Grand Theft At The Valley

Todays proceedings were summed up for me during the first half.  For a number of years now I have known Brian Cole and his daughter.  I have already stated that todays seat was courtesy of Kings Hill Addick and I was seated a few seats to the left of the Cole couple.  there was Brian sitting there,his head in his hands in despair and sitting next to him was his daughter executing a giant yawn..... and this was a neat summing up by the Cole family of our performance.

Still we got three points, we're only two points and 6 goals off the top spot.  It is a long time if ever that I have seen a match where we have been so over run and come out with one point let alone three.  There have been the odd games where we have dominated but we have not been rewarded with points.

The plus points were:-
- a win,
- meeting Kings HillAddick,
- meeting up with Henry Irving and Dr Kish,
- Parkie realising that McCormack and Semedo were not working and actually changing it at half time,
- Semedo being Captain
- Robbie Elliot
- Further substitutions that worked
- Winning when we played awfully

The negatives
- They were bloody awful
- The failure of our starting forwards to make an impact
- They really were awful
- The team need time to gel, but it is worrying that there are no perceptible signs of it happening.
- They were so so awful.
- McCormacks first half performance.

But what was the worst part of the day, was that when my mate got back to where he had parked his car, it was obvious that someone had caved in the car window and he had been a victim of car theft, so it was not just Notts County who had someting stolen while at the Valley today!!!

Two Hills In The Valley

Courtesy of Kings Hill Addick* I will be at the Valley tomorrow.

After two straight away defeats the pressure (IMHO unfairly) is rising for Parkie and the team.  Woe betide us if we go a goal down tomorrow against one of the oldest clubs in the world, Notts County.  I can hear the boos already.  But honestly we are only a few games in and we need players to bed in and learn to work with each other.  Sometimes this can take a game or two, others it can take a while.  Would we rather we started like a steam train, ala last season and peter out or would we like to do a Millwall and rush for the finishing line and get the enormous prize of a bronze and promotion.

I am sure there will be a few boos reserved for Lee Hughes Sadly I think that will only spur him on.  Parkie has a number of selection decisions to make.  At times he is a bit like Curbishley in his loyalty to players and I wonder if this approach leads to a level of complacency amongst the chosen players and a feeling of injustice amongst those left out.  It certainly had a bearing on both Spring and McCenzie last season, who were both ignored during the slump despite claiming to be fit.

By all accounts Fortune had a good run out in the reserves last week and the question is raised wether he is fit enough to start tomorrow instead of the hapless Llerra.  OK that is a bit unfair, but his decision making this season is a bit iffy and he should never have gone in so recklessly at Exeter.  for the record, I think that was a penalty.  There is always the option of playing Fry at Centre back and bringing back Jackson at left back.  I like what I have seemn and heard about Fry and would like to retain him at left back, despite his heroics their last season, Jackson is not a natural left back so I would prefer Fry there, plus I have never seen Fry in the centre of defence.

Midfield seems to be the key area of concern at the moment in that we have numbers but do we have quality.  The response from Exeter and Huddersfield is that Semedo and McCormack are too similar and there is a lack of creativity ... Racon or Jackson maybe for McCormack.  This I think is where Parkies loyalty to players may play against him as he has faith in McCormack (same as Francis) and is expecting him to come good.  I would actually like to see racon go in to the role of creative midfielder and in dailly's absence be given the captaincy - which is probably why I am not very good at Football Management games.

Martin is odds on for starting on the right with Wagstaff around on tjhe bench.  Martin potentially offers a lot but he is also a bit of a show man, that's ok if you are ronaldo, but Martin needs to prove himself before being able to wander through games strutting.  Assuming Reid is fit, he needs to put in a performance that is telling, again like Martin he has shown flair but is yet to really hurt defences in the way he did last season.

Up front it is unlikely to be anything other than Abbott and Benson.  Abbott has told the Evening Standard that he has quickly settled in and is ready to start scoring goals tomorrow, so here is hoping that he can fulfill his promise.  Abbots move from Oldham may be physically and emotionally harder than Bensons but he needs to put a performance in similar to the one he did at Shrewsbury.

There has been no news specifically on Akpo having had a bad knock on the head at the end o f the game at Exeter, although there was news about the Sodje families gala dinner at the valley for poverty in Africa.

I'm going for a dull game at the Valley tomorrow, with us grinding out a 2-1 victory.

Ps Any chance of not singing the incest song?


*Much appreciated Kings Hill

This Year Last Points Total

I'm trying to keep a comparison of this year versus last year points total as we progress though the season.  However rather than the normal "after x number of games" I am trying to compare equivalent fixtures.  Of course with relegation and promotion there are six different clubs so I have randomly equated the new teams with the old, after yesterdays result we are two points adrift.

Bournemout = Wycombe, Peterborough = Norwich, Plymouth = Leeds
Sheff Wed = Millwall, Notts County = Gillingham, Dagen = Southend

I am expecting after the Notts County we will be back on par, and will keep with that at the end of the MK Dons game, losing 2 points v Tranmere but picking up two points against Daggers and being on par for the Dons, although I expect a repeat of last seasons result to be unlikely.

Thanks to the generosity of Kingd Hill Addick I should be at the Valley for the Notts County game,in the east stand.

Exeter Fall Out

Benson came in last week and it looked like the final piece of the jig saw was in place after a pretty reasonable début against his previous employers.  After 90 minutes today the league début seemed to be going ok, not spectacular, but with a poor refereeing decision in the 91st minute a steady start to the season has been turned on its head and the message boards are ringing with recriminations against the team, the new player & manager.

Benson is Parkies biggest signing for Charlton and there is a danger that after two goalless games the fans will turn on him.  I was listening to Dario Gradi on the radio this morning, he was saying how expectations in our society  had changed to be less tolerant and needing instant success and how this had crept into football.

And so it is with Charlton, a steady start with two victories, a draw and a defeat has been extended to two defeats and fans are predicting relegation, Parkies sacking ............ total disaster.  God help us if we go a goal down next week ..... in Turkey they sacrifice a goat on the pitch don't they? Parkie kamikaze on the pitch maybe?

We need to get a grip and accept some lows and hope for some highs, especially at this stage of the season.  The doom mongers maybe right, they maybe wrong but lets at least let the season to get started before we bay for blood ......................................................... please

Curbs for Villa, or the curse of Charlton management

Apparently Randy Lerner (Man with a pornstars name) is in talks with Curbs regarding the role at Villa.  Hopefully I will have to eat my words, which were that Curbs would not get another job with an established Premier club, I in fact had suggested he go to Southampton and work his way back.

That said I fear there is a curse on ex Charlton managers at the moment.  No one who has managed Charlton - other than the current incumbent - is in a management role.  Of course the two leg-ends who stand out are Curbs, jobles since his departure from West Ham and Lennie Lawrence who has returned to his roots and is advising Carshalton Athletic.  Dowie is the serial emergency manager who has been brought in to promote QPR and save first newcastle and then Hull, of course faikled at all three and got sacked at Coventry, Les Reed has correctly gone back to his roots and become coaching director at Southampton, where ex fans favourite, with an emphasis on ex, Alan pardew got sacfked after just over a year and a 4-0 away win.   Added to this motley crew there is another leg-end stevie Gritt, unceremoniiously released at the end of his contract by Charlton, Alan Mullery whose ugly mug pops up on Sky Sport to tell other managers how to do it - those that can, do - those that can't pontificate!!!

Sooner or later, Curbs, pardew and Dowie will be back in managemnt roels, if they want to be but for how long will each last I wonder.

babies at the valley. Charlton 1-0

A good perspective on last nights game by Casual Chat.  Looks like Brentford, Aldershot or Southend in the next game.

Whilst we decry games like these as meaningless they are steps up from freindlies and because of the 6 player rule allows us to see regular first team players, well six of them, as well as prospects.

Because these games are well priced it also allows non regulars through economic reasons to attend and for Mums and Dads to bring their kids for an early experience of the Valley.  One dad was looking forward to the experience of bringing his family along only to leave at half time because of the yoof.  this is taken from Charlton Life 

"Tennis60 said: ''Not a great night, went with my 2 boys (aged 7 and 9), their mother and my mother. We were seated right at the far end of the west lower near to the away fans and amongst a load of teenagers who wanted to stand up and eff and blind constantly. Unlike a normal matchday there was nowhere else to sit so we left before half time. A total waste of £40.''

I saw you and your family group and noticed you leave. I was right behind you with my two (adult) sons and we felt very sorry for you. I presume the teenage idiots who upset you were the same ones who couldn't even queue for a drink at half time without getting in a fight. You were lucky you weren't still around for that!"

It seems that the Club are content to allow this behaviour on league match days and tin pot trophy days, which is disappointing and in long term commercial terms a negative.  Recently Richard Murray said that the club would publish a request in the program for these fans to desist from singing the "Incest" song.  It would be too difficult to take proactive action.  I'm sorry but a note in the program does not wash, ok I can understand not pulling people out of the crowd ... the innocent could get caught in the melee, but strategically placed senior stewards and cctv will identify who the culprits are and enable action to be taken (especially on League match days when ticket purchasers maybe identifiable).


Whilst the club will deny that they are encouraging, what in my opinion is anti social behaviour, it is plain to see that they do, albeit "encouragement by apathy", they cannot say they disagree with it and then ignore it, by doing so they encourage it.  Don't blame the yoof, blame the club.

From the Hill to the errr ... Hill

I've spent this eveniong at Champion Hill watching Dulwich Hamlets, to feed my need for live football.  I'm not going to review the game for you but just exclaim what the difference is between real football and league football.

The first difference is that when I watch Charlton there is a real passion to see them win, if they score, at Dulwich,dont tell anyone I don't really care, in fact I thought about supporting Whistable Town (the Oyster boys) because they were wearing red with KRBS their sponsors.  Oh Dulwich won 2-0 and we all politely clapped at that point.

I park in the Rose of Denmark at Charlton, about 10 minutes walk from the ground, my car was 22 footsteps from Champion Hill and it took me 10  minutes to drive home from the game, as oppossed to the 10 minutes it can take to get out of the ground at the Valley.

The whole night 2 cups of tea, a sausage in a roll, entrance to the ground and a program came to £11.20, now thats a result!!

Then there was the PA telling "the people behind the goal to make less noise", or the number of balls kicked out of the ground - I lost count.

It was a good evening,but I don't think I could take a season of it!!!!!!!!