A Dickensian Year

"It was Best of times, it was the Worst of times."

Charles Dickens summed up the very essence of being a Charlton supporter and of our season in this line from “A Tale Of Two Cities.”

Hope over expectation, Hopes dashed on the rocks of reality … So many phrases can be used for us addicks and the life we lead.

And that’s it 2014/15 is over, the campaign is confined to the history books, we’ve had our highs and our lows and a fair bit in between.

We had a new manager, we loved him, despite his Millwall past and helped by his attempt to smash Uwe Rossler, then we sacked him and we hated him.  We had a new manager, we hated him, then we appointed him and then we loved him.

We had our own peasants revolt. In a cold Hall in Woolwich the rabble roused, it's not about results we said, and the results got better and the rabble dispersed and the Trust appeared to go quiet.

We went unbeaten longer than any  others, neck and neck with Forest. And both Clubs proved, being unbeaten does not win promotion, too many draws and after clutching wins from jaws of a draw, we sunk to a stream of draws and multiple defeats, before we swung back with the SE7 version of total football and a streak of winning games.

Our fans  hit the  depths with a couple of alleged supporters spitting at former player of the year, Scott Carson, but the true Charlton emerged as the perpetrators were roundly condemned by their fellow fans and we rose to the occasion when Bournemouth took over our ground to receive the Championship.

The fantastic Valley pitch

The owners, can we still call them new?, continue to make errors on the customer service front, the catering is not fit for purpose and if ever you wanted to drive people away from buying programmes just ask Charlton. Season ticket prices have stayed low, but the increasing of the upper age concession is unnecessary and a slap in the face to long term supporters. On the other hand the pitch is something to be proud of and the big surprise is that Rotherham came first in the season pitch awards, the new seats were put in place and we are promised a new screen and a credit card entry system – welcome to the 21^st century Charlton.

JBG at Eltham Addicks

On the playing field, on the whole the owners have moved forward from the days of Reza Piotr … But Roland can't help himself and we got Le Point and Tucudean, no where good enough, although Le Points recruitment did bring light relief in the fabulous Ghent fans who came to see him, when he was not even selected for the bench. However you balance that with the recruitment of Igor Vetokele and Johan Berg Gudmonson and later Watts, Roger Johnson, Chris Eagles and Diarra, as well as the Ioan's of Bulot and Buyens and the continued development of the youth – Cousins and Gomez – respectively Player and young player of the year.

Of course and finally we have the CEO accused of lying over the management situation, telling the fans that we’ll just have to accept Duchatalets way, the target of an insidious anti campaign, and an uncomfortable train journey, but on the other hand I believe that the managerial situation was her being undermined by her boss, I've worked for people like Duchatalet before and believe me, it's no

Katrien Miere
at Bromley

fun when they cut you off at the knees, she has been charming and more balls than many of the keyboard warriors – continuing to travel with supporters, she has been open with fans at forums but won't be bullied. Overall with me she's in credit but needs to implement some of her ideas with more care and comprehension . The programmes and catering were a shambles and the communication with fans has at times been even worse, although at others has been good. But she shouts with us, she walks with us, she's despondent with us and for now that will do for me.

So that's it . 12^th, a non entity of a position, but it has been one of the most interesting seasons supporting Charlton where we have not been looking positively or negatively at getting out of the division.

It may have been the best of times it may have been the worst of times but at least no one lost their head …. Well no one except Bob Peters.

Wishing for Division 1

Ok that's a bit strong.  Having spent three seasons there, wishing we were not, i have finally found an almost compelling reason for being there.

This season has been difficult more downs than ups and if I am honest I thought that Blackpool would herald a string of newspaper headlines "Powell given ultimatum", "Powell has only x games to turn it around" etc.  Well that was never going to happen, we don't get headlines these days.

Last season and this season we sang "we've got our Charlton back" and with that we have the good and the bad and the bad is that we are back to being lil ol Charlton to be patted on the head by national media and eternally patronized.

The other reason it was never going to happen was that CP and the boys turned it around in the match I had them down for a 4-0 tonking and came away with a flukey well deserved 3 points and 2-0 victory, thanks to the whole team and particularly to the defenders, not for their defending but for their scoring.

So why do I eye the League One teams and supporters, jealously.  Well ........THEY ARE PLAYING FOOTBALL.

We have not been able to follow up or create momentum after Blackpool, because we now play with the big boys and the big boys can't play when there are internationals.  It is so frustrating not having played since a week ago last Saturday.

And that my friends is the one reason why I am envious of League 1 ... an envy I hope to have to live with for a long time to come.

Football For A fiver here it comes and Barnsly will not be a moment too soon.

Supporting Charlton v A top 6 club

For those of you who Charlton is in their blood, i.e. passed down from parent to child, there is no option really to support the family club, although there are an occasional few who support the rival or a so called big club to be contrary.  There are others .......... well me, for whom let alone Charlton not being in their blood football is not in their blood.

So I could have supported anyone, I could have chosen a big club, even now culturally I should not feel the need to be aligned to a second tier club when I could go for a "big club", a club that wins things regularly.  But I don't, through osmosis I was infected with the Addicks bug in the 70's .. or was it The Robins or the Valiants bug which metamorphosed into a fully grown Addick.  When you support an Arsenal, a Man U etc, you expect to win, it is almost pre ordained and when the wheels creak, they rarely fall off - with the exception of at Anfield - out comes a cheque book and the grease to the wheel is applied.  Imagine how Man U fans would have been if they had beaten Blackpool, not 1-0, 2-0 lets say 4-0, would their fans have responded with any more than a shrug of the shoulder.  But us, we are ecstatic and whether you were there or at home listening to Charlton player or at Dulwich Hamlet (as I was) the result shoots joyful adrenalin through your veins.

When you support a Charlton, you will be hit by lows, constantly and repeatedly - look at our last 5-7 seasons, but when you hit a high, I would not swap that high ... whether that high is a one off game like yesterday or a season like last season then there is nothing like it.  Man U can stick their Premierships and their FA Cups and their Champions Leagues and their COC's 'cause there is nothing that beats a win for Charlton , because yes our lows are low but our highs are not high they are astronomical and thats why supporting Charlton surpasses supporting the teams with milk, silver and honey.

Welcome to Championship coverage

After 8 years of blanket coverage it appears that the media have already condemned us to 2nd rate reporting. Having read all the blogs on the capture of "Not Reg's " son and Chris Iwelumo, I thought I'd go to the cultured press and failing that the Times to see what they had to say. Well it took me back to the 80's when living in Hull there was no internet and there was definitely no coverage. Not a sentence in my version of Murdochs rag absolutely zilch. Not only had the Times let me down, but throughout last season I was on Oranges Charlton alert and to get their pennies they would text any old rubbish, two days on and I have not heard a thing about our two signings - at least that saves me a few pennies.

We are going to have to get used to second rate coverage for the next twelve months, so bloggers you are going to have to keep at it.