Oh No! (part 44)

Charlton Athletic 2  - Blackpool 2.

Charlton threw it away…… again.

I am in rather a funk.
I'm getting totally fed up with walking away from Charlton games knowing it really could, and should have been better.

Today, we played the very weakest side in the division, gifted them a goal through flappy goalkeeping and invisible defending, got back into the game with a cooly taken penalty, then went ahead through a very well taken goal from distance.

At this point, we proceeded to slow the game down and fanny around when Blackpool were there for the taking.
One goal is never enough for this group of players.
How often have we been pegged back this season?
Yet once we go a goal up, the foot is taken off the gas and we invite the opposition back into the game.

With minutes to go, a rather harsh looking free kick was given against us.
We've seen it time and again.
A needless free kick in a not that dangerous position suddenly becoming the game's turning point.

I've no idea what Pope was playing at but charitably I'll say he can use it as a learning point.
All young keepers have stinkers now and again.
He had one today.

A Blackpool supporting friend highlighted his performance as integral to them winning an away point, though a worse culprit was to ruin our day with almost the last action of the game.

Andre Bikey has won himself a huge fan base within the Charlton support but today he managed to blow it quite spectacularly.

With Blackpool high on life at equalising with only minutes to go, Bikey managed to fluff the kind of chance even Stevie Wonder would have poked into the onion bag.
He sent the ball way, way over the crossbar while three sides of the Valley were already up and celebrating the ball being guided into the unguarded net.

I have to say, I did a rather good impression of John Cleese as I grasped my knees, shaking my head while 'industrial language' tumbled from my mouth.

There must be a curse on that particular (North stand) goal in added on time.
In the last 3 home games, Charlton have managed to miss a golden opportunity to beat Millwall, lose to Ipswich and then today miss the most glorious of easy chances, all with the clock showing a time beyond 90 minutes, also all at that end of the ground.

So. Another draw.

Number 12 this season.

A turning point?

Bob Peeters honeymoon period is a distant memory and there were a fair smattering of boos from the home support at the end.

This season started off with us purring over the way our team were performing.
It's turning into a Winter of discontent.

We've Got 99 Problems But The Pitch Ain't One

Blackpool 0- Charlton Athletic 3.
Callum Harriott celebrates his second goal.

For me personally, this Season 'oribillus was bookended by two thoroughly pleasant trips to the seaside, Bournemouth and then this weekend, Blackpool.

The first fixture, away at Bournemouth, did not end with the result we all wanted but at least the Charlton support had a really good day out.

The packed Boscombe 'Spoons was a sea of happy faces when we all reconvened before the game, after our few months of being strangers.

The fixture was the first outing for the "Since I Was Young" song, soon to be so ubiquitous it would be used to promote the campaign to sell Season Tickets.

The Charlton support had nicked it wholesale from Motherwell in the Jock League but in these days of all clubs singing the same stuff, it was good to have something that generally wasn't sung by opposition fans.

I've kept my silence in recent weeks. 

I had no desire to start picking fights or promoting disharmony amongst the Addicks by coming to the defence or otherwise of Jose Riga.

The season is now over so I can say that while resenting- and quite frankly hating what Jose Riga stood for, (the weapons grade, Biblical standard shafting of an honourable man), I can't deny I've become a little bit fond of the man himself.

He of course had nothing to do with the ousting of Chris Powell, he just ended up sat at his desk.

I'll never sing about being part of his 'Army' but the way he conducted himself was never anything other than thoroughly professional.

He had plenty of opportunities to blame any shortcomings on the previous post holder but refused to do so. 

(David Cameron et al take note).

His contract ended with the last kick of the ball at Blackpool but in what could be described as feint praise, I'd be more than happy if he was to retain the position.

The fact that Riga managed to avoid the drop while playing a very close approximation of a CP side, Standard imports often playing little or no part, just makes me think that Powell could have done it too, if only he hadn't had to deal with the toxic atmosphere behind the scenes.

We ended the season on a high, scoring for fun when for most of the year cows bums were pretty safe from our strikers waving banjos. 

Callum Harriott has become a goal machine.
Who saw that coming?
I really enjoyed seeing him celebrate with the match ball on Saturday. He deserved it. 

From the outside, Charlton's 'problem' would appear to be the pitch. 

Even people without much knowledge of the Championship have commented to me about our 'shocking' pitch and how the club had 'robbed' Doncaster due to calling off a game we were losing because it got a bit wet.

It doesn't seem to matter how often we remind people that a) the club couldn't call the game off, it had to be the neutral referee.
b) the game should never have started
c) Doncaster had gone down to 10 men while Charlton had just scored,  
and d) the visitors were now about to defend the almost impossible to defend goalmouth.

Mr Roland and Katrien have been rather slack at offering contracts to many of the players I'd hope to be retained but I cannot fault his decision to splash (ahem) the cash on our swamp of a cabbage patch.

My good friend Jay Z was saying just the same thing while supping a few local brews the other day, "We've got 99 problems but the pitch ain't one (any longer)".


So, what's to become of our club? 
The next few weeks will be quite an eye opener. 

Will players like Hamer, Dervite, Morrison etc. move on, due to lack of any real willing to retain them, thereby opening a handy gap for some Standard also rans - or will we start building a new team with 'proper' signings, proven at Championship level?

Will we manage to wangle young Poyet's signature for another season before he leaves us to set the world on fire?

Time will tell.

It's just nice to be able to put this season to bed and forget about football for a while. 

As ever, I'd like to thank the people who make my Charlton days entertaining, even when the football has been woeful (you know who you are my friends) and the people who have popped by here to read, and even in a few cases sent me messages asking me to "come back" when I stopped posting for a while.

I do need to say a rather feeble "sorry" to the people who sit near me in the East stand as I got progressively more 'sweary' from the period after Christmas. 
Not big or clever.

Have a great Summer fellow Addicks and see you at Welling.

Bore Draw

Charlton Athletic 0 - Blackpool 0

Today was not a classic, by any stretch of the imagination but Charlton can at least say a clean sheet has finally arrived.

Ben Hamer wasn't really called into action too much in the Charlton goal but the West Country custodian must gain some confidence from the shut out, especially as his performances have been under the microscope lately.

Last weekend, I couldn't see us winning a point before the International Break so two draws against fancied opposition isn't a bad return.

Today was a game nobody really deserved to win or lose.
It was dull, dull, dull.

I think Charlton will be happier with the point than Blackpool who surely must have arrived at The Valley, looked at our team sheet without Kermorgant, Solly, Jackson and Cort and reckoned it was a fine time to avenge the two defeats we inflicted upon them last season.

There was plenty of huff and puff from both sides but real, proper, attempts on goal were at a premium.

Other than Jordan Cousins long shot, that Gilks managed to push onto the post, Charlton were pretty toothless.
Church ran and ran (and ran) but nothing fell for him.
Sordell got into some good positions but in general, he just made me wonder why anyone felt the need to put a £3M price tag on him and Harriot tried hard, yet seemed outmuscled by the well drilled Seasiders.

Blackpool's large defence made sure all the long balls hoofed up front were repelled with ease.
We certainly missed the pugnacious Kermorgant.

At the other end, Wilson, Morrison and Wood were keeping the highly regarded Ince under wraps.

Both teams cancelled each other out.

Hardly a game to live long in the memory but it's a point I didn't expect, so I'm not complaining, (unlike the prize twazzock who was sitting behind us in the East stand).

He moaned from 3pm onwards, without cease.
He didn't seem to recognise many of our players and had very little of note to say other than the reds are "just not good enough" and "laughably poor", while exclaiming with disgust at every perceived misplaced pass or fumbled control.
It went on and on.
 He was having a horrible time, obviously hating every minute of his time at The Valley.

A man of such lofty standards must surely dress in the finest suits, live with a Miss World, dine out at Michelin starred restaurants while driving a DB9 to his obscenely highly paid job, before heading home to his luxury mansion.
His cover as an Old Man Steptoe clone was a masterstroke when trying to blend in.

The 100% support of Tuesday night was a distant memory around our parts today, mostly thanks to Moaning Mike.

I do hope he's not going to be a regular feature of home games.

New Role?

Blackpool 0 - Charlton Athletic 2.

For the first time in a few seasons, Charlton played a game without me either a) being present or b) following the action via commentary on radio or the CAFC player service.

Today, I didn't head up to the North West coast to enjoy the unexpected away victory.
I was at the Lakeside shopping centre over in Essex!

Until I got a text message from Crispy congratulating himself on his betting prowess, (Cort to score), I had no knowledge of events at the Seaside.

A later message announcing Chris Solly had belted one in from outside the penalty area put a little bounce in my step.

Knowing how these things can work out, it was the Final Scores on the radio while exiting the car park that made me finally relax and do that ridiculous fist pump we all do.

I had been to our two previous games at Bloomfield Road and left there cold, wet and disappointed on both occasions.
It didn't seem much of a hardship to stay at home instead of doing a long schlep North, for what seemed like a pretty obvious home win.

Well done to Chris Powell, the players and back up squad for winning a game not many people would have predicted..

I received a few messages this evening with a common theme, that being I need to stay away from Charlton games more often!

I don't really fancy that role very much.
Sorry.

It's Blackpool.

We now know another of our opponents for next season in the Championship.

On merit, West Ham probably deserved to go up, (having finished third in the final league standings) but Blackpool had momentum and the beating of highly fancied Birmingham in the Play Off semis under their belt.

I chose to go retro and listened to the game from Wembley on the radio.
This gave me the opportunity to do other jobs I've been avoiding all week but really I quite like listening to football without the pictures- at least when Charlton aren't involved anyway.

The game was fairly enjoyable but it didn't compare to Blackpool triumphing over Cardiff 2 years ago, or indeed 'The Greatest Game' which was at the same stage of the competition, involving some team or other from South East London and Sunderland in 1998!

So, assuming the football fixture list computer doesn't send us up to Blackpool for a midweek evening game, we can all look forward to a weekend break on the Lancashire coast.

I just hope we get more luck on the pitch than we had on my last two visits to Bloomfield Road.

Tangerine Dream

Blackpool 3 - Cardiff City 2.


I'd like you to indulge me for a few moments as I take you by the hand, and lead you through the streets of Stalis.

Stalis is a pleasant Greek holiday resort on the island of Crete, only about a mile from the club 18- 30 style boob flashing and vomit in the pool shenanigans of Malia.

Two middle aged blokes are sharing a beer in a convivial open air taverna, people watching and of course, chatting about football.

One of the blokes supports a well known Premiership team from South East London. His team are financially secure, widely regarded as one of the best run clubs in the top flight and get smothered by wall to wall media coverage.

He's saying how he thinks the manager might be getting a little stale, doesn't look like he's enjoying it much anymore and maybe it's time for somebody else to come in and give the club the chance to push on, maybe becoming a fixture of the top seven or eight.

The other bloke is a mad supporter of his local side in Lancashire. They have a ramshackle stadium and no money at all. The crowds are often not much more than 6,000 but it's about the standard expected for League 1.

The Lancashire fella knows all about the Premiership team, their players, the ground, the sponsor, recent results etc. etc.
Why wouldn't he?
The Premiership is the 'Best League In The World'.

The Londoner knows about the League 1 outfits kit, their ground, their manager and very impressive history.
He can't really tell you much more as League 1 football doesn't really register in the rarified atmosphere of top table football consumption.

Both the men laugh together at the prospect of their teams meeting one day on the pitch, probably in one of those rather dicey F.A Cup games played in January.
.............................................................................................

Fast forward around half a decade.

The Londoner is now looking on with admiration, (and quite a large portion of jealousy), as his friends team complete the total role reversal and claim a place in the Premier League.

The Lancashire side have managed the amazing feat with style, on a baking hot day at Wembley, which many had compared to the 'Greatest Game', one of the Play Off matches in 1998.
The 'well run' Premier League side now haven't a pot to piss in and are about to enter their second season in League 1.

A huge congratulations must go to Blackpool, and their supporters, for their performance - not just in their final but all season long.
Favourites to go down last August, they have played attacking, attractive football which has been rewarded in the best possible way.
They now have the opportunity to annoy Palace fans by singing 'their song' regularly on television.

Only a couple of months to wait and those blokes will be be sitting in the same taverna in Greece.

What to talk about eh?

A Cautionary Tale

A huge congratulations to Blackpool who managed to beat Nottingham Forest over two legs, to reach Wembley for the Championship Play Off final.

Blackpool won both legs, the home leg 2-1 and the tricky away second leg 3-4, commanding an impressive aggregate score of 4-6.

I would be very surprised if any other Addick chose to follow the game online by logging onto the CAFC player service and then choosing the Forest - Blackpool game to listen to.
My reasoning was due to our friend 'Chis' being the commentator covering the match for Radio Lancashire.

I was really impressed with his performance.
He was partisan towards Blackpool of course but even when Forest scored, he didn't let it colour his descriptions or make it obvious he was supremely gutted.
A solid, professional performance.

We should all be aware that Blackpool were universally assumed to be the weakest team in the Play Offs, yet they have made it to Wembley.
Forest were the form team.
Apparently, Forest hadn't even conceded a goal at home since late February!

Lowly Blackpool with their small crowds and half built stadium, were thought by some as highly likely to crumble when faced with the 28,000 crowd at the City Ground with their passion and volume.

We should be aware that Swindon will be fancying their chances against us, starting on Friday.

Their relatively small and unglamorous ground, lack of large support plus being beaten on the last day of the season will mean nothing and neither will their visit to a relatively large ground on Monday.

We need to focus, concentrate and show Swindon the respect they deserve for reaching the Play Offs.

As Ian Hollaway said about 10 days ago,
"There are 4 teams in it. Someone has to win it and get promoted. It may as well be us."

Blackpool have shown that other teams past successes or misfires mean nothing. We need to forget about what's happened and go forward together.

Charlton would do well to emulate the Tangerines.