Because you never know what’s around the corner. The news of someone I had never heard of in football had died suddenly this week. Keith Alexander aged 53, an age I will hit in a few days passed away, Manager of Macclesfield one time journeyman footballer. There is a lovely obituary written by NY Addick. From what I understand of Mr Alexander he was a true fans footballer, not a fancy dan earning millions a year and a nice guy, it is sad to lose someone who to all intense and purposes is young.
Recently a friend of my sisters, who by association was a friend of mine, a guy who was a young 63 year old, fit and healthy, who I saw on January 2nd, looking fit and well, about 5 weeks ago was diagnosed with CJD, he was a Bristol Rovers fan but had been to the Valley a few times, the last being this seasons Rovers game, he passed away two weeks ago. Dr Kish had got me a program for him from the Rovers away game, sadly I only got it to him the day before he passed away. RIP Julian Bailey.
Its not more important than life and death Bill, but it does create a spirit of community, a theme I will return to later.
So Live, love laugh and be happy
Friday, 5 March 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
The Terminator strikes again!!
First he sank the Dons
Then he sank our rivals
Then our country cousins
Not to mention turning his attention to us.jpg)
With Pompey going in to administration, he's done it again
Herman Hreidarsson is The Premier League
Terminator
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
After Archie, the question is ……. Who killed Football?
I wish I knew how to add music to this blog, I would start with the East Enders music, after all we are an east end club, as our announcer last season stated (twat). Anyway, before I have started, I digress.
Many years ago when I was but a boy, football was much more fun, in my opinion, waiting from Sunday to Saturday for the saturation of football on TV, with On The Ball and later in the evening Match Of The Day, followed the next day by Brain Moore’s the Big Match. The highlight of the year would be the FA cup final a live game and you may get a few more in the form of the home internationals or a European final. The top tier of football would be competed for by the likes of Ipswich, Derby, Nottingham Forest, Carlisle, Norwich and then came money, wall to wall live TV,you can even watch live games from the Irish League – when I was a kid I did not even realise there was an irish league, unless it was located in Highbury. Players drove in “plush” top of the range Ford Cortinas, when they retired bought pubs or hairdressers and married their childhood sweat hearts and shagged their friends (no change there) and they never used the words spit and roast in the same sentence.
The football I knew, the football I enjoyed has died, it is gone, no more,if it is gone, if it has died I want to know who killed our football.
I don’t know the answer to the question, but I know who the suspects are and leave you to decide on their guilt.
The Suspects
Stacey Branning – Slater
Responsible for the murder of Archie Mitchell and the unemployment of Charlton supporting Bradley “Charlie Clements” Branning, surely the neurotic Stacey cannot have been the cause of the ills of the football world. Maybe not, but could she be the object of Ashley Coles texting attentions.
Sky TV – Played by Ian Beale
Many blame Sky for the evils that have entered football and it is easy to point to evidence that damns them. It is Sky who have scheduled football so that top flight Saturday football could well be on a Sunday or Monday. They have pumped millions in to the game, millions that the terrestrial companies have never tried to match and lets face it would we want our licence money spent in this way. This money has been used by football not to build the game but to enrich many especially players and agents.
But is it really Sky’s fault? Sky’s only role in protecting football is to protect the goose that is laying the golden egg. It is Football that has drawn subscribers to Sky, Sky’s responsibility however is not to them but to their shareholders and if spending billions means that they generate a volume of subscribers that then go on to generate shareholder profits then Sky are doing what they are there for. Football cannot count on the cash machine that is Sky
The FA – Played by Dot Cotton
The stuffy men in blazers, who were rolled over by the smart marketing types from Sky and the Premier League, they thought that they were in control, but the carpet was taken from beneath them and they failed to protect the lower leagues and the grass roots of football. Can they be accused of killing football or just criminal negligence.
The Players – Played by Phil Mitchell
When clubs are paying 80 -95% of income in wages there has to be something wrong. With the elite earning upwards of £100,000 a week and even at Charlton’s level players earning £3-8,000 a week when Banks are refusing overdrafts, fans are being put on short weeks and that’s the ones amongst us that have kept their jobs. Club revenues are reducing as fans cannot afford season tickets or a family day out for over £100.
So the finger of blame must be aimed at the players, but then they only asked for stupid salaries, the clubs could have refused, but the quest for glory is too great and clubs continue to spend to achieve it, but more often than not – Leeds, Notts County, Portsmouth – all is in vain.
The Fans – Played by Gary Hobbs
We have allowed it to happen, we are so parochial to our teams that we never collectively defend our game, yes you hear people ranting on 606 and clubs have their fans forums but do they have an effect have they ever achieved something in the game of significance? The Wimbledon experience created AFC Wimbledon, but what was that victory those fans had a team in the semi professional leagues instead of the 2nd tier and MK Dons took their place at the higher level. Fans power at the pinnacle of English football created a new semi professional team, but there remained Manchester United a formerly solvent club, now indebt to some £3/4 billion. If all fans collectively protested maybe people power would have worked.
The Boards – Played by Max Branning and Saeed Ahmed.
The boards can be seen in different roles, the boar that has followed the quest for glory by spending beyond their means. Only a limited number of teams can win a league, get promotion, qualify for Europe. For some the ream is unrealistic, but even so they follow it. Then there are the new owners, rich Abramovich’s, the owners of Manchester City, the Liverpool yanks. These especially the former two have upped the anti for everyone. When Charlton were promoted to the Prem. £20 mill was thought to be the “outrageous” spend level to stay up, now it will just about buy you a forward, with nothing left to strengthen the rest of the squad.
Hasn’t Abramovich done what we all wanted to do when we were kids with our Subbuteo teams, he just has a different slant to it. Is it his fault that the other clubs don’t have the money to compete with him and now Manchester City are the same? Its not long ago we were celebrating being the richest club in the world only for it to be cruelly taken away from us at the last minute, but would we have been really happy buying the success that we had strived for and failed to reach.
So these are the suspects in the killing of our football and like all suspense stories, its down to you to decide the accused!!!
Many years ago when I was but a boy, football was much more fun, in my opinion, waiting from Sunday to Saturday for the saturation of football on TV, with On The Ball and later in the evening Match Of The Day, followed the next day by Brain Moore’s the Big Match. The highlight of the year would be the FA cup final a live game and you may get a few more in the form of the home internationals or a European final. The top tier of football would be competed for by the likes of Ipswich, Derby, Nottingham Forest, Carlisle, Norwich and then came money, wall to wall live TV,you can even watch live games from the Irish League – when I was a kid I did not even realise there was an irish league, unless it was located in Highbury. Players drove in “plush” top of the range Ford Cortinas, when they retired bought pubs or hairdressers and married their childhood sweat hearts and shagged their friends (no change there) and they never used the words spit and roast in the same sentence.
The football I knew, the football I enjoyed has died, it is gone, no more,if it is gone, if it has died I want to know who killed our football.
I don’t know the answer to the question, but I know who the suspects are and leave you to decide on their guilt.
The Suspects
Stacey Branning – Slater
Responsible for the murder of Archie Mitchell and the unemployment of Charlton supporting Bradley “Charlie Clements” Branning, surely the neurotic Stacey cannot have been the cause of the ills of the football world. Maybe not, but could she be the object of Ashley Coles texting attentions.
Sky TV – Played by Ian Beale
Many blame Sky for the evils that have entered football and it is easy to point to evidence that damns them. It is Sky who have scheduled football so that top flight Saturday football could well be on a Sunday or Monday. They have pumped millions in to the game, millions that the terrestrial companies have never tried to match and lets face it would we want our licence money spent in this way. This money has been used by football not to build the game but to enrich many especially players and agents.
But is it really Sky’s fault? Sky’s only role in protecting football is to protect the goose that is laying the golden egg. It is Football that has drawn subscribers to Sky, Sky’s responsibility however is not to them but to their shareholders and if spending billions means that they generate a volume of subscribers that then go on to generate shareholder profits then Sky are doing what they are there for. Football cannot count on the cash machine that is Sky
The FA – Played by Dot Cotton
The stuffy men in blazers, who were rolled over by the smart marketing types from Sky and the Premier League, they thought that they were in control, but the carpet was taken from beneath them and they failed to protect the lower leagues and the grass roots of football. Can they be accused of killing football or just criminal negligence.
The Players – Played by Phil Mitchell
When clubs are paying 80 -95% of income in wages there has to be something wrong. With the elite earning upwards of £100,000 a week and even at Charlton’s level players earning £3-8,000 a week when Banks are refusing overdrafts, fans are being put on short weeks and that’s the ones amongst us that have kept their jobs. Club revenues are reducing as fans cannot afford season tickets or a family day out for over £100.
So the finger of blame must be aimed at the players, but then they only asked for stupid salaries, the clubs could have refused, but the quest for glory is too great and clubs continue to spend to achieve it, but more often than not – Leeds, Notts County, Portsmouth – all is in vain.
The Fans – Played by Gary Hobbs
We have allowed it to happen, we are so parochial to our teams that we never collectively defend our game, yes you hear people ranting on 606 and clubs have their fans forums but do they have an effect have they ever achieved something in the game of significance? The Wimbledon experience created AFC Wimbledon, but what was that victory those fans had a team in the semi professional leagues instead of the 2nd tier and MK Dons took their place at the higher level. Fans power at the pinnacle of English football created a new semi professional team, but there remained Manchester United a formerly solvent club, now indebt to some £3/4 billion. If all fans collectively protested maybe people power would have worked.
The Boards – Played by Max Branning and Saeed Ahmed.
The boards can be seen in different roles, the boar that has followed the quest for glory by spending beyond their means. Only a limited number of teams can win a league, get promotion, qualify for Europe. For some the ream is unrealistic, but even so they follow it. Then there are the new owners, rich Abramovich’s, the owners of Manchester City, the Liverpool yanks. These especially the former two have upped the anti for everyone. When Charlton were promoted to the Prem. £20 mill was thought to be the “outrageous” spend level to stay up, now it will just about buy you a forward, with nothing left to strengthen the rest of the squad.
Hasn’t Abramovich done what we all wanted to do when we were kids with our Subbuteo teams, he just has a different slant to it. Is it his fault that the other clubs don’t have the money to compete with him and now Manchester City are the same? Its not long ago we were celebrating being the richest club in the world only for it to be cruelly taken away from us at the last minute, but would we have been really happy buying the success that we had strived for and failed to reach.
So these are the suspects in the killing of our football and like all suspense stories, its down to you to decide the accused!!!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Mirrors
Mirrors are reflections and many of us at this time are reflecting on where we are, where we have been, what we are doing. I’m reflecting on Parkie and on our promotion prospects and where we have been before.
When I look at Parkie and reflect I see a manager who is in the mould of a former great. Like Curbs Parkie has entered Charlton management under a cloud, Curbs was not accepted because we saw Steve Gritt as true Charlton, whereas Curbs was true West Ham and throughout his tenure, all 15 years this hung over him, Parkie carries the baggage of being part of Pardews team that took us from Premiership to Division 1 and whenever results are bad this willbe remembered, like Curbs it appears that Parkie has players who once they cross him never find their way back, for Jason Euell there is Yassin Moutakill, Parkie is young and has potential, Curbs was young and had potential, potential that he fulfilled, to an extent, both during the early part of their tenure worked off small budgets and were forced to go for free transfers and loans, Curbs had Bumstead and Gatting, the game has changed so Parkies list is longer and includes the likes of Dailly, Mooney, Sodje’s, although during their tenure neither has been free from error. Where they diverge is that Parkie has two club experience behind him – a promotion and a sacking, whereas Curbs came to us a virgin, just a bit of coaching. Curbs probably plateaued after 12 years, the club did not go forward or backwards, the question is has Parkie after a year in charge reached his plateau. Lets not forget Curbs went through periods like this and then he did he shed his cloak of conservatism, made wholesale changes and turned things around. One of these times was after a real tonking at the hands of West Ham and saw the beginning of the end of Kinsella’s Charlton career. When you reflect on Charlton’s hapless performances since January, culminating in Mondays defeat then you know that Parkie now needs to step up to the plate and be bold, be brave put his career on the line and take the approach that will lead us to reflect on another campaign, a campaign where with games to go we went on a run,we kept clean sheets and we went to Wembley, under dogs we fought and we won and the golden era of recent years began.
Or and this is my final reflection, not Curbs but Pardew. Parkie can be the new Curbs or the new Pardew. Two seasons ago, we came out of Christmas second a guarantee of a return to the land of milk and honey, called the Premiership. But after the New Year results tailed off, instead of promotion results indicated a play off place, and then not even a play off place, mid table. Like now we had a team that exceeded the quality of the division, we had a team that should have at least competed for automatic promotion.
So Parkie, the message is be bold be brave,if we are going to stay in this division then lets stay down fighting and playing,lets reflect on past glory and achieve new success.
When I look at Parkie and reflect I see a manager who is in the mould of a former great. Like Curbs Parkie has entered Charlton management under a cloud, Curbs was not accepted because we saw Steve Gritt as true Charlton, whereas Curbs was true West Ham and throughout his tenure, all 15 years this hung over him, Parkie carries the baggage of being part of Pardews team that took us from Premiership to Division 1 and whenever results are bad this willbe remembered, like Curbs it appears that Parkie has players who once they cross him never find their way back, for Jason Euell there is Yassin Moutakill, Parkie is young and has potential, Curbs was young and had potential, potential that he fulfilled, to an extent, both during the early part of their tenure worked off small budgets and were forced to go for free transfers and loans, Curbs had Bumstead and Gatting, the game has changed so Parkies list is longer and includes the likes of Dailly, Mooney, Sodje’s, although during their tenure neither has been free from error. Where they diverge is that Parkie has two club experience behind him – a promotion and a sacking, whereas Curbs came to us a virgin, just a bit of coaching. Curbs probably plateaued after 12 years, the club did not go forward or backwards, the question is has Parkie after a year in charge reached his plateau. Lets not forget Curbs went through periods like this and then he did he shed his cloak of conservatism, made wholesale changes and turned things around. One of these times was after a real tonking at the hands of West Ham and saw the beginning of the end of Kinsella’s Charlton career. When you reflect on Charlton’s hapless performances since January, culminating in Mondays defeat then you know that Parkie now needs to step up to the plate and be bold, be brave put his career on the line and take the approach that will lead us to reflect on another campaign, a campaign where with games to go we went on a run,we kept clean sheets and we went to Wembley, under dogs we fought and we won and the golden era of recent years began.
Or and this is my final reflection, not Curbs but Pardew. Parkie can be the new Curbs or the new Pardew. Two seasons ago, we came out of Christmas second a guarantee of a return to the land of milk and honey, called the Premiership. But after the New Year results tailed off, instead of promotion results indicated a play off place, and then not even a play off place, mid table. Like now we had a team that exceeded the quality of the division, we had a team that should have at least competed for automatic promotion.
So Parkie, the message is be bold be brave,if we are going to stay in this division then lets stay down fighting and playing,lets reflect on past glory and achieve new success.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Robbie Rafa's Ruin
I write this, on a Charlton blog, because we once made a bid for Robbie Keane (and if we did not then we should have), in 18 months the guy has accumulated a transfer value back and forth between Anfield and White Hart Lane of around £35 million, so Tony Mowbray must be rubbing his hands in glee getting this striker on loan. But this article is not really about Robbie Keane, Celtic, Tony Mowbray or Spurs its about Liverpool and more specifically Raffa Benitez.
After I made my conversion from top division Chelsea to second division Charlton, I never believed that I would ever see Charlton in the top flight (we are now three promotions later) and rather than adopting Chelsea back as my top flight team, i chose Liverpool, influenced by the glory years as well as the Beatles. So it pains me to see them in the position they are today.
Robbie Keanes loan to Celtic, who play in the backwater of rubbish football, shows how ludicrous was Raffa’s decision to pay £20 million for the irish striker. Don’t get me wrong . he is a good striker, why else would curbs have gone for him, but £20 million was always over the top and then to compound things Raffa did not start him regularly.
Over the years Raffa has spent a lot of Money on players and you can look at the current Liverpool side and count on three fingers the quality players they have got Gerrard, Torres and Caragher. None of the big 4 rely like Liverpool do on such few players. He has spent a lot of money and for what? The European cup? Is that it?
Hopefully Rafa’s time at Anfield is coming to an end, if not then they will soon be fighting amongst the mid table hopefuls, wishing for a top four place with the likes of Man U, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs!
After I made my conversion from top division Chelsea to second division Charlton, I never believed that I would ever see Charlton in the top flight (we are now three promotions later) and rather than adopting Chelsea back as my top flight team, i chose Liverpool, influenced by the glory years as well as the Beatles. So it pains me to see them in the position they are today.
Robbie Keanes loan to Celtic, who play in the backwater of rubbish football, shows how ludicrous was Raffa’s decision to pay £20 million for the irish striker. Don’t get me wrong . he is a good striker, why else would curbs have gone for him, but £20 million was always over the top and then to compound things Raffa did not start him regularly.
Over the years Raffa has spent a lot of Money on players and you can look at the current Liverpool side and count on three fingers the quality players they have got Gerrard, Torres and Caragher. None of the big 4 rely like Liverpool do on such few players. He has spent a lot of money and for what? The European cup? Is that it?
Hopefully Rafa’s time at Anfield is coming to an end, if not then they will soon be fighting amongst the mid table hopefuls, wishing for a top four place with the likes of Man U, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs!
Monday, 1 February 2010
At The Crossroads
In the first season of the Championship just after Christmas we were about second and poised for a good push on an immediate return to the Premiership. Team mismanagement, through over use of the loan system and financial necessity, the sale of Andy Reid and injuries put paid to that and we ended up mid table. With the squad we had after years of punching above our weight, we were patting below it. So two years later what has changed, well divisions for a start. We started the year 2nd though and we are at a cross roads in our chase for the poor mans riches of the Championship.
The positives are that we have Parkinson and not Pardew. We have seen that Parkinson is not an impact manager, he slowly builds putting the pieces in place till he has some semblance of a team. Some may say that Parkinson is not the man and that recently some of his substitutions have seemed bizarre, but overall he has performed well and on no money even to have got us to where we are has bee n little short of amazing. Whilst he had some failures last season with his loanees, it must be remembered that they were brought in as we scrapped the bottom of the barrel once everybody else had had a pick of the “crème de la crème” of loanees. This season it has been difficult to complain, whilst Mooney has looked ropey in the last couple of games, despite scoring, he has overall made a positive contribution, Omosuzi has got better and better and in my mind is a strong competitor for the right back position, whilst Ikeme was not a decision many of us agreed with, once he got rid of his ring rustyness he did well.
The negative is that we are skint, where as Pardew could wheel and deal in the loan market at least, we do not have two brass farthings to rub together and we have no topless white knights riding in to save us. We do not have an out and out goal scorer at this level (Chris Dickson’s spell at Gillingham seems to have been the peak of his career and the failure to sell him to Gillingham may be a mistake we rue, come the summer when he hopefully walks away.).
After the recent three home games on the trot we could reasonably expect to have picked up 9 points and with Leeds stuttering their games in hand could have been negated, instead three abject performances have resulted in only 4 points and the gap between 2nd and 3rd widening and next weeks opponents Swindon soaring along on the outside rails.
So we are at a cross roads, we could continue to drive towards promotion or we could as many now believe sink towards mid table obscurity. Many fans predicted relegation this season, so even mid table obscurity can’t be bad – can it? For the sake of our club, we need promotion, our squad is on borrowed time or is it borrowed money, if we are in this division next season then we will lose most of the senior squad, for two reasons. We won’t be able to afford them and we will no longer be able to feed their ambition .
The board have poured £7 million in the club to keep it afloat this season, one has to ask, what about another £1 million please just for a striker – says the man who has little money to contribute himself .
The signing of Reid has been good, but we need to use him and Sam to enable us to go about playing the football that we were playing earlier this season. With the exception of maybe Norwich and Leeds, there are no teams home or away that can live with us as a footballing, passing team and we have to get back to that. We also need to go back to strong foundations at the back, to be a platform for driving forward. If we are solid then we can have the confidence to break forward and put the opposition under pressure. Christian daily has lost some of that assurance that he had earlier this season with the changes of the other three around him, hopefully now we are back to full strength with the exception n of Youga (who it appears from his comments in the shop last week is a while away from contention), the assuredness of the defence will return.
February, beginning with three away games, against leading contenders for the playoffs and March are critical and then we move into the April games of death with Colchester, Norwich and Leeds all at home (Leeds is May, but that is close enough). We are at a cross roads now, because if we do not pick up form now, then April will be meaningless as we are condemned to future years of potential mediocrity.
The positives are that we have Parkinson and not Pardew. We have seen that Parkinson is not an impact manager, he slowly builds putting the pieces in place till he has some semblance of a team. Some may say that Parkinson is not the man and that recently some of his substitutions have seemed bizarre, but overall he has performed well and on no money even to have got us to where we are has bee n little short of amazing. Whilst he had some failures last season with his loanees, it must be remembered that they were brought in as we scrapped the bottom of the barrel once everybody else had had a pick of the “crème de la crème” of loanees. This season it has been difficult to complain, whilst Mooney has looked ropey in the last couple of games, despite scoring, he has overall made a positive contribution, Omosuzi has got better and better and in my mind is a strong competitor for the right back position, whilst Ikeme was not a decision many of us agreed with, once he got rid of his ring rustyness he did well.
The negative is that we are skint, where as Pardew could wheel and deal in the loan market at least, we do not have two brass farthings to rub together and we have no topless white knights riding in to save us. We do not have an out and out goal scorer at this level (Chris Dickson’s spell at Gillingham seems to have been the peak of his career and the failure to sell him to Gillingham may be a mistake we rue, come the summer when he hopefully walks away.).
After the recent three home games on the trot we could reasonably expect to have picked up 9 points and with Leeds stuttering their games in hand could have been negated, instead three abject performances have resulted in only 4 points and the gap between 2nd and 3rd widening and next weeks opponents Swindon soaring along on the outside rails.
So we are at a cross roads, we could continue to drive towards promotion or we could as many now believe sink towards mid table obscurity. Many fans predicted relegation this season, so even mid table obscurity can’t be bad – can it? For the sake of our club, we need promotion, our squad is on borrowed time or is it borrowed money, if we are in this division next season then we will lose most of the senior squad, for two reasons. We won’t be able to afford them and we will no longer be able to feed their ambition .
The board have poured £7 million in the club to keep it afloat this season, one has to ask, what about another £1 million please just for a striker – says the man who has little money to contribute himself .
The signing of Reid has been good, but we need to use him and Sam to enable us to go about playing the football that we were playing earlier this season. With the exception of maybe Norwich and Leeds, there are no teams home or away that can live with us as a footballing, passing team and we have to get back to that. We also need to go back to strong foundations at the back, to be a platform for driving forward. If we are solid then we can have the confidence to break forward and put the opposition under pressure. Christian daily has lost some of that assurance that he had earlier this season with the changes of the other three around him, hopefully now we are back to full strength with the exception n of Youga (who it appears from his comments in the shop last week is a while away from contention), the assuredness of the defence will return.
February, beginning with three away games, against leading contenders for the playoffs and March are critical and then we move into the April games of death with Colchester, Norwich and Leeds all at home (Leeds is May, but that is close enough). We are at a cross roads now, because if we do not pick up form now, then April will be meaningless as we are condemned to future years of potential mediocrity.
Friday, 18 December 2009
Be Careful what you wish for!!
Be careful what you wish for. Having at first been distressed at the thought that soft porn barons Gold and Sullivan, the Valley faithful have turned their distress to the fact that the target is not in South London but across the river to one of our temporary homes at Upton Park. As we all know the initial bid is unlikely to be accepted by the Icelandic owners of West Ham and now that the Icelandic’s have been given an extension on solving their debt situation. For Gold and Sullivan that is bad news, as it gives time for alternative investment to be found, West Ham will be relegated by the time they can take ownership and the Icelandic’s have taken a dislike to Gold and Sullivan, following the latter pair revealed the nature of their bid.
If the Gold and Sullivan bid fails and they decide not to pursue their interest then apparently we are next on the list, which does not seem to be all bad. I am wary however of any white knights flying in to save us. A year ago we were looking at the white nights of Dubai, but where would we be now following the collapse of that principality, would we have been part of the bail out from the Emirates or would a football club be seen as superfluous to requirements and sold some where on the cheap. It did not happen, so nothing to worry about there.
But what of other white knights, Portsmouths plight is horrendous, bought by Middle East businessman( a), with promises of investment, ignoring a consortium led by Peter Storey, no money is forthcoming except a £1 coin from Middle East businessman (b) and of course promises of investment, nothing has been forthcoming, players keep on receiving delayed payments and the club seems to be racing between relegation and administration. Pompey are not alone, Mark Hughes may have had a lot of money to spend on Man City this summer, but this is through new owners, the last new owners were not the most reputable with the ex Thai President Thaskin who was wanted in his homeland for various misdemeanours, not a fit and proper person. Are these just exceptions, because the big clubs the established leaders would not be affected, would they? Are then there are the yankee duo, who have created confusion and disarray at Anfield . I wonder how the fans at Notts County are feeling, they were as if not more euphoric than us, they saw the dream, former England manager as Director of football and even better news it was not Peter Taylor, but where are they now, they are a club with no Sol and the only good news there is still no Peter Taylor, they got rid of a decent manager and now his replacement has walked out.
So where did we begin, aah! Gold & Sullivan, a fine pair, not forgetting Karen Brady. Would they be good for us, well we are in a similar position to Birmingham when they were taken over and look what they did for them. So this trio would potentially be good for us, but anyone expecting a continuation of the cosy relationship that we have experienced under the tutelage of Richard Murray are seriously deluded. The trio have no affection for Charlton, no link with our fans no ties to the area, they are in this for one thing and one thing only ……… Profit. If we sell to Gold and Sullivan then we may well reach back in to the promise land of the Premiership, we may too see un pronounceable names from far distant lands in our first team, and we may see success of mid Premiership obscurity, but there is a cost and that cost is a remote ownership, who will after a few years sell up for profit and then we will be on the merry go round that has afflicted football ownership for recent times.
Whatever happens in the short term the long term stability we once had under Murray, Curbishley and Varney has gone and will never return in any form,before long Charlton will be just another club,it will be sad but total demise would be the only option. On the plus side for us older fansd there is always the shapely Mrs Peschcilido to ogle at whilst Man U are stuffing us.
If the Gold and Sullivan bid fails and they decide not to pursue their interest then apparently we are next on the list, which does not seem to be all bad. I am wary however of any white knights flying in to save us. A year ago we were looking at the white nights of Dubai, but where would we be now following the collapse of that principality, would we have been part of the bail out from the Emirates or would a football club be seen as superfluous to requirements and sold some where on the cheap. It did not happen, so nothing to worry about there.
But what of other white knights, Portsmouths plight is horrendous, bought by Middle East businessman( a), with promises of investment, ignoring a consortium led by Peter Storey, no money is forthcoming except a £1 coin from Middle East businessman (b) and of course promises of investment, nothing has been forthcoming, players keep on receiving delayed payments and the club seems to be racing between relegation and administration. Pompey are not alone, Mark Hughes may have had a lot of money to spend on Man City this summer, but this is through new owners, the last new owners were not the most reputable with the ex Thai President Thaskin who was wanted in his homeland for various misdemeanours, not a fit and proper person. Are these just exceptions, because the big clubs the established leaders would not be affected, would they? Are then there are the yankee duo, who have created confusion and disarray at Anfield . I wonder how the fans at Notts County are feeling, they were as if not more euphoric than us, they saw the dream, former England manager as Director of football and even better news it was not Peter Taylor, but where are they now, they are a club with no Sol and the only good news there is still no Peter Taylor, they got rid of a decent manager and now his replacement has walked out.
So where did we begin, aah! Gold & Sullivan, a fine pair, not forgetting Karen Brady. Would they be good for us, well we are in a similar position to Birmingham when they were taken over and look what they did for them. So this trio would potentially be good for us, but anyone expecting a continuation of the cosy relationship that we have experienced under the tutelage of Richard Murray are seriously deluded. The trio have no affection for Charlton, no link with our fans no ties to the area, they are in this for one thing and one thing only ……… Profit. If we sell to Gold and Sullivan then we may well reach back in to the promise land of the Premiership, we may too see un pronounceable names from far distant lands in our first team, and we may see success of mid Premiership obscurity, but there is a cost and that cost is a remote ownership, who will after a few years sell up for profit and then we will be on the merry go round that has afflicted football ownership for recent times.
Whatever happens in the short term the long term stability we once had under Murray, Curbishley and Varney has gone and will never return in any form,before long Charlton will be just another club,it will be sad but total demise would be the only option. On the plus side for us older fansd there is always the shapely Mrs Peschcilido to ogle at whilst Man U are stuffing us.
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