Saturday, June 30, 2007
Doors Open for Flops
Out the door they go - all those players who haven't been doing the business over the last months are now finally being waved goodbye, now that their contracts have expired:Talal El Karkouri is out, and will probably now play in Qatar as has been rumoured.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is officially now gone, although notice of his impending departure came some weeks back.
Thomas Myrhe leaves after a couple of years good service, but with no expectation of playing in the first team last year, he indicated a preference to go home to Norway. Now he can...
Wingers Myles Weston and Alastair John both leave without making a first team appearance.
Nathan Ashton did get one game (cup versus Carlisle) but didn't look the part, and other young left backs are being preferred.
Rurik Gislason has a reputation, but it seemed that it was for being injured at the wrong time, rather than the potential to be the next Eidur Gudjohnsson.
And finally, Kevin Lisbie, or should that be Super Kevin Lisbie, always the epitome of a young striker on the verge of a a first team breakthough, can now justify his tag at another club (Possibly Gillingham?).
These departures, along with Bryan Hughes and Darren Bent who also left Charlton this week, could reduce the wage bill by as much as £125,000 a week. In the curtrent climate, that is money well saved.
Other news, Darren Bent spent his first day as a fully fledged Spurs player watching the rain come down at Wimbledon; interviewed by BBC as a fill in while no play was in progress, it did rankle that the caption had him as "England and Tottenham Hotspur". As ever, he had kind words to say about Charlton and hoped the money gained from his transfer would be put to good use at the club.
And (allegedly) spending some of the cash from the sale of Darren Bent today was Charlton Director and former Chairman Richard Collins, driving his Rolls Royce with personalised number plate into the car clean and shine place in Sherman Road, Bromley. I guess he will want to have it looking all spick and span when he parks it next to the players cars in the car parks at Sparrows Lane or The Valley over the coming few weeks.
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent
Friday, June 29, 2007
Daz turns to Lilywhites
I was inevitable really, even though Peter Varney suggested that Darren Bent may still be with the Addicks come the start of the new Championship season, Dazza is now a Spurs player. We did get most of what we wanted as a transfer fee, but not quite the £17million that West Ham were willing to pay. The deal is £15.5m down, with another £1m in add-on fees (probably goal or appearance related).
We had two seasons worth out of the former Ipswich player, and two great seasons it was (for him) that he wore the Charlton number 10 shirt. Off the mark with two goals on his debut at The Stadium Of Light, he hit 22 goals in his first year with the Addicks. Last season, the relegation year, he was not so prolific, but even though hit by a serious knee injury that ruled him out between December and February, he still ended up the second highest scoring English forward in the league, with 13 goals.
I will always have a soft spot for Dazza. he always tried his best; led by example; urged on his team-mates; and did the club proud at every opportunity.
I wish him good luck at White Hart Lane, and hope that his future includes a permanent place in the England set up, where he belongs.
Hopefully, his trasfer fee will go some way to putting the club back on an even keel financially.
It's not all bad news though, as Bryan Hughes also left the club today, on a free transfer to Hull City.
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent, Spurs
Monday, June 25, 2007
Ins, outs, and shake-it-all-abouts
I guess we fans knew that this close season wouldn't be boring! Ten days since my last blog, and plenty has happened since Alan Pardew came back from holiday...
Where to start? Maybe some of the big stuff first -
Well, Darren Bent is still a Charlton player (just); no club has met Peter Varney's valuation since Dazza was allowed to talk to (and turn down) West Ham, although Benty himself has said that Spurs have upped their offer twice. According to Sky Sports News, he now feels that Charlton should reduce their asking price so he can at least talk terms. From the Charlton perspective, other clubs may yet come up with the spondoolicks! Arsenal are Thierry Henry-less, but have a nice £16million (which just happens to be very close to what Charlton want...) burning a hole in their pocket. Liverpool undoubtedly want Fernando Torres as their first choice signing, but if their £25m offer (possibly including Crouch going the other way?) is turned down by Athletico Madrid, then they may yet move on to their second/third choice strikers, which would definitely then include our Dazza. And let's not rule out Seville; Freddie Kanoute was last week rumoured to be after a move back to the Premiership, and his loss would leave a big gap in the forward line there, one which Dazza may have filled? Now, though, Kanoute is apparently happy again, so that option is less likely. I spent the weekend thinking about the Carlos Tevez saga, which is dragging on following the arbitration panel delaying a decision on West Ham's (and Sheffield United's) fate for a couple of weeks more. How about if West Ham are docked points, then the Blades are also docked points for insisting Kazim-Richards didn't play for Watford aginst them although he was not their player following his January transfer? Could that be a Premiership lifeline for the Addicks? Maybe not, as Charlton could then be docked points for allegedly tapping up Dowie? Crazy eh!?! My own view on this latest delay is that the panel are taking legal advice, which means that they do want to penalise the Hammers. This may yet be a larger fine though, with compensation going to the Blades, rather than relegation, but who knows. Whatever happens, the solicitors are getting paid plenty!
The aforementioned Iain Dowie decision was interesting to read about; Judge Tugenhadt covered most areas very thoroughly, but concluded that Charlton didn't have a case to answer (before him). Strangely, the Addicks costs are being covered by Croydon's finest, which I don't understand, with Dowie having to pay the Tango-man's expenses, which I do (as he lied!). We may yet need to explain certain actions before the FA, like Dowie and Richard Murray talking when Dowie was still employed by someone else...
Lots of rumours about who has left the club - Talal El Karkouri (left) is almost certainly going, and to Qatar, but officially he is a Charlton player until next week (1st July) when his contract ends. Bryan Hughes is the latest rumoured to be off too, with Hull his possible destination. Radostin Kishishev has definitely gone out the door, joining Leicester on a freebie. These three have all had good and bad moments on Charlton shirts over recent years, but personally I am not sorry to see any of them leave. All tried hard, but were not the most blessed players; all scored vital goals - Kish his only two in consecutive home games; Hoozey many against lower league teams in the cup; and the Elk some of the best, including a fantastic free kick against the Arsenal on New Years Day three years back. Good luck wherever you all end up, just don't score against us in future!Luke Young is well rumoured to be on his way (Villa/Newcastle/Portsmouth?), as is Dennis Rommedahl (Rennes?); I guess well know more about their fates over the coming month or so, but I doubt very much either will wear a Charlton shirt in anger again.
And we have two, count 'em, two new signings from abroad, and both defenders. I must admit I thought that French right back Yassin Moutaouakil might be our last defender (joining Sankofa, Bougherra, Diawara, McCarthy, Thatcher, Youga and the ghostly Gibbs), but no, today we signed Jose Semedo (left) on a freebie from a Portuguese second division club. You do wonder, if he is that highly rated, why couldn't he get into his own club side, but then, he was loaned out to Serie A in Italy and did get a game there... I just hope that these two are seen as first team players and not more in the Kelly Youga/Jani Tanska category (though they do both seem to be higher quality).It's not just in the dressing rooms that we are seeing changes; sadly, a number of staff have been made redundant as a result of relegation, and the biggest posible losers seem to be the womens football team. I'm not sure how this will pan out, but is there a reason why we cannot maintain the team, even if we have to dispense with the paid officials (like manager Keith Boanas no doubt)? It seems crazy that the players, many of whom are internationals, cannot stay on, but with a smaller squad and less overheads... This is nobody at the clubs fault, but a result of a budget being constructed that maintains the viability of the whole football club; it is no one person's fault that we went down, although we can all point fingers and have a good guess. Captain Casey Stoner is certainly very vocal in whom she blames...
So there we have it - eight new players so far for the new season (Varney, Iwelumo, McCarthy, Semedo, Moutaouakil, Dickson, Jensen, and Christensen), and that might mean just two more to go if predictions of ten coming in are correct...Plus three definitely out (Hasselbaink, Hreidarsson, Kishishev) with more to go soon...
Fun, isn't it!
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent, Tevez
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hammers can't bend Bent's Ear
Well how about that then!!! Darren Bent turns down the Hammers.If the stories contained in the tabloids and on the various interweb sites are true, he was offered either a four or five year contract, and a salary of between £60,000 and £80,000 a year by Alan Curbishley.
Obviously either not enough, or something else caused Dazza to turn down West Ham.
Of course, we dream about Dazza announcing tomorrow that his heart is at Charlton, as we gave him his chance, and that he has decided to stay with us and enable us to smash our way out of the Championship this season, but we all know that is unlikely.
More sensible, is that Dazza has been talking to Liverpool, or maybe Spurs, or even that he really does fancy the Champions League from a Spanish angle with Valencia?
Of course, West Ham could yet come back with an improved offer for our number ten, the best English striker over the last two seasons, a proven Premiership goalscorer, and very loyal subject!
We read about comparisons between Dazza and other strikers - Defoe, Owen, Rooney, Crouch, even David Nugent! Well, us Charlton fans know that he can be as good as anyone who has played for England since Michael Owen was in his pomp, Alan Shearer was world class, Gary Lineker was banging in World Cup hat-tricks, and Nat Lofthouse was a Lion of Vienna!
West Ham fans won't believe it; they will be gutted and saying how can a player who plays for little old Charlton turn down a big club. They will be scathing of him! Well, maybe Dazza knows that West Ham could also be in the Championship next year. Maybe he doesn't want to join a club that blatantly broke the rules last season and, initially at least, got away with it. Maybe it's just that West Ham aren't a big enough club for our Dazza!
I read one comment from someone today on the message boards that said why would Dazza go to West Ham; it would ruin his career. He should join a big club who will look after him, nurture him, surround him with good players, and take him to the next level. The only clubs Dazza should consider were Manchester United, Liverpool, or Arsenal.
Maybe Dazza reads the Charlton message boards and agrees!
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Darren Bent
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Not Much News is Good News...
Things seem to be chuntering along one the Charlton front, but no main news to get too excited or depressed about.
Transfers
Welcome to Paddy McCarthy (left), formerly captain of Leicester, who joins our defence, offering a solidity and accent we have sorely missed. Leicester fans seemed aggrieved at his departure, but then started to say he wouldn’t be missed…The Foxes results did pick up toward the end of the season, when McCarthy was injured, so they may have a pint, but his signing is welcome when there is still uncertainty around who will still be at the Valley next season.
That uncertainty abounds, as no official news has yet come out about the likelihood of Talal El Karkouri staying at Charlton. I imagine, and this will also follow for players like Kevin Lisbie and Radostin Kishishev, that unless they get a good offer elsewhere, then they may be inclined to accept new offers from Charlton that are on the table, but at a lot less wages than they are currently on. While Kish and Lis may not really be wanted by many of the clubs fans, unless we get better replacements, it may be worth them sticking around for one more year as back ups to the first team squad. The Elk however could be in with a shout for regular fist team football, so he might want a decent contract, plus extra perks for being the unofficial club translator. We shall see…
No real news about any transfers out of the club; Dazza, Rommers, Thomas, Lukey and Big Benty all seem to get mentions, but not much seems to happen.
Luke Young is being linked with any Premiership club that needs a right back – Villa, Newcastle, Everton. If we get £2 million, I don’t care if he goes.
Dennis Rommedahl (left) was today linked with the French club Rennes, for Half a Million quid. I imagine our flying Dane will be sprinting down to the Eurostar station imminently…Bye Dennis!
Big Marcus Bent is still with Daniella Lloyd, so no transfer activity there…although many rumours abound!
The Jerome Thomas to Birmingham story has fallen flat; I didn’t think that £1.8m bid could be real!
And that leaves Darren Bent. Today, it’s West Ham who seem to be signing him (for £18m, possibly including Harewood and Mullins, but maybe not…), whereas last week it was Valencia for £15m, and before that Spurs for a bit less. He is still being linked with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton, and Newcastle too, so my advice to Dazza (below) is sit back, have another holiday, rest that knee, and wait till the dust settles and you can decide on the best offer; then, as long as they keep upping their bids, Richard Murray might get his £15 million and Ipswich their £3m too! I do find it interesting that David Nugent is rumoured to be on offer for £6m, and he is often seen as being ahead of Dazza in the England ranks these days, whereas our boy is worth more than twice that in the market…
Finally on the transfer front, a 16 year old youngster, Mikkel Rygaard Jensen, has joined from the same Danish club that forgotten winger Martin Christensen played for. Hopefully we will see more of him than Rurik Gislason...
Fixtures
The Carling Cup draw has pitted us against Swindon, away, in the week after the first league game. I doubt I’ll be heading out for that one, and hopefully a home drawin round two will come along…
The league fixtures are out tomorrow morning, and no doubt all and sundry will get very excited just after 10am, when they are released. Usually, they sneak into the evening papers then night beforehand, so I’ll maybe check that out later…
I wouldn’t be too bothered by the initial release though, as we can then look forward to Sky re-arranging many of our games to fill their Championship TV schedule; those who moan at Sunday afternoon and Monday night games…get ready for Friday nights and Saturday or Sunday lunchtimes!!!
Me, I’m going to miss the first Saturday game due to holiday, and maybe the third weekend too! Please then Mr Fixture Computer, make those away games, but not Scunthorpe, Blackpool, or Preston!
Up the Addicks!
TransfersWelcome to Paddy McCarthy (left), formerly captain of Leicester, who joins our defence, offering a solidity and accent we have sorely missed. Leicester fans seemed aggrieved at his departure, but then started to say he wouldn’t be missed…The Foxes results did pick up toward the end of the season, when McCarthy was injured, so they may have a pint, but his signing is welcome when there is still uncertainty around who will still be at the Valley next season.
That uncertainty abounds, as no official news has yet come out about the likelihood of Talal El Karkouri staying at Charlton. I imagine, and this will also follow for players like Kevin Lisbie and Radostin Kishishev, that unless they get a good offer elsewhere, then they may be inclined to accept new offers from Charlton that are on the table, but at a lot less wages than they are currently on. While Kish and Lis may not really be wanted by many of the clubs fans, unless we get better replacements, it may be worth them sticking around for one more year as back ups to the first team squad. The Elk however could be in with a shout for regular fist team football, so he might want a decent contract, plus extra perks for being the unofficial club translator. We shall see…
No real news about any transfers out of the club; Dazza, Rommers, Thomas, Lukey and Big Benty all seem to get mentions, but not much seems to happen.
Luke Young is being linked with any Premiership club that needs a right back – Villa, Newcastle, Everton. If we get £2 million, I don’t care if he goes.
Dennis Rommedahl (left) was today linked with the French club Rennes, for Half a Million quid. I imagine our flying Dane will be sprinting down to the Eurostar station imminently…Bye Dennis!Big Marcus Bent is still with Daniella Lloyd, so no transfer activity there…although many rumours abound!
The Jerome Thomas to Birmingham story has fallen flat; I didn’t think that £1.8m bid could be real!
And that leaves Darren Bent. Today, it’s West Ham who seem to be signing him (for £18m, possibly including Harewood and Mullins, but maybe not…), whereas last week it was Valencia for £15m, and before that Spurs for a bit less. He is still being linked with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton, and Newcastle too, so my advice to Dazza (below) is sit back, have another holiday, rest that knee, and wait till the dust settles and you can decide on the best offer; then, as long as they keep upping their bids, Richard Murray might get his £15 million and Ipswich their £3m too! I do find it interesting that David Nugent is rumoured to be on offer for £6m, and he is often seen as being ahead of Dazza in the England ranks these days, whereas our boy is worth more than twice that in the market…
Finally on the transfer front, a 16 year old youngster, Mikkel Rygaard Jensen, has joined from the same Danish club that forgotten winger Martin Christensen played for. Hopefully we will see more of him than Rurik Gislason...
FixturesThe Carling Cup draw has pitted us against Swindon, away, in the week after the first league game. I doubt I’ll be heading out for that one, and hopefully a home drawin round two will come along…
The league fixtures are out tomorrow morning, and no doubt all and sundry will get very excited just after 10am, when they are released. Usually, they sneak into the evening papers then night beforehand, so I’ll maybe check that out later…
I wouldn’t be too bothered by the initial release though, as we can then look forward to Sky re-arranging many of our games to fill their Championship TV schedule; those who moan at Sunday afternoon and Monday night games…get ready for Friday nights and Saturday or Sunday lunchtimes!!!
Me, I’m going to miss the first Saturday game due to holiday, and maybe the third weekend too! Please then Mr Fixture Computer, make those away games, but not Scunthorpe, Blackpool, or Preston!
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Wrong Bent Signs
A friend sent this image to me with the "Bent Signs" headline; he had been sent it by an Arsenal supporter...Now we are Championship, and not Premier League, we are going to be the butt of lots of jokes.Martin Jol certainly thinks so if he imagines he can prise Darren Bent away for a mere £10million!
Other jokers are -
Steve Bruce - reportedly willing to pay £1.8m for Big-Time-Charlie Jerome Thomas. Have you checked out the nite clubs and talent in Brum yet JT?
Radostin Kishishev - on the verge of joining Leicester, or Stoke...When you go down, you really go down!
Mr Justice Tugendhat - for keeping all the world waiting for decision on whether Iain Dowie "fraudulantly misrepresented" himself or not...how long do you need to know who was lying and who was telling the truth? Will Dowie still be invited to sit in as a pundit on BBC and/or Sky if he is found guilty?
Labels: Darren Bent, Jerome Thomas, Radostin Kishishev
Monday, May 07, 2007
The Last Post
Not for me, but the trumpet strains of the first few bars have started at The Valley, prior to tonights game against Spurs.Results over the weekend now make it all but impossible for Charlton to survive in the Premiership this season. 50 years after a similarly traumatic season that saw a change of management of a long period of solidity, the Addicks will go down once more. Hopefully, the future will hold a brighter option than on that occasion when it took another fifteen years to see Charlton leave the second tier, and then in the wrong direction!
Of course, wins tonight and on Sunday at Anfield would leave egg on this bloggers face, and I would love that to happen. But personally I will go along to The Valley tonight to wish a fond farewell to some players, and hopefully a quick return to the money-league in a years time with a new fresh looking squad.
All sixteen thousand plus Charlton supporters who have already bought season tickets would like nothing better than that!
This is the team I think Pardew will send out in the last home game of the season -
Scott Carson
Luke Young
Madjid Bougherra
Souleymane Diawara
Hermann Hreidarsson
Alexandre Song
Matt Holland
Zheng Zhi
Darren Ambrose
Dennis Rommedahl
Darren Bent
Subs from Randolph, Faye, Hughes, Lisbie, Hasselbaink, Thomas.
The starting eleven (and some of the subs) could, bar Bougherra, all realistically be making their last home appearances for Charlton. I expect some others will stay, but that will depend on how messrs Varney and Murray have added their sums up and what the real budget looks like for Championship football.
For Scott Carson, it will be the last time we see him in goal for us, as he will into be allowed to play against Liverpool (or hopefully Charlton!) next weekend.
Spurs still want to win each of their last three games to get as high up the league as they can, and also to ensure European qualification. After a brief challenge, I expect them to have a pretty easy night tonight.
Pedro45's score forecast is a resounding 4-1 defeat; I wish I could be optimistic, but I am more of a realist I'm afraid. I would love nothing more than Darren Bent to score a hattrick to make him to the top English scorer in the Premiership for the second season running (and add a few more quid to the transfer kitty), but even he must be starting to wonder what teams shirt he will pull on in August.
My ones to watch are all those who will be playing in front of the Valley faithful for the last time (in a home shirt):
Darren Bent - I will always remember the goals you scored, the effort you put in, how you played on when injured, and the loyalty you showed when all around (in the Premiership) jump ship at the first chance. You will always be welcome back at The Valley, and I can guarantee you will never be boo-ed.
Luke Young - Thanks for the effort, and for giving us quodos with the England call ups; what's that? Speak up Luke, we can't hear you! Was that a thank you for making you a half-decent player? No, thought not...
Scott Carson - Cheers Scotty; without you making a few saves, we would have been down ages ago. Good luck, and hopefully we can all come and watch you playing regularly for England in a couple of years time.Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - See ya Jimbo. I hope that the youngsters you have coached this season don't think they can play with a waistline as big as yours - do you have shares in shorts manufacturers?
Dennis Rommedahl - What a player! Any chance of home goal Dennis? It's your last chance you know...
And to the others, thanks for the good times, and I hope the fans of the next team that pays your salary finds they like you.
Come on you reds!
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent, Luke Young, relegation, Scott Carson, Spurs, Valley
Sunday, April 29, 2007
And so, the end is near…
Blackburn Rovers 4 Charlton Athletic 1Reflections and thoughts on yesterday…
I was proud to see the directors checking in at Gatwick alongside the fans who were on the same flight. How many other clubs would that have occurred at?
The Monarch Airlines cabin staff were very efficient.
The take off at Gatwick was a little bit hairy!
Did the pilot really try to give the left hand side of the plane a view of the Valley (albeit twenty miles away)?
Flying slowly over Luton, Coventry, Stoke, and The Wirral. Coming into land over the Mersey…
The amount of police waiting for us at the airport! Luckily, they didn’t seem too bothered once they’d seen the passengers.
Why did people complain at having to walk 300 yards to the coaches at John Lennon Airport?
Why did people moan when we were held for five minutes on the edge of town while other coaches caught up? We were lucky that the police didn’t insist we couldn’t get to the ground before two pm as they usually instruct!
The Fernhurst did a sterling job in catering (booze-wise) for several thousand thirsty fans.
It was too packed for me (and knowing how many more fans were to arrive), so I headed for the Bear Hotel up the hill; for some reason, they were not expecting anyone, so the hundred plus fans who drank there watching the lunchtime football match on TV really made their day!
Leaving the bar with Manyoo 2-0 down; why can’t we score four goals in the last half hour to win?
Being remembered as one of “The Blackburn 12” by Paul Winton…
The meat and potato (or potato and meat as they call them up there…) pies were lovely!
The crowd were fantastic; even better than last year against Middlesboro, and better than the glory-hunters who went to Forest a few years back on freebies. Who was the blonde woman on the pitch introduced to the crowd beforehand? Growllll…
When the teams walked out, the response from the Darwen End was tremendous and breath-taking.
The tickertape welcome...
Thinking Blackburn missed far too many chances that they should have scored from, and that the game had no chance of finishing scoreless...
Thatcher was booked for a late tackle, though he didn’t actually seem to touch the guy…intent anyone?
How long does it take Marcus Bent to go in a game before he starts to hold his hamstring? Answer - slightly more than a fitness test session obviously!
How long does it take Marcus Bent to go in a game before he starts to hold his hamstring? Answer - slightly more than a fitness test session obviously!The ball was changed after half an hour; prior to that, it seemed to be made of lead, as both teams (and mainly our defence) seemed to have trouble kicking it more than twenty yards!
Why did Luke Young go off for thirty seconds and sit on the bench?
At half-time, we could still do it; although they had the better of the half, Charlton finished the stronger, and looked to have settled. A win was not impossible at that stage…
Matt Holland should have shot across Freidel when he had the chance early in the second half; he probably wouldn’t have scored, but at least he wouldn’t have been slagged off on MOTD for aiming at the near post (and hitting the side netting). Holland provided a good balance in the game, and was possibly our MOM.
What, apart from the customary shirt holding, was Hermann appealing for (left) when he let Roberts turn and run away from him prior to his shot?Carson’s fumbling Roberts subsequent shot into the corner of the net; I don’t know who was more surprised – 6000 Charlton fans wondering what had happened, or 18000 Blackburn fans who didn’t expect him to score!
Thatcher getting mugged into a late tackle and getting sent off. The ref seemed to be happy with just the foul, but the rigorous flag waving from the lino suggested a foul worse than it was, so no surprise the cards followed. On TV, the forward actually falls over Thatcher’s leg, and he doesn’t even kick him…who’s the mug now Ben?
What did Warnock think he was doing heading the ball back toward his own goal? Dazza did great to finish the chance, which wasn’t as easy as it may have looked.
The euphoria that surrounded that goal – false hope, false optimism.
The shock of conceding just a couple of minutes later – having seen the goal on TV, El Karkouri deflected the cross onto Hermann’s thigh, and he had no chance.
Carson diving over the ball for Robert’s second goal, just minutes later. The real killer…
Carson thumping the ball straight upfield to a Blackburn defender, who’s header went to unmarked Derbyshire, and he finished clinically. He looks like he may be a very good player in a couple of years time…
El Kak wandering (limping) off injured to leave us with just nine players for the last ten minutes.
Dazza heading against the bar in injury time from an excellent Rommedahl cross…
The final whistle...
One fan chucking his Operation Ewood t-shirt off the top tier into oblivion (I doubt anyone picked it up and took it home as a souvenir…).
The chaos trying to find the right coach to get on afterwards! (Well done stewards!)
The chant that went up in the bar at Liverpool airport when a barman dropped a glass – “Are you Carson in disguise?”
Being ushered out of the airside bar on the promise that the last plane was going to leave early - it didn’t!
The man berating his wife for not noticing that they should have been on the first flight out, as she thought it was gate 5 which wasn’t boarding yet, when he was equally responsible! Luckily, they were fitted onto the last flight, as it had about twenty empty seats.
A quicker flight home in the twilight.
The directors asking my wife where the car parks were on exiting Gatwick…
One fan chucking his Operation Ewood t-shirt off the top tier into oblivion (I doubt anyone picked it up and took it home as a souvenir…).
The chaos trying to find the right coach to get on afterwards! (Well done stewards!)
The chant that went up in the bar at Liverpool airport when a barman dropped a glass – “Are you Carson in disguise?”Being ushered out of the airside bar on the promise that the last plane was going to leave early - it didn’t!
The man berating his wife for not noticing that they should have been on the first flight out, as she thought it was gate 5 which wasn’t boarding yet, when he was equally responsible! Luckily, they were fitted onto the last flight, as it had about twenty empty seats.
A quicker flight home in the twilight.
The directors asking my wife where the car parks were on exiting Gatwick…
Labels: Blackburn Rovers, Charlton, Darren Bent, defeat, relegation
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Chasing the Tails
Charlton Athletic 1 Wigan Athletic 0
85 Minutes gone...it's still nil nil. The score board flashes up the scores from other Premiership games. Sheffield United have fallen behind at Bolton. A roar goes around The Valley, the crescendo building as fans and players realise that one big effort could put them right onto the coat tails of the team they are chasing. A free kick is played in to the area; red shirts fall to the ground. The referee points to the penalty spot. Dazza strokes the ball into the corner of the net and the game and three vital points are won.
This was a tough game. The strong blustery wind didn't help either team, and Wigan came to make a game of it - no lieing down here. Neither side really carved out a decent chance, and both keepers had just to keep concentrating and get their shorts dirty by other means than diving around. But it was Charlton who emerged victorious, and this could have been due to the fantastic support they received during most of the game.
The clappers, that Peter Varney told the bloggers meeting would be given out, seemed to work well - it was hilarious seeing young kids whacking their clappers onto their dads head as hard as they could - and so did the opera singer again. Sometimes we are so very civilised down at The Valley! Several times during the second half the crowd raised the noise levels in an attempt to lift Charlton from a pretty mediocre display. In my book, these two extra points could definitely be due to the fans!
Pardew had started with Rommedahl and Thomas as the wide players, with Zhi playing in support of Darren Bent. Sadly, the one down side of the crowd was two fans sat near me abusing our Danish wide man consistently during the first half. We all know by now that this is not the way to help the players, and certainly not our Dennis!
With the wind playing havoc with timing of headers, neither side carved out anything worthwhile in the first forty five minutes. Wigan had more of the ball, and plenty of corners, but didn't have much of a cutting edge. Charlton came into the game slowly, and El Karkouri put one free kick well wide and high of the goal. Outmuscled in midfield, Pardew changed things at half time by bringing on Marcus Bent and moving Zhi into the right midfield slot. This helped, but Wigan had the best chance when the ball was poked against the foot of the post after the whole Charlton back line went to sleep and left responsibility to each other. Luckily, the ball bounced the right side and out for a goal kick. Words were exchanged (which is a good sign!), and mentally the players did seem to be of one mind.
With fifteen minutes to go it seemed obvious that just one goal would win the match, and Pardew brought on Ambrose for Holland in an ambitious gamble. Zhi moved positions once more, now playing centrally in midfield. Wigan huffed and puffed, but didn't seem to want to claim anything more than a single point (which would have kept Charlton "comfortably" six points behind them).
The penalty was won, and immediately Pardew switched tactics again, taking off the still fresh Ambrose (great ten minutes Darren!) and bringing on the more defensive Amdy Faye in the centre. Again, Zhi moved wide...
The last four minute, plus three more of injury time were nail-biting and tense. Wigan threw players forward, and humped balls into the box. Second balls were hoofed away by the desperate red shirts. The final whistle blew, and then the scoreboard gave the Bolton match score. Cheers all round!
The results give Charlton a fantastic chance of saving themselves for relegation - a win on Good Friday will move them out of the bottom three for the first time in about six months (or is it all season?). Other late goals prevented it from being a fabulous weekend of results; West Ham are battling to survive, and Manchester City, whom Charlton meet on Friday, have also put back-to-back wins together to pull themselves a little clear of the drop zone. Fulham are also thankful of a late goal that makes them less likely to be drawn into the mixer.
Having looked at the fixtures that everyone has left to play, I do think Charlton can do it. I'm not sure that we will be able to get another ten points, but it is entirely feasible that 36 points may be enough to save the club (though 38 would be a little more safe come last game...).
This was a match that could have gone badly wrong - the team didn't play well (it was tough trying to think of a man-of-the-match...) but still came away with a win. Other weeks, this season, we will not be so lucky, but we must still try, still have belief, still put in the hard miles.
I think we can do it; the players think we can do it; you all think we can do it - so let's just do it!
Onwards and upwards!
Labels: Charlton, Darren Bent, Valley, Wigan
