Same old same old...time to bugger off RD

To be fair nil all would have been a fair result.

As it was to snatch a point when all three should have been in the bag was criminal.  The crowd really do seem to have turned. The North Stand chanting 'we are Charltons Red and White army' and 'he's one of our own' after Cousins goal say it all.

Basil Fawlty on the touch line cut a comical figure.

The positives I can get from today were the keeper looked the part, and I was somewhat sceptical when he was picked last week.

The guy from Spurs looked the part, just a shame he had to make way for the useless LePointless.

I'll leave others to fill in the details of the actual match moments.

My heart sank when Wiggins tapped the ball into the back of our net.

I'm off to warm up with a glass of red wine and reflect on yet another bloody draw.

I'll take a nibble of humble pie...but that's all...

A nil all draw. A decent after game press conference. (I can only guess the general idiocy of last weeks press conference was down to nerves. Someone once told me - that's actually a good thing. It means you give shit).

I can't comment on how well we played. I wasn't there. At half time according to the bbc we hadn't had a shot on goal. By all accounts the second half we actually threatened a bit. I was aghast at the choice of goalkeeper, but he kept them out!

All rather confusing being a Charlton fan.

Well done Messrs Powell and Parky on good wins today. I did have one foot firmly in the 'bugger off back to Belgium' camp, but as fickle as us football supporters are, will wait to place my own eyes on things next week against Rotherham.


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One last chance Guys

First off, the wonders of modern technology are beginning to know no binds. Having had a hard earned day off to celebrate my wedding anniversary with the missus, I'm in the bath, glass of wine, listening to a bit of Muzac and blogging.

17 years ago when I took the plunge and made my oaths to swmbo life as a Charlton supporter was very different. The long awaited return to The Valley was still very fresh in everyone's minds, and we were half way through, what for me alongside the surprise promotion in 86, was my favourite season supporting Charlton. A forward thinking board, a young intelligent manager with a CAFC legend alongside him, and a cleverley assembled squad of predominately British players. The foundation was in place for Charlton to be English footballs model club. And for the best part of the next ten years, that's exactly what we were. Much to the malign of my Millwall supporting best mate. Sky Sports and the media in General would continually say so.

Now they view our club, it's supporters (if you watched the football league show last week) with pity, and the owners with ridicule and contempt.

I feel a bit of self guilt at my attitude towards what's happening down in SE7, but it's difficult not to, isn't it?

Take a look at the Belguim Pro League table. Liege are sixth and 11 points off of top spot. Roly's model works in as much as he has a network of clubs who've not gone bust, but equally have not won a bean. So what's the point then? Football is a sport. I know no sport that's not competative. Therefore if the model is to have nice stadiums, that serve nice food to nice supporters and teams that tread water and win a few more games than they lose then it works. But where the model does not work is that there are actually tens of thousands of generations of supporters across the network who, like me, are dreamers and enjoy the anticipation that this just might be our season. As a general rule it never is. But without that little nugget of thinking maybe just maybe, before a ball has been kicked, what's the point?

I'd like us to win tomorrow, but in all honesty, I simple cannot see that happening. 

I feel sorry that the wrong person accosted you on the train last week Kat, but to be fair, you truly are a tad delusional to not even think someone may take umbridge and want to have a word in your shell.

Here's good news though everyone. Neither Kat or Roly are actually stupid. Therefore, eventually the penny will drop. Your not helping any of the supporters or local communities with your ridiculous anthropological experiment. Your not going to make any money without winning things. Your neither gratefully recieved or wanted. They may have lost interest and nearly saw us go into administration, but at least Jiminez and Slater let the football people make the football decisions.

Like most Charlton supporters, I have staying power. I'm going to tough it out and wait until Roly, Kat and all disappear. Which I can guarantee they will. Eventually. In the meantime I am going to moan, and more than likely laugh at Guy Bufoon.

Eleven days and counting

So we've signed what our recently exiting 'idol' Big Bob would refer to rather cheesely as a 'young gun' with another difficult to pronounce name (if your me that is!) and not much else has happened as we count down to the Feb 2nd closure of the transfer window.

Part of me wonders and hopes that this lack of activity means Luzon (or Basil as I like to refer to the beanpole who's previous touch line antics are reminiscent of a certain Torquay hotelier) may not be coming due to work permit issues, hence we won't need to replace those first teamers who have decided that through previous experience they don't want to play for the guy. In which case maybe we will revert to plan a? Whatever that was?

I can just see the club statement 'the club have listened to the supporters and decided with the benefit of hindsight....bla bla bla' - well maybe not.

It does seem a bit odd though that there's still no sign of the non eu international standard coach though, don't you think?

In short I have a feeling we are about to lurch from one embarrassment to a new embarrassment. It all has me feeling a bit flat. (Apparently I'm not supposed to say that).

I wait with baited breath as Surley with just two sleeps until the game away to Kenny Jacketts very good Wolves side something must be announced today.

Either way I will certainly be watching Saturday's game unfold through my hands from behind the sofa as I'm worried it could be an even bigger and more embarrassing capitulation then at Vicarage Road.


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Let's make some noise...

So. The trust continue to rather placidly dance with the club. Rick Everett, 'saviour' of Charlton carries on venting his spleen in a way that simply does not do justice to the younger man, who quite and undeniably played an instrumental pert in our return to the valley. The Royal Oak 89 or whatever they called themselves (or everyone else did) are conspicuous in their silence.

What do we do next? Optimism has now left me. The current board have shown themselves to be pretty naive and inept in the world of club ownership, unless you are the biggest club in your respective country already (ie. Liege) or with all due respect the foreign equivalent of a Isthmain League side (much of the rest of this godforsaken network).

In short, you may get the impression, I'm a tad pissed off. I'm pissed off with the players. Who it would seem have thrown their dummies. Which to some extent is fair enough. But Surley, still try and, turn up lads! Have you no pride? The current owners - more so. You are intelligent succesful people. There is no excuse, for either the embarrassment you have caused YOURSLEVES these last few days through your inept management skills.

I will be at The Valley for the Rotherham game. But I can promise something I've never really done in thirty years at the Valley, Selhurst and Upton Park. IF THE PLAYERS DO NOT STEP UP, I WILL BE VOCAL IN MY CONDEMNATION OF THIER ATTITUDE. IF THE OWNERS DO BOTHER TO TURN UP, I WILL RIDICULE THIER NAIVE AND CLUELESS INTERPRETATION OF US CHARLTON SUPPORTERS.

It' not about winning or even losing five nil, it's about your attitude. The Charlton support has the right attitude in abundance, it would seem now, the tarts that are playing for us don't (sorry no sympathy - you are sportsmen, and your pride alone should make you turn up) the board, are a bunch of Mickey Mouse idealists, bit like Mick Clegg before he ruined the Lib Dems! I will keep coming back for more, but do not expect me to keep paying for your posh food and not vocally critising what you are doing to our great and modest club.

Whoever gives out work permits...please DONT GIVE GUY ONE!

A dreadful week was capped of with a dreadful result. It's been a few years since we were on the wrong end of a five niller.

The thing that worries me is that from what I can gather Lozon took training this week, and Matthews and Roberts would maybe have been instructed as to what line up and tactics to play.

I'm sorry but the guy called Guy came across as a bit of a 'Tim nice but dim' to me in the press conference.

After much talk of Big Bob losing the dressing room, my big worry is will Guy even have it to lose in the first place? Some gossip suggests not!

Watford are a decent side - I will just about reserve judgment on Tim until I see us play first hand against Rotherham. But I firmly believe the board are going to end up with rather eggy faces after appointing Luzon.

Disenfranchised Athletic

Surprise surprise. Us Charlton supporters must be feeling about as valued as 'paying customers' as commuters who use South Eastern railways currently do!

Once the news of the completion of our boards 'exhaustive search' for the clubs new head coach filtered through (whilst I was sitting on the new timetabled super slow Woolwich line service to Dartford) I thought I'd sleep on it, and also see what other bloggers and Charlton followers had to say about it.

This morning prior to electing to get the super slow Woolwich line service into Cannon Street, rather than be a sardine from the start on the semi fast, I've read some funny, intelligent and well thought through commentary on events of the past week in SE7.

Along with my own feelings the impression I'm getting is one of generally being disenfranchised from the ever loyal legions of Addicks.

You could say the current owners have missed a real opportunity to actually move the club forward hear. But I think we all know there was never any other outcome likely.

Regardless of any investment during the swiftly disappearing transfer window (and let's be honest, it will only be network players, those with some baggage available on the cheap and looking for a second chance, or as was the case when Luzon took over at Liege, bribe signings of ex legends to appease the disenfranchised supporters - that last bit was me looking for some form of silver lining), regardless of whether performances and results improve, our club seems to be turning into a monotone version of it's old self. Bland.

The problem we have as supporters of Charlton, is that on the face of it, RD ain't going anywhere fast. Even rioting Standard Liege fans couldn't get him to pack his bags and bugger off!

I will keep going and cheering the lads on this season. But at the moment, beyond that I really could not say.

The general lack of communication from the club (whatever happened to the club/supporters meeting?) and general disrespect from the board in the way that they do, on the face of it, think we are a bunch of gullible morons who will buy whatever tut poorly spun rubbish they spout at us is depressing, frustrating and annoying in equal measure.

I wait with baited breath to see who's going to step up to the plate and begin organising us Addicks into at least trying to kick back against this slow and painful demise of what Charlton Athletic has always been about and what probably attracted us all to SE7 in the first place rather than some of Londons more glamouress clubs.


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Whatever next ....???

Below is part of the latest statement from Katrien regarding the fresh head coach vacancy at the club.

'Charlton CEO Katrien Meire says the decision to part ways with Bob Peeters was not an easy one as the club began the process of searching for his replacement on Monday afternoon
Iain Liddle reports

Charlton CEO Katrien Meire says the decision to part ways with Bob Peeters was not an easy one as the club began the process of searching for his replacement on Monday afternoon.

The former Head Coach had his contract at the club terminated on Sunday, following the 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Patrick Van Houdt and Guy Kiala have also left the club.

First-Team Coach Damian Matthew and Goalkeeping Coach Ben Roberts have been placed in caretaker charge for the time being and will prepare the squad for Saturday’s game at Watford (3pm).

Peeters leaves Charlton with the side 14th in the Championship, but without a win in front of their own supporters since the 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on October 21st.

“It was a very difficult decision to reach,” said Meire.

“We had been very supportive of Bob until the very last moment, but the disappointing nature of performances and results in recent matches forced us to look at the situation.

“Despite recent rumours in the media we had not considered this option until after Saturday’s game.

“We have won just once in the past 12 matches and with the January transfer window open it is an important time of the season for the club.

“We feel this is the right decision for the club and I have asked Damian Matthew and Ben Roberts to take temporary charge. I have no doubts they will do an excellent job taking care of the side for the time being.

“We know how important it is to make sure this next appointment is the right one because I understand that this club needs and deserves a Head Coach who can plan and take charge for the long-term.

“I realise this decision has taken some by surprise, but there is still a lot to play for this season and we want to try and ensure the 2014/15 campaign ends as successfully as it started.”'

I'm sure you'll all agree that this all has a tinge of familiarity about it, twice over!
Both when Sir Chris was shown the door, and when Jose was overlooked in favour of Peeters. Whilst I appreciate recent form, results and performances have not been great, perhaps Big Bob was as much a victim of our overly flattering start to the season.

The big indicator for me, when a full time replacement is selected, will be whether the board have gone to the market and recruited the right man for the job. By this I mean, the best qualified, with the right track record and knowledge to make a fist of things in The Championship. If, as I suspect, Guy Luzon is announced - then I will finally fall in line with the doom and gloom merchants and admit that until the 'Belgium mafia' leave Town we will be watching our club become a shiny but soulless figure of its old self.

I wait with baited breath and a little hope.


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