Billy Ellott and the disappointment of a 0-0 draw

Charlton 0 Birmingham 0
Gutted -because of a very generous Birthday present (A Billy Elliott Super break) which meant missing this game and also a pre- pub drink with a few fellow Bloggers I did not find out the result until Sunday Morning. Our 3-2 win at Southampton last week had led me to work out some delusional permutations for Charlton avoiding relegation. Foolish I know but I think I'm a half glass full type of person most of the time, but today I'm definitely a whole glass empty.



Well the Superbreak package to London on Saturday proved to be a great success with the highlight of having great seats to see Billy Elliot on Saturday afternoon at the Victoria Palace Theatre. We were also booked into the Rubens Hotel opposite Buckingham Palace or nearly opposite the Palace for Saturday Night . We had been told not to expect Bacon and Sausage for our cooked breakfast, but of course it was a joke(apologies-apologies). Actually it was the one best breakfasts we have ever consumed on a hang-over morning. There was an unbelievable choice of every kind a breakfast food you could imagine. An hour later after consuming 1500 calories in one sitting we decided to walk a little of those delightful calories off with a walk through St James Park to watch - The Boat that Rocked in Leicester Square . Fortunately we booked great seats and thoroughly enjoyed the film, the music was just ( Fab).
At the age of ten I can remember tuning into Radio Caroline on a tiny transistor with very bad reception, but what the hell it was Pirate Radio and for that period in my life it felt a little anti- establishment. The Boat that Rocked is an OK movie, but just that. Certainly Slum Dog Millionaire is the best film I have seen this year, the only down side is that it is portrayed as a good feel movie which I feel it certainly is not.

Bang -ouch!- whats that noise- Oh! the Directors have just shot themselves in the foot.

What a PR disaster (the credit crunch is probably hitting our loyal supporters harder than anyone)

My season ticket cost me £475, for a comfortable seat with a great view in the East Stand. To meet that cost our household has to earn nearly £800. Last week we booked a weeks Bed & Breakfast in Portugal in June that cost a total for both of us of £280, and that includes flights( please forgive my carbon footprint- but I need a holiday)
Possibly I could be out of a job next year if this fucking recession carries on (Bastard Banks-apologies to anyone who works for a Bank) and although my wife is mostly understanding, attending Charlton home games after playing tennis in the morning does and has caused a bit of friction in our otherwise very happy and loving partnership.
We have now reached the stage in our lives when we can and want to travel and plan to see as much of the world before we are confined to our wheel chair's.( I'll still be playing tennis though) We have trawled the web-sights and found some fantastic deals on Travel Republic and we might even push the boat out and travel to Crete in September, which could cost us a total of £350 for a 4 star hotel.
There are no guarantee's that any holiday we take will be a great success but the anticipation and the looking forward to it worth a lot to us at the moment in these very desperate credit crunch times. Unfortunately anything Charlton basically depresses me -shit what am I saying I love Charlton and I know I would be happy watching a middle of the table Championship team with mixed performances consisting of a few great average and crap performances but with at least a chance of making the play-offs. This season I have not been able to identify with the club. Loan players are a necessity but the amount we have fielded this season has been just plain ridiculous.
You cannot have a rapport with players who are there mainly to get match fit.

What I am trying to say here is that by attending matches at the Valley, there has never been a guarantee of a high entertainment game, which is logical (it what makes football such a wonderful game and so unpredictable). Ironically I think the best game I have seen and probably the best Championship game seen on Sky this season, was our fabulous 4-2 win against Reading.
What high hopes after that performance, where did it all go wrong????. sob! sob!

Why didn't the board consider giving a discount of say 25% on season ticket prices for those long suffering loyal supporters who paid for a season ticket with their hard earned cash over the last two seasons and received very little entertainment value, especially this season. Football is all about winning or being at least in contention and of course being entertained . We all like to win but games where we have at least competed and been unlucky to draw or lose have been almost non-existent this season. Surely it would be better to reduce prices substantially and maybe keep attendances including floaters up to 17,000, rather than the 10,000, that I am anticipating next season.

Come on you Reds

Back to the Future Part 1- Part 2 and now Part 3

Relegation
1979/80

The last time we were relegated to the third tier was in 1979/80, with probably the poorest team ever to wear the famous red shirt until now. That season the team only amassed 22 pts from 42 matches, surely a record low for that division. P42 W6 D10 L26 F41 A78 pts 22, which was a massive 13 pts from safety . It was a dire season but with one big difference for me and that was I could identify and relate to those players and I felt that they were one of us feeling the pain. Today's team consist mainly of loan players who I have little rapport with .

1979/1980 Players of note
Nicky Johns . A great shot stopper
Lawrie Madden - Underrated and went on to have a great career with Sheffield Wednesday
Colin Powell - My Mums favourite along with Keith Peacock
Martin Robinson -Always worked his socks off
Phil Warman -Great character and surely if he was be playing today would be at least 2 stone lighter.
Derek Hales Say no more
Steve Gritt Never shy'd away from a battle but took a lot of stick from the Valley faithful
Phil Walker Always looked good on the ball, what he did with it was not always so good
Les Berry Old school and as skinny as Nicky Johns- good old Les
Peter Shaw Not the greatest but never really let Charlton down
Paul Walsh With only a handful of games towards the end of this dismal season he was the only shining light and I think we could see the potential in a great young player( he looked about twelve) who always looked so comfortable on the ball -The following season he was to become one of the most influential players along with Hales and Powell when we bounced straight back to Division Two .

1971/1972

Probably my most enjoyable and carefree time with total commitment as a Charlton supporter I can remember me and my Dad attended every home game . In 68/69 Charlton narrowly missed promotion finishing third behind Palace - Matt Tees (The skinniest football player ever) Ray Treacy along with Alan Campbell had the greatest season of their lives and the Original Mr Brick house Graham Moore controlled the midfield like a marine on an commando mission Brian Kinsey- Pictured right( -were players fit enough to do somersaults) what a full back -made it a fantastic season. The highlight for me was watching Ray Treacy score a thunderbolt against a very good Derby side then managed by the great Brian Clough . Being amongst 55, 000 at Highbury in the fourth round of the Old FA Cup (it meant something then) and even a 3-0 defeat was a memorable day out. At the time I think Arsenal were top of the First Division and Charlton were top of the Second for one week only.
The following season with higher expectations than normal we failed to live up to our potential and avoided relegation by beating Bristol City 2-1 on the last day of the season . Great celebrations amongst the 16,000 crowd and it was the first and only time I walked on the pitch . Strange but I recall many programmes and scarves being thrown in the air in sheer joy of the club avoiding relegation.

The next season was a total disaster with the club relegated by a point . Charlton last 10 matches of that season was P 10 W 0 D 3 L 7 which well and truly sealed our fate
1971/72 players of note
John Dunn Great Goalkeeper- Derek Bellotti ( He hardly ever dropped kicked the ball because he could throw it well over the half-way line and the crowd used to shout" throw it"and he would normally oblige)
Phil Warman Never gave up
Dennis Bond Mr Tubby actually not a bad footballer
Dietmar Bruck Built like a German Paratrooper
Keith Peacock What a great servant for the club
Ray Treacy One great season but still scored a lot of great goals in this disastrous season
Paul Went Another great reliable player who was at least three stone overweight
Peter Reeves Never ever stopped running
Bob Curtis The greatest full back never to have played in the top tier
D Shipperley A giant of a man and never took any prisoners
Players who you wonder how they ever made it in the professional game but they were great characters who always gave a hundred percent and we loved despite their lack of ability
Barry Endean, Cyril Davies and the great Dickie Plumb (what a name)

With an average gate of 7,200 and an opened East Terrace that in bad weather would freeze you to the bone, despite what was a cataclysmic season I still loved being there and I think that was something to do with my personal circumstances as well as the players. As free as a bird with no Mortgage, no regular girlfriend OK maybe for a short while, a job that was just a job with no particular commitment to it. Low expectations with any win met with shear joy.

My current circumstances might explain my apathy towards today's crises with our beloved club.

The great things in my life are a Wife and two -now adult children, a reasonable house and car , as the kids are older we are starting to travel and plan to catch up with Chicago Addick and surpass his travelling exploits (No chance unless we live to the ripe old age of 150)

I'm playing the best tennis of my life with three promotions this season(08/09) two with the vets to seal top tier tennis in Kent and playing for the under 45's mainly youngsters(in tennis that normally means about 30) and gaining promotion to the third tier.

Unfortunately my job is hanging by a thread as publishing is always the first a take a massive hit in any recession - fortunately its normally the first to come back. At nearly 53 I'm too young to retire but the job opportunities are almost impossible for any one over 50.

Charlton is a big part of my other life and will continue to be so but I like many other bloggers have declined writing about the club at the moment because my opinions are so negative and who the hell wants to read those sort of posts and I will only be stating the bleeding obvious anyway.

Come on you Reds - I need the good feel factor back in my other life supporting Charlton.
Next season I will buy match day tickets as I cannot justify spending over £400 in these dire financial times.

Come on You Reds
.

Feeling Glad All Over - Charlton 1 Palace 0

Yesterday morning my wife said to me" CND why don't you go to the gym instead of the Valley as I don't think I can take any more of your sullen, grumpy, bad moods after another Charlton defeat". Going to the the gym is a necessity, not necessarily a pleasure, as to be honest its pretty boring running on a tread mill for 30 minutes. The only reason I go is to keep my Blood pressure and Cholesterol under control as unfortunately there is a history of heart decease from my Mothers side of the family. Luckily my current Blood Pressure reading is 127/77 and Cholesterol 4.8, which is pretty good for a sedentary office worker like myself who is nearly 53. Anyway after far too much information , the sport I love and could play almost every day of the week is Tennis (Shame about Murray at the Aussi Open, but sun and stifling heat is bound to affect a very white Scottish born Brit who hardly saw the sun in his youth. So I nearly went to the gym but had a last minute change of heart and I'm so pleeeeeee'sssd I did. Having left it very late to leave the office, and being caught in traffic I just about managed to grab a couple of very decent pints of IPA at the Fox Under The Hill. Approaching the ground after parking the car near Charlton Park all I could hear was Palarce supporters singing what you would expect and my heart sank even further when I saw how many empty seats there were in all parts of the ground. Just before the kick off the covered end got their act together and out sang the hoards of Palace supporters with there rendition of Valley Floyd Road.
The Match
For the first 15 minutes we played as though we were the team chasing a play-off spot and we so deserved our opening goal . A disappointing Lloyd Sam caused panic in the Palace box from a good cross which was poorly dealt with and as the ball fell to Mathew Spring who produced a great volley to give the tubby Speroni no chance from 10 yards . Of course, as we have done most of the season at the Valley, we start brightly, score a cracking goal then go into panic mode and sit back and invite the opposition to attack, which fortunately, on this occasion was very poor and Palace only produced one decent shot that Elliott did very well to save with his feet.
It was not a great match but I couldn't care a tuppence as we just needed a win. The tension at times was unbearable and I'm sure my blood pressure for most of the match was at 180/110 , which can be heart attack level. The defense was magnificent the whole ninety minutes with Hudson the pick of the back four. He hobbled most of the match but every tackle and header was timed to perfection. Matt Holland came on for the unfortunate Fortune who may well be out for the season. A special mention for such an underrated player who gives everything every game -Matt Holland, not spectacular, but a real trooper who never shy's away from any situation . What a hero in the back four he was, and it was so nice to hear most of crowd sing" There is only one Matty Holland". Dickson came on for Gray and I do wish he would start as he seems to unsettle defences with his unorthodox running and pace and he created a great chance from virtually nothing towards the end of the match. After holding out for ninety minutes, the five minutes of injury time seemed like an eternity, but the boys managed to hold out and all credit to them, the celebrations from Hudson and especially the home grown Elliott brought tears to my eyes.
This result means there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel but what sort of team can we can field at Burnley as it is very disconcerting after all the injuries to the back four.

Warnock made a valid point after the match and I quote
"Charlton players should disgusted with themselves. "
If they'd put that effort in when Alan Pardew were here they'd not be in the position they are in now"
To be honest the same thing happen last season.
Great celebrations at the end by the management but all could be worthless if we are relegated.

Elliott 8 Not a lot to do but kept his head and made a great save in the second half.
Murty 8 He still has pace for a 34 year old and I hope we can sign him permanently
Fortune 7 Good game -unfortunately injured for the season now.
Holland 9 Magnificent in the unaccustomed position in the back four
Hudson 9 Captain Fantastic
Youga 7 Did most things right
Sam 6 Looked out of sorts
Spring 7 Good buy and I have high hopes for him-looks good on the ball and of course scored the all important goal
Bailey 7 Did a job
Soares 7 A good debut in a difficult match
Gray 6 A very hard game for him
Burton 8 Best game so far and held the ball up well, he and was a nuisance through out
Dickson 7 The crowd love him and he needs to start the next match

Miracles do happen -Captain Parkinson

NY Addict has already reported on this event but I would like to add my bit.
Brilliant, fantastic, unbelievable, is the only way to describe the New York Plane Crash which resulted, due to the heroics of Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger with every passenger and crew escaping with their lives, when he made the perfect crash landing in the Hudson River. You would think that every passenger on board thought their number had been called, but miraculously there were no deaths or serious injuries.
Although Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger is a hero I don't think many passengers will be keen to name any future children they may have after his name as a sign of appreciation and extreme gratitude.

As all passengers and crew survived without serious injury may I be so flippant as to associate those happenings overseas with our plight at the home of Charlton Athletic. Miracles do happen and I now call upon Captain Parkinson and crew to achieve the same and keep our club afloat and survive the Championship. I know its a poor analogy but a good feel story and event needs to be spread.
Come on you Reds.