Aug 31
Young Darlington striker Michael Smith is on the train down to SE7 to meet Chris Powell with a view to sign for the Addicks before deadline day. A fee of around £100,000 has been agreed for the 19-year old who has had a lot of suitors. One for the development squad maybe?
A bid for Barnet winger Mark Marshall has been turned down. Not sure why we would need another winger, unless Powell is thinking of using Wagstaff as a striker more often.
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According to the font of all knowledge the Daily Mail, Newcastle plan to pay Robbie Elliot £12,000 a week to be their third choice goalkeeper. Charlton fan or not, you look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t move job or town for that kind of pay increase.
Pardew was always very good at spending other people’s money and it looks like he’s convinced Newcastle’s board to return with a more realistic offer and hopefully they will be embarrassed into paying us a bit more than what he’s actually worth. I’m thinking in the realms of £250,000 although that might include add-ons.
I see also that French club Sochaux have also reported the Geordies after an alleged illegal approach for their forward Modibo Maiga. More reason to come to terms with Charlton and for us to discreetly withdraw our complaint.
Elliot has been in his best form this season and of course not many of us have ever seen Hamer play, but we need to move on and now use this money to invest in more needy positions in the squad. Rumours persist that Paul Benson and Simon Francis will leave before the deadline. Benson to either Gillingham, Leyton Orient or his home town club of Southend United and Francis on loan.
Travelling back from New York tonight after a couple of days in the city for a career chat with my boss, and a bit of other networking activity. Despite an early start yesterday I was on a real high after reading Dave’s Colchester report and scouring some of these eye witness reports on Charlton Life.
Today though Addick thoughts are with Rob Elliot, who seems poised for a move to Newcastle United to reunite himself with Alan Pardew and goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman. According to the BBC Newcastle have put in a bid for Robbie, although not a day goes by without Pardew suggesting that he is in the market for someone or other to appease the Toon. Chris Powell meanwhile has said today that any deal is in it’s embryonic stages.
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Andy Hughes and Ben Hamer were the latest new additions to this season’s squad this morning. Hamer’s fee was *shocker* undisclosed and utility man Hughes is a free.
The signing of Hamer poses a lot of questions but I expect Elliot to be cashed in before the transfer deadline, which would be in line with New York Addick’s anticipated investment portfolio of players.
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Summer murmurs of Robbie Elliot leaving might well come to fruition this week. Chris Powell mentioned a few days ago that the club are in discussions to extend his contract but one has to wonder why then Powell feels he needs another 1st choice keeper with the OS stating that we are in talks to sign Reading’s Ben Hamer?
Hamer was on loan at Exeter when we played them in the bumper Valley crowd day last February. Matt Taylor would thus know him well.
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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.
AFC Bournemouth 2 Charlton Athletic 2
The timing of yesterday’s game threw me completely. I was unaware that it was an early kick off, added to the fact that until today the UK was an hour less ahead of us in Bermuda as we switched our clocks forward a few weeks ago. I also thought the England game was at 5pm and not at 3pm. Anyway, you get the gist and I missed both games completely.
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Sheffield Wednesday 2 Charlton Athletic 2
If whatever Chris Powell said to the players before the game is an indication of what is to come, then bring it on! Charlton came flying out of the blocks yesterday at Hillsborough and were two-up before I’d even settled down for the commentary. No disrespect to Keefy but perhaps Sir Chris should have given the players another pep-talk at half-time!
Peacock and Damian Matthew do deserve a lot of credit for how they set us up though with Waggy playing behind Anyinsah, they both really hurt Wednesday in the first half and there sounded better performances from Francis, Elliot and Semedo to name just three.
It sounded like an enthralling game on the radio and I would have taken a draw before kick off. We owned the first half and our counter-attacking was reminiscent of our better away performances at Peterborough and Swindon. I look forward also, to seeing Robbie’s penalty save in the highlights.
Charlton Athletic 1 Barnet 0
I’ll keep this short as I’m as hungover at hell.
Terrific defensive performance last night against 92nd placed Barnet as we march on to Wembley. Job done, clean sheet, momentum continued.
I was out and have no idea what really happened, but these people do: New York Addick; Hungry Ted; Drinking During the Game; Addicks Diary; Charlton Casual; Stickleback; Doctor Kish.
CA fact: Barnet have conceded 38 goals so far this season – the 2nd worse (behind Peterborough) in the lower two divisions.
Barnet 0 Charlton Athletic 0
The radio gave the impression that this was a cracking cup tie and perhaps for the neutral it was. Playing down the slope in the first period we should have led, but after Tuesday night we reverted back to type and dominated the first half but never looked like getting the ball in the old onion bag.
In the 2nd half it was pretty even but we appeared to have the upper hand until the last 15 minutes when Barnet turned the screws and frankly we were lucky to escape with a draw and our pride intact. Robbie Elliot performed heroics in goal allowing us to avoid last season’s shocker and get our name in the hat for today’s 2nd Round draw.
Swindon Town 0 Charlton Athletic 3
I was on the plane for the whole length of the game last night travelling back to Bermuda from Gatwick. The brilliant new Sherlock Holmes BBC series had taken my mind off what might be happening at the County Ground but once we touched down a fair few scenario’s played in my mind in the time it took to turn the mobile on and for it to obtain a signal but as Twitter burst into life the first few messages at the top of the page told me all I needed to know!
Thanks also to those of you that sent me the final result directly. But what a fantastic result and on paper probably the best one of the season and fine revenge too, after the heartbreak of the play-off’s.
Chicago Addick 