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.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Taking Things a bit Far
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?
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?
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
La La Land.... and Reality
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.
£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.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Next Season: Captain
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.
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.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Wycombe to start, Oldham to finish
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?!
Friday, 12 June 2009
Next Season: Away Days
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 …
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 …
Monday, 8 June 2009
Miguel Angel Llera
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.
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.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Jog on
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?!
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
What do you do?
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!
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?
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Next Season: Season Tickets
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!
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