Nov 16
One week on. Are we over it yet? Nah, me neither, even though my brain has been through an abundance of senses travelling with work in Nevada and California this past week, that final few minutes plays over and over.
The international break is an annoyance, even though I noticed that England qualified for next year’s Euro tour. Shocking to hear Joe Gomez getting booed too, some people are such idiotic lemmings.
I really enjoyed that England performance today. Someone at UEFA should be feeling very proud of themselves at work tomorrow as the Nations League is looking like an innovative success.
Wembley was alive today and as far removed from a comotosed stadium watching a monotonous and meaningless friendly than you could get. It was great to see and hear how the crowd serenaded both Gareth Southgate and the players afterwards following a superb calendar year for the national team.
Whereas Roland Duchatelet can be found guilty of mass incompetence, utterly poor management and sheer stubbornness he has, as far as I know, has never illegitimately asset stripped the club. The Oyston family are a different matter though and after Monday’s high court ruling that ordered Owen and Karl Oyston to pay £31m to the minority shareholder, Valeri Belokon.
The lowest crowd ever to watch a Charlton first team match beating the Bradford Members Cup tie at Selhurst in 1986! What an utterly crackpot idea the Football League’s Checkatrade Trophy is. Nonetheless it does give Karl Robinson an opportunity to assess Jason Euell’s young players, and although he was critical of the performance after, it was good to know that Steve Avory’s factory line is still whirring.
For the few that were there most were impressed with young debutant Jamie Mascoll. The 20-year old has had quite an acceleration into the first team. Spotted by Steve Avory at Dulwich Hamlet, where he wasn’t even a first team regular, Mascoll has impressed in the U23’s playing left and right back as well as further up in midfield. Good luck to him, and great to see another Catford boy doing well.
It was great to see Ademola Lookman score for Everton yesterday. I was thrilled for the lovely young man. Every Addick can be rightly proud that he was ‘Made in Charlton’. It was equally as good to see Joe Gomez return from his long term injury for Liverpool last week in the FA Cup, and he too was on the bench yesterday at Old Trafford. It can be impossible to keep these players from moving to the next level, particularly when Charlton appears to be low on ambition, and the reality is that we have become a middling League One club.
I think under Robinson, if he is allowed a longer term to influence young prospects, we may see academy players stay to play closer to a century of games. Of course we know Katrien Meire’s view on moving our best young players on, and for Roland Duchatelet, it is just a way to make money for his network project.
Despite it being no surprise to any Addick, confirmation of Joe Gomez’s transfer to Liverpool today has left me with an air of despondency. This has not been helped by the apparent readiness with which Ben Roberts is talking to Brighton about moving there as their goalkeeping coach, after Katrien Meire gave the parties permission.
Despite the fee being typically undisclosed by Charlton (Liverpool historically have been happy to announce fees) all of the media outlets are stating that Gomez signed for £3.5m on a 5-year deal. Meanwhile those in the club have attempted to squash that and say it is higher. Whatever it is, Charlton fans will want to see all of the sale money redistributed back into the squad and not Roland Duchatelet’s network.
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Various outlets including the Guardian, Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo are predicting that Liverpool will make Joe Gomez their latest summer signing this week. The price mentioned, which I think originated in the Echo, is a paltry £3.5m, with further performance-related add-ons.
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Part one of Luzon/Duchatelet/Meire’s summer transfer strategy was executed today with the announcement of 15 players released.
They are: Tal Ben Haim; Simon Church; Chris Eagles; Roger Johnson; Lawrie Wilson; Oguchi Onyewu; Neil Etheridge; Jack Munns; Harry Osborne; Harry Gerard; Kadell Daniel; Kurtis Cumberbatch; Kieran Monlouis; Rhys Browne; Levander Pyke.
A mixture of the unfortunate attrition of young pros who were unable to step up plus 7 first teamers. My only disappointment is seeing Ben Haim go, although it was apparently his own decision. Not so much disappointed but sad to see Lawrie Wilson and Simon Church move on.
The Welshman scored just 10 goals in Charlton colours, but his work rate could never be questioned, but I expect his career will have to continue down a division.
Lawrie Wilson’s form dipped this season after an excellent 2014/15 season, when I personally thought he was player of the year. He was very friendly with Hamer, Morrison, Hughes and Jackson and an integral part of Chris Powell’s squad but he was sidelined under both Peeters and Luzon and the writing was on the wall. However I am pleased that he was able to come back to the club where he began his career to show us what a great pro he is. Best of luck Lawrie.
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Our 18-year old defensive prodigy lost out to Leeds United’s Lewis Cook in the Football League Championship Apprentice of the Year award tonight. Midfielder Cook missed the game yesterday due to injury but has played twice the games than Gomez has this season. Cook is also a year older. The other nomination for the award was Millwall’s Fred Onyedinma.
Catford-born Gomez, who was playing for Charlton’s U18’s when he was just 13 has been a revelation since breaking in the first team under Bob Peeters early in the season. The best way to describe Gomez is that he plays as if this is his tenth season and not his first and has that ability to simply glide across the pitch. Joe compares very favourably in my mind to Richard Rufus and Paul Elliott and I just hope Charlton fans get to enjoy this great kid for another season or two. Please click for more
“We can’t be letting five/ten players go, we need consistency and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the ins and outs over the summer, that’s for sure.”
I have been impressed with what I have seen and heard from Stephen Henderson since he arrived in SE7 last summer. He has been very impressive in goal and speaks well, and clearly is enjoying his time at the club, despite his absence through injury.
If it wasn’t for the shoulder injury the Irishman would have by now played for the Addicks more than any other club in his career, which has spanned 8 years and 10 different teams, 11 if you include Aston Villa where he started in their youth team.
So it is no surprise that Henderson is so bullish, finally finding a club that has immersed him and where he has found some affinity. Interesting then that he was quoted as saying the above at the top of this post.
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Fantastic to see Joe Gomez agree to an extended contract and great credit to the club for pursuing this and getting it across the line.
Joe is an exciting talent and has stepped into the 1st team like an old hand when required this season, and committing to the club means Addicks will get to enjoy Joe for a lot longer and we won’t have the painful suffering of seeing a academy graduate leave for nothing like we did in the summer.
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My first sight of the new revolution in SE7 last night and quite frankly I was astounded.
The first 10 minutes I sat in a kind of self contained bewilderment as Peeters’ side imposed their passing game on most people’s favourites for promotion. Derby hardly got a sniff of the ball until they kicked off again after George Țucudean scored a beautifully crafted goal in the 11th minute.
I cheered with others, but I was equally a little bit speechless if I’m honest. I don’t think in 40 years I have seen a Charlton team play such a deliberate passing game. Good passers, yes, but all eleven players in a predetermined way look instinctively for the pass first, I don’t think I have.
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Charlton and formality are two words rarely seen together in the same sentence, yet last night a decent turn out at The Valley witnessed just that.
Credit to Big Bob for putting out a team capable of winning the tie, then giving a galvanizing half-time pep talk and finally throwing on further match-winners later in the game, even though the game was won, to keep up the interest. As Bob said the fans “had a good night.”
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I watched bits of Charlton’s pre-season games in St-Truiden this past weekend on the Addicks You Tube service, which was very good by the way.
I am sure those that travelled had a fun time despite the driving rain during yesterday’s game and Stayen looked a neat little stadium. Nonetheless pre-season games are simply that, an opportunity for fitness, preparation and team building. Training games that you can pay to watch.
This was underlined by Standard even wearing their training bibs in Saturday’s 45-minute kick about. Friendlies play with your expectations, be careful, but no one has ever been promoted or relegated after a pre-season friendly and one week of training.
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Sarasota, Florida
