Charlton Athletic Online

Of course, it could just be that he is taking a break during the long gap between games - a well earned rest - but the rumours are that Frankie Valley has quit the blogging community and will no longer be the focus and erstwhile leader of Charlton's online writers.

On Wednesday 23rd January, Frankie submitted what he purports to be his last post and suggested that "I've actually got nothing to say".

Well Frankie, you are wrong.

What you say means a hell of a lot to a huge number of online worshippers. You're website (it's more than just another blogsite really...) is excellent, well thought out, and contains witticisms that none of the other blogging community can compete with. You are the best and most respected Charlton writer out there!

You claim that in almost three years "I've said absolutely nothing of any consequence" - well I disagree. 890,000 visitors cannot be wrong! Who could ever forget you winding up the oppostion prior to important games, goading those supporters stupid enough to comment on your missive; How many hits did your "non-gentile" comment get from Spurs fans? Nigels hate you too! Last week you had Burnley supporters responding, and this week, Watford fans having been commenting!

Sure, some of your daily doses of fun miss the mark; none more so than the one recently about changing your job, whose sarcastic content sailed over the head of most readers - that's because everyone loves and trusts you so much! We don't know when you are pulling our legs!

And how about the mini-community who use your site to chat every day - readers will be used to the comments by JB (who is nearly always the first to comment each day), Ketts, Daggs, Man to Varney, Colin in Thailand, Sl8r, Sledge, Marco, Floyd, etc, plus Spurs own regular contributor Paxton Sprout, and of course, the sexiest Charlton fan ever - Sam Lloyd. How will they communicate with each other and the world from now on? How will we cope without reading the pearls of wisdom that come from their keyboards each day?

You averaged well over a thousand readers each day - surely that is reason enough to want to keep on going? That's a lot of people who read your writings, and who will now have to find something else to do, or somewhere else to find sollace with...

If it is true that you are finished with the blogosphere, then I thank you for making each Charlton day fun. Your site was linked from every other Charlton blog, simply because it was the best.

I was lucky enough to meet you at the bloggers forum about this time last year, and others have been able to put a face to the pseudonym subsequently at Legends lunches prior to matches.

I'm really hoping that this is a short break, enough to re-charge your batteries - you have taken holidays before, but at least then you told us you were going away. Or maybe it's just another one of your wind-ups? Maybe you will resurrect yourself under another pseudonym? Frankie Valley is dead, long live Frankie Valley (under another name)! I hope so.

Come back Frankie - in whatever guise - we miss you already!

Labels: Frankie Valley