Friday 27 February 2015

Return of The King

Bit of a cheesy tag line I know, and before anyone says it, yes I have moved on.

But one thing that won't ever change is my admiration of Chris Powell as both a Charlton player and manager of legendary status.

However, a good win and performance tomorrow is still what expect. My hope is that Guy will view this game as an achievable three pointer and revert to playing players in their correct position, not repeating the 'FM2015' type of experiment of playing poor old Lawrie Wilson in central midfield. For a player who's game is based on confidence, something he's been lacking this season, Tuesday night can't have done him much good. In fact I'd be surprised if we see much more of Wilson this season, and more than likely nothing beyond that.

Looking at the form table over the last six games there really is very little to separate the two sides. Both with a goal difference of plus one, Huddersfield having lost just one less than the Addicks, which we drew, and both sides having won just two of the six.

If Sir Chris does still suffer from only really having a Plan A, and we play with the forceful tempo and doggedness that we displayed in our back to back wins then another three points towards mid table mediocrity (which I gladly take) should be a good bet.

However if The Terriers do turn up and turn us over, then the bumper crowd expected may once again turn on the team and the excellent results against Brentford and Wigan will become a long distant memory.


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Saturday 14 February 2015

Well I did't see that coming...

To say I'm happily confounded would be an understatement. I went to the game today completely expecting another defeat and based on Tuesday's performance a pretty bad one at that.

Brentford may have had their off the pitch problems this week, but they're not a bad side, and their manager would and did have the backing of his players today.

The problem they experienced was that too a man, Charlton turned up. I really cannot see what the difference was. Henderson looked confident in between the sticks. I actually really liked Relegation Roger on his debut. A good old fashioned uncultured stopper of a centre back. 'When in doubt, kick it out'.

Vetokele paired with Watt up front from the start gave us, finally, a real threat in the final third, that we've not seen for some time. Even Bulot, who spent most of this week being derided by the Charlton faithful over social media had a good solid game. Maybe he's a confidence player. He took his goal extremely cooly, all be it he did look a bit shocked that he'd actually scored once the celebration ensued following his excellent strike.

It's always been a roller coaster being a Charlton fan. And unusual to boot. But today has to go down as one of the most unexpected and surreal matches I can remember seeing down at The Valley.

Who knows what happened between Tuesday night and today? I'm pretty sure Luzon didn't suddenly find a way to inspire the players and drill both tactical nouse and confidence into them. Maybe the booing they got in the week, coupled with the general pasting they've been getting since galvanised them into getting their collective act together? I really don't know.

Three massive points won, Millwall losing helping further improve my mood.

Let's hope the players can move onwards and upwards from today and carry some positive momentum into the season run in.


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Tuesday 10 February 2015

Charlton Abjects 2 Norwich City 3

I've avoided reading any other match reports or comments on tonight's game, as I wanted to try and articulate how I saw the game without being influenced by others opinions.

It would be a lie to say we were unlucky, and made a spirited stab and coming back into the game in the second half. But I'll come back to that.

The first half, we were simply abysmal, abject in our intent and clueless in our tactics. We had the look of an incoherent bunch of players thrown together for the first time and told to 'go play football' as our pre match team talk.

Frankly it was as horrible as anything I've ever seen at The Valley since my first game in 1981. And we've had teams of technically lesser players, but even those had more grit and pride than this motley lot seem to have about them right now. Frustratingly, of the starting eleven, on their day none could be described as complete and utter dud's. Because we know they are not. Mind you if I turned up for work (which is doing a target based job where results reap rewards and failure brings the sack) showing such a lack of guile and determination I'd be on my way pretty sharpish.

However, in the players slight defence there really does not look like there is any leadership from the top. Which is never a good thing. The highlight of the evening for me was whilst Guy Luzon was doing his odd crouchy thing, the covered end started singing 'your not Mourinio...' (I think they may be onto something there).

I got the impression that most of the other Valley faithful could not wait to get the second half out of the way and get home without us having shipped too many more goals. As it was, there was a bit more intent about Charlton after half time. All be it still in a pretty clueless manner. And I have to admit, although surprised and ecstatic when we got back to two all, (With what looked like a phantom goal from where I was sitting) I was just waiting for that hammer blow third to come from City. Which it inevitably did.

To cap a dreadfully poor refereeing performance and further prolong our agony five minutes injury time was added on.

Once again I watched a bedraggled bunch of players troop off heads down, boo's ringing around the crowd.

I think us Addicks will begin to fall firmly into two camps, those who tough it out. I honestly think Douchebagelet will either realise and admit he's model is wrong for the sport of football or get bored and, trust me, he will sell up and bugger off. And those who throw in the towel and go and do something less frustrating and expensive instead.

Ps. Despite my growing hatred of the 'network', Dutchalet, and all of his puppets I'm in it for the long haul!


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Wednesday 4 February 2015

At last! Now lets all stand up. Throughout the network.

So the blue touch paper has been lit. Rather surprisingly by the CAST, I don't mean that as any type of criticism, but to date, other than getting the ACV for The Valley they have been more of a modern day version of the old CASC.

And fair play to them. The response from Katrien Meire following their request for a meeting was both insulting to the 'customer base' and showed an complete lack of understanding of Charlton as a club and the ID of it's supporters and a more generalised complete naivety of the sport they are operating their anthropological (yes I stopped buying that bullshit line a while back) experiment in.

Football is a game based on tribal identities that is well over a hundred years old. And these mooks from Belgium just don't get it.

As for the public meeting. The bickering and sniping from peer to peer has already begun within our supporters. Here is an opportunity for the Trust to really step up to the plate, or get an face full of egg. My hope is for the former.

I for one will be as involved as possible in either getting our odd owners to piss off and buy a network of handball or European American Football Teams or to get them to wake up to and understand the beautiful game and it's supporters.

Food for thought. I know that Standard Lieges supporters have protested, shacking Roland's resolve, but ultimately he's still around like some evil mad puppet master. But what of the other network clubs?

If the mook really does still think his money means he can do exactly what he wants, and bugger what the tens and tens of thousands of supporters across the network feel (feel being the emotive word. Football to all proper supporters isn't a hobby, it's an addiction and a passion). What impact would a pan network coalition of disgruntled supporters do to his resolve? Apparently he did throw his dummy and wobble a touch when Lieges fans rioted inside the ground, but ultimately, carried on regardless.

I'm not saying for a minute we should smash our beloved Valley up. Let's face it.  Many of us played our small parts in getting us back from the wilderness and to our spiritual home.

The internet makes the world a small small place. If, as i'd imagine they are, a lot of the clubs in the networks supporters are as disgruntled as us, then why not try and reach out to their own mobilizers, every club has them. Whether it's those that organise 'meet ups' or sensible people such as the trust or Rick Everitt back in the other bad old days and organise some network wide synchronized protests. (Note I use the plural not the singular, it's gonna take more than one ra, ra, ra event to get this bloke to bugger off) .

How about it? I don't believe for one minute Roly will throw the towel in based on us Addicks saying we're not happy! He's already shown it by getting Katrien to fob us off.



Tuesday 3 February 2015

And it took all day to announce some lame news everybody already know's?

So it's taken all day to announce the signing on a short term contract of another much needed defender. To say I'm underwhelmed would be an understatement. On the plus side his name does sound like it belongs to a seventies porn star.

Here's some food for thought as to what may have happened. Some other targets were lined up. Maybe outright purchases or loan deals? Perhaps even other free agents ? The players in question took one look at the events of recent weeks, and thought 'you know what, I'm not that desperate!'

Or (and so I still cling to some faint hope that I'm wrong and all will be okay) there are some pretty impressive none network loan deals being negotiated as we speak/cry into our pints.

I'll wait and see, but won't be betting any of my best napkins on it.

Humf.

Monday 2 February 2015

18+ warning. One rude word crept into this post. But it's an honest appraisal of why RD HASN't got a Danny LaRue

http://www.calcioefinanza.it/2014/03/11/bari-duchatelet-vuole-il-bari-per-inserirlo-nel-suo-modello-perfetto-di-calcio/?lang=en

So there we have it. A bit of patience and all will be well. The network will work through the development of young players. (At least now Bob Peeters has gone we don't have to hear the cringe inducing saying 'young gunsh' anymore.

Basically, I had a little Google around to try and find some more depth to the network of clubs, and came across the above pigeon English article above.

Now although the intent and idea of building a successful footballing networked empire via great youth academies is a pretty good one, I'm afraid Duchelet has missed a trick or twenty with his acquisitions. How on earth is a Charlton youth player going to develop by playing at Spain's equivalent of Welling United? (Why not just loan said youth player out to, say, Welling United?)

The most important flaw in the whole sharing caring youth development policy, particularly in Charlton's case, is the localised competition to pick up the best young raw talent around locally. See Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, QPR, Crystal Palace (how horrible is that) all way in front of Charlton in the desirable stakes. Then various other clubs have locally based academies, Barcelona and Norwich City (in Surrey) to name but two. You could then argue Brentford may soon be a more desirable opportunity for parents to send their kids to try out, Millwall even. Then you have the likes of Reading, Watford, Southampton. None a million miles away. The premier league academies swallow up young kids en mass, spit out the average ones and keep the very few cream of the crop. It happens. That's how they do it. It's a numbers game.

Unless we are a desirable option, we will only get the off casts. And to be honest as eager as they may be, very rarely these days does someone overlooked go on to be the next Messi!

The quality, history and heritage of the clubs within the network, Standard Liege and Charlton aside, may in some cases be long, but is hardly pedigree (sorry to those other clubs, so please don't take offence). Like I said before, what's the point of sending one of our Yoof to Alacron. They're not Barcelona, so what will they actually learn that they couldn't have at any other third or fourth tier English club? All they will get is lesser quality game time.

Games up Roland! You may have experienced some political success, and made some money out of astute business deals, but you know fuck all squared about football. You really DO NOT GET IT.

And before those 'we should get behind the team' merchants pitch in, I do. I did on Saturday, until we threw away three points just five minutes after winning them.

Holmes -Dennis has been recalled from his 'successful loan period, where he got lots of valuable game time'. And the word is no proper signings tonight, but a free agent being unveiled in the morning (Barnes or Hasselbank anyone? - no didn't think so) says to me, we are right and royally shafted due to our glorious owner not having a clue.

The new regime continues to be divisive , at a club where the unity of the supporters has seen us through thick and thin time and time again.

It's not about the hierarchy of how long you've been an Addick. Me, my Mum and Dad (rip) , daughters and son have all done time for the cause. Generally with little reward, but a smile on our faces.

Roland. Admit you were wrong (unfortunately, something tells me that's not in your DNA) and GO.

It's not Luzon we should be singing 'you don't know what your doing' at. What spoilt child would not take the opportunity to play with his latest toy so enthusiastically?

Personally, I don't think a mass boycott of attending games will either happen or work. But how about we all turn up with our hands firmly placed in our pockets. It' a midweek game, so none of us would have eaten having come straight from work. Don't buy a proper gander leaflet (sorry I meant programme)' don't buy HIS beer. (it's his beer, and any coinage of profit goes into his pocket). If you must have a beer before the game, use one of the local boozers, those that don't already anyway. Give a local your money.

And wait and have a kebab or curry or maccee dees on the way home, or on the way. Don't give the mad man any more than the entrance fee. Personally I think Rick Everitt should organise a mass picnic on the pitch before the game in protest, everyone eating their own pack up and soup purchased from anywhere that won't line Roland's coffers.

The knob.




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