Fortune favours the brave

And it appears that the brave are Sheffield United. News leaking out of planet Valley today is that Johnathan Fortune has rejected the potential offer of a contract to play in the third tier of English football, for a firm offer from Sheffield United to play in the second tier of English football. This has been on the cards for a while as the moulding of next seasons playing squad has been delayed by the prevarication of the takeover. It appears that we have lost both Holland and Fortune to this and whilst many may not mourn the loss of Holland (assuming that this is what will happen) it would be better if we were losing players through our choice not our inability to firmly supply a contract.

Fortune is a legend if only because of the part he played in the relegation of Palace - conceding a penalty and scoring the goal that deflated hope for the stripey nigels. As the Palace message boards say "Who's laughing now!"

We are now left with Llera and Mambo at centre half. Last season we started the campaign with only two central defenders - Fortune and Hudson - both of whom were much more accomplished than those we currently have, and that proved disastrous as injuries and new loans created confusion in defence until really Ward and Hudson partnered at the tail end of the season.

A fortnight tomorrow, we will be donning our replica shirts and probably be in our respective pubs chewing over the forthcoming match and season. For there to be any sense of positive atmosphere amongst the fans it appears that Parkinson and his team have a close season worth of work to do in the intervening time, but sadly they won't be able to start acting till the on / off takeover is sorted and that maybe why a top half finish for the addicks may be beyond us next season.
- panic ---- I'm beyond that now!!

Yesterday

Yesterday,
All our troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, we believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
Minty's not half the man he used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over us,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why Curbs
Had to go I don't know, no one would say.
He said, Somethings wrong, now we long for yesterday.

Yesterday,
Football was such an easy game to play,
Now we need a place to hide away,
Oh, we believe in yesterday.


Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

One week on and no more news, yesterday we were a proper club.

Yea! At last news.

However, the statement tells us absolutely nothing more than we already know.

My favourite Charlton

I was musing as I was journeying up and down the M1 over the last few days, for my son's graduation. My mind wandered to players, teams and Charlton that I followed over the years and the team that would be my favourite, not my view on the best players, but the players I liked most. Fortunately, next season we can choose 7 subs so that gives me more licence. If we start with the management:-

Chairman Roger Alwen - Roger was at the forefront of the fight to get to the Valley, but the reason I choose him is because I bumped into him one day in Pall Mall, it was just before we played then top fight Blackburn and the Valley was a sell out - RA wanted instructions to a club called the Athaneum - an old school gentleman's club. I got into conversation with him and gently hinted that I had not secured a ticket for the cup game, true to all good Charlton fans he ignored the hint and went on his way.

Director Of Football - Lennie Lawrence. With the euphoria of the Premiership years Lennies contribution to Charlton's history during dark years has largely forgotten. Lennie built a team on a shorter shoestring than Curbs at a ground that was not our own. He kept us in the top flight under serious constraints and deserves to be in any hall of fame.

Manager - Alan Curbishley - Say no more. I have met Curbs three times at the sponsors evening on his table thanks to Wyn Grant,when he has been unable to make it. A really nice guy, less dour in real life than on TV.

Keeper - John Dunn - Who? I loved John Dunn, successor to Charlie Wright, he was a real character. I remember watching him collect the ball in the penalty area, run past the opposing forward and throw himself to the ground to be awarded a free kick by the referee.

Full Backs - Mark Reid & John Humphrey, they go together and were too fantastic defenders for us during the wilderness years - also known as the Selhurst years. Johnny H's only blemish being that he then went to Palace, obviously enjoying the pitch there. That said he can now been seen every home match as a hospitality host for the club. Mark Reid was a great defender who also put a mean penalty away. His classic after Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the "Battle of The Bridge" - "Ref when you watch Match of the Day tonight, you'll see it was outside the area", followed by the retort "When you watch Match of the Day tonight you'll see you were booked"

Centre Backs - Colin Pates - just because he was a class act and Richard Rufus, any player that refuses to score until after his 100'th game so that he can push his club into the premier league at Wembley, has to be hailed and Rufus is hailed amongst all addicks as the best player we have ever had never to made an England place. In reality, I don't think Rufus was quite international class, but he was so close. Another player I have met.

Central Midfield - Eamon Rogers was an Irish international who turned up with a swashbuckling beard and looked like a pirate in midfield. Wasn't that good or that bad, he was just our pirate in the centre!! Peter Garland - well when you have an affinity for pies and a waist line like mine you have to support a fellow fatty.

Wide men - Johny Robinson was all heart, not the most skillfull and he took a while to replace Robert Lee, but he epitomised everything that the Charlton fan looked for in a player - heart and commitment. One incident I remember had nothing to do with skill, the ball went out of play into the unkept shrubs around base of the floodlights and Robbo leapt over the hoardings into the shrubland, looking just like a park player - which in heart he was. Paul Mortimer one of our class acts, once he left us he never reached the heights being treated badly at Villa by fat Ron and then going to Palace before returning to us and now being the manager of the Charlton women - I wonder if he gets to visit the shower room.

Forwards - Andy Hunt, whose career was cut short so cruelly by not a career destroying injury but by illness. I preferred Andy (and I know this is sacrilege) to super Clive and so regretted his demise, his last game lasted about 15 minutes, was capped by a goal and a substitution as he sat in to the dug out his lips mouthed "I am fxxxed" and apart from an abortive attempt to come back he was gone. Kenny Achampong, from the great in Andy Hunt we have the real result of no money the utterly useless Kenny, Lennies folly - not a lot you can say about him really he was just rubbish.

The Subs - Charlie Wright (Keeper) The original maverick keeper, modelled himself on Liverpools flying pig - Tommy Lawrence. Harry Cripps - Give me a break, he took me for football training at school and made a real impression on me, I think it was his left elbow, Carl Leaburn,my real choice as a striker, I felt sorry for Carlo, if he had been able to learn his trade he would have been a much better goal scorer, but instead he served his apprenticeship in the top flight, due to our financial constraints, getting kicked by lumps of central defenders week in week out. Talal El Kakouri - if ever you wanted to award points for dives with a twist, then here is your man, a thoroughly entertaining defender with a mean free kick well 1 in 10), Clive Mendonca - say no more! Bob Curtis, this player was a swashbuckling long haired, distance shooting full back, who apparently enjoyed a pint and a fag. And finally, the 1st star I had when I supported Charlton - Alan Campbell.

This is my team, my favourites, no one will agree with it and probably tomorrow I would come up with a different one .... I wonder what it would be ... whatever, its better than thinking about our current situation.

The Long and winding road

to the next season continues. In recent years a group of us who meet in the Rose of Denmark have met in The George in London Bridge for what has become known as the Summer meet. This has been going on for 10 years. Every year the discussion surrounds Charlton, understandably and there is a mix of views on the performances and how the club is being run ... except this year. This year unanimously everybody felt Charlton was a shambles and that next season will only be exciting for the visit and visiting of grounds and clubs we have not seen before.

It appears that the takeover is alive, although I am unsure if well is the appropriate descriptor to go with that. Following Mick Collins recent article in The Mail, we have all been waiting for news of its demise, however Charlton Life have been advised by Derek Chapple that the club remain under legal advisement that nothing can be said at this time. The implication being clear that they negotiaitions are continuing. A statement regarding the article by Mick from the Club is in preparation, but is held back due to the same restrictions, however the debt level it appears is exagerated, according to the club so we will continue to wait and see.

In the meantime we have completed our European tour of Ireland with a 100% win record and no goals conceded ... bring on the mighty Wycombe!!!!

The season is coming

Its not that long ago we all sang "we're all going on a european tour", we did not make it and now the closest we are going to get to one is a pre season mini tour to Ireland. As we do so more rumours surface about the Club only this time its players in and out that are of interest.

Whilst some may feel no great loss it is reported that Andy Gray is off up north to Barnsley. Personally I would be dissapointed to see a player whose quality we failed to maximise leave without some contribution to the cause. For his detractors remember he played most of last season with a serious pelvic injury and the stress of his northern based wife suffering from a brain tumour, diagnosed while giving birth. A former boss of mine, like Mrs Gray, was diagnosed last November with a benign brain tumour. The operation to remove the tumour removed much of her brain and in February the complications resulted in her passing away. The reason for telling this is that just because the tumour was benign does not mean she was out of the woods, so Gray must have been under significant pressure during the last year. Just after Gray joined us, he was awarded 2nd place in the Championship player of the year awards for his work at Burnley, I also recall his two goals against us at the Valley. However, it maybe that we have little choice but to let him go. What concerns me is the rumour that to reduce our financial liabilities we are willing to let him go on a free and (I cannot believe this rumour) we will sub his wages!!

If Gray goes then it is alleged that lined up to replace him is non other than Jamie Scowcroft, I would say a has been, but I am unsure if he has been anywhere. An alternative is suppossed to be Wayne Feeney of Cardiff, a better prospect in my opinion, although that maybe because I have no idea who he is.

As we go to Ireland some of the squad is taking shape, with Miguel Llera and Fraser Richardson. Both are solid signings, it still galls that we are not signing players of Prem quality let alone Championship, but we are where we are. Next season we are going to have to rely on players blending and working together and that will be a job that the manager, whoever he is will need to do. We will lose players and they willbe the good ones, those that are left willbe the iffy ones, the ones no one came in for and the replacements will be distinctly third tier. A front line of Deon Burton and Scowcroft hardly sets the heart beating, when compared to Leaburn and Mendonca, Mendonca and Hunt or even dare say it Bent and Bent

However, whoever wears the red and white of Charlton, however desperate the situation is, true fans will continue to support them. We just hope that the next 12 months will give us some joy, with new and old players alike.

Takeover is happening?

There was a time that when you read news in the paper that you might suspect that the source of the information might give it credibility and add to any information you may already have. But nowadays the definition of an investigative journalist is someone with a computer surfing the net. So today the press are full of stories about our impending takeover, but the stories only reflect what has been stated on the OS and the rumours that have developed over then last few months on the message boards. Lets be clear, the stories today are based upon the cancellation of the Q&A session, due to legal advice. The implication is that the club is in some stage of takeover. The recent SLP article, interviewing Murray implies that it is an imminent takeover, done and dusted in two days (today is day 2) and formally completed in two weeks. That said we have spent a whole summer close season looking at the next two weeks and nothing happened. Lets not forget that Southampton were done and dusted with Le Tiss at the top until the last minute and then it all fell apart. Although, the 10 point deduction issue made the Southampton situation that bit more difficult.

Having said all of that Murray's enforced silence says more than any of the silence during the close season could have said. There is many a slip between cup and lip, you only have to see my shirts to realise that, but hopefully unlike the Zabeel deal we will have some new investors in the club who will steady the ship and at least give us the foundations for an enjoyable season from 8th August.