The silly season is upon us... (or why I hate the transfer window!)

...So the nonsense that is the transfer window is now upon us, with a myriad of Sky Sports presenters and other journo's all about to explode in a mess of their own bodily fluids.

Besides the fact that this awful part of the modern game enabled Chelsea to put the breaks on our own upwards assent by robbing us of Scotty Parker and unsettling the team (and in my opinion was the moment the decline of Charlton began) it just throws up such lazy utter nuggets of poo, from Sky, The Red Tops, Talk Sports and even the good old beeb these days.

The sage that is Mark Lawrenson has an article on the beebs site on which club needs which, what the (entirely unsubstantiated) 'hot' rumors are. 

Chelsea trigger Baa's release clause by making a 7 million quid bid. (Knobs!)

Apparently several (soon to be championship clubs having travelled in thew wrong direction and out of the Premiership) are being linked with Bradley Pritchard and I believe Villa are again being linked with Dale Stephens (if this is the case the powers that be at Villa Park really need to hand their head scout his P45, the idea was laughable enough in the Summer - let alone after Stephens inconsistent performance for us so far this season).

I just checked the Sky Sports Transfer Centre web page which is currently down. I'm guessing either someones really got upset by a scoop they were about to print or the internet itself has become so exasperated by the whole thing it's now refusing to play ball!

I myself use the 'Charlton Transfer Rumors' website for my up to the minute speculation and general rubbish.

The idea of Sir Chris having the 4 million quid 'war chest' i'd read somewhere seems to be unlikely as according to' CTR' we are trying to swap Bradley Wright Phillips with about ten different players!

The one rumor that does mildly excite me is the notion of signing Kieran Richardson on a free from Fulham. A nippy winger who can actually cross a ball with some venom. But then this is probably another piece of January fiction.

It's all nuts if you ask me.

The Best League in the World...

So a blistering start, dogged performance and excellent yet unexpected result enable us all to kick off the New Year with refreshed optimism. (Well me at least anyway, I have to admit that the dire performance against Ipswich coupled with the home draw with Derby had left me fully expecting a trouncing at Vicarage Road and perhaps even a panic decision at board level and an abrupt end to Sir Chris’s tenure as manager. Thankfully I was wrong).

It is pretty hard to predict how things will swing on a match by match basis in this division. Which is what makes it so exciting and keeps the interest of pretty much every sides support in the division right up to the final knockings of the season come early spring.

When you look at our own story since that game against Cardiff, and I’m pretty sure at the time we all expected a lesson in football and how to really finish a team off by the Welshmen. Certainly not the 5-4 rollercoaster that we were treated to.

This started a run that saw our aspirations lurch from looking at those below us and hoping we can keep our noses in front to looking at sixth place and wondering if now we’d turned the corner we might just sneak into the play offs come May, back to relegation worries and after yesterday’s excellent result a renewed optimism that we can at the very least enjoy looking forward to the release of the fixture list for 2013-2012 season without seeing fixtures against the likes of Crewe, Carlisle and Wallsall. (No offence to these sides but they are hardly ‘glamour’ ties by any stretch of the imagination).

A 7 match unbeaten sequence turning into a run of 6 games without a win. Interestingly of our 19 point haul during this period 12 of our points came against teams who are now in the top half of the table whilst we dropped 11 points against teams from the bottom half.

Real vindication for the generally held view that the Championship is a league where anyone team on their day can beat any other regardless of position or standing, making it one of the most entertaining and exciting in the world. It was in fact last season the fourth best attended league in Europe, behind only the Bundesliga, Premiership and La Liga and in front of Serie A by over two million.

With a welcome break in the shape of a home cup tie against Huddersfield and the January transfer window now open to hopefully enable Powell to bolster the squad’s quality and experience somewhat, we can now look forward to what on paper should be three potentially winnable games against Blackpool, Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday.  But then like I say, it's pretty hard to predict anything in The Championship.

The Generation Game

I make no apologies for the hugely self indulgent nature of this post!

My Dad, after much badgering took me to my first ever Charlton game back in 1981. After one or two more ad hoc games he brought me to he finally went the hole hog and bought me a half season ticket as a Christmas present. One of those moments in life that has stuck with me ever since. The big hug and genuine thanks for a present that has fundamentally effected my life and given me so much during the last thirty years of laughs, enjoyment, pain, swearing, nail-biting, more swearing, away days and all of those other football things I hope to pass onto my own kids.

Sadly he passed away this month, and amongst his many legacies one will be a whole other two generations of Addicks to enjoy (?) many days of more laughs, enjoyment, pain, swearing, nail biting, more swearing, away days etc etc etc. Cheers Dad x


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...Lets park the bus

I'm back posting. Life having overtaken most things of late I thought it was about time to bite the bullet and start thinking about football matters again.

We entertain Boro in what may well be looked back on as a pivotal weekend in our season.

I know it's relatively early days yet, but we are doing pretty much what I had expected so far, perhaps a bit worst than we should have anticipated after home defeats against Watford and Barnsley that I would imagine the management had targeted for three points in each when looking at the fixture list pre season.

The encouraging thing for me is the unwritten goal difference mirroring league position and final points rule will see us stay up without out too much breath holding.

Historically we have a pretty even record against Middlesbrough, Charlton won 35 and Boro 38 over all games, even if you look at the last four encounters it's two wins a piece.

Undoubtedly Boro are on quite a run currently and will be high on confidence following the recent cup win against premier league rivals Sunderland.

With two of our relegation rivals playing each other at the weekend, Sheff Weds v Peterborough, it could be a chance for us to put some daylight back between us and the bottom four.

As far as predicting a result, anything seems possible in this division. 4-5-1 seems to be working better. I think if we play that formation there is a chance of us carrying off a smash and grab and nicking a one nil win. We'll need to come out of the traps quickly, get an early goal, and then park the bus. (Sorry to say, it's the only way I can see us out maneuvering a Boro side that does seem to be getting up a real head of steam).

If we do decide to play with two up top and outplay them I think it could be a long afternoon that may well see us ship some goals. Let hope it's the former.

mental in SE7

its all going mental down in SE7. First news tonight was that Slater is to be replaced by ex Charlton player Paul Elliott.One of my seminal favourite players and undoubtedly an intelligent man, but what, why and how? And even more surprising, i think, is Waggy being farmed out to Londinium Orient on a months loan. Another Charlton favourite of mine.

This coupled with the recent rumours of Russian mafia in the directors box recently I think we're in for the usual intriguing Charlton supporting roller-coaster over the next few months!


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It's been a while...

... Both since my last post and also since we last played one of my least favourite football clubs, Blackburn Rovers. But I'll get to that in a bit.

So a quick apology to anyone who is regularly kind enough to visit this page and read (and mostly disagree with I'd imagine) my views. My rather pregnant wife (number six en route for 21st December) managed to both rupture her cruciate ligament  and snap her cartelidge, works been a headache and we bloody lost against Palace. So both my time and enthusiasm have been a tad hampered of late. Sorry.

A quick 'whistle-stop' review of the last four game. Following the home draw against Hull City, who are becoming one of the fancied sides to be there or there about's come the end of the season, we then lost three on the spin, all be it with late rallies to try and get something out of the game. (How good would it have been for Hamer to hammer the ball into the back of the net in last minutes against Palace?) These late shows were simply not good enough, the side looked unbalanced and most worryingly Jackson looked out of his depth, out of sorts and out of position at left midfield. Something needed to change.

Away to Ipswich loomed, without the boy Rhoys now confirmed as a mid term injury victim and Yan the Man out injured I wasn't hopeful and expected this to be an unfortunate defining moment. As it turned out it may well have been a defining moment. For the good! It's been no big secret that Jacko's preferred role is in the centre of midfield, funny that he originally played for us on loan at left back, moved into left midfield as cover and may well have found his perfect slot in the middle. Kerkar looks like being another astute signing and reports are that he looked very good on the left. Fuller came in for Kermo, and scored one of the most confident and proactive goals I've seen scored by a Charlton forward for some time. A case of 'i've got the ball, get out of my way, now i'll shoot'. Out of the bottom three and all looking a bit more rosy.

One downside was how effortlessly Solly slotted into left back. This boys got talent. I find it so bemusing that the transfer window interest was in Stephens and not young Chris. A full back who looks (so I hear) equally at home on the left or right defensivley and going forward must be worth a mint!

So on to tomorrows game.  I have a solid hatred for Blackburn Rovers. The first team to really 'buy' the league title. (Pre Chelsea and Man City). Broke my teenage heart beating us in the Full Members Cup Final at Wembley, back in the days when I had absolutely no expectation that we would end up both back at the Valley and considered as THE model premiership small club. And of course historically (prior to my time of course) thwarting us at our original attempt to get straight back into the old first division in the days when we used to have regular BIG BIG BIG crowds. And an ex employer who have a box at Ewood Park, who when I asked about their history of supporting Rovers explained that they'd never been in the seats let alone the terrace, grew up in Tulse Hill supporting Arsenal as a kid, and the first live game they went to was the first game after Jack Walker had invested his millions into the playing staff to all but ensure promotion from the executive box they'd bought.

It's one of those games tomorrow I think. Crash or burn. Either Keane (odd man that he seems) will bring his players down to the Valley where they will bounce straight back from their recent defeat and put us promptly back in 'our place' OR Sir Chris's plans will slowly start to take place. These enforced changes to our line up I think were inevitable. Powell admirably stuck with those players that made us all so proud last season, and rightly so. But I think now he will begin to ring the changes that should see us safely flopping around mid table for the rest of the season. I see Kerkar on the left, Jackson in the middle, Solly perhaps back on the right and Evina, who it would seem is beginning to garner favor on the left. Fuller, if fit, will start up front with BWP.

I've got this funny feeling we're going to see some goals tomorrow. I'm going to plump for a 5-0 to us, piling the agony (and P45) on the Blackburn manager and giving me five reason to be cheerful. I might even have a punt on it.

It's nearly here...

... You'll have to forgive me for being a bit overexcited. I always get excited about the Addicks taking the field, but no more so than when we play local rivals Palace.

It's been one thousand three hundred and twenty six days since we last played and beat them, back at the Valley in 2009. (Yes I am that sad that i have worked out this fact with several old calendars and a bit of MENTAL arrhythmic).

I've enjoyed (and agonised) watching this fixture so many times. My Millwall supporting mate agree's that this for him is also always the one to win. You want and need bragging rights and a defeat can not only write of the evening for you but pretty much the rest of the month. (If not he season if it6's a bad one).

Palace moments that stick in my mind are many.

The penultimate game at the Valley, when THAT crappy piece of paper was first handed (as I remember it) and us going on to beat them 3-1 to stick two fingers up at their crowing supporters.

Sitting in The Arthur Waite Upper as a teenager with my Dad, with just a bit of barb separating us from some idiot spitting at us and generally looking like he wanted to murder me.

Losing at home in the play off semi final. Steve Claridge breaking hundreds of Palace hearts by firing a late winner for Leicester in a play off final.

The photo copied cuttings from pretty much every national paper mounted on the wall behind my desk proudly on display for all and sundry to see the morning after 'nine goal went past Perry...'

Dennis Rommedahl

Pacing nervously around my garden listening to the match updates come in and chatting nervously to my Millwall supporting friend whilst we waited, post Fortune goal, for confirmation of their relegation. (That particular celebration came back to bite us on the bum).

Iain 'Bloody!' Dowie

And stand jumping from the middle of my front room floor onto my bay window ledge, then letting out a primal scream, to celebrate our most recent match winning goal.

Sir Chris will certainly understand and not underestimate the importance of this fixture. I'm sure he'll get his tactics spot on and I'll have a great weekend.

Ricardo to arrive at The Valley in style and bragging rights coming to SE7 for a few months at least. Charlton 3-1.