Jose Semedo | Chicago Addick

Sep 6

Charlton Athletic 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1

Disappointing last night especially after such as wonderful start (which I missed).

After the 15th minute I managed to watch the game on a decent internet feed and for the rest of the half we were on top and trying to get the ball down at every opportunity.

In the 2nd half Wednesday, with Semedo pivotal, won the midfield battle and it was frustrating to watch us too often rely on the long ball down the big throats of the Wednesday backs. Hamer I thought also was culpable sending every goal kick long and refusing to send willing full backs away with an early throw. And whilst on the subject of throws. Please, enough of the ‘Stoke long throw game.’ Yes, use it as one of our weapons but not from every blimmin’ throw-in!

Whilst our back four were rarely troubled as soon as I saw Clinton bloody Morrison on the touchline, those of us with long memories would have feared the worse and sure enough the concerns were soon realised as again we conceded from a set-piece.
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Aug 4

Danny Hollands

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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Jul 7

Francis going, Llera going, Semedo gone

As predicted Jose Semedo signed for Div 3 rivals Sheffield Wednesday today. I’m sorry to see him go but it was hardly unexpected, it’s just a shame that he has chosen to go to a team in the same division as us when one would have thought he had options higher up. Wednesday obviously were prepared to match or improve his current contract and gave him the stability of a 3-year deal.

But, in saying that I belong to the band of people that thought Jose was part of the problem and not the solution. Powell has already signed a whole new midfield and we should be more excited by that than the re-signing of the Portugeser and his Guadalopian mate Racon.

Nonetheless he only ever gave his all in a red shirt and I was proud to sponsor his shirt in his final season at The Valley.
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May 5

Put down

I almost forgot…. how could I? Saturday is the last game of the season and those going have my complete and utter admiration. Hartlepool United in 18th and Charlton in 14th has all the makings of a cracker. At least the sun might be out.

If we’d been a racehorse we would have been put down by now as we limp over the League One finish line. A truly miserable and let’s be honest, scandalous 46 games plus the odd two or three cup embarrassments thrown in for good measure.

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May 1

2 Comments

Wo-wo-wo-woah

CAFC Player of the Year tonight and with 43% of the vote Jose Semedo swept the fan’s vote. Johnnie Jackson, who may well have won if it wasn’t for the injury that has kept him out of the majority of Powell’s games was second with Rob Elliot third. 17-year old Callum Harriot was the Young Player of the Year.
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Apr 12

Trouble and strife

It wasn’t long ago that I was sat with the other-half on one of our Friday date-nights plying her with wine and persuading her that I have to be in Manchester around the end of May for the weekend. Well that was a pink ticket well and truly wasted wasn’t it?

Then today I was working out my summer visit back to Blighty and was trying to coincide my trip around the first game of the new season. Sadly it won’t be Upton Park but more likely the Crown Ground…. yes, quite, small margins indeed.
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Apr 3

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Winning

Charlton Athletic 3 Leyton Orient 1
April Fools Day came late to SE7 yesterday as not only did those rip roaring Addicks win for the first time in 7 weeks, the ball stayed on the ground for longer than it has for months and Jose Semedo scored only his second goal in 128 Charlton appearances. Feels good doesn’t it?

Judging by reports we started well, with a good tempo and movement. Then we conceded and our fragile confidence split. At half-time though Powell finally got through to the players and they came out and put on a show. The O’s didn’t lie down however and the Valley faithful got a long-owed decent match, 3 goals, some positive talking points afterwards and of course 3 points.
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Feb 15

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Monkey hanged

Hartlepool United 2 Charlton Athletic 1

I tried very hard to ignore New York Addick’s unenthusiastic but veracious post after the win against Peterborough on Saturday. I have a tendency for my heart to rule my head, and I think a lot of us are in the same boat when it comes to Charlton at present. However tonight’s display- according to the radio anyhow – was nothing short of dismal.

It was painful listening to the Player commentary and for only a few minutes did we ever sound like we had any control of the game, and frustratingly it was at that point that Eccleston scored and a better team would have gone on to be easy winners, but we reverted back to type and continued to lack unison and ideas and it wasn’t a surprise that we fell behind again.

The radio commentator didn’t help my mood and I lost count of how many times he said that this was the 5th game on the trot that we had fallen behind! Mind you co-commentator Craig Hignett proffered some good observations but only helped to highlight our shortcomings.

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Aug 10

Giving something back

Apart from tickets for home games when I’m back and the odd item of merchandising mostly for my son, oh and some added grey hair for me, I don’t actually invest an awful lot into Charlton which has (don’t tell my bank manager) perturbed me for a while.

If I lived back in the south-east of England I would almost certainly have a season ticket and more likely two. So this season I decided to give something back to the club (they certainly need it) and sponsored a player and will later in the season buy the mascot package for my son.
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Aug 7

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Cherries picked

Charlton Athletic 1 AFC Bournemouth 0
One tries to temper the hope the first Saturday of the season brings. Last season Norwich and Swindon were great examples of how much the first game means in the whole context of the season but nonetheless getting that first win on the board is always important and that is exactly what we did this afternoon.

From the commentary The Valley faithful sounded right behind the new-look team and Akpo got the goal that our early pressure deserved. Kyel Reid tormented Bournemouth first half before understandably running out of steam in the second. Sodje himself impressed, and came in for some good praise on the radio.
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