Reza gone?

Using the famed reliable source of information that is twitter it appears that Reza has gone and has joined a Middle Eastern team, partly so RD can cash in on his fame and partly due to the fact he is home sick.

Of course when you look at the source of the story which was a tweet from Bikey's account you could conclude something different.  The Bikey account could be a fake account as no one from Charlton official twitter accounts actually follows him and of course Bikey would hardly know Reza if at all.

According to wiki Reza is a Charlton player and usually faster than shit off a shovel* when players change clubs.

Oh and as Reza spent most of his years in The Netherlands, being homesick would take him closer to Amsterdam than Tehran.

We are non the wiser, Reza may turn up at Sparrows Lane or Mohammed Park ... We'll see.

I for one would like to see him return to the valley and repay the faith I have in him, but if he doesn't then at least he will be remembered as the only Charlton player to score in a World Cup finals.

12 months is a long time in football

Twelve months ago we waited with baited breath for signings. Players left in droves, especially strikers and we worried until the season had almost begun.

So here we are today 7 signings in. Players re signed and youth contracts extended. The response .... Fed up of network signings.  Poor old Rolly you just can't please some critics.

New Season New Club Beckons

A month ago I was firmly in the Roland camp, lets see what he will do, how he invests in our club.  The only thing he had done wrong in my mind since the end of the season was the new kit.  Except I was to find out it was TJ and MS that made that wonderful decision.

I suspect that the kit choice was a bit like when our keepers wore pink.  The decision was made between Elliot and Randolph.  The conversation went something like this :-

Elliot "Darren, its pink - the fans will take the piss out of us!"
Randolph "I understand what you are saying but its for charity".
Elliot "Well if its for a good cause, I suppose that i can take the abuse of wearing pink - PARKIE we'll go for the pink keepers top!"

Six months later, end of season.

Elliot "Darren when are you signing your new contract!"
McRandolph "Sod that for a game of soldiers", there is no way I'm wearing pink!!!"

Anyway I digress. What have I got to moan about Roland?  He's facilitated the Academy, repainted the Valley (I suspect he brought in painters and did not do it himself), put down a pitch better than he needed to and has invested in players.

Well he did not give Riga the job, but even that does not worry me.  Riga was employed for a specific task, keep us up.  There was no sense of a job to follow, Riga avoided the conversation and so did Kate.  Should he have been thanked at the end, maybe, but many of us don't get thanks when we achieve our objectives, should he have been paid a bonus - yes and I expect he had one in his contract.

We have had the redundancies of staff, good solid Charlton people, stalwarts of our club , but as a serial redundantee, I know businesses do it and its part of the capitalist society we live in (a bit of politics there!!).

He failed to keep Poyet, well true but that shipped sailed before he arrived. 

So why do I feel uncertain? During the Prem years we had loads of non UK players, so why should I be worried that we have an influx now at the Valley?  Am I being xenophobic? A little Indian boy not wanting old Johny foreigner invading my team?  I hope not (I don't mean the little boy bit, thats another ship that has also sailed).

I'm hoping its a passing thing, that once I get to see the team, I'll start relating to the players that are coming in, after all I had never heard of Guchi 7 months ago and towards the end of the season I was a staunch defender and not because we could have been distant relatives (my family moved from Persia in the 16th century).

I do have one concern that is based on my principles of English football and that is, the Premier League has already destroyed opportunities for young English players.  I have always said that leagues below Prem should maintain the 70:30 home player ratio and now my club is bursting through this.

In the latter years of the Prem. we moaned about the lack of affinity between the fans and the players and I fear that this will be the case again.  If Jacko moves on, or becomes a bit player, who will follow in the footsteps of Kinsella, Powell, Elliot and Jacko to do the fist pump or tunnel jump?  Its a unique relationship between us and the players that i fear will die under this regime (and probably any other).  I just hope that it is kept going longer and the academy stars of today become the heroes of tomorrow and remember what being a Charlton player is all about when it comes to relating to the fans.

The secret of Lionel Messi

It's not much of a secret as I found this out on the internet. As a recent trustee of an autism charity and with a wife who amongst many other things works with autistic children, I found it fascinating that Lionel Messi was diagnosed as autistic at 8 years old.

Rather than a hindrance this has helped him be the player he is.  Autistic children have a torrid time despite the increase on awareness of the condition, there are many who feel giving them a clip round the ear would sort them out. It is great that parents, teachers and helpers are able to use Messi as a role model for developing children in a world that portrays too many negatives.

http://www.reddit.com/r/aspergers/comments/1m17yp/alltime_great_soccer_player_lionel_messi_was/

Underwhelmed by the new manager - Thats what we do!

So the new manager has been announced Bob Peeters and Charlton fans pronounce a massive "Who are you? And what about Riga?" and a constant phrase used is "Well I am underwhelmed by this appointment!".

I have news for Charlton fans .. being underwhelmed by new managers is what we do.  To be fair I can only recall one change over prior to Lennie and that was Eddie Firmani - club legend, Chris Powell was not the first - handing over to Theo Foley.

When Lennie took over, later to become one of our top three managers, we were underwhelmed we wanted a Shanlyesque manager, but we got an assistant, a former PE teacher - underwhelmed!

Roger Alwen appointed as Lennies successor a joint managership, oh how embarrassed were we  - oh how the world of Football laughed.  Gritt and Curbishley how underwhelmed were we.

Richard Murray decided to get rid of  Gritt and leave Curbs in charge.  Wrong man, we cried, West Ham fan we screamed. Underwhelmed were we by another of the top three managers.

When Curbs was released in an unusually civilised removal, the Palace manager comes in, after a press conference where Dowie is served with a writ, were we happy that Murray had stuck it to Jordan .. no we were thoroughly underwhelmed.

As Dowie served his time, Les Reed came in and our enthusiasm for the departure of Dowie was underwhelmed by promotion of this fantastic coach, but a man born not to manage.

And then we had it, the board was enthusiastic, the fans were overjoyed .. we may even have been over whelmed ... Super Al, Super Alan Pardew .. subsequently renamed big nose ... that joy worked out well!!??!!

Then came Parkie, even supporters like me, have to admit the tarnishing of Parkinson from being part of big noses regime and a win less run which resulted in his appointment was pretty underwhelming.

And finally, my second overwhelming appointment ... Chris Powell ... 15th Div 1, Record points promotion to League 1, 9th in Championship.

So Bob .. welcome we are totally underwhelmed  by your appointment, but worry you not, you're in good company of two of the top three managers in Charltons history, if you come near to joining them we'll be in a pretty good place.

In the meantime, we're underwhelmed by your appointment ....... thats what we do!!!

Takeover to bring new pressures!?

Its always dangerous to talk about new ownership before it has happened but hope and speculation is part of being a Charlton fan.

Message boards are rife with speculation about a move to the Peninsular, before the ink has touched the paper let alone dried.  A leading light from the Back to The Valley campaign is demanding business plans from mysterious future owners and fans who have no qualms about moving alike.

Our possible new owners are going to British or Amercian (is there a difference these days), Property developers / entertainment moguls ... time will tell, if they are anything other than another set of mythical beings.  From some though the new unknown owners seem to be worse than the erstwhile villains of the peace Slater and Jimminez.  Of course they will be held responsible for any move, these creatures of the night are easily blamed from all ills including apparently this includes global warming and the Brinks Mat robbery.

But what about pressures on the playing staff and management?

CP will be aware that he gained his position from a manager in similar circumstances - players preforming above expectations, no money, shopping for players in Lidl,  except the club were 2 points off the  play offs,

According to the SLP CP will be able to bring in players on loan and there will be pressure on him to move us away from the relegation zone, in the short term and possibly get us competing for the play offs in the spring.  CP's reciod with loanees is not great - Nouble, Ecclestone, Frimpong and now Sordell and Stewart.  There will be pressure on him to have expensive investments playing week in week out.  As new players come in her will also need to motivate the current squad, whose team spirit has enabled a quality Div 1 team achieve 9th in the Championship last season.

And what of the players.  Jackson, Kermogant et al are out of contract ... some will say that the players will be spurred on to play for a new contract and that is how some will react, others may feel that there is no way that they will get a contract, after all how many of our squad would we want to keep if we had money - Kermogant, Jackson, Stephens (who may not want a contract), Wiggins.

For the future CP is going to have objectives to achieve that he has not had since his first full season and in, possibly, American owners a stronger demand for a return on their investment.

If we have new owners there are going to be strong pressures that we have not faced for a while ... its going to be an interesting ride.

The dreaded last ten - updated

Big appreciation to Richard Sheppard who has been compiling stats for a number of seasons, this is his take on the last 10 and our previous record.  Dick can be found on match days in the Rose of Denmark with the original Rodsters. 

1997/1998  D, W, W, W, W, W, W, W, W, D  (26/30) - old 1st div
1998/1999  D, L, W, L, D, L, L, D, W, L  (9/30 - Prem
1999/2000  W, W, W, D, D, L, D, D, L, L  (13/30) - old 1st div
2000/2001  D, L, W, L, L, D, W, W, L, L  (11/30) - Prem
2001/2002  D, W, L, L, L, L, D, L, D, D    (7/30) - Prem
2002/2003  L, L, D, L, L, L, L, W, L, L    (4/30) - Prem
2003/2004  L, L, D, W, D, L, L, D, D, W  (10/30) - Prem
2004/2005  W, L, D, L, L, D, L, L, L, D    (6/30) - Prem
2005/2006  W, L, W, D, D, L, W, L, L, L  (11/30) - Prem
2006/2007  D, W, W, D, D, L, D, L, L, D  (11/30) - Prem
2007/2008  L, L, L, D, L, W, D, L, L, W    (8/30) - C'ship
2008/2009  D, L, D, W, D, D, D, D, L, W  (12/30) - C'ship
2009/2010  D, D, W, W, L, W, L, D, W, W  (18/30) - League One
2010/2011  D, L, W, L, D, L, D, W, L, D  (10/30) - League One
2011/2012  D, W, L, W, W, W, W, W, D, W  (23/30) - League One
2012/2013..W, L, W  (6/9) - C'ship