The U's

" I told you we should have signed Shearer "

The U's manager David Bleat is still in charge despite being a pre-season favourite for the chop. When asked if he felt under any pressure Mr Bleat observed " not really, if I do get sacked I'm minted anyway ".

The boss is quietly confident of success this season as " this is the best squad I've worked with, whatever I tell them to do they just seem to follow. I'm not sure we'll win promotion but am hoping for some success in the cups although I'd prefer the games to be over four legs rather than two in some competitions ". A pig from the nearby Manor Farm was seen nodding his head vigourously in agreement whilst muttering something about two legs being bad before making a hasty retreat.

Bleat feels that the undefeated start to the season is partly due to a more caring approach that he's adopted this season. " I keep telling the lads to remember that me and the fans adore ewe all ". He went onto say " the dressing room music helps too. We've a regular playlist now..........ewe don't have to say ewe love me, loving ewe is easy, only ewe etc. I don't mind what the lads listen to really......to be honest I'm a bit mutton ".

Bleat felt that on Saturday the team was a bit too cautious leading them to be penned in their own half. " I had to speak to them at half time especially as them seemed very distracted every time the whistle went ".

When asked about tonight's game Mr Bleat said given Charlton's good start he was looking forward to it adding " I expect that our fans will flock to the ground ".

ANEM staff weren't expecting to attend tonight's game but the treasurer has found a few pennies in the piggy bank ( once separated from the francs, escusdos and drachma - all being retained until the collapse of the euro you understand ) and it seems we can afford to go.  I never went to Layer Road and haven't been to the Weston Homes either. Tonight's visit is prompted by our good start, style of play and that I'm on hols and don't want to miss out. Mind you I've a feeling of Unlucky Alf about it but hope I'm proved wrong.

Colchester remain a physical side despite the departure of previous manager Aidy Boothroyd who, as we know, prefers a direct approach. Hopefully our passing game will win the day. 

Barring injuries I assume that the same starting eleven will take to the field as that against Notts County. A very good win that and Wagstaff scored again. I still think he's best from the bench but fair play to him he's scored twice in two and from reports had a good game. Like Elliot it seems he responds to having genuine competition for his place.

Having waited so long for an away win in the league, can the lads deliver two in four days ? Let's hope so !

I'm hoping that our goalscorers include Jason Ewell !

Come On You Reds ! 

Knott's County

Deadly and Knotty officially opening their stand on Thursday this week.

I returned late yesterday afternoon having spent a few days in God's chosen county. Initially being based in New Romney allowed me to re-visit many places and reminisce about childhood holidays in Greatstone. It also allowed me the pleasure of a few trips on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway which even at my tender ( !! ) age never loses its appeal.

From Wednesday onwards I was based in Canterbury for the Kent v Surrey match. This should have been a 4 day game, however, Surrey weren't able to take the game into the fourth day despite the vast sums invested in the team. If they don't go up then you feel Adams will be under pressure and I won't be surprised to see him go. This should draw compairsons with a football team but I can't think of any !

Thursday saw the return to the St Lawrence ground of two Kent and England cricket legends, namely Knott and Underwood as they opened the newly named stand in their honour. Knotty fondly recalled how Bernard Julien once threw a ball over the Frank Wolley stand, no mean feat as those of you who know the ground can readily testify ! I feel the stand should be called the Knott and Underwood stand because it sounds better to me probably due to the " caught Knott bowled Underwood " method of dismissal so popular ( with Kent fans anyway ) during the 60's, 70's and 80's.

During my short break a lot has happened on both national and more parochial levels although both have impacted on each other. I've no intention on commenting on the riots as other CAFC blogs have expressed the feelings of the vast majority of us and have done so more eloquently than I could.

On strictly footballing matters Jason Euell has returned to our ranks as one always suspected he would. I'm quite pleased about this as I believe he still has something to offer particularly at Div 3 level. I thought his treatment by Curbs that ultimately led to his leaving was a poor show and that the great man over-reacted to the inicident in the Man Utd game. Anyway good to see that he holds no grudges and is now back with us.

Today's game offers a tougher test than last week if only because we are away and an away league win isn't something we've witnessed for a while even allowing for the summer break !

I think we'd all take a draw right now although I'd prefer the win of course. Sadly today we come up against Lee Hughes. I've no time for the bloke who in keeping with most of the idiots widely shown on our tv screens this week shows no sign of remorse.

County won last comfortably last week in the league although one hopes that their mid-week defeat on penalties following extra-time and sadly a miss from the lovely Hughes will have knocked them.

As another blog observed ( sadly I can't remember which one due to reading several last night in an attempt to catch up ! ) there should be no room for sentimentality and Green should start today despite Wagstaff's excellent strike last week. As good as that was his overall game wasn't great and if Green is deemed by Sir Chris to be a better player then get him in from the start. I suspect it'll be a place on the bench for Green though.

Sir Chris will again be observing from the stands as he completes the second and final game of his touchline ban. Perhaps if we win again he may decide like Curbs did to base himself there permanently.

Hopefully we can return with 3 points today as it'd be good top the table again however embryonic it may be.

Cone on you reds !

Cherries Lost

With so many " Charlton virgins " it's no surprise that cherries lost....

Debuts aplenty yesterday then and surprise to see Elliot in goal and he took the chance well albeit not having a great deal to do.

An accomplished and confortable win aided by two fine goals. A good goal by Wagstaff but one shot does not a summer make. I thought he was decidely average for the rest of his game with two or three hospital balls to team-mates and the usual reluctance to attack a poor left back. However, let's not dwell too much on that.

Stephens was magnificent and imposed himself on the game. Hollands too was another star performer. The defence coped well and Solly, although the concern of his lack of height remains, had a very good game. 

For the Cherries I was surprised that Taylor didn't start as he seemed to pose a greater threat than anyone else and perhaps should have scored with a close range header. Molesley too looked a skillful player.

I think young Arter had wound himself up a tad and was lucky to stay on the pitch. He had a good game with some telling and intelligent passing. He reacted like Bournemouth had been relgated at the final whistle collapsing to the floor......all a bit over the top.

Pleased with the goals, scoreline and performance. Next week will give us a better indication of where this team is at. After we've played Sheffield United having completed 10 or 11 games will be a truer reflection though of course.

Onwards and upwards hopefully. Reading up next and a chance for Sir Chris to rest some and give a run out to others. Should be interesting. 

Kent's demise in the T20 took the gloss off an otherwise perfect day.

Hopefully we'll get that other striker we need and a central defender too during the next few days. 

Bourne Again

Smart, fast-paced and totally gripping............sounds like a typical Charlton game eh !

A sense of deja vu as we entertain ( ? ) Bournemouth at home for our first match of the season. Let's hope that the campaign's denouement is more satisfying this time.

Bourne again too as the team has been totally rebuilt and only a few remain and one wonders how much longer some of them will be us. The wait ( sic ) of expectation is over and it's time to do the business.

Sir Chris has been backed to the hilt, an appropriate phrase given our badge. He's got the players he wants ( although rumours abound of some being imposed on him ) and he has a good backroom staff. Powell never looks like he's feeling pressure or appears flustered. Not sure if that's a good thing, however, he'll need a cool head if things don't go the way we expect or want them too.

I'm sure fans will turn on him and the board will be expecting results as the chairman's comments have indicated. I'm sure that Mr Hart lurking in the background doesn't ease that situation either.

The team will, I suspect be pretty much as generally anticipated. Hughes can expect to start and Wagstaff ( oh dear ) too as Danny is Green but not heard as he serves a one match suspension. Is it my imagination or do we start every season with a player serving a ban in the opener ?

I assume that Hamer will start in goal and that Robbie sadly won't even make the bench. I hope that if Jackson plays on the left and I can't think he won't, that he gets wider and doesn't drop as deep as he did in the game against the Dutch. Wiggins needs to up his game, hopefully he will against his old club. As I understand he was performing a lot better last season and is obviously capable of more.

This season is eagerly awaited by Addicks' fans. I can't recall us ever having bought and sold / got rid of ( McOxo !! ) so many players. That it seems we're trying to play some decent football is a bonus as we all want to be entertained even if results are paramount.

As if this weren't excitement enough, we have a big new screen to look at. That's bound to come in useful as a diversion from the " action " on the pitch ! I missed it when we didn't have have one.....after all I'm still recovering from the loss of the ABCD etc board that gave scores corresponding to associated fixtures. 

I live in the hope that we will one day have credit card like season tickets along with so many other clubs. Why this still isn't in place I've no idea........surely the initial outlay will be repaid in no time with the reduced staffing costs ? Oh well pack the thick season ticket into my pocket then I guess.

A busy sporting day as Kent play their T20 quarter final after the match. Aside from playing at home this was about as good as the draw could get for the Spitfires. If anyone has read this far ( I admire your endurance ) and knows of a pub or watering hole that will be showing the match then please leave a comment letting me know as I'm keen to see it... thank you.

Let's hope for a double win, Addicks and Spitfires to send us all home happy.

Come On Your Reds !

Who's on first ?

Confirmation that times are hard as Ladbrokes are now operating out of Trap 2 in the East Stand

Who's on first, what's on second........it was something akin to that on Tuesday night as I tried to get my head round all the new signings. Kick off was delayed for 5 minutes as the crowd and in some cases the players were introduced to each other. The lack of names on shirts wasn't helping me either but I knew who Elliot was at least.

Most acquitted themselves quite well perhaps save for Mr Wiggins........have we signed Bradley ? If he doesn't perk up he too will be on his bike. Things didn't go well from the start for him.....number one son observed " he's got a good throw " only for him then to produce one the worst foul throws you'll ever see. Clean through in acres of space towards the end of the first half and Wiggy put in a cross that found Steward No. 258 by the corner flag.......oh dear ! Still give the lad time, he's not that bad.

BWP seemed quite lively and a tad more mobile allied to what seemed a better work ethic which bodes well and he took his goal with aplomb. Hayes showed some nice touches and held the ball up well, however, he needs to shot more when in good positions and be more direct. In addition, he seemed off the pace at times and reacted late when his instinct should have been to get into better positions.........had he done so he could have had 2 goals at least.

The bench was a personal nightmare containing as it did the remaining players I want to see out the door.....Benson, Francis, Doherty and Wagstaff. It seems we can't give or indeed pay someone to take Francis away !

There are genuine fears for the depth of the squad and getting rid of Llera is looking like a bad move and I'd rather see him there than Doherty. Hopefully that and the need for at least one more stirker will be addressed.

I got a sense of deja vu with Jackson playing on the left....reminders of Parky with Nicky Bailey. Jackson is so more suited to the middle and offered little width on the left. Powell must decide who's best in the middle and play them....it'll do my head in if we have to endure another season of playing players because they're ok but out of position where they're not effective. Mind you I'm not sure who else can play on the left save for Harriott now that Reidy has left the building.

It seemed as though we were trying to play football but the midfield dropped deep time and again to collect the ball and that wasn't good to see. Can't understand why you'd pass the ball to a team-mate who's standing next to you or why you wouldn't attack open space to at least draw a player in.

I know I sound I right miserable old ba**ard but I've high hopes and believe these players are capable of producing better. After all Brighton adopted a simple method playing with no greater calibre of players and they did ok.

So the team are off to the Toolbox on Saturday. Why we are playing them I've no idea. I'd have gone to almost any other ground and I dare say others will feel the same............I've no wish to go there. Our team and fans will get dogs abuse and why we opened ourselves upto that God knows. Not a very sensible decision.

Change Management

We won't need to worry about the relapse bit......will we ?

Early this morning the janitor made his way down to the bowels of ANEM towers, brushed aside some cobwebs, kicked a few rats and forcefully opened the door to room 101. There it was, the old PC ( not Dixon of Dock Green kids ) but the DELL. Gingerly, I fired it up........oh err ! Hey presto and we're off and running again......well blogging again anyway.

Glancing at a tear-stained copy of the last programme I note that there have been a few changes in personnel since then. Certainly the arrivals lounge has been busy but then again the departures lounge hasn't been a lonely place either. I wasn't sad to see McCormack go and he's probably one of the reasons behind Mick McCarthy's thinking in getting someone in to chat to his players about the perils of Twitter.

I'm not really disheartened or saddened by any of those that have left save for Semedo and Stewart but one never expected them to stay. I'd like to see Benson and Francis go too plus Wagstaff who never does it for me and may command a decent fee.

We were led to believe that there really wasn't much money to spend on new players, however, it seems that was a bit of kidology and further to that there has been significant investment in staff other than the playing variety. All good news and by and large pretty sound acquisitions I'd say.

We still need a couple more players and I hope that Euell will be one of them.....he would be good for us at this level.

I'm so excited by the prospect of this new season and will be there for tonight's game against the Dutch. I'll need to keep referring to the programme, assuming there is one, as I'm strugling to keep up with the new players. 

It seems from what I read that we are looking to " do a Brighton " to paraphrase the great Curbs ! They proved you can play decent football in this division and get promoted..........let's pray that we can do the same.

The baord have gien Powell his head and he will have to deliver and I'm sure he's aware of that. I guess that we'll hear and read a lot about the team needing time to gel.........hmm that's been the club's catchphrase for the last 3 or 4 seasons now it seems. They need to do it quickly.

I hope that renewed optimism results in a good attendance tonight and more importantly has a knock-on effect in season ticket sales.

As I said, well wrote anyway, I'm pretty excited by the prospect of the new season starting with toinght's game. Prior to that I'm visiting some old haunts....my parents grave not least amongst them ( not an intentional gag but I'm leaving it in anyway ). I'll go to my old schools in Bexleyheath and Erith, my childhood home and probably visit my mates's parents who never seem to get any older although I suspect they are. 

Living as I do in Milton Keynes I don't often get to do this as it's an early start for match days at the Valley especially when travelling by train. Having just started the 6 week school holidays allows me to do so today. I can visit the greengrocers where legend has it Keith Peacock or Billy Bonds used to live above or something. Happy days !

Can Sir Chris do the business this season ? I sure hope so because I really want him to succeed. It's all down to how he oversees the change management or there'll be a change in management. I'm really up for this and it should be good fun ! 

The Midas Touch

Gold, Makesnosense and Her

Soon to be appearing at the Olympic Stadium......" Faster, Higher, Stronger " ooooh matron !

All together now.... " we're forever blowing leads.........."

Karren Brady seen here with a pair of tits ( what's keeping them up ? Nothing now ! ) !

Suprisingly the above photo wasn't taken in soft focus as you might reasonably expect given our friends business backgrounds. Thank goodness they didn't take us over..........God knows where we'd be eh !

Karren Brady is often seen on telly giving astute and erudite advice to those Apprentice candidates.......how so ? Is it good business practice to sack someone without telling them, announce the new guy seemingly without his knowledge, have the incumbent make a great play of leaving, saying farewell to the fans only to do a complete 180 later on in the day ? It's a funny old game !

Even funnier is Hammers fans moaning about who should be manager now. Well most of us recall they didn't want Curbs because the footie wasn't attractive enough. Of course, overlook the fact that he did the almost impossible and kept them up a few years back. You'd rather be playing in the Championship than stay up and get some stability and build on it.

Pardon the pun but there's much irony surrounding West Ham. They play football the cultured way, always attractive they say. Of course, that's why the likes of Billy Bonds, Julian Dicks have cult status.

Misconception is there too...........we all know Defoe came out of their famous academy don't we children !

Relegation at the time of moving to a new stadium presents added headaches............I do so hope they'll be alright. Oh well, at least they're likely to retain Carlton Cole eh !

The past has finally caught up with them and they are now going down as they should have done following the Tevez saga. They got away with it but still messed up. Good to see their fans accept the drop with good grace though.......... " some advertising hoardings are on the pitch, they think it's all over.......it is now ! "

Meanwhile in the metropolis Darren Bent continued to show what a quality player he is. We'll never quite understand how he didn't make it to the last two world cups although clearly you need to be a complete knob to hold down an England place. Perhaps the overpaid, clueless Italian might sit up and take notice. Then again he might not and will continue to select players in his own likeness.....i.e. overpaid and clueless....

none of them able to speak a word of the Queen's either !