It's difficult to pick up where we left off, a lot has happened both in the footballing world and outside of it, which includes but is not limited to, a mid-life crisis for me in the form of a new motorbike and a career change for my partner in crime....
I won't beat about the bush and just rehash what has happened this summer, but there are a few dealings' that have caught my attention....
Starting with the news that all Charlton fans wanted to hear, the departure of Marcus Bent to Birmingham City for a fee rumoured to be in excess of £1m. I've seen the best and 
worst of Marcus Bent. In 2004 I bought myself, and my brother (who is blue) an Everton season ticket in the spirit of brotherly bonding.... How silly could I have been?... Bent arrived following a season long loan at Leicester City and provided the 'loaner' that David Moyes was so looking for to spear-head his band of journeymen. I was devastated to see him aid Everton to 4th place in the league, ahead of my very own Liverpool.... Amends were made however, when we won the Champions League in spectacular fashion and when Everton fans realised that the £10m windfall they all thought they'd won only really kicked in, in the group stages of the champions league, which they so gloriously missed out on, during that lovely summer night in Villareal! (I digress.......). That was the good, but I then witnessed what could only be described as the plain ugly. A shocking season with Charlton, in which I think the striker only scored 4 goals in 40+ games, one of the poorest returns on a striker that I can remember.... I think that a fee of anywhere near £1m is good business from the Chalton board, it was clear they paid too much for the player, but I'll put that down to a moment of madness from manager and board. They've made amends though, getting rid of the player so accurately described by David Moyes as "average".
worst of Marcus Bent. In 2004 I bought myself, and my brother (who is blue) an Everton season ticket in the spirit of brotherly bonding.... How silly could I have been?... Bent arrived following a season long loan at Leicester City and provided the 'loaner' that David Moyes was so looking for to spear-head his band of journeymen. I was devastated to see him aid Everton to 4th place in the league, ahead of my very own Liverpool.... Amends were made however, when we won the Champions League in spectacular fashion and when Everton fans realised that the £10m windfall they all thought they'd won only really kicked in, in the group stages of the champions league, which they so gloriously missed out on, during that lovely summer night in Villareal! (I digress.......). That was the good, but I then witnessed what could only be described as the plain ugly. A shocking season with Charlton, in which I think the striker only scored 4 goals in 40+ games, one of the poorest returns on a striker that I can remember.... I think that a fee of anywhere near £1m is good business from the Chalton board, it was clear they paid too much for the player, but I'll put that down to a moment of madness from manager and board. They've made amends though, getting rid of the player so accurately described by David Moyes as "average".Chris Iwelumo's departure for Wolves was a piece of news that I was actually pleased to see. Although Chris works his socks off and is often subjected to what most would label 'assault' when deployed as the lone striker for Charlton as he so often was last season. I remember commenting to Richard on several occasions, that I really do think he has a detrimental effect on the Charlton side. The urge to 'hoof'the ball upfield to the big Scotsman was just too tempting for the Addicks last season and I am hopeful that with his departure and with the lack of a 'target man' in the side that the players will settle down and play football, concentrating on the basics which I'm confident will be enough to rip through championship defences this season. I'm sure all will wish Chris the best with his future, so long as he doesn't come back to hurt us this season, in which case he is a tw@!
"Irangate", one of the more random stories of the summer, and I'm still not sure what the hell happened with this.... I would like to think that politics did not come between the two teams and that it was a 'mistunderstanding' that led to the friendly (if there ever was one booked) to be called off, but in my current cynical state, it wouldnt suprise me if the British Government applied pressure on the Charlton board to call the match off....... If there is anything that can solve the worlds problems, its football - we all know that.... its a global language!! We need to keep it like that and keep politics out of football!!!
Boris and the Bus Lanes - not football related, well it is sort of, but not directly! With the newly elected Boris Johnson in power and as a motorcyclist, I'm eagerly anticipating news of whether he will stick by his election promise of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes! There are rumours that the cyclist association in London are protesting that us bikes actually create more danger in bus lanes.... this suprises the hell out of me... how can motorcycles make a 14 foot strip of tarmac more dangerous than it is with BUSES in it!!!! These cyclists are unreal - crying and playing the danger card when most of them 1) dont wear helmets anyhow, 2) dont stop at red lights and 3) ride straight through junctions when they are on a redlight....... *breathe* hopefully they will all agree that us motorcyclists are not as dangerous as a bus which is already in the lane and I'll get to the valley on saturdays with plenty of time to make my weekly purchase from the club shop!Well thats it from me this Saturday evening.... I need to get some sleep, got a long day ahead of me, I'm off to buy as much "Carbrini Sportswear" as possible, in the hope that they too won't go bust this season.... I mean come on... Llanera....who wants spanish property??? I cant even afford one house, let alone a second along a golf course in spain....
