I Want My CAFC.

I'm fairly certain this evening marks an unprecedented low point with regards my own relationship with Charlton Athletic as a club. 

When we were finally shown the exit door from the Premier League, then cascaded down to L1 (after a brief flirtation with the Championship), I felt bullish and still proud to be Charlton.

 Now it seems the heart and soul has been ripped from Charlton Athletic, just so we can be a nursery club for a Belgian side. 

Why should Powell be made to sell his, (and our), favourite players, only for them to be replaced by kids and journeymen who have lost their mojo elsewhere?  

The Charlton role in the grand scheme is now just to get Roly's under performers back on track and then return them to their 'real' team.

I adore Chris Powell but surely he is now a dead man walking?

From the outside looking in, he's having his players sold without his knowledge and then receiving ones he hasn't asked for. 

His contract runs out this Summer and it hasn't been reviewed or renewed.

Name a sensible player who would sign for him now, unless he were 'forced' to by the all powerful Roly Poly? 

It would be impossible for me to hold Powell in higher esteem but I wouldn't sign for him in the current circumstances.

 

It's all very dispiriting. 

Obviously, I'll continue going to the Valley and enjoy meeting up with friends but right now, it feels like *our* Charlton, for the immediate future at least, is gone. 

Let Down

Charlton Athletic - Barnsley

Well, that was hardly the start to Mr Roland's new Charlton era we were hoping for.

What a let down.
-'Game Postponed' - and at such a time when it was too late for most supporters to make other plans.

Luckily for me, I have only a short walk from home to get to fixtures at the Valley but I am most certainly in the minority.

An extremely annoyed bloke in the Rose of Denmark was letting rip about travelling all the way from 'mid Kent,' and I have to say I agreed with his moaning sentiment.

Those poor sods who made the journey from South Yorkshire have nothing but my 100% empathy if they want to have a grumble and cuss about Charlton Athletic.

Today was an absolutely perfect day for football.
It would have been glorious.

I assume Tuesday's encounter with Oxford must be (at the very least) considered at risk.

Personally, I think we should just hand it to Oxford and say,
"We've messed you about enough.
We aren't going to be winning the FA cup and nobody at the Valley is remotely bothered about the 'prize' of yet another trip to Huddersfield, - so you take it"

As for Barnsley, though I speak for nobody other than myself, I'd like to offer my heartfelt apologies for the way today was handled.

The only plus point about today was instead of a brief catch up with friends, we got to have a proper chat.
Thanks Al, Al's father in law, Ted, Jeff and all the RoD crew, plus the RLA Greenwich for a splendid afternoon, even if it wasn't the one I was expecting when I put my coat on and left the house.

Roland Duchatelet Buys Charlton

Thanks Google Image.

As supporters, it seems as if we've got what we were hoping for, at least for the moment.

We have a new owner who is welcomed by many fans purely because he isn't the old lot and might have some cash.

We will see how things progress but today is a day of hope.

Simon Jordan's favourite sparring partner, Richard Murray, has hopped back onto the Chairman's, (ahem), chair to give us all a bit of belief that things won't immediately go completely crazy.

Welcome Roland, enjoy the ride.

The Waffling Is Over?

The obligatory 'obvious' Belgian image

The South London Press say the wait is over.
Apparently, we are now owned by a Belgian after he shelled out 24 million Euros to become an Addick.

It's not just being reported in South East London:
Charlton have a new owner.

I'm hoping Chris Powell is part of the new bloke's plans.

A New Year.

Firstly, I really do need to say a huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to glance at my words over the last 12 months.

I extend the thanks to include the supporters of other clubs, (even Leeds United!) and those supporters of Charlton who have seen fit to put me in my place when I've written something they disagree with.

This is just a bit of fun for me, it's certainly not my job, which means I can choose to post something whenever I want but also I can leave it alone if I can't be bothered.

2013 had fewer posts from me than any year since I started this blog.
Sometimes life and beer do get in the way!

Charlton's 2014 started in exactly the same way as 2013.
A celebratory knee slide across the turf to the dismay of an opposition's groundsman.

Jackson grabs a point for the Addicks, 2014

Ipswich Town 1 - Charlton Athletic 1.

Last New Year's Day, I was at Watford to witness Captain Jackson score the winning goal for Charlton.
Other than when fellow blogger Al got 'the call' late in the evening and had to leave the pub we were celebrating in, ashen faced, it was an all round perfect day.

Jackson milks it at Watford, 2013

This time, I was all alone, listening in to the game while looking out of the window at the filthy weather.
The 2014 Jackson goal was still celebrated by me but it was with a convivial raising of a mug of Red Bush tea rather than 8 (?) pints of real ale.

Charlton certainly did it the hard way yesterday.

The central figure for the afternoon was former hot shot young gun Premier League referee S. Attwell.

The Premier League realised he wasn't up to the task after some rather eccentric performances and now he's been inflicted upon the Championship.

Is it possible to get nearly every decision wrong?
No, it's not- but he came pretty close!

Very early in the game Ipswich should have had a penalty but Attwell waved play on.

Later, after Charlton had conceded what has become the 'regular' deflected own goal, our referee not only decided that it was a fair challenge on Stewart but also the forward had performed a swan dive and carded him, when everyone else in Portman Road was expecting a penalty for the Londoners.

Coming so soon after the officials had robbed Charlton on Boxing Day, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to equalise from an extremely offside position, there were many Charlton supporters wondering what the FA have against the folk from SE7.

All game, Attwell was busy making a hash of it.  Not always in Ipswich favour, sometimes he messed up to the benefit of Charlton but the theme of the afternoon was the referee was a cock.

Ipswich were eventually given a penalty. It looked to be a correct decision, yet less obvious than the one Charlton were denied.

At this point the afternoon took on a different feeling as Ben Alnwick pooped on Attwell's betting slip and pulled off a remarkable save.

(Red Bush all over the carpet).

Charlton gained belief and as we headed into stoppage time, Jackson was there to plunder a point that had looked quite unlikely for most of the game.

2013 was a good year for me but it was always going to suffer when compared to 2012.

2012 was the year the whole planet came to have a look at this part of London, (and liked what they saw).
If having the Olympics and all the razzmatazz that goes with it within sight of home wasn't impressive enough, good old Charlton managed to outclass the rest of League One and romped to the title.

We had pyro loving parachutists, an opera singer wearing a skirt too tight and a full Valley for the presentation of the L1 Champions trophy.

2012 was amazing but there were times in 2013 I particularly enjoyed.

My Personal Highlights of 2013

1. Seeing The Stone Roses at Finsbury Park.
(This is the highlight of my decade and will only be beaten if The Clash manage to reform, with Joe Strummer somehow coming back Lazarus style, riding on Shergar).

"This Is The One……"

2. Seeing Fleetwood Mac at Madison Square Garden, NYC.

3. Seeing The Who perform at the o2 arena.

4a. Jackson scoring at Watford.
4b. Fuller scoring at Palace, (sadly it went downhill later).

5. Surviving another OFSTED without chinning an inspector or having a breakdown.

Here's to 2014.

Happy New Year everyone.