Bob's Job...

After much speculation there was no great surprises yesterday with the announcement that the sizable Belgian, Bob Peeters, has become Charlton's new Head Coach.

 

As we enter the unknown it is encouraging that Damian Matthews will assist him, as, I believe, will much of the existing backroom staff. That continuity will be good for the current players who will be around for next season. 

 

Bob Peeters will need to embrace the 'Charlton spirit' that Powell had in abundance and Riga instantly recognised and harnessed. Duchâtelet will need to understand quickly just how important that spirit is to this club, but sadly I'm not convinced he's even noticed it above the sparkling vision of his network master plan.

 

Whatever plan Duchâtelet has is still the subject of conjecture, speculation and no small amount of criticism. The much-needed maintenance work on the pitch is an obvious positive, as are the plans for the training facilities and academy. Speculation in the press yesterday that we have had a £500,000 bid accepted for Barnsley's Chris O'Grady is another positive, not least of all because asides from the impressive figures the striker is not part of 'the network'! But despite being a pint half full sort of guy, even my heart sank massively reading  Dyer's comments in yesterday's South London Press. These are uncertain times, for sure. Worrying times; but then again, as an Addick I can't remember too many spells where I've ever felt comfortable.

 

If it had been down to me I'd have given Riga the job full time, but that's another hope that has faded to nothing. My gut instinct from the outset was that Riga was a good man and he has, in my humble opinion, earned himself a place in Charlton folk law after making such a dignified and positive impression in such a short space of time (just 16 games in all). Thinking back, I would argue that Riga's impact just about tops Jorge 'The Tank' Costa's hugely popular loan spell at the Valley in the 2001-2002 season (24 games), especially when you consider the uphill battle Riga had from the outset after following on from Powell.

 

The narrow-minded nature of some Addicks is truly astonishing at times, so before you go jumping to conclusions about Peeters, just take a moment to remember how wrong you was about Jose Riga. Moreover, just because you'd never heard of Bob Peeters before his name was linked to Charlton, it doesn't automatically mean he'll be shit.

 

With the transfer window opening up again in early June, we can expect an interesting few weeks ahead. Let's hope Peeters can convince Poyet and Morrison to sign new deals and the much-needed new additions leave us feeling optimistic. 

 

So welcome to Charlton Athletic, Bob. You face a very difficult task, but like every other fair-minded Addick, I'm behind you all the way. You can expect unreserved support from us, and all we will expect from you is to give all you have for our club.

All's Well That Ends Well...

As little as three weeks ago even a wordsmith like William Shakespeare would have struggled to write a happy ending to Charlton's wretched season. That home defeat to Barnsley left Charlton staring down the barrel of a gun with all hope fading fast. I said at the time that the best I could hope for is that we could go into the Blackpool game with something to play for. Since then, three wins and a draw have propelled Charlton away from danger and one glance at the final league table and I'm left wondering what all the fuss was about.    

 

Funnily enough, when Shakespeare wrote 'All's Well That Ends Well', the critics of the day struggled to define it as a tragic play or a dark comedy. Knowing that makes it an even more suitable title for this small reflective piece!

 

I can't deny that I'm glad this season is now over. It was indescribably pleasant to enjoy yesterday's brilliant result without the stress and worry that has been omnipresent all season long, but those sorts of days are rare. Loosing Chris Powell was easily the darkest moment for me and one that still hurts to this day. It always will. The drive back from Sheffield after the FA Cup quarter final defeat was truly horrible, but then again, I will remember spending the day before the game out drinking with some top Addicks as one of my highlights. Another huge disappointment for me is that the change of ownership has divided Addicks and the bickering has added to the dark clouds hanging over the club. Whether or not you believe Roland Duchatelet's intentions are sound or not - and only time will tell on that, for me - then it costs nothing to respect another man's opinions. The intolerance of some to embrace an alternative viewpoint is shocking at times.      

 

But there are signs that people can accept when they were wrong, none more so than with Jose Riga. I said from the outset I'd give Riga a fair chance, not least of all as he was not to blame for Powell's departure, and the way the Belgian has carried himself and embraced the Charlton spirit has meant I'd be disappointed if he wasn't in charge next season.

 

Perhaps one of the biggest positives is the emergence of young Diego Poyet. Perhaps one of the biggest litmus tests of Duchatelet's intentions for this club is whether he can convince Diego to sign a new contract. Just imagine Diego on a decent Valley pitch?

 

Likewise I'd be gutted if Hamer, Morrison and Dervite were not offered new deals. I'd also like to see more of Ajdarevic in a Charlton shirt as well. I'd happily drive Yohann Thuram-Ulien to the airport if he wishes...

 

So this will be the full stop to a horrible season. I plan to enjoy a Charlton hiatus for the next few months before it all starts up again.    

 

Many thanks to those who read my posts throughout the season and especially anyone who takes the time to comment. But my last few words are to my Mum (I know she drops by this blog every now and again), who once again has shared the highs and lows with me. Thanks Mum!   

Safe...

"My message to the fans tonight is clear. We need your support when the team is doing well, but even more so in the lower moments"

"We are coming from a difficult position because we are the only Championship team to have played as many matches as we have recently"

"We are also doing this with a lot of young players. They are learning, and sometimes they will make mistakes. That is when we must get behind them even more"

"The fans and the players this evening must have the same mindset. The sole focus can only be on Charlton and giving everything to the cause"

Those quotes would not have looked out of place attributed to our very own Sir Chris Powell, except in this case, they were from the mouth of Jose Riga. Ahead of last night's game Charlton's manager head coach gave a rousing rally call that was embraced by the Addickted in the same way he has so obviously embraced what it is to 'be Charlton'. Riga came into the club in the most difficult of circumstances - none of which of his own making - but despite this he has carried himself with perfect dignity throughout. It would appear his likable personality made an impression with the players and credit to him for recognising early on the fighting spirit and togetherness of the squad Powell left behind. Without the opportunity to add to it, he has continued to get the best out of a Charlton squad desperately in need of investment. Riga had a target to keep this club in the Championship, and last night on an emotional-charged evening at the Valley, Charlton finally clawed themselves over the finishing line. Well done Jose. Well done Sir Chris.

I've seen this club relegated three times and I can remember clearly the heartbreak of the moment it was confirmed on each of those occasions, no matter how prepared you think you are to cope with the event. I guess you don't forget things like that. There has been times this season when it felt all-ends-up like a relegation season; when I was convinced we would go down. It's only when it is no longer a threat do you realise how much it has been weighing on your mind, every single day, and most certainly more than it should with a wife and two young kids. When the ref blew for time I simply slumped back in my seat and stared out across the Valley, glassy eyed, completely unable to stand and cheer. I just needed a few moments to myself to let it all sink in.

Charlton are safe! No other results can change that now. I just can't describe the relief.

Job Done Jose!

Harriott started and ended the scoring in glorious fashion with two cracking goals. Riga stuck by the much-maligned young winger when many others questioned his inclusion, but was rewarded for his faith. Even when Frank Sidebottom Deeney scored a wonderful equaliser for the visitors on the hour I remained calm and hopeful. A draw would not have been disastrous, but it was not what we wanted. 

And how typical that it was Johnnie Jackson who powered into the box to latch on to a cross before scoring the goal that has kept his team up? We are so lucky to have him leading us on the pitch. Alongside him was a mixture of exciting young talent from Charlton's very own academy and some older, more experienced players, some of whom we expected to sweat blood for us despite them not knowing if they'd have contracts for next season. To a man, they fought for what we wanted.

After the game, Riga addressed the crowd and I sensed a man who was saying goodbye. Judge for yourself with the footage I took below. I know he's Duchatelet's man, and some will be skeptical of him for that, but if he does not continue beyond this season, then he leaves with my best wishes. 

While we're at it, here's Johnnie's speech post-match also...

I made the decision not to go to Blackpool a few weeks back, but I'm so pleased that those travelling Addicks who do head north can now enjoy the occasion without fear of major disappointment. Once the final game of the season is over we can all enjoy the break!

It is destined to be a very interesting period at Charlton this summer, when perhaps Duchatelet's intentions will become much clearer. But for now, in the short term, I'm not going to worry about that. I've worried enough.

But in life you need perspective, and a few rows back from me in the East Stand a gentleman collapsed a short while after Harriott's first goal with a suspected heart attack. At the time of writing this there has been no word on his condition beyond the fact he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. God willing he pulls through in the same way his favourite team did last night.  

A Big Week Ahead, Part 2...

A soon-to-be cherished and rare image
of Diego Poyet in a Charlton shirt

Another big night at the Valley beckons tomorrow as Charlton have another stab at securing their Championship status. Between now and then I will struggle to focus on much else. I never expected anything from last Saturday's game, but none the less, the defeat has set up an anxious few days ahead as this awful season finally draws to a close.

 

Watford will visit the Valley knowing they have nothing to play for, which could go one of two ways. Either they will be focused on their impending summer holidays or they may play without fear or pressure. Let's hope it's the former.

 

Hopefully we can replicate the atmosphere of that memorable night against Cardiff in November 2012. A win for Charlton and we're safe.  

 

Tomorrow night could not only be the last time we see Charlton play at home in the Championship for a while but it is inevitable that young Diego will move on to bigger and better things this summer, so it could well be his last game at the Valley in a Charlton shirt. That kid is destined for the very top of the game and I wish him well. Whatever he goes on to achieve, he was made in Charlton.

 

As I continue to clutch at straws, it is not inconceivable that Charlton could loose their last two games and still stay up if Doncaster come away from Leicester with anything less than a win this Saturday. Leicester sit tantalisingly on 99 points and I'm certain they will want to get their points tally into three figures to top a fantastic Championship-winning season. Doncaster will undoubtedly give everything they've got, but that looks a huge mountain to climb. In many respects, their home defeat last Saturday was more relevant than our own result in our attempts to stay up.

 

As I commented at the time, that abandoned game v's Doncaster last August could well prove to be Charlton's best result of the season. 

 

How sad that our survival may still come down to other teams results over our own, but it just wouldn't be Charlton if we done things the easy way. No, we all know this is far more likely to go to the wire. How I hope I am wrong, but I expect this nervy, twisted feeling inside my belly to last all week. A few days won't make much difference, it's been there most of the season anyway.

 

After the season we've had, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be in a position to pay little attention to Saturday's game and instead get my priorities right for once. The question is, will Charlton allow me to enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend with my family?

Light At The End Of The Tunnel...

What a huge difference a week makes. The despair of that home defeat against Barnsley now forgotten following yesterday's unbelievable result at Hillsborough and Friday's credible draw against in-form Bolton. Four priceless points that have projected Charlton up to 18th and to within touching distance of safety. 

 

Yeovil cannot catch us now and Barnsley can only finish higher than us on goal difference, and even that relies on us loosing our remaining three fixtures and them winning both of theirs. Realistically it looks like it's come down to one from five for the remaining relegation place, and with us sat at the top of that mini-league, we are in pole position to retain our Championship status. Our destiny is in our own hands.

 

Doncaster look to have the toughest run-in with a home game against Reading followed by an away game at Champions-elect, Leicester City. It's hard to see them getting a win from either of those and even two draws may leave them nervously biting their nails as the season draws to a close. Our not-so-friendly neighbours face QPR away and Bournemouth at home but after a recent up-turn in form I think they will be safe. Birmingham face Leeds and Wigan at home then finish up at Bolton on the final day. Despite loosing their last three games, I think they'll claw their way across the finishing line.

 

Blackpool look doomed. Off the pitch the club is in turmoil and on it their season has got progressively worse. They have Wigan away next Saturday followed by our visit on the final day. We managed to capitalise on both Nottingham Forest and Leed's off-field problems and grab vital wins recently, but would it be pushing our luck to expect the same at Blackpool? Hopefully we will already be safe by then and then the travelling Addicks can enjoy a day out by the seaside.

 

For what it's worth, I think another win from our remaining three games and we will be safe. Given the pressure cooker stress levels from the Addickted this season, if we do survive then don't be surprised if we get that pitch invasion that we was cheated out of after winning League One!

 

This wretched season is nearly over. The light at the end of the tunnel is slowly getting brighter.  

Missed Opportunity...

 

Despite the high-stakes I felt pretty confident yesterday leading up to the game. Based on nothing other than a gut feeling I just couldn't see Charlton messing up the opportunity to pull clear of the bottom three. I much prefer evening games at the Valley under floodlights; the intensity of the event seems magnified under the night sky and the atmosphere is much better. At the ground, unusually long queues at the ticket offices suggested many had made late decisions to attend. Perhaps they didn't want to miss out on one of those 'memorable nights at the Valley'. 

 

Then I saw Riga's starting 11.

 

It was as if you'd cut off my left foot and all my confidence was rapidly draining away. Within a matter of seconds, I just couldn't see how we'd win the game.

 

No Morrison or Wilson, presumably both rested. We'd waited over three months to see Solly and Wilson partner up on the right and the first chance we get Riga decides he knows best. No AA or Reza on a night when we'd need all of our creative nous to burst out of the blocks and try and grab that all-important early goal. Most concerning of all, for me, was the inclusion of Harriott. If ever there is a football player in desperate need to have a very long break out of the glare of the first team it is young Callum. I do not wish to kick a man whilst he is down, but Harriott is slipping backward fast and it is truly awful to watch.

 

There was a moment midway through the first half when I'm convinced Cousin's chose not to pass to Harriott despite the young winger being in a promising position. So instead of striding forward, Jordan passed backwards to Solly. Momentum gone.    

 

Barnsley were unbelievably bad throughout the game. No, that's not sour grapes, they were rubbish, especially in the first half. And yet, somehow, they managed to grab a potentially life-saving win. Fair play to them and their hugely impressive 900 or so fans who travelled down from South Yorkshire.

 

Charlton, on the other hand, weren't entirely rubbish, despite the predictable overreactions following the game. I'm as gutted as the next Addick, but lets have this right, there were spells where we actually passed the ball around quite nicely. Sadly, once in the final third we become clueless. It's hard for me to understand quite how bad Charlton are going forward.

 

Perhaps most worrying of all is that our steady defense has turned leaky and our goal difference is looking comparable to those around us where it was once worth another point. Just as we welcome back Solly we loose Wiggins for what looks like the remainder of the season with a broken bone in his foot after a late challenge.

 

Charlton finished the game with 10 men, but you could argue we started the game with the same number.   

 

Finding positives at this time is not easy, so I'll continue with the negatives. Worryingly, of those teams threatened with relegation, only Blackpool are lower than us in the form guide. We visit Bloomfield Road on the last day of the season and at this point I can only hope we still have something to play for then. If you're desperately scratching around for omens then I wouldn't dig too deep. Last time we went to Blackpool on the final game of a season was in 1972, when we got hammered 5-0 and relegated to...yes, you've guessed it...the third tier of English football.

 

But on a day when the footballing world was reminded of the most tragic of events 25 years earlier, perhaps it's not right to complain about the result of a football match, no matter the implications.  

 

Big Week Ahead...

As games of football go, tomorrow night at the Valley will be as important as any cup final. Fellow relegation threatened Barnsley are the visitors in what will be a very tense and nervy affair. The stakes could barely be higher; a win for Charlton and safety is in sight, whilst a defeat could spell the end for Barnsley. A reverse of those results could seal another nail in our coffin. I'm so pleased this game is on a Tuesday night when, under the Valley floodlights, Charlton traditionally have a much better history of rising to these high-pressure occasions.

 

I'm trying very hard to focus on work and other things until I make my way to the Valley tomorrow evening, but it's not easy with this twisted feeling inside my belly constantly reminding me of my darkest fears...

 

Significantly, by the time Millwall play next, Charlton will have completed two fixtures (Bolton at home on Good Friday the other) and, God willing, could potentially be 7 points clear of trouble with just 4 games left. Of course, as an Addick I'm a little more realistic, especially as we've not managed to put back-to-back league wins together all season. I'd be over the moon with 4 points.  

 

I guess one of the major factors that cannot be underestimated since Riga replaced Powell is the tough schedule Charlton have faced in that time. With the relentless Saturday / Tuesday fixtures there can be very little time for Riga to get much done on the training ground, especially taking into account the all-important rest the players would need. It is little wonder that finding consistent form is not easy. Thankfully Charlton's fate remains in our own hands.  

       

I was down in Brighton with the family visiting friends over the weekend so I took the opportunity to visit the AMEX community stadium for the first time. Charlton's display was nothing short of woeful, whilst Brighton's new stadium could not have been more impressive. The home fans don't seem like the most vocal bunch (until the occasional seagull decides to swoop down into the stadium, only to be reminded of exactly what it is) but the acoustics inside the ground must be unbelievable on those big nights.

 

Less said about the game the better, then, but what did annoy me was a comment made by Riga post-match, in which he suggested he was 'less disappointed knowing his players are capable of more'. Hmmm, does that mean if we do go down he won't be as disappointed as he knows we were actually good enough to stay up? Perhaps I'm being picky. Maybe it was lost in translation, but some things don't need saying at all, especially when they are absolutely no consolation in defeat.

 

“I am disappointed with the result this afternoon, but I would be more disappointed if I didn’t know what my players are able to do compared to what they did today
Read more at http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/20140412-riga-reaction-its-still-in-our-hands-1483059.aspx#Rpf8KzAc43dsWSWj.99

“I am disappointed with the result this afternoon, but I would be more disappointed if I didn’t know what my players are able to do compared to what they did today
Read more at http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/20140412-riga-reaction-its-still-in-our-hands-1483059.aspx#Rpf8KzAc43dsWSWj.99

Thankfully, not for the first time this season, the disappointment of losing never spoilt a few good beers before and after the game. The Cow, near Brighton Station, is well worth a visit for food, well selected ales and bottled craft beers.

 

The end of this truly awful season is in sight. The fine lines between success and failure ensure a very nervy few weeks ahead. I can only hope my next blog post is euphoric! Come on you Addicks!