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The week that was - Boxing Day 2003. Charlton 4 Chelsea 2

13

Comments

  • There is a feature on this game in The Sun today with Matt Holland. Worth a read. The beginning of the end for this club as far as I'm concerned.
  • Elthamaddick
    Elthamaddick Posts: 15,833
    up there as one of my favourite home games ever...
  • ValleyGary
    ValleyGary Posts: 38,004
    a little debate....?

    was parkers performance in this game better then mendonca's all round performance in the play-off final?
  • No.
  • ValleyGary
    ValleyGary Posts: 38,004
    good debate enjoyed that
  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,867
    Lol,

    it is an interesting question to be fair. Parker was immense that day, but so too were many others around him. It was the perfect team performance. On Parker's side, he was competing against Makalele and Lampard, world class level opponents, and though memory emphasises the positives, he gave them the run around.

    Mendonca pulled together in his game the perfect performance from his perspective; three classic Mendonca goals on the biggest of stages.

    Very hard to compare to be honest. I don't feel guilty highlighting Mendonca for the Wembley game because i actually don't think too many others players stood out with excelled performances. It was the occassion and the way the game panned out which was memorable, not the other individual performances. For the Chelsea game, it wasn't just about Parker, it was the whole 11, so in comparison i say Mendonca wins this one.
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,902
    [cite]Posted By: ValleyGary[/cite]good debate enjoyed that

    That's brilliant - well played!
  • JT
    JT Posts: 12,348
    What's next Gaz Dimbleby?
  • [cite]Posted By: The Red Robin[/cite]No.
    [cite]Posted By: ValleyGary[/cite]good debate enjoyed that

    Haha sorry but Mendonca was superb and it is highly unlikely we would have got anything from that game without him. That third goal at Wembley was just ridiculous.

    The Chelsea game was more of a team performance and I have to say, Di Canio was also excellent that day.
  • The peak?

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  • Simonsen
    Simonsen Posts: 5,506

    The peak?

    I'd say, yes this was the peak (apart from 1947 winning the cup) and the last highlight from that era was the win at Chelsea in the League Cup.
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,889
    Dont worry, we will do it again next year.

    Maybe.

    Well I can dream can't I?

  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,931
    Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago. Cant believe I had 10 yrs of season tickets upto that point and since then 2 seasons of refusing to even look at the scores... followed by a renewed love started by Chris Powell.
  • Great day dont think the score line reflected how well we played tbis day

    We deserved more thabf a 2 goal win
  • JiMMy 85
    JiMMy 85 Posts: 10,199
    My best mate had just died a month or so earlier, it was my first game back after his passing. I've never experienced a bigger range of emotions than on that day. Football seemed so futile in comparison, but then that game happened, and it was a bizarre feeling of elation during a dark, dark winter. Will never forget it.

    If leaving the valley was the nadir of modern day Charlton, this was the peak after 20 years of recovery. If we ever get back there, may we never forget ourselves as many fans did in the months and seasons after this.
  • Dave2l
    Dave2l Posts: 8,880
    Best thing about that game was the goal when our 35 year old (or so) Di Canio easily turned the apparent best defender in the PL John Terry, to put a ball in for JJ so he could tap into an empty net.

    Class.

    Defiantly one of my favourite Charlton games.
  • It was a magical time - we had sat in the top 4 for several weeks.
    However, Chelsea's reaction was swift and brutal - they tapped up and bought our best player and stuck him in the stands to contemplate and cream himself over his bank balance.
    Meanwhile they ensured they got that champions league spot at our expense
  • C_A_F_C
    C_A_F_C Posts: 3,867
    10 years ago...
  • Chippycafc
    Chippycafc Posts: 14,163
    I spoke to Di-Canio before the game and he said that they were all in the mood to win this game....
  • _MrDick
    _MrDick Posts: 13,118
    Where have the last 10 years of my life gone...

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  • Stone
    Stone Posts: 3,026

    Where have the last 10 years of my life gone...

    Eating? :D
  • and 12 years on, how far have we fallen?
  • and 12 years on, how far have we fallen?

    That's a lifetime away from ever happening again
  • All downhill from there.
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,380
    those were the days !!
  • Simonsen
    Simonsen Posts: 5,506
    edited December 2015

    All downhill from there.

    Agreed. Parker destroyed Makelele, Abramovich didn't like it and that was the end of that.
  • redman
    redman Posts: 5,290
    Probably the greatest performance by a Charlton team ever. 4 2 flattered them big time. A great team performance with the best midfield player in the country at that time at his best. What a shame that in a few weeks time greed would effectively make him a nobody.
  • Indeed a memorable day for all Addicks.

    Thinking back to that day brings tears to my eyes when I consider how our fortunes have changed in the intervening 12 years. That was a team with the true Charlton spirit playing for their manager until they dropped. If only we had a time machine....

  • ME14addick
    ME14addick Posts: 9,767
    What a wonderful day that was, cannot see anything like that happening again under our current owner.
  • iaitch
    iaitch Posts: 10,241
    Has John Terry managed to untangle himself after Di Canio turned him this way and that to lay on the third goal?