Oct 4
Defeat today in heavy winds but we can’t be too downhearted. These days were always going to come, but we sit top half as we go into the second international break.
It’s been a long week especially for those travelling fans who today had to beat difficult train and weather conditions, but their backing was magnificent again.
Please click for moreA real shame, but not surprising to see Thierry Small leave the club today. He and his agent had long held out against signing a new contract and his move to Preston underlines how hard it will be to compete financially with other clubs a level up.
Small signed for Preston North End today on a 4-year deal, and they will pay a ‘training compensation.’
Please click for moreA gutsy performance up at Preston tonight, and we were unlucky to lose.
Two defensive lapses allowed them to score from their only two shots on target and a brilliant save at the death from an Aneke header prevented another 30 minutes play.
Please click for moreNot surprisingly with the cold temperatures all week, tomorrow’s FA Cup game at Preston has been postponed at least giving fans over a day’s notice, unlike the 20 minutes they got at Crawley on New Year’s Day.
The game has been re-arranged for Tuesday but I’d be shocked if all the 1,000 ticketed Addicks are able to make that journey on a work and school night.
Please click for moreDion Dublin and Mark Hughes pulled some cracking ties out of the hat this evening apart from about one, our tie away at Preston.
All around us there were some great ties, but for us it’s a very un-romantic away trip to Preston, our first visit to Deepdale since our last season in The Championship.
Please click for moreAnother single goal defeat, another two goals conceded. Is it time to get worried yet?
Disappointing to see the line-up with the bench not including Josh Cullen or Jake Forster Caskey, and in fact even missing a body. No Chris Solly either.
Yet we started really well, and got a great early goal. We passed the ball around from left to right and back to the left side with Sarr releasing Doughty who burst into the box, and put a delightful cross on a plate for Green to score.
A very uncharacteristically poor and flat performance from Charlton this morning. By far, I would think, our worst display of the season by a country mile and it was more like a vintage Addicks’ television performance than those on-screen crackers we’ve seen more recently.
Preston are hard to beat and pretty dull to watch, but they were better than us by a long way, yet nowhere near the quality of the other top sides we’ve played. In the end it was a clumsy penalty that gave them the three points, but we were not at the show at all.
Halfway through our Championship opponents then. Part One is here and Part Two here. Part Three begins with the team geographically furthest away from SE7, Middlesbrough.
Middlesbrough’s Jonathan Woodgate is one of three new English managers in The Championship. All three, Scott Parker, Lee Bowyer and Woodgate had very good playing careers and each will hope to be able to transfer their knowledge onto their teams.
Another defeat. Anyone surprised?
A very weird line up starting with 6 defenders with Chris Solly in central midfield, Morgan Fox somewhere in there too, and Roger Johnson back after bench sores. No Harriott, who gave Fulham problems on Saturday. We could have been forgiven in thinking that master tactician Karel Fraeye was back picking the team. He wasn’t but Riga is only another puppet with slightly longer strings and a better CV.
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The final part of my look at our Championship rivals. Part I is here and Part II is here.
In this section I will look at the teams the bookies have bundled together in the middle of the table, and those who the bookies have flagged as likely relegation fodder.
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There’s a certain symmetry to the 3rd and 4th placed teams, 4th and 5th in League Two, reaching the play-off final, if you like the ‘two best teams’ after those already promoted. You can also add the Conference into that unusual statistic this season as well.
I have worked out that this year is only the third time in 29 seasons that the best two placed teams in the three tiers have made it to the play-off final. The last time was 2000, and in 1998 it also happened. I remember it well.
Everyone has there own theories on the play-offs, although few complain that they are a bad thing, as there is no doubt it adds some great excitement and also prolongs the season’s dreams. This season is only the 8th time that 3rd and 4th in The Championship have made it to the Final. It also happened last year when 4th placed QPR scraped past Derby.
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City of London
