The goal at the end of the ninety minutes this evening really must be another three points and sitting even prettier on 75 points at the top of the table.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not letting complacency get the better of me, but now we've tipped the seventy mark so early. The highest points accumulation of all 92 teams so far this season, it should no longer be about looking over our shoulders at how many points behind our nearest rivals are, but a resolution to acquire the maximum number of points between now and the 5th May.
We've managed to ride out blips in our performance levels, ride out tricky fixtures and still pick up points, and importantly never looked like underestimating our opponents.
Chesterfield are bottom and fighting for their lives in this division. But we're top, and you can see all players are completely focussed on getting Charlton back up to the Championship (how much fun will it be to play Palace and Millwall again in the league?)
If fit and available I'd like to see Waggy given a chance over Green. other then that, if it ain't broke why change it?
I think his goal on Saturday will see BWP return to full goalscoring form tonight. Not very scientific this, but back in our last third tier promotion season we recorded the double over Chesterfield with identical one nil wins home and away. Based on that I'm going for us to emulate our 3-1 win this time up in Derbyshire. Charlton out of the blocks early and BWP for a cheeky first half hat trick.
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Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Normal service is resumed
A fellow Charlton supporter said to me after the game he thought 'we was rubbish, they (being Stevenage) were none league two years ago!'. I think he must have been at a different game. We bossed the game and looked poles apart from the Hertfordshire outfit.
After negotiating a blip of, ahem, a couple of draws and scraping a couple of wins by the odd goal Charlton turned up yesterday and put in the sort of performance that lets face it we all know they are capable of.
A bumper crowd, the best of the season, enjoyed a creative performance in which after a slightly pensive start we were in control. Wright Phillips still not quite back to his earlier form, but you could see he was growing in confidence and desperate to get on the score sheet. To be fair by the end of the game he could and should have had a hatful, but the deflected one he did claim, which clinched the points for us should be just what's needed to help him kick on at bottom club Chesterfield on Tuesday night.
Morrison again continues to impress, another solid display and a barnstormer of a goal from the edge of the area to put us one up.
For me, after yesterdays performance Solly is not only going to challenge Yan for my player of the season vote, but I think being so young will go on to great things. Already on the short list and in contention for a place in the team gb Olympics football squad, I have no doubt we'll see him play in the Premiership (hopefully for us) and very possibly for England.
A thorughly enjoyable afternoon at The Valley. Upto 72 points now and we could realistically see ourselves hit the eighty point mark in our next home game against Colchester. Needless to say I'll be there.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
After negotiating a blip of, ahem, a couple of draws and scraping a couple of wins by the odd goal Charlton turned up yesterday and put in the sort of performance that lets face it we all know they are capable of.
A bumper crowd, the best of the season, enjoyed a creative performance in which after a slightly pensive start we were in control. Wright Phillips still not quite back to his earlier form, but you could see he was growing in confidence and desperate to get on the score sheet. To be fair by the end of the game he could and should have had a hatful, but the deflected one he did claim, which clinched the points for us should be just what's needed to help him kick on at bottom club Chesterfield on Tuesday night.
Morrison again continues to impress, another solid display and a barnstormer of a goal from the edge of the area to put us one up.
For me, after yesterdays performance Solly is not only going to challenge Yan for my player of the season vote, but I think being so young will go on to great things. Already on the short list and in contention for a place in the team gb Olympics football squad, I have no doubt we'll see him play in the Premiership (hopefully for us) and very possibly for England.
A thorughly enjoyable afternoon at The Valley. Upto 72 points now and we could realistically see ourselves hit the eighty point mark in our next home game against Colchester. Needless to say I'll be there.
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Friday, 24 February 2012
Charlton return to form...
Stevenage's first ever visit to the Valley tomorrow could turn out to be one of the surprisingly most important games of the season and should be played out to a bumper crowd thanks to the five quid for a ticket promo.
Despite the fact that we have not lost since the trip to Orient, the slightly snidey way we've snatched wins and draws and winning games by the margin of the odd goal does seem to have the doom and gloom merchants creeping out from behind those rocks they seem to have been hiding under so far this season.
However we are still picking up points and retaining a decent enough lead at the summit and and even plumper cushion between ourselves and the play off places.
It's absolutely no secret and no surprise that on occasion Sir Chris has been tactically naive with his selection choice. But we do need to appreciate that he is only just a year into his career as a manager. And we are still top.
The result tomorrow is of particular importance, with two sticky away games against Chesterfield and Bournemouth on the horizon, and it will be both vital that we pick up all three points AND more importantly play the way we all know this team is capable of.
According to the club website there is a good chance of seeing both Solly and Jackson return to the team. (If Solly's illness was the winter bug that me and the family have just been subjected to I sympathise. It was messy!
I think it's important to appreciate and remember how far we have fallen so quickly. Appreciate the fact that we have a young, intelligent and I think rising star of a manager. Enjoy a season like nothing we've seen for many a year. The form hasn't really gone away. It's dipped a bit, but we are still picking up those vital points and not losing games.
My biggest worry is that WHEN we are promoted bigger clubs sniffing around our crown jewels; Solly, Wiggins, Yan the Man (my player of the year) and Jackson.
We will win and win well tomorrow. Stevenage lost at Notts County this week and I think that with one eye on the big trip to White Hart Lane the purple patch for the team from Hertfordshire will come to an end.
Charlton 3 Stevenage 0
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Game on...at last!
So after two weeks of absolutely no football for Charlton, as we wave goodbye (hopefully) to the cold snap in the rear view mirror, we now face four matches in just eleven days.
Following on from the dissapointing result against Bury we face Milton Keynes this evening, in what will be a real test against a very physical but good footballing side. It does seem of late that the MK manager is developing a bit of a chip on his shoulder and has got into more than one spate with various match officials and opposing managers or players.
It will be interesting to see what effect the enforced break has had on the players. Refreshed after a chance to sharpen up and re charge their batteries? Or out of sorts due to the lack of pitch time?
With the character our lot have shown on the bigger days this season I'm expecting a performance with sleeves rolled up and another three points toward promotion. (maybe even a goal from BWP ?)
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Following on from the dissapointing result against Bury we face Milton Keynes this evening, in what will be a real test against a very physical but good footballing side. It does seem of late that the MK manager is developing a bit of a chip on his shoulder and has got into more than one spate with various match officials and opposing managers or players.
It will be interesting to see what effect the enforced break has had on the players. Refreshed after a chance to sharpen up and re charge their batteries? Or out of sorts due to the lack of pitch time?
With the character our lot have shown on the bigger days this season I'm expecting a performance with sleeves rolled up and another three points toward promotion. (maybe even a goal from BWP ?)
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Monday, 23 January 2012
...Carlisle away anyone?
I'm just recovering from the great result and performance on Saturday.
Every man in a Charlton shirt stood up and were counted. United are without a doubt the best side we've seen at the Valley this term. And at times, we did ride our luck a bit (Well Hamer did anyway). However it is the way teams apply themselves, their resolute refusal to lose that defines champions. And that's exactly what we are now looking like.
It was one of those games that really in all honesty could have gone either way, I think we were just a bit better at rolling our sleeves up and giving it the proverbial 110% when challenging for every ball.
In Captain Jackson we have a real gem of a player. He is obviously greatly improved and matured since his days at Spurs, and he really needs to be gracing a higher division than the third tier.
The double sending off incident is one that is always open to debate. Russel's challenge was two footed but not malicious. Under what would seem like the current guidelines for ref's there's really no room for interpretation. If you see the studs from both boots the player goes off. I'm not sure it should be as clear cut as that. One of the things most of us love about football is a bit of blood and thunder. Crunching but not overly intent on breaking limbs type of challenges. I think that on Saturday it was at best a bit over zealous, at worst had a touch of intent to give a bit of 'pay back'.
Beattie charging over like some tit in a playground and doing a bad impression of Albert DeSalvo was just indefensible. I'd have thought that someone of his experience would have the nous to behave in that type of situation.
So now we sit on 60 points (I keep having to do a double take when I look at the table and see our points total) and are really beginning to look like champions elect to be fair.
Based on our rivals (Huddersfield, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday) all keeping up with their current points per game ratio along with us retaining our own I've calculated that we would be promoted on 14th March. The irony being that it will be away to Carlisle, where we won one of our few but great promotions back in 1986.
One thing that is for sure, this seasons campaign will be defined by two games in January and two fantastic free kicks from our captain.
Every man in a Charlton shirt stood up and were counted. United are without a doubt the best side we've seen at the Valley this term. And at times, we did ride our luck a bit (Well Hamer did anyway). However it is the way teams apply themselves, their resolute refusal to lose that defines champions. And that's exactly what we are now looking like.
It was one of those games that really in all honesty could have gone either way, I think we were just a bit better at rolling our sleeves up and giving it the proverbial 110% when challenging for every ball.
In Captain Jackson we have a real gem of a player. He is obviously greatly improved and matured since his days at Spurs, and he really needs to be gracing a higher division than the third tier.
The double sending off incident is one that is always open to debate. Russel's challenge was two footed but not malicious. Under what would seem like the current guidelines for ref's there's really no room for interpretation. If you see the studs from both boots the player goes off. I'm not sure it should be as clear cut as that. One of the things most of us love about football is a bit of blood and thunder. Crunching but not overly intent on breaking limbs type of challenges. I think that on Saturday it was at best a bit over zealous, at worst had a touch of intent to give a bit of 'pay back'.
Beattie charging over like some tit in a playground and doing a bad impression of Albert DeSalvo was just indefensible. I'd have thought that someone of his experience would have the nous to behave in that type of situation.
So now we sit on 60 points (I keep having to do a double take when I look at the table and see our points total) and are really beginning to look like champions elect to be fair.
Based on our rivals (Huddersfield, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday) all keeping up with their current points per game ratio along with us retaining our own I've calculated that we would be promoted on 14th March. The irony being that it will be away to Carlisle, where we won one of our few but great promotions back in 1986.
One thing that is for sure, this seasons campaign will be defined by two games in January and two fantastic free kicks from our captain.
Friday, 20 January 2012
It's a bit like waiting for a bus...
...waiting for massive games these days being a Charlton supporter.
Following on from the Huddersfield game and then soon after the away day at Hillsborough we now face Sheffield United (over recent years the bigger of the two teams from the Steel City ; ) )
It's another one of those impossible to predict fixtures. United have a good manager with pedigree, and are in my opinion to good for this division. (Much like us). I honestly believe that if United and Charlton go up, with a bit more investment, there's a good chance you'll see both clubs vi-ing at doing a Norwich or Southampton and giving a real go at a second consecutive promotion.
One thing is beginning to look a sure bet (besides Palarses potential Wembley appearance) is that parity will soon be restored in the pecking order in Sarf London.
I don't know what the score will be tomorrow, but I do know BWP will break his duck and it's a game that I think will have goals in it. I think this will be one of those anomalies of a match and scoreline. I'm going for a four three, just not sure which way!
I hope it's in our favour, if it is then it will begin to look very much a fait de accomply.
(the third time I've used this image. Hoping to get to use it again in May)
Following on from the Huddersfield game and then soon after the away day at Hillsborough we now face Sheffield United (over recent years the bigger of the two teams from the Steel City ; ) )
It's another one of those impossible to predict fixtures. United have a good manager with pedigree, and are in my opinion to good for this division. (Much like us). I honestly believe that if United and Charlton go up, with a bit more investment, there's a good chance you'll see both clubs vi-ing at doing a Norwich or Southampton and giving a real go at a second consecutive promotion.
One thing is beginning to look a sure bet (besides Palarses potential Wembley appearance) is that parity will soon be restored in the pecking order in Sarf London.
I don't know what the score will be tomorrow, but I do know BWP will break his duck and it's a game that I think will have goals in it. I think this will be one of those anomalies of a match and scoreline. I'm going for a four three, just not sure which way!
I hope it's in our favour, if it is then it will begin to look very much a fait de accomply.
Monday, 16 January 2012
North versus South Part One...
That was one nerve racking afternoon on Saturday. Particularly after the commentator on BBC London DAB announced that there would be an extra 4 minutes played. How I cringed when Wednesday won a corner and I heard Nicky Weaver was charging into the box.
Still alls well that ends well, I think this result really cements our credentials as serious promotion contenders, up there on merit and not riding our luck. (And believe me there are still some Addicks out there who are dubious of Powell's talents! I'm not one of them).
I watched the Jackson free kick on the suddenly re appearing football league show. An absolute cracker of a curling and dipping pace filled shot into the net. Part of me both worries and wonders about the prospect of a higher league club sniffing around our excellent captain before February 1st.
Wiggins apparently clearing off of the line. It had it all.
The result leaving us in the fortunate position that we can actually afford a slip up at home against United and still be top. A draw and we keep them at distance, a win and we begin to pull away.
Now I've just got to get through the working week and hope to see us hit 60 points on Saturday. Can't wait!
Still alls well that ends well, I think this result really cements our credentials as serious promotion contenders, up there on merit and not riding our luck. (And believe me there are still some Addicks out there who are dubious of Powell's talents! I'm not one of them).
I watched the Jackson free kick on the suddenly re appearing football league show. An absolute cracker of a curling and dipping pace filled shot into the net. Part of me both worries and wonders about the prospect of a higher league club sniffing around our excellent captain before February 1st.
Wiggins apparently clearing off of the line. It had it all.
The result leaving us in the fortunate position that we can actually afford a slip up at home against United and still be top. A draw and we keep them at distance, a win and we begin to pull away.
Now I've just got to get through the working week and hope to see us hit 60 points on Saturday. Can't wait!
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