Christmas Cheer (a very loud one!!!)...

Ok, I admit it's not particularly sociable or even polite to stare at a phone for 90 odd mins and ignore all the festive fun of a family get-together at Christmas. But then sometimes it is well worth taking enormous amounts of grief if you believe your distraction is important enough. And it most certainly was! I may well have been in North London, but my heart was firmly in the South West!

I stubbornly held strong against the endless stream of comments and icy glares and like my beloved Charlton, I like to think I won through in the end! I couldn't have cared less if my uncontrollable screaming and jumping around the front room was the final insult as Green bagged the winner in injury time hundreds of miles away.

How I wish I could have been there alongside the impressive 1000 strong Addickted at Huish Park. Credit to every one of them for making the journey.

As I couldn't listen to the game I had to follow it via the club's Twitter feed and the BBC website. My refresh button has never taken such a hit.

Well done Sir Chris and the team (and well done Walsall, as well) I can't smile wide enough.

Predictive Text...

I just couldn't help feeling like it was going to be one of those days on Saturday, and sadly the concerns noted in my usual pre-match text conversation with my Mum proved correct. Justified confidence had given way to a little bit of nervous tension, but then it wouldn't be Charlton if it all went our way. The stakes are high and the relentless nature of the chasing pack mean Charlton must themselves keep pushing forward. No easy task in a very tough division.

As was the case when Tranmere came to the Valley in early October, Oldham came to avoid defeat at all cost. It's a shame as asides from turning the game into a pretty drab spectacle with negative tactics and endless time wasting, I sensed Oldham actually had better players than their ambition showed. Regardless of these factors, a below par Charlton will rightly consider this as a missed opportunity, and like the Tranmere game, failed to overcome the obstacle. Yann Kermorgant, on the other hand, appears willing to quite literally run through obstacles for the good of the team, even if it meant losing his head in the process (he's the well-bandaged chap in the image left). There are numerous players to consider, but I am beginning to wonder if he may turn out to be Powell's greatest acquisition of the season.

Results elsewhere meant Charlton never lost ground at the top and this proved to be a welcome consolation for a disappointing and frustrating day. No great cause for concern: days like this will happen.

It was great to hear the club have sold out their 7,000 ticket allocation for Fulham. Thanks to Dave at D.D.T.G for posting an article on the fast-selling tickets last week as I'd been so busy at work I'd completely forgot about the game! Thankfully, a quick and rather frantic phone call into the club secured my ticket, but despite the temptation, I decided against taking up my available allowance as although I could have shared the experience with friends, I thought it more ethical to leave the tickets open for the genuine Addickted. I just hope that with some tough and tricky games over Christmas we can avoid any slip-ups and can go to Fulham to enjoy a day out as League One leaders on form.

Finding the time to keep this blog up to date has been really difficult of late, and it is to the credit of those fellow Charlton bloggers that when I have found time for a burst of creative writing, the subject matter or point has been noted elsewhere. It's a great time to be an Addick and if all our collective Christmas wishes come true (yes, that one!), then come May I will not care anywhere near as much about repeating a subject.

Thanks for reading anything I've wrote this year, especially if you've taken the time to comment. Seasons greetings to you all.

RIP Socrates...

For the second Sunday running I feel compelled to write a few words about the passing of another footballing legend. This time, the sad new relates to the death of Socrates, the Brazilian midfield maestro of yesteryear, who died today, aged just 57.

Back in 1982, when I was just 8 years old, I first set eyes on Socrates in the Spain 82 world cup finals. His tall, thin and bearded appearance set him apart, as did his abilities with the football. Strong, technically brilliant in every respect, goalscorer and a natural leader, he was about as classy as you could get. Make no mistake: Socrates was one of the best midfield footballers to have ever played the game.

For me Socrates is synonymous with a football era that brings back so many happy memories, and I am genuinely sad to hear of his passing.