Aug 17
Sad to hear of the passing of Mike Bailey. Diagnosed with dementia in 2020, he was 84.
One of my favourite ever Charlton season’s was the year he took us up in 1980/81. We were rubbish when we went down from the old Division 2. Bailey took over from Andy Nelson the previous March, inherited a mess and was allowed to sign no one but we won promotion at the first time of asking at our favourite hunting ground, Brunton Park.
Please click for moreThe season just gone was abysmal and depressing, no two ways about it. Yet I only made it back home to a handful of games, the last one in March against MK Dons after when in my mind, our cast was dyed and I vowed not to give Duchatelet anymore of my money.
However back in 1980 I was a 13-year old Charlton nut who refused to miss a game, did a fair few aways, and over a space of an hour and a half my beloved team could make or break my school week. But my, the 1979/80 season was proper abysmal and if I knew the meaning of the word depressing back then, then it was most definitely that as well.
That season was the first I’d ever seen us get relegated as I started going after we won promotion from the 3rd Division in 1975 when after some gentle persuasion my Dad decided to return to The Valley after a break brought on by marriage, small children, and lost interest.
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Tribeca, New York
