Bury | Chicago Addick

Aug 28

Heartbreaking to watch Bury league expulsion

Bury’s demise and late last night, expulsion from the EFL, was both painful and deeply upsetting to watch. For any football fan who respects the wider panoramic of what it really means to support a team beyond that of being sat in front of the television cheering on multi-millionaires wearing a stupid half and half scarf, will all be hurting this morning. Those desperate Bury fans will feel total helplessness and anger.

All football fans should feel angry, particularly those of smaller community clubs that become projects or playthings for the rich, or often not really rich at all. Those egos that within a quick fire few months can mismanage the running of a business to complete disaster, and seemingly not give a toss.

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Jan 15

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Holmes gone. Money not to be reinvested

As expected Ricky Holmes was unveiled as a Sheffield United player today. The fee was undisclosed bu5 reckoned of be no more than £400,000. Richard Murray, remember hump?, said that due to takeover talks the money will not be reinvested in the team, but Holmes wages will, meaning loans and free agents only.

Don’t ask me how during takeover talks players can be sold but not bought. Best to ask Roland how that works. This could get nastier as Duchatelet flogs the family silver one by one.

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Sep 23

Charlton Athletic 1 Bury 1

Mid table here we come..

Or maybe a flirtation with the play-off’s, but automatics? If I look at the table Peterborough, Bradford, Wigan and Scunthorpe all look pretty steady, and each of them have had 9 tougher games than we have. Then there is always a surprise package, and Shrewsbury have carried that torch exceptionally well so far. Even Blackpool are above us, bless ’em.

It’s early days for sure, but the detail behind the statistics don’t show us in a good light. We’ve played the bottom four and gained only 4 points from 12. We’ve played one of the top 6 and got well and truly thrashed.

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Sep 22

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No protests, no options, no Ajose

CARD issued a statement today which states that there will be no in match protests that could detract from a potentially successful promotion campaign, however other plans are being made.

Possibly the other plans could mean further protests in Duchatelet’s home country and town, which I personally feel at this stage make more of an impact.

I think CARD’s approach is sensible and underscores the mantra of supporting the team (and manager) but not the regime. However everything is still not rosy behind the scenes and I think the inability to bring in another striking option other than an untried Rangers’ reserve shows how much Duchatelet is still stifling ambition at the club. Not for the first time we’ve started well, and possibly have the best looking first XI we’ve seen since Powell left, but again we enter the autumn and winter and the long slog of three games a week with a paper thin squad lacking in experience, depth and options.

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Aug 1

League One preview 17/18 – part II

Part I here.

Out of Yorkshire then and back to the north-west of the country and those teams that have to live in the shadows of United and City in Greater Manchester.

Wigan Athletic have been a league club for less than 40 years, and under the generous ownership of Dave Whelan, the Latics have spent almost half of that time in the top two divisions. This season they find themselves, now under the chairmanship of Whelan’s grandson David Sharpe, back in the 3rd tier. After winning the League One title Wigan should have had enough to survive in The Championship and relegation appeared to be avoidable, but relegated they were and four managers later they begin this season as one of the bookies’ favourites for promotion.

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Feb 25

8 Comments

Charlton Athletic 0 Bury 1

Did anyone watch Robinson’s pre-match team selection interview? I didn’t, can’t bear it but any talking on the pitch was embarrassingly muted. No doubt Karlo will have a few words of comfort for us.

It just gets worse doesn’t it. No cohesion, no goals, poor defending. Another early goal conceded with no obvious clue of how to get back into it and let’s make no mistake, these players need to take a considerable share of the blame as well.

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Aug 6

1 Comment

Bury 2 Charlton Athletic 0

Over a 1,000 Addicks made the long trip to Bury today. The first game of a new season prompting dreams, hopes and a small ray of sunlight peaking out from behind a big black cloud that still engulfs our historic football club.

Charlton fans sung the place out and backed the team to the hilt, but in return were treated to a dreadful performance in Russell Slade’s first competitive game. Added to that, at the final whistle to muted boos and sympathic applause, as the players walked over to those that had made the long and expensive journey, Roger Johnson to hundreds of witnesses screamed at fans: “don’t f*cking come if you don’t like it.” Honestly this club, our club, is rotten to the core.
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Aug 5

4 Comments

The first pangs of a new season

I’m liking the cut of Russell Slade’s jib. He says it straight, and talks with authority and honesty. He’s got a little twinkle in his eye too. That can be quite infectious.

I said a while back that if they could bring Jason Pearce into the club, then that would say a lot about Slade’s influence and ability to manage our inadequate CEO, and to get what he wants and or was promised. Pearce joined yesterday and for me is the signing of the summer. Pearce is a winner, vocal and not stupid. He has also been team captain wherever he has played and I suspect he will be for us with Jacko remaining club captain.
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Aug 1

League One preview – part I

Well here we are again, back in the 3rd Division of English football. Some old friends remain like Sheffield United, who face their 6th consecutive season after being relegated in 2010/11 and for the 6th time start the season as the bookies’ favourite. Oldham Athletic also remain and with a tenure of 10 years are the division’s longest serving member. Millwall are back there as well, as are Gillingham, but strangely only 9 teams remain from our promotion season. They are Sheffield United, Oldham, Chesterfield, Colchester, MK Dons, Notts County, Rochdale, Walsall and Saturday’s opponents Bury.

We will welcome back to The Valley Phil Parkinson, now manager of Bolton and perhaps will look longingly at Chris Wilder and Keith Hill who were both interviewed for the Charlton manager’s job in the summer before it was given to Russell Slade. Amongst ex-players we will be reacquainted with are Jerome Thomas (Port Vale), Franck Moussa (Walsall), Paul Konchesky, Scott Wagstaff (both Gillingham), Marvin Sordell, Kyel Reid (both Coventry) and Eggert Jonsson (Fleetwood). Excited yet?

So, old friends, old foes, new teams, new grounds and I will cast my captivated eyes over them one by one. Not in any real detail like Kyle, but just enough to get your juices flowing with anticipation. No?
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Aug 27

2 Comments

Bury 1 Charlton Athletic 2

My birthday weekend continued this morning when we met some friends at the pool. I saw we were one-down at half-time but jumped in the pool and cleared my head of all Bury thoughts thousands of miles away.
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