Charlton Athletic Online

Charlton Athletic 2 Swindon Town 1 (After Extra Time)
(Swindon won 5-4 on penalties)

I hate the play-offs…

For every Clive Mendonca and Sasa Ilic there is a Nicky Bailey and Miguel Llera; they just aren’t fair in my mind – too much is at stake on one kick of a ball.

For Bailey, that one (penalty) kick went high and wide and that, ultimately, was the difference between these teams over 210 minutes (plus injury time) of play-off football. Nothing could separate them in two league games, and only one point over a whole season – they are very well balanced!

It had all started so brightly for Charlton though, as a passionate crowd roared on their favourites and The Valley echoed with chants and cheers. Swindon lost their goalkeeper after a minute; having fallen on his shoulder in taking a cross, he left the field in excruciating pain. My worry was that it set up his substitute – Smith - to be either the hero or villain, or both.

After a fairly even opening, Charlton took the lead when Gary Borrowdale swung over a high corner, and with Dave Mooney blocking the ‘keeper (possibly legally), the ball bounced in and over the line off Ferry. The Valley erupted as only it can and Charlton took control. Kyel Reid and Lloyd Sam were causing lots of problems for the Swindon rearguard with their width, and many times only poor crosses or desperate blocks prevented chances for the home side. When, in the five minutes of first half injury time (of which all but a minute was due to the goalkeeper going off) Reid was set free down the left, his pull back was beautifully stroked home by Mooney to give Charlton the lead and the cushion on the night that they wanted.

Bartram’s was buzzing at half-time, but I discouraged talk of Wembley knowing that the third goal would be the crucial one (Curbishley’s Law).

Both teams seemed to attack even more in the second half, if that was possible. Play swung from end to end, with chances arriving and being missed. In honesty, there were too many to catalogue here, but Smith made some fine saves that kept Swindon in the game, and others went close.

With about half an hour left, with the game getting a little more tetchy as the pressure mounted on both sides, Greer was sent off, maybe harshly. His raised foot did probably leave deep stud marks on Deon Burton’s hip, but to me there seemed no intent or movement to kick Burton, and it didn’t look any worse than that done by Sam Sodje in at least three games late this season. Could Charlton dictate the game from then on in? They started to, but in some ways, as time dragged on, the crowd became more edgy wanting the Addicks to compound their lead and finish the job.

As on Friday in the first leg, Swindon scored after a breakaway, this time after 72 minutes. They broke quickly, but Charlton had numbers back this time; Borrowdale was wrestling with his winger off the ball, and got the worst of it as play continued. Crazily, the ball in the middle spun past the central defenders, and left the flying winger, now unmarked and cutting round the back after Borrowdale couldn’t hold him, free to poke past Darren Randolph. It brought the tie level once more, though Charlton still had the numerical advantage.

Even that did not last long, as Austin soon spun away from Llera, and his clumsy challenge brought him down on the edge of the penalty box. Was Dailly covering? Probably (I haven’t seen it on TV), but the linesman and referee both thought Llera was the last man, and he was shown red too. Ten against ten then.

Swindon were by far the more tired side, having played for much of the second half against superior numbers, but Charlton will have thought as the 90 minutes ended that they had missed their chance. Winning the game and one man up, they hadn’t been able to hold or increase that lead sadly. Even the players likely to create something had been sacrificed by Phil Parkinson (left) as Charlton tried to hold what they had – Lloyd Sam being replaced by Scott Wagstaff and Dave Mooney coming off for Nicky Forster – though every player tried their best.

Into extra time, and Charlton pushed forward as much as they could. With less players on the pitch, possession was key, and both teams saw quite long (in comparison) periods of holding the ball, trying to work out how to breakdown the others defence. Frazer Richardson probably came closest, as his crisp shot clipped the outside of the post. Therry Racon was now on, and he at last was running the show, probing, pushing, and cajoling his team-mates into those last efforts. But it wasn’t to be, and Swindon nearly stole it at the death with a shot that went just wide.

Despite the passionate and noisy crowd, and despite the considerable efforts of all the players, it came down to penalties. A spot kick from 12 yards with just the ‘keeper to beat. Was Smith the substitute to be a hero, or could Randolph (left) emulate Ilic’s antics and save? Well neither actually, as nine of the ten kicks went in without any coming close to being saved or missed. The second Charlton kick was the one that split the teams and gave Swindon that Wembley feeling.

Nicky Bailey, the love of our lives, took his captain’s responsibility, stepped up to take his penalty kick turn but side-footed high and wide of the right hand post. With the tie over and Swindon celebrating a few minutes later, he was distraught (top pic). It would be totally unfair to criticise Bailey for missing the spot kick: Nobody does that on purpose; nobody means to do that. We may all wish we had ginger hair too, but not last night, not with the hopes and Wembley dreams of 20,000 fans riding on our backs. Bailey had the guts to take a kick – could we have done so? So, he missed, someone was going to be a hero and someone a villain – it was Nicky Bailey’s turn to be a villain.

For ever Clive Mendonca, there is a Nicky Bailey…

I hate the play-offs.

Labels: Charlton, Nicky Bailey, Swindon

Yes, just ten games to go in this long old season; it seems like an age that Peter Taylor was in the dug-out in front of me, with blue skies above, and a lovely grassy surface at The Valley. My how things have changed - with the long cold winter came a change in Charlton’s fortunes, but despite all that has gone on, we are at least still hanging on to third position in the league table, and it would not be beyond the club to battle it out for second if the results over these last couple of months do yield anything like 25 points.

Of course, last week’s result will have to be well and truly banished from the player’s minds; it is easier for them, as they can get back into training and move on, but for fans it is harder. Even last night, as people started to arrive for my weekly evening course class, the first topic to mention was the scoreline at The New Den last Saturday, whether you were an Addick or not. Still, it’s in the history books now and there is nothing you or I can do about it except pray that we do better next time we play them.

So how can Charlton bounce back? How can the memory of a 4-0 thrashing be expunged from their minds? Who will Phil Parkinson drop (and therefore blame) for not being goods enough/not trying hard enough/not caring about Charlton enough (delete as applicable)? There will be changes, Parky has said so, and with another on-loan left back being brought into the club, we can at least expect Gary Borrowdale to start in place of Chris Solly. I don’t know much at all about Borrowdale, though I have probably seen him play once or twice. What he can be is available for the next six games, which may be what we need to get Kelly Youga fit again. Youga did play an hour in a friendly match midweek, so you could surmise that he might be ready for the first team in a couple of weeks (around Easter), but before then, we have quite a few games and Parky obviously doesn’t think Solly is up to the left back job on a consistent basis.

Other than Borrowdale, there are no new faces, no returnees from injury, and no star youngsters banging on the door for a game – so what has Parky got in mind? Well, at centre half, Miguel Llera had a very public spat with captain Nicky Bailey after gifting the ball to the opposition for what resulted in their third goal last weekend, so he may well pay the price for that misjudgement by being left out in favour of Sam Sodje. Sodje has had a rough and tumble last few months, starting with his Boxing Day sending off, getting back in the side, having his first child born, and then being left out in favour of Llera. He will probably be champing at the bit – which can be a worry with Sodje sometimes – but I do expect hm to start alongside Christian Dailly.

The midfield has had a worrying look over recent months, with Parky unable to work out his best combination. Desperate for a decent left sided midfielder, Kyel Reid has come into the club and done a good job, but in a weird sort of way, this has unbalanced an unbalanced side. With Reid wide left, you would hope and expect that playing Lloyd Sam on the opposite flank would simply be too much to cope with for most third tier teams, but no, it hasn’t really worked for the wide pair yet. In my opinion, this is because Parky hasn’t got the middle pairing right when playing these two wingers. He has tried Therry Racon with Bailey, and Racon with Jose Semedo, but while it may lack much creativity, he has yet to try Semedo and Bailey together with the two wingers. To my mind, if you have Sam and Reid in harness, then the creativity only need come from them, and not via the middle of the park. Playing this combination would allow two forwards to continue, but I have a hunch that we might see Parky go a little more unexpected, and recall Jonjo Shelvey.

Shelvey has had a funny season, with some good early performances and goals, but none of the boyhood swagger and endeavour that we saw from him as a sixteen year old. It is tougher in this league, and the now eighteen year old has had to pit his skill and wits against much bigger men, often getting abuse (physical and verbal) along the way. If the Addicks need one player to take the season by the scruff of the neck and haul us back into the Championship, then that player will probably be Shelvey.

Playing Shelvey means that either Akpo Sodje or Deon Burton would lead the line, and as Burton did it quite well in the early months of the season, I think he might get recalled. Akpo is a good substitute, but it seems that Dave Mooney has disunited too many fans with his honest endeavour but lack of strength and goals. With Leon McKenzie out injured for three weeks, we need a couple of options on the bench anyway, so Akpo and Mooney will get game time if the result is in the balance.

This is the side I would like Parky to pick to restore some faith amongst the Addickted –

Rob Elliot
Frazer Richardson
Sam Sodje
Christian Dailly
Gary Borrowdale
Jose Semedo
Nicky Bailey
Lloyd Sam
Kyel Reid
Jonjo Shelvey
Deon Burton

Subs from – Randolph, Solly, Llera, Spring, Racon, Wagstaff, Akpo Sodje, Mooney.

The team that Charlton have to restore pride against are Kent rivals Gillingham. The Gills are having a tough season, and have yet to win an away game in this campaign, leaving them close to the relegation places. They would like nothing better than to earn that first away victory against their near neighbours, and on paper, they have a chance to do so. Although Chris Dickson has continued his Addicks form and now usually sits warming the subs bench, he cannot play in this game under the terms of his loan; that won’t worry Mark Stimson though, as he said last week that he prefers Dennis Oli to Dickson anyway! Oli may not start, but he could come on to bolster Simeon Jackson up front if Gills are still in with a shout toward the end of the game. The Gills have only won two out of their last thirteen games, but those wins have been fairly recently against Huddersfield (March) and Bristol Rovers (February). Other than a single goal by Dickson, you have to go back to mid-January to find any player other than Jackson scoring for Gillingham, so it is pretty obvious where the danger lies.

Pedro45 can see plenty of straws dangling in the wind at the moment, and in a desperate attempt to clutch at some, I am going to forecast a 2-0 home win. It may not be pretty, it may not be nice, but any win would be good, and it would at least gather a small amount of confidence back into the team as we turn into the final long, home, straight. A defeat, and the dogs would be at our door; a draw, and the questions remain unanswered; but a win, any win, has to happen.

My one-to-watch in this game is captain Nicky Bailey. One of the few who can be sure of his starting place (bar some sort of injury or spat with Parky), Bailey has been on his longest barren spell in front of goal this season – it is six games now since his last gasp equaliser at Swindon – so it’s about time he hit the back of the net. Maybe if Deon is back in the starting team it will inspire Bailey to try to beat him in the top goal scorer stakes? You know that you will always get effort from Bailey, whether he is shoved out left, or playing centrally, but what we need in addition is leadership, desire, skill, will-to-win, and goals. If Bailey wants to be anything other than a decent lower league player, then he needs to start showing us how good he is week-in and week-out.

Ten games…eight wins and a draw would do it you know….

Come on you reds!

Labels: Charlton, Gillingham, Nicky Bailey

Monday night sees Charlton live on TV for an away game at Bristol Rovers; it is a chance for the Addicks to shine, which is something that may be a bit foreign to them. 2010 certainly cannot be called a vintage year so far, and even if it does end up promotion to the Championship, the last few weeks will be recalled only as a low point that the team bounced back from. The issue is just that the team need to bounce back, as they are in pretty poor form at present.

The point gained at Swindon in the last game may look good on paper, but those that saw it (of which I was not one) claim that Charlton were very much second best, inferior, and lucky to get anything from the match. That followed another 1-1 draw at Walsall, who are hardly setting the division alight, and a similar score at home versus relegation candidates Tranmere. Prior to that was the home defeat to Orient, so it is four games since Charlton last won – the club’s longest winless run of the season in the league. This sequence of results has seen the club drop back from the front runners at the top of the table to become also rans, vying with other clubs to maintain one of the play-off places come the end of the season. It is not beyond the club to push on and get back to challenging for automatic promotion, but it really would take a very good run-in over the last sixteen games to get in front of either Leeds or Norwich.

So what has gone wrong since the turn of the year? Certainly the enforced lay-off due to the snowy weather did not help, and since the thaw the pitches at everywhere except the Valley have been pretty awful – muddy and uneven. This has not helped Charlton’s play, or the teams confidence, as it is pretty hard for a skilful player to run along the pitch and try to kick the ball not knowing if it will be where he thinks it is when he started swinging the peg. The other thing that has hurt the team, is the constant switching of the formation and tactics; while I see no problem have a flexible squad that can be picked and played to suit certain conditions and opponents, the fact that manager Phil Parkinson is still searching for a best team in any game is worrying. We have good players, but they are either not performing, or not in the team. Hopefully the bad weather is now starting to recede (even if it is still very cold) and we should be OK in home games where we know the Valley will provide a decent enough surface. At away games, we may struggle, especially as Rovers are another of those teams (like Wycombe) who share their pitch with a rugby club.

Parky will need to counter this problem, but first, he will have to pick the right personnel to get Charlton back into a winning mode, and that to me means playing our best players. It does seem that through circumstance, we have yet to play our best eleven (even allowing for Kelly Youga’s injury), and now we seem to have sorted out the problematic left side of midfield through the loan of Kyel Reid, the onus must surely to get the right personnel playing in the other key areas of the pitch. Nicky Bailey is best at supplementing the forwards and bursting forward from midfield, not at playing the holding role. This should mean a return for the club’s best defensive midfielder Jose Semedo, who has been left out of the last couple of matches. Similarly, Lloyd Sam is a better winger than Scott Wagstaff, and he too should come back into the team, especially as Waggy has had a couple of poor away games now and was hauled off at half-time in Wiltshire last time out. With these two changes, the whole team is stronger, and you can vary your tactics around them, with Therry Racon, Jonjo Shelvey, Akpo Sodje, Dave Mooney, and Deon Burton all vying for the two remaining starting places.

Burton’s inclusion is an interesting point; since he was sent off on Boxing Day, his play has been fairly lacklustre, and this resulted in him being rightly dropped for the Swindon game. In that match, Parky ran a variation of a 4-5-1 formation, hoping to over-run the midfield and counter attack quickly; this tactic failed, even though in glimpses it showed that it could have worked. With Rovers being a lot weaker than Swindon are, it would surely be folly to retain a system that did not work if the club really want to win? I’m hoping that the positive spin put on that game and in reports since means that Parky is going to revert to two up front, thereby restoring Burton and appeasing those that said he shouldn’t have been dropped in the first place. With this tactic, and with Semedo coming back into the side, it does mean that either Shelvey or Racon or both are dropped, and this comes down again to hard choices - we cannot play all of our squad in every game. We could switch back to Burton leading the line on his own, but one of the reasons that the team was set up this way early in the season was because of a lack of alternative options; now we have options, and I do think that we must start with two from Burton, Akpo Sodje, and Mooney. If we get the forward line-up right, then the lack of a clean-sheet can by ignored for another week or two.

Labels: Bristol Rovers, Charlton, Nicky Bailey

Labels: Charlton, MK Dons, Nicky Bailey

I suppose in other seasons, a two game winless streak would have Charlton fans nervously looking over their collective shoulders, but in these heady times, that would be a disservice to Phil Parkinson’s (left) unbeaten Addicks. Eight games into the season, and still yet to taste defeat, the club sits in second place in the table, and could go back to the top if Leeds fail to win at the weekend.

Standing in the way of the loftiest perch are Exeter City, newly promoted and coming to terms with life in League One. City are the third of the promoted clubs to visit Charlton this season, and with Wycombe dispatched on the opening day, and with last years Champions Brentford comprehensively outplayed a month back, Charlton will be very confident of beating the third best team in League Two last season.

Exeter have started this season with two wins and three draws from their opening eight matches, and have a very good young manager in Paul Tisdale. Tisdale was suggested in some quarters as a possible replacement for Phil Parkinson during the dark days of the summer, though not many would be so vociferous now in voicing that switch.

The Grecians have few players that will be easily recognised by Addicks fans; the on-loan Stuart Fleetwood is not being allowed to play, so old hand Marcus Stewart, once of Ipswich, will probably lead the line once more. Craig Noone, a winger on loan from Plymouth may be the player to watch closely though, as he has scored once, had an assist, and had seven shots in his two matches played so far.

Exeter have already used 23 players in their league games so far this season, and that is in stark contrast to Charlton, who have so far been unchanged in all eight of their own matches; Charlton have also used six substitutes, so 17 players have been utilised. That statistic may well have to change this weekend though, as Parky has a few injury concerns to consider.

A few players have had injuries reported prior to games recently, but all have (miraculously) been able to take their place in the starting eleven come game time. One or two players may have been playing when slightly under par, and it is possible that those knocks are now coming back to hurt them. Fraser Richardson has a groin problem, which may not get better in the week’s rest he has had; Chris Solly will stand by to replace him if need be. Deon Burton broke his nose in last week’s game against Norwich, but it has been reset, and he is thought to be likely to play again this week. League One player of the month Lloyd Sam has a tight hamstring which has prevented him taking part in full training; with two important away games coming up, I would not be surprised to see Sam rested to the bench for this match, or altogether, with Scott Wagstaff given a starting place, especially if it will make a difference to Sam being fit for the next games. Midfielders Nicky Bailey and Jose Semedo also took knocks in last weeks game, but it sounds like they should both be fit enough to play and continue their important roles this week. With Christian Dailly still nursing sore ribs, and Miguel Llera protecting his cut head, the treatment room has been busy this week! In addition, it is unlikely that Leon McKenzie will make the subs bench, as he also has a bad hamstring.

This is the team that I think Parky may put out on Saturday, his first changes to the starting eleven this season –

Rob Elliot
Fraser Richardson
Kelly Youga
Christian Dailly
Miguel Llera
Jose Semedo
Terry Racon
Nicky Bailey
Scott Wagstaff
Jonjo Shelvey
Deon Burton

Subs from Randolph, Solly, Basey, Sodje, Spring, Stavrinou, Holden, Sam, Tuna, McLeod.

Exeter are one of those teams that make up the staple diet of opposition in League One; they fall into a group along with Walsall, Carlisle, Stockport, Oldham, and Hartlepool (among others). They are a team that Charlton should aspire to beat, and beat quite easily, if they want to be amongst the pace-setters for the league. I doubt that Exeter will play an expansive game, and they will be hoping to hit Charlton on a break, and then protect the lead and soak up any pressure. It is up to the Addicks to ensure that they do not fall behind, they themselves score early, and can then relax into the game in the knowledge that Exeter will pose a lot less threat than either of the last two teams Charlton have played, or the next two due to face the Addicks.

Pedro45 is going to predict a comfortable 3-0 win at The Valley on Saturday. It may be up to one or two fringe players – Solly, Wagstaff, Spring, McLeod for instance – to come up with the goods if they are required, and considering the longer term aspects of this season, it is important for each of them to make their own mark now. If each or any of them can get on the score sheet, or do a good job in the midfield or defence, then the likelihood is that when further reinforcements arrive in the January transfer window (or on loan beforehand), then they will not find their own bench positions under threat.

My one-to-watch in this game is going to be Nicky Bailey (left). The Charlton captain has been below par over the last few games, which may be down to the bad back he has been playing with. On the (excellent) Charlton Life player ratings for the season, assessed by fans at games, he only beats Llera (who has also had a couple of dodgy games recently) and Kelly Youga. Bailey started the season with a bang, and three goals in the first four games, but since he has looked quite subdued out on the left wing, and certainly not his vibrant energetic self. Bailey was possibly the cause of the half-time tunnel fracas at Carrow Road, and he does seem to lose a bit when riled. I’m hoping that with others possibly missing, Bailey steps up to the plate and re-asserts himself as the leader of the team, getting himself back on the score sheet and playing a full part in the match.

The last home game was always going to be tough, and to get a point at Norwich will look like a good result come next May; sure it was disappointing to concede in injury time, but these things do even themselves out (mostly) I think – after all, the Addicks goal against Southampton was not dissimilar to that scored by Holt…

If the two game winless streak is extended, then the following two away games will appear daunting, and we don’t want that to happen. With luck, Charlton could regain the top spot in this league on Saturday, and then try to hold onto it in Essex next week, and in Yorkshire next Saturday. The win is there for the taking, but it has to be fought for; anything less could see some red faces, and not the happy kind. The fans want a return to winning ways, and I think they might just get that wish.

Finally, I cannot go without mentioning the funds made available by the Board once more, that confirm that no players will need to be sold this season, and that the club is sound financially for the next few months at least. With Richard Murray (left) back as Chairman of the PLC (and Football Club) in a re-structured (and reduced) board, we have a leader back who can be related to, and one not afraid to speak his mind and put his money where his mouth is. Murray may not be Chairman for as long this time as he has been in the past, but it feels right to have him as our foremost representative once more.

Pedro45 says a big thank you to all of the new board of directors.

Come on you Reds!

Labels: Charlton, Exeter City, Nicky Bailey

A new season, and so much optimism – even if you are a Charlton fan! But should we be optimistic about the Addicks prospects this season? I think we should!

We’ve had a pretty good pre-season by all accounts, with the only losses coming when a "Charlton XI" has been fielded. There has been a lot of take-over talk, yet to come to fruition as I write, and surely that can only be for the betterment of the club? The management situation seems to have settled down with Phil Parkinson in situe, and with a new assistant (Tim Breacker) and the old guard (Kinsella, Matthews and Chapple) now working under new contracts in newly-defined roles. And best of all, we haven’t (yet) sold any of our stars, with Jonjo Shelvey, Therry Racon and Nicky Bailey still able to play for us this weekend.

So all in all, we Charlton fans should be quite optimistic about the months ahead, and there does seem to have been a positive sea-change amongst some bloggers and blog-readers over the last week or two. Blimey, even The Times thinks we will finish in a play-off place!

We all know and accept that the outcome of any take-over discussions will influence matters at The Valley greatly, especially amongst the playing staff, but it is to Phil Parkinson’s credit that he has just got on with his job this summer, and worked at creating a squad that can suffice this season. With many of the top wage earners out of contract, the club has been able to shift out some of those under-achievers that it couldn’t sell for love or money previously. Of the thirteen whose contracts ended, only four were offered new deals – Fortune, Zhi, Randolph and Holland. ZiZi has decided that the third tier of English football is not for him while it looks like Fortune and Holland have decided that the better money is elsewhere (and who can blame them) although they are yet to formally sign with anyone; only Randolph, with a one-year deal, has signed back on the dotted line so far.

To replace some of these players, Parky has gone for experience, with Miguel Llera (wearing the centre half’s shirt number 5), Fraser Richardson (in a right back shirt number 2), and Christian Dailly (wearing a shirt matching his age – 35!) all coming in (without any transfer outlay) to bolster the defence. With a solid look about the midfield – the most consistent part of the squad last season – we don’t seem to have any issues there (provided they are not now sold…), so that just leaves the forwards to manage. Here, we have had bids it seems for all of the Charlton front-men, barring Deon Burton. This is a surprise when you consider that we haven’t exactly been banging in the goals over recent years. But players have their levels, and Andy Gray’s is probably above this league, while Stuart Fleetwood’s may be below this division. Izale McLeod and Chris Dickson have potential to play above but perhaps not the attitude, so that leaves them in a bit of limbo, and maybe the right place? While they are all here, as a group they look powerful enough to do a job, though we will still have the problem of how to fit them in and knowing what our best combination or pairing is? In my opinion, we may yet see some movement both in and out amongst the forwards this week, and if we do sign a decent striker, then we should be quite optimistic.

One other good piece of news is that we do not seem to have had any major (or many minor) injuries to concern us this pre-season. With under a week to go, it looks like Dean Sinclair is the only player not available this weekend, and it is fair to assume that he would not be in the match day squad anyway such is the strength of the midfield currently at the club.

So who can we expect Parky to play this weekend, in the opening league match against Wycombe Wanderers?

In goal, it’s a straight fight between the only two senior ‘keepers at the club, and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to suspect that Darren Randolph will be chosen ahead of last years favourite Rob Elliott. The local lad will have to be on his toes though, as Randolph will be pressing I’m sure, knowing that he has just one more year to really make the grade (or for ever more be a back-up). Elliott is solid enough to do a good job this season, and if his weight loss shows up in improved agility, then he could yet be a long term star at The Valley.

Our defence is where we will see most change from last year; Fraser Richardson will beat off any challenge to his right back place from Chris Solly, while Yassin Moutaouakil will not get a look in as long as other options are available and Parky is manager. At left back, Kelly Youga was nearly always chosen ahead of Grant Basey last year, so there is no reason to summise that that will change, and young Jack Clark will bide his time and wait for a chance that may be some time in arriving. Centrally, new pair Llera and Dailly will hope to shore things up, though how much pace the 30-plus pair have will be interesting to see. Experience will count for a lot in this league though, so they should be OK. Yado Mambo is a very young and experienced reserve, but our only current option.

The midfield is likely to have a familiar ring about it I think, with regulars from last year Lloyd Sam, Therry Racon, Nicky Bailey all lining up, and with either Jose Semedo or Matt Spring replacing the departed Chinaman. If Semedo comes in, then that should release Racon for a more forward role than if Spring plays, so my vote would go to the Portu-geeser. Other options include Alex Stavrinou, Scott Wagstaff, and maybe even Wade Small, if he does get offered a contract after spending most of pre-season on trial at the club.

We still have to fit in Jonjo Shelvey somewhere, and with midfield places all taken, I expect him to slot into the behind-the-striker hole he occupied earlier in 2009, and from where he scored and made plenty of goals in a losing team. That just leaves the single forward place open, and unless I am very wrong, we can expect that to be filled by Deon Burton, scorer of a hat-trick in Charlton’s last league game. Other forward options could pair any two from Gray, Dickson, McLeod, plus Shelvey and Burton, but I suspect Fleetwood will miss out on sheer weight of numbers.

This is the team I suspect that Parky will pick to kick off our League One campaign, along with their new shirt numbers:

Rob Elliott (1)

Fraser Richardson (2)

Miguel Llera (5)

Christian Dailly (35)

Kelly Youga (3)

Jose Semedo (6)

Therry Racon (8)

Nicky Bailey (4)

Lloyd Sam (11)

Jonjo Shelvey (7)

Deon Burton (10)

Subs (and it’s seven this season!) from – Randolph (25), Solly (20), Mambo (27), Basey (12), Clark (29), Spring (14), Stavrinou (26), Wagstaff (16), Small (?), Davisson (30), Gray (9), McLeod (15), Dickson (17), Fleetwood (22), Tuna (28).

Just a point on the subs bench this season, with seven options it is likely that most managers (where they do have seven options, as some teams may not…) may choose a spare ‘keeper, a full back, a centre half, a midfielder, a wide man, and fill the rest with strikers. That’s certainly how I would see Parky playing it, with the emphasis on additional strikers for when they are needed.

Wycombe have an experienced manager in Peter Taylor, and we all know what happened last time they came to SE7; Carling Cup quarter finals and Les Reed do seem like an awful long time ago, but in reality it wasn’t many seasons back. The BBC reports them to have an injury crisis, but we should maybe take that with a pinch of salt, as believing that will allow them to play freely and try to catch Charlton off guard. They do now have one time Charlton target Michael Duberry in defence, and also forward Ian Westlake, who was a good youngster at Ipswich, although he looks like one who might be out injured. The one time £10m Newcastle-man Carl Cort has signed for Brentford, after playing in a trial for the Chairboys last weekend. So what we can expect, even if we know few of the names on the team-sheet, is a side that will come to close us down, play neat tidy football, and hope to grab a goal and with it the points. They will hope to turn the home crowd against the Addicks, and we cannot allow them to do that.

Pedro45 is quite optimistic for this game, even though I failed to get to any of the pre-season games this summer. Provided the team play to their capabilities, we should have too much for a bare-bones Wanderers team. I will forecast a 3-1 victory for the Addicks.

My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Nicky Bailey, simply because I may not get too many more chances to feature our ginger midfielder. In the year that Bailey has been at Charlton, he has played some exceptional games, and the odd-doosey too, but he always tries his hardest and gives his all. Likely to be out on the left side of midfield, his runs into the penalty area when Lloyd Sam breaks down the opposite wing will be vital as we will need extra bodies in the box at every opportunity. Bailey is usually fit enough to accomplish this, and his other tasks, so I fancy him to be on the score sheet early for the Addicks this season.

Last season is history, and a year in League One is upon us; we must be brave, direct, professional, positive, and physically willing. The playing team will need those qualities too. Charlton players and fans alike can get Charlton off to a great start on Saturday!

Come on you Reds!

Labels: Charlton, Nicky Bailey, Wycombe Wanderers

Labels: Cardiff, Charlton, Nicky Bailey

Labels: Charlton, Coventry, Nicky Bailey

Labels: Charlton, Doncaster Rovers, Nicky Bailey

Charlton have a chance to win something after all this season, with Nicky Bailey’s rocket volley against Wolves back in September in contention to win the Football League Goal of 2008. The volley flew toward goal in just the third minute of the game, and although goalkeeper Henderson got a hand to it, he could not keep it out, such was the force of the shot. The goal gave Charlton the lead, but a second half comeback saw the Addicks beaten by the current league leaders.

You can vote for the goal at this website –

http://www.socceram.com/top20goals

Charlton do have another part in the competition – the Mitre Goal of the Year - as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s goal for Wolves last season at The Valley is also one of the 20-gaols in contention. That goal saw Ebanks-Blake outpace Paddy McCarthy to win the ball, before cutting past him on the bye line and firing past Nicky Weaver.

McCarthy himself even gets into the competition, with his hopeful punt from 40 yards flying past the Derby keeper earlier this season, but we won’t be voting for him will we.

Labels: Charlton, Nicky Bailey

The Boxing Day local derby is something that all football fans look forward to most years, especially if it a home game. But this year, Charlton fans are not looking forward to very much such is the gloom surrounding the clubs relegation battle. Incredibly, some fans have already seemed to throw in the towel, with still 22 matches to go in the marathon 46-game season. I’m not saying that Charlton are certain to pull themselves out of trouble, but to concede that the club is going down at this stage is an extenuation of the negative atmosphere that has pervaded the club ever since relegation for the Premiership nearly two years ago.

Sure, mistakes have been made, but the Board do have the best interests of the Club at heart, and we fans have to respect them for that.

In Phil Parkinson, we have an honest and upfront caretaker-manager; Parky insists that we have an honest and professional bunch of players, that all try their collective best for the club. That may be true, but without any points being won, it is not enough. The bare fact is that unless Parkinson wins one of the next two games – Boxing Day versus QPR or on Sunday at Sheffield United – then it does not seem that the club can “afford” to keep him in the post unless they too are accepting that tier three football is extremely likely. I’m not going to get into the guess-the-manager lark that the media love, but it is probably fair to say that whatever direction the club want to go, there are plenty of options.

The teams that Parkinson picks for the two Xmas games may well differ; not through choice, but simply because some players may not be capable of giving 100% twice in 72 hours, and also that the closeness of the games is unlikely to allow for any knocks picked up against Rangers to heal properly. At Loftus Road a few weeks back, my opinion was that they were one of the dirtiest teams I had seen for quite some time, and I expect that they will be even more so in an away match. They may have a Portuguese legend as manager (don’t bow too low Jose!) who wants them to play a pure passing game, but the niggly asides that come with continental football may well be on view at The Valley in this match too.

Rangers will have Heidar Helguson available, and he has scored in his last two games since joining on loan from Bolton. The Icelander missed the game between the clubs in November and at that time was the subject of some wrangling in the media over who he would sign for – Rangers or Charlton. Of course, with the Addicks taking all and sundry on loan it was unlikely that he would have wanted to be the seventh or eighth loanee at The Valley, so he now lines up against us. As with other players with even a smidgeon of a grudge against the Addicks - like Leroy Lita at the weekend - he will be desperately wanting to score against Charlton I’m sure!

Parkinson is likely to field an unchanged team in this home game I feel, with squad players like Matt Holland, Svetislav Todorov, Kieth Gillespie (his final game on loan is the Rangers match), Kelly Youga, and possibly the youngsters Wright and Shelvey getting bench or starting places in Yorkshire at the weekend?

This is the team I feel Parky will send out at The Valley –

Rob Elliott
Martin Crainie
Jonathan Fortune
Mark Hudson
Grant Basey
Jose Semedo
Nicky Bailey
Lloyd Sam
Hameur Bouazza
Andy Gray
Martyn Waghorn

Subs from Weaver, Moutaouakil, McEveley, Youga, Wright, Shelvey, Holland, Gillespie, Todorov, Burton, Dickson, McLeod.

My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Nicky Bailey. Out of sorts since Alan Pardew left the club by mutual consent (a coincidence?), it’s about time that Bailey regained his form, as he has shown that he can perform well in this league, and we need players like him to drag us out of the depths of despair. Likened in his early Charlton career to Mark Kinsella, we should remember that Kins took a year to settle and become the great player that he was for the Addicks; hopefully Bailey will do similar?
Pedro45 is optimistic for 2009, but we are not quite there yet. Certainly I doubt next year can be as bad (either personally for me or) on the football pitch and I still have hope and a modicum of confidence that we can all haul ourselves out of this undoubted mess. As for the Rangers game, I predict a 1-1 draw, which will be some sort of improvement if we can also gain a result at Bramall Lane.

With Gillespie going soon, Primus gone, and Burton to sign permanently in January, whoever is manager will have some wheeling and dealing to do if Charlton are to continue with the loan arrangements over buying policy.

Happy Xmas!

Come on you Reds!

Labels: Charlton, Nicky Bailey, QPR

The next Charlton game in this oh-so-eventful season is away at one of the pre-season divisional favourites, Birmingham City. Not an easy game then, on paper, but actually, where Alan Pardew is concerned, he has nothing to lose going into the game. After a point last week at Plymouth that could have been three, the pressure seems to have been lifted off his shoulders somewhat, and backed by the fact that he and other club officials have been singing his virtue at every opportunity recently, it does look as if Pards is going to be given a chance to sort out the mess he has created. Whether he is capable, in the time Charlton can afford, or not, is open for debate, but it is probably safe to say that the Redvolution will not be taking place after this weekends match; win, lose, or draw.

The manager obviously won over a few hearts and minds at the recent supporters club meeting, where he answered questions succinctly. However, it is tough when you are a fan of a football club to ask one of your heroes (and yes, anyone employed by Charlton is my hero, even Rick!) a tough question like – when are you going to let someone else have a go at cleaning up the mess you have made. The one question from the floor that got anywhere near the mark – Are you going to resign? – was always going to be followed with a categoric denial, and a call to arms. With ample media training at the disposal of all football related staff these days, Pards would probably have answered these questions in a way that made him sound confident, in control, and with purpose, thereby hiding all the very elements where he has fallen foul over recent months.

Labels: Birmingham, Charlton, Join The Redvolution, Nicky Bailey