Danny Hollands

Aug 10

Where did they go?

Being a bit of an old sentimentalist I try to follow the fortunes of players that have left the club. I did a little research and tracked down the players that left us at the end of last season, just in case you were wondering like.

We all know that Diego Poyet (West Ham), Ben Hamer (Leicester) and Dorian Dervite (Bolton) decided against new contract offers and increased their already not insignificant wages. Dervite came on as a 2nd half sub for Bolton yesterday and was at fault for Watford’s 3rd goal.

For some of the younger players released finding a new job is a little bit more of a necessity. Of the 15 players that departed The Valley in June, the only players I can find that are yet to have a club are Bradley Jordan and Mark Gower.
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May 22

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Hamer time

Time to leave for Ben, who signed for Premier League new boys Leicester City today on a free. Undoubtedly Leicester’s Thai owners would have paid handsomely for a 4-year contract, even if it is to mostly sit on the bench. The galling bit of course is the King Power Group would happily have paid a fairy sizeable fee if Ben was under contract.

Slater and Jimenez take the brunt of the criticism for the farcial contract situation that the club find themselves in, and rightly so, but equally Duchatelet had plenty of time to heed the advice he was given and at least attempt to tie in Hamer and others to an extended contract which would have given us some kind of transfer fee. It’s good governance if nothing else.
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May 22

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11 players released

Despite being without a head coach/manager or assistant manager Charlton announced the list of players that won’t be offered new contracts this morning. They were:

Ade Azeez
Jordan Cook
Leon Cort
Cedric Evina
Kevin Feely
Mark Gower
Danny Green
Danny Hollands
Bradley Jordan
Bradley Pritchard
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May 7

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Hollands and Hughes

Players contracts has been a topic of supporter’s conversation all season. Charlton won’t be alone in having a scratch squad left after June 1st, and I am sure there will be a record number of professionals available on free transfers.

With the loan players gone, Charlton have 18 players out of contract plus the coaching team of Alex Dyer, Damian Matthews, Karel Fraeye and Jose Riga all contract-less after June 1st.

Today Andy Hughes officially left the club, this on the back of Danny Green and Danny Hollands also moving on, although these two yet to be confirmed by the club.
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Aug 29

Hollands leaves on loan

Good luck to Danny Hollands who moved to Gillingham today on loan for 3 months. Martin Allen seemed happy to get his man and we know that Hollands will do a good job for the Gills in League One.

Hollands has been a bit part player since we won promotion and has also been hampered by injury including whilst he was on loan at Swindon at the end of last year, which resulted in an early return to The Valley when I thought he may end up joining the Robins on a permanent deal.
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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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Jan 7

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Cup half empty

Whilst Powelly this morning probably told the players not to worry themselves over the abysmal performance on Saturday and concentrate on the league, many of the supporters, and not surprisingly those that paid good money to sit through it, can’t seem to shake it from their memories.

Dave took to his loft to find out exactly how rubbish our Cup form was and he did. He wrote that in 66 seasons, we have failed to win an FA Cup match in 34 of them! In fact by my own calculations we won a quarter of as many FA Cup matches in two seasons – 1945/46 and 1946/47 than we did in the next 66.

As Dave points out, since we lifted the famous Cup in 1947 Charlton have had only four Cup runs, namely in 1981 (lost to then old Div 1 leaders Ipswich), 1994 (went out to then Premier League leader Manchester United), in 2000 (lost to Bolton Wanderers) and in 2006 (went out Middlesborough). Truly shocking.
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Dec 14

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Counter attack

Another week flies by. Work is manic but if I could crack a couple of 10 hours days my desk would look a lot more rosy and my mind a lot more lucid. Mind you, the pub has been calling pretty loudly this week, which hasn’t helped with my time management.

9 more shopping days, I need to spend some time on Amazon this weekend to make sure that I don’t end up paying through the nose for delivery. I hear the weather back in the UK is a little frigid, it is strangely still very warm here, which throws me out of balance as I walk down Front Street with the sun blazing and the lights wrapped around Christmas trees and lamposts fighting against the bright sky to twinkle.

I expect to be in front of the radio tomorrow listening to the Addicks at Bolton. Wanderers are in the exact same league position under Dougie Freedman than they were when they sacked Owen Coyle. Mind you neighbours Blackburn are 10 places lower since they booted out Steve Kean.
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Nov 14

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Hollands moves to Swindon

I’m very disappointed from a personal point of view that Danny Hollands has moved to Swindon Town on loan today until January 5th. I sponsor Danny’s home shirt as I did last season when he was a key player in winning the League One title. He was also very good company at the end of season sponsors dinner.

Hollands often epitomised everything good about the side last season, playing with a big heart in 46 games. I hope he can get some good game time under Di Canio and come back with a point to prove.
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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.

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May 2

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12 months on

The Sponsors Dinner last night sounded a blast. Last year the players were putting a brave face on it unsure of their futures, and with their pride in tatters. Meanwhile a certain Chris Powell was in big planning mode. Fast forward 12 months and the atmosphere couldn’t have been any different.

The overwhelming message I got from phone calls from my two mates who sat with Danny Hollands and Matt Taylor was one of real team spirit. Players, men, who clearly get on and like each other’s company. I was sad I missed it but even their animated texts and calls gave me a feel good glow.
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May 1

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Sponsors Dinner

Tonight two of my mates will take my place at the Shirt Sponsors Dinner at The Valley. Unfortunately I couldn’t get ‘management approval’ to return home a few days earlier this week and instead will fly Friday night instead.

A couple of years back I felt inclined to support the club in some small financial way as I was no longer a season ticket holder so I made the decision to enter into a bit of shirt sponsorship. I went for Semedo last season and for this Champion year I sponsored Danny Hollands.
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Sep 18

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Rochdale 2 Charlton Athletic 3

It was another excellent away win at Spotland yesterday for the Addicks and for almost the entirety of the match I was at a children’s park on Chicago’s north shore frantically checking my phone for updates whilst with my daughter and my mate and his two young kids.

Why I was pushing the swing seeking some kind of respite from the Twitter updates I was thinking how after all these years the elation and the despair doesn’t ever seem to recede as we raced into a two-goal lead at half-time, only for Dale to peg us back to all square, before Danny Hollands headed in the winner from a Johnnie Jackson corner. Is that the first goal we have scored from a corner this season? Is it even the first attempt on goal from a corner this season?
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Aug 13

Notts County 1 Charlton Athletic 2

I’ve just seen the goals on Sky, what a wonderful finish that was by Waggy and fully justifying his starting place in the team. By all accounts Wagstaff played so well that Danny Green didn’t even get close to taking his tracksuit off!

We will play better teams than both Bournemouth and County but trust me we will play far worse. In Martin Allen they have a manager who is an expert motivator and they brushed aside Carlisle last week and ran city rivals Forest about as close as you can get in the League Cup on Tuesday, so today’s win at Meadow Lane packed a powerful message of what we can hope for this season.
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Aug 4

Saturday marks my 36th season as a Charlton fan – yes I was a child bride. Pre-Selhurst Park I always had a season ticket and I got one again when we knew that Upton Park was just a mere overnight stay before we finally got back home. I continued with a season ticket from 1992 right up until a couple of years after I left London to work in Chicago but finally gave it up, when frankly Valley seats were easier to come by and financially it didn’t make sense to me.
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May 26

Hatrick

13 years exactly after waking in my Charlton shirt covered in pride and disbelief, I have broken my self-imposed Charlton silence (it wasn’t difficult) with the news that Chris Powell has made three signings before the end of May.

The most significant is that of Danny Hollands, two of Matt Holland will be quite acceptable. The only negative to signing the Bournemouth man is that one could read into it that either Racon or Semedo will be leaving, and I would say it is almost certainly curtains for Alan McCormack. Hollands is also potential captain material if Semedo goes (to Greece according to Sky Sports) and Dailly moves on to pastures new.
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