http://addicks.fotopages.com/ I first went to Charlton in the mid-60s with a school friend. His mother was a 'Charlton landlady', who looked after a number of younger players, such as Alan Campbell. I've been a season ticket holder in the Upper West for the past five years, and meet a large number of similarly-minded supporters in the Rose of Denmark on matchdays - look out for our photos on the wall under Richard Rufus' shirt! Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:18:20 GMT Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:18:20 GMT http://www.fotopages.com/images/rss_logo.gif http://shw.fotopages.com/ 40 60 As you can see from the photo the annual composite photo is nearly ready for framing. Normally it's quite a pain to get it all prepared, i.e. collating all the matchday photos, making them fit in the space available, adding score and date details, placing lines to cut along and then checking everything once more. And once the pieces are all cut to size it's then a time-consuming task to stick the fifteen pieces together accurately. I start at the top left and work to the bottom right. Any errors in the earlier pieces get progressively magnified until the last piece simply doesn't fit. That's when I'm glad that I've used low-tack adhesive and can go back and re-position everything. There absolutely must be a simpler way of doing this, such as getting it all printed out professionally as a single image, but I doubt it'd be cheap enough :-D Still, apart from the final stage the job's over for another year. This time it all printed out like a dream, with no printer jams at all, so I'm wondering if that's a good omen for a successful 2008/09. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1544438 Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT The season's over and it's time to sort out the annual composite photo and get it to the Rose of Denmark ready for the new season. It's a bit of a faff to print it all out on sheets of A4 in such a way that it can be pieced together neatly as a single image, but the fact that so many away supporters make a point of checking it when they next visit makes the effort worthwhile. For those who can't wait I've posted a preview of it here. For the first time in ages I checked the stats on this site and found to my amazement that, even though the season is over, it's still averaging 100 visitors a day. This is certainly encouragement, if it were needed, to carry on for our seventh consecutive season. I've missed half a dozen home games this season and this is likely to continue. I'm off on honeymoon on 4th August and expect that I'll start the new season with a least a couple of 'no-shows'. However, I'm hoping that Geoff Keys will be able to cover my absence as far as matchday photos are concerned. Our slogan for this site is 'Promoting Football Harmony', and it seems to find resonance with everyone we meet. When Cardiff visited last November they came with a certain reputation, but we had a cracking time with them - we even persuaded two PR-focused policemen to get into the photo ;-) So, to all the visiting supporters who've helped to make matchdays a properly memorable occasion, even when we've been beaten, I'd like to say, 'Thanks, and hope to see you again'. And we Charlton supporters must be hoping that our team is less hospitable to visiting clubs next season than we are in the pub :-D http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1542268 Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT I must apologise to any Southampton supporters who've been waiting to see their photos appear here. Now that the season is over I'm compiling the annual composite image of all the match day photos that we've taken this season, and by cross-checking against the fixture list I discovered that for some reason this photo didn't get posted - sorry :-( Geoff took this photo because I was away on holiday in Cape Verde. When he e-mailed me this photo he wrote: 'We played well enough to win today, against a Southamptton side that didn't carry much threat. Trouble was that a comical own goal gave them a lead and at least two blatant penalties were not given to us by the Ref. Plus ca change .......' But by this point our season was pretty much over as far as our play-off hopes were concerned. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1537620 Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Who'd have thought it? After a season that had long since been euphemistically labelled 'disappointing' we expected, at best, a narrow win, if not another home defeat. For that reason we decided it was time for a mass outing of the 'Wanka' shirt'. But then the team (pleasantly) surprised us all with a commanding performance and a 4-1 victory. Coventry, who could have gone down if other results had gone against them, had reason to keep fighting, which gave Charlton the chance to take advantage of an overstretched opponent. And so it was that, for a change, we saw the team finishing the season on a considerable high. A couple of minutes before the end, when the sizeable contingent of Coventry supporters was tensely waiting for news on other scorelines around the Championship, a great cheer erupted from the Jimmy Seed stand as they heard that Leicester had failed to win and had thus been relegated, leaving Coventry safe for another season. On the face of it it was a bit bizarre too see such celebrations at such a crushing defeat, but having been relegated ourselves a year ago we knew how they must have felt. I was pleased that we'll be playing Coventry again next season. Their supporters were great fun in the pub before the game and yet more proof that there's more that unites football supporters than divides them, local rivalries excepted. But what will probably stay with me longest was the appearance near the end of Charlton's favourite, Chrissie Powell. He was greeted rapturously by the home crowd, and when shortly afterwards he scored the fourth goal we all seemed to be agreeing that it couldn't have been scripted better. Reports say that he was in tears as he walked around after the match in a lap of honour, and I know that there were a few lumps in throats and moist eyes amongst the supporters as well. He's been superb for us and it's a great shame that there's no coaching vacancy for him. Let's hope that we see him back at The Valley one day. So, another season over. It was a disappointing one in that it fell apart after the win over Palace, but overall it was far more entertaining than our last few Premiership seasons. The board have renewed the offer of a free season ticket for 2009/10 if we're promoted next season, provided that we renew our tickets now. Like many others I've already decided that this is an offer I can't refuse. We intend to carry on with these photos next season, but as I'm getting married at the beginning of August I might well be depending on Geoff to cover the early games. Up the Addicks! :-) http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1531717 Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1491770 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Confidence that we can even make the playoffs is now ebbing away. Our team has precious little cohesion and consistency, and when the opposition scores there seems little confidence that we can respond and regain the initiative. Halford's neat shot across the goal that Deano couldn't quite reach was cancelled out eleven minutes later when the ball fell to Phillips at the far post, and after that we were a bit lucky to come away with a point. There were some bright spots in this match though. Jerome Thomas at last started to put in the effort of which we know he's capable and the crowd picked up on that very quickly. Paddy McCarthy was excellent again - I can hardly believe that it's the same player who looked so completely dreadful at the start of the season. Matt Holland continues to astonish me with his energetic performances - I thought his knees were supposed to be past it? The trouble is that when the team puts in a poor performance the simple view is that someone must be to blame, must be identified and must be singled out for abuse, and in this regard the spotlight has now drifted away from Ambrose to Halford, with some abuse now heading in Pardew's direction - after the vilification he suffered for a while at West Ham I'm sure he can cope though ;-) I've always failed to understand how it is that otherwise intelligent, sensible people take player performance so personally when they have absolutely no idea of any of the important background, such as injuries, personal problems or the lack of true choice available to the manager on a given day. And no, I don't need this information either - it's none of my business. Of course, if problems of this nature aren't resolved then we'll gradually find matchday attendance less and less attractive and might even find shopping with the missus a tempting alternative. Assuming that the likely happens and we stay down in the Championship, matchday tickets will be far more freely available on an ad hoc basis. Even though I miss four or five home games a season I still buy a season ticket so as to be assured of a seat with friends and a view that I like, but with dwindling crowds I can get both of those without a season-long investment. So, what will make people like me, who are finding the draw of the club to be declining, renew their season tickets? Well, at the very least a fairly substantial price cut might do it. However, there's a school of thought that says that the club should renew last season's offer of a free ST for the season after next if we're promoted next Spring. If that happens then I'll renew like a shot, as that will more than compensate for the matches I've missed in the past eighteen months plus those I've yet to miss next season. Someone said in the pub after the game that following Dowie's disastrous tenure we've now fallen back to where we were in the mid 1990s - thanks Ian - and that sums it up well at the moment. Clearly, it'll take the sort of push that we saw back then to get us up again, and at the moment we just don't have the right players, I'm afraid. We do have the right manager, though, in my opinion. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1481854 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT After a match like this one refraining from comments for 48 hours is probably wise ;-) The afternoon started so well. The Preston supporters were friendly and well-behaved, and together we all celebrated like mad as ManU were beaten at home by Portsmouth in the FA Cup before we left the pub for the game. One of the visiting supporters proudly told us that The Valley was her final destination on her campaign to visit all 92 grounds - that's quite an achievement. As far as the match itself is concerned Charlton were truly dreadful, and having read Pardew's post-match comments there's not a lot of point in adding to his own rants, as they seemed spot on. But I'm seriously hoping that the cocky, complacent Kelly Youga is replaced as soon as possible by a more experienced, mature professional like Thatcher, as his erratic, lightweight performances are starting to cost us. But all credit to Preston, who kept the pressure up and didn't allow Charlton time or space to settle. A better team would probably have given them a hard time, but clearly Charlton aren't a better team right now. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1467950 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT A rather dispiriting evening if you were a Charlton fan, but infinitely more rewarding if Bristol City's your club. Charlton took off fast and scored very early on. They really looked very good, and I felt sure that a second goal would follow. But as the game wore on Bristol settled and took control. An impartial observer would say that they were by far the better team on the night. At long last Jerome Thomas showed some of the skill and trickery that we last saw in the Premiership, particularly when linking up with Youga and Ambrose, but he faded and was eventually substituted. Youga needs to stop showboating and get a grip. He could have a brilliant future at Charlton but only if he knuckles down and concentrates far better. We had our first look at Sinclair tonight, and it took me all of 10 seconds to decide that he'd be no good for us. Cook was similarly unimpressive. Iwelumo was fouled again and again without the ref blowing up for free kicks. However, this has happened several times this season, so maybe he's up to no good and refs are wise to him. Holland and McCarthy were, yet again, magnificent. Considering this was a cold Tuesday night City brought an incredible number of supporters with them and I'm sure that they enjoyed what they saw. It'd be good if they 'shopped' to the police the idiot amongst them who threw a lighted flare on to the pitch after they scored. Fools like that are precisely the ones who bring all decent supporters into disrepute by association. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1463501 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT It's a funny old game. We were 2-0 up and cruising at half-time only to concede two goals in a couple of minutes in the second half and then hang on for a draw. Two points lost. I rarely complain about referees, on the basis that it's humanly impossible to spot everything, but today's official stretched my patience to breaking point. Allowing the game to run is fine, but ignoring fouls that warranted at least a lecture if not a card infuriated the home crowd. And at the end Pardew went on the the pitch to tell him what he thought of him - I couldn't really blame him. Still, we're not too badly placed in the league and we have a steadily improving team. A playoff spot seems the best we can now hope for, but two or three straight wins would have us right up there. http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1444848 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tonight's was the 111th match (over nearly six years) at which we've taken a 'Members of the Opposition' photo - the dreaded 'Nelson', eh? And guess what? It was the first match where not a single visiting supporter had the confidence to display his/her colours. Doubtless there were loads of them in the RoD tonight, but you'd never have known. So, no followers of The Orange One could be offered the opportunity to join in with our little tradition. But, never mind - tonight we had an alternative. Four Dutch fans, who back home support De Graafschap of the Eredivisie, approached us for a chat and were made very welcome. Luckily, they picked a cracking match with loads of authentic English atmosphere, and when we saw them again in the pub after the game they were almost as happy as we were :-> Apart from 5 or 10 minutes at the start of each half Charlton were comfortably in charge, but it took until the hour before we went ahead with a snap strike by the admirable Luke Varney who pounced again just before the end of the game. I love the way that he just keeps on running, constantly causing problems for the opposition's defence and opening up space for his colleagues. He was my man of the match tonight. Matt Holland was also brilliant - a captain who leads by hard work and example. Greg Halford's debut was a revelation. His long throws are the equivalent of a corner to us, and his neat turn and dash towards goal frankly deserved better than the near miss that resulted. Youga continues to excite, but I really wish he'd concentrate on his game and not take needless risks. Lloyd Sam continues to irritate me immensely. He might have pace but he doesn't concentrate hard enough and often loses possession needlesslly. Still, tonight was a night to savour, no matter what. So, for our latest Members of the Opposition photo we lost out on the Orange One's supporters but replaced them with substitutes from the land of The House of Orange - how appropriate ;-) http://addicks.fotopages.com/?entry=1434925 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT