Charlton Life Articles & Podcasts - Charlton Life

NEW ARTICLE: The TEN REASONS Charlton won the league - Part 3

AFKABartram — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:45:37 +0000

Final part of this three-part series looking at why Charlton won the league.

Part 1 HERElooked at:
1. Board were clear they were backing their man
2. Summer captures were made early and the signing policy correct
3. A successful team was also formed off the pitch

Part 2 HERE looked at:
4. Opening Day victory against favourable opponents
5. The back four provided a brilliant base, and delivered points at a spell when goals were hard to come by.
6. The signing of Yann Kermogant

7. When setbacks occurred, the team quickly regrouped

Losing just five times throughout the season meant that setbacks were few and far between. However when they did occur, the team and manager responded in exactly the right way. Stevenage away brought the first stopping point. The fact the first defeat did not arrive until the 15th October was testament to just how strong a start to season Charlton had, and went into the game three points clear of the similarly unbeaten Huddersfield. League One this season provided a cross-section of tactical approaches, and Stevenage gave a stark reminder that every game is a potential battle, particularly against defensively organised and physical sides.

Chris Powell was clearly concerned with the physical and aerial threat they possessed, and omitted Chris Solly in favour of Morrison at right back, bringing Leon Cort into the centre. It was a tactical move he did not replicate again. The match was a frustrating, niggly affair littered with time-wasting and needle, and in hindsight we were unlucky to lose. But it proved that little clubs with the right approach and work ethic can overcome supposedly bigger and better teams, and every game has to be approached correctly in isolation.

The players seemed furious their unbeaten start had gone in such fashion. Chris Powell restored his back four back to its preferred balance, and the team responded with six successive victories. The below par, ten-man defeat to Leyton Orient again galvanised a similar response, prompting an eleven game unbeaten run.

The only other setback came with the back-to-back home defeats to Colchester and Notts County. This come as a surprise to many, but by then Charlton had been top of the league for six months with very few changes to the starting eleven. The psychological pressure as much as the physical exertion was beginning to take its toll, and Colchester was one of those games where the build up was hindered by the late withdrawal of Solly, the balance wasn’t right with Wiggins on the opposite flank, and it simply just didn’t happen that night.

The follow-up against Notts County, where Charlton conceded four goals in the opening 40 minutes really started to bring the nerves into play. For the first time this season the team were noticeably poor as a defensive unit, and duly got punished.

Like Stevenage five months earlier, it provided that little reminder to re-focus. Powell made a brave call to replace Matt Taylor, who had been a solid performer all season, and along with the introduction of a couple of loan signings, the team managed to find its edge once again to dampen nerves and see their way home.

Setbacks always occur throughout the season. The key thing is not allowing them to gather momentum, and Charlton responded in the right way every time.

8. The big games were won against rivals

Unless it’s got the words ‘play-off’ attached to it, Charlton have never really been a ‘big-game’ team. Certainly not against rivals, and definitely not when live on the telly. But Charlton didn’t just find a formula to hoover up points against lesser opposition this season, they also gave first-hand reminders to their promotion rivals exactly who were Number One.

Huddersfield arrived at The Valley unbeaten since the ball still had laces in. But this was to prove the night when supporters really started to believe we were on to something, and Huddersfield were duly dispatched back up the M1 with their record wedged firmly up their backside. Kermorgant and Ephraim grabbed the headlines with the goals, but this was very much a win due to defensive organisation throughout the side. Once we had scored our goals, we were exceptionally well drilled at a high tempo, smothering Huddersfield across the pitch, and they simply run out of ideas by the end. The feelgood vibe that had been building all season went into orbit.

January was to prove the critical month of the season though, and wedged in the middle of it were back-to-back games against what was emerging our two main rivals for promotion, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.

Wednesday had won nine and drawn two of their eleven home games ahead of our visit, and went into it confident that with a big, passionate crowd behind them, they were going to roll over the league leaders who they suspected of possessing a soft underbelly. But they could not have been more wrong.
A beautifully crafted Jacko free kick gave Charlton the advantage, and it was only a goal line clearance in injury time from Wiggins that threatened to alter the result. In truth, Charlton could have run out more comfortable winners, and the victory put down a massive marker that the team at the top were here to stay.

The following Saturday Sheffield United arrived at The Valley. The Blades were in similar, fantastic form with 24 out of a possible 27 points. Again, it was a fantastic Jacko free-kick that was the difference between the sides, and though United really put the pressure on during the second half, once again, the resolute Charlton defensive line stood firm.

The season was being billed by many as the battle of the two Sheffield clubs. But within seven days, Charlton had ensured that while the Yorkshire rivals may be taking the headlines, they’ll also be taking the minor places. Had results gone differently, Charlton’s gap at the top could have evaporated. In truth, it widened to seven and ten points respectively. But the psychological impact was just as decisive as the points gap. cont.....

NEW ARTICLE: The TEN REASONS Charlton won the League - Part 2

AFKABartram — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:53:16 +0000

Part 1 HERE looked at the first three parts in why Charlton won the league:
1. Board were clear they were backing their man
2. Summer captures were made early and the signing policy correct
3. A successful team was also formed off the pitch

Part 2 below looks at reasons 4-6:

4. Opening Day victory against favourable opponents

Against a backdrop of a dire previous season, and wholesale changes at the Club during the summer, getting off to a decent start to the season was absolutely crucial. Team spirit, belief and the backing of the supporters was still very much fragile, and nothing brings these pieces closer together than points on the board.

If Charlton could have cherry-picked an opening fixture, AFC Bournemouth most probably would have been it. Having lost their impressive manager Eddie Howe earlier in 2011, the club were clearly going through a similar transition to Charlton, but in the opposite direction. Whilst the Addicks were actively strengthening for the campaign ahead, Bournemouth was experiencing the reverse, with a number of their key players leaving the club. Two of those, captain Danny Hollands and Rhoys Wiggins were integral parts of the recruitment drive at The Valley.

As a club, they clearly were not ready for the start of the campaign, and if this wasn’t enough to unsettle them, a torturous nine-hour trip on the M25 to The Valley on the Friday proved disastrous preparation.

Charlton gave debuts to seven players in the season opener, and a comfortable 3-0 victory was just what was needed to provide a much-needed positive starting block to the season. We were on our way.

5. The back four provided a brilliant base, and delivered points at a spell when goals were hard to come by.

Many new units were forged throughout the season across the team, but nowhere was it seen more successfully than across the back four. Goals they say win you promotions, but it is defences that win you titles. Charlton conceded just 36 goals across the 46 league games, with only Swindon (32) conceding less in the Football League. In the key period between January to the beginning of March, just four goals were conceded in eleven games, securing 27 points out of a possible 33 at a time when strikers were struggling for goals. Seven of those eleven games saw us score only a solitary goal.

At the heart of it were two centre halves, Taylor and Morrison, who seemed to fit as a partnership right from Day One. Taylor was looking to make the most of what was his biggest move as a pro, while the younger Morrison was striving to establish himself after a stuttering start to his career. Both had opposite reasons to make their move to Charlton successful, but they were going to go about it in a similar way; With full commitment and as a cohesive partnership.

As the season progressed, Morrison began to put in the more noticeable performances, but for much of the season the two could not separated, as shown by the almost identical marks received in the Charlton Life Statbank. When the manager felt the partnership needed freshening up, Taylor made way for Leon Cort, who equally impressed in the run-in.

If the centre half combinations provided the structural base to the side, it was on either side of them that were Charlton’s arguably strongest assets.
Quite simply, in Solly and Wiggins we had the two best full-backs in the division.

Wiggins at first took a few games to settle into his new team, but from then there was no stopping him as his energetic, overlapping wing play and quality delivery provided an extra dimension to our attacking play, whilst remaining solid in defence. A niggling injury impacted his game in the run in, but Wiggins had proved a vital asset to the team.

Solly though, was one of the two standout consistent performers throughout the season. In the opening phase of the season, the right back area was clearly targeted by the opposition as a perceived weakness of the side. But this was soon dropped as teams discovered this small but tenacious youngster, electric over the first five yards, was anything but a weakness.

As the season progressed, so did Solly’s confidence with the ball at his feet. Opponents were being shown a clean pair of heels, and his attacking play, both in overlapping and in cutting inside with a surging run to play into a striker’s feet, had come on leaps and bounds.

Seeing the popular, unassuming ex-academy grow as a player was one of the supporter highlights of the season.

6. The signing of Yann Kermorgant

The manager had a big decision on his hands. Charlton had made an excellent start to the season, and the front pairing of Bradley Wright Phillips and Paul Hayes had been working relatively well, scoring nine goals in the opening nine games (BWP 6, PH 3).

But as the end of September approached, Chris Powell saw an opportunity to potentially improve the side. It was a risk of huge proportions, but ultimately it was one of the key reasons why Charlton went on to win the league.

Yann Kermorgant football career had been on an interesting journey. The 30-year old Frenchman had beaten leukaemia as a teenager, and spent the bulk of his career not pulling up trees in the French leagues, before securing a contract with Leicester in 2009 after a successful trial. It was there as a coach Chris Powell saw the ability that the Frenchman possessed, though noting that he struggled to fit in with Leicester life, and with the rest of their squad. He scored just one goal in twenty appearances for Leicester, before bringing his spell there to an abrupt close with a failed audacious penalty chip in the play-off semi final vs Cardiff.

Kermorgant was quickly labelled the fall guy by the Leicester fans, and was shipped out on loan that summer back to France, where again he failed to impress scoring just three goals in 26 appearances for Arles-Avignon in 10/11. He returned to Leicester that summer to find himself without a club.

In September 2011, Chris Powell was once again impressed by Kermorgant in a trial at Sparrows Lane. He knew the player had ability but had a number of considerations to ponder. The squad was working well because it was a tight unit on and off the pitch, would the introduction of a quiet, distant Frenchman impact on the good vibe that had been building? Had Paul Hayes really been poor enough to replace in the starting eleven? Would Yann settle in London, and more importantly make the effort to fit in with his new team mates?

continued below...

NEW ARTICLE: The TEN REASONS Charlton won the league - Part 1

AFKABartram — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:00:04 +0000

Charlton smashed through the 100-point barrier on Saturday to complete a season of domination in League One. Over the next few days in three articles, AFKA Bartram looks at the ten key reasons they won the league so convincingly.

1. Board were clear they were backing their man

Twelve months can seem a lifetime in football, but it is so easy to forget just how despondent the atmosphere around The Valley was at this point a year ago. A finishing position of 13th in League One was the lowest the Addicks had finished in 38 years, and from mid-February, just 12 points had been attained out of a possible 57 points. The Club, having finished lower from the season before for seven consecutive seasons, was understandably filled with negativity, particularly on rumours that the budget would need to be cut further for the 11/12 season.

The manager, Chris Powell, was a legend to supporters due to his playing service and personality, but the dire tail off to the season had many questioning whether a rookie manager, albeit widely loved, was really what was needed at this point in time to halt the slide and positively rebuild the club.

The board, however, were adamant.

Powell was their man and he would be given the backing to re-shape the playing side of the club as he saw fit. The backing was public, and quickly scotched any potential talk of yet another managerial change. Stability was being put in place.

2. Summer captures were made early and the signing policy correct

The strategy was clear; this was not going to be a summer of tinkering with the squad looking to make key improvements. The squad was going to be completely dismantled and rebuilt from scratch.

To have a chance of gelling, the bulk of the captures were to be made early, particularly before the squad headed to Spain for their training / bonding session. Hollands, Pritchard and Sullivan were added before the end of May, and a further seven added before pre-season training began on the 1st July. From those that provided the bulk of the squad for the season, only Morrison, Hamer and Kermorgant were to join beyond this point, and Morrison was in place before the team went away to Spain.

The signing policy also had a structured consistency to it; a core of players were sought and successfully acquired who had proven credentials at performing at this level, largely for clubs lower in size than Charlton (Hollands, Hayes, Stephens, Green, Wiggins, Taylor). For virtually every signing, this was a step up, not a step down, and a platform to provide further progression.

That trip to Spain proved key. Making so many changes to a squad is a huge risk, team spirit and collectivity is everything in football, as are understanding team mates strengths and weaknesses. That trip proved the successful foundations of the forming of a unity, and players as a group signing up to their new manager’s methods and approach.

Doing our summer business early gave the opportunity for the above to happen.

3. A successful team was also formed off the pitch

There are many different styles of football management, but it is clear that Chris Powell’s style is positioning himself as the point of the triangle.

Underneath him is a fully-joined up network, with individual responsibilities and trust in their abilities from the manager. Training is very much left to Damien Matthew, Alex Dyer and Ben Roberts, and Powell is the watchful, thoughtful figurehead whose main impact is man-management and forging the right approach as a team together. Finding the right balance is crucial, and Powell clearly has huge a degree of trust in his team, and makes everyone aware it is very much a team effort off the pitch.

Though it made less impact than any player signing, the arrival of Sports Scientist Laurence Bloom from Southend United proved a crucial addition in the summer shake-up.

The work of Bloom and physio Errol Umit was vindicated by just how few time was lost by key squad members to injury, how little dips in energy levels were seen throughout the season, and crucially how comfortably strong Charlton finished games. No side in the division had a better goal difference in the last 15 minutes than Charlton’s +8, and of the seven goals conceded during that period, four of those were consolation goals in games that were only already won.

Whilst the dynamics of the team on the pitch were clearly working, much of that was down to the work done off the pitch. Charlton had a backroom team where the players had faith in their manager and signed-up to his approach, effectively organised team shape from the training ground, and excellent physical conditioning.

Part Two tomorrow

NEW ARTICLE: Thanks Charlton, from a newbie

AshC — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:57:43 +0000

2011/12 has been my first season coming to The Valley, and have thoroughly enjoyed it - despite a string of near misses early on!

My first visit was meant to be for the Oldham match. I'd bought a ticket online as I was staying at the Anti ahead of the Manics gig at the o2 and thought it'd be good to watch some football in the afternoon. Sadly I didn't arrive in time for the match, having encountered a load of travel issues en route from South Wales where I live. Near miss #1.

I made a point though of going to the Valley the next day, where I picked up a copy of the Centenary DVD. Ended up watching most of it in Victoria coach station waiting for the bus home, totally enthralled by these names I was so unfamiliar with, like Bartram and Seed and Welsh, and the stories of the 7-6 game with Huddersfield, the burst ball (ahem!) and the war-time cup finals. What perhaps most struck a chord with me was the Valley Party story. There was something about this club that was pulling me back in. So I bought a ticket for Rochdale.

Near miss #2. Got as far as Reading to learn the game was off, With my return train booked for hours and hours later, I still came to the Valley, this time a bit more educated to the club's fine history and that of the ground. After taking a few pictures and that, I got chatting to a longtime fan, and heard some great stories about Sam and his shop, and the Addicks teams of yesteryear. After a bit of food in the Valley Cafe and a few pints of Pride in the Rose of Denmark, it turned out not to be a wasted day - even if my second attempt to watch Charlton had indeed failed.

With work commitments midweek, there was no way I could make the rescheduled match. As a result, my first experience of Charlton live (rather than Charlton Life) was the Notts County match. Yes, exactly! Despite the result though, it was great to watch a game in such a... well, nice environment. Despite being a big club, there is a real sense of community at Charlton, and it was really refreshing. There is clearly massive pride in the club and its history, and yet it's not confrontational or hateful or antagonistic like a lot of clubs.

Picked a bit of a duff game in Orient for my next trip, but Wycombe and Hartlepool were fantastic days. The latter was certainly an absolute pleasure to attend. As someone with a growing interest in the history of our beautiful game (thanks in no small part to Charlton Athletic, Colin Cameron and that excellent DVD), it was an honour to be a small part of what was a historic day for Charlton. Also something about Sam's statue with the scarf on it was really moving I thought.

I just hope you don't mind me tagging along in the Championship next year.

NEW ARTICLE: Open Letter to Messrs. Slater, Jiminez and Murray

AFKABartram — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:16:58 +0000

Having written critically in the past about the negative impact boardroom indifferences have had on our club, I can’t tell you how pleasing it is to write the following words to Messrs Slater, Jiminez and Murray.

Thank You.

Obtaining straight answers and honest assessments from football chiefs has increasingly become akin to interviewing an MP in recent years. Polished and PR perfect, a comforting answer that the listener wants to hear is always around the corner. But we all know that they are hollow words and largely taken with a huge pinch of salt.

Whilst uncertainly and a small degree of suspicion on the medium and long-term strategy of club will always remain whilst the ‘Mysterons’ that allegedly wield the financial power remain in the shadows, there can be no doubting that the short-term approach adopted by the new board since their arrival 16-months ago has been nothing short of faultless. Not just in the actions that have been taken, but that they have been proved true to their word. And as fans, surely that’s all you can ever ask for, isn’t it ?

In January 2011, Michael Slater said:

“Our plan for Charlton is to run the club on a sensible financial footing and develop a commercial plan to ensure we make progress on and off the pitch to meet the expectations of our fans. What we won’t do is create unrealistic pie in the sky expectations. We will always live within our means, and with a sound commercial approach and the run of the ball on the pitch, our aim is to make steady, upward progress and bring success to The Valley”

Immediately, a new manager who showed their vision on how the club should be run was sought, one who would galvanise fans, whilst a proven scorer at this level was acquired for a knock down fee. Off the pitch, the big screen was reintroduced, as was a return to aggressive and market-leading ticketing promotions, and automatically a vibrancy had returned to the club that had been missing for a number of years. The dire run of form that concluded last season clouded this reinvention, but in hindsight proved the true catalyst to rip up the playing side of the squad and start again.

During this period, strong public backing of the manager at what could have been yet another period of uncertainty quickly smothered any real replacement suggestions.

The Hartlepool finale twelve months ago was played amid the most opposite backdrop possible to the one that will play out tomorrow, yet Michael Slater was again clear with his message for supporters:

“A number of clubs in the Football League are at a crossroads right now. We’re fortunate that we are four months down the road and that we are going in the right direction, albeit not at top speed. I’m sure many fans will view this season as an opportunity missed, but that’s not how I see it. I’m in the privileged position of knowing what’s going on behind the scenes – seeing the investment being made in the academy and scouting set up.

“So will this investment alone secure promotion? No. What it will do is create solid foundations so that when we are promoted, we have a strong platform from which we can push on.

“What will bring promotion is building the right squad. This will require more immediate investment, and the process has already begun in earnest.
“As fans, the minimum you should expect from players is commitment. This will be one of the key factors that Chris Powell takes into account when putting together his squad for 2011/12.

“I want to see a squad of players that show the same level of passion and commitment that he exhibited as a player.

“Incoming managers at any club often say that to achieve success, they need to build their own team. I’ve been cynical when I’ve heard that in the past, but, from my privileged vantage point, I don’t doubt the truth of the comment. In fairness to Chris, he hasn’t said that to me, but it’s a fact that he and the board understand.

“This summer will be a very important period for the club. We will start next season with financial security and proper foundations for the future. The last piece in the current jigsaw is a squad that will produce the sort of performances you expect and that should win promotion to the Championship.

“Tony Jiminez and I believe that the team Chris creates should be able to not only win promotion, but compete in the Championship. Norwich have this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Southamption do something similar next term. This has to be our next objective. There is a gulf between the Premier League and the Championship, but only a small gap between the Championship and League One.

“Onwards and Upwards”.

There can be no doubting that ‘the plan’ has been adhered to both meticulously and successfully. Chris Powell was given the resources to rebuild his squad, the investment in the scouting set up clearly paid dividends, and the squad was packed with committed players with the desire to gel as a group, and the will and skill to succeed.

Away from the first team, the acquisition of Paul Hart was a clear indication of the commitment to the academy and it already appears to be paying dividends. Not only did the U18 team complete a much improved season, but the first team is likely to see an ex-academy product as the run-away player of the year. Steady, sound foundations leading to progress.

When I heard that neither of the ‘owners’ were present at Carlisle to see us cap promotion, I was initially a bit disappointed. They have not come into the club as fans, and it’s moments like that final whistle that can really ingrain a club into you.

On reflection, I glad they weren’t there.

These guys are ruling this club coolly with their heads not their hearts, and are so far maintaining their starting principles and continuing to make the right decisions. If I was you, I would pay careful attention to what Mr Slater has to say in tomorrow’s programme.

He is certainly proving worth listening to.

And finally to Mr Murray.

His stewardship of the club proved an amazing rollercoaster of continued highs following but a sharp, devastating crash. From what had been such a successful enterprise had somehow resulted in a complex web of decline that gathered momentum and proved difficult to halt. When things were at their worst, Mr Murray, probably against his better judgement, took the decision to finally put the club into a sounder financial position and released it from its convoluted structure. Many others made financial sacrifices amidst this that should not be forgotten, but My Murray took the major gamble to make this happen. As a result of what has followed, his popularly and legacy of his stewardship of the club remains firmly intact.

Which I suspect was what he really wanted.

Whilst those on the pitch and in the dug out rightly get their names sung to the rafters tomorrow, spare a few moments to remember those in the padded seats that have made this happen. There was a time not very long ago that celebrations at The Valley felt like they may never happen again.

"Onwards and Upwards".

New Article: The Norwich Factor

Henry Irving — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:20:38 +0000

As we know Norwich completed back to back promotions and have had a comfortable first season back in the top flight.

Although you can not never make a direct comparison between two different clubs I thought it might be interesting to see how little or how much Norwich changed their side at each step on the way as we look to emulate their record.

These were the 11 players who made the most appearances in their League 1 winning season.

GK Fraser Forster 38
DF Russell Martin 26
DF Gary Doherty 39
DF Michael Nelson 28
DF Adam Drury 35
MF Darel Russell 34
MF Korey Smith 36
MF Simon Lappin 42
MF Wes Hoolahan 36
FW Grant Holt 39
FW Chris Martin 36

Then in 2010/11 City signed 10 new players. Seven in the summer and 3 in January. They moved on 8 including Doc and Darel Russell while Forster, who was on loan, went to Celtic.

Their 11 players in the 2010/11 promotion season with the most starts were:

GK John Ruddy 46
DF Russell Martin 49
DF Elliott Ward 41
DF Leon Barnett 26
DF Adam Drury 21
MF David Fox 33
MF Andrew Crofts 44
MF Simon Lappin 22/
MF Wes Hoolahan 39
FW Grant Holt 46
FW Chris Martin 23

Players surviving from the previous season in bold. So six of the previous season's main players also played a significant role in the 2010/11 success. The other five were all purchases, four in the summer and one, Barnett, in the January window.

This current season Norwich's most used XI (up to 1 March) have been

GK John Ruddy 25
RB Kyle Naughton 22
CB Russell Martin 25
CB Bradley Johnson 19
LB Marc Tierney 17
DM David Fox 21
RM Anthony Pilkington 20
AM Wes Hoolahan 22
LM Andrew Surman 17
FW Steve Morison 20
FW Grant Holt 17

Players in bold are those that also featured often in league 1.

Just three survivors from two seasons before. Norwich bought 10 new players this term and moved on 13.

Another thing of note is how British the Norwich first team is. All the of 2011/12 XI are from the British Isles and seven are English. None of the three sides listed here include a non-British Isles player.

Discuss

New Article: How much promotion means to me....

addicktom — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:31:57 +0000

I am a very infrequent poster on here but the events of the weekend have prompted me to put into words just how much promotion of my beloved Charlton means to me.

Back in August 2008, the day before the 08-09 season kicked off I was diagnosed with testicular cancer which can as a huge and devastating shock to me. Being a season ticket holder I was still there the next day to see us beat Swansea and hope that a season of success could help me through my difficulties. In the coming months I underwent 2 surgical ops and 3 courses of chemotherapy which meant my trips to the valley were limited (a round trip of 160 miles was a bit too much to do). I looked on in horror as the team crumpled under Pardew. In fact, we did not win a single match during my chemotherapy treatment. The darkest period in my personal life was mirrored by a truly awful period for the Addicks.

My health improved enough to get back to some of the matches later in that season but lets be honest, we all knew we were doomed from Christmas onwards.

The next season saw me taking some tentative but significant steps towards a recovery healthwise. At the same time we began to prosper in League 1 and thoughts of an immediate return to the Championship looked like a possibility. Was this going to be the start of things improving??

Ultimately we fell cruelly short in the play offs and the ongoing financial uncertainty made it a worrying time for us all. It doesn't need me to go into how much of a disaster last season was but needless to say it was another depressing season. Fate would have it that at the same time I had another cancer scare and began to suffer more and more from anxiety and panic attacks.

The start of my road back was to visit a Counsellor, who provided me with fantastic support and guidance to help me through, get me back on track and move forward with my life (he couldn't really help my angst about Charlton though!). This was in February 2011 which of course coincided with the arrival of SCP to breathe new life onto our club.

As we flew to the top of the league at the start of the season, I received an all clear verdict in October from my oncologist. At the same time we were battering teams every week and looked awesome. Even though I never wanted to doubt that we would achieve promotion, the last few weeks have been agony as it seems that the success of my club seems to reflect my own personal situation.

I know full well that life is more important than football but will not be ashamed to admit shedding a tear or two at about 5pm on Saturday. Against Wycombe I will simply be sitting with a satisfied glow and thinkiing that life is tasting pretty sweet once again!

Anyway, apologies for my ramblings....

Come on you addicks!!

NEW BLOG ARTICLE: Its AFKA or gaffer to you sunshine !

AFKABartram — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 04:35:54 +0000

light-hearted look at my application for the Charlton job.

http://www.charltonlife.com/blog/?p=16

New Article: Saint Christopher and the Fear at the Valley of Death

grumpyaddick — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:43:23 +0000

And it did come to pass that Saint Christopher and the chosen people of the red Valley did hit a rocky patch on their tireless march to the Promised Land.

After many days and nights of clean sheets and the return of the prodigal son (Saint Jason of Euell) the path to the mountain top had seemed lined with beautiful and perfumed flowers.

But now the wheels had verily fallen off the chariot and that flowery path did seem as dark and forbidding as Lewisham High Street in a December power cut.

The people of the red Valley had started to remember the evil old days of Saint Parky of Hoofball and the false words of that serpent Saint Pardew of Toontotty.

So King Slater of the Moneylenders did call for Saint Christopher and made him bow before him. King Slater was wearing his official Charlton Velcro running shorts for he was preparing for the great run of Marathon.

“Why haveth your disciples stopped so close to the mountain top? “, demanded King Slater as he rubbed Vaseline into his nipples.

“Have I not given thee all my bags of Gold and it is only a few more steps to the Promised Land. Must I call on my brother–in-law, Saint Dennis of Yobo, to finish this journey?”

And Saint Christopher felt one of those warm feelings in his tracksuit. He stretched out his arms before the King for he did truly hate that Saint Dennis of Yobo, who was verily the son of Satan.

“Though I walk through the Valley of the shadow death, I will fear no evil” proclaimed Saint Christopher. “For your rod and staff comfort me”.

“This is no time to talk fishing” “roared the King.

“The ancient scribe Saint Peacock has written that the people of the red Valley are gnashing their teeth once more and this could impact on season ticket revenue”.

So Saint Christopher wandered alone and afraid across the barren lands of SE7. His disciples were tired and crippled. Even the Reverend Jesse Jackson could no longer walk and Saint Green of the Hairdressers had gone missing. The Giant Yan from the land of Frogs had taken to his bed and he knew not what to do.

But then there as a great shining light and an angel did appeareth from the roof of the Valley Superstore.

“Be not afraid”. said the angel. “For I bring great news of great joy that will be for all people of the red Valley”.
“ Lee Hughes is back in prison?” asked Saint Christopher.

“No not that” said the angel.

“Lionel Messi is coming on a free?”

“I said news” said the angel, “not a bloody miracle”.

“Now, listeneth carefully, for I have word from the one true Lord (Curbs)”.

“Oh Christ” said Saint Christopher. “That’s all I need”.

“The Lord (Curbs) doth say that thou must cease temptation by hoofball and play proper footy. This will mean victory over the dreaded oriental people of “the far eastern lands and the chosen people will reach the Promised Land.

“Hallelujah “said Saint Christopher leaping with great joy. Let us go forward with faith. We truly have nothing to fear but fear itself.

“And Kevin Lisbie.” added the angel.

This is the word of the one true Lord (Curbs).

RedMidland

wickford — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:20:23 +0000

Not wanting to hijack Grumpy's missive from on high –

Happy Birthday!

New Article: If.........

Henry Irving — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:16:52 +0000

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on Green,
If you can trust Hamer when all men doubt him,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
For a mere 15 seconds on the Football League show
Or being called lucky, don't believe in luck,
And yet don't boast too much, nor feel too low:

If you can deal with "our away support is S***" comments and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Massives - nor lose the common touch,
if neither Spanners nor Stripy Nigels can hurt you,
If all fans count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving season
With 46 games of distance run,
Yours is the Championship and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Charlton fan, my son!

CL Survey Results - Part 3

PL54 — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:03:36 +0000

Did I miss this ?

NEW ARTICLE: League One Traffic Update

AFKABartram — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:26:19 +0000

"That was Yazz with 'The Only Way is Up'. It's Friday, the time is 10.28, and you’re listening to Charlton Life FM, the Number One League One radio show. Now over to Johann with all the travel"

"Thanks AFKA. In Sheffield, reports are emerging of a massive derailment occurring in the Hillsborough region. Massive delays are expected, with progress to the Championship now at a snail’s pace. Travellers are being warned to expect at least 15 months to complete their journey. Much anger is being displayed by those caught up in the derailment, with those witnessing the incident not knowing whether to blame the driver, the owner of the train company, or their fellow passengers. No other problems are being experienced in other parts of the City, with those making good progress on their journey finding the predicament of their fellow town folk amusing.

Still in Yorkshire, and traffic in Huddersfield is still being affected by the horrific incident earlier in the week where a number of people lost their heads. The Town remains at a standstill and despite many people being close to completing their journey, fears are growing that this may never occur. This has come as a great shock to a town which recently went 43 weeks without a single incident before a unstoppable juggernaut from South London inflicted widespread and lasting damage.

In the Wirral, bus travellers are being warned to expect severe delays over the weekend as many of the Birkenhead Bus fleet are being deployed at Prenton Park to fill the six yard boxes ahead of a procession scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Down the M1, and traffic is being delayed by a relatively new but unpopular vehicle travelling in a continuous loop around one of Milton Keynes many roundabouts. Much to the delight of other travellers around the country, the vehicle is not expected to make any progress in the near term, and hopes are raised it will soon move on to one of the more minor roundabouts. Thanks to @Karl31 on Twitter for the update.

In South East London, no problems reported and plans for a forthcoming flyover between Charlton and Bermondsey look set to get the go ahead in the summer.

I’m Johann Biro, and you’re listening to the League One traffic update on Charlton Life FM"

NEW ARTICLE: We're gonna party like its 1863.....(Woolwich & Plumstead remix)

AFKABartram — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:51:13 +0000

Whilst i develop RSI from overuse of the Bold Button, Charlton Villager goes for a serious drink.....

Grab your top hat, and of course your cloak and cane, and come with me on a pub crawl around Woolwich and Plumstead of 1863. You may wish to bring some nosegay in your hanky to ward off the evil smells of the River Thames, or other pub dwellers body odour.

Some premises have the nice new gaslight but others still have old oil lamps or smelly candles. Rather than walking along the rat infested streets, strewn with muck, rubbish and other peoples excrement I thought we might ride in those nice Hackney carriages pulled by two fine black horses. As Dickens might have said “Let’s have a drink and get Oliver Twist” Perhaps by chance we may meet some pretty ladies in their long frilly dresses with adorable coloured petticoats. It will be a splendid evening, there will be plenty to discuss as we trip from inn to inn.

For example this new game of football and Notts County Football Club that was formed last year. Thank god they are beginning to sort out the rules of this silly football game. Talking of football. The top news in 1863 has to be Blackheath leaving the Football Association to take up another new sport called Rugby. Surely, that leaves the way open for another club to evolve in the same area maybe from the thousands of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal or all those factories along the Woolwich Road in Charlton. Who knows??

Of course, football and rugby will never catch on. Horse Racing and Cricket is and always will be the Englishman’s pastimes. Other things up for discussion could be Yorkshire CCC played its initial first-class match v. Surrey at the Oval on 4, 5 & 6 June. 1863. It was a rain-affected draw, evenly balanced or maybe we could talk about the formation of Hampshire and Middlesex Cricket Clubs this year.

What a horse that Macaroni is? It has to be voted the horse of the year 1863. It won the Derby, 2000 guineas and the Doncaster Cup. A true bred British stallion.
Other items of interest to be discussed maybe Edward Prince of Wales who could be King Edward the seventh when the good Queen Victoria dies married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The Metropolitan Railway opened London's first underground line or President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address as the American Civil War drags on and on.

Those Americans should have stayed as a colony of Great Britain and the Empire. Give them a little freedom and they start fighting each other. In years to come I suppose we will have to bail them out time and again. God knows what will happen if a big war or two comes along.

Raise your glasses and enjoy a drink of ale and nostalgia in your favourite watering hole.

(Many of the pubs mentioned below have long since disappeared because of economic changes. Some of the streets have also disappeared thanks to the Luftwaffe and “intelligent” council planning.)

A SURVEY OF PUBLIC HOUSES IN WOOLWICH AND PLUMSTEAD 1863

HIGH STREET WOOLWICH
MARQUIS OF GRANBY
ROYAL STANDARD
GEORGE AND DRAGON
DUKE ON HORSEBACK
PIER
CROWN AND CUSHION
CROWN AND ANCHOR
COOPERS ARMS
MITRE
SHIP AND HALF MOON
BELL
STEAM PACKET

HOG LANE
NILE

CHURCH STREET
CANTERBURY TAVERN
GOLDEN CROSS
ROEBUCK
SHIP AND PUNCH BOWL
BLACK EAGLE
GLOBE
SHEER HULK
CRITERION
GREYHOUND

GEORGE STREET
SHIP TAVERN
TRAFALGAR
ALBION
GENERAL HAVELOCK

TRINITY STREET
LORD HOWICK
UNITED SERVICES
DERBY ARMS

TRAFALGAR STREET
TRAVELLERS HOME

PROSPECT ROW
ROYAL ALBERT

SANTO STREET
CRICKETERS

PROSPECT PLACE
EXHIBITION

UNITY PLACE
EDINBURGH CASTLE

HENRY STREET
BRITANNIA
WHEATSHEAF
EMPRESS OF INDIA

QUEEN STREET
NAVY ARMS

WARWICK STREET
POWERFUL
EARL OF WARWICK

COLEMAN STREET
NELSON
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
KING STREET
PRINCE REGENT
GORGE THE FOURTH
RAILWAY TAVERN

ST MARY’S STREET
NORTH POLE
JACOBS WELL

CAMBRIDGE TERRACE
CAMBRIDGE HOTEL

FRANCES STREET
KINGS ARMS
NAVY AND ARMY
ADMIRAL
GOLDEN MARINE

HILL STREET
WELLESLEY HOTEL
VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

CHAPEL STREET
ROSE OF DENMARK
RAILWAY TAVERN

ARTILLERY PLACE
GENERAL ABERCROMBIE
QUEENS ARMS
ARMY HOUSE

MULGRAVE PLACE
QUEEN VICTORIA
RED LION

WOOLWICH COMMON
BARRACK TAVERN
MANOR ARMS

ORDNANCE ROAD WOOLWICH COMMON
ROYAL ORDNANCE ARMS
PERSERVERANCE

WOOLWICH NEW ROAD
THE GUN
ANGLESEA ARMS
ROYAL OAK
ROYAL MORTAR
CORNISH ARMS

WATERMANS FIELD
FOUNTAIN
WALPOLE ARMS

BULLFIELDS
PRINCESS OF WALES
THE BULL

WOOLWICH NEW ROAD
DUKE OF YORK
PIONEER

GREENS END
ORDNANCE ARMS
SALUTATION
DUCHESS OF WELLINGTON

THOMAS STREET
FORTUNE OF WAR
BRICKLAYERS ARMS

WELLINGTON STREET
DIRECTOR GENERAL
STAR

LOWER MARKET STREET
DUKE OF WELLINGTON

THOMAS STREET
EARL OF CHATHAM

POWIS STREET
SHAKESPEARE
STAR AND GARTER
POWIS ARMS

EDWARD STREET
CASTLE

HARE STREET
WHITE HART
RRINCE ALBERT

UNION STREET
UNION ARMS

BERESFORD STREET
DUKE OF SUSSEX
EAGLE

CANNON ROW
CROWN AND MASONS

ROPEYARD RAILS
PRINCE OF WALES
SIR COLIN CAMPBELL
NEW ORDNANCE ARMS

WOOLWICH HIGH STREET
ANCHOR AND HOPE
WATERMANS ARMS
COAT AND BADGE
LORD CLYDE
NIGHTINGALE PLACE
NIGHTINGALE TAVERN

BERESFORD STREET
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
FREE TRADER

BERESFORD SQUARE
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE

WILLIAM STREET
PEDESTRIAN

PLUMSTEAD

SHOOTERS HILL
BULL
RED LION
EAGLE

PLUMSTEAD COMMON ROAD /PLUMSTEAD COMMON
HARE AND HOUNDS
WOODMAN
LORD BLOOMFIELD
STAR
LORD HERBERT
SHIP
BARNFIELD ARMS
PRINCE OF WALES
WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT IT
OLD MILL
PRINCE ALBERT

PLUMSTEAD HIGH STREET
GREEN MAN
PLUME OF FEATHERS
PRINCE OF ORANGE
HORSE AND GROOM
RED LION
DOVER CASTLE
RAILWAY TAVERN
SUSSEX ARMS
VOLUNTEER

LAKEDALE ROAD
BREWERY TAP (OUTSIDE BEASLEYS BREWERY)

KINGS HIGHWAY
ALMA

PLUMSTEAD ROAD
FOUNTAIN
LORD PANMURE
UNITED SERVICES
EARL OF ESSEX
WOOLWICH INFANT
WALMER CASTLE

BURRAGE ROAD
QUEENS ARMS
CROWN AND SCEPTRE

MAXEY ROAD
WINDSOR CASTLE
CONGLETON ARMS
PERCY ARMS

PALMESTON ROAD
PRINCE ALFRED

WALMER ROAD
LORD DERBY
FORESTER

ORCHARD ROAD
ROSE AND CROWN

SPRAY STREET
SANDY HILL
AVENUE ARMS

FREDERICK STREET
FREEMASONS ARMS

MELBOURNE PLACE
MELBOURNE ARMS

CRESCENT ROAD
SIR ROBERT PEEL

RAGLAN STREET
THE LORD RAGLAN

BLOOMFIELD ROAD
DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE

ETON ROAD
ARMSTRONG GUN

ANNE STREET
BRIDGE TAVERN
ROYAL STANDARD

VICARAGE ROAD
BRAMBLEBURY ARMS

GRAYDON ROAD
PARK ESTATE TAVERN

ORCHARD STREET
ORCHARD ARMS

INVERNESS STREET
INVERNESS ARMS

PATTISON ROAD
STAR AND GARTER

ROSE STREET
ROSIE
ETON ROAD
PRINCE ARTHUR

SANDY HILL ROAD
THE FORT

NEW ARTICLE: League One's Promotion Hopefuls and the Transfer Window

AFKABartram — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:48:18 +0000

With the window now closed, Wallin58 looks at the business done by the key runners in the League One promotion challenge.

----

So the January transfer window draws to a close once again.

Last season, Deadline Day saw some frantic top of the table business, resulting in two of the most expensive transfers in British history. This year, the final day saw some fraught deals from some of the clubs who feel they have something to prove. The biggest movers appeared to be West Ham and QPR, for slightly different reasons. QPR invested heavily in Fulham’s in-form striker Bobby Zamora, and ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse. West Ham also did their bit to liven up what on the whole has been a fairly muted January, signing Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison..

But what of the clubs in League One? How has their January business been?

For Charlton, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Huddersfield and MK Dons, the end of January indicates very clearly that the second half of the season is well and truly here. We look at some of the names that hope to take two of those five clubs up and out of League One in May.

Gary Megson last week voiced his frustration at the lack of completed business that Sheffield Wednesday had managed. Stoke midfielder Ben Marshall returned to his parent club after a successful loan spell, and Megson has been searching high and low for a replacement. To many, he was one of their best players in midfield, and his five goals and twelve assists support that. Towards the end of the window, Megson’s search finally came to the end with the capture of Spurs midfielder John Bostock. Bostock was at Hull on loan for the 2010-2011 season, and it’s fair to say that his time there was fairly unsuccessful. His move to the Owls is coupled with the signing of fellow midfielder Mike Jones from Bury. Jones, who has proven himself in the lower levels for four seasons with The Shakers, joined on a two and a half year deal.

The Owls have conceded 36 goals in the league this season though, significantly the greatest of any of the top five. So it is surprising that Megson chose not to strengthen his defence other than the permanent signing of Miguel Llera.

With a rumoured fire-sale failing to materialise, the window proved more successful for Sheffield United than most Blades fans were expecting. Blades old-boy James Beattie, who returned to the club in November, has extended his contract with the club to the end of the season. Whilst he may not be the deadly striker he once was, his experienced head (and impressive grip!) will certainly count for a lot as we enter the business end of the season. Striking options were further bolstered by the Deadline Day arrival of Will Hoskins on loan from Brighton, who scored seventeen goals in League One for a struggling Bristol Rovers last season.

Danny Wilson has also expressed his delight with the permanent signing of Reading defender Marcus Williams. Williams made 14 appearances for the Blades during his loan spell, and impressed enough to secure a long term move. With consistency being the key over the next few months, this should keep Sheffield United fans confident as they push for automatic promotion.

As we all know, Charlton Athletic are sitting pretty at the top of the league, and it is difficult to see where Chris Powell would need to strengthen. The right-back position, currently occupied by youth product Chris Solly, poses the most concern as there is no natural replacement for Solly.

Powell has kept his hands relatively tight in comparison to the vast number of transfers during the summer, concentrating on supplementing his squad rather than improving his starting XI.

Leon Cort, already on loan, was snapped up on a free transfer after his contract was cancelled by Burnley. Fellow loanee Darrel Russell also extended his stay, this time until the end of the season. Whilst neither are first-team regulars, Russell in particular has had his part to play over the last couple of months, and is a welcome capture for the Addicks.

The two other signings for Charlton were that of strikers Danny Haynes and Leon Clarke. With Paul Benson departing to Swindon, and Hayes seemingly out of favour, the signings indicate Powell won’t be afraid to shake things around in the final third of the pitch, as seen by his resting of BWP versus Bury. In fact, Powell himself suggested that the team’s lack of pace was part of the reason behind bringing Haynes in, and the different style may play a big part in the latter part of the season.

Combined with the return of Dale Stephens from injury and the contract extension to Bradley Wright Phillips, Charlton’s January has focused very much on consistency and squad enhancement. It is this consistency and diligence that has got them to where they are, and if that can continue, they look confident of securing promotion at the third attempt.

continued......

New Article: Living in Charlton Village in the 1950/60s

AFKABartram — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:50:14 +0000

Bill Russell looks back on life growing up in Charlton Village in the 1950/60s. Don't fancy that soap much....

Follow me down Memory Lane or should it be Charlton Lane. I'm not sure which it is? I think maybe both. Let me try to paint you a picture of everyday Charlton Life in the 1950s/60s, a different world from that in which we live in today.

Charlton Village has not changed that much, a few buildings down here and a few slight changes there, but its basic fabric and character remains the same. The Bugle and Swan are still there thankfully, but they are not the throbbing heart of the village community they once were. It's the people that have radically changed. Social habits, values and attitudes are so different now.

Charlton and the surrounding areas were devastated by the Luftwaffe during the war. My mother told me on one particular day after they had bombed along the river all day they came back again at night to wreak more destruction simply being guided by and bombing the flames. She said it was possible to read a newspaper at the top of Plum Lane in Plumstead at midnight with the light given off by the fires from all along both sides of the Thames. It looked like the whole river was ablaze. The London Docks and The Woolwich Arsenal were always popular targets. They used to lay the dead out for identification in Beresford Square. I don't think The Valley or Charlton House ever got hit, which is most surprising given the devastation that I witnessed as a small boy with bomb sites everywhere.

Thank heavens the war finished before I was born. I was part of the baby boom following the hostilities as the heroes arrived home. The conflict left a legacy of social upheaval and affected everyday life with shortages and hardship, but everyone knuckled down and accepted their lot and got on with living. Very few people had cars, while television and telephones were an extravagance affordable by only a few. There were no supermarkets, with food bought fresh on a daily basis as nobody had fridges or freezers at home. Butter would be as hard as iron in winter and runny in summer, whilst everyone had fresh milk delivered to the door. Most of us had to put up with no running hot water; boil the kettle on the stove or coal fire for this luxury.

Toilets were mostly outside and I promise you that nobody would linger there very long on a cold winter morning. Toilet paper consisted of yesterday's newspaper, which hurt your bum, and a tin bath in front of a coal fire provided the weekly ablutions. Soap was a carbolic evil-smelling stuff, which all little boys hated. Shampoo stung your eyes and towels were as rough as sandpaper. On winter mornings the frost would have formed on the inside as well as the outside of the windows in your bedroom.

Smog was by far the biggest curse and a danger to life in those days. Houses and factories spewed out thick black smoke from thousands of coal fires. No wonder they called London "The Big Smoke". In winter, a thick fog would descend very quickly and hang over the river and its surrounds. Foghorns would bellow on the Thames as large vessels tried to avoid each other. How dense it was can best be illustrated by the famous incident of Sam Bartram not knowing a game had been called off at HT, and he was standing there in goal peering through the fog while everyone else had retired to the dressing room some time before enjoying their second cup of tea.

Housing was at a premium. There were prefabs in Charlton Park along the Ha Ha Road side, and Cherry Orchard and Springfields Estates of multi-storey flats were being built to accommodate those unfortunates who had been bombed out.

The local economy boomed in the post-war era due it proximity with the docks across the river, the Dockyard and the Arsenal. There was no such thing as unemployment, with plenty of jobs to go round in this No Work, No Eat society. Most people worked locally in the large factories along the Woolwich Road such as Siemens, Johnson & Phillips Cables, Harvey's, British Ropes etc.

The Woolwich Arsenal, and numerous other enterprises that revolved around it, employed thousands of people. The Royal Docks across the river were busy with ships from all over the world bringing raw materials to build a broken country. Big barges and tugs would be continuously file up and down the river. It was a hive of activity.

Transport was by Bus, Trolleybus or Tram, but for longer journeys (which were not very often) we took the steam train. I can still remember standing with mates on the footbridge next to the level crossing at the bottom of Charlton Lane waiting to get a gush of steam and smoke as the train whistled by underneath. The Woolwich Ferry with its paddle steamers was constantly going back and forth across the river taking people to and from work.

People worked hard and long hours to put a meal on the table. What little money that could be spared for entertainment was spent either in the pub (beer was cheap in those days), going to the pictures or watching football and other sports. Free entertainment being the best value of all. Charlton Park used to host matches on a Sunday morning. Local league pub side stuff, but I can remember the crowds being four or five deep around the touchline to watch a particularly good game.

Nick the Nap's Weekly Tips - 28/29 Jan

AFKABartram — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:09:28 +0000

Mixed bag but a profit for young Nicholas last week, how will he do this week ???

----

Hello everyone welcome back to Nick the Nap’s weekend betting tips. Last week I correctly predicted Charlton would beat Sheffield United 1-0 at odds of 15/2. Unfortunately I didn’t get the first goal scorer correct and my accumulator went down like a led balloon, I only managed to get two out of the four results right. Thanks to Middlesbrough and Barnsley for letting me down. Hey ho, still not a bad start if you done each bet for a pound you would be £5.50 in profit.

Saturday Charlton make the long trip to Devon to face a struggling Exeter team who sit 3 places and 3 points above the relegation zone. The last time the two teams met at St James Park Exeter ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a 92nd minute penalty.

Below will be various odds for the Charlton game on Saturday then I will give my predictions for the weekend. The odds I will be giving for the CAFC game will be match result, correct score and first goal scorer if you have any requests for any other types of bets for future Charlton games please ask and I will try and add them on for future games. Also if you have any price requests for away team correct score etc, please ask and I will try and get it on here as soon as I can.
Also I will use 4 bookmakers to give you the best odds from they will be Bet365, Beat Victor, Paddy Power and Skybet.

Match odds
ECFC 3/1 BET365 DRAW 5/2 Bet Victor CAFC 10/11 Paddy Power

Correct score
CAFC 1-0 13/2 BET365 CAFC 2-0 17/2 BET365
CAFC 3-0 17/1 PP CAFC 2-1 15/2 SKYBET
CAFC 3-1 16/1 BET 365 CAFC 3-2 33/1 SKY BET
DRAW 0-0 10/1 BET365 DRAW 1-1 6/1 BEAT VICTOR
DRAW 2-2 16/1 SKYBET DRAW 3-3 80/1 SKYBET

First Goal scorer
BWP 5/1 SKYBET KERMIT 6/1 BET365
JACKO 8/1 SKY BET GREEN 12/1 BET365
HOLLANDS 12/1 BET365 PRITCHARD 14/1 SKYBET
SOLLY 40/1 BET365 MORRISON 33/1 BET365
TAYLOR 25/1 BET365 WIGGINS 33/1 SKYBET

NICKS PICKS
Charlton always seem to struggle playing football on tight small pitches like we did at Stevenage and have done the past 2 seasons away to Exeter, On the other hand this is a new Charlton team and I can see us winning a very tight game. Exeter don’t seem to let many goals at home but don’t seem to score many either. I think we will be too strong for them so I’m going to plump for a 2-0 victory to the Addicks, you can odds of 17/2 with Bet365.

My guess for the first goalscorer will be Yann Kermorgant at odds of 6/1 with Beat Victor.

As always I will give you my main bet for the week which will be an accumulator.

Stoke to win away at Derby (Fa Cup)
Stevenage to beat Notts County (Fa Cup)
Brentford to beat Wycombe
Huddersfield to win away at Tranmere

You can get odds of just over 14-1 with Paddy Power

What chance do you think that accy has got, and what will be on your coupon this week ?

Good luck everyone.
Nick

NEW ARTICLE: Nick the Nap's Weekend Tips

AFKABartram — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:04:27 +0000

New Weekly Feature for CL.

Every week Nicholas will be sharing his years of betting experience by posting up the latest CAFC-related odds and his bets for the weekend ahead. You may well think he knows his stuff, but remember, he is Nick the Nap because he is always asleep, not for his betting prowess :-)

-------

Hello fellow Lifers, seeing as we don’t have an official betting thread on here I thought I would get one up and running.

Each week I will list a host of odds from a few online bookmakers ahead of Charlton’s weekend match and will also give you Nick’s Picks which will consist of me probably embarrassing myself trying to predict the correct score and the first goalscorer of each Charlton match. Also, I will give my Bet of the Week which you can all follow (at your own risk) this will normally be a 3 or 4 team accumulator. Feel free to add your own fancy’s for the weekend and let me know what you think of my bets. With a bit of luck I can pick you all a few winners!

Charlton host Sheffield United in a in a top of the table clash this Saturday. Charlton, who have a four-point cushion and a game in hand over second placed United, will know this will be one of the toughest test’s they have faced at home all season. The last time the two teams met….you know what I won’t bother mentioning that!

The odds I will be giving for the Charlton game will be match result, correct score and first goal scorer if you have any requests for any other types of bets for future Charlton games please say and I will try and add them on for future games. Also if you have any price requests for away team correct score etc please say and I will try and get it on here as soon as I can. I will use 4 bookmakers to give you the best odds from they will be: Bet365, Beat Victor, Paddy Power and Skybet.

Match Odds
CAFC 11/10 BET365 DRAW 12/5 BET365 SHEFF UTD 5/2 PADDY POWER

Correct Score
CAFC 1-0 15/2 SKY BET CAFC 2-0 9-1 BET365
CAFC 3-0 18/1 BET365 CAFC 2-1 8/1 SKYBET
CAFC 3-1 16/1 BET 365 CAFC 3-2 25/1 BEAT VICTOR
DRAW 0-0 12/1 SKYBET DRAW 1-1 6/1 BEAT VICTOR
DRAW 2-2 12/1 BET365 DRAW 3-3 50/1 SKYBET

First Goal Scorer
BWP 5/1 SKYBET KERMIT 6/1 BET365
JACKO 8/1 BET365 GREEN 12/1 BET365
HOLLANDS 12/1 BET365 PRITCHARD 18/1 SKYBET
SOLLY 40/1 BET365 MORRISON 33/1 BET365
TAYLOR 28/1 BET365 WIGGINS 33/1 SKYBET

Nicks Picks
I can see Saturdays game being a tight affair with the Addicks nicking it 1-0 at odds of 15/2 with Skybet.

My prediction for the First Goalscorer will be Danny Hollands at 12-1.

My Bet of the Week will be an accumulator. The bet is as follows:
Middlesbrough to win away at Coventry
West Ham to beat Forest
Barnsley to beat Millwall
Bournemouth to beat Tranmere
You can get odds of just over 12-1 with Bet365.

Please note all odds are subject to change the nearer we get to kick off.

Good luck everyone
Nick the Nap

NEW ARTICLE: Training Badly and the Joy of Text

AFKABartram — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:34 +0000

For the travelling Addicks setting out for Hillsborough on Saturday, a stunning Johnnie Jackson free kick and resilient victory should have ensured the perfect day. Sadly, the incompetence of the train network resulted in this being anything but perfect for many of those setting off from St Pancras. Below, Tricky recounts the frustration he suffered.........

----------------

I started off Saturday 14th January wondering how I could kill time before kick-off.

I'll get to Hillsborough early, I thought to myself, and soak up the atmosphere in a stadium I was looking forward to visit.

As the 10:55 from St Pancras slowed to 'Gary Doherty pace' before stopping less than an hour into the journey, I thought it was no problem at all. I've got loads of time. ANYTHING can happen to this train and it will be FINE.

One hour later, still in the same spot, I was a little less confident. I had a nagging feeling that all was not going to plan. Still, it couldn't be worse than Chesterfield at home, when train problems meant I got into my seat as the clock on the big screen turned to 69:00, could it?

A while later, it soon dawned on me. Yes, it was worse. Much worse in fact.

As much as I appreciated the opportunity to study some lovely countryside outside Kettering in fine detail, the feeling was excruciating. The biggest game of the season, nay, the biggest game for a few seasons, was slipping through my and other supporters' fingers. There was nothing we could do about it.

The decision was made, by me and many other Charlton fans, to abort at Leicester when it finally rolled in at 3.20. Going onto Sheffield wouldn't guarantee seeing any of the game, and it didn't seem like the prospects of getting back home were much better either.

I decided to take stock, regroup, and do all the other things that pundits suggest when a team go in at half time 1-0 down, and go and get something to eat.

Even Rik Waller on his first visit back after giving up fast food for Lent would have struggled to experience the surge of positive emotion that I felt in that queue at Burger King. I got a text through from a Lifer Lurker telling me we were one goal up from a Jacko free kick.

From then on it was a nightmare. The yearning of wanting to receive another text to say we had gone two up was matched only by the fear that another text coming through could mean an equaliser. The message I received just before half time to say “Sheff Wed score...but it was offside!” really didn't help to calm the nerves.

At half time I decided I had seen enough of Leicester, and headed back to the station. By this point, all I wanted to was fall asleep, preferably on a train back to London, and wake up to a text saying “All over, 5-0”. Of course, in line with the rest of the day, this plan didn't come to fruition.

I managed to jump on a half empty train back to London that seemingly nobody else at the station knew about in time for the second half.

Of course, this was when the real agony began. Worse still, due to constant phone use on the way up, my phone was running low on battery and unlikely to last the second 45 minutes. So instead of checking on CL or updates on Twitter, I had to sit back, do the opposite of relax, and wait for any updates to come through by text from my trusty sidekick back at home.

My “D” at AS Level Maths served me well as I successfully managed to work out what sort of time the match would end, plus the inevitable 10 minutes of injury time that would no doubt be added on. It wouldn't be a true tight Charlton away win if we were the first score to come in now would it?

Things were getting tense on my train, but nobody else knew about it. I had my iPod with me, and started to count down the time left in terms of songs.

Five songs to go...no news. Four songs to go...still no news but considerably shorter fingernails. Three songs to go...still no news but considerably shorter fingertips. Two songs to go.

Halfway through what I hoped would be the second to last song, I got a text at 16.46. “Wiggins off the line – three mins to go”. I hoped that was their once last chance. But I couldn’t help imagining elbows, bleeding heads and sore necks from the aerial assault that Megson's hoofers would be applying. I've seen Andy Hughes warm up more calmly than I sat in that train seat.

One more song to go.

A text came through at 16.59. All I'd been through that day flashed through my mind. The start with a slightly sore head. The freezing cold all day. The train into London. The four hour train trip to Leicester from London. The horrible realisation that we weren't going to make it. The knowledge that the way back would probably be just as bad. Sitting alone in Burger King in Leicester comforted by only some chips and questionable 80s music. The board of cancelled trains. The agonising wait to hear the score combined with the worry my phone would run out of juice before full time leaving me in limbo.

Suddenly, it all became worth it. “Full time. You can celebrate :)”.

I'll take the same again at Huddersfield.

NEW ARTICLE: 'Hoof'

HWakefield — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:23:37 +0000

‘Hoof’

Football is a sport grounded in simplicity.

An American friend of mine once asked me to summarise the rules, aims and objectives of what I had previously described to him as ‘the beautiful game’ - I did so with ease. By no means do I claim complete omniscience regarding all things football, indeed it is the intrinsic simplicity with which professional football is underpinned that lead me to explain its provisions in a matter of minutes.

Upon receiving my verbal synopsis on what he categorized as ‘British football’, I asked in turn if he could then do me the honour of explaining the process of his favoured American sport, Baseball, within the same timeframe. An hour, three bottles of Budweiser and a couple Jim Beam’s later and my memory retention had taken a severe hit. In that time I was inundated with bases, bullpens, plates, mounds, foul lines, RBIs, curve balls, fast balls, strike outs, ground outs, force outs, tag outs, gloves and mitts, and it just went on, and on, and on. To this very day I remain unsure as to whether it was his intention to confuse me, and perhaps in hindsight my asking lead to an unhealthy comparison (after all, there is cricket).

Fuelled by curiosity, on August 11th 2011 I bought tickets to the matchup between The New York Yankees and the LA Angels at the newly built Yankee Stadium. Sat next to a young college student who insisted on dribbling chewing tobacco into his empty plastic cup, I was overcome with a mixed sense of disgust and puzzlement with what exactly the giant scoreboard was showing. Then at the ‘bottom of the sixth’ up stepped Robinson Canó with the ‘bases loaded’, and with a hefty swing of the bat he delivered a ‘grand slam’ to the upper tier of the stadium’s north-east quadrant. The fans went wild as they furiously scrambled to retrieve the ball that was now meandering its way underneath their seats, only to be hindered by their giant foam fingers and gloved hands. I thought at the time that this reaction mirrored a stoppage time winner, except I had no idea whether this act had signalled the end of the game or if a grand slam was a rare occurrence – it turns out it was, but ‘big woop’.

It was in a drunken stupor in that Bedford Avenue bar that I believe I offered my most pertinent point to this friendly American, one that I put towards my fellow British ‘British football’ fans. The attraction of football does not derive from its innate simplicity, it’s 4-4-2s or its eleven versus eleven, but in the variables that exist beyond its rigid structure. I do not arrive at a football ground awaiting a game that is to be played as if it were summarised to me in a Brooklyn bar, instead I expect storylines, moments of perfection and imperfection, tactical savvy, and most of all goals!

What we have in football is a sport that is simple, but can easily produce complications. The role of officiating, tactical astuteness, or one moment of brilliance on the part of a player are a few of many variables that can decide the outcome of a match. It is the fact that none of the aforementioned are guaranteed prior to kick-off that makes this game ‘beautiful’.

‘Expect the unexpected’.

To be a fan of your team often entails vehement optimism and great expectations, but it also means much more than that. As a result of the sport’s simplicity, football fans have developed footballing standards, that is we expect our favourite teams to impress us with how they build upon football’s very simple framework.

We are bystanders who every Saturday afternoon join one another in the stands to watch as our beloved eleven play football. We have no say in the matter, we cannot influence what occurs on the pitch - sure we can cheer or voice our discontent with what we witness, but that does not make all the difference.

To be an overseas Barcelona fan would be a wonderful thing, with their never ending passing sequences and their squad of World Cup winners, but allegiance to the team you grew up supporting counts for much more than that. We cannot defect, but we will persist on pushing for good football, whatever that might be. For every fan there is a hope that there team will play good, as opposed to the bad and ugly. It is with this desire to make football more than just the sum of its parts that almost all fans look upon the long ball game with disdain.

Oh, ‘The long ball game’. Aimless clearances kicked fifty, sixty yards towards the opposition end, the straining of fan’s necks as yet another one reaches the heights of the main stand, the slight sense sympathy for the defender who must welcome its descent to earth.

From Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang during the 80s and 90s to John Beck’s Cambridge United of 1990-1992, this direct style of football has attracted its critics. Gary Lineker once remarked ; ‘The best way to watch them [Wimbledon] is on Ceefax’. Indeed, it is telling that the two most notable examples existed decades ago, however that is not to say this breed of football is extinct, more archaic.

In the modern day game football fans have adopted the term ‘hoofball’ in an effort to further condemn this unsophisticated and uncultured direct style. Gary Megson made a name for himself during his managerial stint at Bolton Wanderers in 2007 for reintroducing the long ball game to his squad, citing the following as his reason;

"All I did was take it back to the style they'd proven able to play’

As a fan of a team competing with his current club, Sheffield Wednesday, evidence taken from our recent clash appears to indicate a man stuck in his ways, and one that isn’t alone. Tony Pulis at Stoke City, Sam Allardyce at West Ham, and the manager of Norway’s national side, Egil Olsen, all might be considered to be the pariahs of contemporary hoofball.

The question we must ask ourselves as football fans is why the collective dislike of this direct style?
Is it that the adoption of hoofball takes away from the spectacle we paid money to watch?
Is it that this style appears void of creativity and skill?
Is it that it nullifies football’s many variables?
Are we engaging in football snobbery?
Or is it just too simple a style?

I would say ‘yes’ to all of the above, but with particular emphasis on the latter.

The reason the long ball game is despised by so many is that the objective (that is, to outscore the opponent) is already incredibly straightforward. Therefore, why make football even simpler? What we are really saying is that our teams should go about their business in a slick, entertaining and indirect fashion.

Beauty is in the eye of the football fan, and for that reason whenever I watch as my own team engages in a ten minute bout of head tennis, it comes as little surprise that the old boy sitting next to me shouts

‘Pass the f***ing ball!’

New Article: Suffering Addick Needs Help

grumpyaddick — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:49:08 +0000

There is probably nothing more humiliating for any adult male anywhere in the world and I would appreciate any emotional support from fellow sufferers.
It was embarrassing enough to live with before but now my wife is aware of the “my little problem”
One morning at 3am she walked into the spare bedroom to find me hunched over a laptop computer plugged into headphones and linked in to some dodgy website. I felt sweaty, tired, dirty and ashamed.
That’s what a League 1 football fan is reduced to when exiled to Asia during the football season.
Surfing the internet like some pervert in the early hours of the morning desperate to find a glimpse of men in shorts kicking a ball around.
I blame the BBC. They have the audacity to charge an outrageous amount of money for a license fee when you are not even in the country to watch their schedule of infantile game shows, 1970s sitcom repeats and Manish blinking like a helpless rabbit during the Football League Show.
We all know Manish hates football but is just angling for lead presenter’s role for the BBC 2012 Olympics coverage. He stays up every night rehearsing football phrases that just don’t sound right.
“A bit of a game of two halves for the boys then Steve?”
Only for Steve Claridge to look down in despair at the desk with embarrassment, revealing his unmanaged thatch of thinning hair and wishing to God he could be like Hansen and be on MOTD.
I can’t think of two men less likely to be in the same room together to talk about football except maybe the Dali Lamma and Wayne Sleep.
Oh how I miss the uninterrupted 11 seconds of Charlton highlights.
And when you find the BCC website and hope to tune in to their poxy presentation of League football they won’t let you in because you are “not in the UK”. I would hardly be trying to tune in to watch Manish and his chum Claridge talk gibberish on my PC at unearthly times of the day if I was in the UK.
So here I am stuck in Hong Kong with wall to wall Premiership coverage that is even more intensive than the BBC coverage of snooker and women’s marbles but no way of seeing League 1 games except via dodgy websites ,linked to Korean betting sites, advertising noodles and penis enlargement devices.
It was worth it for the Huddersfield victory but impossible for the Fulham game. Instead I sat in a pub in Hong Kong watching Wolves versus Birmingham. By half time all the regulars had left to go home or had strung themselves up from the nearest lamppost. Complete and utter horse manure that was.
I know this is Asia’s world city and that it is warm and vibrant and exciting but I just miss Charlton.
I don’t want the Premiership. I miss the live games at the Valley with my family. The smell of the greasy-burgers. Stopping on the Floyd Road to buy my programme which tells me absolutely nothing about anything but has some small photos of a match played several weeks ago and some statistics about how many pies were consumed in the 1952-53 season. I miss the crowd and the noise. I miss the eloquent post-match summary from the old boy in the red bobble hat as he leaves the Gents in the north-west quadrant doing up his flies.
“That’s more like it” or “That lot couldn’t pass wind never mind a football” .
So I remain a middle aged weirdo who instead of engaging with one of Asia’s most exciting and cosmopolitan cities stays in every night glued to his PC and types the same “C” word into Google over and over again.
I need help. Please someone. I just need some help.

NEW ARTICLE: Referees Vs. Liars

JiMMy 85 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:40:15 +0000

Everytime a player moans about refs these days, I get angry. And I would like to try and put into words why I get angry.

While I think we've always known it, it's something that's rarely mentioned as a reason for the refereeing system not working in football; lies. Lies and the lying liars who tell them.

Maybe it's because we're brought up on football that we seem to forget that it's a bizarre human interest - to have tens of thousands of people willing a bunch of men to get a bit of plastic to go in between some sticks. The very nature of the game is such that the intricacies of those men getting that plastic to go between the sticks is so complex that no computer, even with today's processing power, is capable of figuring out what's within the rules of the game.

So we turn to some old guy. A guy incapable of playing the game, but a geeky enough guy that he has a deep knowledge of the rules. Far deeper than our own. And far deeper than most players.

And while every manager in the league bemoans the man's abilities - surely 50% of managers should be happy all the time if they're telling the truth - we understand and give credit for the fact that managers have to protect their players.

But I don't get why.

Players lie to refs. All the time. At every opportunity. They never think twice about it. They'll lie about who touched the ball last to win a throw in. They'll lie about whether they caught, or were caught by, an opponent. They weave such a web of lies that the guy who finds himself having to untangle the lies to get to the truth has very little chance of being right. Yet we offer them no credit for this - the ref is vilified in spite of the volume of deceit and hypocrisy that he has to sift through.

If we play in the park, we tend to rely on honesty because there's no ref. The ball went OVER the jumper, that wasn't the post and in! We'll admit this. But if there was a ref there? We'd lie through our teeth to convince him that if the post did exist, it would have bounced the ball into the net.

I do not believe that 'things are usually balanced by the end of the season' (I'm still not over that throw-in against Fulham 5 years ago), so I believe an answer must be sought. And that answer lies in football's overall approach to referees, and not necessarily technology.

Vincent Kompany puts two feet in the air as he jumps at the ball. Joey Barton goes head-to-head with a player and slaps his arm out of the way. And who got the vitriol? The refs. No responsibility taken by the players, and almost embarrassingly, none by the managers. Rather, they labour the point that the ref screwed up.

Until footballers and their management teams take responsibility for their own actions, and until the refereeing system closer resembles that of rugby and US football, there will always be angry, whingeing managers ignoring the good in football and unleashing anger at men who are not capable of doing any better. And that is a sad way for football to be.

NEW ARTICLE: 2011 Charlton Review - August

AFKABartram — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:46:50 +0000

And so, after what had been a huge summer of transition for Charlton, the new season was finally upon us.

Chris Powell’s appearance at a supporters club meeting in May had left an already disappointing season on an even more disheartening note. The normally chipper manager was noticeably weary and downbeat, and though it was made clear there would be a great deal of change over the summer, the snippets being offered gave little encouragement to those in attendance that come August there would be a real positive vibe to start the season.

Either the manager was being economical with the truth, or the budget was subsequently improved, but it soon emerged that both the quality and quantity of summer signings were well above the average expectations of the fans. Supported by compensation from Carl Jenkinson’s move to Arsenal and the maturity of existing high-earning contracts (Semedo, Racon and Youga amongst others), the wage bill was freed-up and put to full use, effectively strengthening all aspects of the squad.

Powell said "We have one aim this year. We've got some good players who want to express themselves and do well. They've got to bed in. We've got a lot of new faces, and they've got
to realise what it's like to play at a great place like The Valley. We want to play good football, but ultimately we want to play winning
football and three-point football.
We're going out to win each and every game. People may look at what we've spent, but in reality, with the money
we got in for Carl Jenkinson, we're actually ahead. The board and the owners have tried to make sure we're stable. We
haven't gone mad, we haven't spent money we haven't got in, but people
will say we should be up there - and that is the aim."

Ahead of the season opener versus Bournemouth, an incredible 15 new players had been given a locker at Sparrows Lane. There was a noticeable emphasis of rebuilding the spine of the side with proven experience at this level; Ben Hamer in goal, Matt Taylor and Michael Morrison as a potential solid, no-nonsense centre half pairing, and Danny Hollands and Dale Stephens in midfield to provide both a combination of guile and energy. Up front Paul Hayes was brought in to partner BWP, whilst Dagenham’s star player Danny Green arrived to give Wagstaff competition down the right. To emphasise how well the management and board did during the short summer period to make the club an attractive proposition, Rhoys Wiggins turned down Championship football with Watford in order to fill our left-back birth.

It was Stephens who was first out the blocks to receive the plaudits following the opening day victory against Bournemouth. The Cherries, perturbed after spending half their summer break stuck on the M25 on route to The Valley, looked exactly what they were; a side in transition that had lost their best players in the summer, and were comfortably rolled over 3-0 thanks to a Stephens strike, a JJ pen, and a cracking volley from Scott Wagstaff.

From the unknown of how well an effectively new side would gel, the opener could not have gone better to banish any lingering negativity from the previous season.

Charlton had had positive openers in most of the previous seasons, so no one was getting carried away by the Bournemouth victory. By the end of the month however, it was clear this was going to be a season where we have a real chance. A further three league victories were recorded in August away to Notts County, Colchester and Bury, while the reserves turned over Championship side Reading in the League Cup. Only a last minute leveller by Scunthorpe at The Valley soured what would have been the perfect opening start to the season.

The League Cup victory over Reading came later in the month than originally intended, with the game put back due to the widespread outbreak of looting and rioting in London, which continued for several days throughout various regions of the capital and beyond. Locally, Woolwich and Lewisham were some of the worst effected, with the former receiving little in the way of press coverage, other than our own Inspector Sands brilliant writing on Woolwich. The retail parks of Charlton, and other nearby areas such as Orpington were also badly impacted. But it was on the Croydon streets where Charlton Lifers felt the coverage most, with Leroy Ambrose providing live updates of the riot that was taking place outside his own front door, 21 posts down this page here.

August had given Charlton the perfect platform to launch a successful campaign at the top-end of the season.

Could it be continued though ?

NEW ARTICLE: 2011 Charlton Review - April / May

AFKABartram — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:02:33 +0000

With the damage done in Miserable March, the final stretch of the season proved a long, uninspiring affair. The play-offs now an unrealistic consideration, the tail-end was dominated by talk of who out of the sorry bunch of players would still be wearing red next season, and even whether the immaculately dressed manager would still be parading the technical area.

April started well. Leyton Orient came to The Valley, and one of those rare feelgood moments was provided towards the end of the 3-1 victory when Jose Vitor Semedo registered his first Valley strike after 146 appearances for the club. Whether Semedo was good for the Addicks or not has been a long running debate, but what cannot be doubted was his popularity with the fans due to his committed approach. His goal did not bring the roof off to the extent of Powell's strike in his last ever Charlton appearance, but it was certainlty a nice moment, and prompted an avalanche of badge-slapping, badge-kissing, praying to God, praying to the Covered End that only a continental player could ever do justice. After the game, Semedo gave an emotional Gwyneth Paltrow-like performance to state "to score here is something I can't explain - it was all for them, the fans. That goal was for them. It meant a lot because of all the love the Charlton fans have given to me. I definitely want to stay here. At the moment, no one has said anything to me about a new contract, but my first choice is to stay here.If they give me a contract here for all of my life, I would sign it. This is my home and I would stay here all my life". Semedo was to sign for Sheffield Wednesday within three months.

The win was the first the Addicks had recorded since 12th February. Rather than provide a springboard for a strong finish to the run in, only one more win was to emerge during the final seven games, ending the season with a dire record of just two wins in nineteen matches. Five of those final seven matches saw the reds fail to even register a goal, with defeats to Southampton, Huddersfield and Walsall matched with draws against Oldham, Bristol Rovers and Hartlepool. Only a comfortable home win against Rochdale on Easter Monday, and the sight of a few dozen Hartlepool fans kitted out in full Oompa Loompa attire provided anything worthy of a smile during those final stages.

The Hartlepool match ended a drab 0-0, a fitting uninspiring end to what had proved to be the lowest finishing position of a Charlton team since 1973/74.

A hell of a lot of work was clearly ahead in the summer. At this point in time, not too many supporters had any real ideal of just the extent that would prove to be.

Powell said ahead of the final game "It has been a disappointment, without a doubt. We've had a few highs, too many lows. We know the ethos of this club and what it has always been built on. And that has to be at the forefront of players' minds when
they walk in this building and out at The Valley. It's a season for me to say this is my team and my squad and this is how we're going to do it, and then give them the belief and the tools so that they can go out there and get results home and away. We know how
big a season it is for us. I've earmarked a few signings, but obviously you have to get them over the finishing line and that is no small feat. We're well under way in that process - it won't happen straight away, but we'll get there. The owner is very excited about the forthcoming season and what we're trying to do. And I'm sure with the help of the people up top, we can get the right players here and improve things little by little in our quest to move on forward."

In the programme for the final game, Chairman Michael Slater offered the following "Given our league position at the turn of the year, I'm sure many fans will view this season as an opportunity missed, but that's not how I see it. I'm in the privileged position of knowing what's going on
behind the scenes - seeing the investment being made in the academy and in our scouting set-up. So, will this investment alone secure promotion? No. What it will do is create solid foundations so that when we are promoted, we have a strong platform from which we can push on. "What will bring promotion is building the right squad. This will require more immediate investment, and the process has already begun in earnest.

"I want to see a squad of players at The Valley that shows the same level of passion and commitment to this club that he exhibited as a player. I want to see the same energy that Scott Wagstaff shows every time he takes the field. I want to see the same authority that Christian Dailly exudes. And I want Johnnie Jackson's Achilles tendon to heal! Next season, there will be new faces combined with the existing squad members who have impressed Chris, plus young players coming though the academy.

"Incoming managers at any club often say that to achieve success, they need to build their own team. I've been cynical when I've heard this in the past, but, from my privileged vantage point, I don't doubt the truth of the comment. In fairness to Chris, he hasn't said this to me, but it's a fact that he and the board understand. This summer will be a very important period for the club. We will start next season with financial security and proper foundations for the future. The last piece in the current jigsaw is a squad that will produce the sort of performances you expect and that should win promotion to the Championship.

"Tony Jimenez and I believe that the team Chris creates should be able to not only win promotion, but compete in the Championship."Norwich City have this season proved that this is possible and I wouldn't be surprised if Southampton do something similar next term.That has to be our next objective. There is a gulf between the Premier League and the Championship, but only a small gap between the Championship and League One. Monday is when the real work starts, and August 6th is when the fun begins. I can't wait. See you next season.

"Onwards and upwards!"

So the chairman was clear right from the outset of the close season; Chris Powell will be remaining as manager, and the board will do what they can to deliver a squad to compete for promotion.

Rallying words, but will they prove accurate ?

See you in August.........

NEW ARTICLE: 2011 Charlton Review - Miserable March

AFKABartram — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:30:41 +0000

Febuary review can be found here

After three successive defeats to end February, the hope was that the bad spell was out the way. Starting March in 7th place, just two points off the play-offs and 8pts off the automatic spots, a strong month where games came thick and fast would send the Addicks right back into the promotion mix.

What resulted however was nothing short of disastrous. March would bring just three points out of a possible twenty four, and see the Reds end the month slumped in 13th position, 12pts adrift of the play-offs and 20pts adrift of the automatic spot.

What just a few weeks ago had Charlton looking the main contender for a strong finish to the season, was now raising serious questions on just what exactly was going wrong. Were the players not good enough? Where they not playing for the manager? Was the new manager completely out of his depth? Were we just simply sheer unlucky ? All these questions were being raised and the truth was that no one seemed to have a clue what the right answer was. The squad clearly did not have the quality to match that of Brighton and Southampton, but equally it was still far superior to a the vast majority of also-rans and strugglers in the division who were now picking us off at will.

In hindsight, it appears clear (to me) that after a short spell of poor form, it become obvious that very few players would have a future at the club the following season. From then, the bit of extra spark, determination and squad togetherness gelling for the cause, that you desperately need in successful run-ins, just simply wasn’t there. It was a half decent squad trying to be professional and rally, but ultimately the heart and extra mile was absent.

March began in dire fashion. Carlisle turned around a BWP opener to run out comfortable 3-1 winners at The Valley, with the team rightly subjected to a chorus of boos at the final whistle. The home form struggled to improve, a nothing 1-1 draw with Tranmere and a last minute Leon Legge winner for Brentford was sandwiched by a 2-0 defeat at MK Dons where the Addicks registered just 31% possession.

However, the following game was to provide the ultimate low to the season. Just 10 years ago Charlton were an established Premiership club, while Dagenham were hovering in the Ryman Premier, and now not only were we competing on an even footing, they were making us look the lesser team. The Daggers 2-1 victory proved the breaking point for some supporters, who ensured the players and management, received both barrels of abuse leaving the pitch and in the car park afterwards.

Powell said after the game “I think confidence is a fragile thing and obviously it’s a mental thing now. With supporters voicing their opinions – which is fine – then they have to cope with that. Listen, they can voice their opinions. It was tough hearing it, but they are going to voice their opinions all the time, whether we win lose or draw. They are entitled to that. I am disappointed. I was part of the era when things were great and we built the club from where it was. I know how they are feeling, they are hurting. We want them to back us and we want them to know that we care’

Powell was saying the right things, but people had simply had enough. The steady decline over the last few seasons had been largely taken on the chin on the acceptance of ‘that’s football’. But the latest free-fall of seven defeats and one draw was pushing some close to the edge. There has to be an acceptance when committing to follow a football club that there will be lows as well as highs, but the imbalanced level of lows,
that seemed at this point to be never ending, was leading people to question just exactly they were still getting out of this relationship ?

If the hiring of Powell was an act of trying to unify the club and supporters and getting us on a upward footing once again, then it was being tested to its maximum. In hindsight, the board deserve a huge degree of admiration for the way they remained patient and kept faith in
their man, not just through the summer rebuild, but through this very testing period when there were serious concerns that the amount of ST renewals for the following season was going to plummet through the
floor.

Things marginally improved. A rallying performance against Southampton earned a draw with another BWP strike, his 7th for the Addicks and 20th of the season, and would undoubtedly have resulted in a victory against any other club in the division at this time. The away trip to Bournemouth saw most of the travelling 1,400 supporters adopt a ‘win or lose, on the booze’ approach, ironically resulting in another draw thanks to another late BWP leveller and some brilliant last-ditch keeping by Robbie Elliot.

If it was felt the side had turned a marginally corner, then it quickly
evaporated as the month ended with the rearranged midweek trip to Rochdale bringing a return to disappointing defeats and a long miserable journey home for the die-hards who made the trip.

Elsewhere in March, Middle East and African uprisings were spreading throughout the region, with protests continuing in Iran, Jordan, Libya and Oman, Algeria, Tunisia and Yemen.

But it was on the 11th March where the whole world stopped to observe the catastrophic events occurring in Japan.

An earthquake off the coast of Tohuko triggered a tsunami that created waves over 130ft high, destroying towns, villages and triggering a number of nuclear incidents in its wake. 16,000 deaths were reported in the aftermath, as well as over 125,000 buildings destroyed, and the footage captured on camcorders and mobile phones were arguably the most shocking and unbelievable natural phenomenon footage ever captured. The estimated economic cost of the damage was US$235bn, the most expensive natural disaster in history.

On a lighter note, the standout football news in March was the $560 fine and two-match ban handed to Columbian footballer Luis Moreno, after his club Deportivo Pereira played away to Junior de Barranquilla. Junior’s unofficial mascot, an owl, flew onto the field during the game and was hit by a pass. After the owl was floored, Moreno ran over and booted the struggling owl 10 feet off the pitch. The owl later died due to stress caused by the incident, and Moreno has been subjected to continued threats from outraged Junior supporters since.

Whether tales of the incident spread throughout the bird community i don’t know, but it’s worth noting that the Covered End pigeon hasn’t been spotted since....

NEW ARTICLE: 2011 Charlton Review - February

AFKABartram — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:59:52 +0000

January article can be found here

February

It was beginning to feel that 'The Feelgood Factor' had not just popped by for an overnight visit, but was gaining momentum and
planning on hanging around The Valley for a few more weeks to come.

Powell announced former player and West Ham coach Alex Dyer to be his number two, but the stand-out and surprise transfer news arrived just before the January deadline, with sharp-shooter Bradley Wright-Phillips joining
in a cut-price move from Plymouth, after the striker's long-term knee problem jettisoned a medical at Reading.

Reading's uncertainty
proved Charlton's gain. BWP registered immediate returns, scoring the winner with an outstanding overhead kick in the controversial midweek win at home to Colchester. The game will be remembered for the referee incorrectly blowing his whistle just before Colchester scored, prompting the fourth official to run on the pitch just before the restart to inform him he could not give the goal as he had already blown. It was still unknown whether Powell would prove to be a good manager, but he was already proving to be a fortuitous one.

Wins continued to follow. BWP again proved the difference in a tight 1-0 victory at Yeovil, and the striker scored for the third consecutive game in the home win versus Peterborough. Powell observed "He's a goalscorer at the this level. He's been excellent, he's fitted in and he's hit the ground running". A late Mackail-Smith inspired rally by Posh ensured a nervy ending, but it was not enough and the Reds run out 3-2 winners, after being 1-0 down at the break. According to Powell, it was "the mark of a team that has spirit, talent and ability. The players were heroic in the second half".

Four games, four wins. The installation of Powell was looking one of genius.

Other leadership changes were being seen throughout the globe, though sadly with a lot more bloodshed.

After weeks of demonstrations, riots and violent destruction, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak finally succumbed to the protests, resigning from office. The civil uprising in Egypt was the catalyst for a number of other revolution-seeking movements across the Middle-East region to be witnessed throughout the year.

Despite the fine form on the pitch, the one nagging concern about Charlton’s strong run was that it was being similarly matched by rivals around them. Despite four successive victories, Charlton were still only fifth, and having been five points away from the 2nd spot after the Plymouth victory, three wins later they were incredibly now six points away from the automatic positions.

And there ladies and gentlemen, Charlton’s season promptly ended. In February. Bolt the door, unplug the TV, and turn the lights out for 2010/11. With a run of one win in sixteen games about to occur, the rising momentum was blown back with the force to rival Cyclone Yasi, which struck North Queensland in February with speeds of up to 186mph, 9m waves and created an estimated £3.5bn worth of destruction.

The 'run of despair' started with a tricky midweek trip to Hartlepool, which resulted in a 1-2 reverse. However, the big disappointment arrived the following weekend for the home game against Exeter.

Huge work behind the scenes had gone into filling The Valley, and just shy of 25,000 took advantage of the 'Football for a Fiver' offer. Sadly, most viewed it as not worthy of the minimal outlay as a disappointing game resulted in the Grecians being the wrong team to rise to the occasion, outplaying the home side and securing the three
points with a comfortable 3-1 display.

Player wise, the Exeter game proved to be pivotal for differing reasons for two members of the squad. For Pavel Abbott, it proved to be his last action in a Charlton shirt, with a move to Polish side Ruch Chorzow on a free transfer to boost his chances of a Euro 2012 spot. For Karl Jenkinson however, making his full debut provided the start in what was to prove to be an incredible 2011 for the 19-year old.

Having worked so hard to make minimal head roads into the play-off positions, Charlton promptly found themselves dumped straight back out of it. This was compounded a week later when the visit to Notts County saw another defeat on a cowpit of pitch, unaided by a tame BWP penalty easily saved by the County keeper. Once again, the Sky cameras proved an unsuccessful distraction.

Though Charlton’s season was starting to go frustratingly wrong, it was put firmly in perspective however by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand at the end of February, killing 181 people.

Sometimes football just doesn't feel very important.

NEW ARTICLE: 2011 Charlton Review - January

AFKABartram — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:47:23 +0000

If 2011 will be remembered as the year that brought about a series of regime changes in the Middle East, then the precedent was set in the
South East on the very first day of the year.

Michael Slater, Tony Jimenez and their merry band of Mysterons took control in time for the action-packed visit to Colchester on New Year’s Day, with the
Addicks three times coming from behind to secure a point. It was a mixed day for Paul Benson, with the striker securing our third before having
what looked like a legitimate winner disallowed, and then promptly getting himself sent off with a lunge with two minutes to go. That passage of play may have proved pivotal for Benson, who’s Charlton career never really settled down again after that.

Neither did it for Phil Parkinson. Two days later saw the Sky cameras in town for the visit of lowly Swindon, where a win would have taken us third in the table. But a win was never on the cards as the home side were outplayed, outfought and completely devoid of ideas. A 1-0 lead collapsed into a 4-1 reverse, with Pavel Abbott netted a late consolation. Boos rung out
around The Valley at the final whistle and the new board wasted no time dwelling upon it. This was not what they were investing in, and Parkinson was ruthlessly dispensed the following day.

Parkinson split supporters in three ways; Some were instantly pleased Parkinson had been released of his duties because they ultimately felt he should
never have been given the permanent job in the first place. At the other end of the spectrum, some had a great deal of respect for his approach
and work ethic, and with the team still residing in a play-off position, believed he deserved until the end of the season to prove himself to
the new board. The majority in the middle probably erred towards the later stance, but certainly shed no tears once the decision had been
made.

Parkinson was not the only one in January receiving their marching orders. Andy Gray and Richard Keys were controversially sacked
from Sky following derogatory comments about a female linesman, uncovering a series of further sexist behaviour surrounding the pair.

The week that followed saw the busiest week Charlton Life had experienced in its history as speculation surrounding the manager’s position reaching fever pitch. With his links to Jimenez, a nearby home and son in our youth team, Gus Poyet was installed as the early bookies favourite, but due to the tremendous momentum Brighton were experiencing this was never likely to play out.

With many supporters united in fear that Dennis Wise was going to pitch up, most were hopeful that the reports that Eddie Howe at Bournemouth had been interviewed would result in him getting the job. Eddie though had other ideas, and a will he / won’t farce emerged with uncertainty over whether he would join Charlton, Palace or stay with the Cherries.

While the situation was possibly the greatest moment in the life of the Bournemouth local hack running a live blog, the indecision put paid to Howe’s chances at The Valley and the net was cast wider.

Little in the way of rumour was escaping from The Valley with any real credibility, unlike in the United States where thousands of classified US diplomatic cables found its way onto Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks website.

Of those interviewed for the Charlton role, it was rumoured Andy Scott of
Brentford impressed the most, Gary Johnson the least, and Paul Tisdale somewhere in the middle. And then the name Chris Powell was thrown into
the ring, and finally, after what felt like years of doom and depression, a positive wave filtered through the Charlton skies with supporters unanimous that the popular ex-player could be just what was needed to finally take this club forward again. In a blink of an eye, he was interviewed, offered the job, and installed as our new manager.

In between, the diversion of a visit to Tottenham in the third round of the cup saw a passionate 4,000+ following win the vocal battle, but
sadly the half-time introduction of the classy Luca Modric led to the inevitable Judas Defoe double, and the Addicks were sent packing back through the Blackwall Tunnel to concentrate on the league.

Powell opted to sit in the stands for the visit to Sheffield Wednesday, and the 2-2 draw saw the team fall out of the play-off positions for the first time since October. His homecoming put 2,000 on the attendance versus Plymouth and the reds ended the month on a high as two second half goals from Scott Wagstaff and Nathan Ecclestone ended a six-game winless run.

Things appeared to be picking up......

February review can be found here

NEW ARTICLE: League announce fresh award for Huddersfield's record (that's not quite a record)

AFKABartram — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:20:02 +0000

Following a weekend ruling by the Football League’s Dubious Records Committee, League One of the Football League is to be renamed the Huddersfield Town League, writes the Huddersfield Daily Chronicle.

The re-formed committee, consisting of Andy Booth, Dennis Law and the late Roy Goodall (RIP), voted unanimously to bestow the latest award upon Town. Panel Spokesman Booth told the Chronicle:

“Going 43 games unbeaten, including the impressive home draws with Bury, Orient and Walsall, shows not just how incredible this team have become, but also how blessed the fans of League One are to be witnessing this current crop of players. You expect the true great teams to be challenging for the Champions League or national titles, you don’t expect to be seeing it in the third tier.”

“However, after much consideration by the Dubious Records Committee, it was felt that despite the best efforts of the Football League, the BBC, Huddersfield Town, and in particular Lee Clark, the lads just aren’t getting the credit they deserve for their unrivalled football status. People point to Arsenal’s 49 games unbeaten and sure, that may well be a record, but it’s hardly a comparison. Up in that top league, they don’t get to face the challenges you have to negotiate in a tough trip to Oldham, or a cold midweek trip to Scunthorpe like Town have had to do. Additionally, Huddersfield can’t compete financially with Premiership clubs, so its grossly unfair they should have to compete with them for records either.”

Booth was equally scathing of those who point out that despite their strong record, Huddersfield remain unable to get promoted out of this league, lost their vital league play-off game (which doesn’t count, first ever ruling of the Dubious Records Committee), and remain five points off the top of the division. “Those charges are partly the reason we wish to bestow this fresh honour on Huddersfield Town”, retorted Booth.

“The loyalty they have shown to this division is unrivalled. They are the great invincibles; these trouble-makers, and i don't mean to stereotype but i bet they are cockneys, are just looking for an excuse to knock the Town.”

“Charlton may well have had an ok start to the season, but it’s nowt worth shouting about. If it was, then they wouldn’t have lost at Stevenage, would they ? What does Lord Bruce say, what do points make...? That’s right, prizes. I don’t see any mention of records. I don't see Clem or Carridge getting a lob-on at The Valley."

"No one in years to come will remember if Charlton, Sheffield Wednesday or MK Dons won the Huddersfield Town League 2011/12, but they will remember Huddersfield Town’s record (that’s not quite a record).”

The current uncertainty regarding the legitimacy of Huddersfield Town’s record (that’s not quite a record) has surprisingly divided the world of stand-up comedy.

Sparking a north / south divide, Peter Kay is backing his northern counterparts. Fresh from his ‘Tour that’s not a Tour Tour’, he said “a record ? give over, course it’s a bleedin record. Don’t listen to them daft cockneys, they know nowt. Arsenal were bloomin French anyway”.

Londoner Flanagan took time out of his 'The Out Out Tour' to hit back, “yeah, its a sort of record, but it ain’t a proper record like, is it ? It’s like gaan out for a coffee and getting home ‘arf hour later. You’ve been out, there’s no denying that, but you’ve not been out, out, 'ave ya? Arsenal went on a 72hr no-sleep stag do to Prague, while Huddersfield just drove daan the local Esso and bought a can of Dr Peppers”

Regardless of the controversy stoked by those who feel winning the league or at least getting promoted should be the priority, Town manager Lee Clark remained defiant of his invincible “We will enjoy the moment, you have to celebrate times like these”.

---------------------------------------

In other exaggerated Huddersfield news......

Ethel Hemingway (22) of Lime St, Lockwood, this weekend become the first Huddersfield resident to win a prestigious Michelin Star. The chilli con carne she made her 24-year old husband Percy won critical acclaim from the panel, who were impressed but her determination to bring international cuisine to Yorkshire.

16-year old Earnest Sidebottom is in dreamland after being offered a five-year contract by Barcelona. Earnest was spotted at the weekend in Greenhead Park by a travelling Catalan scout, impressed by Earnest managing 23 keepy uppies, including 3 with his wrong foot and one with his head.

The Greatest Striker Whose Name Includes a Middle Eastern Country Award, announced last week by Booth's Dubious Records Committee and awarded to Town favourite Jordan Rhodes, has been amended to Greatest Striker Whose First Name Includes a Middle Eastern Country, following an objection from Joe Jordan.

Walking to away games

Baldybonce — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:40:15 +0000

Can anyone settle an argument?

When did we used to walk to Millwall and i think it was QPR when everyone jumped on the tube at New Cross.

1970's?

Kid friendly pub

Baldybonce — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:28:09 +0000

My boy wants to go to a pub before the games like all the `men' do.

Somewhere a bit noisy would be good.

NEW ARTICLE.: A Miracle at the Valley

grumpyaddick — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:12:26 +0000

And did come to pass that Saint Christopher of the Powelites, the chosen one of the one true Lord (Curbs), did gather his chosen people around him to tell them of his great miracle.

After many moons of sweat and toil the great red army were on top of the League mountain and the people of the red Valley were singing with joy, the wine flowed like the river Thames and the old folk did eat burgers once again in the Floyd Road.

And a lame and blind Addick who had suffered for many a long season did sink to his knees outside the Superstore and did looketh to the skies and proclaim;

“It’s a bloody miracle”

And he went up to Saint Christopher who was getting into his Jaguar and did grabbeth the sleeve of his coat of many colours.

“Can this really be true Master? Are we really on top of the League Mountain”?

“Ye must keep the faith oh blind foolish one” said Saint Christopher. “For I have been to the mountain top and I have seen the Promised Land. The dark days at the Valley under Saint Parky of Hoofball are now over and we will once again march to glory playing old testament proper footy”.

And a small crowd gathered at the Valley around Saint Chris. Then the crowd became larger due to a special 5 shekel ticket offer dreamed up by King Slater of the
Moneylenders.

“We are undefeated in all of our home battles- even against the lumbering giants of Sheffield under the deluded King Megson of Lumpit. We made the Cumbrian tribes look so poor they have all fallen on their own swords and now the angry Lord Brown of the North End has been sent packing to the wastelands in a right hump. We are truly destined
for great things.”

But the chosen people of the red Valley who did truly love Saint Christopher still felt sorely afraid. For they had heard these promises before from false prophets like the
smooth talking Saint Pardew of Toontotty who only led them to barren lands and did only purchase lame donkeys from dodgy agents. He made his own way to the Promised
Land but left the chosen people of the Red Valley behind. He was verily a complete Dick.

“But Saint Christopher ,” asked the lame old man “when will it all go wrong?”

There was a gasp of shock from the crowd and Saint Christopher was sorely and verily angry. “Don’t be a miserable old git" he told the old fool. For though we have walked in the Valley of the shadow of administration we fear no evil now that King Slater of the Moneylenders did come to rescue us with his bags of gold.”

And as the ancient
scribe Saint Peacock and the stewards did try to lead the toothless old fool
away he did again shout at Saint Christopher.

“And is not King Slater’s favourite son the evil (Dennis) Wise Man of Yobo and he doth covet
your suit of many colours??” And the
crowd was hushed with fear for Saint Christopher did truly hate the evil Wise
man of Yobo.

And then some of the crowd murmured the two dreaded curses that they all in the red Valley did truly fear “the post-
Christmas dip in form” and “Saint Bradley may leave us in the January transfer
window”.

And as the foolish old heretic was led away with his soiled red and white
scarf all tattered and stained with seven years of tears and tomato ketchup; Saint Christopher mounted a small box and
chastised his people for these negative thoughts;

“For verily I say unto
thee, King Slater of the Moneylenders hast given us great bags of gold to tempt
the finest disciples in the land and they are now a glorious red and white army
of noble warriors on top of the League mountain. Rejoice and Hallelujah I say unto
thee.”

And as the jubilant crowd
sang “Onwards Christopher’s' Soldiers" at the top of their voices the
foolish old heretic could just be heard being dragged away screaming to renew
his season ticket.

This is the word of
the Lord (Curbs)

New Article: Are We Too Dependant On BWP?

Stig — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:38:55 +0000

Last night Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his second brace of the season to take his tally up to 10 goals. This is a fantastic achievement and, if he could keep it up throughout the season would put him on track to be our first 30 a season man since Derek Hales in 1975/76. Whilst, this is a fantastic proposition, it is surely too much to hope for, especially as BWP has a history of knees. So as wonderful as it is we still need others in the team who can score goals.

The table below was put together to see how we compare with other teams (the top six in League 1 and the top two in the other three divisions) to see if we have the sort of fire power needed in the event of Bradley being out for part of the season.

So what does it tell us?

Firstly we have been highly dependant on BWP's goals to date. Only Gary Madine and Wayne Rooney have scored a higher percentage of their teams' goals this season.

More importantly though, I think it tells us that we could cope (if not quite as well) if we had to do without Wright-Phillips for a while. Although our number of 8 scorers is the lowest out of all the teams considered, 7 of those players have scored 2 or more goals. And then there's something that the stats doesn't tell. It's the quality of the goals. I can't remember too many scruffy goals this season. Our goals have not been accidental goals from goalmouth melees. No matter who has scored them, our goals have been deliberate and well worked and were created by people who knew exactly what they are doing. That tells me that they'll be able to do it again.

Worrying unnecessarily? I think I probably was.

NEW ARTICLE: The Curious Case of Jonjo Shelvey

AFKABartram — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:46:19 +0000

The soap opera that is Charlton Athletic threw up another episode this week to rival all the joy of an Eastenders’ Christmas Special, with the decision taken to cut short the season of our most talented youngster, Jonjo Shelvey, in favour of an immediate cash injection.

Not for the first time in recent years, the decision leaves supporters asking more questions than it provides answers, particular on whether it was a decision enforced from the boardroom, or created by the indifference of the manager.

If the decision was an enforced financial one, then it really does provide an ill-timed stark reminder of the gravity of the desperate financial predicament that our club is currently submerged in. It suggests that the sizeable financial restructuring the club underwent earlier in the season was purely designed to get us through to the end of the season and no further, and given that Shelvey was secured to a professional contract at the same time, it looks more than likely that his sale this summer was part of the restructuring, and nothing more than a formality.

The extent of our financial mire is one that some supporters fail to fully grasp. Charlton has been a severe loss-making organisation for five successive seasons, recording losses of £37.5m since 2006 before you even factor in what this season’s further hefty deficit is likely to be. At no stage over the past four years has the loss been below £20k a day, and in some years in excess of £30k a day. What was created by ill-management and dire planning on the eventuality of relegation from the Premiership and the failure of immediate return is now proving impossible to arrest. From the outside, hopes of a white knight rescuing the club from its debts and providing some form of positive plan for the years ahead appear more and more unlikely to longer the club scrambles to purely avoid falling into administration.

So if the desire to sell Shelvey was a desperate financial need, then we should all be concerned, particularly following so soon after the recent other injection of forward season ticket sales. With no further individual on the books with the ability to attract a seven-figure sale, you have to question just how much longer the attempts to avoid administration can be maintained, and equally how much good is it really doing the club as a whole in the long-term.

If however, the decision to sell Shelvey now was one led by the managers’ endorsement, then this opens up a whole host of other questions. Mainly, why the hell when the need for promotion is so imperative would a manager choose to limit his resources ahead of the unpredictability of the play-offs ?

Phil Parkinson stated yesterday that Shelvey had ‘lost his way a little’ this season, and though some supporters will disagree, this argument does carry some weight. In our supporters-polled post-match ratings, Shelvey has ranked in the following positions for his twenty meaningful appearances this season in comparison to his team-mates:

MOM – once
2nd – once
3rd – once
4th – three times
5th –
6th – twice
7th –
8th – once
9th – three times
10th – six times
11th – once
12th –
13th - once

The truth is he has not been setting the world alight this season, been a key member of our starting side, or pushed on in the way that all of the supporters hoped he would have. But has that all been down to a young player ‘losing his way’ a little, and if so, why ?

Shelvey first broke into the Charlton first team as a mere 16-year old twenty-four months ago. In his debut at Barnsley in the tail-end of the 2007-08 season, he impressed all with his display, whilst in the following game at home to Coventry, he had everyone purring of what was to come for the future, as a sample from the comments on our Forum proved:

“The boy looks like a proper star in the making, I thought he had a cracking game – Off It”,

“Jonjo was brilliant today, and he is a big guy, knocking Hughes off the ball for fun most of the game. He also has a great range of passing, and isn’t scared to shoot- Sir Percy” and

“Really was an incredible performance for a 16 year old. Wasn't only the passing, composure, running on the ball, vision and strength that impressed me, but that tackle in the second half which he had no right to get to! Really is promising for the future that we have players such as Shelvey – Tricky”

In those two games, Shelvey played as a traditional centre midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation, recording man of the match displays as a 16-year old at Championship level. While there is no doubting that Shelvey appears less impressive twenty-four months on, the obvious question is why over the forty-nine games that Charlton have played this season at a lower level, has the player not once appeared in the position that which he so clearly impressed and showed so much promise ?

The sparse use of Shelvey this season has been focused in playing as a split-striker, with occasional dalliances onto the wing. Neither are his natural position, and while his positional awareness has improved greatly as the season progressed in the split striker role, it failed to accentuate the strengths that the player possesses and accentuated the weaknesses in his game, particularly through playing isolated, largely playing with his back to goal and dealing with an aerial ball. If Shelvey has lost his way this season, how much of that has been down to the individual attempting to adapt to an unfamiliar role in his desire to simply play first-team football, and how much of it has been down to management failing to play a player at his strengths ?

With this in mind, a parting appears something that suits all three parties; board, manager and player. Why the decision now and not in a month’s time though defies most logic. My best guess is that the manager was approached with regard to the bid and said that the player was not going to be a key element for the forthcoming games. With that in mind, the decision was taken to secure the deal now rather than risk it on a triviality effecting what the manager believes to be a non-key player.

The move does provide a sour backdrop at a crucial point in the season. Firstly, it highlights to our supporters and players the pitiful financial position of the club; secondly it gives our rivals the illusion that we have weakened our squad at a crucial time. Thirdly, it provides closure on a real sense of frustration to supporters that we have seen anywhere near the best of a homegrown player who showed so much initial promise. The first two can be quickly eradicated with a purposeful performance and victory tomorrow against promotion rival Leeds United. The third though is a feeling that shall always remain.

Shelvey leaves though with the best wishes of all Charlton supporters. He is a talented individual with what appears a good attitude and who just wants to play football, and a player that this site has been proud to sponsor for his two professional seasons.

Whether this is the right move for him remains to be seen. Liverpool is a club set to go through a real transitional period, which may be of benefit to him, but equally carries many risks. He has not been signed by the manager, who is unlikely to have ever seen him play, but by a managerial umbrella with a remit to try and deliver some young English players. Whilst some elements of his game will be better suited around more technical players, there are still plenty of aspects of his game that require a fair bit of work before he will gracing the Premiership stage on a regular basis, particularly his short-distance speed and reaction.

We wish him the best of luck, and will always keep one-eye on his career hoping he succeeds.

NEW ARTICLE: Chris Powell and His Coat of Many Colours

AFKABartram — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:48:30 +0000

Scott Kingsley gives a good account of where we are, and what might lie ahead:

Even if you weren’t paying much attention during Religious Education at school you’ve still properly heard of Joseph and his coat of many colours. Or maybe you are a big fan of musicals and the work of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Weber.

So you’ll remember that poor old Joseph wasn’t much liked by his brothers so they sold him to the Egyptians. Despite being an economic migrant Joseph managed to get the gig of interpreter of the royal dreams.

He correctly predicted that Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows and seven skinny cows foretold seven years of plenty for the Land of Egypt to be followed by the same number of years of famine. Joseph told Pharaoh he had better start stock pilling the grub now.

Neither Richard Murray nor Peter Varney have ever revealed if they have had a similar dream but after the play-off win Charlton enjoyed around seven years of plenty, nearly all of it in the promised land of the premiership. The Club grew and it grew fat and content.

Then things started to go wrong and the only fat on show was Jimmy Floyd Hasslebank’s backside and some ex-managers wallets.

Last year was the seventh in a row where Charlton have finished lower in the league that the season before. The reasons for decline that have picked over and debated more that the Dead Sea scrolls but we are where we are. Anyone attempting to start yet another “where did it all go wrong?” debate will be visited by plagues of frogs and locusts! You have been warned!

Now it is hoped that the decline maybe over. Certainly if the turnover of players is any indication then we can expect something totally different from what has gone before.

But there are still two questions, two unknowns, that we will only find the answers to once the season is well underway.

Firstly, this is a very new squad. We have signed 18 new players and only ten remain from the season passed. And of that 10 only two or three will be expected to start v AFC Bournemouth this coming Saturday. The positive or rose tinted way to look at that is that most of them are untainted by the failure of the past and the majority have played and been successful in this division before. Players who had success with Exeter (Taylor and Hamar) and Bournemouth (Wiggins and Hollands) have joined. And Charlton picked up Danny Green, another of last year's success stories who did so well with Paul Benson while both were at Dagenham. Hayes and Hughes won promotion with Scunthorpe and Leeds respectively.

That they already know each other will surely help the team. We hope so and good players can soon forge new partnerships and understanding, right? “Gel” will be a word use more often in the next few weeks than any time since the fashion horrors of the 80s. So if these players can become a team then they have a real chance of promotion.

Which brings us to the second question. Chris Powell has assembled this Technicolor Dream team and it’s pretty clear, to me at least, that is has been Chris Powell and not Jeff Vetere calling the shots despite what some conspiracy theorists may claim.

But can Chris Powell manage them? After a great and winning start last winter Charlton tailed off alarmingly. Anyone looking from the outside the Charlton community, and quite a few inside, would doubt Powell’s credentials to lead a team to promotion.

People have said that last year he was a craftsmen trying to use someone else’s shoddy, second rate tools. The riposte to that is that a poor workman blames his tools.

So is Powell a poor workman, a poor manager or will he now show his true worth with his team playing his style of football?

The answer to that won’t be revealed in a dream nor during the 90 minutes v Bournemouth. We’ve seen great starts, and not just under Powell, turn out to be false dawns before.

And if we lose or draw neither will that mean that the plan has failed though you can guarantee there will be calls for Powell’s head even that soon. That’s what years of famine do to you. You want your hunger fed and you want it fed now.

The pressure is on Chris to get the recipe right and serve up enough tasty morsels over the next nine months that we’ll all be sitting down to eat at a bigger, more expensive restaurant this time next year. So wash your hands, spread that napkin and get ready to tuck in. The season is about to start.

NEW ARTICLE: David Gower, Bjorn Borg and the David Beckham of League One

AFKABartram — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:52:04 +0000

My inarticulate ramblings on the 'close season' if anyone is interested

link

New Article: The Charlton rollercoaster continues....

RodneyCharltonTrotta — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:57:38 +0000

If Charlton was a girlfriend I would have got shot of her many moons ago.

In fact I would have probably sworn off relationships altogether and resigned myself to a life of non- iron shirts, pot noodles and paying over the odds for high speed broadband.

If i wanted to spend my weekends thoroughly depressed and frequently humiliated in an environment of misery and despair I wouldnt bother leaving the office on Friday evenings.

Unfortunatley this football club is like no woman or job that I have have encountered in my relatively short time as an adult. No matter how much misery it has bestowed upon me I haven't been able to give it the Spanish Archer, cant fathom the possibility of changing it for another and to be honest dont think I ever could keep myself away for any sustainable period of time.

Whilst not yet wed myself I view marriage as a commitment entered into by both parties voluntarily with the obvious exceptions of certain cultural arrangements or those prompted by unexpected pregnancies and encouraged by shotgun- wielding fathers in Rednecksville.

Even in those scenarios there is usually a get out clause when one or both parties decide to call time on their union.

When it comes to your football team you don't necessarily have the luxury such of such deliberation.

You may luck- in and happen to be born into a family with roots in supporting a consistently successful club and legitimately enjoy the rewards of that particular silver spoon.

Alternatively you may decide to declare alleigance to a glamour club of your own election and whilst this spoon may be plastic in its compostion it is as equally shiny.

However for many of us your football club is something you inherit from your old man either out of blind, misguided loyalty or sheer insistence of your elder and supposedly wiser. A stigma which can often cause the same resentment and shame as a hereditary thrid nipple. Thanks Dad.

The start of a long and oft painful lifelong bond is entered into as a child without suitable knowledge or any understanding of the full facts, implications and consequences. And without any real chance of escape. You would get slaughtered for giving your 7 year old son a crafty sup of your pint when his mum's not looking. Yet take him to Selhurst to see them annhialated by Liverpool, sparking an unquenchable addiction to Charlton Athletic thus condemning him to a lifetime of ups and downs, cheers and tears and no one blinks an eyelid. What a sick world we live in.

I was a privileged young Addick. My marriage to the club was formalised with us on the up returning to The Valley and my blushing bride was the radiant Curbishley who took me on a whirlwind romance through the football leagues and taught me how to love. He certainly knew a trick or two. I was spoiled and although he sometimes bored me I was happy and knew he was a keeper.

Unfortunately we grew too comfortable and the unthinkable happened.... he left our happy home. We didnt give him what we wanted and we parted amid emotional scenes.
The Charlton ship started sinking and we were left clinging like Kate Winslet to her makeshift raft with only memories to see us through the storm. And what choppy waters they turned out to be.

The age old adage of you dont know what you've got til it's gone rang true with deafening ferocity as our slow descent commenced. Dalliances with posible replacements proved tumultuous. We stumbled into the grasp of Ian Dowie, not the greatest looker but hey we were desperate and we greeted him with all the enthusiasm of a lonely, frustrated drunk in a kebab shop at ten to two eyeing up the ropey chubby bird ordering double chips.

It was unsatisfying and somewhat unpleasant and we awoke from our drunken slumber to an almighty hangover and called her a taxi.

Desperate for comfort and reassurance we fell into the arms of Uncle Les, a familiar figure at a time of uncertainty. But it didnt feel right and we agreed to just stay friends.

Then as we continued to mourn for our great lost love, along came a silver fox whose charm knocked us bandy. He splashed the cash and flattered to deceive but there was no substance there and he was dangerous, damaging even and so he got the boot.

This left us with Phil, his nice mate. A great man. Perfect for Charlton on paper and an absolute gentlemen. But it just didnt feel right. The spark wasnt there and it didnt seem like the Curb's magic we so longed for could be renewed under his tenure.

Just as we thought we would never love again a short, dark, (not much of a) stranger emerged from the tunnel to a spine- tingling roar of the voiciferous Valley faithful. Appearing as if he had just walked off a catwalk this dapper young pretender was instantly cast into the role of the would be hero in the Charlton fairytale.

A five game winning streak singalled that we were in Disneyland and the good times had finally returned. Unofortunately fairytales tend to contain a Brothers Grimm element of horror and this was played out in the remaining games of the season leaving us once again feeling bewildered.

Time will tell if Chris Powell will be the Prince Charming to lead us to a life of happily ever after.

The impressive activity in the transfer market in recent weeks and fervent reaction and speculation has certainly ignited flickers in the hearts of many addicks.

The new board, whilst still somewhat obscured in dark shadows of their own choosing, have offered a suggestion that they are more well- intentioned knights on white steads rather than the money- hungry, smoke- blowing dragons some of us fear.

Whilst there will no doubt be chinks in their armour their actions of the past months should speak louder than their words including those both said and left unspoken.

We are being wooed and seranaded and there is a lot of love in the air around all things Charlton at the moment it seems . A seed has been planted and it is now down to Powell, his players and us to nuture it and ensure that it bears fruit in 9 months.

Many times bitten and many times shy we will proceed with cautious optimism taking tentative steps with our new suitors. Whilst they might make us feel eighteen again only time will tell if this will be a long and happy courtship.

But so far the signs are good.

Whilst we are not yet shopping at Harrods we have appeared to have moved away from the discount bargain aisle at Liddles and Im sure our shopping cart is envy of many managers and fans up and down the country.

With all the talk of price tags and undisclosed fees the recent signings have provided an intangible feel good factor amongst fans which is priceless and hopefully the euphoria evident on the forums can be used to snowball the momentum at the club over the coming season.

Whether it be five or ten years another honeymoon in in the top flight seems to be a distinct possibility rather than the beyond reach flirtation as it did six months ago.

Whilst we are not yet dining out at The Ivy with Pippa Middleton I no longer feel like im sat across the table from Kerry Catona watching her devour a plate of egg and chips only stopping to light up another Sovereign in a Welcome Break somewhere near Scarborough.

Cheryl cole up the oxo tower perhaps is a good starting point on our way back to greatness.

Instead of wishing that the ground would swallow me up every saturday at 4.45pm I am looking forward to leaving The Valley this season on a Saturday, head held high with our dignity and pride restored and a real belief that romance is no longer dead at Charlton.

COYA

New Article: Beware the Manager Cult

Henry Irving — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:36:47 +0000

I am always wary of religious cults so some posts and threads on CL in the last 24 hours have concerned me.

Some fans seem to be working themselves up into a frenzy of devotion for our new manager before he has even signed on the dotted line.

Any word of doubt or caution is being dismissed as a show of disloyalty, heresy almost. It seems that the option now is unswerving, unquestioning loyalty to the new manager or excommunication from the Valley faithful.

It is frighteningly reminiscent of the arrival of the last messiah at the Valley, Alan Pardew. He too was hailed, by most, as the second coming; a demi-god of football management who would save us from relegation. He turned out to have feet very much made of clay (and yes I see the irony of using a reference from the book of Daniel here).

Now before you issue a fatwa or organise a stoning for this non-believer I'll say how happy I am that he is returned. I wish him all the luck in the world and I so so want him to succeed. But then again I want every Charlton manager to succeed, those I like and those I don't, because I want the Club to succeed.

More than that I think he will succeed. He has served his time as a coach, got his badges, learnt his trade and he has the good fortune to pick up a semi-decent set of players in a position to challenge for at least the play-offs along with a new board willing, or so it would seem, to back him financially in the transfer/loan market.

But be warned. His team will lose games. His teams will play badly. How do I know? Because every manager loses games sometimes and every team plays badly at times. The successful teams and the successful managers just do it less than the rest.

There will be times too when his teams don't play like the current Barca team or 1960 Real Madrid side. Sometimes they will grind out results like every good team has to. You may even see a league one defender punt the ball 60 yards to clear his lines and give the defence the chance to re-shape. If I remember rightly there was a certain left back at Charlton, England international as well, who wasn't adverse to doing that when he needed to.

And when we lose or play badly there will be boos. Not from me but there will be boos because that is what people do. Not just at the Valley but every ground up and down the country. It's stupid but it happens. Hopefully it will be very rare and when it happens it will be drowned out by shouts of encouragement.

Those who are expressing doubts or pointing out his lack of experience are being honest and largely reflecting what many Charlton fans would have said (and have said) when similar appointments have been made at Newcastle and very recently at Palace.

They are not wishing failure on him but neither are they putting unrealistic burdens of expectation on the new guy's very human shoulders.

NEW ARTICLE: Completely disillusioned

Chizz — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:38:02 +0000

As a Charlton fan, I have never been more dissillusioned than I am now.

Most clubs - more so Charlton than many others - have a symbiotic relationship with their fans. The fans pick through every iota of news, gossip, rumour and fact and make the most of it, bigging their team up and looking forward. And the club strives to make progress, taking account of the majority of fans' views, doing the right thing; and doing it the right way. That's what normally happens. That's what used to happen. Not any more. And worse than that, right now, I just don't care.

I don't care who gets picked at the weekend. Don't care how long Keith Peacock stays in charge. Don't care how we get on against the Spuds. Don't care who takes over as manager.

A few months ago, I was a shareholder and a fan. Someone who cared probably more than he ought to about the fate and future of the club. But now, with the self-imposed mess Charlton are now in, I really am not sure I can be bothered with it any more.

It'll pass. Won't it?

NEW ARTICLE: So where has it gone wrong ? Vol. 12 (2011 edition)

AFKABartram — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:06:54 +0000

The knives are once again sharpening and supporters are either experiencing anger rising to unprecedented levels, or even worse, complete non-plussed numbness as the swathe of disappointment doesn't even particularly register anymore.

Once again, a promising start to the season has evapourated at an alarming rate. The first 17 games of the season saw our side average 1.82 points per game. The following 16 games have registered just 1.06 points per game, and that's including the run of four consecutive victories.

And there lies the key fact; The whole story is what we are witnessing is not purely a rookie manager cocking it up. Our downturn started a long while before Chris Powell arrived through the door.

Ahead of Powell's first game in charge, Charlton had recorded just 1 win in 10 games, and that being an arguably fortuitous win against a non-league team in an FA Cup replay.
A huge degree of thanks must be shown to Plymouth Argyle showing up on our door amid administration problems. The combination of them arriving in disarray and a positive backdrop to our new managerial appointment helped stopped the rot, and the spike in confidence from that result went on to give us the extra edge in the following three tight, even games. Thankfully, that run ensured we are not nervously anticipating another relegation battle, as ridiculous as that sounds.

But had there been a fundamental turnaround ? Had there been a marked improvement in performances and belief ? Sadly we all know the answer to that.

Trying to determine what exactly has gone wrong from mid-November to now is not easy as it is not obvious.

Formation

One thing i think is clear, whatever side we put out appears more settled and organised in a flat 442 than in a 433, 4141 or 451. We simply don't have a player with the ability to play the lead role effectively in isolation (particularly with Abbott gone), and we equally don't have the players to support that role who are influential in attack and disciplined defensively.

Players

Confidence is clearly an issue. The wheels began to fall off when both Elliot and Doherty began to lose form and our defence began to look increasingly vulnerable. Francis has simply not been good enough throughout, and we haven’t had a settled left back all season. Combining with an unsettled defence, we’ve been overly exposed and Dailly has finally started to show his age, though still performing better than others.

What worked best was when we had Fry and Jackson providing natural left balance, and Wagstaff on form on the right. It gave us defensive shape and meant we were less exposed at the back as midfield runners weren’t being allowed to roam free and push play so easily into our final third, whilst weary of our two wide players ability to register goals.

Once a side becomes weak defensively, it loses the confidence to try and stretch the game offensively. Injuries are now a key factor, leading to changes being made and players come into a side with no clear, defined structure around them.

Style of Play

It is clear Powell was brought in to improve our style of play and make us more visually attractive. However, getting lower league players to have the confidence to take the extra touch, extra second and belief in their ability to either hold the ball, or seek the ball to feet when pressurised is no easy act; it normally takes the use of a full pre-season to change a style of play.

Against a backdrop of poor form, the impact has seen us losing possession in our own half to a greater degree, increasing crowd frustration and defensive pressure as space is exposed at the turnover stage as players defensive shape has been stretched by trying to find space to be a receiver of a pass, and with less time to recover shape compared to when we lose the ball further up the pitch. Many of the goals conceded in recent weeks have stemmed from given possession away cheaply in the wrong areas.

What Powell needs to do to turn this around ?

Get tough.

Abandon the footballing principles for now and return to basics, setting the team up defensively with the mentality and formation that we will be hard to beat, with a settled formation the players are accustomed to with clearly defined roles. Give us a platform in a game and then become more offensively adventurous as the game progresses. Once the team is more settled and the run of losses have been halted, then is the time you can gradually work on bringing new ideas to the table.

There are simply too many individual areas of the team that need improvement, and with the transfer window closed and marginal loans left available, there cannot be wholesale change.

But two areas of the side need urgent address; A tough, no nonsense centre half is required to give us a platform at the back, while either a play maker in the centre of the park to get the footballing ethos working effectively, or failing that an energetic, yard covering, hounding central midfielder. The spine of the team is not providing enough impact one way or another, get the spine right and it is easier to impose a formation around. This side needs the addition of at least one ‘leader’.

Francis, for whatever reason, just hasn’t worked out. A very game tryer, who never hides, but defensively he is weak and clearly being targeted, while his distribution is increasingly woeful. Even if it is just a chance to try something different, Solly should be given a run, or Jenkinson switched to the right as soon as Bassone regains full fitness.

Whatever happens, there looks like there is going to be a huge turnaround in the close season. A few years ago our season was routinely over in March and the majority of us fully accepted that. Now in League One, people are rightly not so forgiving. If there is huge work to be done in the Summer, there is even more that needs to be done now.

Hopefully the return from injury of a number of players will provide the fresh impetus to have an impact, but things need to change very quickly and we have a lot more chance fighting our way out of it than playing our way out of it.

NEW ARTICLE: Parky, Powell and Patience

AFKABartram — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:25:40 +0000

Not a happless firm of solicitors from a Carry On film, but as the Chris Powell rateometer heads south as quickly as it advanced north, it’s been interesting to read the understandable re-emergence of whether the Club were right to dispose of the previous incumbent.

Parky was not the great revolutionary, nor tactical genius, but he was honest and committed. His overriding sin was not to prevent us from being relegated to League One, but by failing to get us promoted back out of it.

If you look back on the previous campaign with the benefit of hindsight, there were two noticeable things in play:

1. It was a very decent squad for League 1

2. It was unfortunate that Norwich and Leeds were also particularly strong.

Whether those two were that much stronger than us is highly up for debate. In Norwich's case, i think the core of our squad was stronger than theirs, but they possessed a creative influence in Hoolihan and a match winner in Holt that we simply did not have.

Leeds looked more similar to us but were boosted by both Beckford, and having a manager who had either built a squad of players with the right lower league mentality, or was able to get them 'up for it' more than we could. The big club on the rise scenario also helped give them momentum.

However, were the squad we had capable of more than they produced ?

Most definitely, and reflections of far too many underpar performances re-iterates that point.
A great start fizzled out and only really returned for the last 4 games of the season.

Where Grayson, Lambert or Jackett at Millwall, were able to get under the skin of their troops and coax a reaction on a regular basis, Parky despite his core attitude and intentions was unable to garner such a response.

The respective goal difference for the last half hour of games for last season (ultimately where draws become wins, and defeats become draws) was:

Norwich +33, Millwall +23, Leeds +18, Charlton +8.

Onto this campaign, and if you compare now the squad to last season does that show that Parky was doing a good job following a severe reduction in budget in the Summer to have us in a play-off position ? Or is it reflective that this appears a lower standard league this season ?

I think the answer is probably a bit of both.

I wasn't a ranter who wanted him sacked, but i could see more likelihood in our season fizzling out after once again a decent start, than i could see a side that was improving the more they played together. A disappointing replication of last season was emerging. And something from the application and co-ordination shown in those couple of dire home games leading up to his dismissal told you that something clearly wasn't right.

Now i see a squad that is pretty much ok in ability, but maybe lacking in heart, confidence and determination. It also now has little settled structure or balance. We are currently positioned where we deserve to be.

The one good thing is that if you can get things right, its pretty easy to progress. Getting things right with our budget though is obviously a lot more difficult than you would think it is. Mentality overcomes ability in this league, and sadly if the players don't have the right ingrained approach then you are always playing with a handicap.

Are those currently getting on Powell’s back after this run of defeats justified ?

Of course not, it’s frustration overcoming realism. It is ridiculous to make such judgements after just a few weeks when injuries appear to be having an impact on an already imbalanced squad of players. Football managers are largely governed by their budget, but on a flat budget are effectively guardians entrusted to deliver steady improvement over time. They are not miracle workers, who unless the previous regime had completely fallen apart, are able to deliver instant results within a couple of weeks, or get a player who has been playing football for 20 years to suddenly trap a ball.

Does that currently exonerate Powell from criticism ?

Equally no, it is his job to pick the best eleven to win games, and at present they are not winning. Formations are being tinkered with, players are being played out of position, we look defensively frail as a unit and the desire to include Ecclestone somewhere in the side provides further imbalance.

Powell’s ethos so far appears to be to try and get the team playing improved football. It is a run ahead of a walk, as what is by far the most important approach to this league is matching the desire of the opposition. Win the personal battles, adopt a will-not-lose mentality and then build on the football from there.

Winners come in all forms but at this level it is not just centred on those who can play, but built around a core of those who are organised and those who will fight. Without those values, the ability to play improved football with rightly see you as a soft touch who can be got at.

We must somehow change that mentality as soon as possible. Our home games are not just attractive to opponents because they are coming to a decent arena. First and foremost they are looking forward to it because they know they’re going to face a team that can be got at. We need to become the team that others don’t want to play, not lick their lips ahead of it.

Our manager needs to be given time to rebuild a squad to his preference and assert his values, yet the supporters are rightly frustrated and disappointed with the offerings that are currently on show. It is a horrible, undesirable catch-22 scenario, that cannot just be looked at in isolation because it has blossomed from a backdrop of incompetence and disappointment.

Patience in the stands at this crossroads stage is vital, but it is equally importance that this is a two-way street, and being a soft touch is never something football supporters at any club wilfully accept.

Show the desire, show the mentality and you’ll find the supporters will be willing to be patient for a lot longer than they currently are.

Charlton Lifer article in the Guardian?

Red_in_SE8 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:49:24 +0000

Coming home tonight I read this article on my iPod Guardian Article. Very sad, and yet at the same time, uplifting story. And one I can easily relate to. But, I am sure it is written by the Charlton Life poster who posted details of the blog he was writing about the trials and tribulations of becoming a father for the second time after a gap of many years a few months back. I have tried searching for the post but can't find it.

OLD ARTICLE: Theo, Andy, Phil and Damian

Henry Irving — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:56:23 +0000

Apologies for starting yet another new thread but I've been too down to read much of CL over the weekend, valid as no doubt all the other views expressed are. It hurts.

I have felt, and said so on here, all season that this is still a group of, (mostly) decent or above, players rather than a team but at least it was a group with spirit as shown v Bournemouth, Orient and Plymouth. But Saturday was a return to the worst days of last season and the Pardew era. As soon as the 2nd goal went in I felt it would be 3 or 4 as we had so little invention or team play and they knew if they kept working the ball around we would slip up just as we already had.

I was baffled by Parky's team selection. Dailly RB when Francis is fit. No, play your strongest CH pairing (CD and JF) and get rid of the liability that is Doc. No wonder the team doesn't gel when it changes so often. Yes the injuries and suspensions have been a major disruption and 20 out and 11 in is going to take time but by now some semblance of team play and pattern should be emerging. That means set plays, at both ends, working and relying on more than the individual skills of Reid and Martin to open up a side.

I've been a defender of Parky as I could see the good players he has brought in and who often have re-signed for him which I see as testament to him as a man manager. Yet those players have still not gelled into a team.

No team, and especially at this level, plays well every week. There will always be bad days but Saturday was a lot more than that to my eyes and there are too few good days when we dominate or show our ability consistently over 90 minutes.

Is that the players or the management? Both, in my view, and when the whistle blows mainly the players but I am reminded of Theo Foley and Andy Nelson.

It was Theo who recruited Hales, Flanagan, Powell etc, yet couldn't build them into a side capable of getting out of division 3. Theo was and is still greatly respected at Charlton as a decent, likeable man. It would be hard to find many Charlton fans who would say the same about Andy Nelson despite it being he who took what was largely Foley's team and got it promoted.

I fear that Phil Parkinson is Theo Foley, a hard-working, intelligent man with a good eye for a player but not someone to mould those players into a consistently winning team. So do we then need an Andy Nelson figure. Maybe we can do without someone who calls the fans "Village Idiots" but something needs to change.

That change either has to come now (not soon but now) under Parky or we have to take the gamble (and gamble it must be) of going for someone else.

It is easy to throw out names, often ex-Charlton players, but how may of us know if they are now or will ever be management material? And even if they are can they cope with Charlton as it is now. Both Foley and his predecessor Eddie Firmani struggled at a Club that was potless and on a slide. Bad managers or wrong men for the job in the circumstances as they stood? And the same question could be asked of the present incumbent.

I don't envy Richard Murray. He can see what is happening and will know how fans are feeling. He will also see what Parky is doing and trying to do to turn things around.

As I said, I was too depressed to read much of CL over the weekend so apologies if this has all been covered before but if, and I still say this reluctantly, Parky leaves then I will wish him well and suggest that we whoever we appoint we make sure that Damian Matthew is part of the first team set up. He is the an excellent coach, he may even be a good manager but he is an excellent coach. So pair him with Chris Powell or even Christian Dailly but just get him coaching the first team.

New Article: Where is your Charlton 'Breaking Point' ?

AFKABartram — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:57:56 +0000

Was thinking long and hard about this last night after watching us once again haplessly limp out of yet another competition.

Charlton have played such a dominating part of my life for the last twenty years that it is almost a religion. In that time i’ve missed only a handful of home games, have always until this season done a minimum double figure amount of away games, attend every Q+A i possibly can, and leave and breathe it 24/7 through this site.

It goes beyond a love of football, it’s become a way of life. I know there are many others that fall into the same category.

Why has it become such an ingrained, dominating part of my life ? Simple to answer really, because i’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed watching the club and its fan base grow from a small but incredibly balanced, determined and proud group, i’ve enjoyed the battling way for years we seemed to have players collectively performing at or beyond their maximum level, i’ve enjoyed the collective strength the support base appeared to hold and its close, respected relationship with the club. And most importantly of all, i’ve enjoyed the laughs, friendships and family i’ve gained along the journey.

But i’ve stopped enjoying it.

It’s vastly becoming a loved one with a drug addiction, it brings you little pleasure yet it is a tie you find impossible to break.

Live TV games are being tuned into not with any form of excitement or anticipation, but with the lethargy that the impending inevitability will once again deliver disappointment. Attending matches no longer carries the air of hope that a victory or a good, attacking game will unfold, but are now purely for the basis of seeing friends for a couple of hours who i would not see so frequently otherwise. Wins bring no great cheer, while the frequency of defeats, or disappointing under-performances, no longer shoulder belief-sapping disappointment or anger, but weariness and meek acceptance.

Its not about the level of football. In fact, it’s never really been about the football at all.

Perversely, I’m more aligned to grassroots football than Premiership offerings and while i’ll happily watch a game at County level, on Monday i choose to watch a documentary on the Savoy Hotel rather than the battle between the Premiership big guns.

It is the over-riding nothingness our club has become that has sapped me, the predictability of never-ending disappointments that continue to turn the screw. One step forward, two steps back. And so on, and so on....

For five years and in three separate divisions we have remained stuck in a frustrating spiral of not being footballing enough to outplay opposition, nor being tough enough physically or mentally to outbattle either. We are not one thing nor the other, a frustrating hybrid of the two. And we continue to show no clear signs that either will emerge. Occasional encouraging performances, or signs or team unity, show fleeting glimpses offering hope. But before you know it, we’ll once again roll a three, land on the snake’s head and quickly sliver all the way back to the beginning.

Off the pitch, all the things i used to hold dear surrounding the club seem to have unravelled at a rate to match the on field decline. Whether it’s the expectations of the fans we attracted during the Premiership years, or the despair and weariness of the long-standing brigade, we’re no longer the supportive, co-ordinated and respected group we once were. Old-timers appear fatigued by the latest downturn in fortune, while the youngsters creeping through seem more interested in throwing coins and bog roll at fellow fans, beer bottles at our own goalkeeper, and singing that our manager is a c***. Our song repertoire is basic, and sung at break-neck speed, and the over-riding humour and friendship that always existed in the stands seems to have been replaced fully by vein-popping anger-fuelled abuse in the Covered End, and silence in the other stands.

Through its various facets, the soul, heart and bo**ocks of our club seems to be ever diminishing. The unexplainable tie to it seems to be loosening, and in my case i’m really not sure that if it breaks i’ll ever get it back again. Whether a new owner, a new manager or a promotion will lead to anything more than a temporary re-invigoration, i honestly don’t know.

Am i over-dramatising ?

Are these purely the reactive, weary ramblings of a father of five-month twins at the point of permanent near exhaustion and failing to summon the energy for barely anything in the aftermath of another cup exit ?

Or is the ‘Charlton malaise’ being felt on a much wider level ?

You tell me.....

NEW ARTICLE: This New Manager Speculation Is Doing My Head In!

bingaddick — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:44:17 +0000

All this "who's going to be the next manager" is completely doing my head in.

I was happy when Dowie came, supportive of Sir Les, sceptical about Pardew, and prepared to give Parky a chance, although not after the disastrous first eight games. Since then I have been pro and con Parky in fairly equal measure.

I thought Hodgson was a great appointment for Liverpool, Burley was a decent shout at Palarse, Avram Grant would turn it around at West Ham and above all Capello was the man to lead England to glory on the World Cup stage.

I've come to the conclusion that I have absolutely no idea who would make a good manager of our club although if they told us Mourinho was coming I'd probably faint with pleasure! I am afraid that football club Directors are probably little better at making the right choices either.

I dislike the thought of Wise coming but you know, if I'm honest, I'm not certain that my fears, stoked up by other Lifers concerns, are correctly founded. What is clear from above is that appointing managers is very much a hit or miss affair except for the most gifted of them all. None of those names mentioned as an alternative to Wise are guaranteed to be successful.

For what its worth I like the thought of Poyet, or the bloke from Doncaster coming because they seem to be believers in the "beautiful game".

I have decided to park my worries, and leave the worrying to those whose job it is to decide.

It strikes me that there is a large slice of luck required in the choice of manager and that even ones with track records of success can be blown off course by many variables.

I want us to play at a higher level both in quality and league terms. In making their appointment, I just hope that our new Board is lucky one. If they are, I will be happy, whoever it turns out to be.

NEW ARTICLE: Dragging us kicking and screaming into the modern game?

RodneyCharltonTrotta — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Strangers have rolled into SE7 and already caused a storm in light of today’s events. Whilst on a humane level I feel great sympathy for Phil Parkinson I see this as the definitive line under an often stale and remarkably unhappy era at the club.

We have tried doing things the “Charlton” way building up slowly from scratch, hoping to develop upon new found stability with a prudish approach that has seen us right in the past. After the knee- jerk hirings and firings post- Curbishley, our descent down the leagues and the associated financial pressures inherent with this the ship needed to be steadied and the floundering stopped.

Arguably no one more than Richard Murray and Phil Parkinson have wanted it to work this way, striving to do the best with the resources available and all credit to them. Dignity and integrity are two qualities very rare in today’s game and they have both displayed them in abundance.
And fair play to the section of our ever loyal support who have kept good faith in the management of the club on and off the field through what have been difficult times in our painful adjustment from Premiership contenders to 3rd Division promotion hopefuls. And fair play to those of us who have alternatively questioned that faith with equally well- meaning passion and conviction.

Aside from the emotive debates that this strategy has invoked particularly in the past couple of seasons I feel more optimistic today about the future of this club than I have done since just before Scott Parker left and we were seriously challenging for European football.
Whether it be positive thinking, blind optimism or just sheer hope, my gut instinct tonight is that the events since New Year are the start of a new fruitful path for Charlton. The takeover shrouded in secrecy has seen two characters emerge whom have signalled an intention to make big changes.
Whilst the unknown is always daunting and no one other than those individuals involved truly know their intentions it is a least a change in direction (and oft directionless) way the club has found its running in recent years.

Eternal gratitude will always be due to Charlton people like Murray who have invested the time and money that most of us can only dream of. Obviously an astute businessman in his own right but perhaps it was his passion and love for the club that may have often clouded his better judgement in recent times.
Murray’s continued involvement and Varney’s return provide me with the security of familiarity and the trust that nothing bad will happen on their watch and I find their presence at board level invaluably comforting at such a transitional time.

I believe that much to the dismay of many of us true football fans that the game has sadly changed beyond recognition of the purer more innocent form it took when most of us fell in love with it many years ago. It’s a business nowdays where the bottom line seems almost to supersede the scoreline in terms of importance.
Murray et al are possibly (and thankfully) from a different age where honour, dedication and a firm handshake were enough to stay afloat as a successful football club and a going concern.
Nowdays it appears to be an industry controlled by sharp- suited slick operators with one eye one the pitch and the other on the next deal. From the little I know of our new owners (and the faceless money men behind them) I see them more cut out for this new world of modern football business.

I recall that I was initially strongly against the Zabeelification of “our” club i after enjoying the success of doing things the Charlton way for so many years. I didn’t want anything to do with the Chelski model of doing things. I suppose I hoped with naivety that one day football would implode and return to the more level playing field of my youth and teams in the lower divisions could cut the mustard. Whilst football has imploded it has mainly impacted the smaller clubs and barely a week has gone past recently without news of a long established club facing possible extinction. It hasn’t really touched the big boys and nothing will change until it does.
Regretfully it is with resignation to the “Can’t beat them join them” philosophy that I find myself feeling as I watch affairs unfolding at the club I have always loved and will always love.

None of us know with any real conviction what else will emerge from the shadows in the coming weeks, months and years regarding the club we all hold so dear but I feel a weird sense of relief tonight....as if today is a weight of our shoulders with the responsibility of guiding the club in the hands of the unknown people who aren’t Charlton and whose immediate actions show they have their own plans of what is best for them (and hopefully us).

Whilst the ruthlessness shown is somewhat alarming it is also refreshing after the stagnant situation we have found ourselves in the past few years. Whilst the stability may have been comforting that same familiarity appeared to also be breeding contempt and the increasing negativity and discord between fans, players and management echoed this.
It appears that we are going to be dragged kicking and screaming into the age of 21st Century football whether we like it or not and perhaps that is the only way to survive and be viable in the modern game.

We are a small club with a small but very loyal and dedicated following who have endured a lot of bad times and may well see more and we really deserve to see good times as do many clubs and supporters of our statue and for some unbeknownst reason I truly believe that this past week has sown the seeds for a return to good times at The Valley.

It is time to get that unity back throughout the whole club. It has been missing for a while but it is one of the things tat makes us a such a special and unique club.

Time for us to forget the past and look to the future which from my point of view appears a lot brighter now than it has for a long time.

COYA

OLD ARTICLE: Do we still need a Supporters Trust ?

AFKABartram — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:39:09 +0000

article by Henry Irving

http://www.charltonlife.com/blog/?p=254

NEW ARTICLE: Many miles have I travelled.............

AFKABartram — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:11:11 +0000

Charlton Life poster Tricky packed up his troubles in his ol' kit bag and went gallavanting around the world. Five months into his round-the-world trip (the lucky b***ard), he gives his account of following the Addicks when on the move abroad.

*****

Many miles have I travelled, but not one game have I seen.

Not a single minute.

The reason for this miserable miles to minutes ratio is that I am doing the thing us young'uns do these days, travelling around the world - rather than League One grounds.

The trip got off to good start when upon arrival in first stop Los Angeles, I found myself within spitting distance of Claus Jensen. He had got off what may have been the same plane and was now walking just in front of me. I was tired after a long flight and I did a Kevin Lisbie when he has time inside the box, and froze. I ended up walking behind him and his family wordlessly. Instead of being able to have a chat about Charlton, I had to settle for one of Claus's "toothy smiles". When later in my trip I met some Danish guys, I told them my story to a rather lukewarm reaction, but at least they knew who he was, even if they couldn't remember that he played for Charlton. Their response to Dennis Rommedahl was being unable to remember who he plays for now.

The travelling around has meant that my following of Charlton has had to adapt. No longer is it a case of simply being at the game or listening to the game on a Saturday afternoon/Tuesday evening. For one thing, over on the other side of the world, no games exist on a Saturday afternoon. Sunday at 1am, or Wednesday morning at about 4am, maybe, but no chance of a simple 3pm kick off. Internet access is usually expensive and slow, so keeping track is difficult. Especially when at the same time you're having an amazing adventure with a travel companion, who for some odd reason, has very little interest in finding out if there's been any recent news on the Charlton front.

Supporting Charlton is no longer a reflex action. Instead of just knowing what the Charlton score was by being so heavily ingrained, I now have to make a conscious effort to search it out. Similarly with fixtures. When you're at home, checking Charlton Life or the Official Site, you can't get away from who the senior side or the U18s play next and when, but when you're away you have to look it up the next time you check in with the world. Then you have to rely on your eyes which doesn't always work either. I was once very pleasantly surprised to find out we had gained three points in the league from a game I was certain was in the JPT.

Of course, keeping up to date is much easier to do now in the modern world and mainly via Charlton Life, I have been able to keep up to date as much as can be expected when you are constantly on the move in campervans, buses or trains. It really is an absolute saviour when you are so far away that there is a resource such as the forum on here. Despite being in the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and now SE Asia for the last 4 and a half months, even I know that Pawel Abbott runs like Mark Fish, that Simon Francis has had a slow start, and that even I will eventually be disappointed when more protracted rumours of a takeover turn to dust.

One thing that has stood out on following Charlton this way is the absence of the rollercoaster ride of an actual game. Finding out the result of the Carlisle game was like skipping to the end of a crime drama; you find out who the killer is, you're happy with this and for all those who have watched it, but you've missed out on the story along the way; the suspects, the near misses, the eye-witness accounts etc.

Seeing that we won 4-3 was fantastic, but lacked the excitement, vibrancy and the heart attack that would have accompanied following the game from start to finish. But it works both ways. Seeing that we lost so heavily to Brighton so bluntly on the computer screen would be far more preferable to being there, seeing the arduous torture of goal after goal going in past Rob Elliot.

There are no angry or frustrated boos when seeing a scoreline on screen, but there are no exhilarating cheers and relief-ridden woops either.

Charlton are still recognised in Thailand, albeit with an air of a blast from the past. One Thai man in Bangkok, upon hearing we were English, asked who we supported. I replied with trepidation at the thought of having to explain the Football League hierarchy. His reaction was surprising, but was rather more depressing. "Years ago you good but now you very low, how you get so low?" I declined the opportunity to launch into an explanation including the phrases "Dowie debacle", "Reed fiasco" and "Pardew farce" and made that kind of smile when your mouth goes along with it but your eyes refuse.

One of the toughest things is not having an opinion on things. From a long way away without even listening to games, it is impossible to have any sort of say on the manager, tactics and individual players. What it is possible to see is that this season League One is extremely open. Three games ago Parkinson was being asked if he would resign by the press. Now we're (still) fifth and only one point behind automatic promotion. In the poll on the site on Parkinson's tenure, one of the options was for him to have a few games to turn it around. Does three wins in a row count as turning it around? It certainly appears so on results, but I feel a fraud to even have a justifiable opinion on this. I never want to be in the same bracket as an armchair fan who says Hodgson/Mancini should go without having any first-hand evidence for the motion.

So I won't. I'll have to keep on following Charlton the way I imagine it used to be before the internet encouraged the use of magnifying glasses on every aspect of a football club. My support will be based mainly on finding out the result and who scored and who (in Charlton Life posters' opinion) played well or not so well. Until such time when I am back in England. Then I'll be back following in the detail that I love so much, having an opinion in this player, that player, Parkinson's tactics or jumpers.

But one thing I have learnt is this - Just before, during, or just after a Charlton game, there is always a tingle in the body, an atmosphere in the air.

Wherever you are in the world at whatever time of day, that inexplicable link between fan and club will never change.

********

If you have a story you'd like to share with us in an article, please send AFKA can email at afka@charltonlife.com

NEW ARTICLE: And That My Son...Is Football !

Choice — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 06:55:41 +0000

Has something reminded you this week why you fell in love with the game of football ? Goals ! Passionate Fans ! Comradeship !

Do you know what ! I may have nearly had 4 heart attacks in half an hour celebrating goals on that terrace behind the goal at Peterborough yesterday but I loved every ****ing minute of it !!!!!! And I felt alive once again at football, for the second time in 4 days ! I'm not gonna be told that its wrong to sing, shout, jump around, engage in friendly banter........because its the reason i fell in love with Charlton Athletic and the game of football ! So ****ocks to anyone who doesnt like it, if id fallen in love with a prawn sandwich id go and sit in Marks and Spencer at 3pm on Saturday afternoons !

What is football to me ? Football is a working mans game, about Dad going to work all week and on a Friday after handing over the housekeeping having enough pounds left over to go to the match on Saturday with his mates and one day to introduce the nipper to this man-made experience of having a beer with some good pals and to experience 90 mins of comradeship on the terraces, to sing...to shout...to buy peanuts from the east terrace, to see the numbers go up against the alphabetical scoreboard at half time and ultimately hope to let off some steam from the trials and tribulations of the working week by celebrating the winning goal against your rivals at the other end of the ground. To play your part and be a hero for an afternoon !

Is that too much too ask ? Seemingly yes....

I resent being forced to try and forget the reasons why I love football because of the failings of The Football League & the horrible creation called "Sky Television".

Contrary to the popular belief of the "sheltered life football supporter" football is not giving domino's pizza a call and settling down in your reclining armchair unless its England playing in the World Cup Final and you couldn't get a ticket - nor is football about going to the pub to watch the game because its a bloody SKY TV match with the little pint glass in the bottom corner of the screen unless its England playing in the World Cup Final........and you couldn't get a ticket.

As soon as SKY Tv got their dirty mitts on the game in the 90s and the 1st Division became The Premiership the game changed due to the money involved. Sky don't have a clue what being a proper football supporter is all about. There's too much football on SKY TV simple.....football is unnappreciated....there is no intrigue about the game any more...because there is too much of it! Its all too convenient ! All you have to do these days is pay £30 a month and "whoooppppeeee doooooo" you can be a Chelsea fan living in Manchester or a Manchester United fan living in Greenwich, its so easy isn't it ! What heroes you all are, you don't even have to step outside your front door ! you don't have to get cold ! get up at 5am to travel ! you don't even have to open your mouth ! as long as you pay your £30 a month then your a real football fan ! And even better still when your plastic football team 250 miles away loses you can change your club. Better still...make the future of football an even better place and buy your nipper the full kit or a lunchbox from Sports Direct and corrupt his little mind even further because after all he will be able to run around his private boarding schools playground proudly announcing his "love" and undying support for Chelsea or Man U......I blame SKY TV for this also...and all thanks to the hype of SKY TV who know nothing about the roots of real football. YOU ARE KILLING OUR GAME ! Football is not about SKY SPORTS 1, 2, 3, Jeff "bloody" Stelling (who gives a sh** what he thinks anyway) or about annoying adverts from greedy bookmakers trying to get you to blow your mortgage money on in-play betting by flashing up the latest odds during the adverts. GREED ! GREED ! GREED ! MONEY ! MONEY ! MONEY ! STOP RUINING THE WORKING MANS GAME YOU GREEDY SWINES ALL OF YOU ! I don't care about Matthew Le Tissier, Andy "I Scored A Goal At Wembley" Gray, Paul "Sodding" Jewell, Phil "Nostrils" Thompson, Iain "******" Dowie or any of your other cringworthy ex footballers. I dont give a damn about your betting odds ! your SKY talk, broadband service, dog walking service or any other crap you are going to offer in the future. THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND SKY TV !!!! I also hate Steve "I played for some crap clubs" Claridge and corrupt betting syndicates trying to ruin the game we fell in love with and corrupting the minds of genuine characters like Bruce Grobbelaar. All I want to do is go and watch my club Charlton Athletic, read a match report in the newspaper on Sunday and if im lucky enough we will be the chosen Third Division match on The Big Match Sunday afternoon. Thats all i want !

To the Football League - YOU sold out to SKY in the first place - ITS YOUR FAULT ! I dont want the Premiership, I dont want the Championship or any other elaborate named league in order to try and make more money out the game. The game is what it is, you cant manufacture it, its either in your blood or it isn't. I want the First Division, Second Division, Third Division and Fourth Division ! I want 3 up 3 down ! I don't want TV technology ! I don't want referees assistants, I want linesmen ! I want the old Wembley not the new Wembley ! I want the English manager to be English, nor do I want Arteta to be English or Vinnie Jones to be Welsh ! I want at least one section of terracing at every ground because I want the option to stand and experience football the way it was intended ! I want an outdoor area where I have the option to smoke ! I want to see the floodlights when I approach a football ground and see them lit up when I leave ! I dont want to be treated like a criminal by a steward because I want to show emotion and I don't want to see my mates being kicked out for celebrating a goal ! I want football to kick off at 3pm on Saturday not at 1230, 515 or 4pm on a Sunday ! I dont want the bloody Champions League...I want the European Cup ! I don't want to see Arsenal in the European Cup when they have finished 2nd, 3rd or 4th ! I dont want football at my fingertips and to press the red button, nor do i want HD or 3D !! I dont want to sit through the Play Offs just so you can make yet more money from football fans by dragging out the season and selling the TV rights so SKY TV can make yet more money and I dont want to see 500 games on TV per season ! I want the Football League to be run by individuals with a genuine love for the national game ! and run it with the best intentions the way it was intended to be experienced !

I have shed god knows how much money into football over the last 30 years, my opinion should count ! All seater stadiums are a smokescreen for the failings of the authorities that policed Hillsborough on FA Cup Semi Final day - not because the slabs of concrete on the floor are unsafe. If thats the case then i had better repave my driveway with some seats shall I ?

If Charlton had of sold 3,000 terrace tickets for the game at Peterborough is someone telling me that we might have been putting our lives in danger - if so why are we still standing at football.....regardless of whether its the Premiership, Championship, League 1 or 2 ? Is somebody telling us that its ok to be unsafe at a lower league ground ? If terraces were considered unsafe then The Football League would and should have granted every club the money to turn their stadiums into all seater LONG LONG LONG before now ! Have the Football League ever seen the atmosphere at some of these European venues, Turkey springs to mind ! If terraces were so dangerous then why havnt Fifa made a worldwide decision to ban terracing throughout the world. Take away our terraces - and fans will either stand anyway or stand on the seat ! And you think thats safer do you ? WAKE UP !

Anyone here ever been to the theatre to see a musical ? Bores the hell out of me to be honest but do you know what ? The audience get on their feet during segments of the show, will even get out their seats shock horror and sing, dance and generally embarrass themselves. Why would they do that when a seat is provided ? But i guess thats the theatre for you and thats what people traditionally do at the theatre, ITS WHAT YOU DO THERE ! I don't like it so i don't go !

Why are some people so hell bent on killing the traditions of our working mans game ? To make money and to save face thats why !

Do you remember why you fell in love with football as a kid ? I do - because do you remember when you used to see goal highlights on television of the Holt End at Villa Park when they split that terrace between the two sets of fans on semi final day? How about Goodison Parks low level narrow terrace or maybe The Kop at Anfield. Do you remember what it used to look like when fans on those terraces used to celebrate a goal? Do you realise now how PATHETIC football fans celebrating goals on TV look like these days in comparison....CLAP CLAP SQUIRE TALLY HO WELL DONE MY LOVELIES! I WANT to celebrate Charlton goals on rubbish terraces like the old away end at Gay Meadow, on a freezing cold day at Portsmouth, Ayresome Park, Filbert Street or get drenched at The Hawthornes on a Tuesday night !

So I thank you all the Charlton Athletic supporters whoever you are and whatever your age....YOU took me back to old skool football this week with great support, banter, toilet rolls whatever...It was GREAT !!!

As Martin Luther King once said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

NEW ARTICLE: ALL THAT GLITTERS MAY NOT BE GOLD

AFKABartram — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 05:04:36 +0000

Since the failed Zabeel deal was first broadcast to the nation in October 2008, takeover speculation off the pitch has remained a bubbling undercurrent to the overall disappointing performance of our football team. Talks have been ‘on-going’ for so long now, it has got to the stage where it has become a running joke on our Forum.

But while Takeover Threat Levels have haplessly drifted between Low and Moderate over the majority of the past two years, the recent upturn in form on the pitch appears to have masked the change in the threat level to somewhere between Severe and Critical.

It really is a great tragedy that genuine supporters, who have been through the mill so much in recent years, have to rely on BBC journalists not even writing articles on the subject, but posting speculative, unsubstantiated, seductive teasers on social networking sites for suggested updates. “I know some1 who fancies U, but i’m not tellin’” was frustrating enough in the school playgrounds, let alone being applied to the potential future of the club we love so much.

Its often been discussed how Richard Murray’s legacy with Charlton will be remembered. There is no doubting the huge rise and rebirth in the club during the 1990s has been offset slightly in the downturn that has followed, but it is still worth highlighting that to the majority of fans it is still very much in credit. Where the fallback in recent years has provided a leveller, it has become more and more clear that his legacy will largely be determined not just on the state of the club when he passes the Baton on, but who it is passed on to. Richard himself has admitted as much in public.

The recent return to takeover speculation points clearly to a ramp-up in interest by the Sebastian Sainsbury ‘consortium’ who registered the ‘CHARLTON ATHLETIC 2010 LTD’ company during the summer. A lot of mystique surrounds Sainsbury, with the positive view built on the fact that he is the great grandson of the founder of J Sainsbury.

But we equally know of Sainsbury that he is a socialite whose dablings in politics, restaurant management, nightclub management, hedge fund management, and attempted football club owner, with extremely mixed results, suggest that he is a jack of all trades yet master of none, with no clear indication of wealth to back up his intentions.

His bid for Leeds United as the front man of the Nova Financial Group consortium in 2004 failed as the group were unable to provide clear proof of funds. Along the way it included Sainsbury engaging in a very public spat on live radio with the Leeds finance director, and was brokered by what emerged to be a convicted fraudster, who was sentenced to two and half years for conning his next-door neighbour out of £164k.

There has been nothing to suggest that Sainsbury, or any of his people, have the access to funds that would be required to take our club forward. Having worked so hard to free the club of the huge debt, the likelihood of a successful Sainsbury bid would be to land the club straight back into the financial mire. In the Independent in 2004, he made his intentions very clear in relation to bidding for Leeds “Don't play with your own money”.

So how would his consortium’s bid be financed ? Through loans that the club would have to pay hefty repayment interest on ? Throw loans using The Valley or Sparrows Lane as collateral to finance the club ?

With no clear knowledge in the public domain, the above is all reasoned speculation. It does not take a genius either to work out that the instantly denied reports of a Peter Risdale bid yesterday were put around to make other bids appear more attractive. Nothing suggests to me that a Sainsbury consortium would be in the best interests of our club going forward, and in my opinion is something that everyone should equally carefully consider.

By streamlining the boardroom in the summer, Richard Murray made it much more simplified on how the Club’s future is decided.

Every one of us knows just how important it is that club finds fresh injections of finance in the near future. But it is desperately hoped that the maxim of ‘what is best for the club going forward’ is never forgotten, because it could ultimately determine how Mr Murray is remembered.

New Article: KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU......SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

AFKABartram — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:11:39 +0000

Sheffield Wednesday roll their wagon down to Saff Lundan tomorrow, and Ryszard Szumski (bootiful British name, as Al Murray would say) gives us the low down on our fellow current underachievers. Our thanks to Ryszard (who posts on here as owlsonlineadmin) for giving up his time.

Years supporting Wednesday ?

Too long ! 25 years

In their 118 year history, Wednesday have only been as low as the 3rd division for just 8 seasons. How difficult was relegation last season to take ?

It's a bit embarrassing. Time and again the fans have backed the club to the hilt despite on-going board shenanigans only to be let down. Last season was a meek surrender after promises of a play-off push from our former chairman.

Alan Irvine had a decent reputation with Preston, but failed to improve things when he replaced Brian Laws last season ? What are the fans opinions of Irvine ?

Very very split, personally I cannot abide his style of "football" or rather anti football. He seems to have a few favourites who play week in, week out, despite being utterly rubbish. The natives are certainly getting restless.

Off-field problems seem to be a recurring theme of recent seasons, culminating in the current problems with HMRC. Can you summarise what the current situation is, and how seriously fans feel the current situation is ?

Fear, apprehension, uncertainty. We've been after a "takeover/investment" since what seems like the last supper only for it to turn out to be a load of old cobblers. We are still in talks apparently but I won't be holding my breath. The bank appear to have also withdrawn their support, which could spell admin for us.

The has appeared from the outside to be a lot of division between the club and the fans / websites in recent seasons ? Is that still the case ?

I tell you what, our past employees/custodians of the club and some current incumbents have a lot to answer for. A legal threat was made by the club against fans for comments on another forum (Owlstalk) which was pretty pathetic, particularly when you read the so-called "libellous comments". What left an even sourer taste in the mouth was that one fan at the time had a potentially fatal illness.

Things changed when Lee Strafford came in. He came from an IT background and embraced the forums which did seem to get a lot of people back onside, but the anger towards those still in the boardroom is getting more vicious as each passing day goes by.

Howard Wilkinson became chairman in the summer. How has this been received by fans ?

Now I remember Howard as the dull, uninspiring bloke who managed England once and could send a glass eye to sleep. But make no mistakes, he could prove to be the saviour of our club. A proper Wednesdayite, who cares more about the club than lining his pocket and he has my full respect and backing.

In South London we have Charlton, Millwall and Palace, yet you are still more likely to see replica shirts of the ‘big clubs’. Is that also the case in Sheffield, or do United and Wednesday dominate the support ?

In Sheffield it's either Wednesday or Wednesday reserves, don't let the Blades recent crowd increases fool you. They are the little brother of the city who are living on a 12-month spell in the top flight. Both clubs are well represented in the city, sure there are kids wearing the Big 4 tops but in Sheffield you're far more likely to see the Blue and White of Wednesday than Man Yoo.

Is there a fundamental difference between the type of support Wednesday and United attract, or does it all boil down to location, family and who has sustained spells doing better than the other?

Yes, we're not all dole bludging scrubbers living on the Arbourthorne ! Nah, in all seriousness I'd say we were a lot alike except we don't seem to think the world or football owes us a living. Throughout time you can argue who has the bigger support but you only need to check recent away figures to see; Wednesday at Notts Co 4,160, Blades at Forest 1,178.

What is the Best Wednesday XI you can put together from your lifetime ? Who is your all-time favourite player and why ?

Best? tough one, As the song goes........

1) Roland Nilsson
2) Roland Nilsson
3) Roland Nilsson
4) Roland Nilsson
5) Roland Nilsson
6) Roland Nilsson
7) Roland Nilsson
8) Roland Nilsson
9) David Hirst
10) Roland Nilsson
11) Roland Nilsson

and all the subs are Roland Nilsson

But I'd probably go

1) Pressman
2) Nilsson
3) Worthington
4) Walker
5) Pearson
6) Sheridan
7) Palmer
8) Waddle
9) Hirst
10) Bright
11) Marwood

Favourite player? Hirst by a mile, grew up watching the lad from Barnsley terrorising the so-called best defences until Arsenal had enough and booted him from pillar to post.

Have you ever seen a funnier Wednesday related incident than when Paulo Di Canio sent the ref tumbling ?

Yes, check out Frankie Simek's winner at Millwall in 2006. They have a corner which is nodded home and they all run off to celebrate. We appeal for a foul on our keeper, who happens to be Lee Bullen (a centre half) which the refs gives. We break whilst they are still celebrating and it ends up in their net.

">heres the vid

How has form been so far this season ? Are you happy with the start you’ve made ?

We started off ok, 10 points from 4 and looking a good bet, but then we seemed to just lose the plot and go four without a win. We've now picked up a further 11 points from 5 games so not too bad, the start could have and should have been better though.

What style of football are Wednesday playing ?

A turgid 'must not lose' policy loved so much by so few.

Has the team changed much since last season ? Who has impressed so far this season and we should watch out for ?

Yes, we signed 9 players in the summer and released about the same amount. Three players who have impressed, Nicky Weaver who you'll know, Giles Coke a midfielder who's from down Kingstonian way and Neil Mellor on loan from Preston.

Coke is the man to watch though, a box to box runner capable of goals.

Where do you see both our clubs finishing this season ?

We have the squad that should win the league if we released the shackles but expect us to be in the play-offs you lot just outside

Prediction for Saturday ?

splinters in the arse, 1-1