Wednesday 28 November 2007

We were mugged good and proper

Expectations were high when I took my seat and I felt very relaxed about the game, probably due to the 2 pints of Guinness consumed at the Fox Under The Hill on the way to the ground.
We started well and looked lively without really creating any clear cut chances. United came with a game plan and tactically they were spot on. Charlton were stifled and the crowd went quiet as we laboured. The first real attack from Sheffield resulted in a penalty as a wicked cross caused Thomas to clumsily foul in front of the referee, what the hell was he doing back there anyway???? Beattie took a good penalty and it was the first goal conceded for 380 minutes . After that, we never got going and as much as I hoped we would grab an equaliser, it never really looked like happening and inevitably we conceded two late goals as we pressed, just to add salt into the gaping wound. The opposition looked fitter, stronger, and bigger than us and very organised. Back to the drawing board for Pardew but as we know, following Charlton will never be straight forward. If there is any consolation, there are no outstanding teams in this division.

Friday 23 November 2007

Gutted CND needs a Charlton win tomorrow

Sorry I have a to disagree with anyone who thinks England's loss is somehow good for the Country and English football. Think back to 1996 A great tournament rekindled the game in this Country and brought back the good feel factor. Last year in the local Pub watching England win a couple of matches with partisan support was fantastic and I'm really going to miss that this summer. So sod it I have a busy life, a family, a good job, but bloody hell I was depressed Thursday morning and I am still now.
Ten years old watching England win the World cup final, little did I know that, that win could be the only time England lift a major trophy in my life time.
The players I feel so sorry for is David Beckham and Scott Carson. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but throwing an inexperienced keeper in a match worth 2.5 billion to the economy and a viewing audience of 450 million was dam right crazy -David James should have played. David Beckham however much criticized for his Hollywood lifestyle will be greatly missed and tell me who do we have to replace him . Paul Gascoigne was probably the most gifted player of our generation and Beckham stepped into his shoes admirably, but who will step in Beckhams.????
Tomorrow Charlton will win 4-2 because their on a roll and I can see it in my pint of ESB

Wednesday 21 November 2007

Gutted if we dont qualify

Watching England tonight will be a nerve racking occasion, which has just been increased by the news that Carson has replaced Robinson in goal. The current Charlton player of the year endeared himself to the fans last season and I'm convinced if we had avoided relegation, he would be playing for us now on a permanent basis( I so want him to do well for two reasons). If we cant avoid defeat tonight then we surely do not deserve to be in Austria/Switzerland next year. The rest of Europe want England to qualify because of the revenue generated by our massive following and the people of Scotland will be overjoyed and dancing in the streets if we succeed- sorry fail. Why is there such hatred of England from Scottish football fans -history I know but maybe what really galls them most, is we don't care and I for one wanted Scotland to qualify on Saturday. Apparently most Scottish football fans would rather beat England in any game than win the World Cup.
If we fail then next years premier European tournament for me will be an occasional glance at the highlights and rooting for the underdog, as I did for Greece last time.
Come on you Reds/ - oops England

Sunday 11 November 2007

Charlton 3 Cardiff 0 -how did we do that

In an entertaining game with plenty of goalmouth action, the scoreline suggests an easy win for Charlton, but I think it was a very hard fought victory . Cardiff played some neat football and in the first 10 minutes our defense had some scary moments, which I'm now convinced is deliberate just to keep the home crowd on the edge of their seats. Other Bloggers have more a less covered the match, so I would like to add a few thoughts. Without doubt Charlton have a talented squad, but it is apparent they rely very much on one player to make things happen in the middle of the park and that player is Andy Reid, sooner or later, he will be injured and I cant see an obvious replacement. Another worry is we have not really dominated any team this season at home, apart from a poor Leicester team. Dave Jones and the Cardiff players must be kicking themselves for a crazy last two minutes of the first half, because at that stage Cardiff had held their own and 0-0 would have been a fair reflection of the first half. Charlton in the second half sat back with a 2-0 cushion and invited Cardiff to attack and if it wasn't for some fantastic defending, blocking goal bound shots, Cardiff could well have drawn this match.

Weaver 7 Great save from Fat Boy Jimmy and his handling was excellent throughout
Basey 6 Still learning but my fear is he lacks real pace
Sodje 8 Man of the match and made some fantastic blocks
Fortune 7 Had a good game
Semedo 7 Solid game
Mills 7 Another good game and surly we will sign him- come January
Zhi 6 Looked lost and out of position I'm glad he scored because his confidence looked low
Reid 7 Another good game but I wish he would let other players influence the game
Thomas 8 Best game for a long time and he could be the difference
Iwelumo 8 He is going to be the bargain of the season, especially as he was a free transfer
Sam 6 His suspension seems to have affected him

This time the International break may well benefit Charlton as three wins in eight days must have taken its toll. We are right back in it and hopefully we can maintain our current form .

Saturday 3 November 2007

Its coincidence I know but........Saints 0 Charlton 1


After my lucky Fred Perry sweatshirt went missing I found it again in my sons wardrobe and today after playing a great game of tennis and having to help my son do his Betaware round I decided to wear my FP shirt, which is a first when Charlton are playing away. New York well he's in New York.
What a great result and listening to snippets on the car radio while delivering is frustrating to say the least but we must build on this . 2000 fans at St Mary's must be ecstatic and Chicago Addick is their with his son to witness their first win together.
Come on you Reds.