Celebrate Good Times

Sheffield Wednesday 1 - Charlton Athletic 2.

Who'd have thought it? 

This topsy turvy season that most of us were writing off as a disappointment has lead us to the Quarter Finals of the FA cup!!!!

The Wendys were guilty of counting their chickens- delighting in the fact they were going to get a crack at their Steel City neighbours Sheffield United in the next round, forgetting they had the upstarts from SE7 to edge past for that prize.

A very uncomfortable night was spent by me a) trying to get a dodgy stream to work on my iPhone and b) in the company of a surprisingly impartial Chris Waddle on 5live radio.

A team of heroes got their just desserts, even if according to the Wendys we 'stole' the result with the winner bouncing off Simon Church's elbow.

We don't care. It is about time we got some luck. 

The Wednesday support conveniently forget their 'goal' at the Valley a few weeks ago was so far offside the scorer didn't dare celebrate.

This rag tag bunch of Mr Roland's imports and kids only just old enough to get served in a pub, plus a smattering of 'real' Charlton men have overcome the odds to put a smile on our faces.

Yeeeeeeeeesssssss!!!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!

Charlton Athletic 1 -  QPR  0

The general consensus as we were leaving the Valley yesterday was "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss", at least according to my twitter timeline.

Pre game, as we sat in the welcome February sunshine of the Rose of Denmark beer garden, a chirpy Hungry Ted was pretty confident of Charlton getting a decent result.
 I really didn't share his optimism.
A draw was the very, very best I would allow myself to dream of.

We discussed the possibility of Charlton scoring early but reckoned it'd just mean we would sit back, trying to defend the lead which probably wouldn't be that successful.

I did say our best bet would probably hinge upon keeping the game as a draw, then scoring late.

Someone must have been listening.

Despite having an embarrassment of riches and a large playing squad just reeking of quality and pound signs,  QPR felt the need to bring in Ravel Morrison as an 'emergency' this week.

From a Charlton perspective, it's a good job 'Arry did this particular piece of business as Morrison stunk the place out.

Without stretching the point, if he'd been concentrating, he could very easily have netted a hat trick yet he was in more danger of knocking over the corner flag than busting the net with his efforts.

QPR were very pretty, keeping the ball and passing well but didn't offer that much up front.

The stats tell us they didn't have a single shot on target.
We still had a heart in mouth moment when Thuram- Ulien made a complete horlicks of an unwelcome back pass.
Luckily, his mistake wasn't punished.

As the game entered the closing stages it was QPR who were hanging on for a draw.

Poyet made a very Steve Brown style challenge, winning a ball he had no right to, leading to a curling effort from distance by Ajdarevic.

I turned to Crispy after Rob Green had tipped the ball around the post, saying "it's not going in is it?"

The resulting corner had 3 sides of the Valley in dreamland.

Jackson seemed to score an impossible goal from the tightest of angles, heading the ball down so that it bounced up into the roof of the net.

The celebrations were very similar to the scenes we had all those years ago, when we came back to equalise against Manchester United, after being 3-1 down with not much time to go.

For once, we seemed to get what we deserved.
The referee wasn't conned by the most ridiculous dive over Dervite's leg, (no contact whatsoever), in our penalty area in the first half.
Just the kind of decision that's been going against us lately.

So the good guys won.
'Arry's team of money grabbing mercenaries just didn't care enough and lost because they thought they only needed to turn up and lowly Charlton would roll over.

All that was left to do was cheer off the team and, (of course), Chris Powell.

A few celebratory beers post game with Al, Jim and Crispy seemed to be in order which wiped out the rest of my Saturday night if I'm honest.

It's days like these that remind us why we love football.

Your beloved home team scoring an added time winner, against a side who are expected to give you a spanking.

Happy Days.

What a Week

Wigan Athletic 2 - Charlton Athletic 1.

Charlton are working extremely hard to stretch my ability to bounce back from adversity.

I'm having my (ahem) 'bouncebackability', as a hardly handsome previous Charlton manager would have put it, tested to the extreme.

In the same week we had to watch, (helplessly), fans favourite and talisman Yann Kermorgant being shipped off to the seaside - just hours after our creative midfielder Dale Stephens headed in the same direction, we had a final kick in the nuts at Wigan.

A miserable looking Yann announcing to his new supporters-

 "I am a Charlton fan".

I'm not going to comment on the game today beyond saying Charlton went 1-0 up with barely 2 minutes on the clock and so it remained until 88 minutes.

By the time the players trooped off, a 2-1 defeat was all the team had to show for their efforts.

A defeat was to be expected at Wigan but the way it transpired is galling, to put it extremely mildly.

Luckily for me, my recent rediscovery of running had me pounding the pavements this evening, headphones playing Stone Roses, letting it all out.

It's impossible to stay frustrated/angry while running- you just end up in a pile by the side of the road.

So, we're Addicks.

If we wanted it to be easy we'd be armchair supporters of one of the major Premier League teams.

....but we don't.

It's true you have to experience lows to properly appreciate the highs but sometimes I do wish Charlton weren't quite so 'character building'.

See you at the Valley for the visit of Birmingham then.

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.