The team is dead- Long live the team

Charlton 2 Cardiff 2

Confession time : I was all set to attend the Valley last night after work, but the work carried on and in the end I couldn't be arsed. I cant remember the last time I felt like that as there are normally good reasons for me not to attend home matches . Actually if I am being honest
the reasons are becoming more varied and excuses easier to come by.
Going by the Blog reports it seems as though a familiar theme was played out again last night. 1-0 or 2-0 lead squandered because we cant do the bloody basics- Michael Caine- one of the best lines ever in the Italian Job-( Your only supposed to blow the bloody doors off) as the practice run of blowing up the banks security van goes horribly wrong -a bit like Charlton defense these days.
Next season is going to be a real test for all Charlton supporters as we will be watching, virtually a new team with what I hope for, a new manager.
Shelvey will go to Wolves or another promoted club for £6 million, so will Bailey for £2.5 million,
Zi Zi will go on a free, Hudson will demand a transfer to a Championship Club. All the lonee's will go back to their respective clubs. Out of contract players will go, so we are left with three or four players to build the team around and that is Elliott , Holland, Sam who still disappoints and Fortune who really has to prove himself again ( actually I wouldn't be surprised to see him move to Stoke).

I'm so pissed off, it might be because I have an ear infection, an eye infection and I'm on powerful antibiotics. I blame it on Charlton as my immune system must be low through depression.
One thing has cheered me up though and that is we have suddenly become hooked on two US comedies- Everybody loves Raymond and Two and a Half Men on Channel 134 Virgin -Bloody brilliant and they knock our tame comedies for six.


A work colleagues son signs for the Academy last night

Owen Seddon 9 years of age and a striker -that's a name to remember, signed on the dotted line last night at the Valley, with his proud Mum in attendance and was duly photographed with Mark Kinsella . His Mum has promised me that she will bring in the photo tomorrow.
Apparently there have been rumours abound that the Academy will close if Charlton are relegated, but this proved to all the kids that the rumours are false.
I happened to mention Shelvey came through the Academy and she immediately said "Oh Jon Jo he's so lovely and all the kids love him" which must mean he obviously gets involved with the kids training which makes him even more endearing.

Murray- I hope he and the Board are able to ride out this recession
OK we all know that Richard Murray and the Board have been magnificent in their support of the club and they are still contributing to keep the club afloat. In these dark, depressing ball busting credit crunch times no one is immune . The worst case scenario could be that Murray's own business empire comes under severe financial pressure, even to the point of creditors knocking at the door. We are and will be eternally grateful for the massive contribution he and the rest of the Board has made to the running and up until now the great success it has brought the club.
The Company that I have worked for more than 35 years was established in 1870's . It is a family run business that has a Managing Director who is a descendant of the founder. Over the last 18 months and more importantly since the new year the Company has come under severe financial pressure. This has led to many redundancies and a wage cut which could never have been envisaged five years ago when the Company was in such a strong financial position. Unfortunately a Final Salary pension scheme which was closed many years ago has compounded and worsened the current situation. With all the cuts and re:budgeting and a possible sign of improvement in the economy, hopefully we will survive. The point I'm trying to make is- however well a business has been run over many fruitful years, a severe recession can and will hit the most successful of all business's leaving no one immune.
The similarities between the current recession and the great crash of 1929 are quite uncanny-
Over inflated share prices -easy lending -consumer boom spending brutally cut short when the Worlds economy went into free fall and was found out to have no substance . Money was being lent from borrowed money

Charlton 2 Blackpool 2
A busy day on Saturday saw me dash over to the Rose of Denmark after a frantic game of early morning tennis to meet up with some great Charlton Bloggers . Actually I needn't of rushed as I was drinking on my own for at least fifteen minutes, but that was OK as I got talking to a Blackpool supporter who was propping up the bar with me . He was surprised that their were two coaches that traveled from the Golden Mile. From that statement I can only assume that their away support is a bit limited but I certainly sympathised as its a hell of a journey (Just a pint was drunk before meeting the bloggers I might add, after which I had a little accident with a couple of half pints that were left on the bar for me this resulted in the mop coming out from behind the bar. Suitably embarrassed and apologetic my after thoughts were, ( what a waste of good beer!.)
We have some great Charlton Bloggers writing passionately about our sorry beleaguered club. In my naivety for a long time I thought I was the only person who really cared, but that was until I stumbled across all the great Blogs.

How strange was this match with a subdued crowd almost like losing gladiators excepting their fate as they are about to be dispatched. No booing and so little passion from the crowd watching a team destined for the third tier. I'm feeling numb as I type this and wonder where has it all gone so dramatically wrong in such a short space of time.
It was so bleeding obvious that the majority of the team that played on Saturday will have left by the summer, so the good play that was witnessed for 70 minutes really was a bit hollow .
We played well and Burton and Shelvey deservedly gave us a two nil lead, then on cue and the norm for this season, one mistake that's all it took for us to capitulate. A poor Zi Zi pass was intercepted and a stretched defense gave away a penalty, then to add insult to injury, Hughes finished brilliantly for the Tangerines with seconds left . However much his past is distasteful, Hughes showed how a striker should finish, something that has been so sorely missed this season.