University Challenge

Abraham Lincoln above appearing under the pseudonym Booth. He could safely enjoy a night out at The Valley.........little danger of a shot on target !

Oxford come a calling on Tuesday evening bringing with them a couple of Daves, a couple of Ryans but surprisingly no Dons. Following their win at Portsmouth on Saturday they will provide a stiff examination, let's hope we're up to the test.

The U's have a few players who are worth studying.......much travelled and experienced striker Dave Kitson is the most notable. Former Manchester United youth product Danny Rose is another. There are a couple of loans players, Ryan Williams from Fulham and Asa Hall ( s of residence ) from Shrewsbury.

Oxford manager Chris Wilder spent some time on loan with us in the early 90's but I can't recall him myself. He has been in charge since 2008 and under him The U's graduated from the Conference in 2010.

Trying to work out the outcome of tomorrow's game is something than even Inspector Morse would struggle with. The lessons learned from our recent history of cup matches suggest that it should add up to a defeat for us. Whatever the outcome I'm sure we won't be reading about a classic in the papers on Wednesday morning.

Given our financial situation another cup game, especially if drawn at home to a big club, would help a bit so Professor Powell has to balance the desire to progress against the need to keep key players fresh for Middlesbrough on Saturday. I assume he'd like to give Green and Stephens a run out and to some degree, a couple of reserves appearing is a possibility. I guess we may get to see Church try and outsmart a cathedral............city ! Let's hope Chris gets it right and doesn't end up looking like Professor Plum.

I'm looking forward to the first home competitive match of the season and my thirst, if not for knowledge but a decent pre-match ale will probably take me to a different pub in Greenwich where a pint of Brains would seem appropriate. 

Come On You Reds !

We're Doomed

" Nurse, fetch the revolver ! "

That's it then, season over, don't know why we bothered renewing our season tickets. Blimey, what an over reaction from some quarters. Funnily enough in all my years supporting Charlton I've never expected us to win any game, hope, yes but expectation.........never ! Yesterday was no different, I didn't think we were about to go and blow them away.

It would appear that unusually a lack of organisation when defending a short corner cost us for the first goal. Given that it seems there had been a couple before we really shouldn't have got caught out by that but we were slow to react.

A superb strike from Yann restored parity which gave some reward to the travelling faithful. One has to hope that no one outside S.E. 7 noticed as our need to hold on him cannot be overstated.

Sadly Grabban went on to score a second from a quality strike although he was given too much time and space.

A late and uncharacteristically rash challenge from Pritchard saw him see red from referee Andy D'Urso and as much as I don't like D'Urso, I think he had little choice.

The loss of Skip before kick off to a niggling calf injury didn't help and he was sorely missed. Hughes who didn't really feature in pre-season was brought in to replace him. Sordell made his debut.

Sir Chris gets most things right but I would question the formation yesterday. Having played with a 4-5-1 set up for most of pre-season ( mostly out of necessity I admit ) I'm not sure that the move to 4-4-2 was a good idea. Given the late arrival of Sordell and Church, I assume we'd spent the most part of the build up to the game working on 4-5-1 so I'm not sure a late alteration will have helped.

In addition, it seems that Pritchard, playing wide right, didn't have a great game and he is better in a central position. Danny Green by all accounts had a good pre-season playing with some determination with a point to prove. It would have been nice to see him start with Pritchard moving inside as I said.  

As with last season the team needs our support and that's from Tuesday and going forward. Oxford secured a good win away to Portsmouth yesterday with an impressive 4-1 win so they will be buoyant. We don't need the doom and gloom mentality.

Away from the Valley you've got to feel some sympathy for the fans of Coventry City. A ten point deduction further punishment in addition to having to play all home games at Northampton's Sixfields stadium. A large number of those " home " games will be played on a Sunday. Like ourselves at Selhurst, I believe a large number of their fans refuse to go to Northampton so things are unlikely to get better for them for some time.

Let's hope that we can improve our own fortunes on Tuesday with those rarest of things for Charlton....a cup win !

Summer Madness !

And so it begins ! The season kicks off ridiculously early on Saturday. We've not yet played the 3rd Ashes test and I've yet to see my beloved Kent live this season, something that will be righted in the next couple of weeks.

After a pretty good pre-season there seems to be much doom and gloom surrounding the club. We have released a few players ( most of whom didn't feature a great deal last term ) but essentially what has changed ? Clearly we need a couple of strikers but the release of Smith on loan very much suggests that at least one or two are probably on their way in. Rumours abound of Marvin Sordell coming in and he'll do for me. I do hope that one or both of Fuller and Obika sign up soon.

Button has left but he clearly wasn't happy at not securing a more lengthy go when he came in for Hamer but he didn't cover himself in glory and can't really have too many arguments on that. Obviously he wants first team football on a regular basis as evidenced by his decision to drop a division for the second consecutive season and his release has made some room on the wage bill. Should Hamer get injured or suffer a dip in form then we can always dip into the loan market. Keepers are the easiest to merge into the team.

We have managed to keep ( so far ) the nucleus of the side that served us so well last season. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Stephens left but that aside it's not a lot different to the one we finished with.

Sir Chris has said we may need a couple of seasons to consolidate and without any great financial input that's got to be the aim. The impact of FFP and the current financial climate has seen very few clubs spend a lot of money so we are not alone in that although God knows how Millwall are able to finance their signings especially on such poor attendances !

What of Saturday then ? Firstly, I hope the weather is good for all those travelling down especially if you're down there the weekend. I envisage a tough game, Bournemouth have been on an upward trend and in Eddie Howe they have, like us, a manager who is seemingly comfortable and content in his current environment and doing a good job. Ideally you don't want to face a new promoted club early on and they'll be keen to start well at home.

Bournemouth have some injury concerns up front and with our defence it's hard to envisage there being many goals in this one. A scoreless draw or a win one nil either way is the most likely outcome.

I assume that we'll be starting with a 4-5-1 formation. I'd like to see the midfield comprised of Harriott, Gower, Jackson, Pritchard and Green but assume we'll see Stephens in with Pritch out wide right. A shame for many reasons..........Pritchard is better in a central position, Green has seemingly had a good pre-season is keen to impress and offers more in attack, Jackson is able to get forward more and in my view, Stephens offers very little.

Yann is in for a long, hot and testing afternoon but as we know if anyone can, Yann can ! He'll battle all day.

Good luck to you if you're going to Dean Court, I hope you are rewarded with a win and good performance to lighten the mood.

Come On You Reds !

I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside !

The Brighton&Hovejobs.com cricket ground !

I missed Paddy's testimonial on Saturday due to a long standing commitment to what would normally have a cricket tour weekend in North Devon. However, no such tour this year and a reunion in Hove took place. As such, the opportunity was taken to watch Sussex & James Taylor take on the Aussies.

Good weather, beer and company ensured that it was a great weekend. Only 40 minutes of play lost on Saturday to rain. Sadly cricket isn't immune to the difficult financial times we find ourselves in and Sussex, like many other counties now call their Hove ground by a sponsor's name, the Brighton&Hovejobs.com county ground.........arghhh ! 

You'd never have predicted this nonsense a few years ago nor indeed that these days you can locate cricket grounds by looking out for the floodlights !

The Aussies remain less than convincing and I'd be surprised if Agar retains his spot in the side although who on earth would replace him is anyone's guess. For a youngster presumably brought up on endless fielding drills in an era of the big bash / T20 etc you'd have thought he'd be quite good but his fielding is shocking. He shelled a relatively easy chance yesterday aside from generally being less than convincing. There's no energy in his bowling action and one wonders how he got in the side in the first place. Can only have been punt on the part of the Aussies selectors with Pietersen's weakness against slow left arm playing a major part.

Lyon didn't impress and Hamlton-Brown took him to the cleaners on Saturday with relative ease. The spin cupboard is bare for Australia which, given an anticipated turner in Manchester, doesn't bode well for them.

I assume that Warner will return for the Aussies at Old Trafford, I can't see how he can't.

Sad to see our pre-season unbeaten run end on Saturday. From what I read the game served to highlight how critical our need for a couple of strikers is. I really hope that we can secure Fuller and Obika but that increasingly appears unlikely with nothing done at this late stage although Spurs signing of Soldado may give some cause for optimism but that's against a seemingly awful financial background.

There's some way to go before the window shuts at the end of August with Premiership clubs still to finalise their squads but it's hard to be positive about our chances of recruiting anyone decent unless a buyer comes in or miraculously some money is found somewhere.

Hopefully something will happen before next Saturday and that our boys will enjoy their weekend beside the seaside as much as I've just done.  

Watt A Day !

Tom Watt - engaging and knowledgeable

Quite a good day at The Valley yesterday as Charlton held its club day. The glorious weather continued to make it an extremely pleasant day all round.

ANEM's very own  Clive had been lucky enough to win a golden ticket that saw him take a penalty on the infamous Valley turf. Ben Hamer's less than glorious record for saving penalties was never in any serious danger of being further damaged as Clive's Michael Gray-like effort tamely made its way towards the goal.

Clive had needed to report in at 11am and so an earlier arrival than otherwise needed was called for. Upon arrival we wandered around the car park and I took advantage of the 6 for £5 offer for old CAFC dvds.. A very good deal and I'm really pleased with my purchases. 

I also, finally, managed to sign up to the supporters trust. I'm glad to have finally done so at last !

A quick beer was quaffed before entering the ground to witness the training session. It was never going to be an intense affair but was interesting enough. The session was compered by Tom Watt.As most will know, Tom is an Arsenal fan  with a deep knowledge and love of the game and so he was an entirely appropriate and suitable choice for the job.

I later met up with Tom for a photo and from chatting to him I gather he's a close contact of Sir Chris. I reminded him of the time a caller to 606 was moaning about Charlton being in the Prem and how we didn't deserve to be there. Tom pounced immediately and asked the caller if he knew the history of the club. Suffice to say Tom put him in his place..........I've never forgotten that and it's not hard to imagine an entirely different scenario had it been Alan Green !

The light training session was interspersed with interviews with Sir Chris and the support staff. All quite entertaining and fun, not least Sir Chris's penalty and subsequent celebration. After the penalty shoot out we retired to Bartrams for more refreshment. Whilst sitting outside we were invited along to the Q&A session with Hamer, Jackson, Harriott, Gower and Roberts, Bloom and Umut.

The session was again hosted by Tom who asked the written submitted questions and posed some sensible, appropriate supplementary ones too with good humour. No shocking revelations unless you consider the news that Jackson and Hamer use Shockwaves on their hair as earth-shattering. However, it was clear they all have an affection for the club and are aware of our history. Jackson stressed how important the fans support is and cited the Cardiff home game as how it played its part. Skip also said that he felt that result was pivotal to the season's success as it gave them all real self-belief.

Had we not attended this q&a session then the day wouldn't have been as enjoyable. I would like to have attended the one with management team but it was not to be.

A couple of improvements could be made. I didn't understand why the q&a sessions were restricted as these could easily have been held on the pitch thus allowing everyone to submit a question or at lest hear the replies to them. I really couldn't understand why this didn't happen.

No bar was open in the West Stand. Why ? Surely that was a missed revenue opportunity on such a hot day. They could have opened a small part and sold beers at £2 a pint and soft drinks at £1 a go, say and still made a tidy sum.  

I know Bartrams was open and some folk did bring in a drink from there but I couldn't be arsed to go out to get one from there. 

Anyway, overall a good day and one that I hope will be repeated next year and an adoption of those ideas above plus an opportunity for everyone to meet more players and the great man himself would make the next one even better.

G'Day Sport

Maria Bertelli

Today we held our Sports Day at school. Unlike last year, when it was postponed three times and never actually took place, the weather was kind and it was completed in dry, reasonably warm weather.

Despite me organising the day it went very well. I'm pleased to say that these days the " non-competitive sports day " is pretty much a thing of the past. There were competitive races and events with clear winners. We finished with some relay races which for me are a real highlight as it needs team work and there's excitement right to the finish.

The top performing girl and boy in each year group were duly acknowledged by receiving a certificate of acknowledge. The winning country received the trophy. A great day in which there were some top quality performances from many children in a competitive yet sporting atmosphere.

When you children and parents alike enjoying themselves so much it gives you a real lift and I feel privileged to do the job I do.

We were supported today by students from the local secondary school all of whom bar one used to attend our primary school. It was great to see them again, to hear how well they're doing and watch them interact and encourage our kids. Almost to a man or girl they are all involved in one sport or another with a few at a very high level.

The day was greatly enhanced by the presence of our guest of honour, Maria Bertelli, pictured above. You may recognise her from the Olympics as she played in Team GB's Womens Volleyball Team. More likely though given our love of CAFC you may recall her as a player from the Charlton Womens team that was so successful prior to the mens relegation from the Premier League and the subsequent disgraceful decision to close down the ladies team.

Maria was excellent today spending loads of time with kids, demonstrating some volleyball and generally inspiring the children. Aside from that she was a really nice person much as you'd guess from someone with Charlton connections ! I really hope that manages to achieve her latest aim of representing Team GB in Rio.

Days like to today are wonderfully uplifting and inspiring and serve to remind you that contrary to what the popular press would have you believe kids of today love competing in sport. In addition, the older ones were superb in supporting and encouraging the younger ones.

For the record Australia won but you probably guessed that from the title of this piece. 

A Game Of Two Halves

C'est Magnifique !

 

I'm pleased to say that yesterday's game was one of total contrast in the two periods. Thank God for that because myself, Daniel and Alex missed the entire first half. Some idiot of a lorry driver failed to properly secure his load of chemicals which ended up all over the M25 @ 5am Saturday morning. I didn't know that and thus ended up trying to come off at Junction 25, not a good idea !

 

The expected 75 minutes journey took 4 hours ! It proved to be a test of my bladder's endurance as much as mine. The aforementioned lorry driver is due in court on Tuesday and if he is as gulity as it seems then I hope he is severly dealt with !

 

A couple of minutes on the East Stand concourse and I met up with Ketts who told me just how bad the first half had been. My mood improved a bit on hearing that and I was in a small minority of Addicks who were pleased that it was a dire 45 minutes.

 

Obviously news of our horrific journey reached Sir Chris and I understand his half time team talk was " Phil, Daniel and Alex have had a s**t journey down today, let's go out and make them happy ! "......................or words to that effect.

 

Whatever the boss said worked and we were served up another 4-1 home win on the final day of the season. Yann scored one of, if not the goal of the season following a superb cross from Gower. The finish was exquisite. Thins got even better when Solly showed us just how good his left foot is in sending one over for Yann to power home with his head.

 

A mistake from Morrison in failing to clear the ball saw City pull one back with Button injurying himself in the process. The injury was sufficient to force Button leave the field of play and see young Pope make his debut.

 

I'd love to be able to write about our Gallic hero's hat-trick but sadly he was denied by the width of a crossbar. His wonderful chip ( frite ? ) beat the keeper all end up but sadly not the bar, fortunately Obika was on hand to nod in the rebound.

 

Skip added a fourth soon after and the carnival atmosphere reached a crescendo with Sir Chris himself at one stage leading some of the comunity singing !

 

There was time for Wagstaff to have a cameo and bid goodbye to the fans. He has never been one of my favourite players seemingly lacking in strength and the ability to take on and beat defenders but I would never question his endeavour and will to win. I wish him all the best in finding a new club.

 

After an unconvincing start Obika is starting to grow on me. His late goals have proved crucial and his second half performance yesterday offered enough to suggest that he could flourish at The Valley next season. Let's hope we can secure his services.

 

I also hope we will see Fuller return. I find it incredible that some don't rate him. He has tons of nous, skill and experience and has been integral to most of the success this term. All that has been achieved whilst not been fully fit. I feel we'll need him next season and he will again prove to be a vital cog in the Charlton machine.

 

I'm not sure about Gower. As I said his cross for Yann's first was excellent and aside from that he did ok and that's the issue....he did ok. Against the poorest side in the league he just did ok. Perhaps it was an end of season issue. His pedigree suggests he should be a good acquisition for us with plenty to offer, if he stays then I hope he shows us that.

 

The last word is, as it should be, with the great man himself. His emotion filled voice told you everything you need to know about this wonderful man. He is Charlton through and through. He knows us better than we know ourselves, he's been through the ups and downs and above all he knows what it means to be a Charlton fan for he clearly is one himself.

 

I'm so glad he became our manager when he did and bear in mind that it nearly didn't happen and had Howe said yes, how different things might be. Had we not got Sir Chris then I've little doubt he'd be working some miracles elsewhere at another club with another set of adoring fans.

 

Some have observed that he bought himself some time and good will from the fans given his already legendary status. I've never bought into that view myself, in any case all of that would have evaporated by now if he wasn't upto the job. Last season and perhaps, even more so this he has proved himself more than capable.

 

He is intelligent and a quick learner but what sets him apart from the rest is his integrity and respect for others with a desire to treat all people equally. He knows how to manage players and treat people which has helped forge a group of players into a team with focus and vision.

 

Let's celebrate and reflect on what has been, in the end, a remarkable season. We can look forward to the next one if Powell is supported by the board and allowed to bring in the players he wants. One thing is clear, he won't lack support from the fans !

 

Come On You Reds !