the team that played against Hartlepool.

Powell knowing I suspect that he hasn’t the armoury for 4-3-3 went back to his trusted formation and it paid dividends. Despite going behind to an early goal the Addicks grew into the game and in the 2nd period revenged our unfortunate FA Cup defeat with a resounding confidence boosting victory following goals from Johnnie Jackson and Kermie.
Please click for more

Aug 9

2 Comments

In formation. To 4-3-3 or not 4-3-3

Tomorrow behind closed doors Chris Powell has his last chance to experiment before the season kicks off on Tuesday when Leyton Orient visit The Valley in the Capital One Cup, four days before we go to St Andrews.

In pre-season Powell has tried 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2 in every game and has only reverted back to last season’s staple 4-2-2 piecemeal. I read with interest one comment that the diamond formation or a central three with pushing on full backs has looked better when some of the less senior players have been involved in it, such as Bover, Cook and Evina.

The problem with a formation other than a 4-2-2 is that I don’t think we have the players, or at least enough of them to play it with aptitude, hence why last season we saw the infinite use of 4-2-2, predominately because that was the style that most suited the players available and/or bought by the CP.
Please click for more->

Aug 8

Wrench

It will be a wrench to leave Costa Rica today. We’ve been really taken with this friendly and provocative country, at least the bits we have seen in the north west province of Guanacaste. The area is splendidly unblemished with a pixar movie full of great characters such as howler and white-faced monkeys, coyotes, anteaters, crocodiles, iguanas and sloths, all in their natural habitat.
Please click for more

Aug 6

3 Comments

Man U chases Chevy’s dollars

US auto maker Chevrolet blew away all the competition, which I understand was pretty significant, to offer Manchester United a 7-year shirt sponsorship deal including signing up fees and inflation worth around £50m a year. My company Aon currently pays £20m, and I understand were more than willing to negotiate a higher rate, but along with other interested parties were massively outbid by Chevy owner General Motors.

Within hours of the deal becoming public the man that negotiated the deal at Chevrolet, Joel Ewanick was fired.
Please click for more

Aug 4

4 Comments

Gold

I’ll hold my hands up. I have been a right old misery guts when it has come to the London Olympics and my mood has switched from damn right disappointment to indignation.

Those early days with half empty stadiums royally pissed me off as I had spent so many hours trying to navigate LOCOG’s cumbersome and ludicrous ticketing policy yet came away empty handed. We planned to spend these couple of weeks in London fully immersing ourselves in the ‘greatest show on earth,’ yet after failing miserably to get any tickets, I stuck two fingers up at my home town (we have a flat in Stratford too) and knowing the television coverage in Bermuda would be shocking, we took ourselves off to Chicago first and now we are in Costa Rica, which incidentally, is beautiful.

Please click for more

Aug 1

Bonjour. Kerkar signs 1 year deal

As proclaimed in my last post, Salim Kerkar signed for the Addicks today in a one-year deal. For my next trick I can tell you it will be dark tonight.

Kerkar is predominately left-footed and could be an able replacement for Jackson, who I think will play more of a central role next season and the Frenchman’s pace would also mean he could be very useful in a 4-3-3.

He was one of the many Rangers players who left after they went into administration. Before Glasgow he was at FC Gueugnon in Ligue 2 and he celebrates his 25th birthday this weekend.
Please click for more

Jul 31

Powell restrained in transfer market

The pre-season rolls on and it’s Nick Pope’s Bury Town tonight. Ian Cartwright’s guide is as good as always, and the line-up is expected to be mostly developmental players but should include Danny Hollands as he catches up on his pre-season. Sadly Nick Pope misses the game in the pretty cathedral town of Bury St Edmonds due to injury.

A development side captained by Danny Hollands beat Bromley Town 2-0 on Saturday, with Ruben Bover’s stunning free-kick the highlight. On Thursday last week a 1st XI comfortably beat Barnet at Underhill 4-1. Kermorgant (both free-kicks), BWP and Jackson got the goals and Jon Fortune captained the Bees.

The first team go to Crawley Town tomorrow night and this is followed by Gillingham, whose hard-to-love chairman has vowed to clear his club’s name of racial discrimination. Pre-season is completed with a game at Tonbridge Angels and finally behind closed doors the Saturday before the new season, Fulham.
Please click for more

Jul 31

2 Comments

Costa Rica

Back from Chicago, a change of clothes and back to the airport on Thursday for a trip to Costa Rica. Never been before and we have been looking forward to this since we booked it a couple of months back.

To break the trip up and because of flight connections we are sandwiching Costa Rica between two stops in Florida’s sweltering heat. Coral Gables for a day going out and three nights further up the coast in Palm Beach on the way back.

Costa Rica is a small country in Central America but it packs a big punch with it’s rugged backbone of volcanoes, 800 miles of coastline, many national parks and rich variety of wildlife.
Please click for more

Jul 29

An alien in New York

A fantastic wedding weekend in Chicago has been extended by one night as we are holed up in the Hilton at JFK. Due to supposed bad weather, I am guessing somewhere in the world because it was not obvious, our flight from Chicago to New York this afternoon left late and sure enough we missed our connection back to Bermuda.
Please click for more

Jul 26

3 Comments

Stephen Kavanagh gone

Rumours emanating from Charlton Life are saying that long time director and current chief executive Stephen Kavanagh has left the club. I true Kavanagh joins Peter Varney and Alex Newell in leaving the club in the past month. That leaves only majority owner Tony Jimenez, front man Michael Slater and Richard Murray as directors.
please click for more

Jul 25

1 Comment

Italian wedding

Tomorrow we are back in Chicago for what will be our 3rd wedding of the summer.

To acknowledge this and also to mark two years since I moved my blog over to WordPress, I thought it was high time I wrote my ‘Chicago Page’ over there on the right hand column. Hopefully I can get you to take a look.

Read more

Jul 24

Sports Day

Back in Bermuda, but not back at work as I had designated today as my team’s first annual Sports Day. Seven of us met for breakfast at 8am at the Fairmont Southampton near to my home. We then went out and played 9 holes of golf at the hotel’s par 3 course.

We started out in the rain but came back to the club house in the sunshine. We then played tennis for an hour and a half. This was the first time I’ve played tennis since my knee operation almost 2-years ago. It felt good and not unexpectedly I enjoyed the tennis more than the golf.
Please click for more

Jul 22

Tour de Force

Over the years we have often had to dig deep to find a true “British sporting hero.” Bradley Wiggins has been at the pinnacle of his sport for sometime but these past couple of weeks he has burst into our lives with immaculate timing. There are just days left until the opening of the London Olympics and we hope for more British achievement, but it is hard to imagine anyone coming even close to what Bradley accomplished today.

Team player first, when Wiggins should’ve been swigging champagne and waving to adoring fans on the Champs-Élysées, he instead hurtled to the front of the peloton to give compatriot Mark Cavendish every chance of sprinting to victory, which he conclusively did. We must also remember that Chris Froome came 2nd overall to make the podium. Unfortunately both had to grin and bear Lesley Garrett mullering the national anthem, which would at least have given the Parisians a laugh.
Please click for more

Jul 22

Back from Spain

Chris Powell and his squad return to London tomorrow after a week of pre-season work in Spain. I am sure the coaches and sports scientists will pick out other highlights from the trip but the fan’s focus will be on the 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night in Lepe. I never get very excited about friendlies but they have to generate a winning mentality and Sporting is a considerable scalp.
Please click for more

Jul 19

George Friend to sign?

Doncaster Rovers’ left sided centre-half is said to be close to moving to The Valley. Friend started his career at Exeter and will know Matt Taylor well. He earned a big move to Wolves 4-years ago and was part of Mick McCarthy’s team that won promotion.

The 24-year old couldn’t break into Wolves’ Premier League side and after loans at Millwall and Scunthorpe, he moved to Doncaster two seasons ago and made 60 appearances.
Please click for more

Jul 18

7 Comments

Olympic woe

A hop, skip and jump back to London tonight. This trip was originally planned for a couple of weeks with family to get ourselves fully absorbed into the Olympics. Not so.

Copious (more than three) attempts to purchase a range of tickets for a range of sports over a few week period ended up with zilch. No, I lie, I did get some Women’s Preliminary Round (non beach) Volleyball tickets for Earls Court. No disrespect to Earls Court but all of us slogging across London to watch Algeria v Japan just didn’t do it for me, so those tickets went back.

Thus I came incredibly frustrated with the whole Olympic ticket process and called it off as a bad job especially after a couple of very early mornings/late nights tapping away on the computer with millions of others. Don’t get me started on the 250,000 tickets unsold, including athletics, opening and closing ceremonies. LOCOG couldn’t have got the ticketing procedure more wrong. 
Please click for more

Jul 15

Hearty eating

I hit a few new places out and about in Chicago last week. My favourite was Trenchermen which had only been opened a few days when we got there on Wednesday night. We had just walked out of the haughty Violet Hour, after we had got blind sided by a bum-fluffed assistant manager who roundly accused us of something we didn’t do. He handled the situation incredibly badly, we told him so, and we walked out without even sipping a drink.

Trenchermen mind you gave us a very warm welcome and we recognised one of the bartenders as an old colleague’s brother. That set the scene for some imaginative drinks (I really don’t like gin but the Green Hornet was superb) and even better food (the sea trout was wonderful).

Trenchermen, named for someone that eats heartily and often to excess, occupies a space that was once a Turkish bathhouse. It’s got authentic white glazed brick, similar to tube station tile, and a terra cotta exterior.
Please click for more

Jul 13

Tony Jimenez = Mr Fixit

The eagle eyed of you or those that have read Wyn’s blog, will have seen a change in the ownership structure stealthily tucked away within the club’s website underlying the lack of transparency in place under this ownership.

Tony Jimenez now owns 47.6% (an increase of 19.6%) of CAFC Holdings Limited shares, which in turn owns 90% of the club. Richard Murray owns the remaining 10%.
Please click for more

Jul 11

2 Comments

Home town

Chicago, my kind of town.

My third day here and sadly I have to leave tomorrow, although happily I will be back in a few weeks. Fortunately the 100 degree heatwave is over and the weather has been beautiful these last couple of days encouraging late night strolling around familiar streets and sights.
Please click for more

Jul 10

3 Comments

First signings

Noah’s Ark or Sparrows Lane at least is back in business as two new signings joined the fray yesterday.

Ex-academy youngster Lawrie Wilson (who was the last Lawrie we had? Madden? Abrahams?) joined on the famous undisclosed fee, reported to be £500,000. Striker Jordan Cook joins from Sunderland I would think as more of ‘one for the future.’
Please click for more

Jul 8

3 Comments

Announcement: Supporters Trust meeting

History tells us that there is nothing quite as formidable as Charlton Athletic fans all pulling in the same direction.

A supporters trust would give the club’s fans potential ownership and a vital say in the future of the club. It would keep the current and future majority owners of CAFC honest and would go a very long way to preserve our history and our future.
Please click for more

Jul 6

1 Comment

Slater’s response

Michael Slater: “I’ve heard about some gossip about the club, but for the last year and a half we have consistently said that we will operate the club on sound commercial principles, and I believe last season’s success vindicates our approach. Last summer Chris signed players to create a team that we believed would be able to compete in the Championship, so although he is looking to bring in a few new players, there is nothing like the urgency of last summer and we will not be rushed into decisions. We are not inactive in the transfer market, but the fact is that in League One we were a big fish in a small pond whereas in the Championship there are plenty of other big clubs vying for the players we are trying to sign”

Jul 5

2 Comments

Michael Slater to respond to rumours

Michael Slater is said to be giving a response to the boardroom rumours tomorrow in the South London Press. Slater, chairman and the acceptable face of the ownership conundrum, will address stories only circulating on Charlton Life but unquestionably with a lot of substance.

Ironically the local media have shown little interest nor knowledge of the recent challenges engulfing the CAFC owners. Equally bewildering is why Slater would pick the SLP, a newspaper that Richard Murray and the previous administration used to shun.

Please click for more

Jul 4

Independence

The beginning of July represents an interlude in work stresses as our business flow is predominately backed into the first half of the year. There are always things to do of course, but the foot is lifted of the accelerator a bit until the last quarter.

I have also taken the opportunity to book a few trips off island this month. Next week I go to Chicago, predominately to do some continued education stuff for work, but also catch up with my mate, who is getting married at the end of the month in the Windy City.
Please click for more

Jul 3

5 Comments

What is happening in the boardroom?

I’ve sat on this for a few days now, as like other Addicks I search around in the dark for clues. The euphoria of winning, sorry walking the League One title after many years of hurt, is suddenly becoming a distant statistic as once again the team we love enters into the murky world of boardroom mistrust and rumour.

For those of you that don’t follow Charlton Life, their forum is awash with scaremongering and unanswered questions. Yet amongst the thousands of comments a couple stand out. Three or four posters, each one I recognise as having some good connections within the club have sources they say, each one different, that suggest that all is not well behind the scenes.

The main source of rumour is that we offered a deal to a potential new signing (I believe a current Premiership player) but then we reneged on the deal. Others suggest that all is not well in the boardroom, with potentially Slater and Jimenez wanting the club to go in different directions and an unknown backer pulling out his investment.
Please click for more

Jul 2

The Spanish Armada

The Invincible Fleet overwhelmed Italy last night with an awe-inspiring display leaving no doubt in any football fan’s mind that these distinguished galleons are not only the best in the world, but possibly the best in history.

It is nigh on impossible of course to compare era’s and I have to rely on old footage to watch the Brazil 1970 vintage. My fond memories of the Dutch side as a young whipper-snapper in ’74 and ’78 mean that I more often than not list them as my all-time favourite national team, yet they didn’t win a bean.

The West Germans post England 1966 were pretty indomitable but one of my favourites were Brazil in 1982. The likes of Zico, Sócrates and Falcao played with such panache, but memories play tricks and they didn’t even make the semi’s in World Cup ’82.
Please click for more

Jun 30

Final thoughts

I have hung my tipping boots up. “The Germans meanwhile look head and shoulders above the competition” I said on the eve of their semi-final. The same quality precognition I had when I bet on Russia and Holland making the final four.

Once again the Germans came up short despite almost everyone enthusing over them. It is now 16 years since Die Mannschaft last won a major tournament. Failure is a not a word Germans like to hear and Joachim Löw’s golden generation, who I think are mostly products of an extensive and systematic youth programme which began after Germany flopped at Euro 2000, now have to go in search of gold in Brazil in 2014. No European nation has ever won a World Cup in the Americas.
Please click for more

Jun 28

1 Comment

Ronaldo falls over

I got out to watch the Iberian derby yesterday and what a pile of poo it was. After 27 games without the slightest chance of a goal-less draw, we get two in two games.

All that nandy-pandy passing around and not a shot on goal. I was particularly disappointed in Portugal, as was the packed bar I was in, who I thought had the beating of a tired looking Spanish team. Conversely in extra time I just felt if Spain wanted to up the pace a little they would have won conventionally instead of going to the penalty shoot-out.
Please click for more

Jun 26

2 Comments

Is Peter Varney leaving a surprise?

The biggest news of this pre-season is the impending departure of Peter Varney. He left once before and what followed wasn’t pretty. Peter’s place in Charlton’s history is already secured but I had wondered for a while how much of a function he played within the club nowadays, and knowing him a little bit I would have thought he would have been bored. In many ways his job was done smoothing the transition of the new owners. Frankly, I think Richard Murray may be next.

What has worried a lot of Addicks, and I will save my concerns until Richard Murray moves on, is that Varney is someone we know and trust and although Slater, Jimenez and whoever else is involved behind the scenes have been exemplary in their running of club so far, mostly we are a mistrustful lot, with good reason let me add, particularly if you look at some other clubs out there.
Please click for more

Jun 25

3 Comments

England pay the penalty…. again

And I quote: “Now for the winner takes all stage, although in the past we have seen countries play for penalties. I just don’t see that this time.” I wrote that the other day and then England came along last night.

For the whole of extra time we played to protect our goal and take the game to the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. Yet, what we didn’t account for is our record in penalty shoot-outs!
please click for more

Jun 22

Community Day

This afternoon was a day to give back to the community as we cleared the office and 50 of us headed to four different locations on the island to give a helping hand to a number of worthy causes.

Most of us were at the Bermuda National Trust owned Tivoli Estate in Warwick Parish, which is a 11-acre area nature reserve. The estate also includes Tivoli Pond and Tivoli House, a typically built early 19th century house that is a fine example of local architecture.
Please click for more

Jun 21

Anyone for Port?

Football’s back on later after a day’s rest. Portugal take on the Czech Republic and I fancy the Portuguese to outclass the suprise Group A winners.

Tell me, is it just 90 minutes, extra time and penalties now? Or have UEFA dreamed up some mathmatical genius to decide winners. Teams with players with the most consonants or something. Czech Republic will walk it.
Please click for more

Jun 20

2 Comments

The Newport to Bermuda race

The first Newport to Bermuda race took place in 1906, and is therefore the oldest ocean race for amateur sailors. After leaving the harbour at Newport, Rhode Island last Thursday 188 yachts spent three to four days out at sea in the very cold water of the Atlantic. They crossed the very unpredictable Gulf Stream, where the weather and the current presents a real challenge and many boats have in the past come a cropper. Then for 300 smooth miles the water warms as the yachts race for the reefs and the finish line in Bermuda.

The bi-annual race finishes at St David’s Head at the very eastern tip of the island and first to cross the line was the 90-foot sloop named Rambler, captained by George David from Hartford, Connecticut.
Please click for more

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →