Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Dear Deidre

edited July 2008 in General Charlton
Dan's thead on why you go to football set me thinking.

I've renewed my season tickets but I cannot recall a year when I've been less enthusiastic and interested.

As a cricket fan football and rugby do take a back seat over the summer for me but even so I normally take in at least one pre season friendly and look forward to the first match.

It's not happening this year and I don't know why.

Comments

  • [cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]It's not happening this year and I don't know why.

    the club have sold your enthusiasm on one of them e-bay auctions.
  • As has been said on other links this season is like going back in time with curbs when were in division one from relagation from the top flight until the playoff win against Sunderland, just another season of plodding along in the championship beckons, mid table maybe scrape a playoff place will be seemed a good season, still we did have some good cup games back in the day, blackburn away, leeds away man utd away ect.. Im trying to forget that we were a premiere league club and get back to the good old charlton division one days, hopefully the new youngsters will become the new Bowyers, Rufus' and we will find a lower league striker who can entertain us like mendonca and whyte used to. chin up lads, things can only get better as we sang at old trafford in the fa cup nearly 15 years ago...
  • I honestly don't understand what everyone is getting so depressed about.

    Ups and Downs, In sickness and in Health, isn't that what we all signed up for in the first place ? We would have all chosen another club to follow if we didn't ?

    I don't believe our starting 11 for the Swansea game will be noticeably weaker than the various 11 we put out last season. There is an argument if Hudson and Shelvey start well, and one of Gray and Varney hit the net that the spine of the side is considerably stronger than last season.

    I can fully understand why people are more cautious in their stance of how we will do this season, but it is impossible to predict how we will fare compared to everyone else. Last season we had a team that underperformed compared to expectations and ability. There is just a chance the opposite may happen this year, and i'm not going to be stupid enough to write it off before it starts.
  • edited July 2008
    I don't think anyone is writing it off before it starts. If this forum really wants to be the Charlton community it aspires to be, then we need to be more supportive to someone like Len in his moments of weakness - not imply that he should clear off and support one of the Top 4. The title of the thread is quite a big clue to what he is asking, isn't it?

    Len, I understand a lot of what you are feeling. Football - and Charlton - is not as big a part of my life as it was 20-30 years ago. There's also a deep sadness within me at how suddenly and rapidly we have slipped away after the Premiership years and all that the club had worked so hard to build up in that time. There are loads of reasons for that - more to do with the state of football than anything directly under Charlton's control, but it does make it hard to be ever optimistic about the future. I'm so glad I went to the Coventry match, as that reminded me about a lot of the good reasons - especially seeing Shelvey make his debut, and the much better atmosphere at the ground that day. There's a lot in what Adam says about getting used to this division again and remembering the good old times we had there. I wouldn't advise 'Things can only get better' as an anthem, though, as it didn't exactly turn out that way at Old Trafford that day, did it??!

    I posted on here about my season ticket dilemma, and the replies gave me lots of food for thoguht and quickly got me to realise that renewing was the only option. I hope you get some replies on this thread which help you in the same way.
  • Weegie, The Things can only get better comment in my post was meant even tho we were 3 nil down to 10 men we all stood and sang together and were a unit of fans, also remeber going nuts when leaburn scored to make it 3-1 cheerd like we had just won the fa cup that day let alone a conserlation goal. we had good days and times not being in the premiere league remeber Grimbsy away on a friday night if i recall rufus scoring loads. as long as we stick togeghter and cheer the lads i will be happy.
  • len we're gonna have to live on the memories that sir alan gave us
    i'm sure, like me, you knew we were in trouble when sir alan left but you probably didn't expect our demise to be so rapid.
    the king is dead , long live the king
  • Apologies if my post was viewed harshly, certainly wasn't meant to be directed at Len in that way.

    You have to remember that we look at things differently than we would 10 years ago, largely through the internet. We are completely ingrained in the club as we think / debate it almost 24 / 7. It means your emotions are likely to be more intense, in either direction.
  • [cite]Posted By: adamtheaddick[/cite]Weegie, The Things can only get better comment in my post was meant even tho we were 3 nil down to 10 men we all stood and sang together and were a unit of fans, also remeber going nuts when leaburn scored to make it 3-1 cheerd like we had just won the fa cup that day let alone a conserlation goal. we had good days and times not being in the premiere league remeber Grimbsy away on a friday night if i recall rufus scoring loads. as long as we stick togeghter and cheer the lads i will be happy.

    Adam, if I remember rightly we sang that song at half-time when the score was still 0-0 and Schmeichel had just been sent off for felling Kim Grant. We genuinely thought we would win it! Then they (Mark Hughes?) scored straight after the restart - oh well, never mind...and yes, we did celebrate Leaburn's goal wildly. It was a great day out, but was also the end of our season - we were in with a chance of promotion, then fell to bits after that match - even Gary Nelson describes that as the turning point in his book. Funny to look back on now, but not so funny at the time!

    Then it's all part of the great unknown, unfolding drama of football, as Henry says on the other thread...
  • I think part of it stems from having followed Charlton for such a long time.

    I remember the disappointment when Gliksten ordered the sale of the likes of Hinton, Bailey, Bonds, Glover and later Hales and Flanagan.

    Richard Murray and Martin Simons came on the scene and if we sold a player it was for a good reason eg to finance the ground development, unlike under Gliksten. The sale of Parker was a disappointment but in reality what club could have stood up to Roman Moneybags? Nobody so, even though Martin Simons said on the radio Parker wasn't going, I lay no blame at the Club's door for that.

    I understand financial reality but in purely footballing terms I'm getting an awful sense of deja vous and if I'm right it's tragic because we came so far and so nearly established ourselves as a top level club.

    I'll still go - rather like Leroy says you go because it's there but, despite my age, I've always previously had that "little boy enthusiasm" when it comes to Charlton and I don't like not having it.
  • edited July 2008
    Len,

    If I can't get to sleep at night, worrying about the kids or the state of my finances or I've just had one of those days, my mind wanders towards into Addick fantasyland. You know when you were a lad, maybe even in your twenties there was that fantasy of walking out on the pitch in the Red and White kit with the crowd roaring your name. I was a centre back (oh if I was just a few years younger, several inches thinner......) and that was my dream. As I got older the dream changed to managing the Addicks. Now I'm even past that but my dream has evolved into spending my fantasy millions on buying the club and leading it back to the promised land where we will knock Manure, Chelski, The Arse and The Scousers out the way as Captain Hudson lifts the Premier League Trophy. Don't you still have similar dreams? Once I get those thoughts into my mind, I thank everyone at Charlton during my lifetime for illuminating it a little and helping to make the days just a little less humdrum.

    So come on mate, it ain't so depressing when you take everything together. I'm looking forward to the season, to seeing Hudson play, to see Jonjo blossom, to seeing Thomas finally fulfil his potential, to see Varney and Grey become the greatest partnership since Killer and Flash (hopefully without the teeth knocked out). Shake off these clouds of grey, and lets get fully behind the lads. COME ON YOU REDS!!!!

    Bing Deirdre Addick
  • Sponsored links:


  • I'm not alone it seems

    http://kingshilladdick.blogspot.com/2008/07/turn-back-clock.html

    Thanks for all the replies they have helped me articulate how I'm thinking.
  • Len your far from alone. Lots feel and think like u and the guy in the blog. Dosnt stop us being Charlton though and dosnt make us any less of a supporter then some people slagging others off on here either.
  • Agreed, GH.

    Maybe the next CharltonLife football match should be the Pessimists v the Optimists. Only trouble is, I have the feeling our average age is a bit higher than theirs! Though thinking about it, Oggy maybe balances that out a bit - sorry Ogs ;-)
  • I used to like you Weegie ........ I'm only 29 you know (or maybe it's 49 ish - who cares? lol).


    While I was supposed to be working from home today, I was visited by a really good friend of mine since the 1980's.
    His girlfriend had committed suicide last week and he was trying so hard to deal with it.

    He made the point that he was trying to look forward to tomorrow because it gave him hope, rather than the bleakness of today.

    Let's put things in perspective: this football club that we are so emotional about is always going to have fluctuating fortunes, the pendulum swings one way and then back again. And many of us have been around long enough to know that it always will.

    So the last 2 seasons have ended in crushing disappointment. Again it's disappointing that we appear to have to sell our best players/saleable assets in order to keep some grey faced, grey suited banker satisfied in the gray days of his stultifyingly boring 9-5 job. But that's where we're at.

    But it doesn't have to stay that way and, life teaches you that it won't. All things pass - the good times and the bad times.

    What exactly is our problem?

    We go to a football match on a Saturday afternoon for a variety of reasons.
    But mostly we go to meet our mates, enjoy ourselves, let off steam and hopefully come home afterwards with that muzzy warm feeling of seeing us win, 3 points in the bag or at least a lionhearted commitment.

    And why should watching Charlton in the Championship this season be any different?
    Because the only constant in life is change - and our pendulum will swing again.

    Live, Love, Laugh and be Happy.....
  • Wise words Oggy and well put.
  • very poignant post Oggy
  • i've not renewed my ST for one reason or another but it's certainly not because I am unenthusiatic. I think we'll be up there this season top 4 for me and AFKA's right as a football fan you're not guaranteed success unless your a Man U fan and even that is not a given.
  • Oggy fella i know how old u are mate ( LAC Rovers---- Union 97) !!


    Things do turn round in life and CAFC . I never thought i would see us at Wembley, beat Moan Uts,the Goonershit,Liverpool. Never thought i would see a CAFc player wear the 3 lions shirt. Dear God though the 25 years of shit we had to go through to get there. The 3,000 in the pooring rain at the Valley against Halifax. 6,000 being an ok gate. No home. players being sold in fire sales (very good players).The pi55 take none stop from all the other fans.
    CAFC is a release from the real World of Gas prices, and mortgages, and family fueds, work,decorating. I just dont want another 25 years in the gloom before we get up to the light again.
    I remember when we got relegated under Curbs , the week before my wife left me. On the Monday after we got relegated i went to work(feeling awful no sleep etc) ,i got in the lift and its one of the speaking lifts its says " going down". I thought now that is really taking the piss ! funny thing is it made me laugh. One year latter we were champs and me and my were together again.Things do turn round.
  • Nicely put Oggy.

    I always believe you have to endure the downs to truly enjoy the ups. I remember when Wycombe done us in the Cup, pretty bad night all in all, but it stuck with me how brilliant their fans were, they didn't stop singing from start to finish and went absolutely bonkers at the end, I remember thinking god it would be good to feel some of that again.

    I don't know know if we will go up but I suppose I have blind faith we will, but even so I am looking forward to a cracking season where I believe we will be more competitive and maybe we'll feel a bit more affinity to some of our players.
  • I am just a little cheesed off with the Sale of Bougherra which when I look across the whole Summer is the ONLY decision I think the club have got wrong all summer, I'll get over it as will others who feel the same. Come 3.00pm Saturday week I'll be convinced we can be promoted & I am looking forward to the Buzz you get waking up Saturday morning for a 'real' game.
  • Sponsored links:


  • [cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite] that we appear to have to sell our best players/saleable assets in order to keep some grey faced, grey suited banker satisfied in the gray days of his stultifyingly boring 9-5 job.[/b]

    oi !! Not all bankers are a) grey faced b) great suited (I'm currently in white Ben Sherman polo and Olive green slacks) c) have grey days. It's a fact though that that we all have stultifyingly boring 9-5 jobs !!

    BTW, your'e right. Football pales into insignificance when compared to other things, like you friend's girlfriend's suicide. I keep telling Golfie to chill and just be thankful that he has a good life, a nice wife and 3 adorable kids but it doesn't seem to make any difference !!
  • [cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]I'm not alone it seems

    http://kingshilladdick.blogspot.com/2008/07/turn-back-clock.html

    Thanks for all the replies they have helped me articulate how I'm thinking.

    But there is always another viewpoint ...

    challenge
  • The big challenge for Pardew this year is to make us contenders. For so many years , especially back in the seveties, we were just relegation fodder and that led to a general depression and demise. Then along came Hales, Flanagan and Powell and we could outscore other teams, no matter what cockups Sir Les and his mates did at the back.
    Curbs performed wonders by buying average players and getting them to play above themselves and gelling them into a decent team. It was amazing in 92/3 when he got the team to the top of tier 2. When I look at the team sheet of the play off team, many of the players were very average but the spine of Rufus, Kinsella and mendonca saw us through.
    So can Hudson, Shelvey and Gray get us off to a flier and raise all our spirits?
Sign In or Register to comment.

Roland Out Forever!