ALAN CURBISHLEY Born at Forest Gate, East London on 8 November 1957 (59)
Llewellyn Charles 'Alan" Curbishley was one of five children to a London docker and his wife. He attended Gainsborough Road Primary School, Trinity College School and West Ham Technical School. At 16, Curbishley joined West Ham as an apprentice, making 87 full appearances for the Hammers before moving on to Birmingham City, Villa, Charlton, Brighton and back to Charlton where he was made joint Manager with Steve Gritt in July 1991.
From: Charlton Athletic On This Day by Matthew Eastley
Curbs' birthday today
It’s got to be someone’s birthday today, why not his?
What’s happened to you this morning - Shit the bed?
ALAN CURBISHLEY Born at Forest Gate, East London on 8 November 1957 (59)
Llewellyn Charles 'Alan" Curbishley was one of five children to a London docker and his wife. He attended Gainsborough Road Primary School, Trinity College School and West Ham Technical School. At 16, Curbishley joined West Ham as an apprentice, making 87 full appearances for the Hammers before moving on to Birmingham City, Villa, Charlton, Brighton and back to Charlton where he was made joint Manager with Steve Gritt in July 1991.
From: Charlton Athletic On This Day by Matthew Eastley
Curbs' birthday today
It’s got to be someone’s birthday today, why not his?
What’s happened to you this morning - Shit the bed?
MIKE FLANAGAN Born at Ilford on 9 November 1952 (64)
Striker Mike Flanagan scored 120 goals in 378 appearances for the Addicks between 1971-79 and 1984-86. He also played for Spurs, Palace, QPR and Cambridge United.
"I just could not see how Tottenham were overlooking his skill, strength and eye for goal. He had been on 22 pounds a week at Spurs, and he moved to Charlton for the same .. He went on to become a legend, as did Halesy. .. I picked up Colin Powell from Barnet. All three cost 14,000 pounds". - Theo Foley
MIKE FLANAGAN Born at Ilford on 9 November 1952 (64)
Striker Mike Flanagan scored 120 goals in 378 appearances for the Addicks between 1971-79 and 1984-86. He also played for Spurs, Palace, QPR and Cambridge United.
"I just could not see how Tottenham were overlooking his skill, strength and eye for goal. He had been on 22 pounds a week at Spurs, and he moved to Charlton for the same .. He went on to become a legend, as did Halesy. .. I picked up Colin Powell from Barnet. All three cost 14,000 pounds". - Theo Foley
MIKE FLANAGAN Born at Ilford on 9 November 1952 (64)
Striker Mike Flanagan scored 120 goals in 378 appearances for the Addicks between 1971-79 and 1984-86. He also played for Spurs, Palace, QPR and Cambridge United.
"I just could not see how Tottenham were overlooking his skill, strength and eye for goal. He had been on 22 pounds a week at Spurs, and he moved to Charlton for the same .. He went on to become a legend, as did Halesy. .. I picked up Colin Powell from Barnet. All three cost 14,000 pounds". - Theo Foley
MIKE FLANAGAN Born at Ilford on 9 November 1952 (64)
Striker Mike Flanagan scored 120 goals in 378 appearances for the Addicks between 1971-79 and 1984-86. He also played for Spurs, Palace, QPR and Cambridge United.
"I just could not see how Tottenham were overlooking his skill, strength and eye for goal. He had been on 22 pounds a week at Spurs, and he moved to Charlton for the same .. He went on to become a legend, as did Halesy. .. I picked up Colin Powell from Barnet. All three cost 14,000 pounds". - Theo Foley
A truly momentous and happy day for Charlton Athletic. After a miserable, seven-year exile dominated by political wrangling, red tape and several false dawns, we returned to the Valley, a triumph of hope over adversity.
Everything about the day was perfect. There was a carnival atmosphere in and around the ground and an overwhelming sense of relief and justice. From the moment Chairman Roger Alwen symbolically unlocked the main gates at noon to let the first fans in, to the parading of former Valley legends such as Sailor Brown and Derek Hales - and of course Colin Walsh's seventh-minute winner, everything was just how Charlton fans hoped it would be.
24 years on, the occasion the occasion has a dream-like quality. Indeed, for Addicks fans, 5 December 1992 was quite simply proof that, sometimes, dreams really do come true.
Lennie Lawrence came to Charlton - his first permanent appointment - in 1982 and was Manager for nine years between 1982-1991 before moving to Middlesbrough. He spent a brief time at Bradford, then five years at Luton, then Grimsby, Cardiff, Palace (joint caretaker) - then assistant Manager roles at Bolton, Notts Forest and his present club Cardiff City. He is one of a select few Managers to have managed 1,000 games.
Charlton were in dire straits financially in his early years at Charlton and a picture in "A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club" by Michael Walsh shows Lennie taking a call to say Charlton had been saved from being wound up in the High Court with 25 minutes to spare before the Football League deadline ran out. A full swear-bottle beside the telephone tells the story. Amid the catastrophic off-fields, Lawrence worked wonders to keep Charlton afloat in the Second Division.
On 3 May 1986 Charlton hit back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 at Carlisle and ensure a return to the top flight after 29 years. 2,000 travelling fans chaired Lennie Lawrence and chairman John Fryer around Brunton Park.
DEREK HALES Born 15 December 1951 (66) at Lower Halstow, Kent
Killer had two spells at Charlton - 1973 to 1976 and 1978 to 1985: 360 appearances and 168 goals in total.
When Manager Theo Foley completed a loan deal in July 1973 to bring Hales to Charlton from Luton no one could have predicted the impact he would make. He was feisty, rough at the edges and bristling with competitive energy. But most of all he was a superb, predatory striker. He started scoring from the word go and on October 22, Foley paid just 4,000 pounds to make the move permanent, a bargain which takes some beating (Charlton Athletic on this Day by Matthew Eastley).
At times during the 1975/76 season, Derek Hales was virtually unstoppable, scoring 28 league goals. One of his finest performances was against Fulham at the Valley. 11,551 fans score all three goals to clinch a 3-2 victory.
In October 1976 Hales scored one of the finest goals seen at the Valley. The Killer finished off a remarkable piece of wing play by Colin Powell by firing an unstoppable left-foot shot past the Hull keeper as Charlton beat the Tigers 3-1. It was Hales' second goal of yet another hat-trick and won ITV's Goal of the Season award.
In 1984 Hales beat Stuart Leary's scoring record of 163 goals with the first goal in a 2-2 home draw with Huddersfield. Three days earlier, he had scored a hat-trick in the opening day 3-0 win at Cardiff to draw level with the South African.
In July 2005 he was elected Charlton's "cult hero" by fans of all ages in one of ten categories to celebrate Charlton's centenary. He was presented with his Sammy award - named after legend Sam Bartram - at a gala ceremony to mark his achievements.
ALLAN SIMONSEN Born 15 December 1952 in Vejle, Denmark (64)
For a brief, shining moment, one of the finest footballers on the planet wore the red and white shirt of Charlton Athletic.
Allan Simonsen, former European Player of the Year, turned down approaches by Tottenham and Real Madrid when deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelons who had just signed - Diego Maradona. To everyone's utter amazement he chose to play for Charlton. Addicks Chairman Mark Hulyer risked all, including 324,000 pounds which Charlton could ill afford.
But anyone who saw Simonsen destroy Chelsea in a 5-2 league win at the Valley and almost engineer a stunning FA Cup upset against Bobby Robson's Ipswich would not begrudge a penny.
On 4 December 1982 it was estimated that 60% of Denmark's four million inhabitants watched live coverage of the match against Newcastle at the Valley. The Dane didn't disappoint, scoring the second goal in a comfortable 2-0 victory. Among the crowd was Cardinal Basil Hume, a Newcastle fan, who commented that Simonsen had some lovely touches and that his goal was an absolute beauty (Charlton Athletic on this Day by Matthew Eastley).
After 131 days, 17 appearances and one goals, the greatest Dane was gone, with Charlton unable to meet his wages and still owing around 200,000.
ALLAN SIMONSEN Born 15 December 1952 in Vejle, Denmark (64)
For a brief, shining moment, one of the finest footballers on the planet wore the red and white shirt of Charlton Athletic.
Allan Simonsen, former European Player of the Year, turned down approaches by Tottenham and Real Madrid when deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelons who had just signed - Diego Maradona. To everyone's utter amazement he chose to play for Charlton. Addicks Chairman Mark Hulyer risked all, including 324,000 pounds which Charlton could ill afford.
But anyone who saw Simonsen destroy Chelsea in a 5-2 league win at the Valley and almost engineer a stunning FA Cup upset against Bobby Robson's Ipswich would not begrudge a penny.
On 4 December 1982 it was estimated that 60% of Denmark's four million inhabitants watched live coverage of the match against Newcastle at the Valley. The Dane didn't disappoint, scoring the second goal in a comfortable 2-0 victory. Among the crowd was Cardinal Basil Hume, a Newcastle fan, who commented that Simonsen had some lovely touches and that his goal was an absolute beauty (Charlton Athletic on this Day by Matthew Eastley).
After 131 days, 17 appearances and one goals, the greatest Dane was gone, with Charlton unable to meet his wages and still owing around 200,000.
26 January 2018 marks 230 years since 11 convict ships packed full of London lowlife - mainly Millwall supporters - docked at Sydney to start the penal colony at Botany Bay.
The day isn't without its controversy. The aborigines want the day renamed Invasion Day.
Many present day Australians are said to be descended from the convict population. At the same time New Zealanders are supposed to be descended from escaped ex-convicts.
26 January 2018 marks 230 years since 11 convict ships packed full of London lowlife - mainly Millwall supporters - docked at Sydney to start the penal colony at Botany Bay.
The day isn't without its controversy. The aborigines want the day renamed Invasion Day.
Many present day Australians are said to be descended from the convict population. At the same time New Zealanders are supposed to be descended from escaped ex-convicts.
I was reading earlier that a number of statues, including that of Captain James Cook, have been vandalised leading up to this.
East Street in Charlton has a special place in the club's history, as it was here that the first meeting was held to form the Addicks. It was also the birthplace, on this day, of a man called Arthur Ernest Ellis who worked at Siemens and helped to dig the bowl that would eventually become The Valley. Finally, East Street was also the location of a 'wet and dry' fishmongers shop owned by ArthurBryan, who supplied the haddock and chips to players of both teams after Charlton matches. And here lies the secret of Charlton's curious nickname -it is, quite simply, a London linguistic corruption of the word 'hadocks' into 'Addicks'.
From: Charlton Athletic on this Day by Matthew Eastley
It is 40 years ago today when NZ began the test match in which they beat England for the first time. It was one of cricket's finest moments (for NZ).
I remember the final day as if it were yesterday. I had a half hour walk to collect my car under repair - with a transistor glued to my ear - during which time we lost four wickets and Bryan Rose off injured.
One of the wickets was Geoff Boycott. In the first innings he had ground out 77 runs in 442 minutes. In the second dig he lasted six deliveries before a full one on leg stump from the giant left armer Collinge shattered his stumps. In no time it was 18-3 and Richard Hadlee ripped through the middle order.
The kiwis have a reunion every now and then to celebrate the victory - one in 1996, another in 2008 and there will be a third when England are out here for the second test in Christchurch next month.
Addicks fans flocked to the derelict, weed-strewn Valley in answer to the club's appeal for help in clearing up.
On 23 March 1989 the official announcement was made that Charlton will once again play football at the Valley but the following January the Greenwich Council rejected a planning application to rebuild the Valley.
In May 1990 the fans' Valley Party fielded 60 candidates in Council elections, polling 15,000 votes and unseating the planning chairman in the process.
In April 1991 a new Valley planning proposal was passed by the Greenwich Council.
A one-club man who made 277 appearances for Charlton, Derek Ufton was a multi-talented sportsman who kept wicket for Kent between 1949 and 1962 taking 270 catches and 44 stumpings. He was a left-handed batsman.
Ufton made his debut for Charlton against Liverpool in November 1949 and was a mainstay of the Addicks during the 1950s. He would undoubtedly have made many more appearances and earned more than one* international cap if a series of injuries had not blighted his career. His problem was shoulder dislocations, an injury which occurred on no fewer than 20 occasions during his career (Charlton Athletic on This Day by Matthew Eastley).
Derek Ufton played for Charlton between 1949 and 1960. He coached at Tooting and Mitcham in 1961 where he stayed until joining Malcolm Allison as a coach at Plymouth Argyle in 1964. He replaced Allison in 1965 for the next three seasons.
He was named President of Kent CCC in 2001 and he served on the Charlton Board of Directors from 1984 to 2009.
Derek Ufton joined the Charlton fans' Hall of Fame in 2015 joining the likes of Sam Bartram, Derek Hales, Clive Mendonca, Harold Hobbis and Mark Kinsella.
*. He is often quoted in the records as gaining one international cap against the Rest of the World, but I seem to recall he also played against Hungary at Wembley - could be wrong though.
Comments
Yes, they have actually. It's summer bigtime in Taupo today - 28 degrees and a swim in the lake looming this afternoon.
Sadly the closest I come to watching him play was on the club's centenary DVD, my visits to the Valley mainly in the 1950s.
Always delighted to read comments on his achievements though.
26 January 2018 marks 230 years since 11 convict ships packed full of London lowlife - mainly Millwall supporters - docked at Sydney to start the penal colony at Botany Bay.
The day isn't without its controversy. The aborigines want the day renamed Invasion Day.
Many present day Australians are said to be descended from the convict population. At the same time New Zealanders are supposed to be descended from escaped ex-convicts.
Well not actually me but the 'real' Len Glover. 74 today.
East Street in Charlton has a special place in the club's history, as it was here that the first meeting was held to form the Addicks. It was also the birthplace, on this day, of a man called Arthur Ernest Ellis who worked at Siemens and helped to dig the bowl that would eventually become The Valley. Finally, East Street was also the location of a 'wet and dry' fishmongers shop owned by ArthurBryan, who supplied the haddock and chips to players of both teams after Charlton matches. And here lies the secret of Charlton's curious nickname -it is, quite simply, a London linguistic corruption of the word 'hadocks' into 'Addicks'.
From: Charlton Athletic on this Day by Matthew Eastley
I remember the final day as if it were yesterday. I had a half hour walk to collect my car under repair - with a transistor glued to my ear - during which time we lost four wickets and Bryan Rose off injured.
One of the wickets was Geoff Boycott. In the first innings he had ground out 77 runs in 442 minutes. In the second dig he lasted six deliveries before a full one on leg stump from the giant left armer Collinge shattered his stumps. In no time it was 18-3 and Richard Hadlee ripped through the middle order.
The kiwis have a reunion every now and then to celebrate the victory - one in 1996, another in 2008 and there will be a third when England are out here for the second test in Christchurch next month.
Charlton legend.
90 today