A Dagger through the heart!

This was my first away game of the season and I saw an attractive game of football, unfortunately it was in the pub before hand and was made even more enjoyable as Judas Defoe fluffed his lines.

I liked the non league ground of Daggers and the friendly staff that they had there. Equally others may have been upset with their keeper but he only bantered back to us, was humouress rather than obnoxious and gave us something to laugh about, as he danced to you fat bastard, which is something our own team failed to do.

Parrett did a couple of nice touches but overall looked like he was in post traumatic shock much of the time as he realised that his fellow players lacked the application and ability he had.  Don't expect him to play on Tuesday as he was being helped from the pitch with what looked like a hamstring or calf problem.

CP wore a tracksuit today and folks he proved that it does not matter what sort of suit you wear, your mode of attire does not affect how your team play.

What Ecclestone has done to deserve to be benched let alone be the last player to be brought on god only know.

To be fair after a dicey first five minutes, we were the only team who were likely to win this game,that is until they scored, then the recent form told and we were lacking in confidence.  Dailey is looking like an old man who has played one too many seasons, although I suspect that with the loss of Parkie his heart may no longer be with charlton.

My friend texted to me a radio comment

"If the whole Charlton team had the work ethic of Miguel Llerra or indeed of Dagenham & Redbridge, they (charlton)) would not find themselves in this predicament"


During that positive spell BWP, Nouble anda host of other players looked good, but soon descended into ineptitude.

The home following today would not have filled our away end and this team has taken 5 points from us this season, I am not sure how this has happened.

The players are not good enough I hear, yes they are they went 11 games un beaten in October November.

Its difficult to know where we go from here, we have just been through the easy part of our season and we have Saints on Tuesday, we currently stand at 4-1-7, what bets for 5-1-7 by wednesday morning? Not many. o

Madness or Love?

Being a football fan is strange, I am sure that someone studying human behaviour would pigeon hole us somewhere.  I cannot think in any other area that the behaviour of constant dissapointment is not only ignored but continually paid for.  Every fortnight and more for 9 months we trudge wearily to watch our team and even in victory we are dissapointed the majorirty of the time.  I recently posted about the last time we really enjoyed a game.... Reading in the relegation from the championship season, West Ham in relegation from the prem season and still we go.  For five years (and more) we have been utter, utter, utter utterly .. not very good .. ok shite.

Can you imagine watching a TV series giving a modicum of the amount  of grief that we receive and still being watched week in week out for five years, more likely the TV would go through the window.

And this season when our expectations have been raised  so high and dashed so low and many of us are still renewing for next year! Its some form of madness, akin to bashing your head against the wall and hoping with each thud for a different result.

A labour of love or madness.... or both

Chris's Lament

"As I sat sad and lonely,
Without a friend in the Club,
A voice came to me and said,
Cheer up Chris, Things could be worse,
So I cheered up,
And sure enough things got worse!"


Charlton 0 Brentford 1 - The pain continues


4-1-6

The gap against last season is growing

The enthusiasm I had for taking an alternative look at this season versus last season is waning as the negative gap that appeared only recently grows.

After Peterboro we were 5 points ahead of where we had been against the same or equivalent opposition last year, but the abject results recently have resulted in a deficit of 8 points after MK Dons and it does not get much better, failure to collect full points against Brentford will see the gap widen, since we beat them last season in the only home game that I missed.

Throughout the season we have been there or there abouts against last season achieving a six point positive against no more a negative of 3 points, until now.

We are unlikely to close this gap over the next 5 games as we won 4 of the equivalent games last season, drawing the 5th against Southampton at home.  The following 5 only delivered 6 points so there is the possibility that the deficit can be eaten into.

Of course these stats are just a bit of fun and the real point is not about the equivalence against last season, but what we do in the remainder of this season and whether we are in the playoffs with a better (unlikely) or worse (likely) points level than last season.

If we got to the play offs

I watched Spurs last night and reminisced about the fact that until we were relegated from the prem. we had a better Prem record than them and I was jealous.  I watched their fans celebrating and I felt the emotions that thye were feeling, that inner warmth that grows and grows.  The last time I can remember that feeling, strangely was a defeat and a relegation, but it was a warmth of pride in our shirt as all the fans at the Valley stood and sung and sung loud and of course it was our last home prem game against Spurs.

It is difficult, as a charlton fan,  to remember the times when you chest has swelled and you have glowed with pride, probably the Play Off final was another experience when it happened.

As we drift away from the Playoff places for more than the obvious reason, I want us to turn things round and get into a play off place. For us that would be a bonus and we would hold the 1st leg at home.  If we could play that game at the Valley and come away with a decent result, just thinking about it brings back that warmth to my chest and a glow.  I want a night like Spurs fans have just had, even if we don't get promotion, we deserve as fans one good night in five years and if we can go on to have more this season,it would be so great so motivating, I just hope the boys can do it.

Playoff opponent bites the dust

As angst over our recent results flares on Charlton Life, spare a thought for the vagaries of the varying fortunes of football managers. As pundits and fans continue to look at Charlton with open mouths at the departure of Phil Parkinson earlier this year, spare a thought for Danny Wilson who took Swindon to the play off final last season after beating Charlton in the Semis.

Danny Wilson is a thoroughly decent bloke and manager with a good pedigree.  After failing to take Swindon up he had the guts ripped out of his team and Swindon have struggled ever since, culminating with Charlie Austins sale in January. As a decent man he has carried the can and resigned, but you have to wonder, should he really be held responsible for the teams under performance.

Target what?

Change can be hard.  It is not human nature to accept change, thats why some of the top earners are change management specialists, so I am having difficulty accepting the change that seems to have gone through the Valley in the last few weeks.

At the beginning of the season under Murray and Parkinson we knew we had a squad that was put together on a shoe string and a manager who was many peoples anti christ.  We, also knew we were aiming for promotion, preferably by the automatics, but hell the play offs would do.  Poor performances, good results, poor performances, bad results we knew the target was promotion.

Then came Slater and Jiminez and we took the change because they sounded like decent blokes and Minty recommended them and he IS a decent bloke.  And what sort of change was it? Well it was all for the good, promotion remained the target, at a stroke our foundations were firmed up.

Then Parkie screwed up my comfort zone, he allowed his players to go out and perform abjectly.  Slater met him for the first time and fired him in the best interests of getting promotion.  So the target remained - we want promotion.

To replace Parkie we looked for a manager who would cement promotion, Eddie Howe turned us down and we adopted our legend CP.

We recruited during this time three new players, Ecclestone - rising Liverpool star, Bradley Wright-Philips and Fredericco "de baja médica" Bessone , showing our intent?

As I say change does not come easily, so when Slater says that promotion is no longer a target this season, it would be a bonus, I am confused.  An improved squad, a new motivational manager, 100% support  from the fans, so logically we down grade our expectations.  Errr, no!

However, Slater knows what is going on in the club and maybe CP walked through the door and said "with this squad - hell no!"  So I am going to have to accept change, move forward with the new reality.

But what is the new reality?  Its not promotion, we know that.  Is it honorable defeat in the play off final or the semi finals or is it a top ten finish, maybe its just avoiding relegation.  Do we have a target, even?  Maybe its just play through the season learn the management ropes and be prepared for next season.

Personally, I have had enough of this league and would like to think we are aiming for promotion this season, but hey its a long time since I have had a bonus, so maybe I'll have to change my perspective to that.