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| Sunday, 27-Dec-2009 18:49 |
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Storming draws
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CAFC 2 Swindon 2, 26th December 2009
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Because of understandable security concerns the Rose of Denmark was closed to away supporters on Saturday 19th December, both before and after the Millwall game, so there was no matchday photo that day. The match was a pulsating 4-4 draw, with many of us feeling that this was a point gained rather than two lost.
Yesterday we faced Swindon, and I doubt that anyone expected another incident-packed draw that we'd feel ourselves lucky to have gained a point from, and yet that's what happened. We played all of the second half with only nine players, with Sam Sodje and Deon Burton having been justifiably sent off. Our equaliser came deep in extra time.
These two shaky results led to Norwich supplanting us as second favourites to Leeds for promotion, and it's hardly as surprise. In an ideal world Parkinson would have a hefty sum to spend when the transfer window opens, but unless we can raise a few bob through sales it's unlikely there'll be any substantial new arrivals in January.
So, Parky will have to squeeze better results from his existing squad, getting them to play more as a team, avoid hot-headed tackles and forego their petulant, self-indulgent rants at officials that lead to cards.
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| Sunday, 6-Dec-2009 10:45 |
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At least we won - just
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CAFC 1 Southend 0, 5th December 2009
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On the 17th anniversary of our emotional return to The Valley the team served up a nostalgic 1-0 scoreline.
Frankly, it wasn't a dreadfully enjoyable game, especially in the second half. For reasons that were beyond the three of us in the Upper West the team simply sat back and allowed Southend to come at them in the second half, seemingly content to wait for them to concede the ball by accident - not good tactics with only a one goal lead.
In the event the win was a really handy one, with Leeds and Huudersfield drawing at Elland Road and another win by Norwich below us.
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| Wednesday, 25-Nov-2009 13:06 |
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"We've got two Sodjes, he's had two bookings!"
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CAFC 4 Bristol City 2, 24th November 2009
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Another breezy night and four more goals - that's nine in two games. Let's hope for a windy winter 
Two goals up in ten minutes had us on the verge of chanting to the away fans, 'Are you Wigan in disguise', but gradually we took our foot off the pedal and Bristol came into it more, pulling back a penalty by half time. Early in the second half they deservedly equalised after intense pressure on the Charlton goal, and things stayed hectic for ther rest of the match, even after we scored two more.
The referee was the talking point of the night though. The match was pretty much average for incidents, and yet the ref still managed to book eight players. That just has to be seen as more a measure of his performance than anything else. His problem was that having fussily booked players early on rather than just lecturing them he could only remain consistent by then penalising all similar incidents throughout the game.
When, late on, he booked Bristol's number 4, Lines, we all fully expected to see the player sent off because the scoreboard showed that he had already been booked, and yet Lines remained on the pitch. The crowd drew his attention to this with chants of 'You don't know what you're doing', 'You'll be sacked in the morning' and, best of all, 'We've got two Sodjes, he's had two bookings!' The officials, however, remained completely unconcerned.
On the way to the pub after the game I suspected that maybe there'd been a mistake in the box and that the first yellow flag had been put against Lines' name in error, but it seems that this was entirely down to the officials themselves. The fourth official, who'd been hyperactive all match, told a Charlton official in the tunnel that No. 4 had been booked, that this had not yet been put up on the screen and this oversight should be corrected. The lads who control the screen were therefore acting under official instructions.
For an amusing account of the antics of the fourth official throughout the game take a look at Dr Kish's blog at http://charltonathleticonline.blogspot.com/2009/11/six-more-at-home.html
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| Sunday, 15-Nov-2009 08:44 |
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Team clicks at last
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CAFC 5 MK Dons 1, 14th November 2009
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The wind was strong and bitterly cold but in many ways it hardly affected the game. Certainly, the home crowd found plenty in the afternoon's events to warm the heart!
MK Dons arrived at The Valley with seven wins in their last eight matches behind them, against Charlton's measly two. It was entirely reasonable to expect us to have a tough afternoon. However, an early goal by the Dons was pulled back within two minutes by the excellent Mooney, and the rest of the game was fast-paced and exciting - it must have been incredibly entertaining for any neutrals who saw it. MKD were consistently dangerous in the first half, but fell apart in the second after Ince's unjustified rant at the referee at the break.
Pleasingly, the five goals came from five separate players, and if two long-range lobs from Bailey had come off there could easily have been two more. Burton seemed to relish having someone working hard alongside him for a change who would share the workload and make a few chances for him. Semedo worked tirelessly all match and more than made up for a strangely uncertain performance from the usually-cocky Youga. My man of the match would have been Mooney for the catalytic effect his hard work had on the team.
MK Dons brought a fair-sized contingent of supporters with them but, strangely, none of them apparently made it to the Rose of Denmark, which was as empty as I've ever seen it for a 3pm kickoff.
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| Thursday, 22-Oct-2009 13:52 |
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Huddersfield
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CAFC 2 Huddersfield 1, 17th October 2009
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The second match on the trot that I'd missed while away. It sounded as if we were lucky to hold off Huddersfield for the win.
Thanks again to Geoff for taking the matchday photo in my absence.
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| Monday, 12-Oct-2009 16:02 |
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At last!
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CAFC 0 Oldham 0, 10th October 2009
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I missed the Oldham game as I was in Mexico for my granddaughter's christening, and the two weeks since I got back have been desperately hectic. Here at last is the photo taken that day of the visiting Oldham supporters.
Geoff, who took the photo in my absence, wrote to me: 'A very nice group of people who were keen to visit a ground most of them had never been to as they don't think we'll be in the same division next season, i.e. they think we'll be promoted. I hope they're right!' Since then Charlton have stumbled a bit, and although we're still in second place (as of 7th November) we've lost touch with Leeds a bit and the teams below us have caught up.
The flag that the Oldham supporters are holding honours a former player who died last year of cancer at a ridiculously early age. You can read all about it at http://www.ernieflag.co.uk/site/ and they also have a nice report about their day out in 'Sarf Lundun'.This is all about football's roots in local communities and is a million miles away from the madness of the Premiership and its ludicrously, overpaid, dissolute, arrogant prima donnas.
It's a pleasure to meet real supporters like Oldham's, and it reminded me of when we played Preston last season and they all turned up in bowler hats in memory of departed friends. Real people, real communities.
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| Sunday, 27-Sep-2009 12:15 |
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CAFC 1 Southampton 1, 12th September 2009
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CAFC 2 Exeter 1, 26th September 2009
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Yesterday's win against a perky Exeter side seemed at the end more like a draw.
At 2-0 up with minutes to go and with MK Dons and Leeds in a goalless draw it seeme that we were about to go back to the top of the table. But then Exeter pulled a goal back and charged after an equaliser and Leeds scored a late goal to stay ahead of us. Still, as Bill Shankly used to say, a season is a marathon, not a sprint, and things still look good for us.
I apologise to the Southampton fans who were at the RoD two weeks ago for being so late in posting their matchday photo - I was away on holiday and have just caught up with my admin 
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| Saturday, 5-Sep-2009 20:39 |
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The run continues
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CAFC 2 Brentford 0, 5th September 2009
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Six games, six wins - we haven't had a run like this since 2000/01 when we stormed the Championship having dropped out of the Premiership after a single season. It makes such a change to be able to look forward to Saturdays again, watch entertaining football, celebrate in the pub afterwards and once again take interest in the league table, other results and forthcoming fixtures.
Parkinson was able to field an unchanged team yet again and the benefits were quickly apparent. At 2-0 up after only half an hour thoughts turned to improving our goal difference futher over Leeds', but in the second half Brentford tightened up and built some useful attacks of their own, one of which hit the bar.
Lloyd Sam had yet another game where he was on fire in the first half and then faded away. Shelvey proved in front of Sky's cameras that he still doesn't have the stamina for a full 90 minutes. The best performances over 90 minutes surely came from Semedo and Racon with their deft, delicate short passing and quick thinking.
How much longer can our run go on? As things stand you'd expect us to beat Southampton next Saturday and so take a measure of revenge over Pardew - let's hope we don't miss that opportunity
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| Monday, 31-Aug-2009 09:50 |
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Catching up
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CAFC 3 Wycombe 2, 8th August 2009
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CAFC 2 Walsall 0, 22nd August 2009
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Just back from my holidays and can scarcely believe what Charlton have been up to in my absence!
I saw the Wycombe game and set off to the Mediterranean in unexpectedly high spirits. We won, but when apparently comfortably ahead we still conceded goals that could have cost us the game - typical Charlton. Four games and four wins later we've still only conceded one more goal, have a 100% record and sit at the top of League One.
I missed the Walsall game but Geoff stood in for me again to take an excellent photo. It looks as if there was our usual fine pre-match atmosphere amongst friendly visiting supporters, just as there had been two weeks previously when we played Wycombe - nice people.
So, we have reasons to be cheerful for the season ahead, assuming that we don't get pillaged for our best players ahead of the transfer deadline. Phil Parkinson seems to have stabilised the team, given it pride and tactics that it feel comfortable with, and quietened those who thought that he wasn't up to the job. Let's hope that we have a season ahead of us to quicken the blood!
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| Wednesday, 27-May-2009 16:32 |
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Saying Goodbye to Dave
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Around a hundred mourners, most of them regulars at The Rose of Denmark, went this afternoon to a rainy Falconwood Crematorium to say their farewells to Dave Fowler, the RoD barman for many years.
The CofE minister quoted Churchill during her eulogy and said that Dave had been 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. I think she hit the nail clean on the head. We all thought we knew him, but in reality we knew almost nothing about him at all. In spite of this we'll miss him a lot for the little we did know.
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