Aug 2
Gassan Ahadme scored twice and could’ve had a third in the final run out of the season today, but he did do it against his favourite opposition.
Still it was a nice surprise and will do him no harm. Sonny Carey was the other scorer in the 3-0 win at Southend.
Please click for moreCharlton added Southend United to the pre-season schedule today. That looks like it will be the final friendly before we kick off The Championship season.
That leaves possibly another game on July 29th or 30th between the trips to Cambridge and Southend, but as it stands our pre-season line up looks neither exciting nor uber challenging.
Please click for moreI’ll try not to be too negative but that was another disappointing and alarming display.
Yet, I have spent five decades watching us find way’s to lose these games and despite the players’ best efforts, they actually won and most importantly of all are in the hat for the next round.
Please click for moreThe draw for the 1st Round proper of the FA Cup was held at Bradford tonight and the Addicks were drawn away to Southend United.
It’s a good draw for fans, and as the balls left began to get fewer and fewer we could have been paired with Birmingham, Wrexham, Peterborough, Blackpool or Gillingham.
Please click for moreSouthend United have sacked Chris Powell today with 7 league games left.
In a very short statement the club said: “The results over a number of weeks, 11 games without a win, has impacted all concerned and immediate changes needed to be made.”
The Shrimpers were buzzing around the play-off’s prior to Christmas, but have not won since the middle of January.
The debate about how good a manager Sir Chris is will go on. It is clear he is not a firefighter manager but a builder of teams. Trouble is very few clubs allow time or finances for that. Southend was a bit of a safe haven for Powell, but he hasn’t put his mark on it, and a top half finish would have given him another season at least.
What happened? I listened to the 1st half and there wasn’t much to get excited about. At half time I had to go out for the remainder of the afternoon. Later I checked the final score and all hell had let loose.
Grant did well to win the ball out wide and feed Lyle Taylor who tapped home. But then Southend equalized within a couple of minutes. After that Grant had a goal scratched off for offside, but Tarique Fosu was on and was getting in some good positions. From a corner in the 87th minute, Josh Cullen put in an accurate ball and Krystian Bielik headed crisply home in front of 1,600 travelling Addicks.
Part One of my 2018/19 League One preview, which went from Accrington Stanley to Coventry City is here and Part Two that began at Doncaster and ended at Portsmouth is here.
On the back of a Kent Live survey showing overwhelming support for Karl Robinson (I’m not sure what the sample was), the last man to have such support, Chris Powell, has been appointed the new manager of Southend United.
Powell played 290 times for the Shrimpers between 1990 and 1996 before moving to Derby County for £750,000.
‘Tis the season to be not jolly..
Ho bloody ho. Charlton, fresh from their undeserved day off yesterday, managed to squeeze every ounce of Christmas spirit out of us in just 11 minutes today at Southend. Pity the 1,400 Addicks at Roots Hall as our season goes from adequate to depressingly similar to every other season under Duchatelet in a period of a few weeks. Starting, let us remember before injuries took hold of our measly squad.
That Billy Clarke is some player..
I looked at the Southend team before the game and thought it looked pretty useful and Phil Brown carries a small squad that has injuries. The Shrimpers by all accounts were organized and carried forward threat, and they dominated possession in the early stages as we struggled to impose ourselves. All those things considered today was a very good victory and momentum is building as is fan belief.
Part I, Lancastrians and Yorkshire types here, Part II for Greater Mancunians here, and Part III for Middle Englanders here.
Right then, my final part and the good old South of England. I’ll start my way from the eastern most club to the one furthest west.
One of a few seaside clubs in the division, Southend United chased a play-off berth all the way to the final game of last season, a nod to what a bit of experience and stability in these trigger happy days of football management can do. Only Keith Hill pips Phil Brown in the League One longevity stakes.
Phew. 50 points has been a long time coming and with our goal difference should be enough. Only two teams in the last 10 seasons have been relegated with 50 points and both had rubbish goal differences.
It took an own goal but we’ll take it and it was a huge 3 points which also dented the Shrimpers play-off hopes. It sounded a scrappy game and my brother and others commented at how decidedly average Sarfend were, but we did Millwall a favour, who had unusually helped us out in the week.
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A last minute equalizer by Andrew Crofts salavaged what sounded like an undeserved point at Roots Hall today. It was the Shrimpers who made the most chances and we had to thank Dillon Phillips and a missed open goal just before Aribo set up Crofts to smash home in the 90th minute.
For the longest time travelling Addicks had little to cheer although in a couple of minute spell in the 2nd half we had two chances well saved and the very impressive Joe Aribo hit the bar.
However it looked like another blank for Robinson until Crofts got his first Charlton goal to give us a point, which looking at the team and bench before kick off was probably more than we could have anticipated against an in form Southend.
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Part I is here and Part II is here.
Rochdale under Keith Hill have made the transition to League One look fairly comfortable. Two top ten finishes are not to be sniffed at as Dale keep company with much bigger and financially stronger clubs. Hill also remains at Spotland and unlike 95% of the countries managers, you have to think that the manager does control quite a lot of his own destiny.
Just a couple of additions aligned with a bit of a clear out, should mean that Dale at least stand still but with the lowest home attendance in the division last season, Hill must continue to get his players to punch above their weight. Led by young skipper Jamie Allen, it is not a squad of household names although Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, ex of Peterborough and Wolves, is there, but it is a young but clearly a non-intimidated group of players. Hill and is his team should expect a mid table finish again. Promotion 12/1. Relegation 9/2.
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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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Joe Pigott has had his loan extended with Southend United until the end of the season.
The Shrimpers manager Phil Brown said: “It takes that element of doubt away. When you see the quality he has in training, it takes that risk away.”
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Southend United 0 Charlton Athletic 1
A straw poll before the game would probably have most Addicks not giving two hoots to the result, but come on now, deep down we all wanted to win didn’t we? I did for sure.
The 1-0 victory in front of a noisy and impressive 1,200 Addicks is a further confidence boost, and suddenly we are nicely placed in a cup competition with the regional semi’s next. Who knew.
Parky rested a couple of players tonight and interestingly set us up in a 4-3-3 formation at the beginning and by all accounts Semedo, Racon and McCormack bossed the midfield. I sporadically had the commentary on but mostly followed the game via Twitter. Maybe there won’t be many highlights that’ll make the end of season video but I am looking forward to seeing man of the match Therry Racon’s goal.
Nice job Charlton.
Addicks at Roots Hall:
CA fact: 1,176 Addicks was most away fans at Roots Hall this season.
London
