Happy Returns?

Charlton Athletic 3 Huddersfield Town 0

The Football for a Fiver lapsed fan / never been a fan but fancy a bargain, crowd packed out the Valley yesterday.

The only spaces I could see were in the Jimmy Seed stand where the Huddersfield fans had also taken advantage of the £5 offer. 

There was an air of anticipation pre game.

The return of Chris Powell to his spiritual home went as well as could be hoped for. 

We got to applaud him as he walked to his (unfamiliar) dugout, he paused to shake hands with many old friends and looked up to see a banner across the other side of the pitch in the East stand with the simple message, "Thanks Chris", then 95% of Charlton supporters stood to applaud him in the 3rd minute.

The people who consider themselves to be 'better fans' than the rest of us were free to keep their arms folded and scowl throughout the minute of applause and then we got on with the game properly.

Football for a Fiver has had a rather 'mixed' history.

What often happens is we invite lots of people back to the Valley, then remind them why they don't come anymore.

Yesterday was different. 

Chris Powell had a thoroughly miserable return while those Fiver Folk certainly got value for their money and were given plenty of reasons why they might consider adding a few more fixtures to their calendars.

Huddersfield started brightly and had obviously been given instructions to try and quieten the bumper crowd.

It was all very even until Cousins and JBG performed a rather obvious 'run over the ball, then your mate lashes it in' free kick routine.

The regular supporters and their Johnnie Come Lately neighbours rose as one and bobbed about like joyful dolphins.

The Ref for a Fiver was constantly being fooled by the rather pathetic Am Dram diving and rolling of Vaughn, who I remember as quite a decent player not long ago. 

Surely he doesn't need to add this cheating to his arsenal of skills?

On one occasion, just in front of us, he leapt forward, arching his back and snapping his head back, pretending he had been given the kind of nudge Giant Haystacks might have performed.

There was absolutely no contact whatsoever and he should be ashamed of himself.

Huddersfield were out of it almost as soon as the second half started when Tony Watt wriggled to make the space then doubled Charlton's lead.

The Charlton team then started to, (excuse my French), quite royally take the piss.

The ball was passed about, Huddersfield not really looking too keen on getting it back.

It got worse for them. They had a lifeline back into the game when Henderson managed to pull off a ridiculously good save, the Huddersfield supporters already up and celebrating the 'goal' he managed to deny.

They were still feeling crestfallen when Tony Watt picked up the ball, ran with it- showing strength to maintain possession, then wellied the ball high into the goal.

Three- nil.

Huddersfield then let their manager down. They really just wanted to go home. Charlton could have scored three or four more but we were all rather content with the score as it was.

One of their blokes, (Robinson?), completely lost his head, having 2 attempts to clobber whoever was nearby. He really had no interest in the ball. He went chasing madly, attempting to send people into the stands, completely disregarding any pretence of being a footballer.

This was just assault.

The Ref for a Fiver really had no choice. It was a red card all day. 

Oddly he called the player towards him who just shook his head and walked away…….

RfF then had to chase the naughty boy half the length of the pitch to wave a yellow card???

Surely, even if the original offence had only been worthy of a yellow, the additional petulance should have seen him getting first dibs on the shower gel?

The game ended with Charlton now really, really taking the piss.

The crowd shouted 'ole' as our team stroked the ball about, Huddersfield still not caring.

There was one passage of play when I counted over 20 passes, not going anywhere, just keeping the ball before a Huddersfield player attempted an interception.

So, happy days at the Valley.

A few beers were quite necessary after another 3-0 win.

What's going on?

If it's Guy Luzon I'm prepared to taste the humble pie and say well done. 

This of course doesn't mean I'm forgiving or forgetting the shambles and untruths surrounding his appointment but now he's here, we have to support the team, if not the regime.

So, see you on Tuesday. 

I'm predicting a crowd around 10,000 less than yesterday!

A Tale of Two Dogs

I turned on my television earlier today to witness an odd looking bloke, rather camping it up, as he minced along next to an overly shampooed canine.

It appeared to be the Cruft's dog show.

Anybody who has seen the fantastic film Best in Show won't be able to take any of that nonsense seriously, so I quickly flicked past.

Saturday was also a day of dogs for me.
I'm not really a 'dog' person, - my little pal Top Cat would agree - yet Saturday was most certainly one where I seemed to be seeking them out.

The first set of dogs were the Terriers of Huddersfield who were playing at home to Charlton.

An early goal, scored by our own homegrown youngster Callum Harriott, was the perfect start.
The next 85 minutes were somewhat shaky at times but a combination of fine defending, excellent goalkeeping, plus the kind of spirit that makes you proud were enough to fend off Huddersfield.

A 1-0 win was Charlton's 8th on the road this season and makes a mockery of the rather feeble home record.
I believe Charlton only need another win to guarantee Championship football next season. Another win  and a few draws should totally clinch it for me.

Lately, I've been having awful luck on my bets involving Charlton.
I've been betting much more successfully on LOSC Lille.
Generally, the money I've lost betting on Charlton has come back again from my LOSC bets.

For those people who don't know, LOSC are known as 'Les Dogues'.
 Literal translation is 'the mastiffs'.

Well just for once, everything came up for me.
My bet on Charlton beating the Terriers and Les Dogues to win 'le derby du Nord' had me like a dog with... etc etc.

Due to picking out Rodelin as a correct goalscorer, I was most certainly quids in last night.

Champion.

Wet Weekend

Charlton Athletic 1 - Huddersfield 1.

The weekend started off in fine fashion on Friday evening.
Along with Al and my sister, I was at KOKO in Camden for the Wedding Present crashing through the final date of their Seamonsters tour.

I bought the Seamonsters album when it came out in May 1991, (on cassette!) then upgraded to a CD version just a few months later.
Due to multiple home moves, both copies went missing so I ended up buying a newer version a couple of years ago that has some extra tracks added.

I was pleased that none of the 'extras' were played when the band decided to play the album live.
It wouldn't have felt right to me.

Twenty odd years ago, I ended up having to look after a hamster.
Due to a series of events not worth going into on here, the owner ended up leaving it with me long term.
I renamed it 'Gedge' after David Gedge, the lead singer of the Wedding Present.

Before the show on Friday, David Gedge, (the real one), was hanging around in the foyer so Al went and shook his hand, as did I.

Unfortunately, (as younger sisters are expected to do), I had my veneer of cool completely shattered when she told the bewildered bloke he'd had a rodent named after him.

I tried to laugh it off but I was really struggling.

The show turned into a CAFC love in when Louis and Martin spotted us in the Muppet Box we'd strolled into, (well nobody stopped us), and came to join us.

More drinks at the Cittie of Yorke on the way home ended a good evening.

The Valley wasn't a nice place to be on Saturday.
The wind and rain lashed across the pitch and it seemed impossible for (those players from the North) to stay on their feet.

For a team of supposedly hardy tough nuts who look down on us Southern softies, they did spend rather a lot of time rolling on the floor.

The sending off they received may have been harsh in retrospect but in real time, from my angle, it looked a fairly good decision.
I couldn't give a toss at the time though as I was remembering how we'd been well and truly 'Trevor Kettled' by the most appalling refereeing up at their place last season.

They had won 1-0 due to a penalty, (not debated), a sending off, (maybe the right decision but their player had to go too) and the referee being almost their best player.

Perhaps this was a little piece of justice?

Huddersfield are a strong side and looked dangerous going forward but especially in the dicey conditions looked a bit shaky at the back.

Hulse scored after a well worked build up and from that moment there looked like only one possible result.

Fuller seemed to have doubled the lead, and made sure of the 3 points, but the ball squirted agonisingly inches wide with all around me celebrating then grabbing their heads and sinking back down again.

Charlton fannied around instead of pushing forward and we felt sure that at just 1-0 Huddersfield were going to get at least one more chance or there'd be a defensive mistake that could prove costly.

As the clocked ticked towards 90 minutes it seemed as if the storm, (at least the one on the pitch) had been weathered.

Unfortunately, probably due to the extremely inclement conditions, Hamer spilled one and there was a big scramble in the Charlton penalty area.

From our angle it was impossible to tell what had happened but suddenly the referee was walking away and pointing to the penalty spot.

It would seem that Solly was penalised.

Those with a better view than me said it was a soft decision and just the kind of evener a referee might give if he was having doubts about the legitimacy of the earlier sending off.

Huddersfield were probably worth the point they gained but it was extremely frustrating for Charlton to drop 2 points so close to the end.

A few drinks in the Rose of Denmark after the game made the result sting less of course.

We'll all be looking for a reaction on Tuesday evening against Peterborough.

A Casualty Rating
He went from 'Dench' to 'Drenched' in his Charlton debut.

 I was very impressed with our loan from Arsenal, Emmanuel Frimpong.
Up until he left the pitch with what looked like cramp, he had been the midfielder I've felt we've needed this season.

I'm hoping he'll be available for Tuesday and especially our visit to the neighbours at Millwall next weekend.
It's probably not his style but I'm awarding 'the 'Pong', the regularly handed out Lacoste polo.

Huddersfield 1- Charlton Athletic 0.

I'm writing this as we speed away from the centre of Huddersfield.

The score above only tells half the story.

I quite like Huddersfield.
Once the fog finally lifted it became clear that it's a pleasant, large smallish town- (or a small large town), with a magnificent stadium and friendly locals. There wasn't even a hint of the menace that sometimes surrounds football.

The countryside whizzing past me now is lovely.

Unfortunately, my memories of today are all about how we were undone by one man.

Before kick off I was expecting this to happen.
I thought Jordan Rhodes might give us a bit of a mauling but actually he had a fairly quiet game.

Yes, he did score but it was a penalty that rolled into the goal with Hamer sent in the other direction. Other than that, he didn't really do much.

Unfortunately, the 'one man' who stitched us up today was wearing black.

I'd be interested to see if any neutrals thought he was being impartial, as his role demands.
He was Huddersfield's best player for most of the afternoon.

Having witnesses his display today it reminded me of one of those games that have since been found to have been officiated by 'bought' referees.
Yes.
It was that bad.

He penalised good challenges, missed clear cut fouls due to ball watching, managed to restart the game with a drop ball when most of us were expecting a dismissal, or maybe a yellow if he remembered where he was.
He managed to mishandle pretty much every event he could and in summary, made it highly improbable that Charlton were going to get anything from the game.

Huddersfield are a decent side.
They weren't that good today but they were good enough to shade the first half.

Despite going down to 10 men, Charlton 'won' the second half, though didn't manage to carve out the clear cut chance the dominance merited.

So, it needed a penalty, that looked to be a bit soft to say the least (but definitely falls into the "I've seen them given" file) to beat our ten men against their 12.

Maybe I'll feel differently in the morning but right now I'm just angry with an incompetent official, and pleased with the fight our team showed, especially after the red card.

Promotion is still on.

Don't panic!

ps.
I feel I need to point out Norm's language was impeccable this afternoon.

Shattered!

Charlton Athletic 2 - Huddersfield Town 0.

Well that's it.
Sky were expecting a Harlem Globetrotters style exhibition game where the 'invincibles' from Yorkshire put the lowly upstarts from South London to the sword.

Unfortunately for all of those concerned, Huddersfield can stick their record up dot dot dot as the North upper sang.

Kermit and Hogan scored the goals but for my money, we won the game in defence.

Morrison and Taylor were immense, little Chris Solly was in control, Taylor and Wiggins also had fine games.

I don't mind admitting I was more than a little worried about tonight.

When a Huddersfield supporter told me before the game that we should be happy with a point I responded bullishly that it was rubbish. We wanted all 3 points and we were going to get them!

I didn't believe it really but so it came to pass.

The only slight fly in the ointment was Yann Kermorgant being stretchered off in the last few minutes.
It looked serious and I wish him well.

A Casual Rating.

My MOM who, of course, is being awarded the Lacoste polo is Michael Morrison.
He seemed to be just in the right place, every time to foil the Huddersfield attacks.

The Primark novelty slogan t-shirt is going to whoever decided the East stand turnstiles were going to be perfectly fine with some of them closed.
I was still outside with 5 minutes played.

Ref Watch.
Hmm. I wasn't impressed.
We won despite the referee tonight.
He seemed particularly adverse to awarding us free kicks for pushes and tugs yet somehow managed to award a free kick when tiny Chris Solly breathed on huge beast Parkin.

I don't care a stuff.
We are 7 points clear and I'm going to bed with a smile on my face.
Good Night all.

Boxing Day.

Charlton Athletic 0 - Huddersfield Town 1.

I put my money on a 2-0 defeat at the Valley this afternoon. By the climax of the game, I was half right.


Unfortunately, the easy victory I was expecting for Huddersfield never materialised so when they finally did score, predictably during a good spell of play from Charlton, it felt like a kick in the teeth.


Huddersfield did very little all game and ended up snatching a victory that even their hardest of hardcore supporters couldn't have described as 'deserved'.


The men from Yorkshire had to rely on the kind of 'dodgy' decision that always goes against you when you're on a bad run.
A poorly taken free kick was smashed into the Charlton wall, only for the referee to judge the ball had been stopped by a hand.
It did seem harsh.
It seemed even harsher when the second, closer attempt arrowed into the net.
Smash and grab?
Yup.

Charlton defended well and made enough chances to win any game, yet for the third game in a row failed to do the business up front.

If I'm brutally honest, the game did go by in a bit of a blur for me.
Before the game I met Al Gordon for a quick beer which was nice. It's always good to put a face to a name.

When I arrived at The Valley I made my way to the Sky Box where Crispy was celebrating his 50th birthday with his family.

I stayed with them for the game and disappointing though it was to see yet another Charlton defeat, the rarified atmosphere and lovely padded seat did make everything seem a little better.

Another reason I was a little fluffy around the edges was I was suffering from jet lag, having only got back from NYC yesterday.

I love New York.
It's definitely one of my favourite places on the planet and I visit as often as I possibly can.

I went to see the New York Mets play at their recently built Citi Field.
The Mets have one of the highest wage bills in the league, a fantastic stadium but never quite seem to cut it on the ball park.
Sound familiar?

My seat was up in the area where the more boisterous fans congregate. 
There were a few loud utterances of "You Suck!" but anybody used to European / English football would never believe the supporters hadn't given up shouting for Lent.


I really enjoyed the game though as ever, the Mets threw it away in a 3 minute period when the pitcher had a complete 'mare.

So, just two home games to endure  enjoy before we can all pack up for the Summer.


I'd like to take the opportunity to again wish Crispy a happy birthday and say how privileged I was to join him and his family.
Cheers matey!

Leaburn Back At The Valley

Yesterday, our heroes didn't quite cut it up there in Yorkshire.

From the commentary on Radio London, (DAB), it sounded as if Charlton were more than in it for the first half an hour, then through a sublime piece of skill from Jordan Rhodes / (goalkeeping error ?), Huddersfield scored.

With Charlton still rocking, only 2 minutes later, Ross Worner could have very easily given away a penalty but the referee kindly offered the hosts just a corner.

Huddersfield probably felt justice was served when they scored from the corner as Charlton made a hash of clearing the ball.

At half time it all seemed over.

And so it proved when a third Huddersfield goal went in, just as Charlton seemed to be fashioning a few excursions into the opposition half.

With the game already over and the commentary team doing their wind downs, Matt Fry scored a rather meaningless Charlton goal on the day but one that might make our goal difference look slightly better in the long run.

We won't be in a very exclusive club, having lost at Huddersfield come the end of the season.

I did actually predict the result.
For the first time ever I seem to have turned into a bit of a 'Mystic Meg'.
I received an email from Ken Jennings at CAFC Picks this evening, congratulating me on the 4 out of 4 I had called correctly.

Can you hear me Westie?
Francis Drake, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Ben Ainslie, Those 3 blondes who won the Olympic golds, Lord Nelson etc. Your sailor boy is taking one hell of a beating!

Our current heroes having blown it yesterday, it was left to a tall feller from the past to cheer us up this evening.
Charlton Live secured Carl Leaburn as a guest and I enjoyed listening to his input.

I even managed to get Carlo to answer a question when I sent a message through Twitter, enquiring if he went to our Play Off Final in 1998, having left us only a few months before to join Wimbledon.

Apparently, he was given a ticket so he was also at Wembley, felt "pleased" for the lads but the day obviously didn't mean as much to him as it does to most of us, (he didn't recognise the date of 25th May 1998).

Crispy messaged to ask if Carl knew any strikers we should be after, (he didn't) but generally it was just interesting to hear him rapping away about the past.

I hope everybody has something nice planned for Bank Holiday Monday.
Enjoy the lie in.

Please, Please Me

Charlton head 'Oop North' today for an encounter with men who speak their mind and don't mind passing on some hard hitting, home truths.

New York Addick has written that this game compares with our 2007 game with West Ham at The Valley for importance.
Hard hitting, home truths indeed.

Avoid a loss and everything is still on.
Lose and it's the shape of pears.

Yorkshire has always held a special place in my heart as my mum is a Leeds girl, (born in Armley jail hospital for some rather odd reason).

Yorkshire people have a reputation for being rather blunt, dour, cheap and insular but personally the sound of their gruff accents makes me feel all warm inside and touched by memories of hearty stews or sliced roast beef on my grandparents dining table.

Parky will not be relishing his trip to Huddersfield.
After changing his mind at the 11th hour, he decided to remain in South London as Alan Pardew's number 2 rather than take over the hot seat at what I read is now called the 'Galpharm' but is firmly labelled in my brain as the 'McAlpine'.

Apparently, the press conference went ahead with an empty chair to stand in for Parky.
I can't help feeling they stole the idea from 'Have I Got News For You' when a lump of lard sat in for Roy Hattersley, back in 1990.

Despite my warm feelings for Yorkshire and my obvious affiliation with the Addicks, I'm not venturing up North today.
I have lots of work I've been (ahem), 'saving', plus I have a surprise birthday celebration to attend this evening.

Neither of those reasons would have kept me from following the Reds a few weeks ago but today I find myself staying away and having a little Charlton holiday.

I know when kick off arrives, I'll most certainly have a massive crumble and end up listening to the warblings of 'Emma' but at the moment I want to put a little distance between myself and our team.

The games against Millwall and Gillingham made me realise how little I was enjoying my football.
When looking back, other than the odd 5 or 10 minute spell, I haven't really enjoyed a game properly since way back in November.

I'd had it with Charlton and was finding it all a bit of a chore.

David Mooney scored a fantastic goal last week but then ruined it with his cupped ear celebrations to the entire ground.
What an arse.

His powder puff performances and woeful 'shooting' have been a feature of our recent decline.
Yes, his goal was terrific and he showed a magnificent touch to find the space to blast the ball into the net but it's hardly been the norm has it?

If he was sticking the ball into the net regularly, rather than fluffing guilt edged chances, I'd allow him the option of giving the crowd the bird but in reality, I think our crowd have been very, very patient with him.

It will be interesting to see what happens the next time one of his 'shots' goes out for a throw in.

As I hinted above, I was feeling rather flat towards Charlton at the beginning of the week.

As the weekend approached, an odd thing happened.
I began to wonder what was going on at the training ground.
 What formation would we be playing?
Is Shelvey going to get more time on the pitch than the ball boys?
I was interested.

Our 3 'loan rangers', instead of filling me with dread, actually perked up my confidence.

What's the matter with me?

Today, I'm looking for a performance to be proud of.

Come on Charlton, Please, Please Me!

Yes, we have a shocking array of injuries but Parky has worked hard, with the backing of a no doubt completely empty pocketed board.
The most obvious gaps have been filled and I'm warming up!

I'd like to see Darren Randolph between the sticks today as he hasn't done much wrong when I've seen him play.
Mooney owes us at least a hat trick and many of our other players really should be moving on up from recent performances.
I want to be proud again.

Come On You Reds!

Udder Delight

I got it wrong.
Well done to Lee Clarke and his Huddersfield team who came with the intention of trying to make a game of it.

It will seem really unfair to them as they were streets ahead of last weeks opponents Oldham, yet they exited the Valley empty handed while Oldham left with a point.

The Rose of Denmark was packed out with especially thirsty away supporters, who were good natured but noisy.

When they arrived at the Valley they got behind their team, making for a good atmosphere.

Charlton started brightly and Crispy called it correctly when he said a corner was going "Straight onto Sodje's head".
The Valley erupted as Sam Sodje, returning to replace Llera, buried the chance with a header so powerful the keeper barely had time to move.
The rest of the half was a little disappointing for Charlton with many half chances coming to nothing. Huddersfield looked dangerous in attack, leading us to believe it was only a matter of time before they found the net.
With only around 5 minutes of the half remaining, the referee East made one of his many truly third division decisions and gave a free kick to Huddersfield.
What cannot be denied is the excellence of the free kick from Anthony Pilkington. An absolute rocket that gave Rob Elliot no chance at all in the Charlton goal.
1-1.

At the start of the second half, Semedo came on for Spring who was now carrying a yellow card. The new look partnership of Burton and McLeod continued up front and Charlton looked more balanced.
With only 5 minutes of the second half on the clock, McLeod rose to head home from inside the six yard box.
He took his chance really well but then set off for a doofus moment in front of the North West corner, removing his shirt for the obvious yellow card.
Have a word Parky.

The rest of the second half was a series of good attacking play from both sides. The referee was making no friends, especially when McLeod tumbled in the penalty area.
It was never a penalty but Izale was always unlikely to receive one, even in the unlikely circumstances of being chopped down at waist height. His constant tumbling and half hearted rolling on the floor in the first half really counted against him. He had lost any elements of benefit of doubt from the officials.

Scott Wagstaff came on for Lloyd Sam and played well for the final quarter of an hour. Charlton could have scored two or three more but unfortunately it looked more likely that any goal was going to be scored at the other end.

Five minutes of added on time meant squeaky bums all round but finally the referee blew for time and the crowd yelled with relief.

After last weeks borefest, it was good to be at an entertaining game.
We really should have guessed it was likely to be so, as Huddersfield played Robbie Williams, wearing shirt numbered 16.

Casual Rating
The Lacoste polo shirt goes to Christian Dailly who went about his business quietly but efficiently. He really has become Mister Dependable in the Charlton defence.
The Primark novelty slogan tee shirt goes to referee East for some of his very odd decisions. Aided / misguided by some dubious calls from the East stand lino, he made a complete horlicks of letting the game flow. He believed we had all come to see him. He made some truly woeful decisions, (some of which benefited Charlton). We don't want homers, we just want the decisions to be correct.

STOP PRESS.
I've just seen Darren Bent being interviewed on Sky Sports News.
He's everyone's favourite Mackem nowadays but he proved beyond doubt that he's still an Addick at heart. He stated he hoped his goals would help "Charlton push up the table".
 He quickly realised what he'd said and had a laugh about it, changing it to Sunderland.

Good on you Darren!