A Red Divided

Huddersfield Town Preview

2009-10-15T16:18:00.004+01:00

A week is a long time in football so they say, although this one seems to have whizzed by with another home match just around the corner. I had these two successive home games pencilled in for six points following a difficult run of games, but Oldham had other ideas last week. Will Huddersfield add further to the malaise?

Lee Clark has received a lot of plaudits for the way he has got his side playing, but their away form leaves a lot to be desired. One win in six games tells its own story. Their tails will up though, having beaten Exeter City 4-0 last weekend, with Jordan Rhodes claiming a hat-trick. Although with that said, Oldham were also on a decent run of form when they came to The Valley, yet they still defended within an inch of their lives for a point.

Evidence would seem to suggest that we are in a for a similar game against the team who changed places with the Latics in the league table last weekend. It was interesting to read in Nelson’s match preview that Huddersfield went to Colchester with five in defence in search of a point which they almost got. This hardly seems the ambitious approach of a team seeking promotion, but then again perhaps the percentages game Lee Clark is playing will ultimately play dividends.

So what to expect from Phil Parkinson? Following last weekend’s performance the temptation is there to make some fairly significant changes (something his predecessor would have been panicked into doing perhaps), although I expect Parky to resist the urge to do so at this point. There are some alterations he may like to consider however and I expect to see a different team to that which took the field last weekend.

At the back, I would imagine Miguel Angel Llera will probably make way for the returning Sam Sodje. Whilst Angel’s attacking qualities are superior to those of Sodje, his defending qualities are not, and for all the talk of Huddersfield coming to defend, they are also the league’s second highest scorers and know how to find the back of the net. Llera had a solid, if not spectacular, game against Oldham so may feel aggrieved to lose his place, but I still feel a bit nervous when the ball gets thrust in his direction so would be surprised if he was included at Sodje’s expense.

In midfield, Jose Semedo should be ready to return to action and, providing he is fit, I expect him to replace Matt Spring. Whilst Spring has been an adequate deputy, Semedo looks more assured at protecting the back four and controlling the tempo of the game. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our form has dipped somewhat during his absence and I expect Therry Racon will also be happy to have him back in midfield to work alongside. It’s hard luck on Spring but his chance should come again.

So what about up front? This would be the most obvious area of change given our lack of recent goals, but be that as it may, I can’t see Parkinson making any alteration to the combination of Deon Burton and Jonjo Shelvey. They both had pretty poor games last weekend, although Oldham made it hard for them to get into it. The options for change are a) drop Shelvey and replace him with a more orthodox striker or b) drop Burton and give McKenzie a go as the lone striker.

The problem with option a), as I mentioned earlier in the week, is that I don’t think we have an adequate strike partner for Burton. Perhaps it’s being harsh, but on Saturday’s evidence Izale McLeod isn’t up to it whilst Chris Dickson and Stuart Fleetwood are off elsewhere for now. Speculation regarding the arrival of Tresor Kandol is welcome. As for option b), I don’t think McKenzie is fit enough yet for anything more than a substitute’s appearance, whilst Burton doesn’t deserve to get dropped.

Even if he doesn’t change the starting personnel, I hope Parkinson can use the bench to better effect. If the game scenario is similar to that of last week, I would imagine he will change things around a bit earlier to try and up the tempo as we saw against Oldham. McKenzie should make another appearance based on last weekend’s evidence, whilst Tamer Tuna might feel like he deserves to stretch his legs after a decent outing against Barnet in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Finally, as Parkinson alluded to in his interview on the official website today, it’s not a great idea to start with semi-fit players, even if they would normally be in your first XI. Lloyd Sam and Frazer Richardson looked off the pace last weekend, and in hindsight Parkinson probably would have given them another week to recover. Hopefully they will be good to go on Saturday. So here is what I am expecting:

Elliot; Richardson, Dailly, Sodje, Youga; Sam, Semedo, Racon, Shelvey, Bailey; Burton.

Substitutes: Randolph, Llera Basey, Wagstaff, McKenzie, Tuna, McLeod.

Anyway, I hope we can take the game to the opposition from the off, regardless of how Huddersfield set themselves up to play. Parkinson is being rightly tight-lipped about the team he is going to put out and the way they are going to play, but hopefully ‘the good week of training’ he mentioned will help to yield all three points. You just know it will be another tense afternoon at The Valley though. See you there.

In need of a Plan B

2009-10-13T17:11:00.003+01:00

Judging by the blogs since Saturday’s game with Oldham, I wasn’t the only one who was left a little bit frustrated. I don’t think I recall a game when there was so much anxiety and tension in the crowd, everybody’s mental well being seemed to be hanging on us scoring a goal. It didn’t come and mild panic now appears to have set in, amongst the fans at least.

Oldham came to play for a point and a point is what they got. They strained the life out the game by putting eleven men behind the ball (I don’t recall Elliot being forced into one save in the second half) and a bit of unsporting time wasting. The thing is, who can blame them? As it stands, we are a top two side and most teams in this division will be happy to come away with a point from The Valley.

So on the basis that Oldham won’t be the last side to play 8-1-1 against us, it’s pretty clear we need to come up with an approach to combat this. Many will be clamouring for Parkinson to start with a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation, given the extra chances it seemed to open up once Izale McLeod was introduced on Saturday. It’s just a shame he had forgotten where the back of the net was.

And therein lies the problem. Which two would you pair up front, and would you drop Shelvey as a result? As if we needed reminding, Saturday clearly highlighted Izale McLeod’s limitations as a striker. Missing half chances is one thing, missing open goals is quite another. On the basis that Parkinson would only play one of Deon Burton or Leon McKenzie, our best option for a strike partner would appear to be on loan to Bristol Rovers, a team who could go level on points with us should they win their game in hand.

I do think there were other factors at play during the Oldham game as well. Richardson and Sam were both obviously not completely fit (I did have to do a double take when I saw them both walk out of the tunnel after the injury news gloom during the week) and, as decent a player as Matt Spring is, we are still obviously missing Jose Semedo and the rapport he has struck up with Therry Racon.

So plenty for Phil Parkinson to ponder ahead of what is likely to be a tough game on Saturday against Huddersfield Town, a team many fancy to cause an upset. Parky praised the performance of the team against Oldham and has publicly insisted that there is no cause for panic. However, he must wondering how he can get the team scoring again and how we can get all three points on Saturday.

On a different note altogether, it would appear that Charlton old boy Souleymane Diawara has come over all repentant for the tackle that would have appeared to crocked the world’s most expensive footballer for a month. Surely he didn’t pick up any bad habits whilst he was in SE7, did he?

Oldham Athletic Preview

2009-10-09T14:24:00.003+01:00

After the successful interlude of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, we are now back to the serious business of picking up points in the league. Whilst one point from two tricky fixtures has seen the chasing pack gain a bit of ground on us, it has not been disastrous, being as we are just three points behind Leeds at the top. In fact with the leaders not in action this weekend, there is every chance we can reclaim the top spot for ourselves should we win in style tomorrow.

However, we will undoubtedly have to work for all three points against an Oldham side whose had won three on the trot before Yeovil held them to a 0-0 draw last weekend. Manager Dave Penney has praised their ‘resolve’ and his team lie eight points behind us in 8th position. They will be looking for at least a point out of the trip to The Valley and it wouldn’t be surprising if they set out their stall to do just that.

After what seemed like an eternity with the same starting XI, injury (Semedo) and loss of form (Llera) has forced Parkinson’s hand in recent weeks with Matt Spring and Sam Sodje being the beneficiaries. It looks like there could be further shuffling for Parky this weekend, with our right side looking to be in need of an overhaul. Both Lloyd Sam, who came at half time against Leeds, and Frazer Richardson, who was rested against Barnet, are both rated doubtful. Sam and Richardson have been two of our most consistent performers so to lose one or both will be a blow.

So how to fill the void? The right wing issue is the more simple to resolve, with Scott Wagstaff ready to come in. I watched the highlights of the game against Barnet and I must say his goal was a cracker. The right back issue is somewhat more tricky. Is Chris Solly ready for his first league start? I must admit I haven’t seen enough of him to be sure. Parkinson obviously rates him (Moutaouakil was loaned out to Motherwell on the premise that he was hindering Solly’s development) but something tells me it may be just a bit too soon for him.

In which case Kelly Youga would move to the right, with Grant Basey slotting in at left back. In my opinion Basey has been unlucky not to get more of a run in the starting XI than he has done in the past few seasons. I don’t really recall him every having done anything calamitous on the field, and there have been a number of occasions when I thought he would get a start after some frustrating performances from Youga. Hopefully he will get an opportunity tomorrow.

The only problem with this of course, is that Youga may be required to cover the centre back position with Sam Sodje off on international duty and Llera short on form and confidence (although he is apparently fully fit). The Spaniard has had somewhat of a mixed start to his Charlton career. He has scored a couple of goals but has also looked shaky at times in defence, something which was painfully exposed against Colchester. He could have done with a mid-week run out against Barnet but it didn’t happen.

Parky has suggested he will start and I can’t imagine he won’t make the starting XI. It really would be quite telling if Llera, as one of only three specialist centre backs we have and one of two who are available, is rested in favour of a specialist left back. So, providing there are no other tactical changes further up the field (I don’t think Parkinson will start with an orthodox 4-4-2), I imagine they will line up as follows on the assumption that Richardson, Semedo and Sam are all unfit to play:

Elliot; Youga, Dailly, Llera, Basey; Wagstaff, Spring, Racon, Bailey; Shelvey; Burton.

Subs: Randolph, Solly, Mambo, Stavrinou, Tuna, McLeod, McKenzie.

I’m looking forward to getting back to The Valley having missed the last two games (against Exeter City and Barnet) due to other commitments. I am, however, a bit nervous about the game given the expectation there is to take all three points. I’m not expecting an easy encounter but hopefully the memories of Colchester are close to being erased and we can close the gap on Leeds again.

Exeter City Preview

2009-09-25T17:30:00.002+01:00

It’s a sign of heightened expectations and performances that two drawn games in succession is being considered a ‘dip’ by some. Whilst the games against Southampton and Norwich were both winnable, maintaining our unbeaten record against two teams who finished higher than us last season shouldn’t really be considered too disastrous. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard people booing the team off against Southampton at half time!

So a chance to make everybody happy again tomorrow when Exeter City come to The Valley. Like many of our opponents this season, I don’t know very much about them other than that we were playing two leagues apart this time last year, and that they have had a solid if not spectacular start to life in League One. Paul Tisdale is considered to be one of the brightest managerial prospects on the circuit and there is little doubt he will put out a well organised and disciplined side.

It is dangerous to start to think that we will just roll sides like this over when they come to SE7 and I’m sure Phil Parkinson will have prepared accordingly, knowing that dropped points may allow Bristol Rovers to sneak into the second automatic promotion spot. This is a game we should be looking to win however, allowing to us to capitalise on any potential slip up by Leeds who face a tough away fixture at the MK Dons.

In terms of personnel, there are reports that Nicky Bailey and Frazer Richardson may not be fit to play, although I am sure we have heard this before a game more than once this season! Hopefully they will take to the field and if so then it doesn’t really make sense to ‘shuffle the pack’. If not, I would expect Matthew Spring and Chris Solly to deputise, and Exeter will probably fancy their chances a bit more.

When you’re unbeaten in eight, criticism seems a bit churlish but I do continue to worry about us defensively. On the opening day of the season we twice let Wycombe back into the game, and against Southampton I thought we were poor. Throwing away three points in injury time against Norwich wasn’t exactly smart either. Hopefully the team will have benefited from the realisation that they are not invincible and have to stay switched on for the full 90 minutes (or 93 minutes in the case of the Norwich City game).

Another worry (I’m sorry, it wouldn’t be a post about Charlton if there wasn’t something to moan about!), is our options up front. Deon Burton has surpassed my wildest expectations this season, but should he get injured, or Parkinson decide to play a more orthodox 4-4-2, then we only have Izale McLeod or a not yet fit Leon McKenzie to turn to. Whilst the jury is still out on McKenzie as we have yet to see him play, I can’t say I have much confidence in McLeod. Did someone mention Chris Dickson?

I guess this nitpicking is owing to the fact that I’m starting to worry about the next two games, away to Colchester and Leeds. These are surely the litmus test of our promotion credentials and we need to make sure we are going into them on firing on all cylinders. Stuart Fleetwood in an interview this week said that there was clear water between the top two (us and Leeds) and the rest of the league. I’m not convinced of that and think there will be 5 or 6 teams in the mix come May.

I can’t make the game tomorrow owing to plans made in advance of the season starting (I really must stop doing that) but I am hoping for a win to boost confidence ahead of the next two trips. Enjoy the match and I look forward to reading the reports.

Southampton Preview

2009-09-10T14:54:00.004+01:00

As Benjamin Disraeli famously once said, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. On the bare face of it, Saturday’s game against Southampton should be a walk over: we’re top and they’re bottom, we’ve got six wins and they’ve got none, and we’re twenty-four points ahead of them in the league. Even if it wasn’t for their ten point deduction, they would still be sitting in the bottom three. So how come I’m more nervous about this game than I have been for any other in quite some time?

Well, simply put, our winning run has to come to an end at some point and there is one man who will be determined to ensure that happens this Saturday. Alan Pardew has a point to prove and you can be pretty sure that his team will be pretty well prepared for this encounter. The last time he was at The Valley, he got booed off the field after we lost 5-2 to Sheffield United. He won’t have forgotten that, but then again neither have we. I’m sure there will be a lot of fans looking forward to giving him a little piece of their mind.

Following Charlton is an absolute joy at the moment and I really don’t want the feeling to stop. OK, we haven’t played the divisions stronger teams as yet, but you can only beat what they put in front of you and we’ve done it with aplomb. Watching us at Prenton Park a couple of weeks back was a great experience. The team played well, the fans were in good voice, there wasn’t a negative word said about the performance from those around me, and at the end the players came over and gave us a lengthy and heart warming round of applause. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

Saturday’s game will see the biggest turn out of the season at The Valley, although according to the official website Southampton will be bringing less with them than expected. Still, I imagine the away end will be lively and add to a fiery atmosphere. Those travelling up from the south coast will be hoping their team can return with something, although predictably Pardew has been pleading for time to gel his recruits into the team he believes will make the play-offs. To be fair to him, it is still early days, but I can’t imagine that his task over the summer was any more difficult than that of Phil Parkinson who had to sort out a demoralised mess of a squad.

Unlike Parkinson, Pardew has also been afforded the luxury of a bit of money to spend following the takeover by Markus Liebherr. Rickie Lambert has arrived from Bristol Rovers for a fee thought to be around £1 million, whilst Papa Waigo N’Diaye has been brought in from Fiorentina, albeit on loan but I can’t imagine his wages are insignificant. He has also swelled his back room staff by appointing Wally Downes (ex-Brentford manager), Dean Wilkins (ex-Brighton manager) and Stuart Murdoch (ex-Wimbledon). I wouldn’t imagine the pay off for that lot would be cheap.

So Southampton are well kitted out for a return to the Championship and are actually undefeated in three, even if they were all draws (including playing for an hour against 10 men against Colchester). This could be a difficult game for Charlton and I can see their front two, Lambert and Waigo, causing us a few problems. Pardew also had the advantage that he knows the majority of our squad and will be looking to exploit our weaknesses and nullify our threats.

In terms of personnel, it’s hard to imagine Parkinson will choose this game to start making changes when he’s won six on the spin with the same team. He may need to apply a bit of thought to who he goes for on the bench however. Will Leon McKenzie get into the match day eighteen for the first time? Regardless, unless there is a late injury, I would be very surprised if the following aren’t on the field in a red shirt at 3pm:

Elliot; Richardson, Dailly, Llera, Youga; Sam, Semedo, Racon, Shelvey, Bailey; Burton

With our following game being against Norwich City, we will be able to see how well we have adapted to the Championship compared to the two other relegated sides. I don’t think we can take maximum points from both and the warm fuzzy feeling of our 100% record may well be punctured. I know which game I would prefer to drop points in though, and it isn’t this Saturday when I am desperately hoping we can walk away with all three.

Tranmere... and Brentford at Home

2009-09-05T10:16:00.002+01:00

We've been a little slow getting a match report up after the tranmere match, apologies for that, I've just started a new project with work so have been manic!

It was a great away day....The day started off with that rough feeling... You know the one, you go to the pub for a quiet one to discuss logistics for getting to the away ground and one pint turns into two and so forth...I wake up at 7:30 and text Richard to tell him I'll be on my way once I've tucked into a fry up...

I get to Richard's and there is no answer on his phone.. The bastards gone back to sleep I thought! Sure enough he wakes up 30 mins later and we hit the road!

A quick petrol stop and were on the M1 following a car full of west ham fans headed to Blackburn, after exchanging the usual pleasentries, a few v-signs and birds getting flicked we unfurled our charlton scarf and asked them who they were fighting today... The running or driving dual I should say, was most entertaining in the bank holiday traffic on the M1!

We got to the ground and i must admit I've never been to an away match that was so easy! We parked not even 10 mins from the ground and headed to a delightful establishment called "break time" for our lunch! A bit of banter with a few locals and the cafe staff and we were off.... £5 for two lunches and two drinks.... I love the North!

The CAFC website said that only 300 tickets had been sold for the match but I would hazard a guess that there was probably nearer to 400 people there in the end. Still there were plenty of blue seats in the away end, but there were far more in the home end's Kop. The Charlton fans were in full voice from the kick off with a loud and full rendition of many miles have i travelled, many games have i seen....

The Tranmere fans were very poor.... I heard them singing once during the match and that was when the Charlton end began chanting "Barnes Out, Barnes Out".... You could see the discontent among the fans, trying to gee the team on after each of the addicks goals, but the players heads had dropped after the second and there was to be no come back.

Charlton were very impressive, they bossed the game from the start and with the exception of about 10 mins of football before half time where Tranmere looked as though they could get a goal, Charlton were in complete control.

Lloyd Sam had a cracking game, tormenting Tranmere in the middle of the park and deep inside their half. He cut through their side like a warm knife through butter...

But it wasn't the only performance that stood out. The whole side performed well, the back four looked solid and in control, the midfield were calm and thought through what they were doing without forcing the ball into positions that it didnt need to be. The attack force had a good game as well, tormenting Tranmere's back four and with so many attacking options, Tranmere found it difficult to manage the pressure and conceeded goals.

League One offers players much more time on the ball than in the Championship and certainly the Premiership. I think that the Charlton lads have realised that they can afford to use their heads to ensure the ball is going to the right place and to concentrate on the delivery of the ball rather than just forcing it and rushing the distribution.

We stopped off in Liverpool and watched the Arsenal Man United Match, got some food and got back into the car for the trip home... in all, it was a cracking day, good banter, good weather, good times! Looking forward to our next little away trip which will be coming up very soon!

5 wins from 5 games, a club record and a position atop the League One table.... it's been a good month for Charlton, but they need to continue this momentum and keep up the pressure on the rest of the league, starting with their home fixture today against Brentford live on Sky...

It's a tough call this one, derbys always are tough, but the Valley isnt a fun place to go, it's big and it's loud and for a lot of the League One lads, it'll be one of the biggest grounds they'll have played on....

I envisage a decent crowd at the Valley this early kick off, despite the match being on Sky and with the news that JonJo Shelvy has signed a new contract keeping him with Charlton until 2012, they should be in full voice.

Brentford don't have the best of records against Charlton, but records are there to be broken and Charlton will need remain switched on for the duration of this match to prevent Brentford from snatching points.

A Travelling Addick - Tranmere Preview

2009-08-27T16:18:00.010+01:00

Week 5 of the 2009-10 season see’s Charlton Athletic journey up the M6 to the North West to take on Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.

Both sides have had contrasting starts to the season, with the Addicks taking maximum points from their opening 4 fixtures to put them atop the League 1 table. Tranmere on the other hand have won just one of their opening 4 matches under new manager John Barnes to leave them three places from the bottom of the league table.

An important fixture for both sides, history says a draw is the likely result, but with 26 goals being scored in the sides previous 10 encounters, a goal-less draw is probably not what you should be betting on this weekend!

A Red Divided will be travelling up for this one.... I couldn't pass up an opportunity to head back home for the weekend for this match! Richard has fond memories of Liverpool, the last time he was up there was when Charlton, with the inspired Thomas Mhyre in goal held Liverpool to a draw and we had a cracking weekend out in town that weekend!!

This weekend is the world famous "Beatles Festival" which means that town will be booming, so for the small number of Addicks heading up, I hope you are going to stay over night and enjoy the bank holiday party in Liverpool!

Tranmere Rovers vs Charlton Athletic
Saturday August 29th

Prenton Park
Kick Off 3pm

A Tranmere View….
Thanks to “Tranmere Italian”, “Miltipello and “eXtreme” from http://www.thecowsheds.co.uk/ for their help!

Last year saw you come agonisingly close to a play off position and finish in 7th place, your best position since your third place finish in 2004/05, but the start to the 2009/10 season has seen you win just one of your opening 4 matches to leave you 3 places off the foot of the table. Where do you see yourself finishing the season this year and what needs to happen to take that step into the play offs or promotion places?

Tranmere Italian: We have had a difficult start to the season due to effectively a total new starting eleven. We completely lost the spine of our team from last year. This year we have a mix of young loanees and youth academy players together with a few experienced pros. In terms of finishing position, at best mid table for us and little chance of the play offs!!

Miltipello: Being realistic, I think what's in store for us this season is ultimately a season stuck in and around mid-table, probably the bottom half mid-table too. The squad we have is paper thin at the moment and when we lose key players to injury I think it will really show. In order to get the play-offs we need some a 20 goal a season striker to come in, but given our budget it's going to be difficult to do this.

eXtreme: We need to show some spine and make the opposition play our way not theirs, and stop losing the ball. I can see us getting relegated this season. You said "What needs to happen to take that step into the play offs or promotion places?" A new gaffer, simple!

You’ve recently installed John Barnes as manager, a Liverpool and England legend, who’s managerial record isn’t the greatest…. What’s he done over the summer to boost, or drain your confidence for the forthcoming season? Is he the right man to take Tranmere forwards?

Tranmere Italian: I am not a Barnes fan. He wants to play total football in League 1, which is pretty to watch but not effective and we do not have the players to fulfil his style. I think he is going to take us in the wrong direction for League 1. We were awful at Leeds and could and should have lost 7-0!

Miltipello: I think the style and ideas he is trying to adopt to our game are fantastic. Swansea played their way out of this division and certainly would be great to see it work. However, unlike Swansea we haven't the cash to spend to bring in the better players who can play the passing game and that has shown in our performances so far. To end on a good note our kids have had a great chance to shine and Ash Taylor certainly looks a great prospect at centre back.

eXtreme: What's he done to drain you're confidence... well he never did have it, and I can't see him getting my confidence at all. Look what he did at Celtic " Super Cally Go Ballistic As Celtic Are Atrocious" says it all...

Charlton and Tranmere are in similarly precarious positions when it comes to the club owners and where the clubs will be going in the next few years is anyone’s guess. But you boys found yourself in a particularly unusual situation over the summer…. When you found out that Tranmere had been placed on e-bay, did you think it was a wind up? Will a change of ownership help drive Tranmere towards the Championship?

Tranmere Italian: I personally think ebay was done on purpose as the whole world knows Peter Johnson wants to sell!! He wants too much for the club though and we are in the shadow of Liverpool and Everton!

Miltipello: My first thoughts were, "Typical Tranmere". I sometimes consider ourselves the Newcastle of League One in that we'll be doing something ridiculous that'll get us in the press, but never usually for the right reasons. Changing ownership, as long as into the right hands can only be a good thing. That's not to say Peter Johnson hasn't done anything for the club, but some new blood could be the kick start that all clubs at this level desire.

eXtreme: Ebay... haha now that did make me cry not in a sad way, but more of and "I don't believe it, this has got to be a wind up" way! A change of Ownership is a must, Johnson has stated he wants to sell so we need to look to the future and hope we don't get a YANK to buy us!

What do you think League 1 holds for Charlton this season and where do you think the Addicks will finish up?

Tranmere Italian: I’m looking forward to seeing you play on Saturday. I would have thought you are a definite for play offs at least!

Miltipello: Personally I see Charlton finishing in the top 2. They've started brightly and the Valley is a difficult place to go and grab any points. I think Leeds will win the title this time around, but Charlton will certainly be there or there abouts!

eXtreme: Play offs at least! Charlton are a decent side, they've got the fans and the support of there board room, but i think Charlton will be champions

Charlton and Tranmere Head to Head

Tranmere Rovers Honours

Football League Cup Runners Up 2000
Third Division North Winners 1938
Division Three Play Off Winners 1991
Football League Trophy Winners 1990
Football League Trophy Runners Up 1991
Welsh Cup Winners 1935
Welsh Cup Runners Up 1934

The Ground:

Address:
Prenton Rd West, Birkenhead, CH42 9PY

View Larger Map

Location:
The ground isn’t that difficult to find and can be reached either through Liverpool City Centre and the Queensway Tunnel or via the M53… I’d recommend Junction 3 of the M53 and it should be signposted from there. Trains run from London to Liverpool Lime Street and connections can be made to get to either Birkenhead Central or Rockferry which are the closest stations. As usual, the trains appear to be crap from London on the Saturday and they’ll probably be dry trains too, which given the scenes at Upton Park this week, can’t really be sniffed at.

Capacity: 16,587 (all seated)

Prenton Park is made up of 4 stands: The Main Stand, The Kop, The Cowshed and the John King Stand. Away supporters are housed in the Cowshed which thankfully isn’t as bad as other “shed’s” around the country and provides comfortable settings for away supporters.

Prenton Park is not a ground that sells out, it is regularly half empty, with average attendances for last season around the 6,000 mark, there will be plenty of empty blue and white seats.

Rewind - Back to the Dark Days.... it's not a pretty sight

2009-08-26T14:51:00.008+01:00

Last night we were reminded of the darker side of football and once again it involved sides from London and to no one's suprise, it involved Millwall (again)….

I didn’t watch the match, but I heard from friends that there had been trouble and that it was kicking off quite big. When I got in from work (quite late) I logged onto the beeb and they were showing footage of the scenes during the match, and also of the stand off between fans outside the ground that continued into the night.

The Guardian today has some photographs of the trouble on their site and from the looks of it, it was a large disturbance that involved a significant number of people and resulted in several serious injuries.

Videos of the disturbances are now appearing on youtube as well.... although this chap who filmed this must now be thinking "was it such a good idea?" He has been appearing on Sky and other TV shows, showing his face and showing his video... living so close to a bunch of hammers fans... I'm not so sure he's been wise in his moves... the funniest point though is that he was on sky sports today in a Liverpool top!!! Is he mental???

It looks as though the invasions and the provocations inside the ground were coming from West Ham and not from Millwall, which I must admit, came as a surprise, my initial reaction was that there was trouble around the away end….

I’m sure that Millwall are not completely in the clear and there are reports of police intervention in the away end during the match. Outside of the ground the press are now reporting that much of the early violence was caused when West Ham and Millwall fans were trying to get at each other through the police cordon, the police standing their ground then became embroiled in battles with both sets of fans. But I’m sure that the police and FA investigations will look into the make up of the crowds that gathered both before and after the match.

Regardless of who did what, this incident is undoubtedly going to re-open the debate around punishments for clubs that are unable to restrain their fans and maintain an environment for all, rather than the x-rated scenes that were seen at Upton Park last night.

In my opinion, the scenes inside the ground and the sheer number of fans that invaded the pitch from the West Ham end points to the fact that levels of stewarding and their positioning was a major issue. It looks as though West Ham have concentrated on restraining the away supporters and ignored their own supporters at the same time….so what do the FA do?

The expectation is that both clubs will be given a large fine and will be reprimanded by the FA, but is that enough? Do the FA have the balls to turn around to West Ham and tell them that as a result of their inability to steward and police their fans to a satisfactory level they will be disqualified from the Carling Cup?

What do you think the penalties for the two clubs should be?

On a more CAFC related topic… when the Addicks are playing Millwall, should I expect to see similar levels of violence?

I’ve never been away to the Den, I was working away when Liverpool played there a few years ago when their was violence between the two sides, but I did get a taste of CAFC’s rivalries notably with Palace and it was an intense atmosphere….

Is Charlton’s rivalry with Millwall as intense? Charlton travel lightly at the best of times, will their allocation be even smaller at the Den?

A few thoughts....

2009-08-24T11:48:00.003+01:00

Since our last post (Hartlepool Preview) we’ve seen Charlton win twice on their travels and once at home this weekend, which gives them a 100% record after 4 matches, having scored 9 goals and conceding only 3 in the process, 2 of which were on the opening day of the season.

This is just the start to the season that the players and fans needed. With the exception of an early carling cup exit last week, it’s been a near perfect start to the season with goals coming from all over the pitch and with the side looking like they are playing with desire, drive, determination and more importantly concentration! Fans have continued to flock to the valley in their thousands ensuring that the Addicks continue to have one of the larger average attendances outside of the premiership which can only spur on the players when they need that bit of extra encouragement.

Last season I must have sounded like a broken record, the number of times that Charlton scored first and went on to concede a quick goal or a last minute goal had me harping on about the team losing their concentration too easily to almost anyone who would listen, it was usually Richard though, my other mates would just tell me to shut up!! I think that in the first four matches of the season, we’ve seen a side that is mentally stronger than it was last season and by getting a few wins under their belts, in what I would describe as a fairly convincing manner, should really set the foundations for the side to continue to push for promotion back into the Championship.

I’m a lover of statistics, I think it’s the American in me coming out, but I was thinking about when the last time Charlton won four matches on the trot was? For those who are interested, it was November 2007 (that time it was three away matches against Southampton, Bristol City and Preston North End and a home match against Cardiff City), but it’s not the first time that they’ve won their opening four matches! The 2005 premiership season saw wins against Sunderland, Wigan, Birmingham and Middlesbrough in their opening four matches!

This coming weekend sees the Addicks travelling up to the North West to take on Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park who sit towards the bottom of the table with 3 points from their opening 4 matches, but that shouldn't be a reason for the Addicks to get complacent and I'm hoping that they'll come out firing on all cylinders and take the match to the team from the North West.

I’m looking forward to heading up North (back home really) this weekend for the match, to get out on the lash in Liverpool, see the family and my friends and to get onto the Mersey Rail over the water to watch the Addicks in my own back garden. Happy Days.

Hartlepool United Preview

2009-08-14T16:36:00.001+01:00

It's long trip north tomorrow, for what is the second of three consecutive away fixtures. We head to Hartlepool after being relived of our league cup commitments following Tuesday's extra time loss at Hereford United, a result which appears to have been met with mild disappointment but ulitimately a certain sense of relief. This season is, after all, about getting of this division (at the right end I might add).

Like many, I'm pretty clueless about tomorrow's opposition, although their opening two results of the season, a credible draw with the MK Dons and the Championship scalp of Coventry City in the League Cup, suggest they won't be a push over. If we're to stand any chance of being in the mix at the end of the season however, these are games we really should be winning.

In terms of personnel, the good news is that following a mid-week break for most of our first choice XI, we seem to be refreshingly injury free. Dailly, Llera and Richardson are all fit to resume defensive duties and there don't appear to have been any additions to the injury list following the game at Hereford. Phil Parkinson therefore has options at his disposal, how will he use them?

To be honest, it's difficult to see him doing anything other than sticking with the eleven that took to pitch again Wycombe Wanderers last weekend. Nobody seemed to have staked a claim to a starting berth at Hereford and, more to the point, we played some good stuff against the Chairboys. As Parkinson has himself acknowledged however, we do seem to be lacking the fire to tuck away the chances we are creating.

Deon Burton and Jonjo Shelvey will need to improve on their performances last week, which were short of what they would have liked. Andy Gray, Izale McLeod, Chris Dickson and Stuart Fleetwood will all be desperate for the chance to start a game up front, and they may get their opportunity to do so in the not too distant future. Andy Gray certainly hasn't done a very good job of selling himself however, missing an open goal against Wycombe and a penalty against Hereford.

So all things considered, this who we are likely to see take to the pitch come 3pm:

Elliot; Richardson, Dailly, Llera, Youga; Sam, Racon, Semedo, Shelvey, Bailey; Burton

I can't imagine the bench will change either, although it would be good to see Yado Mambo given one of the seven spots should either Dailly or Llera suffer a recurrence of their injuries.

I'm not sure what to expect from this game. I would like to think we can start to build some momentum in the league by adding a further three points to those we picked up against Wycombe, but unfortunately I think Hartlepool will make this harder for us than we would like.

Three points, injuries and Hereford

2009-08-10T21:33:00.003+01:00

I've had a couple of days now to reflect on Saturday's game and our start to life in the third tier of English football. It's difficult to add to what most of the blogs have said already, but here is a brief summary of my thoughts:

Positives

- After a visit to the club shop, I can confirm that I like our new kit, both home and away.

- The attendance was very encouraging indeed. Those who thought they could turn up half an hour before and walk straight up to the counter and get a ticket must have been bitterly disappointed when met with a queue around the block.

- In the first half, and for the first half of the second half, we played some decent, attractive football and didn't really give Wycombe a sniff.

- Two goals from two debutants is good news and to an extent, Parkinson has proved a point with his recruits. Dailly in particular I thought looked impressive.

- We got three points.

Negatives

- We never make it easy on ourselves do we?! I can't have been the only one in need of a stiff drink once the final whistle had blown. The game should have been done and dusted at half time, but we conceded two goals at two crucial times, and as such it seemed a bit of a laboured victory. Full marks to Rob Elliot (who I thought had looked shaky on crosses) for two world class saves in the last fifteen minutes, as well as two off the line stops, but I was a nervous wreck by the end of the game.

- We didn't really get a big enough performance out of some of the players. Given the transfer interest surrounding him, much of the attention will fall on Jonjo Shelvey, but I'm afraid he didn't live up to billing on Saturday. Deon Burton had a quiet game up front, and Kelly Youga continues to frustrate.

- I'm not really sure Parkinson's double substitution made sense. Why go from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 when you are effectively looking to close a game out a 3-1 up? Surely a player like Matt Spring is made for those kind of circumstances? I won't dwell on Gray's miss, it's only game one after all.

- It was pretty sad to see such a visible reduction in match day staff, as well as the big screen being out of action.

Probably the worst thing to come out of Saturday's match however, has been the injuries we have sustained as a result of it. For Phil Parkinson to say we are now down to 'bare bones' for tomorrow night's match against Hereford, after one game, is pretty shocking. For the past few weeks, I've been suggesting (to the point where I've been sick of writing it) that we do not have adequate cover in defence. So for Christian Dailly, Miguel Angel Llera and Frazer Richardson ALL to get injured in the first game (albeit with varying degress of seriousness) is pretty galling.

Fortunately tomorrow is a League Cup game rather that a League One game, and Parkinson is likely to use the opportunity to give the likes of Yado Mambo and Chris Solly a run out. Had the game been in the league however, I wonder how comfortable would have been in starting them. Regardless, the need for reinforcements at the back is clear and it needs to happen sooner or later. Sam Sodje is currently a free agent - surely someone like him could do a job for us?

Like most of the nation's fans, I'm pretty apathetic towards the League Cup, although I would like to see us notch a win and maintain the momentum from Saturday. It also gives an opportunity for some players to prove a point, and other to stake a claim for a place in the starting XI. An embarassing defeat does nobody any good, so here's hoping for a safe and injury free passage into round two before we start concentrating on Saturday's trip to Hartlepool.

Wycombe Wanderers Preview

2009-08-06T21:52:00.006+01:00

So here we are. On the verge of the start of another season and this one feels a bit different. For many Charlton fans (me included), and perhaps more importantly Charlton players, the third tier of English football will be a brand new experience and a harsh reality. I must admit, I had forgotten we are now expected to enter the Johnstone's Paint Trophy until the announcement of our bye was published earlier this week.

The critics, it seems, have already written off our chances of doing anything other than keeping our heads above water. For example, The Guardian today reckons that Alan Pardew's Southampton, starting with a ten point deficit, will be better place than us at the end of the season (I'll ignore the fact they are predicting Millwall to be champions). Part of me agrees with much of the predicted mediocrity. It's a new season however, and if we're going to start on a downer then we're all doomed. So first some positives.

Given the situation he has been put, Phil Parkinson appears to have done a pretty good job of getting the squad in shape in pre-season. Probably out of necessity rather than choice, the squad is now looking a lot trimmer and, to an extent, slightly more balanced. The jury is out on his new signings, Llera, Richardson and Dailly, but there can be no dobut that he has recruited in the right positions. He also appears to have given youth a chance in pre-season. Scott Wagstaff, Chris Solly, Tamer Tuna and the brilliantly named Yado Mambo, may all find they have a significant part to play this season.

Of course, putting to one side the concerns off the field, there are some on it as well. In summary, here are my major worries ahead of what is going to be a long season:

- As per last season, we are starting the term with only two recognised centre backs, Llera and Dailly, who are by no means spring chickens. An early injury to either will immediately put us in an invidious position, playing Youga or Semedo there just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. We need reinforcements before the end of the month.

- Our prized assets i.e. our midfield, could be decimated come 31st August unless a takeover allows us to hang on to Bailey, Racon and Shelvey. Losing one of them would be a blow, losing all three would be a catastophe.

- I'm still not convinced by any of our strikers. Burton, Dickson, McLeod and Gray have all shown indifferent form in a Charlton shirt, and the fact that Fleetwood hasn't been given the chance suggests that the likelihood is he would do the same. One or more of them really needs to start scoring regularly this season, hopefully they will benefit from the drop down a division.

So to the opening game. For the third season in a row, we are playing a newly promoted team. Last year's competent, if not spectacular, win over Swansea City proved to be a false dawn so whatever happens on Saturday should not be taken as a yardstick for the season. However, it is important for a positive start to restore some confidence to the squad and to the fans. Wycombe come into the match depleted by injury, but no team prepared by Peter Taylor should be taken lightly.

Like the majority of blogs, I can not see beyond the following as the starting XI (I'll skip trying to predict which seven substitutes Parkinson has to pick):

Elliot; Richardson, Dailly, Llera, Youga; Sam, Semedo, Shelvey, Racon, Bailey; Burton

As per the eve of any new season, I am excited by the prospect of seeing Charlton in action, even if there will be a fewer people there and there aren't as many recognisable names on display. Excited as I may be, I've got to ask … is anybody else just a little bit nervous?!

The Accumulator Challenge - Week 1

2009-08-06T14:55:00.003+01:00

This is going to become a weekly fixture on A Red Divided this season, but I thought we would start off this week with the Football League.

A group of lads in my office and a couple of friends have decided to run a weekly accumulator. Each week, the 8 lads will pick a match and declare whether it will be a home or away win. Before the weekend, I will put the bet on at my local bookies and we’re going to see how we can do over the course of a season. Hopefully we'll all be able to drive away

For the superstitious out there, rest assured, we’ve enforced a Charlton black out, with no one being able to bet on the Addicks…..this was a condition that Richard insisted on!

This week’s selection is:

So we’ve got 7 home win’s and one away win, with most people shying away from the West Brom – Newcastle match, or the Middlesbrough – Sheffield United match!

Are there any on this list that are going to let us down?

What do you think?

In the Summertime... When the Weather is Fine...!

2009-08-05T11:37:00.010+01:00

One of the posts that I put up towards the end of last season asked what people do when there is no football on over the summer, so I thought I’d give the Addickted an insight into what I’ve been up to! It’s been a manic summer so far, it seems that every weekend has something going on and I’ve not had much spare time to get myself down to the boozer to enjoy some R&R with the lads…

This is probably a good thing to be completely honest!! In a moment of madness I signed myself up to complete what I’ve coined a “Triathlon of Fun”. Essentially, it involves me taking part in the London Triathlon (which was last Saturday), the Windsor Half Marathon and the Barcelona Triathlon. “Why on earth would you do that?”, I hear you ask… well…I’m doing it to get fit, which is working, I’m really enjoying the swimming, biking and running, but more importantly, I’m doing it to raise money for UNICEF, and in particular UNICEF’s UNITE FOR CHILDREN, UNITE AGAINST AIDS cause.

I’ve been a long time supporter of UNICEF and it wasn’t until I started reading up on the statistics that it really hit me. 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS or an AIDS related disease and by the end of next year; this number is estimated to have risen to 20 million. It really is a staggering statistic, so I set about thinking how I could raise money for UNICEF and I thought I’d add a bit of spice to the normal charity run or marathon by doing a few of them! If you are interested in following my progress or wish to donate www.justgiving.com/kelvinunicef is the link to allow you to do this.

It’s not all been about me getting fit this summer though…. Those who read ARD will have read in the past that I am an avid motorcyclist and that when I’m not watching football (or training for my triathlons) I can often be found around the Home Counties on my motorcycle with my friends. In June I made my annual pilgrimage to the Isle of Man for the Tourist Trophy (TT) Races. It’s a brilliant week, and I would recommend that if you are at all interested in motor racing, you try to get over there for a week or weekend during race week. The racing was stunning with lap records falling regularly. It’s amazing to think that over a 37.73 mile course the superbikes can lap at an AVERAGE speed of over 131mph and the bikes that you and I could buy in the shops lap at an AVERAGE speed of 128mph!! It really does have to be seen to comprehend it!

The video below was an early morning (~5am) run over the Mountain Road. This road is made one way during the TT and is unrestricted in terms of speed for much of the road which means you can really have some fun! Unfortunately some people have too much fun and there were a number of accidents over the mountain this year, with people letting testosterone get the better of them! It’s a brilliant road, one which I put into the same category as the Great Ocean Road around Melbourne or Highway 1 and Highway 101 on the West Coast of the US.

Catching up

2009-08-03T17:09:00.002+01:00

A much needed break to the Pyrenees without the distractions of the internet has left me playing catch up today, both in terms of work and, more importantly, Charlton news. I was expecting doom and gloom but I've been pleasantly surprised.

Reports of the pre-season friendly games against both Ipswich Town and AFC Bournemouth have been largely encouraging and it appears that Phil Parkinson is starting to pull things together ahead of the league kick-off on Saturday. Christian Dailly seems a reasonable (if aging) signing, although I must confess to be slightly nervy at the prospect of starting another season with just two recognised centre halves in the squad following Fortune's departure. Is there another one on the way?

Much of the optimism arising from Bournemouth on Saturday seems to be courtesy of the fact that a lot of the players we weren't expecting to be there, were. Believing this is a sign that a takeover is imminent is a dangerous assumption, but it does offer some hope that somebody might be able to pay some wages next season. A midfield ravaged of the talents of Bailey, Shelvey et al. does not bear thinking about.

Credit where credit is due to Parkinson, he is getting on with the job in hand with the resources at his disposal. If you told me at the end of last season that we would see Izale McLeod play again in a Charlton shirt, I probably would have laughed in your face. Parkinson also seems to be shaping his team off the pitch as well with the arrival of Tim Breacker. Regardless of whether you like what you see on the field, you have to admire Parkinson for knuckling down and trying to do something.

So the start of the season is under a week and this kind of time always produces a mixture of emotions. Before I went away I thought that this season was a disaster waiting to happen (and it may well still be), but what I've read on the blogs since I've got back has encouraged me somewhat. Evidently a lot does hinge on whether the takeover happens, but that will have little or no impact on events on the pitch on Saturday. I can't wait.

One month to go and (finally) things are starting to happen

2009-07-08T16:27:00.004+01:00

In exactly one month's time, Charlton will open their League One campaign against Wycombe Wanderers. To say that we are not currently prepared for that occasion would be a huge understatement, but with the first pre-season friendly this evening, it's time to shape up.

Irony of all ironies, given the drought of news we have had over the summer, one of the stories on the official website reports on flooding at Bartram's. That would have been headline news a couple of weeks ago, but now it seems that things are starting to unravel and there is some proper news to report.

It goes without saying that top of the pile in terms of importance is the potential take over. With the cancelling of the supporters Q&A, as well as the BBC and several reputable newspapaers running with the story, it seems that there really is something in it. Reports suggest it could be completed in the next couple of weeks and that really can't come soon enough for the club to get its house in order before the new season starts.

Whether Phil Parkinson will be the one pulling the managerial strings under the new regime remains to be seen, but he continues to do so for now. Unsurprisingly, he has failed to convince Zheng Zhi to stay, although in all honesty it was never really going to happen was it? I know the Chinese captain wasn't universally popular amongst the Charlton faithful, but I will certainly miss his willingness and ability to give things a go from midfield.

Elsewhere, it wasn't much or a surprise to see Josh Wright or Mark Hudson move on to pastures new, although the fee we got from Hudson was certainly unexpected. The signing of Miguel Angel Llera should be welcomed, although if we don't want to end up in the defensive pickle we got ourselves into last season (Matt Holland at centre half anybody?), then we really need to recruit one or two more for the duties at the centre of defence.

Parkinson has promised a different side for each half in this evening's fixture against Welling United, and it will be interesting to see who is on display. For example, will any of the players out of contract feature? Will we ever see Matt Holland again now that he has decided to do his pre-season at Colchester United? Questions remain, but at least we are now starting to get some answers.

As I write there is further news with the announcement of our new sponsor, Kent Reliance Building Society, and a sneaky glimpse at the new home shirt which looks simple but actually not all that bad. They just can't stop feeding us information now they've started! I better stop writing and take a long lie down. Enjoy the game if you're going this evening and let's hope for a Charlton win to start the season as we mean to go on.

Taking Things a bit Far

2009-07-07T16:21:00.002+01:00

So... its been an interesting last two weeks.

Last week we saw the unveiling of Kaka at Real Madrid with 50,000 spectators and fanatics turning up to welcome the Brazilian to be Bernabau....50,000 people is a lot, but he is a magician with the ball....

This week we've seen Christiano Ronaldo become the worlds most expensive footballer following his £80m transfer from Manchester United. He was "welcomed" by 80,000 spectators and mentalists and in the end had to be escorted off the pitch due to pitch invasions! 80,000 people, pitch invasions... sounds bit much, but then again, he scored a bucket load of goals last season and is probably the best player in the world at the minute, as much as it pains me to say it.

Cristiano Who????

The biggest news of the week is the arrival of Darius Vassell at Ankaragücü.....

Who, I hear you say? Well, I did too if that's any consolation. A Turkish friend of mine has kindly translated this for me... He told me that they were the Bolton Wanderers of the Turkcell Super League, last year finishing in 13th position.

His arrival at the airport was insane, with more than 3,000 people in hysterics, celebrating wildly like they'd just signed the World Footballer of the Year.

I've never seen anything like it before. I can understand getting excited for a big signing, but this is Darius Vassell.... I didn't even know he was still playing football he has been that quiet for the last few years!

They must all be praying and hoping that he emulates Milan Baros who left Portsmouth to move to Galatasaray where he became the leagues top goal scorer last season with 21 goals.

Personally, I think they've got a better chance of signing Christiano Ronaldo than Darius Vassell scoring 20 league goals next season.

So that brings me to the question of the post....

Would you have turned up at Heathrow wielding a flare, a bouquet of flowers and a scarf to welcome Darius to the Valley?

La La Land.... and Reality

2009-06-24T13:31:00.002+01:00

I think the world has gone bonkers...

£80m for Ronaldo
£55m for KaKa
£18m for Glen f**king Johnson
£17m for Roque Santa Cruz

Is it just me who thinks this is just insane money? Where does this all end?

I'm annoyed for a few reasons, personally, because Liverpool have spent an obscene amount of money on a player who has had one decent season; but more annoyed on the whole because while the people of Britain, and in fact the world are working their backsides off trying to keep their jobs and provide for their family, football is just exploding.

Around us, sports are rationalising. Moto GP has moved to one tyre manufacturer and has set limits on the number of engines that can be used through the course of a season. F1 has implemented radical measures this year limiting the number of engines and gear boxes that can be used and even more radical measures in the form of a budget cap. This may have ruffled a lot of feathers, but the idea of a budget cap is a good one, which will help the smaller teams. The problem remains that the McLarens and the Ferraris, who spend upwards of £250-£300m a year on their cars don't want this leveller. I can understand this, but perhaps the FIA just need to revise the target a bit to keep the sport together.

But in the top tier of football, the fools and the idiots that run world football are continuing full steam ahead with no regard whatsoever for the people who make the sport what it is, the people who spend their hard earned wages week in and week out supporting these footballers. The behaviour of the "big" clubs in Europe is damaging the smaller clubs and lower league sides who need to try to compete with these sides when it comes to wages and the likes to sign quality players. Or in some cases young up-starts who think they are better than they actually are and demanding wages "in line" with what their "expectations" are. These footballers and the heads of world football need to get a grip and come back to planet earth.

Next Season: Captain

2009-06-23T11:13:00.002+01:00

One of the things we missed last season, amongst many, was a sense of leadership on the pitch. In the not too distant past, there have been captains who you felt gave direction to the team, led by example, and provided some much needed impetus to proceedings; Mark Kinsella and Andy Reid spring to mind. Unfortunately I'm not sure the same can be said of Mark Hudson and it raises the question as to who should be given the armband for next season.

In fairness to Hudson, he was thrown into a very difficult situation by Alan Pardew. He had arrived from Palace and so needed to win the trust of the supporters, he was expected to be the rock of a frankly woeful back line with an ever changing central defensive partner, and captain a side expected to win promotion back to the Premier League. Add injury problems of his own to contend with and all things considered, it wasn't a particularly easy ride for him.

So what to do next season? The trouble we have at the moment is that we don't know who will still be with the club, which makes spectaculating somewhat difficult. For the sake of argument (and this article), let's say that no players other than those already known to have been released will be leaving the club. What does that leave us with? Frighteningly little unfortunately. If Hudson is not retained (and there is every chance that he will be) and that Matt Holland will not feature regularly enough to be offered the job, when you look at what we have then there is only one serious contender: Nicky Bailey.

Whilst you may argue it wasn't difficult to rise above the mediocrity last season, Bailey undoubtedly deserved the player of the season award and was one of few players who actually looked like he cared when he pulled on the red shirt. A quiet mid-season patch aside, if it wasn't for his goals and midfield play then our position would have looked a lot more nasty than it was. His style reminded me a lot of Reid, driving things forward on the pitch and trying to motivate his team mates to chase harder.

In spite of this, Bailey's desire to stay at The Valley hardly appears to be overwhelming. They may well have been misinterpreted, as comments to tabloids sometimes are, but the message appears to have been 'I'll stay if I have to'. This raises the question as to whether his heart is really in it, but I think if it stays then it will be. If he doesn't then my second choice candidate, for lack of any real competition, would be Rob Elliot. I've never thought goalkeeper the best position on the pitch to have a captain, but Elliot is passionate about the club and would be sure to 'have a quiet word' with any player not pulling their weight. If last season was anything to go by, there might be a few of them.

Wycombe to start, Oldham to finish

2009-06-17T10:21:00.003+01:00

Get the calendars out and start cancelling some social plans: the fixtures are out.

Full details are on the official website but the highlights are as follows:

- We'll be starting the season at The Valley on 8th August against newly promoted Wycombe Wanderers - the third time in three seasons we've started our campaign against a promoted team

- We are ending it at Boundary Park against Oldham Athletic on 8th May

- Thankfully Boxing Day is a home game against Swindon Town

- For those of you looking to get your knuckle dusters out, Millwall visit The Valley on 19th December (hopefully their supporters won't have had too much festive cheer by the time they show up), whilst we head to The Den on 13th March

- The mid-week away fixtures all look to be at fairly conveniently located clubs: Leyton Orient (Tuesday 18th August), Colchester United (Tuesday 29th September) and Brighton & Hove Albion (Tuesday 1st December)

Any initial thoughts on the schedule we've been given? Or, like me, are you still trying to come to terms with the fact that we have league fixtures against Carlisle United and Yeovil Town next season?!

Next Season: Away Days

2009-06-12T16:25:00.001+01:00

This week has been what I refer to as 'change over week'. That is to say, it's the week when the BBC Sport website acknowledges all relegations and promotions from the season, puts all the clubs in the section for their respective leagues next season, and wipes the league tables to zero. On the positive side, this means we no longer have to look at Charlton's final league position last season, on the negative it has rammed home the fact that we are now in League One. That is to say, the third tier of English football.

Instead of dwelling on the negatives of this, the Beeb's reshuffle has focused my mind on away days for next season and I think it could be one of few positives of relegation. The strong contingent of South East clubs for next season has given me some kind of hope that we may improve on our traditionally poor away followings and offer the team some much needed support on the road. Looking down the list of clubs we will be battling it out with next season, by my reckoning there are nine clubs that would be easy for the London based Addicks fan to get to: Brentford, Brighton, Colchester United, Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Milton Keynes Dons, Southend United and Wycombe Wanderers.

Of course, some of these games many fans will not want to go to e.g. Millwall (for obvious reasons). Then there is the possibility that some will fall on a week night, making it difficult for many fans to get to. Yet all things considered, it is a far more convenient fixture list than the one we were presented with last season. There are also plenty of games that people will want to go to because they have never been to the ground before and want to add it to the 'been there, had a pie, watched the game' column.

I was on a flight home from Germany the other week, and as we flew over London we swung past the gleaming and imposing Emirates Stadium which is an impressive sight from the sky. As we got closer to Heathrow, we then went over Brentford's Griffin Park, a small and old fashioned stadium. The stark contrast between the two away day grounds was a sorry reminder of how Charlton have fallen in the past three seasons. With that said however, I am really hoping that this season will offer plenty to look forward to. The fixture list is out next week, time to get planning …

Miguel Angel Llera

2009-06-08T16:22:00.004+01:00

The Sunday Mirror (a paper I don't read very often ) was yesterday reporting that we have agreed a deal to bring centre half Miguel Angel Llera toThe Valley after he turned down a renewed contract the the MK Dons.

I must confess to have never having heard of the player before yesterday, so I read some more about him here:

http://www.mkdons.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10420~44784,00.html

Does anybody know anything about him?

In a position we were horrifically exposed in last season, I would suggest that getting somebody with experience of League One football in a (relatively) successful side can't be a bad thing.

Jog on

2009-06-03T15:52:00.003+01:00

The club's official website continues to be devoid of anything that can really be considered newsworthy. Elsewhere there is news that Real Madrid are out smashing the bank for Kaka, the dollar signs are ringing up in Gareth Barry's eyes in a £12 million move to the Massives (weren't you wanting to play Champions League football Gareth?), Tony Adams proves he is the master of self-delusion in claiming he is in line for the Celtic job, and what do we get? Confirmation of a pre-season fixture at Forest Green, news of Thierry Racon's call up to the Guadeloupe squad, and a picture of Jonjo Shelvey on a treadmill. Brilliant.

These are hard time for the gossip hungry, although we were given something to snack on yesterday in the form of news that Darren Ambrose is set to make his way over to Croyden at the start of next month in a move to Palace. Judging by the reactions on the blogs so far, there won't be too many tears shed over this.

All joking aside, it's difficult not to feel like we're losing ground on our rivals ahead of next season. It's exactly one month since we played the last game of the season and not a lot has happened since then. The last Charlton related story on the BBC website was one day after with the headline 'Charlton boss uncertain of future'. He still is, and so are we. Furthermore, there is no indication as to which players will be released, which will be offered new contracts, and which will be sold at the first possible opportunity.

The point is, we really can't afford to be giving our opponents a head start ahead of next season. Whoever is in charge and whichever players stay and go, there is a lot of restructuring that needs to be done and it probably should have started about a month ago (well, it probably should have started about seven months ago but we won't get into that). I know a lot is dependent on any possible takeover, I guess I am just frustrated that we're not really helping ourselves for what is going to be a tough, tough season.

Please can we have some proper news?!

What do you do?

2009-05-27T09:15:00.006+01:00

So it's one of those years.... You know, the type of year that most football supporters dred... the ones where we are faced with a football-less summer....

I have just dug out an old article from the beeb about "end of season blues" that I remember reading a few years ago. It highlights what we have to put up with during these dark, soulless times and I thought it was right on the money!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2949300.stm

"Those close to football supporters should look out for signs of depression, lethargy, inability to converse and a feeling of hopelessness - feelings which may also be common during the season, if their team is not faring well." I love this paragraph.... sums it up perfectly!

The most annoying thing about the summer, especially summers like this one, is that we are going to be bombarded with 'talk' all summer. So and so is on the brink of signing a record deal with so and so, and such and such a manager is leaving because he wants more control over the transfers. Then there will be the endless stream of photographs in OK and Hello of the footballers we pay to see each week sunning themselves on luxury yachts and hanging out with all of their other celebrity mates at Bungalow 7 or the Kensington Roof Gardens....etc etc etc....you see where I'm going....it's just all talk and no poo.

Can we not just fast forward to the start of next season?

So what I thought I would do is to get a bit of banter going between us football supporters (or obsessive as my missus would call me) as to what they do over the summer when there is no footie on the tele!

What do you do over the summer?
Do you ignore the press?
Are you a member of the press who writes these articles?
Do you suddenly start going to church in the hope that Lionel Messi will see the light and see that South-London is wonderful and that its full of t*ts, fanny and Charlton and sign for the Addicks?

Next Season: Season Tickets

2009-05-24T12:37:00.001+01:00

In the first in an occasional series, and in an effort to banish memories of the 2008/09 season, I'm going to look ahead at what is in store for us next season. A few pints with a fellow fan led to discussion about a lot of things related to Charlton for the forthcoming season: match attendance, who will be managing us, which players will still be left, away days to look forward to etc. You get the idea. So I thought it might be worth getting some thoughts down and see what is on the mind of the fellow Addickted.

One of the things we both remained uncertain of was whether we were going to renew our season tickets. Judging by those I chatted to around me on the final game of the season, and the comments being left on a lot of the blogs, it's pretty obvious that this a subject of uncertainty for a lot of fans. There is only one week to go to renew existing tickets though so it really is decision time.

Don't get me wrong, I really want to renew my ticket. In spite of the team's best efforts to put me off this season, I still love watching Charlton play football. I also love having a regular seat and knowing that I'll see the same faces and engage in some good natured conversation every other week. But there are a few things which are making me wonder whether it is going to be worthwhile.

Firstly, as has been widely discussed, the reduction in price came as somewhat of a disappointment. When you take into account the fact that I am not usually able to make the mid-week games, and there are always a handful of weekend games I will unable to get to, it is not looking like such a sound investment. There are a few away games I'd like to attend so it could make sense to buy my ticket on a match-by-match basis and spend the spare cash on away trips.

I would be lying if I said that the man chose to manage the side did not have an impact on my decision. If Phil Parkinson is in charge then my decision will pretty much have been made for him. Granted, he got Colchester promoted from League One but his track record at Charlton is abysmal and retaining him as our manager would show the lack of ambition to push me, and I expect others, away. I want to support my club financially but would also like some reassurances that the revenue is being well spent. Evidence over the past few seasons has been to the contrary and our failure to move on from the Pardew/Parkinson era would not help me to believe this has changed.

Finally, superstitution may make me give up my ticket if nothing else does. I had been attending matches regularly prior to it, but I bought my first season ticket during the 2006/07. Yup, that was the season Dowie pitched up and it all went wrong. The following season wasn't much to write home about and the season just gone needs no explanation. So a little bit of me wonders if I have cursed the team and that if I give the season ticket a miss next season, it might all be OK. Yes, that was the sound of me clutching at some straws.

So in summary, I have no idea if I'm going to renew my season ticket. I'll probably leave it to the very last minute and the determing factor will be whether there is enough cash in my bank account to do it. I would be interested to hear what others are thinking and whether they are facing similar indecision in what should be a straightforward choice. Help!

1 To Go....What Does It Mean?

2009-05-19T21:49:00.001+01:00

Well … for those sides struggling at the foot of the Premiership Table, this is the last chance saloon and the reality is that for some, it may be their last chance at playing (or managing) in the Premiership again.

For clubs, the ramifications of relegation are profound ... emergency boardroom meetings, contingency plans, player negotiations and heated conversations will be common place. For fans, staring down the barrel of relegation is a crippling and gut wrenching feeling, one that I felt for the first time this season with Charlton. It was a weird feeling, one of emptiness and helplessness, as we watched the side squander countless first half leads. The Championship's relegated sides this year were all in Britian’s top flight five years ago which I guess is testimony to how difficult life in the Coca-Cola Championship can be, especially if the relegated sides are not able to bounce back up while they are still receiving parachute payments.

Out of the sides that are scrapping down at the bottom of the table, the most surprising is Newcastle United. I think at the start of the season people expected them to struggle, but I certainly didn’t think that they’d be in the bottom three on the last day of the season, that’s for sure. They are a funny side, a side made up of world-class players, prima donnas and absolute no-marks and one that has just not been able to settle or gel together. They often look like a bunch of individual players who have never been on the same pitch together; there is no ‘connectivity’ between the players and certainly no telepathy!

There are those out there that will say they’ve been unlucky, but I don’t think luck has anything to do with it. The club have been a shambles since Ashley took over and despite him ploughing £250m of his own fortune into the club, they remain the laughing stock of the league.

The hiring and firing of five managers since May 2007 has to take a significant portion of the blame for the situation that the club find themselves in. The hiring of ‘King Kev’ was one of the most random decisions I’ve ever seen in football, and it highlighted the fickleness of the Geordie faithful. The man was running a soccer circus in Glasgow or something that like and confessed to not following the Premiership or watching the Premiership for several years before turning up to St. James' Park and being unveiled to thousands of Geordies who hailed the return of the King to the Toon, only to see him disappear after 21 matches as manager of the club.

To the unbiased supporter, it was a shocking decision to remove Sam Allardyce and to replace him with Keegan in the first place. Allardyce had a record of 8 wins, 6 draws and 10 defeats during his time on Tyneside, that’s an average of 1.25 points per game, which isn’t great admittedly, but at the same time, it's not relegation form, rather mid-table mediocrity. The issue with Newcastle United and with the Toon faithful, is that they think they are better than they actually are. History doesn’t lie. Newcastle United are, at best, a mid table side whose trophy cabinet has remained bare since their 1955 FA Cup victory and with the Championship a real possibility, things do not look all fine on the Tyne.

37 Down, 1 To Go.

2009-05-18T14:31:00.009+01:00

I must admit, I feel slightly fraudulent sitting at my key board typing this message after a 3 month absence from A Red Divided; sort of like I don’t belong here because I wasn’t here when the shit really hit the fan for the Addicks and for that I do apologise!

Unlike Richard who has an excuse for his absence, I don’t really have one. It’s been a season where I’ve fallen back in love with football, only for us to fall out and reconcile and after a honeymoon engagement period, to find myself moping around like a broken hearted adolescent after being dumped at the altar. I’ve just read the above analogy again, it makes me sound like a glory seeker, but what I am trying to say is that I’ve been through the whole spectrum of emotions, with jubilation, ecstasy, frustration, sadness, annoyance and pride all prevailing throughout the season. It’s weird, because although I am ‘heartbroken’ I do have an electric feeling of pride running through my veins.

So where do I start.....

It’s got to be with Liverpool and what I am hoping will be a second placed finish in the premiership this season. It’s been a real roller coaster this season, emotionally, mentally and physically. As I stated a few months ago, this is the first time in a number of years that I’ve not followed Liverpool to the majority of their home and away’s both in the league and in Europe and it has really wrecked my head. Getting used to being an “arm chair supporter” has been a lot more difficult than I thought. Having to put up with dozens of super-fans and whoppers in pubs like the Famous Three Kings that show most of Liverpool’s matches thanks to the miracles of satellite technology has frustrated the hell out of me and towards the end of the season, if the match was on Sky or Setanta, I stayed in and invited the lads around to mine rather than go out and if it wasn’t then 9 times out of 10, I’d listen to it on the radio instead.

I’d by lying if I said I was happy with second place. I genuninely believe that we should have won the league this year. I’m not sure that we will have as good a chance as we did have this season, next season. United started the season slowly and were poor for much of the early part of the season, as I am sure their fans will agree, but throughout the important periods and through the winter, they turned up the heat and they dismissed the lower league sides that we struggled to finish off.

It’s quite clear where Liverpool lost the league this year; it was the number of drawn matches against lower opposition such as Stoke, Hull, Wigan and Everton that killed us. Trying to breakdown these matches and to look at why we couldn’t win these matches is difficult. The easy answer is that we didn’t have ‘Nando fit, or that Steven Gerrard was injured, but the more honest appraisal is that we didn’t have the depth in the right places to kill these games off.
It's made all the more gutting by the results we had against the top 4 sides which were fantastic. The double over both Manchester United and Chelsea, a win and a draw against Villa and two draws against the Gooners are good results. The double over the Manc's was brilliant and being home for that match at Old Trafford was immense! The atmosphere was electric and just goes to show the ups and downs of football, when you are high you are unstoppable, 4 past Real Madrid, 4 past United, 5 past Villa....

Robbie Keane was a complete and utter disaster, who, as a £25million striker should have been imposing himself on matches against these poorer sides from the first minute and not getting arsey when he was being substituted in the 60 or 70th minutes after contributing f**k all throughout the match. Given the decision to sell him or not again, I stand by my original comment that we should not have sold him though. Although he didn’t score much for us (ironically, I was actually at the match he did score for us against West Brom), he did get the odd goal, which is more than N’Gog or Babel (his ‘replacements’) have done in his absence. We all knew that he could score goals and that he could win you games, it’s just a shame he didn’t do it for us. What is more concerning though, is given Rafa’s policy of playing with one up-front and with Stevie G playing just off him, I think he is going to struggle to get a world-class striker who wants to play what will be a bit part role depending on when Nando is fit or not.

However, it’s not only the strikers who need to take responsibility for not being able to kill a game off; the midfield needs to take their proportion of this responsibility. For all Dirk Kuyt’s work and for all his running and effort, he isn’t a winger and he never will be. He needs to be replaced with someone who can create goals and who can offer that speed down the flanks that we have craved for so long. Yossi Benayoun did a cracking job in the final third of the season playing out wide, scoring some important goals and chipping in with several assists, which is more than can be said about Ryan Babel who after two seasons with the Anfield outfit, has failed to justify the £11m price tag and whom has failed to make a position his own, often playing down the left, instead of in his natural up front position.

But, with that all said, and I think it’s clear how gutted I am about us not winning the league this year, I want to say how immensely proud I am this season. How proud I am to be Scouse, how proud I am to be associated with Liverpool FC and how proud I am to have Liverpool in my blood. We’ve come a long way this season; we’ve challenged for the title all year, we’ve been top of the league and we’ve produced some hugely spirited performances; I think we have scored more goals in the last 10 minutes than any other team this season which is testimony to the heart of the team.

It’s been 20 years since we lost 96 of our own who went to watch a footie match and who never came back and I think that the club, the fans and the city did them proud this year. Stunning performances against Real Madrid and Chelsea (on the eve of the anniversary) will have had the 96 smiling down at the team and fans refusing to surrender. Standing on the kop red and blue side by side, they’ve reminded us that we’re one city and that although football is important, it’s not everything and that there are more important things in life.

Justice for the 96

Hillsborough Family Support Group
http://www.hfsg.co.uk/

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign
http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/

Alemannia Aachen 1-0 Kaiserslautern

2009-05-13T19:19:00.006+01:00

One of the reasons for the lack of updates to A Red Divided has been my work commitments in Germany for the past few months. Of course, spending so much time in the country makes it difficult not to get at least a little bit interest in the Bundesliga and German football in general.

Knowing that I am football fan, one of my German colleagues asked me if I wanted to go and watch his team - Alemannia Aachen - take on the once great Kaiserslautern in a second division match yesterday evening. The answer, of course, was an unequivocal ‘yes’. Aside from the fact that it meant I could leave the office at four o’clock, I was also keen to find out how the German match day experience differed from that in England.

Ahead of yesterday’s game Allemania Aachen sat one point behind Kaiserslautern in sixth place both teams still able to make the promotion. With all still to play for and a sold out Tivoli stadium (just shy of 22,000 attendance), it certainly felt like a good place to begin an initiation into German football.

The set up was similar to something I would have expected to find in England a bit before I was born - standing room only, no cover (we survived with just a light shower), a fence between the spectators and the pitch, smoking and drinking both permitted in the stands, and a lot of flags being waved. A lot has been made of the demise of the traditional English terrace atmosphere and this game showed me what has been lost in terms of atmosphere. However, looking at the way the stadium was set up, it was also a reminder of how things could go so badly wrong if not properly marshalled.

The game itself was fast paced and certainly comparable to the standard of Championship football. Alemannia should have been ahead at half time but failed to capitalise on the chances that Kaiserslautern were allowing them. After the obligatory half time beer and currywurst, the second half started at a similarly frantic pace with Florian Müller’s pace down the left finally forcing a Kaiserslautern own goal. Benjamin Auer should have added a second when clean through on goal, but hit the post leaving Alemannia to hold on for a nervous few final moments.

One of the bizarre yet most memorable moments of the evening came after the match had finished. Alemannia are building a brand new stadium next to the old one, ready for use at the beginning of the 2009/10 season. For some reason, by luck or intention (I couldn’t work out which), the construction site was left unlocked leaving Alemannia fans to walk freely around their new stadium in a half finished state. It is an impressive one tier stadium and one which the fans, who were all terribly good natured, will enjoy watching their team playing in for seasons to come.

Is it safe to come out yet?

2009-05-13T19:00:00.004+01:00

Cough, cough. That's the sound of me brushing the cobwebs away and resurfacing from a three month absence. Kelvin and I had a call to arms today and realised that it was time to get blogging again and get some chat going ahead of what is going to be an interesting season and unknown territory for many fans.

As per last season, this one ended on a high with a good victory over an admittedly very poor Norwich side (anybody who Deon Burton scores a hat trick against falls into the category) who we will be meeting again next season. Whilst it might have put a slight spring into the step ahead of the summer break, it couldn't disguise a complete sham of a season.

The Championship was hard to get out of (at the right end) and I think League One will be even tougher to be honest. There is the opportunity for a fresh start however and the chance to visit some new grounds.

No summer tournament means that the majority of the football press will be focusing on the movers and the shakers. In that respect, there are a lot of unanswered questions at Charlton. Is Parkinson staying? Is Shelvey staying? Who do we actually want to get rid of? How many people will be renewing their season tickets?

So no football for a while but plenty to chat about. Most Charlton fans will be sick of the game right now, but somehow you just know you'll be feeling differently come August ...

Barnsley Preview

2009-02-20T14:46:00.008Z

The win against Plymouth Argyle last Saturday has sent Charlton fans rushing for their spreadsheets and calculators in order to work out what is required from the team to try and stay in this division. Whichever way you cut it, it still looks like a long shot and it doesn't help when those around you are winning. Mid-week victories for Watford, Derby and tomorrow's opponents, Barnsley, made for particularly grim reading when I flicked on Teletext. However, the fact of the matter is we have got ourselves into a position where we are reliant on the results of others and this is never a good thing.

The trip to Oakwell is being touted as a six pointer by most blogs and it's not hard to see why. Fourteen games left to play and although a win against anybody will do, most Charlton fans must surely have run down the remaining fixtures and picked out the key ones from it. Games against the top three sides and play-off chasing teams such as Cardiff, Preston and Swansea are unlikely to offer little in the way of return, so one would imagine Parkinson must be targeting the games against the sides around us and those stuck in no man's land i.e. little chance of either relegation or making the play-offs. Ten points ahead of us Barnsley are in the former category, looking to break into the latter.

To get any kind of result, perhaps the most important thing is that the Charlton side banish any memories of the horror show that was the reverse fixture at The Valley this season. What a truly terrible day that was as the Addicks slipped into what has now become our home - the relegation zone. The fact that only two of the starting XI are likely to feature tomorrow (Bailey and Hudson) is proof of the unsettled and chaotic season we've had. Two are injured (Weaver and Gray), five are out of favour (Moutaouakil, Basey, Sam, Wright and Ambrose) and two are no longer at the club (Cranie and Varney). We should probably be grateful that so few are left to remember that torturous first half when Macken and Moore made us look totally inept.

Coming out of the ground after the Plymouth game on Saturday was a strange experience as it is the first time I'd seen us win since we beat Reading back in August (I wasn't at the Ipswich or Palace games … perhaps there is a pattern emerging here). I wasn't really sure how to react. On the one hand I was happy we'd one, on the other I had to recognise that Plymouth were a very poor team and that, all things considered, the result probably wasn't going to make much difference to the end of season reckoning.

However, if I was slightly more of an optimist I could of drawn on a number of positives which I would be looking to take to Barnsley. Like Therry Racon's superb goal, like Nicky Bailey's ability to pick himself up from a penalty miss and blazing a six yard shot into the stand to score the decisive second, and like the lively front pairing of Dickson and Kandol. These are things I hope Parkinson has taken from the game to build on this week.

Given the rarity of a win these days, I would be surprised to see any changes for tomorrow's game. Against Plymouth I thought the midfield looked a little unbalanced. Soares and Bailey didn't look particularly comfortable on their wings and Spring wasn't particularly effective down the middle. But then again both goals came from midfield, so what do I know! I would imagine the only change will come on the bench, with Deon Burton suspended after managing to pick up a yellow card in the ten minutes he came on for against Plymouth. I don't think anybody will be losing too much sleep over this.

With this in mind, I see them starting as follows:

Elliot; Murty, Hudson, Ward, Youga; Bailey, Racon, Spring, Soares; Dickson, Kandol. Subs: Randolph, Shelvey, Holland, Sam, Ambrose.

One of my Dad's Barnsley supporting colleagues pointed out that his team completed the double over Sheffield Wednesday for the first time in 63 years on Tuesday night, so there is a chance that all their luck has been used up. I wish it was as simple as this, but our chances of recording back-to-back since 2007 are probably going to rely on more than just luck. Our previous two away performances (when we tossed away 1-0 leads against Burnley and Bristol City) are hardly encouraging, but at least the players have been reminded what it is like to win following victories against Palace and Plymouth. Would another be too much to ask for? Let's hope not … come on you Reds!

Plymouth Argyle Preview

2009-02-12T13:48:00.004Z

Saturday's fixture against Plymouth at The Valley will be the first since the win over Palace and, on paper at least, it looks like one we really should be taking advantage of. Argyle are thirteen without a win now, scoring only five goals in that period, and are dropping down the league faster than Rik Waller on a water slide. They're coming to London on the back of a three goal beating by Derby, whilst we had the chance to rest last week and get some of injured players back to fitness whilst bedding in the new signings. We're odds on aren't we?

We're not of course and this is going to be a hard fought battle between two teams who desperately need the three points. Much depends on what frame of mind the Charlton players are in having lost two on the spin having been in front. What is most worrying is that it seems to be short lapses in concentration which have done for us, with the opposition goals coming in quick succession at both Burnley and Bristol. Hopefully Parkinson has been able to knock a bit of discipline into them over the past week and a half, although I'm not holding my breath.

Guessing the line up is futile and unrewarding these days. You're likely to get the same performance from whichever XI take to the field, and it's only very rarely that any player manages to rise above the mediocrity. I can't really remember the last time I saw the same Charlton team play in two consecutive games and in terms of player turnover, this season must have trumped even the previous one. Keeping up with who is in the squad is as difficult as watching some of the performances. Darren Ward and Tresor Kandol are the latest recruits to the cause and I'll be interested to see the kind of displays we get from them tomorrow.

Elliot seems to be Parky's preferred guardian of the goal at the moment and I wouldn't expect any change for Saturday. This preview is being written before the official one has appeared, so I'm speculating here but hopefully Mark Hudson is fit to return to the centre of defence to accompany Darren Ward. The dearth of resources at centre back has been crippling since the start of the season and it's difficult to understand how we got into a situation where we expected Matt Holland to play there. That's a discussion for another time anyway. Murty and Basey to flank the central defensive duo.

Midfield is one area where we do have a wealth of personnel, it's just a shame nobody has worked out how best to play them together. Thierry Racon's return from injury adds to the confusion and it's hard to say who is going to get the nod. My preference would be to play four across the middle; Bailey and Spring in the centre, with Sam and Soares out wide. There is probably room for only two out of Holland, Racon and Ambrose on the bench and I expect Ambrose to be the man to miss out.

Up front, I must say that the combination of Dickson and Kandol appeals a lot more than Burton as a lone striker. There is always the prospect of Fleetwood getting his chance after his recall from Brighton. Does anybody know where Todorov has disappeared to? I don't expect him to re-emerge on Saturday (or in fact this season) but it would be nice to be told what is going on with him.

So all things considered, here’s my punt at what we can expect:

Elliot; Murty, Hudson, Ward, Basey; Sam, Bailey, Spring, Soares; Dickson, Kandol. Subs: Randolph, Youga, Holland, Racon, Burton.

It's really too close to call this one. If we can maintain the kind of start we get to games throughout and cut out some of the silly mistakes, then they are there for the taking. But can we really fix this thirty-one games in? I doubt it but hope springs eternal. Saturday is of course Valentine's Day, so let's hope the team can show the supporters a bit of love by playing like they mean it and getting a win. Come on you Reds!

Back to the Frontline

2009-02-11T19:07:00.001Z

Right, it won't have escaped your attention that this blog has not been updated for quite some time now. In fact it's been twenty six days since I wrote a preview for the Sheffield Wednesday game, on a high after our first win in what seemed like forever in the cup against Norwich. Like many Charlton fans, I was hoping the victory against the Canaries would be the inspiration we needed for a result in the steel city. Unfortunately a 4-1 defeat (including a goal from Francis f*cking Jeffers) meant things didn't go quite as I had imagined they would.

That result left me gutted to be honest and the team's failure to push on after getting the win at Carrow Road was incredibly frustrating. Continuing work commitments auf Deutschland meant I wasn't able to attend the Palace game so I didn't even get the briefest of morale boosts that most did from watching us put one over Tango man and his team. It didn't stop me jumping up and down in a German bar of course, much to the bemusement of those watching a drab 0-0 draw in the Bundesliga.

So what has happened since Sheffield? In summary:

- Our cup 'run' was quickly ended back in Sheffield courtesy of the red and white half of the city.
- We beat Palace! Great. I missed it. Not great.
- Played Burnley. Lost 2-1 having been 1-0 up.
- Played Bristol City. See above.
- Didn't play Cardiff City. It was too cold.
- In: Ward, Soares, Kandol. Out: Waghorn.
- Gray and Fortune injured for the rest of the season.
- Curbs isn't very happy that all his hard work has been undone.

So we're only three points and a couple of loan players better off than we were twenty six days ago. Losing twice when having been in a winning position typifies the shambolic season we've been having, as does the fact that we had no fit centre backs available until we got Darren Ward on loan.

Even thinking about Charlton has left me tearing my hair out in recent weeks. When I am now confronted with the question by various friends and colleagues, 'So what's gone wrong at Charlton?', I simply reply 'I could go on forever'. Of course I could go on forever about how we ended up where we are, but that's only half the truth of it. The other half is that I just don't want to talk about it. It's too frustrating, too upsetting, too painful … use whichever adjective you like, it's just not a pleasant topic of conversation right now.

Before the Cardiff game was called off, I was seriously thinking about not going even though I had no prior engagements preventing me from doing so. The simple fact of it was that watching Charlton play the way they are at the moment, accompanied by the aggro of a train ride home with a load of pissed up, pumped up Cardiff fans simply did not appeal. But then I got a text from my Charlton supporting mate: 'See you for a beer at 1 on Saturday? We've got to support them really haven't we?'. Two sentences, but it made sense.

The game against Plymouth on Saturday will be the first time I've seen Charlton since the defeat to Forest on January 10th. As sure as eggs is eggs, any kind of optimism I have at the start of the day will probably be crushed by the end of the afternoon and Phil Parkinson will still be there claiming, 'there is still time to turn this around, I just need to bring in a couple of fresh faces'. Like most fans, I think I've accepted the inevitability of relegation now, I'm just looking forward to catching up with some friends and hopefully watch Charlton turn in a half passionate and skilful performance.

So, twenty six days without a blog and come Saturday it will be thirty five days without watching Charlton play. Maybe it's done me some good, maybe it's allowed to get a bit of perspective on things, but it's time to roll the sleeves up and get stuck into things at the business end of the season. What else am I going to do … watch the rugby?

Sheffield Wednesday Preview

2009-01-16T17:53:00.003Z

It's been a funny old week in the world of football. Benitez has seemingly lost the plot Keegan style, Manchester City have upgraded from an interest in Scott Parker to a £100 million offer for Kaka … and Charlton won a football game! Tuesday night was a joyous occasion. I was in Germany with work but keeping abreast of affairs at Carrow Road by the usual medium of internet and text messages. The feeling come the final whistle was one of delight and relief and I'm sure this was shared by all the Valley faithful. OK, it was only a 1-0 victory against a very poor Norwich side in a cup competition which we probably won't progress very far in, but I'd forgotten what a win felt like and it felt good.

So now back to the important matter of the league and a trip to Hillsborough tomorrow to play Sheffield Wednesday. Parkinson seemingly has a revised squad each week to tinker with and this week is no exception. Out for tomorrow are McEveley (returned to Derby with the unconvincing excuse that his shoulder is still giving him some gip), McLeod (off to the New Den for the rest of the season), Semedo (out for two months after his injury against Forest) and Burton (ineligible under the terms of his transfer from Wednesday). In are Tom Soares on loan from Stoke for month, as well as Graeme Murty and Matthew Spring who are both available again having been ineligible for the cup game.

It's a case of stick or twist for Parky tomorrow. Logic would suggests he sticks with a winning formula (given that he hadn't found one before Tuesday) but as we all know logic very rarely applies when it comes to Charlton. So I would imagine there will be some changes beyond the one enforced one up front.

Despite reports of an excellent display at Norwich, Darren Randolph is likely to make way for Robert Elliot between the sticks. Elliot has been quietly impressive in the matches I've seen him (although Forest was probably one to forget, as it was for the rest of the team) and if he and Randolph maintain their form and keep pushing each other for the starting berth then Nicky Weaver could well be surplus to requirements some time soon.

Across the back, I would imagine that Graeme Murty will return to right back at the expense of Yassin. The jury is still out on Murty after it was his apparent miscommunication with Fortune that led to Forest's first goal last Saturday, but it's difficult to judge on the basis of that game. I don't imagine the rest of the back four changing.

Midfield is where competition for places appears fiercest, although that has been diluted somewhat by the unfortunate injury to Semedo. Bailey returns and I think he will be joined in the middle of the park by Matthew Spring. Like Murty, it was difficult to judge him on the back of last Saturday's game when it was clear he didn't really know his team mates. Hopefully that has changed over the course of this week. With Sam retaining his place on the right, it's likely that Parkinson will use Soares's ability to play across midfield by using him on the left.

Up front, it's fairly safe to assume that Parky will go with a lone striker and someone 'in the hole'. It would be harsh to drop Ambrose after scoring the winner at Carrow Road, but Shelvey really has been a class apart from the rest of the players in red for the last couple of games he's played in, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him return. Despite seemingly having a lot of strikers on our books, we look desperately short up front. Todorov seems to be injured, out of favour or both and I wouldn't expect Parkinson to hand Dickson a start, so that just leaves Andy Gray or Martyn Waghorn. Asking two lads under-18 to lead the line might be asking a bit much, so I imagine it will be Gray. Incidentally, fair play to him for rejecting the chance to bugger off to Stoke's subs bench for the rest of the season. I don't know if he'll go elsewhere, but we need to get the best out of him whilst he's ours.

Anyway, all in I am going for the following:

Elliot; Murty, Fortune, Hudson, Basey; Sam, Bailey, Spring, Soares; Shelvey; Gray. Subs: Randolph, Youga, Holland, Ambrose, Waghorn

A difficult game to call this one. My heart is saying a win for the Addicks, my head is saying a dour draw. To state the bloody obvious, we really need to start picking up some points some time very soon and an away win would be a brilliant way to ignite that. If you're going, enjoy the game.

Come on you Reds!

Norwich and Forest

2009-01-10T10:56:00.004Z

Starting with the FA Cup match against Norwich, you'll probably have noticed that neither Richard or I updated the blog after this match...... too be honest, it's because we were both gutted....sat where we usually sit, we were just gutted with the result and a replay doesn't help anyone with the fixture congestion it will cause.

Having turned up at the ground and queuing for about 30 minutes for tickets we went into the ground.... my prediction was a 2-0 Charlton victory, I really thought we'd do them over, and if football were a fair game, we would have done, however, its not fair and it seems that we're suffering at the hands of the footballing gods.

I thought Charlton played really well, I thought Jonjo Shevely was a pleasure to watch, he worked 150% and was all over the place, tackling everywhere and everyone, and was far and above the best player on the pitch.

Burton was the weakest player on the pitch for me, he looked lazy, he looked uninterested and too be honest, he looked like was just interested in taking home his wages and then f**king off home.....

On the whole, I thought we were unlucky, we just couldn't get that second goal that we needed to win the match. Christ, we could have had 3 in the first 15 minutes, but as I said, its football and you need to take the punches and roll with them. One thing that really suprised me was the substitution that Parky made around the 70th minute, he just seemed to be playing for the draw, because i just couldnt work out what he thought he'd get out of the changes he made?

I took a lot of heart from the match and I think with Gray (or myself, I'd give 100% if Burton doesn't feel up to it) up front would have made more of the opportunities. Norwich had one real attack and they scored, it was a shame, but its not the end of the world, we need to move on and that starts with Forest today.....

Not wanting to be the merchant of doom or anything, but I think this IS the make or break match this season. If we get a result here today, we will move to within 2 points of Forest and with both Southampton and Doncaster playing mid-table sides, I'd hope that a few results might go our way, and we are back in the game, however, if we lose and anyone else gets a result, then I think we might find ourselves too far off the pace to recover.

Forest will be a tough team to do-over today, they've got a good manager in Billy Davies who will have them well organised today, so its going to take a lot of effort and creativity from the addicks today to break down Forest. Too be honest, I'm not going to make a prediction on the match today, its too close to call, but if the performance against Norwich is anything to go by, I'll take the positives, ignore the negatives and just HOPE that we get the result we all deserve.

I write this as I'm getting ready to head to London Bridge and to the ground....so...

Come on you red men.

Che Guevara - Part 1 and 2

2009-01-02T21:04:00.008Z

It was all a bit weird this year with no footie on New Year's Day and it actually left me with a void that I needed to fill.

The 'festive' season is one that I usually enjoy; beer flows, banter is ever-present and well, it's all about football overload isn't it? For me, I head up to Liverpool just before Chrimbo and then Boxing Day and New Years Day are usually spent either at Anfield or on the happy al's coach to some away ground, usually the furthest one the F.A. can find for our inevitable midday kick off thanks to BSKYB.

Not this year though. My plans were altered thanks to the arrival of a second nephew in the famil and my folks both coming back from the US to my Sister's house up in Lincolnshire. With two kids under two, I was never going to last the whole fortnight at my Sister's house, so I came back to London on the 27th, to chill out, have a bit of fun on my bike and to just chill really.

New Year's Eve was spent in a boozer by London Bridge where myself, Richard and a few other mates proceeded to get absolutely smashed! We staggered over to the river about 11:30 and watched the fireworks on the thames, which I actually enjoyed! I was home and tucked up by 1:30 after taking the night bus home. It was a good night, but the one thing I missed was getting up to go and watch football!!!

Instead, as I was wandering around Angel looking for a coffee shop to try to get rid of my banging headache I saw that the 'screen on the green' was having a special Che Guevara day, showing both Part 1 (out today I think) and Part 2 (which is due out in Feb apparently)....so I decided to give it a go. 4 hours in the cinema on a New Years Day; the way I saw it, I'd have fun what ever I did, whether it be watching the film or falling asleep!

Part 1 focuses on Che's time in Cuba and his role in the Cuban Revolution that saw the removal of the US-backed Batista whilst Part 2 examines Che's involvement in the attempted Bolivian Revolution in 1966-67.

Both films were primarily in Spanish with English subtitles and the casts in both part 1 and part 2 was very good. Del Toro played a very convincing Che, he certainly looked the part and I would struggle to think of any other Hollywood actor who would have played the part as well. The cinematography was equally as impressive, with stunning scenery being mixed with 'arty-farty' style close ups and the likes to great affect.

From a personal perspective, I thought the films really did glamorise Che and his involvement in the Cuban Revolution, however, what they failed to do, was expose the long string of failures that he was involved with. The films skirt over his failures in the Congo and Venezuela, and I don't think they portray a balanced view of his personality. Notably the dark-side, which included being a cold blooded murderer and to large extent a 'gross-visionary' who failed to bring his visions to worldwide or even Cuban (some would argue) fruition.

Regardless of this, I still thought they were good films and quite entertaining. On the whole I would recommend them, perhaps not as films you'd go to the cinema to watch, but more ones you could watch on DVD!

I would recommend you make your way to the Valley for an entertaining 90 minutes of quality football, then head home to watch the films before turning over to bbc1 for MOTD, happy days.

Review of 2008

2008-12-30T11:37:00.006Z

As we head into the final couple of days of the year, it's worth looking back on what has been a frankly rubbish year which has seen the club move from a position to return to the Premiership, to rock bottom of the Championship with League One football looking almost guaranteed for next season.

I guess the warning signs were there from day one of the new year when bottom of the league Colchester came to The Valley and took away three points courtesy of a Kevin Lisbie brace. Throwing away stupid points at home was always likely to be our undoing, although we witnessed something of a purple patch in the next three home games with a thumping victory over Blackpool, a hard fought win over promotion chasing Stoke and of course that sweet mid-week win over Palace. Unfortunately, that was to be the last time we would witness a Charlton victory at The Valley until the final game of the season.

Much has been made of Andy Reid's departure in the January transfer window and opinions differ on how much this influenced the rest of our season. From my perspective, whilst our dip in form can not be enitrely attributed to the loss of the Irishman, we have certainly lacked a midfielder with similar skill, influence and direction since he left and one is left wondering if things might have been slightly different had he stayed.

In transfer terms, the new year also saw the arrival of Andy Gray as well as the start of the loan epidemic which seems to have continued since. In no particular order, through The Valley doors before the end of the season came Greg Halford, Sam Sodje, Lee Cook, Leroy Lita and (for a very short while) Scott Sinclair. It's fair to say that none of these players particularly endeared themselves to the Charlton faithful and, with the exception of a couple of Lita goals and some fairly solid performances from Sodje at the back, none of them made the telling contribution to the promotion push we were expecting.

With just three wins altogether after the Palace game until the end of the season, it's fair to say the rest of the season did not go according to plan. Particularly bad memories of that period include throwing away a two goal lead at home against Watford, a woeful defeat to Preston North End, last minute heartache against Wolves and abject performances and losses in the away games I went to at Ipswich and QPR. Our season had limped to a pathetic end, although it at least finished on a high was a resounding win over relegation threatened Coventry City and a goal and fitting send off for Chris Powell.

I remember feeling encouraged by Alan Pardew's programme notes on the final day of the season and, along with our performance that day, I was confident for the season ahead. Pardew talked about how he and the squad had learnt their lessons and that they would be coming better wiser, fitter and better prepared. Still with a season of parachute payments to come, surely nothing could go wrong in our quest to the return to the Premiership. Could it?

Err, yes. The club's financial situation was apparently more precarious than many supporters had imagined and the summer saw the departure of a number of players to lower the wage bill and recoup some of the money spent, much to Pardew's dissatisfaction. On their way out were all the previous season's loan signings, Chris Iwelumo, Paddy McCarthy, Madjid Bougherra and Jerome Thomas (a little later). It's fair to say that Zheng Zhi would also have been on his way had the right offer come in.

More worrying from my perspective, was the fact that Pardew had failed to reinforce where necessary ahead of the new season. Mark Hudson arrived from Palace, but with McCarthy going the other way and Sam Sodje heading back to Reading, we looked drastically short of cover at centre half with Jonathan Fortune the only other recognised centre back. The only other arrivals before the season kicked off were Hameur Bouazza and non-league striker Stuart Fleetwood. No sign of the influential midfielder we seemed to be crying out for.

Nevertheless, the signs appeared encouraging against Swansea City on the opening day of the season with a competent 2-0 win. Pardew looked to rectify the midfield issue with the signing of Nicky Bailey from Southend United and all of a sudden I began to feel som optimism creep back. A 1-0 loss away at Watford (not helped by Kelly Youga's sending off) was followed by a thumping 4-2 victory over Reading in front of the Sky cameras which had most Charlton fans genuinely excited about the season ahead.

That was over four months ago and as we all know, the reality is now very different. I missed the home game against Ipswich so the game against Reading was the last time I saw a Charlton victory. What has gone since has been catastrophic and ultimately leaves us our position in the Championship hanging by a thread. It's hardly worth analysing in depth the sixteen games that have passed since we last notched a vicotry, but heavy defeats to Barnsley and Sheffield United at The Valley stick out most in my mind and there can't have been any doubt that Pardew had to go.

Unfortunately, he has left us with a squad whose confidence has been shot to pieces and whose ability to perform to the standard required in this division has been called into question. Luke Varney and Darren Ambrose have left, with Martin Cranie, Deon Burton, Jay McEveley and Martyn Waghorn all arriving (and Linvoy Primus having been and gome) but as we stand it seems like we're shifting around deck chairs on the Titanic. What's more worrying is that Parkinson is now talking about the reinvigorating effect of bringing in more players in January (more).

So where to from here? For me, Parkinson is not the man to take us forward so it's worrying that he is talking about how he has 'mapped out' with Richard Murray and Steve Waggott how he wants the squad to look. I honestly believe that the squad we currently have is strong enough to compete in this division. Without necessarily challenging for a play-off spot, we should at least be sitting comfortably in mid table. As it stands we are five points adrift from safety at the bottom of the table with little sign of a way back.

Unfortunately it looks like the board has dithered too long and you are left wondering how much better our position might look if we had salvaged more than three points from the twenty four available since Pardew's departure. I understand that Parkinson was the cheapest option and so the board wanted to give him a chance, but I'm afraid the record of assistants stepping into a departed manager's shoes is poor. Ricky Sbragia is the exception that proves the rule, just ask Chris Hutchings and Tony Adams.

If the board are thinking of getting a new man in (and it looks increasingly like they might not be), then they are certainly going to have a job on their hands. With vacancies currently available at Blackpool, Derby and Nottingham Forest, all of whom are in a better position than us, there will be some competition to get their man. Whoever in charge is also going to have some difficulty attracting playing talent to the club, with League One football almost certainly on the cards for next season.

So all things considered, 2008 will go down as an annus horribilis for Charlton fans. What seemed to be such a promising year descended into a farce. I would like to say that things can't get any worse in 2009, but something tells me they just might before they can get any better. However, I can't be down beat before the year has even started. I honestly think the squad we have is good enough to stay in this division, it just needs the correct guidance and the insertion of some sorely missing confidence. Let's hope the new year brings a change in luck for the Addicks. Happy new year everybody ... come on you reds!

Charlton 2-2 QPR

2008-12-27T13:41:00.005Z

I managed to make it up to The Valley yesterday, and was pretty glad I did as it was a decent game of football played out on a lovely winter's day. Shame there it didn't end in three points for the south London team but you can't have it all I guess.

Traffic problems meant I arrived late so hurriedly bought a programme and a pint and had a bit of time to consume both. I don't know if there is any relevance to this at all but the squad list had been stripped of all youth players, those put on loan (Randolph, Ambrose, Varney) as well as Linvoy Primus and Jay McEveley. Surprising then that the latter was in the starting line up but who was I to complain. Keith Gillespie's imminent departure meant he had no part to play, with Jonjo Shelvey taking a place on the bench alongside the displaced Grant Basey.

For the first ten minutes I thought Charlton actually played OK. We pretty much controlled the pace of the game and QPR didn't appear to be offering much. However, the remaining 35 minutes were a total horrow show. The defence looked poorly organised, the midfield sat far too deep and the front pairing hardly got a sniff of the ball. It was little surprise when Lee Cook whipped in a curling free kick after 16 minutes after Hameur Boauzza had stupidly fouled. Even more stupid was the fact that we didn't have anybody on the post for it.

Going into half time, I was more than content to take my time over my pint and miss the first few minutes of the second half. Luckily common sense took over and I was back in my seat for the second half kick off as Charlton began to show a bit more appetite for the game. The first goal came from a excellent passing move which left you wondering why we didn't witness this kind of thing more often. Sam's cross from the right actually found the head of a Charlton player and all of a sudden we found ourselves equal courtesy of Nicky Bailey.

The game had undoubtedly swung in Charlton's favour but as is common with this side, there was a lot of posession with no end result. As such, we were punished at the other end when Dexter Blackstock took advantage of a questionable challenge on Mark Hudson and lack of defensive cover to put the Hoops 2-1 to the good. Charlton kept coming though and another Lloyd Sam cross saw Cerny punch the ball through a crowd of his own players, only as far as the diving head of Nicky Bailey.

We then entered usual last ten minute heart in mouth territory. And the point we had fought so hard to win almost disappeared into a puff of smoke as Heidar Helguson hit the post and Emmanuel Ledesma smashed in the rebound from the underside of the crossbar. Having thrown my programme to the floor in disgust, my head was firmly in my hands. It was a pleasant surprise therefore when I raised it to find that the goal had been disallowed for an earlier foul. This was all too much for Parkinson who got sent to the stands. It looked to me like Kinsella has taken charge of touchline barking orders well before Parkinson headed off, but it was left to the Irishman to guide us through the last few minutes.

So a point won then but valiant draws with good performances will only take us so far and it won't be far enough to preserve our Champiosnhip status. I would doubt very much that this will have been enough to keep Parkinson in a job past the end of the year (although he still does have one game left to prove everybody wrong), and the board seriously need to start considering managerial options to rescue our season. With Colin Calderwood being sacked on the back of Forest's defeat to Doncaster Rovers (which also sent us bottom), they need to act quickly to ensure their preferred candidate is snapped up and also to make sure Forest don't gain any extra momentum on us. We will probably be entering 2009 bottom of the league and on the back of the club's worst run in history, so I guess things can only get better.

Dear Father Christmas

2008-12-25T18:40:00.003Z

Firstly, Happy Christmas to everyone out there who's been reading A Red Divided.... From Richard and I, we both hope you have a great festive season whatever you're doing and we hope that your 2009 is everything you hope and wish it to be....

And now onto my Christmas wish list.

3 points please boss.

I think we are getting closer to breaking the duck, the 14 game streak without a win is smarting now, and I'm desperate to get that win that we need, and more importantly, we deserve.

I do think we'll get the three points very soon, and ideally, I'd like to do Norwich in the cup on the 3rd.... they were OK opposition wise, but back at The Valley, I think we've certainly got what it takes to do them over and progress in the FA Cup.... which, perhaps, is what we need to boost the teams confidence... a decent cup run....?

So for those who are going to be heading to The Valley on Boxing Day, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a 2-0 victory to the red side from south London....

COME ON YOU ADDICKS.

QPR Preview

2008-12-24T18:35:00.005Z

And so we come to the last home game of a year that most Charlton fans will want to forget. What an absolutely gutting one it's been. Visits to The Valley have been all too miserable this year and if any set of fans are in need of something to smile about this Christmas, it has to be the Addickted. Standing in the way of us and a bit of festive cheer is Flavio Briatore's revolution led by Paulo Sousa. They are pushing for the play-offs and will provide a stiff test (although to be honest there aren't many teams who don't these days).

The general consensus seems to be that Parkinson needs to pull rabbits out of hats in this game and the next (against Sheffield United on Sunday) in order to keep the manager's job on a permanent basis. Parkinson strikes me as a fairly decent and straight forward guy but unfortunately it's difficult to disagree with this line of thought. Two points gained from the eighteen available to him so far tells its own story and if we continue in this vein of form then we can probably start preparing for the third tier at the end of January.

Potential candidates for the managerial hot seat continue to be thrown around in the press, with Paul Ince and the combination of Paul Trollope and Lennie Lawrence the latest in the mix. I am not sure what I make of either of those two to be honest. Ince, like many of the Addickted, I do not think I would be keen on. He succeeded in saving Macclesfield from non-league football and getting the Milton Keynes franchise promoted to League One, but his record at Blackburn can not be ignored and I can't help but feel this will have effected him somewhat. On a personal level, he also does not strike me as a particularly nice man. The Trollope/Lawrence combination is an interesting one but again their successes have been played out at a lower level. I am also very wary of a two man management team.

Whether Parkinson stays or whether a new man comes in, I think irreparable damage has been done by the dithering we've seen over the past couple of months. Pardew was given far too long before the axe finally fell (sorry, before he left "by mutual consent") and I think the same has happened with Parkinson to be honest. Some would suggest that he would need to be a magician to turn around what he was left with, but he was given the chance to make his own loan signings and stamp his authority on the team, both to little effect.

The board's statement that they would not be making a managerial appointment until the new year as there could be no change of player personnel until such time simply doesn't wash. Surely you want new man to have as much time as possible to assess the squad, work out who is in and who is out and identify any potential transfer targets in time to hit the ground running in January. What they probably meant to say was, "We'd like to give Phil Parkinson until the end of the year to see if he's up to the job in which case we won't have to make an expensive new managerial appointment".

In player terms, it's difficult to know who is still around and who is available to play these days. Linvoy Primus seems to have returned to Portsmouth (although I never reading anything about it on the club site), Keith Gillepsie is about to head back to Sheffield (more) and Jay McEveley (who I thought was out for ages and heading back to Derby) is apparently fit again. Blimey. Rumour has it, we also have some of our own players rather than those we are borrowing off other clubs but reading down the squad list (as I am doing now) it is looking less than inspirational for a relegation dogfight.

Anyway, Parkinson has to cobble together a team for this game and he seems to have stumbled upon something approaching a starting XI over the past couple of games. It seems to be a fairly sensible line up to be fair, with the only mystery being what on earth has happened to Svetoslav Todorov. I was hoping his return from injury would provide an experienced head around which to base our attacking play (not to mention a few goals) but he seems to be slowly fading into the background.

All things considered, this is what I reckon Parky will go for on Boxing Day: Elliot, Cranie, Hudson, Fortune, McEveley, Sam, Semedo, Bailey, Bouazza, Gray, Waghorn. Subs: Weaver, Shelvey, Holland, Todorov, Burton.

Even the optimist in me can't see us getting anything more than a draw out of this but maybe Parkinson can provide a bit more motivation in the knowledge that he probably has two games to save his job. Due to transportation issues I don't know whether I'm going to be able to make to the Valley although hope I can to cheer the team on one more time this year and pray that The Valley will be a happier place to visit in the new year. Regardless, a very happy Christmas to everybody and here's hoping for three points on Friday.

There Are Places I Remember....

2008-12-17T11:36:00.008Z

For those who don’t know, the title of this post is the first line of a 1965 track from the album Rubber Soul called “In my life” by the Beatles. Coming from Liverpool, The Beatles have, without a doubt had the greatest musical influence on my life but also on my personal life too!

So the lyrics…

There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

So… where was I…...I was on the way to work this morning, taking the tube, rather than on my motorcycle which is my usual form of transport and as a result of not really having to concentrate, my mind was wandering and inevitably it got wandering about football….and specifically about moments in football where something has happened and you will never forget where you were when it happened…. Some are random and some are strange…. But in my life….

Hillsborough 1989 – I was living in the Far East at the time with my family and I remember my ‘arl fella getting a phone call about it telling us what had happened and him then frantically trying to get in touch with his kid brother a match going red and his brother in law to make sure they were ok. In the weeks that followed, I remember being sent dozens and dozens of newspapers and magazines from family back home to let my mum and dad see exactly what had happened….

The 1989 FA Cup Final – I was in Liverpool on holiday with my whole family…. My brother and granddad were the blue noses’ in the house and I remember going mental, dressed head to toe in the new Liverpool kit me ma’ had bought me… and our kid in his new everton kit…. I remember my granddad recording it on the VCR and later wishing he never did, every time I went round, I insisted on watching it over and over again!

Both the 4-3’s between Newcastle and Liverpool are fresh in my memory, we were living in Saudi Arabia, it was about 1am when Colleymore stunned King Kev with his injury time winner…. Cue me and me ‘arl fella screaming in the living room and me ma’ running down stairs shouting, what’s gone on, what’s gone on….what matches they were, Asprilla was immense.

The whole of 2001. Christ, we as Liverpool supporters wait years and years without a trophy and three come along at once. I was on my “gap” year this year… I was in Vancouver for the FA Cup Final with my best mate who is a gooner, I had arrived in Sydney two hours before kick off of the Uefa Cup Final and watched it in a Liverpool supporters bar…the lasting memory was walking around Sydney the next day when a fella in a suit comes running up to me and jumps onto me giving me a huge hug and a kiss… he gets off me, takes off his tie, un-buttons his shirt….and there is a Liverpool shirt….turns out the lad was from Norris Green and moved to oz the year before…. Classic.

Gerrard Houllier returning after his heart operation…. I was at Uni in Newcastle, watched it in Bar Oz where I got chatting to a lad who is now one of my best mates…. A huge game, huge importance…. Roma, the history, the revenge…. The victory. Get in there.

GET IN YOU BEAUUUUUTYYYY!! Haha…. Fucking Andy Shithouse Grey….. I was in the David Lloyd in Kingston where I was living watching this on their big tele…. The goal went in and I was the only one watching, I jumped up, screaming and shouting…. They all thought I was mad….. little did any of us know…. This was going to be the start of the best journey I’ve ever been on.

Fuck Off Mourinho…..Fuck Off Mourinho….I’d grown up with me ‘arl fella telling me about the kop on those famous nights against St. Etienne and against Boroussia Munchengladbach and that… but until the Champions League Semi-Final, I’d never, never, experienced anything like it. YNWA had me in tears, this is what I support Liverpool for, the emotion, the fact the kop and the rest of the ground was full 45 minutes before kick-off…. This was Liverpool FC, this was the KOP, this was our night. The phantom goal, the Gudjohnsson miss…. The Celebrations after…. Standing outside the kop in-front of the man who made us the power house we are (Shanks) singing Fuck Off Mourinho…..Fuck Off Mourinho….was just special!

Tell me ma’ me ma’, to pack my bags up full…. I’m off to Istanbul….I’m not even going to go into details…there are to many to go into, but for those who want to know what my trip was like, my mate who was with us, wrote this a year after the final… sums it up nicely….comfortably the best 4 days of my life.

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=93067.0 7.0

So…. am I mental? Am I the only one who remembers exactly what they were doing for specific matches?

When it Rains, it Pours

2008-12-15T21:56:00.003Z

*time to take a deep breath and step back and look at the match tonight*

In terms of the match, well, for those who saw it, you saw it, for those who didn't, Ellington nicked an equaliser in the 94th minute much to the heartbreak of the home supporters.

What to say....I'm actually gutted... in fact, devastated is more the word.

Upon arriving at the ground I was surprised to see that Parkinson had dropped Weaver in favour of young keeper Elliot... and to be honest he probably chose a decent match to give the lad some match experience. He didn't really have a lot to do during the match but when he was called upon he did a good job, his distribution was good and although he could have done better with the penalty, I think it must be said that Ellington is very good at wrong footing keepers!

I thought this was a good performance from the Addicks, there was some lovely football played, and following a spell of pressure just short of the half hour mark The Addicks upped the tempo with Lloyd Sam picking up the ball 12 yards out following a Derby slip-up and chose to go near-post and had Bywater well and truly beaten, only to be denied by the post.... "Christ", I thought to myself, "it's going to be another one of those nights in South East London".

Charlton were rewarded for all their pressure with Andy Gray slotting home from 6 yards. Lloyd Sam and Jose Semedo linked up well to get the ball into Gray who controlled the ball with some great skills and got the right side of the Derby centre half to slot home.

Before and after the 34th minute goal, Charlton looked the better of the two sides, with Derby struggling to get a shot on target. Debutant keeper Elliot had little to do in the Addicks goal and at half time Charlton had the lead.

The second half started where the first had left off, with Charlton all over the visitors who were still suffering from the blues that plagued their trip down to London (they got caught in the blackwall tunnel after a lorry carrying knickers had shed its load...I shit you not.... Sorry, I had to get that one in there!) Anyhow, I digress.... back to the match.... Bouazza missed a golden opportunity to put the Addicks two up when he let rip....it was a cracking effort, the only criticism is that he could have probably taken the ball on another 5 yards before having a pop.

However, the tide turned. Derby had a goal disallowed for offside, which I actually thought was a good decision. Having seen the replay on tele, it was clear that when the ball was initially played a Derby man was offside and while he may not have been active at the time, he became active a second later.... However, with the doubt about the disallowed goal still clearly in D'Urso's mind, he awarded Derby a penalty after a Jose Semedo "hand ball".... Christ, if I've ever seen a harsh decision, this was one. Either way, the ref made his mind up and Ellington stepped up and slotted into the bottom left hand corner, with Elliot completely bamboozled!

The Addicks responded well, with Lloyd Sam setting up Waghorn for his first goal for the club. He had a good game despite clearly taking a knock early on in the first half. It could have been 3 or 4 for the Addicks, with Bouazza and Sam both having efforts saved by Bywater who kept the Rams in the match.

urghh.... so here we are again....

15 minutes left......
10 minutes left.....
5 minutes left.....
that's it, surely.... 93 minutes gone....
fucking hell ref, when are you going to blow???
94 minutes dead on and the score is 2-2.

Basey flicked the ball on following a long throw and Ellington, off balance, pounced, and put the ball past Elliott. GUTTED. Absolutely heartbreaking in fact.

So what do I take from tonight:

The crowd were brilliant, in full song and really behind the team. They allowed the team to be patient and to play the game they wanted to. Even at the final whistle they continued to support the lads who were clearly devastated.
This was a great performance by the Addicks, they were creative, made opportunities and really looked like a team ready to play football. I'm confident they'll recover from this and I'm DEFINITELY confident, there is NO CHANCE that Charlton will be going down this year.
The negatives are clearly dropping two points.... the positive is gaining one.
Losing to another last minute goal is heart breaking and its something that needs to be looked at by the coaches to try to help the side remain calm under the pressure and in the last 5 minutes of the match.

I'm looking forward to Norwich on Saturday..... Let's take this match, regardless of the result, and build upon it. The foundations are there, it just needs to be tweaked to get the results that we know we are capable of.

The View from the Continent

2008-12-10T09:14:00.005Z

I wasn't at the game last night as I am still working over in Germany, which also means I am likely to miss the Derby County game next Monday. At the moment, I can't decide whether this is a good or a bad thing but having read some of the reports from last night I may be sparing myself some serious heartache.

Another defeat, without a win in twelve and at risk of being cut loose at the bottom with Forest and Doncaster … not looking great is it? From what I've read about last night's game, it seems we were turned over by another pretty average side which is all it takes these days. I have to say I was pretty confused by the inclusion of Izale McLeod and I'm not sure Semedo deserved to be dropped in favour in Holland. It didn't take long for him to get a run out from the bench though as luck does also not seem to be on our side with Jay McEveley going off with a suspected fractured shoulder.

From my currently distant perspective it is frustrating that we haven't been able to build on what we saw against Southampton. Although it wasn’t electric, it was certainly an improvement and to my mind gave reason to believe that Parkinson may be able to do a decent job for us. However, one point from twelve tells a different story and if you believe the Daily Mail (more) then he is heading the same way as Pardew. As many have pointed out, the problem with Parkinson is his association with the Pardew era and it's difficult to overlook this. His post match interview gives the impression that he is a decent guy just trying to do a good job until told otherwise, but I'm not sure this is enough right now.

This season is quickly beginning to mirror the 2006/2007 season but played out in a league lower. Manager gets sacked, caretaker given a run only to find he's not actually that good, new man comes in just before Christmas but it's too little too late. Will there be a different ending this time around? I do think we would benefit from a complete change of managerial steer and I do think there is enough time to turn things around. My two principle concerns are a) the squad has been, for lack of a better way of putting it, 'mucked around with' so much over the past year and I'm not sure it's good enough any more and b) I think confidence levels amongst the players must have dropped through the floor by now.

So where to from here? Newspaper speculation aside, it's difficult to know what must be running through the board members' heads right now. Whether they stick with Parkinson or twist with a new man, I think they need to make a decision before we travel to Norwich in a couple of weeks time and stand by it for the rest of the season. Any changes beyond this are only likely to be detrimental to our cause. Personally, I think we need somebody new to come in although it has to be the right man and they have to appreciate the magnitude of the task in hand.

Billy Davies and Adrian Boothroyd are still the obvious front runners with Big Sam apparently ready to pack his bags for Sunderland (lend us Andy Reid back would you?). However, I had a strange dream about this last night and there is something in the back of my mind that tells me it could still happen: the return of Curbishley. Whilst many appointments could be seen as a gamble, for me there is no doubt that he could turn this rabble around and save us from an away trip to Hereford next season. Whether this is seen as a backwards step is now a moot point I would have thought. It's all about survival and if Curbishley is the right man to manage it then the board need to swallow their pride and make a move.

Charlton 0-0 Southampton

2008-11-29T18:14:00.002Z

For the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed watching Charlton play this afternoon. I enjoyed cheering them onto the field, I enjoyed cheering them off at half time and I enjoyed cheering them off at full time. It was also a very refreshing change to not hear any boos around the stadium (except for those directed towards the referee) and to watch a team that actually looked like they knew what they were doing. Fair enough, we didn't win but we didn't lose and we didn't concede a goal, something we hadn't managed in thirteen previous games.

Parkinson's starting XI incorporated a number of changes from the one that took the field to QPR. Ensuring that there are no more than five loan players in the match squad is clearly a juggling act, and on this occasion Linvoy Primus and Martyn Waghorn made way. Fortune returned to the centre of defence, with Jay McEveley starting at left back. Mid-week goal scorer Thierry Racon was surprisingly dropped from the squad altogether with Bailey returning, and Deon Burton making his debut up front with Andy Gray.

The first half made for encouraging viewing and the Saints had Kelvin Davies to thank for a string of decent saves, especially from Deon Burton's overhead shot. In truth, we really should have gone into the break a goal to the good but a lack of cutting edge in the final third of the pitch, along with some dubious refereeing (the Southampton players' arms must have been invisible to Mr. Mathieson) meant that it remained deadlocked. The second half was a bit of a different story and in all honesty I think most fans would have been pleased with a point leaving the ground. The Saints piled forward and Nicky Weaver showed what he can do when on his day with a couple of decent saves.

Of the new boys, Jay McEveley had a decent enough game and I would imagine that Grant Basey and Kelly Youga will struggle to get a look in whilst he is still there. Keith Gillespie showed some good positional play but his legs clearly aren't what they used to be and by the time he was replaced by Lloyd Sam with about ten minutes to go, he looked like he had had enough. Deon Burton looked lively in the first half, with his overhead attempt being the obvious highlight. He was ineffective in the second period however and I really don't think he is the answer to our striking worries.

Of the rest, my man of the match award would be split between Mark Hudson and Jose Semedo. Hudson made some important clearances in the first half and clearly works better alongside Fortune than he does Primus. As for Semedo, why oh why was Pardew so reluctant to play him in central midfield? He showed why he shouldn't be wasted at right back with a great performance in the holding midfield role, making a number of good covering tackles. Weaver also deserves a mention for a solid performance, especially after the Sheffield United horror show of last week.

All the indications seem to be that the manager's job is Parkinson's if he can prove himself in the caretaker role. I've said before that I don't believe he is the man for the job, but I am happy to let him persuade me otherwise and today's performance went a little way to doing that. Fair enough, it's not like we played them off the park (and Southampton are not a great side) but the man isn't a miracle worker and after last weekend's debacle it was a great improvement. With Doncaster and Watford drawing, it's pretty much a case of as you were (although Forest did win) so there is still all to play for. I think I can actually enjoy my Saturday evening now having not watched another completely inept Charlton performance. More please!

Loan Athletic

2008-11-27T17:39:00.004Z

What's going on?! The Championship has gone loan crazy and Charlton are at the heart of it. In addition to the recent arrival of Keith Gillespie from Sheffield United and Martyn Waghorn from Sunderland, Deon Burton has today signed temporarily from Sheffield Wednesday and Jay McEveley from Derby County, with Luke Varney going in the opposite direction to Pride Park. Blimey. So come Saturday, by my calculation we could end up with a team made up of 64% loanees. It would look something like this:

Weaver, Cranie, Hudson, Primus, McEveley, Gillespie, Racon, Semedo, Bouazza, Waghorn, Burton

I have to say I am very uneasy about all of this. Firstly, we don't have a permanent manager authorising all of these loans. If Parkinson is apparently getting so much say in the loan market, is this an indication he is in line for the job on a permanent basis? Secondly, the instability that loan signings brought last season appeared to contribute to a steady slide down the table and we can't afford it to have the same affect this time round. Thirdly, are the players we are bringing in actually of a decent calibre? I've heard Gillespie had a decent enough game against QPR, but Deon Burton? Seriously? A journeyman striker who seems to me like a poor man's Marcus Bent. Please somebody tell me something different!

Lastly, a word on Luke Varney. With his loan move being 'with a view to a permanent move', it looks like we may have seen him play his last game in a Charlton shirt. As with too many players who have played for Charlton recently, it's a case of what might have been. For all his enthusiasm and pace you never got the impression he was comfortable at this level (the misses against Burnley and QPR spring to mind). That said, a change of scenery (nearer to his native East Midlands) may do him some good and he'll probably do a Chris Iwelumo on us and start knocking them in for fun.

I won't lie, I'm really worried about what's going to happen on Saturday. We need a win very badly, but will all the new faces be able to gel in time?

Respect And How Not To Earn It, Rooney Style.

2008-11-26T11:40:00.003Z

We're well into November and with it, were seeing sides well bedded in and we've already seen our share of big matches in both the premiership and in the championship.

The other week when I was at home, it was the turn of Everton to entertain Manchester United at Goodison. Always a tasty fixture, this one proved to be no exception, thanks largely to the immature actions of the player that was once championed as the future of Everton FC. I remember speaking to my uncle when Rooney was just 12 and he was singing the boys name and telling me how he was the future of Everton etc etc.. I wonder; if I asked him today what he thought of the player-come turncoat, whether his answer would be complimentary. In fact, I wouldn't need to, his view is one shared by most Evertonians following Rooney's defection along the M62. That of embarrassment.

Listening to the match on the radio, Darren Fletcher split the Everton centre half's and slotted home. One-nil to the Mancs...but it wasn't just a goal, it got personal. Wayne Rooney, in front of the Gladwys Street faithful celebrated this goal by kissing the Manchester United badge and in doing establishing himself as one of the biggest twats in Merseyside's footballing history. Here was a Scouser, a lad born and bred in LIVERPOOL celebrating a goal against the club that made him who he was by kicking 40,000 people in the bollocks and kissing the badge of his new club and arch-rivals....

Listening to the call in following the match, there was consensus among the pundits and callers that Rooney was a complete and utter disgrace, to himself, to his family and to Liverpool as a city. I understand that he endured hell as he moved to Manchester United, but too be honest, it was one of the most controversial transfers in the last 30 years, and football in Liverpool is taken very seriously, probably too seriously if I'm honest with myself, and there were some shocking things said following his departure, many of which were said with emotion running high following the departure of the biggest talent in English football to an arch-rival and all this after him telling everyone that he was "once a blue, always a blue”.

I just couldn't understand why he'd bother to do something so stupid? And to piss off so many people? He's not a kid, he's a grown man, an adult, a role model (apparently)...but the one thing I don't think he is, is a Scouser. He may have been born within the city limits, and he might sound like a Scouser, but he lost all credit with me and with many Scousers following the videos on the internet and in the press of him singing "build a bonfire and put a Scouser at the top" alongside Gary Neville at a Manure Christmas party..."what a twat" I thought at the time and since, he's done nothing to change my opinion. In fact, he's just worked hard to cement himself as a twat and the badge-kissing in front of the Gladwys was just another incident in a long line that highlight everything that’s wrong with our society. Its no wonder the FA have to launch “respect the referee campaigns” when we have players like Rooney around, his actions on the pitch are appalling, insulting and unfortunately it doesn't look like a situation due to change any time soon.... well, not given Rooney's latest stunt.

Sadly, I also think the damage he has caused between himself and the people of the city is irreparable; I for one wouldn't have anything nice to say about him, and therefore using the morals and values that I were taught as a child, just wouldn't say anything at all.

Who's Next?

2008-11-24T22:24:00.002Z

So, I wrote my match report on Saturday evening, closed my laptop and headed off to a friend's party trying to put Charlton related thoughts to the back of my mind so as not to dampen the mood. I was having a pretty decent evening and got chatting to a couple of Watford supporting friends about the plight of our clubs. They were big Boothroyd advocates and stressed that they were disappointed that he was no longer their manager before speculating who might replace him (I'm pretty sure Brendan Rodgers wasn't one of the names that came up). One of them then turned to me and said, "so, you must be pleased Pardew has gone?". "What?!". "Didn't you know? He's left by mutual consent". I didn't know, that was the first I had heard of it.

I always seem to hear about significant Charlton related news second hand. When Dowie got the boot, I was happily eating a bowl of coco pops when I got a call from a friend at the gym telling me to tune into Sky Sports. When we bid Les Reed farewell, I was out of the country snowboarding and got the news by text message. When Pardew was appointed, again it was a text message delivering the news. I never manage to find these things out myself! Anyway, this one was always coming but it was a bit of a shock to the system nevertheless. As many blogs have pointed out, Charlton fans are simply not used to this rate of managerial turnover.

I will look back on Pardew's time in charge in terms of what might have been. When he arrived almost two years ago I, like many others, felt that the board had finally got the right man after the disasterous tenures of Dowie and Reed. Whilst he could not keep us in the Premiership, I did not blame him for this given what he was left with. Last season started encouragingly but slipped away as Pardew's judgement got confused with too many loan signings and an all too frequently changing starting XI. The number of sales Pardew was forced to make over the summer I think took most by surprise, but the fact remains he failed to get the most out of a largely talented squad. I am sure it won't be too long before he is back in work, it's just a shame it didn't work out for him at Charlton.

We are now looking for what will be our fifth manager in just over two and half years and we absolutely can not afford to get this one wrong (witness Leicester last season). Organising and motivating a demoralised squad who have just been plunged into the Championship relegation zone is not an easy task and requires a steady hand. The speculation has already begun in the papers and on the blogs, most notably New York Addick's excellent piece (more) left no managerial stone unturned. To my mind, these are the main contenders and my thoughts on them:

Phil Parkinson - caretaker manager and if he gets a couple of good results against QPR and Southampton then he could provide the board with a particulary easy (and cheap) option. Like many of the Addickted though, I am against his permanent appointment. I think we need a completely fresh start and his involvement with the Pardew era would prevent that. His managerial record at Hull was also less than brilliant.

Mark Kinsella - see above. Reserves are also floundering this season.

Alan Curbishley - his name is the only one I read about in the papers this morning and he made sure he has cleverly failed to rule himself out of the job, despite commenting that he wanted his managerial return to be in the Premiership. There is no doubt in my mind that he would be able to sort out the mess we have found ourselves in. However, the consensus seems to be that his reappointment would represent a backwards step and a failure to sort out for ourselves as a club what has gone wrong. In addition, I would not wish his excellent reputation at the club to be tarnished by a disappointing second spell and would not consider him for the position.

Sam Allardyce - currently available and with an excellent record at both Notts County and Bolton (the jury is still out on his time at Newcastle in my opinion). He certainly would not bring 'sexy football' to The Valley, but he would bring considerable experience and a knack of turning out an organised side. His wages may be prohibitive however.

Billy Davies - knows the division and has a good Championship record at both Preston and Derby. Question marks remain over whether he would be the man to take us any further given his Premiership record with Derby, as well as the manner of his exit. Was also interviewed when Dowie was given the job, which by all accounts did not go as well as was hoped from either side's perspective.

Adrian Boothroyd - did brilliantly to get Watford to the Premiership but performances over the last couple of seasons haven't been too dissimilar to Charlton's and I have a nagging suspicion that this opportunity might have come too soon for him.

Gus Poyet - on the basis of his playing style and his television interviews, I like the guy and he appears to have the potential to be a good manager. Unfortunately he only has experience as a number two and there is no guarantee that being a good assistant means being a good supremo (ask Sammy Lee and Carlos Quieroz).

Lawrie Sanchez - not a option I had thought about until reading NYA's article but not a bad shout. Did very well at Wycombe and as national manager of Northern Ireland, before a short and undistinguished spell at Fulham. Out of work and available.

Plenty for the board to think about and having just written down most of the potential candidates, not a very easy decision at all. I'm not sure what timescale they have in mind for the appointment although I would have thought the new man would want to get his feet under the desk ASAP. All things considered, my preference would be for either Davies or Allardyce. I'm not sure Davies will come though after his previous experience with the club and I think Allardyce will cost too much money. Speculation is all well and good but for now though the focus needs to remain on getting something out of our next couple of games and giving the new manager, whoever it may be, the best possible starting position.

Charlton 2-5 Sheffield United

2008-11-22T18:30:00.003Z

First things first, apologies for the lack of blogging recently. I started a job in Germany the week after the Barnsley game (shudder) and have been knee deep in bockwurst and financial statements since then, without too much time to get down my thoughts on Charlton's plight. Anyway, I was able to make it back for the game today with relatively high hopes given the encouraging reports I had read from the away games against Plymouth Argyle and Birmingham City. I should have known better really ...

Going to watch Charlton at the moment is akin to going to school knowing the chief bully is there waiting to nick your dinner money: you know it's going to happen, but you have to go anyway. This game proved to be no different and has left me thoroughly disillusioned and frustrated. When James Beattie's goal went in after seven minutes, you knew it was going to be 'one of those afternoons'. Linvoy Primus's header a little under ten minutes later offered some hope to The Valley faithful but once again we showed we are masters of throwing away any kind of promising position.

Two soft Sheffield United goals before half time left most wondering whether it was too early to leave with 45 minutes still to play. Those who decided to stick with it probably wished they hadn't after a calamitous Kelly Youga own goal and an excellent Alan Quinn strike within ten minutes of the restart turned a sound beating into a thrashing. Hameur Bouazza reduced the deficit shortly after but by then most of the crowd were either a) on their way home or b) calling for Pardew's head. Some sense of loyalty made me stay until the final whistle. We conjured up a few decent chances in that time without any end result.

So what to make of all this? For me, Pardew's position is untenable. We are now eight games without win, and for all his chopping and changing we look no closer to getting one. He looks short of ideas and the team look short of confidence, leadership and inspiration. I don't blame him for sticking with the same side today that took to the field at St. Andrew's, but how can the performance have differed so dramatically? Weaver's confidence looks shot to bits, there was little creativity in midfield and Andy Gray looked like a lost soul up front. Linvoy Primus was probably our best player on the pitch but that is hardly an accolade given the dross that surrounded him. What must Martyn Waghorn think he has got himself into? Left on the bench and thrown on when the game was dead and buried.

I've just read Pardew's post match interview. His assessment? "Bloody Awful". That is to put it mildly Alan. I honestly don't know where we go from this. Pardew seems intent on digging his heels in and the board don't have the b*llocks or, perhaps more accurately, the money to sack him. We are stuck between a large rock and a very hard place. I think that our next two games could be telling. I don't expect us to get anything out of the QPR game but I certainly do expect us to beat Southampton this time next week. If we don't, it's time for somebody to front up and do something about this because what I saw today was humiliating. Ideas anybody?!

Liverpool vs West Brom - A Match Report

2008-11-18T09:58:00.001Z

One of the reasons for the lack of blogging from me lately has been the fact that I am in the process of moving down to the big smoke on a permanent basis....I know, I know...what the fuck am I thinking, leaving the north...where the sun shines all day, the beer is cheap and the ladies....well, the ladies are just stunning...even if you can't understand a word they say!!

Upon returning home last weekend and fed up of cleaning and moving shite out of my Everton Valley flat, I decided to go up to Anfield to watch us against West Brom. A quick shifty on a forum I frequent sorted my ticket, block 105 in the kop...that’s smack bang in the middle....happy days.

The 15 minute walk up to Anfield listening to terrace talk on radio city, with the legendary Ian St. John providing his tuppence...got me thinking...last year or the year before probably would have seen me nervous about this match. Probably because I would have seen it as a possible banana skin.... Not this time though. We are a different side this year, winning matches after a good or bad performance, rather than playing well but just not getting the right luck as has been the case in the past.

The big fat lady has shone on us with come from behind wins against the Man City and Wigan and a fortunate penalty against Athletico (ignoring the other two cast iron pens that were ignored by the ref though)....but this is what separates the best from the rest...its being able to get result after good and bad performances AND getting the luck as well.

So...getting back to the match.... Kick off came and went and too be honest we bossed it from start to finish. With the exception of Ismail Miller who had the better of Agger for much of the game, West Brom looked a poor side, devoid of any creativity....unlike their fans who provided Rafa Benitez with a difficult conundrum after about 60 minutes when they began chanting his name.... Rafa duly acknowledged the men from the midlands and continued to bark instructions from the touch line.

Liverpool won the game 3-0 with Robbie Keane netting his first two league goals in his red shirt. Thank fuck I said to myself when his first went in....only ten minutes before kick off I'd been on the phone to a match going red about his poor form in front of goal...."just fuck him off" was my mate’s quote, 20million pounds and he still can't score... I was also losing patience with Keane. It was a lesson for me though....a reminder to keep supporting the lads through thick and thin... Both goals were crackers and the second from a tight angle after rounding Scott Carson was Keane telling the crowd that he's back, and he means business.

Strikers are funny people...a bit like a bird who’s PMS’ing, always in need of reassurance that you love and support them....a bit mental (particular reference to Craig Bellamy threatening to take Jon Arne Riise's knee's away from him to site one example) and ridiculously fragile!!

Arbeloa finished off the match with a stunning strike into the top corner down at the kop end. Happy days.

A mad dash back to mine...to get out of my soaked clothes and into town for dinner with the missus and a few mates....this is what I’ll miss not living in Liverpool. Liverpool wouldn't be Liverpool without LFC....and I’ll have to get back home ad much as a I can to get my fix once I’m in London permanently.

Thoughts from 36,000 feet....

2008-11-18T09:48:00.003Z

It’s been a while since I last blogged, a change of job, a new nephew, a hectic work schedule are amongst just a few of the things that have kept me away from the keyboard. However, cruising at 36,000ft en route to Valencia with a few mates, I decided to get some thoughts down on my laptop...

Since my last post a lot has happened in the footballing world too. The most concerning (and disappointing I think) has been the plight of the Addicks, who are at risk of establishing themselves firmly in the drop zone as we approach the busy Christmas period.

Things have gone from bad to worse in terms of results, but the big question is have the performances got any worse? The answer, from my perspective is no.

The gap between top and bottom in the Championship isn't huge and from where I see it, Charlton's last few results have been poor, but much of that has come down to lapses in concentration in the final quarter of the match. I'm the first to say that throwing away a two goal lead is unforgivable, but it doesn't take much to turn it around, the important thing is that the players believe and have the belief that THEY can do it, and that they have the support of the people. I'm not saying this with my rose tinted glasses on either, I know changes need to be made.

Starting with the manager, I really do think he needs to assess his position at the club and also his performance as manager. I have, on a number of occasions questioned his player purchases and I think he's made some major errors on that front. In addition to this, his player selection policy is nothing short of random. If Pardew wants to hold his head up high, he needs to admit fault for not managing the team how it needs to be managed. As a manager, he needs to motivate the players to believe they are the best....take David Moyes as an example...in the 2005 season he managed to lead a very mediocre Everton team to 4th in the top flight of English football...and I really do believe it came down to his motivation of the players.....

Pushed to provide an answer as to whether I think Pards should go....I respond with the question who would you want instead? Dowie? You must be fucking joking. Keegan? No ta' mate, I'd rather eat my own arm than have him at the club. What about Aidy Boothroyd? But is he any better than Pardew? I'm not so sure he is. But then the questions is…. Is it just change we need? Look at what change has done for Spurs? I genuinely think we do need a change, but only if Pard's resigns, because the last thing we need is to be paying off another manager at the minute. Until he does resign, we need to continue to pledge our support to the players and urge them to keep their heads up high.... Fuck it only takes 4 or 5 wins on the trot and the whole season changes.... Take Sunderland last season as an example.

Charlton 1-3 Barnsley

2008-11-02T20:31:00.003Z

Apologies for the delayed match report but I've needed a bit of time and a few stiff drinks to come to terms with what I (and 20,000 other poor souls) witnessed yesterday afternoon. As I stood in the pouring rain waiting for a train to take me back home, I could not remember a more miserable Charlton experience. When I thought things couldn't get much worse, a fan who I was chatting to told me that Southampton had won and that we were in the bottom three. Great stuff.

Like all the other blogs who have already expressed their thoughts, I don't really see much point in detailed review of the match. In summary: they scored after two minutes, got another two before half time when we couldn't muster a shot on goal, they protected their lead comfortably in the second half and we managed a goal which we hardly deserved and was hardly cheered. We were an utter shambles. Like the Inspector, I was pretty much ready to leave at half time but hung around in the hope of something which never came.

When people around you are literally laughing at the team's performance, you know something has gone badly wrong. Pardew's team selection was again changed although he could have put our the under-11's and they would have at least looked like they cared a bit. With the possible exception of Nicky Weaver (who I feel sorry for), I don't think I could pick out one player who played with any kind of urgency or desire to claw our way back into the game after we had gone a goal down. Barnsley are not a first rate team, but they were organised, committed and made us look stupid.

But wait folks ... according to Pards it's because Linvoy Primus wasn't fit. Once the 35 year old injury prone loanee is fit again, we'll be fine. Won't we? Pardew's book of excuses gets longer and longer. A couple of weeks ago it was because we were missing Zheng Zhi, then Todorov, and now Primus. The fact of the matter is, injuries or no injuries, Pardew has a squad at his disposal which should be capable of mounting a promotion challenge. To send out a team to put in a performance like that and serve up half baked excuses to the fans is frankly unacceptable.

It would be nice to think Pardew has a shred of professional integrity and would walk away from the job but judging my his comments he is not prepared to do that. What is clear is that one way or another we need a change because at the moment we are hurtling towards League One at a frightening rate of knots. This season can be salvaged but Pardew is not the man to do it. Sign me up for the Redvolution.

Barnsley Preview

2008-10-31T00:16:00.005Z

It's the proverbial six-pointer against Barnsley on Saturday and if Pardew is not feeling the pressure for this one, he should be. It seems that we were lucky to come away with a point from Ipswich after a lacklustre performance from another much changed side. It hardly bodes well when the opposition manager says it looks like we went there to get beaten. Apparently we appeared more likely to score once we had got our goal, it's just a shame there were only eight minutes left by that point.

The opinion on the blogs since the Ipswich game seems to be one of general resignation that Pardew is not the man to take us forward. Unfortunately, without a win in five now, it is becoming increasingly difficult to disagree and if we don't get a result this weekend then the end could very well be nigh. He's running out of time and options and he needs a convincing and spirited display from this team against the Tykes to give him a fighting chance. However, to use his own words, we are currently 'a team in recovery' so whether we will see such a performance is far from certain.

One of the most frustrating aspects of Pardew's managerial reign to date has been his inability to pick a consistent side, so it's no surprise that the official website is reporting that 'he may tinker with his starting XI again for the game' (more). After the radical changes against Burnley, he returned to a more recognised line up against Ipswich. Apparently the new 'formula' that he had been working on wasn't the answer he was hoping for, something most of the crowd at the Burnley game could have told him before a ball was kicked. Perhaps it is to his credit that Pardew was quick to recognise his mistake, but some would say dropping Josh Wright, Grant Basey and Izale McLeod (all starters against Burnley) from the mid-week squad all together merely highlights the fact that he doesn't know what he's doing.

To be completely honest, I think the team he picks for the Barnsley game is largely irrelevant. He says he needs to pick a side which he feels 'will show more offensively than they did at Ipswich', which could be perceived as his way of saying that we can't create a chance for love nor money at the moment. We hardly have a wealth of attacking options, but we do need to have a go on Saturday. Barnsley are unbeaten in three and just notched their first away win of the season at Doncaster on Tuesday so will have their tails up. However, they do have the worst goal tally away from home in the league (that's two) and the worst overall away record (five defeats out of seven). We can't afford to muck this up.

At the back, I would imagine Pardew will stick with Hudson and Cranie at the centre of defence and I would hope with Yassin at right back, although his substitution for Semedo against Ipswich does leave you wondering. I don't know why Basey was dropped on Tuesday, especially when he had a decent enough game against Burnley and delivered the free kick for our equaliser. Kelly Youga didn't exactly make a great impression on his return with the concession of a penalty, so I'd like to see the Welshman restored to the starting XI.

I would only make one change in midfield I think, replacing Darren Ambrose with Hameur Bouazza. Ambrose has frankly done nothing this season to warrant a place on the pitch and, whilst occasionally frustrating, at least Bouazza has a bit of pace about him and creates chances either for himself or team mates (Nicky Bailey's goal against Ipswich being the obvious example). Pardew seems reluctant to play Semedo in central midfield and with Josh Wright seemingly out of the picture again, I can't see past Bailey and Holland for the starting positions (although there is always the option of bringing back Jonjo Shelvey). I would expect to see Lloyd Sam on the right wing.

Up front, Pardew predictably stuck with Varney again Ipswich for another zero return. Don't be surprised to see his name on the team sheet again on Saturday. He desperately needs a break, if only to drop to the subs bench, but one suspects he would make the starting XI even if he urinated in Pardew's kit bag. Continued resistance to play Chris Dickson from the first whistle and Izale McLeod's disappearance from Tuesday's squad means that it's likely to be one of Todorov and Gray to partner little Luke. With Gray not even on the bench for the last two games and Todorov saving Pardew's bacon last weekend, I expect the Bulgarian to start in spite of a mediocre mid-week performance. Of course, Stuart Fleetwood is back from his loan at Cheltenham Town but surely throwing him at the deep end would represent too much of a gamble, even for Pardew?

Inevitably this won't be correct, but I predict that the following team will be doing battle for us on Saturday: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Hudson, Cranie, Basey; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Todorov, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Primus, Semedo, Ambrose, Dickson.

The negative way to approach this game would be to highlight the fact that we haven't won in five, the positive way would be to remind ourselves that we haven't lost in two and have come from behind on both occasions to secure a point. We really need to score first against Barnsley to get the crowd on side and give the players a bit of belief. In his interview Pardew at least acknowledged the following: "In the past when we've got the first goal we've been restricted so we're trying to get into a mode where we get the first goal, then go on and get a second and then a third". I just hope that this isn't more meaningless rhetoric and he can actually deliver, or else he will be left without any more straws to clutch at.

Ipswich Town Preview

2008-10-28T10:03:00.003Z

The games are coming thick and fast at the moment, with a mid-week trip to Ipswich for the Addicks this evening. Kelvin and I made the relatively short trip to Portman Road last season for a game which was best forgotten (I always seem to be saying this!) as our play-off hopes took another dent, so I hope for better on this occasion. It was of course only three weeks ago that the Tractor Boys were at The Valley, a game for which I was absent although the reports were hardly glowing in spite of a 2-1 win. Saturday's encounter with Burnley will certainly have given Pards something to think about in his team selection and it's fair to say we won't see the same starting XI (well, let's hope not anyway).

With the exception of Nicky Weaver, Pardew seems to have played every player in every position in which they are comfortable so far this season and you would hope he knows his best team by now. I'm pretty sure he doesn't but Saturday should have given him some clues and I hope this is reflected in tomorrow's side.

Starting at the back, hopefully the penny has dropped that Martin Cranie is not a full back (left or right). He looked completely out of position on the left on Saturday and the decision was even more baffling given that Grant Basey and Kelly Youga were both available. However, he did put in a relatively assured performance at centre back in the second half in place of the tiring Linvoy Primus. On this basis, I would start him alongside Mark Hudson in central defence with Grant Basey moving to left back. I'm not sure what Pardew's thoughts are on Kelly Youga at the moment but I don't get the impression he'll be bringing him back for this game. At right back, Yassin put in a decent performance against the Clarets so it's difficult to see him being displaced.

Once again, we are left guessing what formation Pardew is going to play so there could be an extra midfield place up for grabs. Lloyd Sam has made an impact in the past two games when he has come off the bench and is deserving of a starting place in my opinion. Curiously the official website ( more) speculates that he could play on the 'left flank' which is confusing and would be a waste. He seems to link up particularly well with Moutaouakil on the right, not to mention the fact that he is right footed of course, so to play him on the other side of the pitch does not make sense. I would want to see Bouazza return to the left flank but the same official match preview doesn't even mention him so he may not be in Pardew's thoughts (or am I reading too much into this?). I expect we will see Ambrose on one side of the pitch or the other against his former club, although I don't think he deserves this on the back of his last couple of performances.

In the centre of the park, Nicky Bailey had a poor game and looked like he was missing an experienced partner in the middle. Whilst I thought Josh Wright's second half performance against Burnley was encouraging, I'm not sure it merits a starting role tonight and I would imagine that Matt Holland will return. I would actually like to see Semedo given a chance alongside Bailey although I doubt Pardew shares my view on this one. He also has Jonjo Shelvey at his disposal after he returned from England Under-17 duty, although I would not expect him to make an appearance here.

So what's going to happen up front? Todorov deserves a start after digging us out of trouble on Saturday, and although he may tire I think he will be given that chance. I don't think he is the kind of striker you can play up front by himself, and for that reason I think Pards will give him a partner to run around with. I would not expect that to be Izale McLeod given his performance at the weekend and he may be lucky to get a place on the bench. No mention of Chris Dickson in the official preview and I'm struggling to think what he's done wrong. He's been given a few minutes here and there at the end of a handful games during which he has at least shown a little bit of urgency. I appreciate he's not the finished article, but did McLeod really deserve a chance ahead of him on Saturday?

In all likelihood Pardew will probably turn to one of his two experienced strikers: Luke Varney and Andy Gray. The mental pressure must be mounting on Varney and I honestly think he needs to be rested for this game (watch him start and score a hat-trick). Furthermore, as New York Addick points out, Pardew risks losing further credibility by persisting with a player who is simply not doing what he is put on the field to do. There is every chance that he will make space for him out wide which to some extent would remove the responsibility from little Luke of being on the pitch to primarily score goals, but that would be burying his head in the sand. Having said all this, Andy Gray and Svetoslav Todorov do not strike me as a natural partnership so Varney will probably get a start.

So all things considered, here is how I see then lining up: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Hudson, Cranie, Basey; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Ambrose; Todorov, Varney. Subs: Eliot, Primus, Wright, Bouazza, Gray.

Ipswich are probably favourites for this one having been unbeaten since we took all three points from them at The Valley, and you certainly wouldn't bet against Kevin Lisbie scoring after he found the net against Plymouth at the weekend. I hope (and it is hope, not expectation) that we can come away with at least a point and build a bit of confidence ahead of Saturday's fixture against Barnsley, but we need Pardew to pick a team which will give us a fighting chance of doing that.

Charlton 1-1 Burnley

2008-10-25T18:44:00.004+01:00

A point won or two lost? On reflection, a draw was probably a fair result but I'm pretty sure Luke Varney won't have been sleeping too easily since Saturday. It was the typical game of two halves: in the first half we didn't look like we knew what we were doing, second half we actually resembled a football team.

Pardew's choice of starting XI was radical, baffling and unsuccessful. Andy Gray wasn't even a substitue and neither were Kelly Youga or Jose Semedo, with Izale McLeod, Josh Wright and Grant Basey along with the returning Mark Hudson making the starting line up. Holland and Bouazza had to make do with a place on the bench. The most worrying aspect of the line up was seeing Martin Cranie start at left back. It seems Pardew will fit him into the team wherever a space becomes available so don't be surprised to see him start up front against Ipswich on Tuesday.

Anyway, whatever Alan had in mind with his new look team didn't work . We looked completely disjointed and I don't recall us having a shot on goal in the first half. It could have been worse as well had it not been for the referee ruling out Martin Paterson's strike which he initially appeared to have let stand. As it was, we fell behind shortly afterwards when Steven Thompson lashed home what looked to be a fairly avoidable goal. Not much else noteworthy happened in a first half which I imagine the players and crowd will want to forget.

Nothing was happening for us. Josh Wright looked out of his depth, Nicky Bailey was having a poor game, Cranie looked out of place at left back, Ambrose was having his usual frustrating game, and please do not get me started on Izale McLeod. I have no idea why he was started ahead of Chris Dickson (who did not even get a place on the bench and must be wondering what he has done wrong), and it's fair to say he hardly cemented his place in the side. He contributed absolutely nothing and it was to everybody's relief that he was withdrawn at half time.

Pardew threw on Lloyd Sam and Svetoslav Todorov at the interval and we started to look like we kind of knew what we were doing. Josh Wright looked more assured, Sam added a bit more thrust and Todorov showed how a striker should position himself and he was on hand to nod in Grant Basey's free kick with 15 minutes remaining. It looked so easy but we've made heavy weather of easy chances all season, a point rammed home when Luke Varney somehow managed to miss having rounded the Brian Jensen in the Burnley goal. To be fair, he had been forced wide but this is a striker we paid two million quid for so you do expect better. When the full time whistle went, the team were actually applauded off the field by a crowd who I thought were excellent throughout.

Pardew's starting XI was worryingly bad and really did strike me as a panic selection. If the first half performance had carried over to the second then I honestly think he would no longer be the manager of Charlton Athletic. To give him his dues though, he recognised that he had made a mistake and the substitutions he made at half time paid off. What will be interesting is to see whether he's actually learnt from this and makes a decent team selection at Ipswich tomorrow evening. Barnsley at home next Saturday is probably the more important game, but if we can get something from the trip to Portman Road then so much the better. If we play like we did in the second half, there is a chance that we might.

Burnley Preview

2008-10-24T17:14:00.005+01:00

To say it's been a rollercoaster week as a Charlton fan would be somewhat of an understatement. I can't remember the last time there has been so much thought and comment on the blogs, and a lot of my week has been spent reading and digesting it all. Opinions of events both on and off the field have been varied and it's pretty clear that emotions are running high amongst the Addickted right now (and with good reason).

The withdrawal of Zabeel Investments from negotiations yesterday was a blow, but after close to a two week gap after their initial 'indicative offer', perhaps not all that surprising. Like many, I'm not entirely convinced that their reasons for withdrawal completely stack up. There was a genuine eagerness amongst most for this deal to go through, and I include myself in that number. But now the deal is dead, I have started to ask myself whether there would have been such an appetite for it had the situation on the pitch not been so bad.

I think the reason many were so keen for this deal is that it presented itself as a kind of escape route from our current plight, buying ourselves out of trouble if you like. Manager not getting the results? Sack him and to hell with the financial consequences. Strikers not scoring? Buy a couple of new ones in January. As frustrated as I am about our manager not getting us results and our strikers not scoring us goals, it would be far more rewarding to come up with a more constructive and measured approach to the problem than simply throwing cash at it. I am conscious that this could be perceived as showing a lack of ambition and willingness to move forwards, but maybe I'm just stuck in the Charlton way of things.

Regardless of opinions on the takeover (or lack of), it's crucial that the club moves on quickly. Lest we forget, it's still about eleven men on a field on a Saturday afternoon trying to win a football match. This is something which we've not being too well at of late if it had escaped your attention. I wrote Tuesday's match report without having heard Pardew's press comments. Unfortunately I found them to be as predictable as I did disappointing. He commented that we 'lost our way' in the second half and also trotted out the usual line about bringing in 'fresh faces' for the next game (although worryingly he did say that this could be from 'outside the squad', which I hope doesn't mean he's thinking about starting one of the tea ladies up front or something).

To say we lost our way in the second half is to state the obvious and anybody at the ground on Tuesday could have told you that. The question is WHY we did, something which he failed to address. Fresh faces are all well and good, but are Josh Wright (promising youngster with no first team experience) and Izale McLeod (long term injury victim who hardly proved himself when fit) really going to be the solution? They are no better than the players who started in their positions on Tuesday. Pardew seems to be missing point. It's all about how to get the most out of the team you have on the field for ninety minutes, which he simply is not doing right now.

So what to expect tomorrow? Today's latest from Pards creates more questions than it does answers to be honest (more) and a detailed breakdown of this interview would take more time than I have at my disposal right now unfortunately. He does assure us however that he is going to change the team a bit, as well as the 'formula' of the way we play. What this means I have no idea but it sounds like a man on his last roll of the dice and I hope it pays off because we badly need a win.

For tomorrow, the return of Mark Hudson to central defence after his suspension is a given I would imagine. I thought Moutaouakil had a decent enough game at right back on Tuesday so would like him to retain his place, and I would also like to see Sam return on the wing to compliment the Frenchman. Matt Holland could do with a rest so I would put Jose Semedo in a defensive midfield role to allow Nicky Bailey to push forward. With Varney being given Pardew's backing despite missing a couple of decent opportunities against Bristol City, I expect Gray will be sacrificed with Todorov taking his place.

I have more chance of my lottery numbers coming up than predicting accurately the team which will take the field tomorrow, but here's my guess: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Hudson, Primus, Youga; Sam, Semedo, Bailey, Bouazza; Todorov, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Cranie, Holland, Gray, Dickson.

It's pretty clear that the team needs some support from the fans, and it's been throughly encouraging to read the comments on the blogs of those who are intent on providing it. We have a part to play in getting us out of the situation we're in and I will be there tomorrow to try and do my bit along with a few thousand others. If the players show as much of an eagerness and desire to fight back as the supporters, we might still be alright.

It never rains but it pours

2008-10-23T09:57:00.003+01:00

The official club website has just ruined my day with the news that the Zabeel Investments takeover deal is not going to be happening (more). It has decided to focus on 'domestic opportunities in Dubai that complement the current Zabeel Investments portfolio'. Combined with 'the current debate around foreign ownership of football clubs and the worsening economic climate in the UK', that's good enough reason for them to do one apparently.

The due diligence process must have meant the Zabeel people weren't really watching the football, as the parting shot of the statement was to wish the team 'every success in its quest for promotion this season and moving forward'. Thanks a lot. This news could hardly have come at a worse time and the much hoped for lift ahead of the Burnley fixture has evapourated. So it's a case of as you were ... 20th in the Championship and no money to spend. Any kind of good news would be very welcome right now!

Charlton 0-2 Bristol City

2008-10-22T00:12:00.003+01:00

Suffice to say, that was not the evening I was hoping for. It hadn't started well for me as I had to bunk off work early to get to the game, much to the annoyance of my boss and then had a pretty horrible journey to the ground. Things were looking up when I got to the Valley though when I heard that Yassin Moutaouakil had made the starting line up, and was then served a pint by a very cheerful and happy barmaid (which you don't find too often at the ground).

Everything seemed to be alright on the pitch as well to start with. Pardew had gone for what seemed to be a 4-5-1, with Ambrose playing behind Gray, Varney on the left and Bouazza switching to the right. For the opening twenty or so minutes we were all over them, and I think the clock was at 38 seconds when Varney found himself with only Adriano Basso to beat yet somehow failing. After that Kelly Youga went close with a decent shot from range, Ambrose and Bouazza were both denied good efforts and Andy Gray hit the post. And then it started to go wrong …

If I am honest, I got distracted in the build up to their first goal for a reason I can't remember (perhaps trying to figure out if we had ever turned out two loanees as a central defensive pair, or whether this was the first occasion we had two dreadlocked players in the starting XI … questions for another time) but when I had refocused I saw Lee Trundle bearing down on goal. He found the net when we we couldn't in seven previous attempts. You could almost see the confidence drain out of the men in red instantly, as well as the crowd. I doubt very much the boos at half time helped very much to be honest and personally thought they were entirely unnecessary. That said, I felt the frustration as much as the next man.

By the time their second goal arrived in the 52nd minute, we could easily have been a couple more down had it not been for Nicky Weaver. When it did arrive, Gavin Williams was given far too much time and space (sound familiar?) to curl in his shot and there was frankly little that Weaver could have done about it. Lloyd Sam and Chris Dickson were thrown on and at least showed a bit of urgency, with Todorov coming on slightly later to much less effect. Varney headed wide a decent opportunity late on and that pretty much summed up the evening. There was probably half the crowd left at the end to hear the team booed off the pitch.

It's so frustrating to watch us play the way we did for the first twenty minutes and then self destruct so easily. Players were literally transformed. Youga started brightly but then went into careless idiot form, Bouazza went from attacking threat to a bit part contributor … I could go on. Our manner of play in the second half compared to Bristol City's was like night and day. Their players were moving for the ball, looking for the pass, trying to make something happen. Charlton looked static, uninspired and showed little signs of positive movement.

To make matters worse, Norwich and Barnsley both won which moves us down a place and now just two points off the bottom three. I am afraid the evidence suggests we have got worse since last season. Back then we accumulated thirteen points from games against Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City at home, and Crystal Palace, Preston North End and Cardiff City away. This season … nothing. I haven't begun to address Pardew's part in another deeply disappointing display but I'll wait until I'm a bit less tired and have had heard his press conference comments. Suffice to say, in a world where the phrase 'must win game' is rather overused, Saturday's home tie against Burnley really is a must win game.

Bristol City Preview

2008-10-20T21:40:00.007+01:00

Tomorrow night will be the first mid-week league fixture at the Valley this season with a visit from Bristol City. The same fixture last season was also a mid-week encounter resulting in 1-1 draw. Bristol City were league leaders at the time and it wasn't difficult to see why. Their compact and tidy brand of football demonstrated why they were mounting a promotion bid whilst we were stuttering, even is they did ultimately fall just short. They have not started out so strongly this term but sit just one point outside of the play-off places after a 1-0 victory over Norwich at the weekend.

We desperately need a win tomorrow, both to lift morale and improve on our desperate 19th place league position. With Hudson and Semedo both banned for this one after events at Cardiff, Pardew will be forced into a couple of changes, although it's not like he needs an excuse these days.

The only positive that you could possibly take from the two suspensions is that we might, and this is a massive might, see the long overdue return of Yassin Moutaouakil to the right back slot with Cranie moving inside to centre half. Yassin has been out of the side since the Preston game now for no discernible reason that I can make out. His replacement has hardly impressed having been hauled half way through the last two matches, and with not even a place on the subs bench for poor Yass I do wonder if something's going on here. We will probably find out tomorrow because as the official club website suggests (more), another alternative would be for Youga to move into the centre and Basey to move to left back. This would mean that a) we have a left back playing centre half, b) Martin Cranie will still be playing right back and c) I'll be very unhappy. Throw us a bone with this one please Pards.

I can't imagine any changes to the midfield, although there might be a place for Josh Wright on the bench given how short we are after suspensions, injuries and Jonjo Shelvey disappearing to play for England Under-17's (not great timing that). I don't know whether Svetoslav Todorov didn't make it off the bench on Saturday because we lost half our defence, or because he was being rested for this one, but either way I think we will see him start up front with Luke Varney. Andy Gray will probably have to settle for a place on the bench with Chris Dickson banging his head against a wall somewhere presumably.

I hesitate to predict a team, but I always do so here is what I am going for: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Cranie, Primus, Youga; Ambrose, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Todorov, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Basey, Sam, Gray, Wright.

If I'm being totally honest, I don't see us getting anything more than a point of this game and our rehashed defensive line has got to be on form to contain Trundle and co. We need to play the Robins at their own game - keep the ball, keep it on the deck and show a bit of determination and character. I really want to come out of The Valley smiling tomorrow evening so please, please can we have a win?!

Fed to the Bluebirds

2008-10-20T11:56:00.003+01:00

"The lack of comment on blogs at the weekend was quite staggering and indicative of how feelings are running."

Oh dear. Different team selection, same result. I think the above comment from Pembury Addick neatly summarises the mood amongst Charlton fans right now. If the Zabeel offer doesn't come off then it's going to be a long hard winter without much to look forward to if things continue as they are.

By all accounts Charlton started brightly at Ninian Park but were stopped in their tracks by Ross McCormack's 18th minute goal. It was again slightly bizarre of Pardew to start with Martin Cranie at right back only to withdraw him at half time for Jose Semedo. Of course, this didn't work out very well on this occasion. The game was lost by the time Mark Hudson got his marching orders but the resulting ban is the more worrying aspect of this and his presence will be missed in the centre of defence. We now have two home games in a row and I would suggest that anything less than four points out of six against Burnley and Bristol City should be considered a failure.

On a brighter note, Kelvin and I had a great evening last night indugling ourselves in some American football watching. The NFL is throwing up some big surprises this season and it's been interesting viewing. The Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys lost their second game on the spin with a shock defeat to the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo and Tennessee both continued their impressive starts to the season, whilst the hapless Cincinnati Bengals went 0-7 with a loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cardiff City Preview

2008-10-17T08:56:00.003+01:00

With all the news and views this week surrounding the potential takeover at The Valley, it would be pretty easy to forget that there is a game to be played this weekend. The Addicks make their way across the Anglo-Welsh border to take on Cardiff in a match would could see us overtake our hosts in the table to get somewhere close to the play-off places, or conversely edge closer towards the relegation trap door. Our opponents are not to be taken lightly having made a solid start to the season, losing just once. A mid-week victory at Ninian Park in early December last season was an encouraging victory, even if things unravelled shortly afterwards, and we will do well to get a similar result tomorrow.

Having missed the last couple of games, I feel slightly out of touch with proceedings but have read enough reports to understand that things have not drastically improved following the Sheffield Wednesday game. One thing I have stressed from the start of the season, and which I thought Pardew was doing quite well at at the start of season, is the need to keep a settled starting XI. It seems however that AP has got back into the habit of tinkering with the side in an attempt to chance upon a winning formula. It strikes me that he really does not know what is best team is and this, more than anything, is my biggest concern.

Another worry is his recent habit of switching to 4-5-1 for away fixtures. If it was an effective alternative then I could perhaps understand, but it doesn't exactly seemed to worked wonders. It is pretty obvious to everybody watching that Luke Varney is not a lone striker and never will be. So the formation essentially dictates that we soak up pressure, try and hold out for a draw and sneak a goal if we're lucky. This is hardly the style of football of a team confident of gaining promotion.

Anyway, we are where we are and Mr. Pardew has some interesting decisions to make ahead of the trip to Cardiff. Whilst the loud cries on the Charlton blogs for the return of Yassin Moutaouakil to the right back spot continue to go unheard, there is the distinct possibility that Jose Semedo will claim the position following Martin Cranie's dismal showing against Ipswich. I can't imagine the remaining three at the back changing, although I wouldn't be surprised to see Cranie partner Hudson at centre half in place of Linvoy Primus. Youga continues to do just enough to deny Grant Basey a starting berth at left back.

The midfield line up has become a bit confused of late, although things have been simplified somewhat by the news that Zheng Zhi will be out for the next two to three months following foot surgery (more). I've expressed my disappointment at ZZ's absence enough times and I do now wonder whether we will seem him in the red of Charlton again. There must be wide spread relief amongst the Addickted that Nicky Bailey has recovered in time to start in the centre of midfield, presumably alongside Matt Holland. If Pardew does decide to go for 4-5-1, then there could be room for Darren Ambrose in the middle of the park too, with Sam and Bouazza on the wing. Sam is the player likely to make way if he decides to go for 4-4-2, with Ambrose moving to the right.

Up front, I'd be pretty frustrated if I was Andy Gray. You're the club's top scorer of the campaign, finding some form and score the only goal in a hard fought away win at Doncaster. You then get dropped for the next game at Forest, and then make way for Darren Ambrose against Palace and for a striker only just returning to fitness against Ipswich. All the while Luke Varney is not exactly firing them in left, right and centre. I doubt he'll get a start tomorrow but I wish he would. I imagine Varney will be up front by himself in a 4-5-1 or partnering Svetoslav Todorov in a 4-4-2.

The team Pardew puts out probably depends on what he has for breakfast, but I'm predicting the following: Weaver; Semedo, Hudson, Primus, Youga; Sam, Ambrose, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Varney. Subs: Elliot, Cranie, Basey, Todorov, Gray.

I can't imagine this being a very pretty game and any points we take away we will have to work hard for. Pardew needs to get his team selection correct, but the players also need to prove that they have the stomach for a fight. With potential new owners looking on, everybody should be aware of the need to make a good impression. I hope they do just that.

Catching Up ...

2008-10-13T14:29:00.003+01:00

As Kelvin mentioned in the Wednesday match report, I've been on holiday for the past couple of weeks sampling the insanity of Las Vegas, as well as the somewhat calmer surroundings of the Californian coast, so please excuse me for the lack of updates to the blog. I flew out the day after the Sheffield Wednesday game and was frankly too annoyed to write a report before I left of a match which is best forgotten. I subsequently made a conscious effort not to follow the football whilst I was away for fear of dampening my mood during my time off. Inevitably news of the Palace result reached me however, although I managed to deal with this with the help of about ten pints. I was in a slightly happier place when I heard we got a much needed win over Ipswich, albeit courtesy of an own goal.

Since I got back I've spent a fair amount of time reading and digesting reports and comments on the blogs of these two games, and it hasn't been encouraging reading. Confused team selections and formations, abject performances and surfacing doubts about whether Pardew is the right man for the job seem to be the prevalent themes. For my part, it is difficult to comment having not been at the past two games but the Sheffield Wednesday game alone was enough to raise some serious concerns. I made a conscious effort at the start of the season to take a positive approach to the club this season, but watching Wednesday dance through our defence twice in the space of five minutes was in itself enough to overturn any kind of self enforced optimism.

I think it is fair to say that Pardew realises he walking a tightrope right now. As much as I want to believe he is the man to take us forward, I'm afraid his record to date suggests otherwise. Whilst I don't hold him accountable for our relegation a couple of seasons ago, there were certainly games at the end of the season (draws against Reading and Sheffield United spring to mind) which left you wondering what might have been. Since then his Championship record has been average and his signings have been largely unsuccessful. For me, he talks the talk very well but has not been able to walk the walk. Reading his interviews and programme notes, I always get the impression he has the situation under control and that he has a master plan to take us back to the Premiership. Unfortunately, results have suggested otherwise and I think it is inevitable that questions are now being asked.

Of course, events off the field have taken on greater significance in the past few days. I was back in the country when news broke of the 'indicative offer' from Zabeel Investments. I was slumped on the sofa enjoying a cup of tea when Mark Bright popped up on the sports section of the London news with details of the potential deal. I had to quickly swap the tea for something stronger to try and believe what I was hearing and subsequent reading around this has been fascinating. Like most of the blogs, I am approaching this with cautious optimism. I won't allow myself to get too carried away until everything has been signed, sealed and delivered, and I would be extremely surprised if there was not a complication or two.

In an added twist (particularly for this blog), I read this on the Guardian website today. It seems ridiculous and is a very outside possibility, but Kelvin and I could soon find ourselves supporting clubs owned by the same people. I suggested to him today that this should mean that players are allowed to interchange freely between us and Liverpool. For example, we give them Darren Ambrose and Jon Fortune for the season, they give us Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. Sounds fair … doesn't it?!

Charlton 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday sigh

2008-10-01T15:14:00.003+01:00

Football is a 90 minute game. It requires 90 minutes of concentration and at the top level (which includes the Championship), lapses in concentration are generally exposed and momentum can be gained and/or lost in a matter of seconds (or goals).

With Richard away sampling the delights of Las Vegas this week (oh how the other half live hey!! :) – I thought I’d provide the match review for our match against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

A work colleague is a Wednesday fan and his face on Monday morning said it all. He’d expected nothing and came away with an early Christmas present. If I’m honest, I thought this match was a given. I thought that we’d enjoy a victory and thought it would be comprehensive as well. Sadly, I was wrong.

Charlton started the match well and were dominant in significant chunks of the first 45 minutes of play, but as we’ve experienced all too often this season, dominance does not win games. Goals do.

Charlton welcomed back the dred-locked veteran Linvoy Primus who rejoined Charlton from Portsmouth and was making his first appearance for the Addicks in over 15 years and within the first ten minutes, he’d nearly put the Addicks in front with a lovely header. Instead, it was striker Luke Varney who put Charlton in front on 20 minutes. Varney was again in the mixer when he hit the post on 25 minutes, but strike partner Andy Gray was unable to turn the ball into the net from the rebound.

It seemed as though Charlton were cruising to many but as the end of the first half approached in two minutes of madness, Sheffield Wednesday not only equalized, but also took the lead. Wednesday’s first goal came from Wade Small who must have called on divine intervention as the red shirts parted and after seeing off a tackle from Mark Hudson fired home thanks in part to the post that helped guide the ball into the net. Wednesday’s second came two minutes later courtesy of Marcus Tudgay as he danced into the Charlton half and was given FAR FAR too much time before he fired home to put the visitors 2 up on the stroke of half time.

Conceding before half time is a huge blow at the best of times, conceding two goals within the last 5 minutes of the half is just self destruction and if I’m brutally honest, its happened far too much this season. I’m finding it hard to pinpoint the cause, but I do think that something needs to be done at the back, in the middle and up front, because it is just not working. Is rotating the team the right thing to do? I’m not so sure. I think the important thing is getting a team settled to allow them to bed in… the problem however, is that I don’t think Pard’s knows what his best team is. I think he left it too late to get this decided. In my opinion, the first few preseason games are about giving everyone a run around and giving the young lads some experience, but for the last few games, it’s about getting the team to settle down and build a mutual confidence in each other, something which I don’t think our players currently have.

Palace (a), Ipswich (h), Cardiff (a) and Bristol City (h) await in our next 4 matches and unless the team find this mutual confidence, we are going to struggle to get what we deserve from these matches. I’m confident that the team will come good, just hope that the players have this confidence and that they understand that they are a top side in this division and that they should be fighting for promotion.

So a bit of a rallying call…. COME ON BOYS…. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THESE GAMES, YOU JUST NEED TO BELIEVE IT AND HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITY!

Fleetwood's off, Fortune's injured, I'm confused

2008-09-26T12:35:00.005+01:00

It's always a good idea to check the official website before writing a match preview, something which I forgot to do yesterday when writing the Wednesday preview (admittedly after a couple of beers). What you think you know can be completely turned on it's head by the club's communication department or a few words from Alan.

As it turns out, Primus isn't fit to play, Jon Fortune won't be either for the next six weeks, Martin Cranie will be though, Jose Semedo will probably get a game ahead of Yassin, and Zheng Zhi is still 'feeling his way back' (more).

So what to make of all this? Firstly, it looks as though our lack of cover in central is going to be exposed rather sooner than anybody would have liked. It doesn't really help when you bring in a loan player for cover who isn't fit in the first place. According to Pardew, Linvoy Primus still has 'a long way to go' but has 'an outside chance of being ready for Palace. What?! He is either fit or he isn't fit, and if he isn't then the Palace game is no time to bring him back. It will be interesting to see how Cranie plays at centre half tomorrow (if he does indeed start there ahead of Semedo and Youga). Having stated that this is his preffered position I am hoping for good things.

With regards to the Moutaouakil situation, I'm really not sure what he has to do to get a game. I, along with many others, have been saying for some time that we want to see him play but I don't think I can say anything about this that hasn't been said before. Just play him Pards! One suspects that Pardew indifference to bringing Zheng Zhi back probably has something to do with holding him back for the Palace game.

Stuart Fleetwood's one month loan move to Cheltenham (more) could be taken one of two ways. Either he has joined the 'not as good as we thought' category (Dean Sinclair) or he really is just being given the chance at some first team football in the hope he'll be more ready for the Charlton first XI (Chris Dickson). It looks to be the latter fortunately, with Pardew recognising that he has been scoring freely in the reserves.

So all in all, we're nowhere near where I thought we were less than 24 hours ago. No change there then.

Sheffield Wednesday Preview

2008-09-25T23:41:00.009+01:00

It's a return to the Valley after a fortnight away with a visit from Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Like Charlton, the Owls have endured a mixed start to the season, with wins over Burnley and Watford tempered by heavy losses to Wolves and Reading. They're just a point behind the Addicks in the league and will be looking to build on a solid draw against Ipswich when they come calling at the weekend.

Charlton return home with four points out of six from their travels. I guess this can not be considered a bad return but reading the report from Forest, I can't help but feel this could have been a maximum return had we showed a bit more attacking endeavour. Once again Pardew's tinkering ways came to the fore and Andy Gray was dropped in favour of Grant Basey to provide a more packed midfield. As our top scorer, and having scored in the previous game (against Doncaster), I was surprised that Pardew sacrificed the Scot. Even more surprising was the decision to include Grant Basey in a holding midfield role, when surely Jose Semedo would have been a preferable and more experienced option. Why we lined up so negatively against a team with such a poor defensive record in the first place remains even more baffling.

The game gave more cause for concern with injuries to both Jonathan Fortune and Martin Cranie. Our already limited defensive options look like they are being stretched already and leaves Pardew with some interesting decisions when naming his team for Saturday. Providing that those two remain out of the equation, I expect Yassin Moutaouakil to make the return to right back that many of the Addickted have been craving. That would leave Hudson to try and strike up a partnership in central defence with Linvoy Primus, with Kelly Youga continuing at left back.

I can't see Pardew being so negative as to stick with the 4-1-4-1 formation he deployed against Forest and expect a return to 4-4-2. With that in mind, I imagine he will stick with the quartet of Sam, Holland, Bailey and Bouazza. There is a case for the return of Zheng Zhi and one that I would fully advocate, if only to give Matt Holland a break. But Pardew is clearly happy with the work the senior midfielder has put in so far and I don't think he will be dropped. Ambrose still doesn't seem to be getting a look in with the starting XI and Semedo is likely to see his frustration mount as he watches on from the bench.

With Andy Gray once again partnering Luke Varney up font, I expect us to line up as follows: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Hudson, Primus, Youga; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Basey, Semedo, Ambrose, Dickson.

I have a suspicion that is likely to be completely wrong however, as Cranie may be fit to start and Pardew may choose to give Zheng a place on the bench. Last year's home tie against Wednesday was a cracker with the now departed Chris grabbing a brace in a 3-2 victory. I'm not expecting to see a repeat of that but I do hope we can show a bit of the attacking flair that sadly seems to have gone missing after the Reading game. Like the Royals, Wednesday will be playing in blue and white stipes (albeit vertical) so let's hope that jogs a few players memories.

Nottingham Forest Preview

2008-09-19T18:27:00.006+01:00

The Charlton roadshow rolls into Nottingham tomorrow for a match against the last of the three promoted sides we have yet to play. Nottingham Forest got a great result to kick off their season, securing a 0-0 draw against a Reading side who had come to the Championship from the opposite direction. However, with the exception of a 3-2 victory over Watford at the City Ground, things have gone pretty much downhill from there. With the opposition second from bottom having only secured 4 points from six games, we really should be looking for a maximum return from this game.

However, this is Charlton we're talking about and our last visit here was a complete catastrophe. The 2-0 loss (to a team two tiers below us at the time) and abject performance aside, perhaps the most humiliating aspect was Talal El Karkouri's repeated foul throws which the Match of the Day team took great delight in repeating and laughing at that Saturday evening. It was a low point in a bad season and Pardew will surely want to make sure some dignity is restored with a solid performance tomorrow.

A 1-0 midweek victory at Doncaster was more than most were expecting and it would be great to add to the away tally before heading back to the Valley next Saturday. A record of three wins and three losses from six games looks to have set the tone for our form this season though and given our record of turning in rubbish performances on the back of impressive ones, it's not surprising that most of the Addickted are being realistic in their expectations for this game.

In terms of team selection, it's difficult to see how Pardew could justify any changes and I fully expect him to start with the same XI that took the field against Wolves and at Doncaster. We are told by the official website (more) that Zheng Zhi is still not fit to play and part, and also that the ludicrous Linvoy Primus situation has taken another twist with the big man returning to the physio bench at Portsmouth for treatment on an injured knee (although not the same knee that was originally injured if that makes things any less farcical). Todorov could be fit to take his place on the bench, presumably at the expense of Chris Dickson, which would be a bit harsh on the latter if you ask me as he has hardly been given an opportunity to show what he can do.

Anyway, this is the team I'm expecting: Weaver; Cranie, Hudson, Fortune, Youga; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Semedo, Basey, Ambrose, Dickson.

I was at university in Nottingham and would have loved to have made the trip back tomorrow, but unfortunately I had already made commitments prior to the fixture list being published (I should have known better). The City Ground has a great setting on the river, although I do remember having bottles thrown at me last time I went to a match there as I walked to the ground through the infamous Meadows area. If you're going, watch your heads and enjoy the game.

A Gray Day

2008-09-17T13:07:00.003+01:00

I had a rubbish day yesterday and was fully expecting Charlton to compound my misery by failing to get anything out of the game at Doncaster. So I was cheered up no end when the news came through of an improbable 1-0 victory for the Addicks. As I found myself jumping around the front room punching the air, I was reminded just how much Charlton's results can influence my mood. A bad day didn't seem so bad after all courtesy of eleven men in a white shirt. Thanks lads.

The initial euphoria (heightened by a win for Liverpool to keep Kelvin happy) was tempered slightly by reports of the performance. By all accounts we sat back and soaked up way too much pressure, as highlighted by the 14-1 corner count. It sounds like Doncaster played neat and attractive football which we defended resolutely against, without creating anything of note ourselves. However, if nothing else it's pleasing that we a) kept a clean sheet and b) did not let another 1-0 lead slip through our fingers.

After a disappointing game on Saturday, it was good to see Andy Gray get back on the score sheet and also pleaseing that it was Jonathan Fortune, another who was not at his best against Wolves, that provided the ball from a free kick. It was unsurprising to learn from Dave Peeps (more) that it was Mark Hudson and Nicky Bailey who were once again the stand out performers in the team. The importance of these two players is evident, and will be doubly so if one of them should get injured. Let's hope that this result gives the team the confidence they need to play a slightly more expansive game against Forest on Saturday and come away with three more points.

Doncaster Rovers Preview

2008-09-16T09:46:00.005+01:00

The first mid-week league fixture of the season and a tricky trip to Doncaster Rovers and their spanking new Keepmoat Stadium. I've hardly had a chance to gather my thoughts from Saturday to be honest, but hopefully the players have and are focused on this game because we need some kind of result here to avoid looking down at the wrong end of the table. Most journalists have written us off for even a place in the play-offs now, so if we are to prove them wrong then we need to start picking up points in games such as this.

Doncaster, like fellow promoted side Swansea, have made a solid start to the season and are sitting one point ahead of the Addicks with wins over Derby and Coventry, and a very respectable 1-0 defeat to Birmingham at the weekend. Sean O'Driscoll seems to have got the measure of this division and I'm sure mid-week games at home are where they will be looking to pick up some crucial points this season.

In his interview after the Wolves game, Pardew recognised the superiority of the opposition but also expressed his disappointment to the players' reaction to the visitors' goal. Throwing away 1-0 leads in successive games is not clever and he'll certainly be looking for better tonight. I really do think that we need to establish a settled starting XI and to that end, whilst I don't agree with the selections he currently has, I would like to see him stick with the same side that turned out on Saturday. However, he said he has "some thinking to do" and I don't think he can resist the urge to make at least one change.

The most obvious candidate to drop to the bench would be Lloyd Sam who did not have a great game against Wolves and could easily make way for Darren Ambrose on the right. Elsewhere, I don't really think that Kelly Youga did enough on Saturday to show that the left back spot is his, so there is a chance Grant Basey could reclaim the spot. The one player I would like to see return, Zheng Zhi, has been ruled out with a bruised foot but I do think he should be restored to the side as soon as possible. Elsewhere, I'm not sure there is a great case for changing things around although Fortune certainly needs to have a decent game if he wants to retain his place, with Primus knocking at the door.

All things considered, I would expect the following team to start this evening: Weaver; Cranie, Hudson, Fortune, Youga; Ambrose, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Primus, Basey, Sam, Dickson.

Pardew has often stressed that this side is 'still learning'. So, after two failed attempts, let's hope they've already learnt how to pick up points away from home.

Charlton 1-3 Wolves

2008-09-15T09:51:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. And the afternoon had started so well! Nicky Bailey's thumping volley less than five minutes in (reminiscent of Robin Van Persie's effort a couple of seasons ago) had raised expectations of another Reading-esque performance, but unfortunately Charlton were nowhere near that level on Saturday. Credit where credit is due however, Wolves looked like a very good side and well worth their early season position at the top of the table. They simply didn't give up, eventually breaking us down to get all three points.

I'm not going to go into the match in detail as plenty of blogs already have excellent reports up. It's fair to say though, that we were lucky to go in at half time still in front. After the goal went in, we seemed to look in control for the next twenty minutes before letting it slide away. The warning signs were there when the half time whistle blew, although had we gone two in front then it may have been a different story. Yet we never showed any degree of attacking flair after the break. I didn't really see Bailey's challenge which gave away the penalty, but once that went in it was always going to be a case of 'when' rather than 'if' the men in gold stole in for the points.

There were a number of disappointing Charlton performances on Saturday. Weaver was at fault for at least one of their goals and his distribution was poor throughout the game. In defence, I thought that Youga looked like a headless chicken, Fortune looked slow and awkward, and Cranie gave a performance which did nothing to suggest he is a better option at right back than Yassin. Disappointing. Only Hudson had a decent match and he looks to be captain dependable.

Our midfield never really seemed to get going unfortunately. Nicky Bailey's goal was sublime and, despite giving away the penalty, he had another superb game. He was all over the pitch, although he seemed to be harshly penalised too often by the referee when making tackles on the edge of our area. Holland had a fairly indifferent game and, calamity free kick efforts aside, did nothing of note. On the wings, Bouazza had a great first half and showed he isn't afraid to have a go at goal, but unfortunately he faded in the second and became a virtual passenger. Lloyd Sam had a very frustrating game, his forays down the right all too often ending in nothing. Up front, Gray was practically anonymous and Varney didn't have a much better game.

I must say, I continue to find some of Pardew's decision making very baffling. For example, why have Linvoy Primus on the bench if, by his own admission, 'he needs a bit more work'? Why wait so late to bring in Chris Dickson when Andy Gray had had such a poor game? Why replace Sam with Basey and not Ambrose, forcing Bouazza to switch to the right and upset the balance even more? If I was Jose Semedo or Yassin Moutaouakil I'd be getting seriously pissed off if I wasn't even making the bench and Pardew needs to have a long think about how he is going to balance the side and keep everybody happy.

Defeat was a disappointment but we now have two matches in the space of week to try and put things right. Away matches against Doncaster Rovers and Nottingham Forest are tricky fixtures though and will give us some indication as to whether this team has it in them to compete in this division this season. We need something out of both of them though or else already diminished expectation levels will be pushing a new low.

Wolves Preview

2008-09-12T17:17:00.005+01:00

A tricky game awaits tomorrow as Mick McCarthy and his table topping Wolves side come to the Valley. Whilst early season form shouldn't be read into too much, the men in gold are unbeaten, free scoring and bound to be a stiff test for this Charlton team. Memories of this fixture last season are probably best forgotten, their late late winner pretty much signalling the end of any play off ambitions we harboured. With a team containing the likes of Michael Kightly, David Jones, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and, of course, Chris Iwelumo, it's fair to say that our defence will be in for another busy afternoon.

With only one enforced change to the team that performed so convincingly against Reading, the defeat at Preston can't be regarded as anything other than a disappointment. The thinness of our squad was highlighted by the fact that Nicky Bailey, who performed so admirably in the middle of the park against Reading, was forced to move to the right in Lloyd Sam's absence. I'm not sure one change should have disrupted the side so much though and it suggests we may be in for more of the 'hot and cold' form that we experienced last season.

Despite the disappointment a fortnight ago, I hope that Pardew resists the temptation to tinker with the side. This was a tendency which, by his own admission, put a large dent in our promotion hopes last time round. I am in agreement with Chicago Addick (more) regarding the right back position and do think that Yassin Moutaouakil should continue. However, the general feeling seems to be that new boy Martin Cranie will get a start at the expense of the Frenchman. I haven't seen Cranie play so will reserve judgement, but I'm sceptical as to whether he can combine as effectively with Lloyd Sam as Yassin does.

Elsewhere in the side, Pardew has stated that Jonathan Fortune will be playing, so with him partnering Mark Hudson that only leaves the left back position up for grabs. I expect Kelly Youga to be reinstated for this game, and to be honest it's difficult to choose between him and Grant Basey right now. There is a bigger dilemma in midfield than I was expecting with no less than eight players seemingly in contention: Sam, Ambrose, Bailey, Holland, Shelvey, Bouazza, Semedo and Zhi.

Given the imbalance in the side at Deepdale, Lloyd Sam can expect to be restored and I can't see Bouazza being changed on the left. So that leaves five players and two spaces. Bailey will presumably continue so the only question remains whether Pardew will continue to partner him with Matt Holland. I imagine the answer to this is 'yes'. Whilst I can understand this, I would really love to see the return of Zheng Zhi although do not expect given that he is not even mentioned in the match preview on the official club site (more) . It would be nice to know why. Is he still recovering from the Olympics? Is he injured? I know there are mixed opinions on ZZ, but personally I think he's a great player and needs to be used in games like this.

Anyway, with Luke Varney and Andy Gray starting up front again, I expect Pards to line them up as follows: Weaver; Cranie, Hudson, Fortune, Youga; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Moutaouakil, Semedo, Ambrose, Dickson.

This game appears to be full of goals so will probably end up a 0-0 draw. I'm looking forward to it though and will be interesting to see the side we put out and the way we perform. Come on you Reds.

Well ... that was a bit of a surprise wasn't it??

2008-09-11T11:41:00.008+01:00

I didn't watch the England match last night, instead I decided to ride my motorcycle from my office out by Heathrow Airport through London (via Clapham to meet up with another mate) out to the Essex Arena.

Yes, Essex does have an arena ... well, sort of. We got lost and ended up riding through Grays (which I must admit was a pretty rough area) until we found the most randomly located Internet Cafe I've ever seen on a dimly lit road off an industrial estate which was full of people chatting and "gaming" online ... funny as ...

"Why on earth would you ride 40 miles in the evening through rush hour to go to Grays?", I hear you ask. Well the answer is simple. We went to watch the Lakeside Hammers take on the Bell Vue Aces in one of the final rounds of the 2008 British Elite Speedway League. The whole night resembled a night at the dogs although much louder and more dangerous (well except for the hare at the dogs, but it's only up north they still use live hares).

It turned out to be a smashing night - I know this isn't football related, but since I passed my test in April, I've done 7,000 miles on the bike and too be honest, I'm enjoying it more than footie ... which is mental, but true! The Hammers battered their opponents and it now looks like the league is theirs for the taking, with Ipswich slipping up at opponents Poole last night.

I watched extended highlights of the match last night when I got in though and it looked interesting. I do wonder though, what would have happened had England not scored the first goal. In all though it was a good performance from the younger side and I thought that Heskey did a great job up front. Although he didn't look like scoring, he did his job and held the ball up well. I'd thought the score would be 2-1 last night in favour of the home side, so the actual result was a suprise and it should take the pressure off England when the two sides meet at Wembley. That does however presume that England do not slip up in Kiev or Khazakstan, which given the performance in Andorra is a distinct possibility.

I've got to echo what Richard said in his post though, it just really doesn't bother me the whole England melarky. I dont see how anyone who supports Chelsea week in and week out can suddenly cheer Theo Walcott or Wayne Rooney just because he has a white shirt on. For me, if you are not wearing the red of my team then you're not my team. I've nothing against people who love Ingerland and who go home and away to support them, but I just couldn't do it.

International week ... am I bovvered?

2008-09-10T11:44:00.003+01:00

It's international week and you'll have to forgive me for feeling very indifferent towards it. When it comes to England internationals, Kelvin and I agree on one thing: we don't really care. Whenever the question has come up as to whether I'd prefer Charlton to win the league or England to win the World Cup (admittedly neither a likely prospect at the moment), it's really never been a dilemma. In fact, I would rather Charlton won the Carling Cup than England being crowned the greatest footballing nation in the world.

So what is it that drives my apathy towards the national team? I guess their poor form can't really help. Watching them grind out a 2-0 victory over Andorra on Saturday is as painful a watch as I can remember and, with the very rare exception such as the 5-1 thumping of Germany, it's been pretty much that way since a brief glimmer of hope in Euro '96. Managers have come and gone but the performances seem to have remained at the same level of mediocrity. Is it really that difficult to craft a team containing Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard, Rooney et al. into world beaters? Apparently so. My flatmate (who knows not very much about football) commented that the national team would perform better if it was stripped of the egos and was made up of lesser Premiership or Championship players. In some ways, he has a point.

I guess another thing which I get frustrated by is the media hysteria that surrounds England games. Never have so many column inches been devoted to such worthless comment and information. Remember Rooney's metatarsal break before the 2006 World Cup? Pretty difficult to forget it given the amount of coverage it got. It also pains me the way that everybody jumps on the footballing bandwagon and suddenly starts to think they know a thing or two about the beautiful game. People who have no interest in the game any other time of year have St. George's crosses flying from the car and are in the pubs shouting at the screen with their thoughts. This year's European Championship was a very enjoyable tournament if only for the fact that we didn't have to put up with any of this and were allowed to simply enjoy the football on show.

Perhaps I'm just a football snob but being a Charlton fan has always been a lot more satisfying than being an England fan. A fortnight without a Charlton fixture has seemed like an eternity and I'm very much looking forward to getting down to the Valley again at the weekend. In the mean time the England show rolls into Zagreb to try and conjure up a better performance than last time they played there, Paul Robinson making an absolute mess of things. I'll have one eye on it but my thoughts will already have turned to the Wolves game. Roll on 3pm Saturday …

Game On!

2008-09-04T16:05:00.010+01:00

There we go, the football season is now officially “ON” with the closure of the summer transfer window.

Richard made a comment about staying up until the end of the transfer window to get the comings and goings and I must admit, so did I ... but so too did all of my mates!

I think as transfer windows go, it doesn’t get much more exciting.

Manchester City:
Who the hell envisaged Thaksin whatever-he’s called selling the blue side of Manchester to a gaggle of Arabs? I certainly didn’t and I sure as hell didn’t see them bidding on Dimitar Berbatov or Robinho.

Robinho:
I’m not sure what Robinho is going to bring to the Manchester City side. I don’t think he really wanted to play for them, rather, I think he sees his time at the Eastlands as an opportunity to sit in the shop window until January when it becomes clear that he’s not adapted to life in Manchester, at which point Mr. Abramovich will come calling with his millions and take him to the bright lights of London. There is no doubt he is a good player, but is he worth over £30m? I’ve seen him a few times for Real and I really think that the price tag is grossly over inflated and that Real Madrid must be laughing at the price they got.

Dimitar Berbatov:
As a Liverpool supporter and with it being a VERY important season this year (Manchester United have the ability to make it 18 league wins, equaling Liverpool as the most successful domestic club in England) I was fascinated by the Berbatov saga and really hoped that he’d sign for the blue side rather than the red side, but alas it was not to be. I think I was deluding myself thinking that he’d go to City over United, but what I was hoping, was that Spurs wouldn’t allow United to ‘talk’ to the striker.

I know that Liverpool are not squeaky clean following “Barry-gate” but what has really disappointed me is that the whole transfer process has been turned on its head, with teams now contacting players directly (or indirectly through agents – all of whom should be banned from the game and sent to Siberia in my opinion) before a fee has been agreed with the club. Effectively they are holding the club that own the player's contract to random by agreeing with the player before the club and it puts the club in the awkward position of having a player who isn't 100% focused.

Liverpool:
I’m glad that we’ve seen the end of “Barry-gate” for this year, I personally thought that £18m was a grossly over inflated price tag for a midfielder who has had one very good season and a number of mediocre ones. I didn’t see where he’d fit into the side and I don’t think he is that much better than the incumbent, Xabi Alonso.

The signing of Espanyol winger Albert Riera was another that’s been on the cards for a while. Admittedly I’ve not seen him as much as I’d liked to have and I hope that he doesn’t become another Josemi or Jan Kronkamp and not step up to the Premiership plate. We also said goodbye to Steve Finnan who has left Anfield bound for Espanyol as a make weight for the Reira deal, he did a sublime job in his time at Anfield and I’m sure Liverpool supporters will wish him the best in the twilight of his career.

The rest of the singings were just no-marks really, the young Hungarian lad had been brought over on loan last season with the agreement that we’d buy him permanently this year and Vitor Flora ("who are you?" I hear you say) from Botofogo.

The rest of the Prem:
£15m for Standard Liege midfielder Marouane Fellani seemed steep in my opinion and speaking to my bitter mates it seems that they are not particularly impressed with David Moyes’s transfer dealings. Louis Saha from Manchester United – I can only hope they didn’t pay anything for him because I can’t see him keeping fit for an entire season.

Spurs were quite active too – buying Corluka is a great move as was buying Pavlyuchenko who I think will shine in the Premiership. They’ve started VERY slowly, but I certainly think they will pick up as the season moves on.

Moving on to looking at Charlton ... I’ve got to echo what Richard said – the whole Primus melarky is very odd and I don’t know whether he is worth the effort really. Martin Cranie – if I’m brutally honest, I don’t even know who the fella is, so I can’t really pass judgment … I’ll wait until I see him in action before I comment.

I think that from a squad perspective, we are nowhere near having a squad that will be challenging for automatic promotion. It’s going to be a real battle this year and I think that January will see a strengthening of the squad if we are in the top four… but otherwise, we better had get the trenches dug and dig in for the long winter!

Midweek musings ...

2008-09-03T10:35:00.004+01:00

It's been a funny old week really, here are some thoughts on what's been going on:

Preston Away - Not a very good display by all accounts with Pardew making his usual cryptic comments about 'a few players' needing to take a look at themselves. When I switched on the radio with 20 minutes gone and heard we were one-nil up, I really wanted to believe that we could build on what we achieved against Reading and come away with a result. But then the other half of me thought it was all too good to be true and there was no way we could hold onto our lead for the rest of the game. And so it proved. Not going to say any more on this one as I think other blogs have said it all. Disappointing.

Linvoy Primus - For the love of God, how is this not sorted out?! The paperwork still hasn't been signed but despite this he turned out for the reserves against QPR yesterday. And by all accounts he struggled a bit. I have to agree with a number of people and say that this has been a complete balls up by Charlton on the communications front. Pardew announced it in euphoric mood after the Reading game but should we really have known about it until it was a done deal? I'm as interested by new signings as anybody else but it is nice to know exactly what terms they are arriving on.

Martin Cranie - I have to confess to being a sad man and staying up until midnight on Monday watching Sky Sports news. Twenty minutes to go and as a footnote to the hysteria around the Robinho transfer, it was announced that we've signed Martin Cranie on loan until the end of 2008. I've never seen this guy play but I'm a bit confused by him really. I was under the impression that he is a left back and the picture of him on the club website clearly shows him in the England Under 21 number 3 shirt. But then the same website tells us he plays at right back or centre half. Is nothing ever simple?! I hope he can play centre half because that's where we need him.

Zheng Zhi - He's staying! I was expecting news of Mr Zheng becoming a Baggie by the close of the transfer window but no deal could be agreed after the clubs entered discussions. And today Steve Waggott has stated on the club's website that "we were only prepared to let players leave if it was the right deal for the club, and the player in question"(more). It leaves the player in a bit of funny position though. He knows that the club were willing to get rid of him if the price was right but is still going to be playing his football with us (until January at least). Personally I don't think his attitude and commitment have ever been in question and I hope this doesn't alter now. If he isn't too tired (the guy never seems to stop playing) and Pardew uses him wisely then he could play a very important part this season. That said, the opportunity to cash in still presents itself in January when we should have a better idea of whether we're going to be up there this season.

Preston Preview

2008-08-29T11:16:00.004+01:00

A trip to Deepdale for the Addicks tomorrow as 5th take on 6th in the Championship. After a brush with relegation last season, Preston are unbeaten this term and Alan Irvine seems to have organised his team into a well drilled and committed Championship outfit. I've got rather hazy memories of watching this fixture in a West London pub last season after more than a couple of beers, when goals from Zheng Zhi and Luke Varney in stoppage time of either half won it for us. Of the sixteen that made the squad that day, six are no longer at the club (Mills, Sodje, Reid, Thomas, Iwelumo, Bougherra) whilst Zheng is unlikely to feature and Randolph is out on loan for the rest of the season.

Team selection should be a fairly uncomplicated affair for Pardew, picking the same XI that performed so impressively against Reading being the obvious thing to do. The one question mark may be over the left back spot with Youga available for selection after his suspension and the general feeling amongst Charlton blogs being that Basey was the weakest link in the team last week. There also appears to be doubts over the fitness of Lloyd Sam with Ambrose the most likely deputy having come through another reserve run out during the week. The latter of these changes may be enforced, but if possible I would prefer neither were made. Whilst Basey didn't have his best game in a Charlton shirt against Reading, it was his first league start of the season and he got to grips with the game as it progressed. Ambrose has his qualities (although some may beg to differ) but playing on the wing is not one of them, so I would continue with Sam if he is fit to play.

The will he/won't he Linvoy Primus saga seems to have reached a conclusion with the agreement that he will be our player for three months (although according to the website the paperwork still hasn't been signed!) so there is a chance that he may be in Pardew's thoughts, but surely only for a place on the bench at this stage. Even this I think is too much for a man who only trained with the squad for the first time on Thursday, not to mention the fact that he is apparently still returning to fitness. In terms of other options, Pardew hasn't given any kind of indication that he feels Todorov is fit enough to be considered for the first team (despite his mid-week appearance alongside Ambrose in the reserves) and there are no signs that Fleetwood is about to be considered.

With all of the above in mind, my team would be as follows: Weaver; Moutaouakil, Hudson, Fortune, Basey; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Semedo, Ambrose, Shelvey, Dickson.

I don't think anybody realistically expects a repeat of the performance against Reading and all things considered a draw would not be a bad result. That said, two wins on the spin would be a major boost for this team, especially heading into the international break and with a tough fixture against Wolves up next. It may also convince any potential recruits ahead of Monday's transfer deadline that we really are going to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Substance may be required above style this week, but let's hope it still results in three points for the men in red.

Harry spoils the party

2008-08-27T11:22:00.005+01:00

Nothing is ever simple is it? Linvoy Primus was all set to provide us with some much needed central defensive cover and now Harry has decided he doesn't want to let the chap leave for the rest of the season (more). I must admit I haven't seen that much of Primus (although there was a good article about him in the programme on Saturday, coincidentally or not) but he can't be bad if Portsmouth are refusing to let him go for the season despite having more than adequate cover in the centre of defence (Campbell, Distin, Pamarot, Kaboul … not to mention Hermann).

I guess the problem with our limited budget is that we're relying on the good will of a lot of clubs and managers when trying to tie up these kind of season long loan deals. As Pardew has admitted, Roy Hodgson did him 'a favour' in agreeing to loan out Hameur Boazza for the season. Unfortunately however, there aren't many decent and valued players that clubs will allow to go out on loan for the duration of a very long season.

So what now? I would suggest that given that there are only six days left until the transfer deadline we might consider taking Primus until December by way of a compromise, although it would be better to know that we had a player who would be with us until May. That said, it's not clear whether the interest in Sam Sodje has completed died away so that could be another option. In reality we probably need two further defensive options and there continues to be speculation that Martin Cranie might be one of those so we'll have to wait and see what Pardew's thinking is.

In the other direction, speculation around the future of Zheng Zhi continues with reports still linking him with a move to West Brom before midnight on Monday (more). It's highly likely that he's going to go and I think it's something most Charlton fans have accepted now. If he does it's not clear if any of the money will be made available to Pardew, although he did state in his post match interview on Saturday that the money he spent on Nicky Bailey would be 'the only money' he'd be spending. Whatever happens, hopefully by Tuesday morning we will have a tight and solid squad which will take us through until the end of the season … or January at least.

Charlton 4-2 Reading

2008-08-23T19:07:00.006+01:00

In his programme notes, Pardew promised "a cracking game", and he wasn't wrong. It was a match which had everything and, crucially, ended in a win for the men in red.

Matt Holland's opening goal was the result of a Marcus Hahnemann error but was deserved on the balance of play after a quick paced start. I had suspicions as to whether the first of Reading's penalties was one, but watching the replay at half time confirmed that Moutaouakil did indeed bundle over his man. Luckily, Doyle sent a horrible penalty crashing against the crossbar. Andy Gray made no such mistake at the other end when Luke Varney's was bundled over in the box and the referee, after consultation with his linesman, awarded the spot kick.

I said to Kelvin with a couple of minutes of the half left to go, the worst thing that could happen would be to concede a goal before half time. Which of course we duly did. Bobby Convey was given far, far too much time to cross in for Ibrahima Sonko to head in. To make matters worse, Reading were awarded another penalty shortly after the break. Stephen Hunt's initial effort was well saved by Weaver but owing to encroachment (although I haven't seen the replay yet and am not convinced) he got a second crack at it, with which he made no mistake.

There were shades of Watford at home last season as a 2-0 lead had disintegrated. But Charlton simply weren't going to let this one lie as they came back and made amends in stunning fashion. I didn't think Lloyd Sam had an amazing game (he checked his runs too much and got run off the ball too often), but there was nothing wrong with his cross for Varney's inch perfect header to restore the advantage. The victory was sealed again from the right with Moutaouakil's cross being smashed home courtesy of Bouazza's brilliant volley. After all this, there with still time for Sonko to get sent off, Andy Gray to crack one against the bar (although the more composed gentleman next to me told me it would have been offside anyway), and for Darren Ambrose to get a run out.

Charlton looked sharp, hungry and played some great football over the course of the game. Varney was given the man of the match award but for me two players really stood, both of them new boys: Bailey and Bouazza. Nicky Bailey looked solid throughout, tackled well and made some incisive passes. He could be just what we need in the middle of the park. Bouazza was quick, controlled the ball well, delivered some good crosses and capped off his afternoon with a fine goal. That is not to take away anything from the rest of the side who could easily have let the three points slip after losing their two goal lead.

It was interesting to read Pardew's comments at the end of the match. He was clearly very happy with what he saw but was also quick to remind us that we put in performances such as this last season (Stoke and Palace at home) only to throw away all the hard work the following week. Preston away next weekend is bound to be a tricky one but the starting eleven yesterday have made Pardew's team selection very easy. For now, we should give them some credit for turning in a marvellous performance and making one of the pre-season favourites look pretty ordinary.

Reading Preview

2008-08-22T08:47:00.004+01:00

It's Reading up next at The Valley in what is sure to be a tough encounter and a solid test of this Charlton team's credentials. Alan Pardew's former club have lost fewer players since their relegation than most expected (although there is still a week and a bit left to run on the transfer window) and they look to be a strong unit. With a team sheet boasting the likes of Hahnemann, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Hunt, Harper, Doyle and Lita, it's easy to see why the Royals are one of the favourites to make an immediate return to the Premiership.

Charlton have now lost two on the spin and it would be brilliant to stop the rot tomorrow. Injuries, suspensions and further exits all considered, Pardew is hardly spoilt for choice with his team selection. Weaver had a good game against Watford by all accounts so is a foregone conclusion in goal. Central defence is unlikely to see a change from the Hudson-Fortune combination. Kelly Youga's red card has opened up the left back slot though, for a game at least. The feeling is that Grant Basey's withdrawal from the Wales Under-21 squad was purely precautionary in light of the fact that it was a completely pointless friendly. I hope this is the case because a) I think Basey deserves his chance and b) I'm not sure who else we have to play there. Right back also presents a dilemma. In an ideal world I would like to see Semedo free from his defensive duties and made available for selection in midfield. But I just don't get the impression that Pardew rates or trusts Moutaouakil enough to throw him back in to a match like this. Which is worrying really.

On the assumption that Semedo will continue at right back and Nicky Bailey will almost certainly be making his home debut, there is one midfield spot left up for grabs. Ambrose's lengthy lay off, Racon's injury and the fact that I have no idea where Zheng Zhi is or what he is up to, means there are only two options I think: Shelvey or Holland. My preference would be to go for the experience of Holland and have Shelvey on the bench to offer some energy and drive later in the game if needed (which it surely will be). On the flanks, Sam and Bouazza are the obvious choices and hopefully Bouazza has settled in a bit. Fair enough, he got hardly any game time against Swansea and was played hopelessly out of position against Yeovil, but reports from the Watford game weren't brilliant.

Up front, I imagine Pardew will stick with Varney and Gray but they really need to start proving themselves. Against Swansea they looked pretty isolated and didn't link up at all well with the midfield or each other. Dickson is snapping at their heels and looks to be raring to go, but I suspect he'll have to settle for a place on the bench on this occasion. Todorov is not match fit and Fleetwood already seems to be well down the pecking order.

All said and done, I would line them up as follows: Weaver; Semedo, Hudson, Fortune, Youga; Sam, Bailey, Holland, Bouazza; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Moutaouakil, Wright, Shelvey, Dickson,

Former Charlton players have a got a habit of coming back to hurt us and the threat of Lita is well known. Last seen by Charlton fans at Loftus Road as our play-off hopes died with a pathetic 1-0 defeat, he showed during his spell at The Valley what he can do and our back four will do well to contain him and his colleagues. A defeat on Saturday won't be the end of the world and I think getting a point would be a good result. Fixtures against Watford, Reading and Wolves within our first five games is not the easiest of starts to the season and I think it will certainly wake up a few players to the reality of this season. Hoping for a glorious victory in front of the Sky cameras tomorrow, expecting slightly less.

Watford 1-0 Charlton @ Vicarage Road

2008-08-21T13:11:00.006+01:00

Firstly I must apologise for the delay in getting the match report up from the Watford match. No excuses, I’ve just been a lazy toad.

I travelled to Vicarage Road on my bill last weekend after a busy morning moving out of my flat and had very little thinking time prior to the match, but walking from the tube station to the ground I predicted a score draw and I think I would have been right had Charlton not gone a man down in the 45th minute.
It was my first trip to Vicarage Road.... what a dump. A horrible ground.... after my year of supporting Charlton, it's clear we have among the best facilities in the league.

The team lined up as most expected with Varney and Gray up front, Racon and new boy Bailey in the middle of the park with Bouazza and Lloyd Sam out wide. Kelly Youga lined up at left-back, Mark Hudson and Jonathan Fortune at centre half with Jose Semedo completing the quartet.

The match started with a stutter and the Addicks found themselves exposed at the rear as early as the 4th minute thanks to a probing run from Jon Harley down the left. His cross set up Jobi McAnuff who had his header cleared by Addicks Captain Mark Hudson. Charlton’s first real effort on goal came from Frenchman Thierry Racon who fired just over the cross bar in the 18th minute. Ten minutes later Charlton found themselves a goal down as a ball played down the left wing outsmarted Jonathan Fortune whose mishap allowed Tommy Smith to turn inside and slot home past Weaver much to the delight of the home crowd and the despair of the travelling contingent.

The goal allowed Watford to settle down and although Charlton had a few efforts the match was much of a stalemate until Charlton were reduced to ten men in the 47th minute. A perfectly weighted through-ball from John Eustace allowed Tomas Priskin to stretch his legs with Kelly Youga chasing the Watford centre forward. Youga caught Priskin but was adjudged to have fouled the Hungarian by referee Iain Williamson who promptly produced a red card for the foul.

Saturday was “Respect the Referee” day or whatever the FA choose to call it…. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to respect referee Williamson on this day. Williamson decided against seeking advice from his linesman and instead chose to send off Kelly Youga in stoppage time in the first half. I sincerely hope that the referee has phoned Alan Pardew to apologise for making a match changing decision that turned out to be so glaringly wrong. I also questioned his use of discretion – if he thought it was a foul why did he not just show a yellow card – surely he knew that it was the end of the half?? Anyhow, I think this decision changed the face of the game and from here on it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Addicks to salvage anything from the match.

The second half was more encouraging for Charlton and I thought that despite being down to ten men, we were still in the game, we were still making opportunities and we were unlucky not to equalise through Luke Varney who saw his effort stopped by Mart Poom.

Grant Basey came on for Bouazza and had a quiet start to his match whilst Racon hobbled his way off the pitch (due to a broken metatarsal) and made way for Matty Holland who did a great job trying to take the game by the scruff of its neck chasing the ball all over the pitch like a mad man….

Striker Chris Dickson was brought on for Jose Semedo and did a cracking job of chasing the ball and giving the game a good go. I’m looking forward to seeing him get a start, his youthful energy and clear ability is something that we will certainly benefit from having on the pitch .

The final whistle signalled a victory for Watford and the boos echoed around the away enclosure, not aimed at the players (this time) instead aimed at the Refereeand his linesman who was down the Charlton end who both had woeful afternoons.

What's Going On?!

2008-08-20T17:46:00.003+01:00

All sorts of Charlton news since our last post, I only wish more of it could fuel my self imposed optimism. By all accounts the display at Watford was by no means terrible but the reports aren't all together encouraging either. Pardew appeared to blame Youga's sending off for ruining the game but it doesn't sound like we were creating anything even when he was on the pitch. An apparent error by Fortune led to their goal and this must surely have hastened Pardew's search for a new defender (mustn't it?!). Matters were hardly helped when Thierry Racon hobbled off with what was confirmed today as a metatarsal break. Don't expect to see him back for three months.

A bit more transfer activity through The Valley exit doors with the news that Scott Wagstaff and Dean Sinclair are both heading out on loan. Wagstaff looks like a decent prospect (although he does appear to have quite a slight frame) and I can see why Pards wants to send him out to get some league action. I must confess though that I don't really understand the point of Dean Sinclair. Brought in at the beginning of last season, he spent the majority of season on loan at Cheltenham Town, where he has returned. Given the recent injury to Racon, along with Ambrose's absence, Pardew really can't rate him if he's prepared to send him out on loan at such a time. I know his wages aren't likely to be huge, but can we really afford to keep players such as this?

Meanwhile, there have been no more players heading through the door marked 'in'. I imagine Pardew is getting frustrated by the financial constraints he has on his transfer activity but there is no doubting that further additions are required. He must be pinching himself … this time last season he was paying out £2m a pop for the likes of Luke Varney and Izale McLeod, whilst Nicky Weaver and Svetoslav Todorov arrived with presumably relatively high wages. He was even allowed to splash out further in the January transfer window on Andy Gray, despite the less than impressive performances (in most instances) in the first half of the season of his acquisitions. Now he is having to operate like a modern day Arthur Daley just to get some cover at centre half.

Anyway, I'm keeping the faith (just about). Zheng Zhi is still a Charlton player (just about), we're two points better off than we were at this stage last season, Ambrose and Todorov are making their comebacks in the reserves, and there are still eleven days to go for some new faces to come and join the party in SE7. I think I also forgot to mention that Amdy Faye is off the wage bill and Jerome Thomas has gone to sulk in Porstmouth reserves for the season. Err … Great Britain are doing quite well in the Olympics too!

Watford Preview

2008-08-14T22:01:00.009+01:00

After the mid-week Carling Cup disappointment (read farce), a trip to Vicarage Road is up next to face a Watford side who seem to be facing issues not too dissimilar to Charlton. Relegated from the Premiership, they too flattered to deceive in their first season back in the Championship and were lucky to claim a play-off place following a horrible run of results at the back end of last term. They are also beginning to feel the financial implications and have had to offload some of their more prized assets such as Darius Henderson and Dan Shittu over the summer.

So what to make of Saturday's game? If the form book is anything to go by then it's a nailed on draw, with nothing to separate the sides in the last four meetings. Last year's encounter was a fairly scrappy affair played in atrocious conditions, a Darren Ambrose goal rescuing a point for the Addicks having gone 1-0 down. Ambrose won't be available for selection tomorrow but Pardew is left with some interesting choices to make.

At the back, there is nothing to suggest that Weaver won't be recalled to the side after being rested mid-week. At centre half Pards most certainly doesn't have a selection headache where Fortune and Hudson will surely start ... assuming (and praying) they are both fit of course. Positive reports on Basey from the Yeovil game but I expect Youga to retain his place at left back, although Pardew needs to ensure his casual style of play is kept in check. Right back presents more of a dilemma - recall the available again Moutaouakil or carry on playing Semedo? I am inclined to think that Pardew will keep the faith with Semedo for this one after Yassin's mid-week foray was apparently less than successful.

Midfield is a tricky one and an issue that New York Addick has covered extremely well in his latest post. Bouazza (on the right) and Bailey should both be making their full debuts in my opinion, with the added incentive of a return to his old club for the former. Has Bailey had enough time with the team to go straight into a match like this? I'm not sure, but from the reports I've read he is exactly what we need in the middle of the park. Who accompanies him again raises questions. On this occasion I would go for the experience of Holland, more as a calming influence and figure of seniority than anything else. On the left, I would stick with Thomas for now (although Basey could well lay a decent claim to this spot) but according to AP's latest comments he may well be on his way out along with ZZ. Up front, Varney and Gray to start again.

All in, my starting XI would look like this: Weaver; Semedo, Fortune, Hudson, Youga; Bouazza, Holland, Bailey, Thomas; Gray, Varney. Subs: Elliot, Basey, Racon, Sam, Dickson

Does either team have it in them to win it? It's too close to call, I just hope the men in red can react to the Yeovil result in the best way possible. I can't make it along on Saturday (I'm still drying off from the last season's trip) but if you're going along then enjoy the game and hopefully there will be smiles all round come 5pm.

Bailey Signs Up

2008-08-13T15:22:00.004+01:00

Just as I put the last post up, news on the official website that Nicky Bailey has signed 'in a package that could reach £750,000'. The 24 year-old goes straight into the squad for Saturday's game against Watford and has been given the vacant number 4 shirt.

Let's hope Bailey is the all action, strong tackling, hard working, goal scoring midfielder we've been missing since Reid left. No pressure Nicky, no pressure at all ...

And so it starts ...

2008-08-13T15:10:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. I didn't go to the game last night and was out all evening so didn't end up finding out the result until this morning. My radio alarm woke me up to the news that seven Championship teams had been knocked out of the Carling Cup, including Charlton who were booed off at The Valley after defeat to Yeovil Town. I hit the snooze button and hoped it was all part of a dream. Alas, when I was finally awake the news remained the same.

Mixed reports of the match although not too many positives to take away. A very strange line up by Pardew. Why was he playing Bouazza as a second striker whilst Dickson only came on as a substitute (and Fleetwood didn't come on at all)? Bouazza by all accounts is an out and out winger and Luke Varney really is not a lone striker. I can understand why he chose to rest Hudson but at the same time it only served to highlight the complete lunacy of our lack of cover at centre back with Youga asked to step in on this occasion. This was compounded when Fortune got injured, being replaced by Semedo and thus leaving us with no recognised centre halves on the pitch. There is absolutely no way we can allow this to happen in the league and reinforcements must be sought in this position.

Regardless of the performance, it was disappointing to hear that the booing has resurfaced so quickly. Is it really helpful to a (largely) young group of players who are trying to gel as a team after many of their senior counterparts have departed? It is early in the season and if we're losing faith already then it's going to be a very long and depressing nine months. Now is the time to give the team a chance and show us what they can do. Hopefully Pardew will pick the right eleven to enable them to do this.

Charlton 2-0 Swansea City

2008-08-10T13:02:00.014+01:00

The opening day of the season is usually associated with glorious weather, so I was hoping the wind and rain weren't a bad omen for our chances against Swansea yesterday. Luckily, these fears were unfounded as the Addicks notched up a win and three points.

To be honest, we are going to face much stronger opponents than the Swans but they still had to be beaten. So it was to everybody's relief when Mark Hudson made a dream start to his Charlton career with a powering header within the first few minutes. Set pieces have never seemed to be our strong point and I hardly remember us scoring from a corner last season. Shelvey's corner was well taken though and Hudson made no mistake.

As only Charlton can do, they made us sweat for the next 80 minutes before putting the game to bed with another header, this time courtesy of Andy Gray. Our cause was certainly helped when the Jacks were reduced to ten men after two yellow cards picked up in quick succession by Garry Monk, but even then we didn't look entirely comfortable.

At the back, Weaver made a couple of decent saves although was also guilty of fumbling a couple (although to be fair the slippery ball and surface hardly helped). Fortune and Hudson looked fairly solid at the heart of the defence and Youga looked decent at left back, showing some pretty good defensive qualities as well as an ability to get forward. For me, Semedo looked out of position at right back and when Yassin is back from suspension I would recall him and revert to playing Semedo where he plays best, as a ball winning midfielder.

This was something that we lacked yesterday. Shelvey and Racon worked hard but are both inexperienced and probably too similar to play together in the middle of the park. In an ideal world I would have Semedo in the holding role in midfield with Zheng accompanying him as a more attacking option. Whether he returns to The Valley after the Olympics remains to be seen though. Shelvey or Racon would certainly be an adequate replacement in the attacking role with some match experience under their belts however.

On the flanks, Thomas was his usual frustrating self and leaves me tearing my hair out whenever he gets the ball. Sam did OK and I think the arrival of Bouazza (which half the crowd did not seem to know about until his name was read out as a substitute!) will certainly provide him with some competition for his place. Up front, Varney and Gray never really got going and didn't show as much of an understanding as I would have liked. Gray took his goal well though and Varney should have added a third late on.

Overall then, not a performance to write home about but we came away with three points against a frustrating team to play against ... something we all too often failed to do last season. Reading some of Pardew's comments, it would seem that there could be one or two new arrivals in the offing to provide some much needed strengthening in certain areas. Hopefully the players we have by the end of August can very quickly gel into a team to compete in this division because it's going to be a long and difficult season. Still, second in the table after day one (if only thanks to alphabetical order) ... let's hope we'll still be there come May.

A New Look, A New Season, A New Captain

2008-08-08T11:50:00.003+01:00

Summer signing Mark Hudson has been named as The Addicks new captain for the 2008-09 season, replacing Matty Holland.

I must admit, I've not seen enough of Hudson to comment on him as a player or captain but its a big change for the coming season and I'm sure that Matty H will take it in his stride - I hope that it takes a bit of pressure off him and will allow him to really enjoy the season!

I think it makes sense having a centre-half as the captain this season, particularly given we need the experiance back there!

Either way.... the countdown has started.... bring on saturday!!

T - 48 Hours and Counting......

2008-08-07T15:28:00.007+01:00

Its 48 hours until the kick off of the 2008-2009 Coca-Cola Championship Season, 48 hours until we are all back at the Valley for the start of what we are hoping will be a huge season for the Addicks. I can’t wait for the season to kick off. I’m nervous and I think its going to be a long and frustrating season, but I’m confident that with a few additions to the side we will have that formula needed to progress back to the Premiership.

I thought I’d put down a few thoughts about the forthcoming season, the squad and just some general comments as we countdown to kick off.

The Squad
With the squad numbers announced for the season, we can now decide which player’s name we will get put on the back of our replica shirts (which the club shop might not have in the necessary size due to unprecedented demand!), but I’m not so sure we are all confident about what the starting eleven will be come Saturday. It’s always bemused me why players opt for random numbers (take my mate Kyriakos Papadopoulos who plays for Olympiakos as an example) and why we don’t just go back to the old system where 1 to 11 were your first team, the rest were subs and your second team! But rather than digress as I usually do, I’ll try to keep focus!

The most affected area of the team is clearly the back 4. With the sale of Majid Bougherra and Paddy McCarthy, the release of Ben Thatcher and the return of Sam Sodje and Greg Halford to Reading and Sunderland respectively there has been a lot of change in this department and it worries me that we’ve only really brought in Mark Hudson from rivals Crystal Palace. Our defense last season seemed quite settled and I didn’t think it was the poorest part of the team, even if they were susceptible to the odd moment of madness and lapse in concentration. I’m much more concerned this year that it will take the back four more time to bed in and settle, time that we cant really afford to waste! In addition to this, I think we are very light at the back and should we encounter any injuries we may well find ourselves scouring the loan market for a replacement!

Zheng Zhi’s participation in the Olympics ruled him out of the entire pre-season and means he will miss the first few weeks of the new season which is cause for concern in my opinion. ZZ looked to really tire during the middle of last season, I think he looked visibly shattered on the pitch and what worries me is that he will have forgone a preseason to continue where he finished last season and move straight into a relatively intense competition on the other side of the world. ZZ at the top of his game is a quality member of the side, but for much of the middle of the season I thought he was a passenger in a midfield that needed his youthful presence! I’m hoping that he will be substituted a bit more this season and that we can start to utilize some of the younger members of the team to give them the all important match experience that they’ll need to eventually take over the mantle as we move back into the Premiership.

To finish up with the midfield, I am expecting big things from our younger midfielders. Ambrose and Thomas really need to step up to the plate and ‘grow-up’ in a footballing sense. All too often last season both players faded into and out of matches showing brief flashes of brilliance in what were largely mediocre performances. I want to see Thomas roll up his sleeves and learn to tackle rather than shitting out of every tackle he goes into! Both players have promise and with the departure of big Chris Iwelumo, they should be encouraged to stamp their authority on the game and run at players and generally attack attack attack, rather than hoof hoof hoof!

I’m hoping that the departure of Iwelumo will rule out the ‘route 1’ hoofing that we became so used to last season and that with Andy Gray, Luke Varney and Toddy all fit and fighting for places we will be able to use the speed and skill of these players (and I really do think they are great strikers all of them) to tear apart Championship teams this season.

I think August is going to be a crucial month, I think we need two or three more additions to the squad to give us the depth to cover the entire season…..I’m largely against mid-season spending, rather prefer a proactive manager who will see the gaps in the team and plug them earlier rather than later (and usually at a higher price!)

The Season
I’ve spoken with a few people this week about the forthcoming season and the one thing that has been common throughout all of my conversations is that EVERYONE thinks this season will be infinitely more difficult than last season. In what was my first season of watching the Championship it became crystal clear that the Championship is not somewhere I’ll be putting my money this season. It’s the most random league I’ve ever witnessed with random results occurring throughout the course of the season.

Offering my prediction, I think that the top 6 will be made up of: Birmingham City, Watford, Wolves, Charlton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich this season. But beyond that I think its too tough to call who will get promoted out of this group! Well, I’m sure that Palace won’t, well, I hope not!

Final Word
I’ve had two more friends move down from Liverpool this year both of whom are mad Reds and one of whom I travel away into Europe with following Liverpool. I’m hoping to get them along to a few games this season so if you do bump into three Scousers at the match that’ll be us!

I’m going to try to get to a few more Charlton away matches this season too, I enjoyed the ones that I got to last season, even though we didn’t win any of them, they were always good days out and usually involved lots of beer and a pizza on the way home!

Get some rest tonight and tomorrow night….. its going to be a long ride this season!

Back to Basics - Preseason Training....

2008-07-19T21:01:00.018+01:00

So.... It's been two months since our last post.....which is unacceptable, however, in terms of justifying it, it should be clear... it's because of the amount of 'talent' on show this summer thanks partly to the European Championships, but also to the relatively hot weather that we've seen here in the UK this summer....so my search for new Charlton players has clearly been a fruitful one, with a team of cheerleaders the top of my wish list for the Valley this season!

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".

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....

Palace, Contracts, Transfers & Dowie

2008-05-14T11:44:00.006+01:00

Over a week has passed since the final game of the season although it seems like a lot longer ago. I always seem to get myself into this position of willing on the end of the season (a feeling of being ‘all footballed out’) only to realise that I will miss it and willing August around as quickly as possible! Anyway …

So Palace failed in their play-off promotion attempt. I must say, a small smile came across my face when I saw the result from last night’s second leg game at Ashton Gate. On the flip side, I think they will certainly be a very strong outfit to face next season and are likely to be serious promotion contenders, more so than Bristol City who I do not think will sustain their form from this season if they remain in the Championship. The division is shaping up to be quite a strong one and the less competition the better frankly. Still, we did the double over them this season so what’s to say that we can’t do it again.

On the home front, Kelly Youga, Grant Basey and Robert Elliot have all signed on the dotted line and I think in each case that is a good thing. New contracts for Basey and Youga add to the increasing speculation that Ben Thatcher won’t be a part of Pardew’s plans next season. The situation regarding Chris Powell is becoming increasingly unclear, although sadly I do not think we will see him at the Valley next season in any capacity. Hurry back soon Chris. For the remainder who are out of contract - Matt Holland, Svetoslav Todorov and Osei Sankofa – I really do not know what is in Pardew’s thoughts. I would imagine Holland will be kept on but perhaps have less of a prominent role next season. Todorov’s situation is an interesting one. He has hardly been given a fair crack of the whip given that his season was ended after the injury he sustained against Plymouth (and he had looked good upto that point) but Andy Gray was effectively brought in as his replacement, so can Pardew justify his wages for another season? As for Sankofa, he seemed to disappear into a black hole in the second half of this season so it is difficult to know what to think, although I imagine much will be determined by whether or not Halford is kept on.

In other transfer news, Madjid Bougherra has reportedly been the subject of bids (or at least interest) from Real Betis and Wigan. I don’t think he has ‘impressed hugely’ (as Sky Sports put it) since he arrived, but he certainly has not played badly and has shown he can form a decent partnership with either McCarthy or Sodje. It would be a shame to lose him. Regarding players coming in, we have been linked with Forest Green’s Stuart Fleetwood and Plymouth’s Paul Connolly, although I see today that the latter appears to be on his way to Derby. I have to say, I am not sure either would dramatically improve our squad and the priority has to be a creative midfielder to fill the significant gap left by Andy Reid.

Finally, I have just read that Iain Dowie has been appointed the new manager of QPR. I have to say, this is slightly surprising given the new owners appear to want a bit of glamour at Loftus Road and that Zinedine Zidane’s name was being touted around as a potential appointment last week. I guess Dowie does have a history with the club though and as sporting director Gianni Paladini says: "Iain Dowie has a proven track record in the Championship and we're delighted to have him on board”.

Did you watch Coventry at all this season Gianni?

Charlton 4 - 1 Coventry City

2008-05-05T11:36:00.004+01:00

With nothing for us to play for and the Sky Blues still trying to fight off the threat of relegation, I honestly thought this one would go very differently. Refreshingly however, you would have thought it was the men in red who needed the points with a competent and encouraging ninety minutes.

There were more at the Valley than I was expecting and those who had made the trip were rewarded with the display that Pardew had promised. The line up was partially dictated by injury but some things were telling. Does Thatcher's absence mean he is not in Pardew's thoughts for next season? Does Halford's continued presence mean he will be here next season (I would be happy if that were to be the case)? And another start for Jonjo Shelvey (admittedly in a dead rubber) suggests he may have some part to play in next season. I also hope that Sodje's inclusion as a substitute is an indication that we will try and retain him.

Whatever the thoughts behind the team he put it out, it seemed to work with the Addickted being rewarded within five minutes as Kasper Schmeichel rushed out for Bougherra's speculative pass, only to be neatly lobbed by Luke Varney. Quarter of an hour later, Varney teamed up excellently with Andy Gray to add a very decent second. Michael Mifsud's goal a minute later could have been the catalyst for another Charlton capitulation but 2-1 it remained at half time.

Into the secound half and any thoughts of a Coventry come back were all but extinguished when Grant Basey drove low and hard from inside the box, the ball hitting the back of the net courtesy of a rather large deflection. Charlton could have had another two or three over the course of the half, with Luke Varney twice shooting wide and Holland hitting the bar from a wonder strike that surely would have won him goal of the season had it gone in.

As it was, the fourth goal was worth waiting for ... minutes after having taken to the field to the standing ovation he so richly deserved, Chris Powell found himself in the opposition box with the ball at his feet. He made no mistake and I can't remember the last time I celebrated a goal so enthusiastically. Lifted up onto the shoulders of his team mates, he deserved that goal more than anybody and, given the circumstances, it was the perfect way to end the season.

I was encouraged by what I saw yesterday. Varney and Gray seemed to operate well together up front, Shelvey looked like a real prospect, McCarthy had an excellent game (a consideration for captain next season?) and there seemed to be a bit of fight and desire. Of course it is easy to get carried away, and as Pardew himself pointed out it was a result achieved without any pressure. However, there are signs that things could be OK next season and the position Coventry found themselves in yesterday is a timely reminder that things could be a lot worse.

"He's not happy there mate"

2008-04-28T16:32:00.005+01:00

I’ve put off writing anything about Charlton for quite some time now as frankly even the thought of it has pained me. My last post was a preview of the Southampton game and sadly it really has been all downhill from there. I can’t delay any longer however, so here are some thoughts on the past three matches and past three weeks.

To start, how predictably frustrating was the Southampton game? Having secured an excellent result away at Plymouth, it was so very Charlton to put in such a half arsed and limp display against a very poor Saints side. It’s a bit harsh to put attribute too much blame to Darren Randolph for his blunder because frankly we should have had about five at the other end. Remarkably it was still mathematically possible for us to reach the play offs after that game although you certainly wouldn’t have thought it if you were at Loftus Road the following week.

I have to say, I wasn’t overly optimistic on the Central Line on the way to the ground. Loftus Road seemed like quite an enclosed and intimidating ground to go to. However, with a play off place still within reach (just about), I was looking forward to an energetic and gritty performance from the Addicks in attempt to plunder a victory. How wrong could I be. What I witnessed was arguably the worst ninety minutes of football I have seen from a Charlton Athletic side for quite some time. There was absolutely nothing there. The formation was wrong, the players attitude was wrong and the desire to win was almost completely absent. It was quite a sad sight watching Matt Holland try and rouse some kind of energy and motivation from the rest of the players. Kelvin turned round to me during the match and said he would struggle to name one Charlton player who had a decent game and it was difficult to disagree. I enjoyed the warm up and the half time competition more than I did the game.

Saturday’s result at Barnsley was grimly inevitable and frankly the season can not end soon enough now. Lita back to Reading, Cook back to Fulham and time for Pardew to go back to the drawing board. A trip to SE7 on Sunday seems almost entirely pointless, but as my Dad said ‘you’ve paid for the ticket, you may as well go’. So I imagine I will be there with a few other mugs watching us put in the kind of display that will make me not want to renew my season ticket. Credit to the board to extending the free season ticket offer into next year, but they must have made the decision without being too worried at the thought of actually having to cough up having watched our displays this season. I will prolong looking ahead to next season until this one is officially over, but Pardew better have a brilliant plan to make up for the shit awful football he’s made us watch this season. Roll on 4pm Sunday.

The Feeling Inside....

2008-04-23T16:03:00.007+01:00

It’s that time of the year again (when I say ‘year’, I mean football year, not the bloody financial or 'traditional' calendar year) when I begin to tire....and generally become a miserable sod…. I was thinking about it the other day, chatting with the lads in the boozer about why I get like this every April and May?

So... what were our conclusions... well, we came up with a fair few:

The long winter?

The weather still being shite when the days are getting longer?

The fact that we'd just been to watch Charlton vs QPR on a shite day and too be honest, in a shite game?

The end of the football season?

No England in the Euros? Fuck Off, I’m Scouse.

No, it wasn't any of the reasons above (although I'm adamant I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, however, the lads generally laugh at me and I'm usually accused of being a shithouse) instead I put it down to the fact that It's Champions League Knock-Out Time.... and we're not talking the round of 16 or the quarter-finals.... specifically its Champions League Semi-Final Time.... It’s that time in April and May when the 4 best teams in Europe are pitted together by the UEFA machine.....

It’s that time of the year where football isn’t fun, where it becomes more than just a game…. It’s the time of the year that it’s for keeps. No second chances, just two legs of football separating you from progression to European greatness, or relegation to European mediocrity.

But this still doesn’t explain everything, surely that alone can’t make me miserable and tired? SO I kept thinking, what is different? What is it? And when I thought about it, I did think that this year is a little different, this year is the first year since 2004 that I decided not to follow Liverpool throughout Europe; the first year since 2004 that I wasn’t getting up at 4am and flying to random locations via half a dozen other locations to save a few quid; that I wasn’t sleeping on the floor of Schipol Airport; that I wasn’t blagging my way into executive lounges to shower and change....and it got me thinking.... "do I miss it?"

The answer was simple. Of course I fucking do.

Who was I kidding.... last year, I travelled over 80,000 miles, travelling to and from Australia (where I was working on a temporary assignment) to watch the Kings of Europe… Arriving in Manchester direct from Oz, only to go and jump on the pikey air from Liverpool two hours later, landing in a random field in Southern France to watch us play Bordeaux.... or touching down in Barcelona at the same time as dozen other flights on from all over the UK, all full of reds, ready to take the Nou Camp (and we fucking well did)…or congregating at Trafalgar Square in the sun with hundreds, if not thousands of other reds wanting to watch Stamford bridge fall down…

So I was getting closer and closer to solving my riddle….

Commuting from Australia to watch Liverpool in Europe was certainly a way to drain my energy and this coupled with the fact that “it was just that time of the year again” could certainly have been the reason last year….

But what about this year and the years before? Well, looking at the years before, there were a few key things that stuck out in my mind: Gerrard vs Olympiakos, the nerves….. Luis Garcia’s wonder strike against Juve, and then having to go to the Stad Adelphi to play Juve with our ‘history’ these were again, not just matches, they were more than that. They were what stood between Liverpool Football Club and regaining its position as the Kings of Europe.

Closer we edge to answering all my questions… but we are still left with this year to answer for, and I think I have hinted at it above. This is the first year I’ve decided to give Europe a miss, and boy do I miss it. I still have ‘that’ feeling when it comes to the Semi-Finals, the arse twitching, the excitement, the buzz, so it cant be the fact that I’ve fallen out with football, that is making me miserable, but what I do think it is, is the fact that I’m not attending ‘church’ regularly…. It’s the feeling that somehow I am letting myself down…letting my granddad (who proclaimed me a red) down and letting the team down that’s getting to me.

So going 360 on myself, I’ve worked out that if I go the match, I’m tired and miserable when it comes to the big games and If I don’t go the match, I’m equally tired and miserable….. One thing is for sure…. I know I’d rather be tired and miserable having watched the reds in Europe than not….

I’d best get my passport renewed for next season, or the wife will divorce me!

Southampton Preview

2008-04-11T16:14:00.003+01:00

A week is a long time in politics they say and this week has also seemed like a long one in football. This time last week I had all but written off our season, now there is a glimmer of hope. A stunning result at Plymouth and a lot of results going our way (with the exception of the Palace win away at Stoke) and suddenly tomorrow’s match against Southampton becomes a bit more interesting, added to which it looks like we might be approaching something close to a full house.

The result at Home Park was immense and I couldn’t contain my delight when I got the news through. To go a goal and man down away from home and come back to take all three points doesn’t happen very often and it couldn’t come at a better time. By all accounts Elliot acquitted himself very well in goal when called upon, we worked a lot better with a narrower midfield with Zheng on the right (although I guess that only got tested for about 5 minutes before Lee Cook was hauled off to make way for the substitute goalkeeper) and Iwelumo and Lita again looked good together up front. On the evidence of this performance, Pardew seems to have instilled a shit or bust attitude into the players (or at least I hope he has) – nothing but a win from here on in will do.

I am hopeful that we can keep the dream alive a bit longer tomorrow, although how typical would it be of our season to follow up such a victory with a mediocre draw? There will be a couple of enforced changes – Sodje seems to be out for the season but the return from injury of Madjid Bougherra and the part he played in last week’s game would suggest he will start with Fortune warming a spot on the bench. The goal keeping issue presents Pardew with a real poser – go with Elliot who performed so admirably on Saturday or choose the recalled Randolph who has (marginally) more experience? My feeling is that he will go for the latter although Elliot should feel extremely unlucky. Other than that, I do not think any further changes are required – this is about as close to a settled side as we are going to get at this stage.

In football outside of Charlton, Kelvin and I set very nervously through the Champions’ League semi-final between Liverpool and Arsenal on Tuesday, the best game I have seen for quite some time. Walcott’s surge up field for Arsenal’s second deserved to win any game, but you have to admire Liverpool’s tenacity to come from behind twice. In my opinion, they also have the league’s best striker in the shape of Fernando Torres – an incredible finish for the Reds’ second. It was a rollercoaster of a game to watch and I think the feeling at the end for my Scouse friend was one of relief.

Charlton are some way off the Champions’ League and I’m not sure we will see such an exciting game at the Valley tomorrow. As long as we get three points, I don’t care. We’ve been given a play-off life line, let’s hope we don’t hang ourselves with it.

Plymouth Preview

2008-04-04T11:06:00.002+01:00

It has been a pretty sobering week all round to be honest. Back to work after a terrific week in the French Alps, wading through all the match reports for Saturday to see what I had missed out on (or not as the case may be) and then staring at the stark reality of the table – eleventh place, four points of the play-offs, five games to go. If it hadn’t hit home before, it certainly has now – the final straw has been clutched, we are spending another season in the Championship.

It is difficult to get too excited about the remaining games of the season. Having read a lot of the blogs, most of the Addickted will be spending the next few weeks doing DIY or counting grains of sand such are the levels of apathy at this stage. The debate as to whether selling Andy Reid effectively ended our season has also been reignited. This is a topic that I sat firmly on the fence with initially. My initial reaction was that I was devastated to see him go – he was a player who always looked like he cared, put a rocket up the arse of the rest of the team and simply played very well for us. However, it was also easy to understand the argument that we could not afford to turn down £4 million (or however much it was in the end) for him, he was too injury prone and that the team played too much football through him.

Sadly my initial thoughts appear to be right, never more clear than last weekend when he smashed home a last minute winner for his new team on the back of a man of the match performance. I was always more confident of a decent performance when Reid was in the team – his passing was outstanding, he marshalled play effectively, he drove us forward and he had a positive impact on the players around him. As much as I admire and respect Matt Holland, that is not something that I see from him, not helped by a relatively poor second half of the season from Zheng Zhi. Would we be serious promotion contenders if Reidy was still around? Impossible to say, but I can’t help but feel that we would have been in a much better position. Ifs, buts and maybes …

Anyway, the post mortem can wait as there are still five games left to restore a bit of pride and perhaps a bit of confidence before next season, starting with a trip to Home Park on Saturday. If now is not the time to throw caution to the wind then I really don’t know what is but sadly I am not sure we have too many options to go crazy with. I would continue with Weaver between the posts, retain Halford, Sodje and McCarthy in the back four whilst replacing Thatcher with the more attacking minded Kelly Youga. The midfield I do not know where to start with. Is ZZ still recovering from his trip to China? Is Lloyd Sam fit? Given that I don’t know the answer to either of these questions, I would go with Thomas, Holland, Semedo and Ambrose (although surely Lee Cook deserves a decent run out). Apparently Lita and Iwelumo worked well up front together against Wolves so that front pairing is alright by me, although it would be good to see Luke Varney involved at some point.

I am trying desperately to see us getting something out of this game and many have pointed out that we play best when we have been written off. Plymouth took four points off two of their main promotion rivals before slipping to a 3-1 defeat at Coventry last week so it is difficult to know what to make of them. I think we can expect to feel the backlash of the defeat at the Ricoh Arena though, added to which Home Park seems like quite an intimate venue to go to. I have no idea how this game will go but if it ends in defeat to Charlton then it is safe to say then I will be looking forward to the end of the season as much as Paul Jewell. Let’s hope we show a bit of fight. Come on you reds.

Champions League Quarter Final

2008-04-04T10:28:00.010+01:00

Arsenal vs Liverpool @ The Emirates

Although I’ve ‘taken’ to Charlton this year, I’ve still managed to get my fair share of Liverpool matches in and when I can’t get to see them at Anfield or away in the Premiership or in Europe, I do catch them on TV most of the time and I was sitting in the Duke of York this week with Richard and a few other mates to watch this one…

1-1 was a fortunate result for the visitors if I’m honest. Rafa’s Dirk has provided the side from Liverpool with that vital away goal, which means Arsenal will need to come out firing on all cylinders at Anfield in a fortnight which should provide a great spectacle for the neutral supporter. With long periods of control and a very strong penalty appeal, the Gooners can feel a bit hard done by, but football is swings and roundabouts and we’ve been hard done by a few times this season, so I think it was karma for us…

There were no real surprises in the starting line-ups for either side. Mascherano returning after the debacle that was his dismissal at Old Trafford was partnered alongside Xabi Alonso in the middle of the park, with Captain Steven Gerrard on the right and Ryan Babel on the left. The unstoppable ‘Nando Torres was up front with Dirk Kuyt and the back four was made up of Carra, Skrtel, Hyypia and Aurelio. Arsenal had Adebayor and Van Persie up front with Fabergas, Flamini, Hleb and Eboue in the middle of the park.

Arsenal were the quicker team out of the blocks and from the opening whistle they looked the more comfortable of the teams. In fact I thought that they looked extremely dangerous in the middle of the park, but there was a distinct lack of ‘bite’ up front. Whether they are missing Eduardo is debatable – I’d not seen him set the ground alight even before his injury, but what is clear is that Arsenal rely too heavily on two players – Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabergas. At the beginning of the season when Arsenal were the pace setters, both players were on fire and looked lethal, however, following the Christmas break, and a drastic hair cut in Adebayor’s case, the two have seen a downturn in their fortunes and that of their team.

Adebayor left unmarked in the six yard box from a corner kick is a recipe for disaster and once again this season, Rafa Benitez’s ‘zonal’ defence lost the plot and allowed the most dangerous man on the park an open header. 1-0.

Liverpool responded almost instantaneously, through Dirk Kuyt who slotted home following a great run into the box from Captain Steven Gerrard. 1-1.

Arsenal started the second half how they had played most of the match, coming at Liverpool and putting the reds under sustained periods of pressure. With the exception of a Stevie G snapshot and an effort from Kuyt and Torres, Liverpool spent much of the second half defending and with 20 minutes remaining, Arsenal brought on Nicholas Bendtner who’s first contribution was to block a goal bound Cesc Fabergas effort off the line (cheers Nick, you are a champion).

Bendtner’s clearance was the last clear cut opportunity of the match, and I was happy to walk away with the away goal which could prove crucial.

Liverpool will have to concentrate on playing possession football in the next leg. I’m particularly interested to see how Arsenal will react to ‘Fortress Anfield’ - a completely different ground on European nights to the one they will be used to playing at in the league. Given the need for Arsenal to come at Liverpool, I will be bold in my prediction and go with a 2-0 Liverpool win in the home leg.

Man of the Match: Dirk Kuyt (he might not be prolific, but he gets around the park better than anyone else on the pitch and his work effort is immense)

A Red Divided

Huddersfield Town Preview

In need of a Plan B

Oldham Athletic Preview

Exeter City Preview

Southampton Preview

Tranmere... and Brentford at Home

A Travelling Addick - Tranmere Preview

Rewind - Back to the Dark Days.... it's not a pretty sight

A few thoughts....

Hartlepool United Preview

Three points, injuries and Hereford

Wycombe Wanderers Preview

The Accumulator Challenge - Week 1

In the Summertime... When the Weather is Fine...!

Catching up

One month to go and (finally) things are starting to happen

Taking Things a bit Far

La La Land.... and Reality

Next Season: Captain

Wycombe to start, Oldham to finish

Next Season: Away Days

Miguel Angel Llera

Jog on

What do you do?

Next Season: Season Tickets

1 To Go....What Does It Mean?

37 Down, 1 To Go.

Alemannia Aachen 1-0 Kaiserslautern

Is it safe to come out yet?

Barnsley Preview

Plymouth Argyle Preview

Back to the Frontline

Sheffield Wednesday Preview

Norwich and Forest

Che Guevara - Part 1 and 2

Review of 2008

Charlton 2-2 QPR

Dear Father Christmas

QPR Preview

There Are Places I Remember....

When it Rains, it Pours

The View from the Continent

Charlton 0-0 Southampton

Loan Athletic

Respect And How Not To Earn It, Rooney Style.

Who's Next?

Charlton 2-5 Sheffield United

Liverpool vs West Brom - A Match Report

Thoughts from 36,000 feet....

Charlton 1-3 Barnsley

Barnsley Preview

Ipswich Town Preview

Charlton 1-1 Burnley

Burnley Preview

It never rains but it pours

Charlton 0-2 Bristol City

Bristol City Preview

Fed to the Bluebirds

Cardiff City Preview

Catching Up ...

Charlton 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday *sigh*

Fleetwood's off, Fortune's injured, I'm confused

Sheffield Wednesday Preview

Nottingham Forest Preview

A Gray Day

Doncaster Rovers Preview

Charlton 1-3 Wolves

Wolves Preview

Well ... that was a bit of a surprise wasn't it??

International week ... am I bovvered?

Game On!

Midweek musings ...

Preston Preview

Harry spoils the party

Charlton 4-2 Reading

Reading Preview

Watford 1-0 Charlton @ Vicarage Road

What's Going On?!

Watford Preview

Charlton 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday sigh