SEASON TICKETS, SEASON TICKETS, SEASON TICKETS GRRRRRR...

...The fallout from Saturdays result continues unbounded.  The main points of discussion/argument/antagonistic's are many.

'We're rubbish, why can't we win at home', 'Where is the board...they won't talk to us/keep us informed','Should I renew my season ticket - why should I renew my season ticket to watch this tripe', 'is Powell the right man for the job, why can't he motivate the players anymore' and so it goes on and on and on.

Frankly I find it all a bit bemusing. Okay, unlike most modern football clubs, we were spoilt for the best part of twenty years by having a board who were on the whole genuine supporters of the club (regularly pumping their own money into the club just to keep it on an even keel) and could see that those supporters, the ones who had stuck with it through thick and thin were indeed the lifeblood of the club.  However much of those twenty years, and much of our clubs history to be honest, Charlton were at best a modestly sized club whose media tag 'plucky Charlton' was not undeserved.

Part of the problem,well documented, was the purple patch of seven years that we spent in the Premiership, being well run, plucky and punching above our weight quite often with some success. Curbs left, money, a lot of it, was invested both in trying to push on to the next level within the top flight and then trying to get back to the promised land of The Premiership. We all know what happened next.

For some reason there seem to be a lot of Charlton supporters out there who seem to think we are a big club who based on that seven year purple patch have a divine right to be playing up there with the real big boys and be watching 'total football' week in week out. For me much of my thirty years going to watch Charlton we've generally been looking down and wincing prior to releasing a sigh of relief rather than looking up in anticipation of inevitable great things.

Whether Sir Chris is the right man for the job at this level is certainly debatable, but what other options are there? As far as renewing season tickets is concerned, the supporters of this club - present, past and future will always be around, this current board for better or for worst won't. I've already renewed and purchased  my season ticket and will be back at The Valley in the summer looking forward to another season of potential misery and joy.

Stark reality is that we have two tough games coming up immediately after the international break. If we lose both of those (the first being a dreaded home match) the deficit between us and the bottom three could have been completely surpassed and we could find ourselves right in the thick of it. Alternatively we win both and are on 53 points and effectively based on my own predictions just one more win from guaranteed safety.

Small margins!

One things for sure, there are actually as I type this 57 teams in the NPower League worst off than us!

miiiiiiiiiiiiilwaaaaaallllllll

Please shut up. What an annoying bunch of supporters?

I've not read any blogs or match reports since getting home from todays early kick off. Another capitulation against local rivals.

In the first half, to be fair to us, we looked lively and well up for it. Two glaring problems were again the link up between the midfield and strikers and Danny Haynes complete petrifaction of the immense Shittu. How someone the pace of Danny was always second to any balls put through near to Shittu i don't know. (Actually I do, he was scared of him). When Powell did finally get round to bringing Fuller on for Haynes you could see the difference in that Fuller was not in the least intimidated by the Millwall captain.

Harriott again looked like he could develop into the real deal. Wilson has reverted to being pretty useless and well out of his depth at times.

One of the most annoying things today was the reaction of the Millwall players when they did score. They actually looked like winning this derby meant an awful lot to them. And I think that defines the real difference between the two squads. Millwall kept going and going looking to carve out the win, once we went one nil down it really never looked like we were coming back.

Thoroughly depressing result and performance.

A deserved victory for our nearest rivals.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Season defining two weeks coming up...

Before I preview tonight's vital away fixture I noticed a bit of surprising news today. Not sure if I was asleep when the promising Ruben Bover rocked up at New York Bulls in the MLS as a new signing to make his full debut a couple of nights ago. Maybe I was but I certainly don't really recall any mention of it from either the club or fellow bloggers. The only reason I even noticed was because I glimpsed someones tweet. Bizarre when we are so think on the ground on the playing side of things.

So onto to what will be, in my opinion, a critical two weeks for the clubs fortunes this season with three potential six pointers coming up. Peterborough have been on a bit of a run of good form over recent games. Over the last six matches they have averaged 1.67 points per game (versus our woeful 0.67). However as we see week in week out in this division, any one team can turn another over if they step up to the plate. Which is something that our boys really need to do tonight.

The problem is that defeat tonight won't see us plummet right into the thick of the relegation dogfight, but it will if results go against us see us head in a downwards direction and be a further knock to what is beginning to look like a team lacking or low in confidence.

I think Powell will opt for a 451 formation that has served well on some of our good away results, not sure who would be up top. Come to think of it i'm not sure whether we'll see Button retain his berth in between the sticks or whether we'll see a none complacent Hamer back in goal and back to his best.

I'm not going to outcome of the game tonight, as it's just too hard to make a judgment call on, I do however expect it to be one of those barmy midweek goal fests.