Wondered for years why Lennie sold Aizlewood and Pearson mid-season, always assumed it was cash related?
Think Lennie got both decisions right. We needed the money and neither were quite good enough for regular 1st Division football. These days, they'd both be kept on and would hardly play.
Agree on Pearson, out of his depth in the top tier, but Aizlewood was a very decent player, could have carried on in the top flight.
Very good passer of the ball, could read the game well but just lacked that bit of quality to do it in the top flight IMO. This for me justified Lennie selling him early on in the 1986/87 season. He had the nasty and cunning bit in his game so suited Leeds perfectly!! I remember his basketball style leap at St Andrews in the play offs catching the ball which was seeing Crooks about to race through on goal and only getting a booking. The other two handed catch for us at West Ham also springs to mind. His handling was better than some keepers...
Good player from an era when I first started going to Charlton.
Where do I start ? Mark Aizlewood is another one of my all time favourites.
He joined during the Simonsen on/off/on era . I think it was when another new signing Geoff Scott got injured at Chelsea which prompted his signing from Luton. Apparently we recruited him instead of the receiving the last cash instalment from the Paul Walsh transfer.I think at the time Leighton Phillips who was Ken Craggs's assistant was almost trying to make us London Welsh as we also had Carl Harris ,John Phillips and Peter O'Sullivan as well as Mark and Leighton himself.
I was at Elland Road for his debut and I think he laid on Steve White's opener . I seem to remember his wife also gave birth around that time . This win felt significant because it was the first time we had played there since the Don Revie golden era and we still saw them as a big club . I remember thinking that he had the skill and physical presence to play in midfield and later that season Lennie did move him forward to great effect.
The following season I remember on Boxing Day he played at Fratton Park against his late older brother Steve for the only time in his career when we played Portsmouth and then in his third season he more than matched Hoddle and co at the Lane in the FA Cup.
I remember in the promotion season and when we played in the top flight he often played as a sweeper to great effect . If my memory serves me right it was from this position that he helped orchestrate the famous win at Old Trafford.
Then his last acts were against us as a sort of pantomime villain for Leeds in the play off games.He also he appeared against us for Bradford in the FA Cup and for Bristol City when he played in the game at Upton Park when Webbo scored that amazing last minute winner . His last appearance against us was for Bristol City at the Valley in 1993.
I couldn't find a link ,but I am sure I have read interviews whereby he said Charlton was the highlight of his career and he admitted that he was a good second tier player and was slightly out of his depth in the top flight. I too would love to read an English translation of his autobiography.
Aizlewood, a Welsh international midfielder was signed by Billy Bremner and his presence strengthened an area significantly weakened by the sale of Ian Snodin to Everton:
"I was playing in the top flight and very happy at Charlton. I was captain and had never really envisaged moving on.
"The manager, Lennie Lawrence, called me in one day and advised me that he'd received an offer for my services from Leeds United.
"He asked me if I was interested but stressed that he didn't want me to go."
Despite growing up in Newport, Aizlewood idolised Don Revie's Leeds United and in particular the legendary captain of the crew, Billy Bremner:
"I wanted to talk to Billy as it presented me with an opportunity to meet him. I was impressed with everything he had to say and I was delighted to sign for Leeds.
"Make no mistake about it, even though Leeds United had fallen on hard times after relegation in 1982 it was still a massive club but Billy was the reason I signed."
Later in the article he says about the play offs
'It was the first season that the play offs had been introduced and the format was much different to how it is nowadays.
"Charlton were fighting to save their top flight status after seeing off Ipswich Town in the semi's and we knew we had a battle on our hands."
Both legs finished 1-0 to the home side and that set up a replay at Birmingham City's St Andrews ground:
"I remember the days leading up to the replay. We walked across the Elland Road car park onto the training ground and the queues for the ticket office were incredible. Leeds fans completely outnumbered the Charlton fans on the night."
The season had boiled down to one game but unfortunately it would end in heart-breaking fashion:
"John (Sheridan) put us 1-0 up with a delightful free-kick but out of nowhere, Peter Shirtliff scored two late goals to deny us promotion.
"I will never forget being back in the dressing room. It was deadly quiet until Mervyn Day, who felt he could have done better for one of Shirtliff's goals, stood up to apologise.
"Merv, as devastated as anyone, told us that he should've shut his legs and then Billy, so quick witted jumped in and told him, 'Merv, it's not your fault son. I blame your Mother for not keeping her legs shut!'
"The dressing room was in hysterics but we were absolutely devastated after coming so close to promotion and it took us a long time to get over that defeat."
Interesting read and a sad story. Was close to Gritt and Mark Stuart during his Charlton days. Could be a nasty piece of work on the pitch, and clearly had his demons. A talented player who would have easily cut it in the top flight had he not gone to Leeds.
After a difficult unpopular start, he became a fantastic player for us - he gave everything, he’d be the first pick on Lennie’s teamsheet. He was the heart of the team, imagine a strong, taller Mark Kinsella and that was him. When we got promoted back to the Premier after 29 years his contribution was massive. If anyone has ever watched AP Mccoy drag a horse over the winning line that was what Mark did for that team in 1985. His subsequent demise is very sad. When he left us for Leeds, I wrote him a letter thanking him for what he had done for the club. Bearing in mind that the whole future of the club in 85 playing at Selhurst was balanced on a paper clip, without his leadership on the pitch we might not be here today. In response to my letter he wrote me a very nice detailed response saying how much he had loved his time at Charlton. It is very sad how his life unravelled
When I started the Aizlewood is better than Hoddle chant at the White Hart Lane fa cup match, I meant it! 😂 Incredible player for us once he switched to a central midfield role.
If he picked up a six stretch in ‘18 then he hasn’t served half his sentence so should be still inside. I’ll run a search when I go back to work on Monday and let Elfie know where to send his SAE.
Comments
Good player from an era when I first started going to Charlton.
He joined during the Simonsen on/off/on era . I think it was when another new signing Geoff Scott got injured at Chelsea which prompted his signing from Luton. Apparently we recruited him instead of the receiving the last cash instalment from the Paul Walsh transfer.I think at the time Leighton Phillips who was Ken Craggs's assistant was almost trying to make us London Welsh as we also had Carl Harris ,John Phillips and Peter O'Sullivan as well as Mark and Leighton himself.
I was at Elland Road for his debut and I think he laid on Steve White's opener . I seem to remember his wife also gave birth around that time . This win felt significant because it was the first time we had played there since the Don Revie golden era and we still saw them as a big club . I remember thinking that he had the skill and physical presence to play in midfield and later that season Lennie did move him forward to great effect.
The following season I remember on Boxing Day he played at Fratton Park against his late older brother Steve for the only time in his career when we played Portsmouth and then in his third season he more than matched Hoddle and co at the Lane in the FA Cup.
I remember in the promotion season and when we played in the top flight he often played as a sweeper to great effect . If my memory serves me right it was from this position that he helped orchestrate the famous win at Old Trafford.
Then his last acts were against us as a sort of pantomime villain for Leeds in the play off games.He also he appeared against us for Bradford in the FA Cup and for Bristol City when he played in the game at Upton Park when Webbo scored that amazing last minute winner . His last appearance against us was for Bristol City at the Valley in 1993.
I couldn't find a link ,but I am sure I have read interviews whereby he said Charlton was the highlight of his career and he admitted that he was a good second tier player and was slightly out of his depth in the top flight. I too would love to read an English translation of his autobiography.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29911967
This is an interesting interview that the same site did with Mark Aizlewood .
I cut and paste the Charlton bits :
https://www.sheridan-dictates.com/he-wore-the-white-shirt-mark-aizlewood.php
Aizlewood, a Welsh international midfielder was signed by Billy Bremner and his presence strengthened an area significantly weakened by the sale of Ian Snodin to Everton:
"I was playing in the top flight and very happy at Charlton. I was captain and had never really envisaged moving on.
"The manager, Lennie Lawrence, called me in one day and advised me that he'd received an offer for my services from Leeds United.
"He asked me if I was interested but stressed that he didn't want me to go."
Despite growing up in Newport, Aizlewood idolised Don Revie's Leeds United and in particular the legendary captain of the crew, Billy Bremner:
"I wanted to talk to Billy as it presented me with an opportunity to meet him. I was impressed with everything he had to say and I was delighted to sign for Leeds.
"Make no mistake about it, even though Leeds United had fallen on hard times after relegation in 1982 it was still a massive club but Billy was the reason I signed."
Later in the article he says about the play offs
'It was the first season that the play offs had been introduced and the format was much different to how it is nowadays.
"Charlton were fighting to save their top flight status after seeing off Ipswich Town in the semi's and we knew we had a battle on our hands."
Both legs finished 1-0 to the home side and that set up a replay at Birmingham City's St Andrews ground:
"I remember the days leading up to the replay. We walked across the Elland Road car park onto the training ground and the queues for the ticket office were incredible. Leeds fans completely outnumbered the Charlton fans on the night."
The season had boiled down to one game but unfortunately it would end in heart-breaking fashion:
"John (Sheridan) put us 1-0 up with a delightful free-kick but out of nowhere, Peter Shirtliff scored two late goals to deny us promotion.
"I will never forget being back in the dressing room. It was deadly quiet until Mervyn Day, who felt he could have done better for one of Shirtliff's goals, stood up to apologise.
"Merv, as devastated as anyone, told us that he should've shut his legs and then Billy, so quick witted jumped in and told him, 'Merv, it's not your fault son. I blame your Mother for not keeping her legs shut!'
"The dressing room was in hysterics but we were absolutely devastated after coming so close to promotion and it took us a long time to get over that defeat."
probably on this thread I'll go and have a look
Was worthy of a red.😤😤😤
When we got promoted back to the Premier after 29 years his contribution was massive. If anyone has ever watched AP Mccoy drag a horse over the winning line that was what Mark did for that team in 1985.
His subsequent demise is very sad. When he left us for Leeds, I wrote him a letter thanking him for what he had done for the club. Bearing in mind that the whole future of the club in 85 playing at Selhurst was balanced on a paper clip, without his leadership on the pitch we might not be here today.
In response to my letter he wrote me a very nice detailed response saying how much he had loved his time at Charlton.
It is very sad how his life unravelled
Incredible player for us once he switched to a central midfield role.