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.

Reading Between The Lines

Then postponement of the Reading game due to "SHEER CRIMINALITY"* causes a couple of problems for Chris Powell after his good opener against Bournemouth.  If you are going to have a touchline ban then it is easier to serve it at an away game then you can hide in the tunnel and peek round the side every now and then.  Reading would have been the second and last game for CP's ban but now it will not be completed until after the away game at Notts County, so he'll probably be in the stands on Saturday.  Unlike others, I have a lot of confidence in Alex Dyer so am not to disconcerted by CP's touchline absence for one game away.  Hopefully he will be more disciplined on the touchline this season and avoid further bans .. regardless of the provocation.

It was expected that CP would give Green a run out on Tuesday night, but the only run out available was at JD sports, so does he drop wonder strike Wagtaff for the man that we all expect to own the shirt  or stick with his comment that the holder of the shirt would keep it if their performance warranted it.  Apart from the goal which was brilliant, I was not impressed by Waggy on Saturday, but I fully expect him to keep the shirt, because of the wonder goal and also I suspect that he has better defensive qualities than Green.  Green for the subs bench I think.





*Copyright Teresa May

Christians all at sea

Last years Captain
Previous seasons Player of the Season

There was no sign of Christain Dailly at the Valley yesterday as the new partnership of Taylor and Morrison made their debut, instead he was part of the Charlton old boys match with Luke Varney, Herman Hreidarsson and Greg Halford for Portsmouth against Middlesborough's Nicky Bailey and Ikeme.

Dailly has a 1 month contract with Pompey.

Dailly's record for Charlton was 76 games and 1 goal scored on his debut, against Wycombe and three red cards.

The reckoning

In less than 24 hours we will have had our first indication of how Charltons season is likely to pan out over the next 9 months.  However, as Norwich fans will tell you one match in August a season does not make and only two seasons ago fir us an opening winning streak failed to deliver promotion.

Again during the summer personnel have used the revolving doors at Sparrows Lane and of last seasons starters, tomorrow, we are only likely to see Jackson, Elliot and Wagstaff starting, the latter two due to suspension and injury.

CP has put together a good squad which is much better than the squad that opened last season and there is more to come, although it has taken a while to realise that the promised significant investment would best be described as reinvestment.  Carl Jenkinsons transfer money, if the alleged £1 million,followed in the footsteps of Lee Bowyer and Danny Mills whose transfer fees built promotion winning sides, without them.

The question mark that we will see answered over the coming months will be "Is CP up to it?".  Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday fans have already stated that they see our manager as the weakest link and after an inauspicous start to management he has a lot to prove, but retains a well of goodwill from the fans.  That well my run dry if the start is bad, but hopefully this squad will at least deliver a top ten place during the gelling process.

We start this season as we did last against Bournemouth, ourselves being distincly stronger and Bournemouth weakened by our strengthening, I am predicting 3-1.

CP isgoing to be absent from the touchline tomorrow, but we should have enough with him in the stands. 

Englands partying U20's

Englands U20's were caught partying in Columbia the venue for the U20 championship.  Chief culprit was a tall black English player - anyone know who he is.

Sadly it does not appear that Jonjo Shelvey is with the squad.

Partying English players

A letter from Lucy

http://www.justgiving.com/tomhayleybailey

I am unashamedly using this blog to plug the charity for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease which promotes its greater understanding  and treatment and also supports families affected by this awful terminal illness.  This charity has recently been hit by the Government cuts and lost its funding so is even more relient on the generosity of the public than ever.

 A friend of mine wrote this and I am passing it on and asking you to support Tom & Hayleys run for CJD charity by sponsoring them.

“CJD killed our dear dad, a young, vibrant, healthy 62 year old, last year. If you’re feeling generous please sponsor Tom & Hayley, even if it’s just £1.

It’s the only CJD charity in the UK and is a lifeline to families like ours. The government have decided to cut 100% of their funding so now the CJD charity is run entirely on donations. We'd be grateful for every penny that you can sponsor them.”

“CJD is a fatal brain disease which affects one in a million, coming from nowhere for no apparent reason. There’s no treatment or cure. Many haven’t heard of it, or if they have, they think it’s ‘mad cow disease’ – some still make jokes about it. That was a new strain but the classic strain has been around for probably as long as us humans..”

Just Click Tom or Hayleys nose to donate

Please sponsor Tom & Hayley 

CJD Support network

The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research& Surveillance Unit (NCJDRSU)

Former England Goalkeeper David James excited by women

David James has always been a supporter of Womens football and on the opening day of the Womens World Cup has called for more exposure of the game and not in the way that Sepp Blatter suggested a few years back.

To coincide with the tournament James has written a thoughtful article in the Guardian about Womens football.

Later today (Monday) England take on Mexico and it is a game worth watching.  if you are a guy who chants "You're not fit to iron my shirt", you need to re evaluate the womens game, not as a comparison with the mens but as a sport on its own to be judged on its own merits.