Beware The Ides Of January

It is probably easy if you look hard enough to find similarities in any two situation’s, but for me Chris Powell and Phil Parkinsons November have both been very similar.  It even starts before then.  Both managers had disastrous beginnings to their Charlton managerial careers, although Powell managed early wins 4 on the trot, whereas Parkinson went a number of games without a win.

However, in their more recent  November as a Charlton manager they generated success and after a string of decent results were nominated for, their respective Leagues, manager of the month awards, Chris was runner up, while Parkie won the award.

December this year came and Britain experienced awful weather, the worst rain in records although this did not cancel any games the conditions were less than desirable playing conditions whilst Parkie faced a stop go month with cancellations taking away the momentum of November.

Both mangers had relatively well placed teams within the context of the quality of player on their books, Parkie had us at 5^th in tier 3 and Powell lower mid table in tier 2.

For Parkie,  the club was finalising the sale by Murray to a new consortium, the owner were shrouded in mystery and hope and a little Cash.

Today there are many rumours of the previous consortium having metamorphosed over its period of owner ship selling out to a new set of owners.  This could be true, it could be a load of Koc.

Both Parkie and Powell had teams that were under invested in.  Parkinson had started the season with a barely assembled squad that needed time to gel, whereas Chris had a team well assembled for third tier domination, but failure to strengthen beyond an ageing premier forward and a third tier left side player coupled with injuries and failed loanees, meant that they are lacking in second tier quality.

But there are differences too, not least of which is the fan base.  For whatever reason, Parkinson had failed to take a large and probably majority percentage of the fans with him, even suffering the indignity of a pensioner trying to attack him during the loss to Brighton, where as the recent result have only slightly dented 

Chris’s popularity and the only danger from the fans he has is if Big Dave Lockwood were to give him a big hug and kiss on the touch line.

When the new consortium took over Parkinson was dumped after one calamitous game and is now rebuilding his career in northern exile.  We are now in a situation where a new consortium is in the wings ready to takeover.  Parkinson despite his fate had Murrays support, whereas albeit rumour and whisper has it that Chris has less than full support of Jiminez and that is the danger for Chris.  Are the club waiting for an excuse, despite the support he has from the heart of Charlton – the fans – can he survive.  Can he look and gain meaningful support from the direction of the consortium or even from Murray.

Derby, Watford and even Huddersfield are critical games for Chris, we need points and we need a result.  Otherwise the month that did for Parkie maybe the month that does for Chris, he needs to 

“beware of the ides of January” 

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.

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