It’s games like this that makes me think shopping with the wife is actually not that bad.
That’s why I believe a percentage of those ‘boycotting’ just had enough over the years of sitting through games like today
I don't think so. I saw my first game in 1973 and was a regular from the early/mid 80s until a few years back. I've witnessed more turgid, dull games than you can shake a stick at during that time but I no longer attend as I did because I no longer recognise the club.
It’s games like this that makes me think shopping with the wife is actually not that bad.
That’s why I believe a percentage of those ‘boycotting’ just had enough over the years of sitting through games like today
I don't think so. I saw my first game in 1973 and was a regular from the early/mid 80s until a few years back. I've witnessed more turgid, dull games than you can shake a stick at during that time but I no longer attend as I did because I no longer recognise the club.
The guts have been ripped apart by these clowns, but fortunately we have a passionate fan base with the likes of CARD and the Museum.
Once this clown goes hopefully the new board will recognise what the fans can do for them, a shame that this was poo pooed in January 2014.
I'm boycotting, it is breaking my heart to be doing so as well because Saturday football and seeing my pals is/was an enormous part of my life
When I had a season ticket if quite often blow games out due to hangovers, getting caught at work, having the hump however I'd always renew regardless of how we played (A decade of shite punctuated with a couple of good seasons under Powell)
You can't be a Charlton fan and have high expectations, all I've ever wanted is for our players to give it large and compete. Leave it all on the pitch. If they do that I'm happy and can accept losing
What this maniacal arseclown has done is make me hate. I hate his stupid network player sharing idea, I hate the fact he doesn't give a shit because he is so obscenely wealthy he doesn't have to. I hate the fact people are divided, I hate the fact he told us this was going to happen the moment he arrived and it took so many people so long to see this is what would happen. I hate the fact he sacked Chris Powell, sold Dale Stephens and Yann and heaped some players who made me genuinely question if they were professional footballers
Watched on iFollow. We don’t create enough and when we do our finishing isn’t good enough.
Defensively we were solid. Sarr was comfortable on the ball while Page looks a solid player now and good going forward.
The midfield needs to improve, whether that’s players stepping up or more likely different players coming in.
Pratley works hard but isn’t there as a creative or goal scoring threat. Marshall also works hard but looks an ordinary League 1 player. Bielik looks talented but he’s a defensive player.
That leaves Aribo as the main attacking player in the midfield. Easy to forget he’s a young player himself still developing. He’s only had one full season as a first team player. Without all these injuries and a bigger squad he might not even be starting. He has great close control but to me he doesn’t yet look a regular goal or creative threat.
At least we have Fosu, Clarke, Reeves and hopefully Cullen and a winger/striker coming in. Bowyer’s mainly using 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 diamond to fit the midfielders we have in.
The midfield badly needs the option of pace and width. We need one or two players that will turn opponents, take defenders on, make runs in behind etc. In Fosu we have one player that offers that. Could really do with another. An attacking right wing back would be useful as an alternative to Solly, but without a takeover there’s no chance of that in this window.
I like our front two and Igor gives us another good option. However a big weakness is their lack of ability in the air. They’ve both scored a header but when we go long neither of them get anywhere near winning the ball. That puts more pressure on the midfield as the ball often ends up back with the opposition.
I’d have preferred to see Morgan come on over Lapslie, he looks to have more technical ability and vision to pick a pass, something we needed yesterday. Lapslie’s done well this season though, being a Charlton fan and the type of player he is you can guarantee he’ll put in an energetic performance whether he’s playing centrally or out wide.
I also like what Bowyer’s doing. The players are working hard for him and some such as KAG and Lapslie are much more confident. He’s neither too cautious to use young players like Slade was, or fixed on playing out from the back like Peters or Robinson. There’s more of a balance there. His football isn’t obviously attacking or defensive, direct or short, all about high pressing or standing off. He’s not stuck on the idea of one all purpose formation and style of play.
Would love to see what Bowyer can do with a proper budget and ambitious but realistic ownership.
It’s games like this that makes me think shopping with the wife is actually not that bad.
That’s why I believe a percentage of those ‘boycotting’ just had enough over the years of sitting through games like today
I definitely think the boycott is overstated. Charlton have been shedding fans every year since relegation from the Premier League. It's years and years of shit football. Why would anybody waste their time and money watching the rancid cack that passes for football at the valley? Roland is just the latest in a line of fuckwits who've flushed the club down the toilet thanks their inflated egos and staggering incompetence. If I didn't have the perverse belief that being miserable is a key part of being a football fan and you have to stick with your team through the worst times, I'd have found something else to do on saturday a long time ago.
There are some legs in this.
Once we got relegated from the Premier we gradually lost a lot of the people drawn to watching Charlton in the Premier league.
From 2007 for the next five rocky years a few more left bringing us down to about 18K, this was still a healthy figure even though we have lost about 9,000 fans. However, to lose another 5,000 since Dushitelet took over I am certain is primarily down to the off field troubles.
A lot of the 9K were "floating supporters", many of the 5K that have been lost since Roland took over were hardcore who had ST for years.
It’s games like this that makes me think shopping with the wife is actually not that bad.
That’s why I believe a percentage of those ‘boycotting’ just had enough over the years of sitting through games like today
I definitely think the boycott is overstated. Charlton have been shedding fans every year since relegation from the Premier League. It's years and years of shit football. Why would anybody waste their time and money watching the rancid cack that passes for football at the valley? Roland is just the latest in a line of fuckwits who've flushed the club down the toilet thanks their inflated egos and staggering incompetence. If I didn't have the perverse belief that being miserable is a key part of being a football fan and you have to stick with your team through the worst times, I'd have found something else to do on saturday a long time ago.
There are some legs in this.
Once we got relegated from the Premier we gradually lost a lot of the people drawn to watching Charlton in the Premier league.
From 2007 for the next five rocky years a few more left bringing us down to about 18K, this was still a healthy figure even though we have lost about 9,000 fans. However, to lose another 5,000 since Dushitelet took over I am certain is primarily down to the off field troubles.
A lot of the 9K were "floating supporters", many of the 5K that have been lost since Roland took over were hardcore who had ST for years.
Agreed. People that were not necessarily Charlton fans but wanting to watch Premier League football.
I know people that are not Charlton fans that still go nowadays.
We have a history of throwing crisps at The Valley. Back in the 80s one of the manufacturers held a promotion, giving out free bags at the turnstiles and employing scantily-dressed girls to parade the touchline before kick-off, lobbing bags into the crowd. However, the ungrateful Covered End returned fire, bombarding a nubile marketing girl with a battery of salt & vinegar. She burst into tears and ran for cover amid ribald cheers, pausing at the entrance of the tunnel to turn around – and aim an emphatic wanker sign at the Covered End.
Note that the guy on the tannoy yesterday had a pertinent word for the contestant in the Crossbar Challenge. “Strike the ball crisply,” he advised. It says something for our doldrums that the subs stopped their fitness routine to line up and shake the hand of Barry from Bexleyheath when he hit the bar and pocketed five grand.
The game had all the urgency and atmosphere of a training exercise. When was the last time the (inflated) official attendance sank to 8,810 for a league game at The Valley? The Fleetwood Cod Army might have come by minibus. Our midfield was stuttering and ponderous; Fleetwood put together more fluent and incisive moves. Aribo shows neat touches yet should be more aggressive and power forward instead of passing sideways. We miss the creativity of Fosu, and Pratley is not a replacement. Bielik played well again, and has the vision to advance from defence and pass to forward runners.
We lack flair and surprise. Attacking free-kicks are inevitably aimed at the love train - the queue of players jostling and goosing each other on the edge of the box - when a short ball to a recipient sprinting from the pack might carve a better opening. Finesse is a low priority under Bowyer and Jackson; our style of play is 'meat and two veg' - without much meat.
I am not as cynical as my neighbour, who has been watching Charlton since 1959 and has already seen enough of Taylor and Grant to decide they won’t score enough goals for promotion. Well, there’s Igor, who is even shorter than Ajose and might surpass the one goal in 22 games achieved in his previous spell with us. We have scored four goals in the last eight games.
My pal salvaged a packet of Tesco cheese & onion and munched them with his pint in the Hare & Billet after the game. His verdict: “Tasty. But not as good as Walker’s.”
Didn't go. Sounds like a very dull game, so everyone is on a downer. From Tuesday's perspective, I think the team is about as good as last year, maybe a bit stronger so there is no reason to suppose why we cannot be contenders again, especially with Bow in charge instead of Robbo. Cullen should help to create goals and our returning players will give everyone a boost. We need Grant to crack in one from 20 yards and his confidence will be up again. So, I'm hopeful that the team will be alright but I am not planning to go again until we have a new owner.
I cant see how we could even finish mid table at the moment ,5pts from 5,if we carry on at this rate that equates to 45pts from 45;thats not mid table.
We're still missing our creative players - so really it's too soon to make judgement.
We can't "even finish mid-table at the moment". It's still only August and we've 41 matches yet to play. Even so, right now the table says there are 10 sides worse than us.
Phillips: again made goal & match saving contributions Bauer: patchy Bielik: excellent in both roles Sarr: terrifyingly bad on several occasions, almost cost us 3 times, will he never learn? in between fuck ups he's kind of OK Solly: very decent Marshall: no pace, can't tackle, can't pass, can't cross, expends a ton of energy to no discernible effect Aribo: given a role he's not really equipped for, flashes of his talent but he's mostly wasted in this line up, ties hard Pratley: we'd be fucked so far this season without him, makes the absolute most of what he has, invaluable experience in this threadbare squad, great signing Page: conference, at best, must only be in the match day squad cos there are literally no other left backs Taylor: needs to play the percentages a bit more, doesn't get a lot of service Grant: decision making is just wrong, wrong, wrong Vetokele: no service in his cameo but his elevated class and intelligence was immediately apparent, if he's back to anything like fit enough the team will be hugely improved, fewer chances will go begging
Phillips: again made goal & match saving contributions Bauer: patchy Bielik: excellent in both roles Sarr: terrifyingly bad on several occasions, almost cost us 3 times, will he never learn? in between fuck ups he's kind of OK Solly: very decent Marshall: no pace, can't tackle, can't pass, can't cross, expends a ton of energy to no discernible effect Aribo: given a role he's not really equipped for, flashes of his talent but he's mostly wasted in this line up, ties hard Pratley: we'd be fucked so far this season without him, makes the absolute most of what he has, invaluable experience in this threadbare squad, great signing Page: conference, at best, must only be in the match day squad cos there are literally no other left backs Taylor: needs to play the percentages a bit more, doesn't get a lot of service Grant: decision making is just wrong, wrong, wrong Vetokele: no service in his cameo but his elevated class and intelligence was immediately apparent, if he's back to anything like fit enough the team will be hugely improved, fewer chances will go begging
I enjoy reading you reviews and agree with this one, except for the Page bit. And Marshall, a bit, because he’s a nice bloke who tries hard.
We have a history of throwing crisps at The Valley. Back in the 80s one of the manufacturers held a promotion, giving out free bags at the turnstiles and employing scantily-dressed girls to parade the touchline before kick-off, lobbing bags into the crowd. However, the ungrateful Covered End returned fire, bombarding a nubile marketing girl with a battery of salt & vinegar. She burst into tears and ran for cover amid ribald cheers, pausing at the entrance of the tunnel to turn around – and aim an emphatic wanker sign at the Covered End.
Note that the guy on the tannoy yesterday had a pertinent word for the contestant in the Crossbar Challenge. “Strike the ball crisply,” he advised. It says something for our doldrums that the subs stopped their fitness routine to line up and shake the hand of Barry from Bexleyheath when he hit the bar and pocketed five grand.
The game had all the urgency and atmosphere of a training exercise. When was the last time the (inflated) official attendance sank to 8,810 for a league game at The Valley? The Fleetwood Cod Army might have come by minibus. Our midfield was stuttering and ponderous; Fleetwood put together more fluent and incisive moves. Aribo shows neat touches yet should be more aggressive and power forward instead of passing sideways. We miss the creativity of Fosu, and Pratley is not a replacement. Bielik played well again, and has the vision to advance from defence and pass to forward runners.
We lack flair and surprise. Attacking free-kicks are inevitably aimed at the love train - the queue of players jostling and goosing each other on the edge of the box - when a short ball to a recipient sprinting from the pack might carve a better opening. Finesse is a low priority under Bowyer and Jackson; our style of play is 'meat and two veg' - without much meat.
I am not as cynical as my neighbour, who has been watching Charlton since 1959 and has already seen enough of Taylor and Grant to decide they won’t score enough goals for promotion. Well, there’s Igor, who is even shorter than Ajose and might surpass the one goal in 22 games achieved in his previous spell with us. We have scored four goals in the last eight games.
My pal salvaged a packet of Tesco cheese & onion and munched them with his pint in the Hare & Billet after the game. His verdict: “Tasty. But not as good as Walker’s.”
I’m not so worried about Grant and Taylor. Four goals between them so far. I’m more concerned about the rest of the team, who between them haven’t even scored once.
Fun fact - Vetokele is actually slightly taller than Ajose
Phillips: again made goal & match saving contributions Bauer: patchy Bielik: excellent in both roles Sarr: terrifyingly bad on several occasions, almost cost us 3 times, will he never learn? in between fuck ups he's kind of OK Solly: very decent Marshall: no pace, can't tackle, can't pass, can't cross, expends a ton of energy to no discernible effect Aribo: given a role he's not really equipped for, flashes of his talent but he's mostly wasted in this line up, ties hard Pratley: we'd be fucked so far this season without him, makes the absolute most of what he has, invaluable experience in this threadbare squad, great signing Page: conference, at best, must only be in the match day squad cos there are literally no other left backs Taylor: needs to play the percentages a bit more, doesn't get a lot of service Grant: decision making is just wrong, wrong, wrong Vetokele: no service in his cameo but his elevated class and intelligence was immediately apparent, if he's back to anything like fit enough the team will be hugely improved, fewer chances will go begging
Really !!! ???? I can only say you must have been at a totally different game as me and most other posters on here. Good defensively as well as going forward. My MOTM along with Bielik.
Never thought i would say this, but i feel sorry for Ajose. On Tuesday he came on and galvanised the side but today when we were crying out for someone to make something happen he was ignored. Im all for a fit Vetokele being chosen over Ajose but he is at the begining of his rehabilitation.
Ajose has evidently done something to upset Bowyer; He was a regular last season. I'm not a huge fan but he did play well on Tuesday
Phillips: again made goal & match saving contributions Bauer: patchy Bielik: excellent in both roles Sarr: terrifyingly bad on several occasions, almost cost us 3 times, will he never learn? in between fuck ups he's kind of OK Solly: very decent Marshall: no pace, can't tackle, can't pass, can't cross, expends a ton of energy to no discernible effect Aribo: given a role he's not really equipped for, flashes of his talent but he's mostly wasted in this line up, ties hard Pratley: we'd be fucked so far this season without him, makes the absolute most of what he has, invaluable experience in this threadbare squad, great signing Page: conference, at best, must only be in the match day squad cos there are literally no other left backs Taylor: needs to play the percentages a bit more, doesn't get a lot of service Grant: decision making is just wrong, wrong, wrong Vetokele: no service in his cameo but his elevated class and intelligence was immediately apparent, if he's back to anything like fit enough the team will be hugely improved, fewer chances will go begging
Really !!! ???? I can only say you must have been at a totally different game as me and most other posters on here. Good defensively as well as going forward. My MOTM along with Bielik.
Agree with redchaser,about dead ball kicks,but it is not only us,in the top divisions players consistently cant clear the first defender.I have no doubt most of us have played at some level,and it never seemed particularly hard to kick a ball 30-40 yards to the far post with no one trying to stop you.Why should it be a specialist skill when it is the basic skill of kicking a ball.Dont know why Ajose didnt get on after his perfoemance on tuesday.
Agree with redchaser,about dead ball kicks,but it is not only us,in the top divisions players consistently cant clear the first defender.I have no doubt most of us have played at some level,and it never seemed particularly hard to kick a ball 30-40 yards to the far post with no one trying to stop you.Why should it be a specialist skill when it is the basic skill of kicking a ball.Dont know why Ajose didnt get on after his perfoemance on tuesday.
Viewfinder wasn't that the 90s...against Birmingham Aug 1993...(I mem sitting behind Karen Brady whilst game was on),only at that time I was working for a company that distributed GW crisps,and I was also working alongside them scantily clad girls at the Valley (work & play was great..;) ) There was banter then from all sides of the ground,but it was when the changing rooms & function rooms were in the cabins...(not tunnel) either way,comforting some of them said upset girls was a hard job,but someone had to do it...:)
Soz may have happened in the 80's too,but reading your post reminded me of some pretty good times working for GW specially at that particular time...sigh...!!!
Viewfinder wasn't that the 90s...against Birmingham Aug 1993...(I mem sitting behind Karen Brady whilst game was on),only at that time I was working for a company that distributed GW crisps,and I was also working alongside them scantily clad girls at the Valley (work & play was great..;) ) There was banter then from all sides of the ground,but it was when the changing rooms & function rooms were in the cabins...(not tunnel) either way,comforting some of them said upset girls was a hard job,but someone had to do it...:)
Soz may have happened in the 80's too,but reading your post reminded me of some pretty good times working for GW specially at that particular time...sigh...!!!
Yes, I reckon you have nailed it, Northheath. I do recall it was a bright sunny day early in the season; have checked my records and Birmingham was the first home game of 1993-94; we won 1-0 with a rare goal from Phil Chapple. My memory might be playing tricks about the tunnel - but not about the hand gesture! Am I right in thinking that security fences were up in those days, which made hitting the nubile target a bit harder? Anyway, it was very considerate of you to put a consoling arm around the girls. Funnily enough, I'm reading Nabokov's 'Lolita' at the moment...
The East Stand opened on 2 Apr 94 - the famous 4-3 victory against Southend (3-0 up, then 3-3, then Pardew broke away in the last minute to make it 4-3.
Surprisingly the back end of 93/94 and the start of 94/95 were characterised by Valley crowds of 8-9000. The new East Stand made no immediate impact on attendances.
CAFC 3-0 Watford on 1 Oct 94 was climaxed by one of DWWW's very best goals. I was guesting a Hornet - yessss!!
Increasing the stadium capacity did not by itself generate better gates. A very promising 93/94, including a superb Cup run, just fizzled out, and 94/95 - albeit with some good moments - was plain average. Hence T10K.
First home game Aug 94 vs Barnsley. Mostly dismal drawn games. Addicks first-minute "attack" immediately fizzled out with a Barnsley goal kick. TBBM leapt to his feet - "I've had enough of this garbage. I'm serious. Who wants a season ticket?!" 30 seconds into the new season .... always special days at The Valley. (There were no takers, btw.)
The East Stand opened on 2 Apr 94 - the famous 4-3 victory against Southend (3-0 up, then 3-3, then Pardew broke away in the last minute to make it 4-3.
Surprisingly the back end of 93/94 and the start of 94/95 were characterised by Valley crowds of 8-9000. The new East Stand made no immediate impact on attendances.
CAFC 3-0 Watford on 1 Oct 94 was climaxed by one of DWWW's very best goals. I was guesting a Hornet - yessss!!
The first permanent seating in the West Stand was then done in the summer of 94, giving us 15000 permanent seats (but still with portacabin changing rooms and lounges!)
94/95 was a strange one. Despite some poor performances and results gates did begin to pick up. I lived in Lansdowne Lane overlooking the stadium, and in those days could see Floyd Road, Ransom Walk and Charlton Lane from my flat. On 21 Feb 95, a poor Tuesday night vs Tranmere, it was astonishing to see how many were going to the game. It came to 11900, and Tranmere, although they were going well, brought only a handful. Naturally, in front of a good-sized crowd we lost 0-1 to a late Pat Nevin goal.
That season - Brown, Robinson, Keith Jones, Walsh, Whyte, Rufus, BFP, Nelse, Mortimer, Leeeabuurn - and early Bowyer!!
There is a principle in all levels of football and that is a successful team has to have goals through the team. That doesn't just mean strikers. At the moment, we seem short in this. But Aribo has shown he can score goals, Fosu coming back should help and our centre halves have scored a reasonable number for their position, so maybe things will improve.
94/95 was a strange one. Despite some poor performances and results gates did begin to pick up. I lived in Lansdowne Lane overlooking the stadium, and in those days could see Floyd Road, Ransom Walk and Charlton Lane from my flat. On 21 Feb 95, a poor Tuesday night vs Tranmere, it was astonishing to see how many were going to the game. It came to 11900, and Tranmere, although they were going well, brought only a handful. Naturally, in front of a good-sized crowd we lost 0-1 to a late Pat Nevin goal.
That season - Brown, Robinson, Keith Jones, Walsh, Whyte, Rufus, BFP, Nelse, Mortimer, Leeeabuurn - and early Bowyer!!
Oh how that line has summarised our Charlton supporting experience...
Comments
Once this clown goes hopefully the new board will recognise what the fans can do for them, a shame that this was poo pooed in January 2014.
When I had a season ticket if quite often blow games out due to hangovers, getting caught at work, having the hump however I'd always renew regardless of how we played (A decade of shite punctuated with a couple of good seasons under Powell)
You can't be a Charlton fan and have high expectations, all I've ever wanted is for our players to give it large and compete. Leave it all on the pitch. If they do that I'm happy and can accept losing
What this maniacal arseclown has done is make me hate. I hate his stupid network player sharing idea, I hate the fact he doesn't give a shit because he is so obscenely wealthy he doesn't have to. I hate the fact people are divided, I hate the fact he told us this was going to happen the moment he arrived and it took so many people so long to see this is what would happen. I hate the fact he sacked Chris Powell, sold Dale Stephens and Yann and heaped some players who made me genuinely question if they were professional footballers
Defensively we were solid. Sarr was comfortable on the ball while Page looks a solid player now and good going forward.
The midfield needs to improve, whether that’s players stepping up or more likely different players coming in.
Pratley works hard but isn’t there as a creative or goal scoring threat. Marshall also works hard but looks an ordinary League 1 player. Bielik looks talented but he’s a defensive player.
That leaves Aribo as the main attacking player in the midfield. Easy to forget he’s a young player himself still developing. He’s only had one full season as a first team player. Without all these injuries and a bigger squad he might not even be starting. He has great close control but to me he doesn’t yet look a regular goal or creative threat.
At least we have Fosu, Clarke, Reeves and hopefully Cullen and a winger/striker coming in. Bowyer’s mainly using 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 diamond to fit the midfielders we have in.
The midfield badly needs the option of pace and width. We need one or two players that will turn opponents, take defenders on, make runs in behind etc. In Fosu we have one player that offers that. Could really do with another. An attacking right wing back would be useful as an alternative to Solly, but without a takeover there’s no chance of that in this window.
I like our front two and Igor gives us another good option. However a big weakness is their lack of ability in the air. They’ve both scored a header but when we go long neither of them get anywhere near winning the ball. That puts more pressure on the midfield as the ball often ends up back with the opposition.
I’d have preferred to see Morgan come on over Lapslie, he looks to have more technical ability and vision to pick a pass, something we needed yesterday. Lapslie’s done well this season though, being a Charlton fan and the type of player he is you can guarantee he’ll put in an energetic performance whether he’s playing centrally or out wide.
I also like what Bowyer’s doing. The players are working hard for him and some such as KAG and Lapslie are much more confident. He’s neither too cautious to use young players like Slade was, or fixed on playing out from the back like Peters or Robinson. There’s more of a balance there. His football isn’t obviously attacking or defensive, direct or short, all about high pressing or standing off. He’s not stuck on the idea of one all purpose formation and style of play.
Would love to see what Bowyer can do with a proper budget and ambitious but realistic ownership.
I know people that are not Charlton fans that still go nowadays.
Note that the guy on the tannoy yesterday had a pertinent word for the contestant in the Crossbar Challenge. “Strike the ball crisply,” he advised. It says something for our doldrums that the subs stopped their fitness routine to line up and shake the hand of Barry from Bexleyheath when he hit the bar and pocketed five grand.
The game had all the urgency and atmosphere of a training exercise. When was the last time the (inflated) official attendance sank to 8,810 for a league game at The Valley? The Fleetwood Cod Army might have come by minibus. Our midfield was stuttering and ponderous; Fleetwood put together more fluent and incisive moves. Aribo shows neat touches yet should be more aggressive and power forward instead of passing sideways. We miss the creativity of Fosu, and Pratley is not a replacement. Bielik played well again, and has the vision to advance from defence and pass to forward runners.
We lack flair and surprise. Attacking free-kicks are inevitably aimed at the love train - the queue of players jostling and goosing each other on the edge of the box - when a short ball to a recipient sprinting from the pack might carve a better opening. Finesse is a low priority under Bowyer and Jackson; our style of play is 'meat and two veg' - without much meat.
I am not as cynical as my neighbour, who has been watching Charlton since 1959 and has already seen enough of Taylor and Grant to decide they won’t score enough goals for promotion. Well, there’s Igor, who is even shorter than Ajose and might surpass the one goal in 22 games achieved in his previous spell with us. We have scored four goals in the last eight games.
My pal salvaged a packet of Tesco cheese & onion and munched them with his pint in the Hare & Billet after the game. His verdict: “Tasty. But not as good as Walker’s.”
Roland doesn't do failure, what the f??? is this!!
We can't "even finish mid-table at the moment". It's still only August and we've 41 matches yet to play.
Even so, right now the table says there are 10 sides worse than us.
And that we're 3 points from the play offs.
Bauer: patchy
Bielik: excellent in both roles
Sarr: terrifyingly bad on several occasions, almost cost us 3 times, will he never learn? in between fuck ups he's kind of OK
Solly: very decent
Marshall: no pace, can't tackle, can't pass, can't cross, expends a ton of energy to no discernible effect
Aribo: given a role he's not really equipped for, flashes of his talent but he's mostly wasted in this line up, ties hard
Pratley: we'd be fucked so far this season without him, makes the absolute most of what he has, invaluable experience in this threadbare squad, great signing
Page: conference, at best, must only be in the match day squad cos there are literally no other left backs
Taylor: needs to play the percentages a bit more, doesn't get a lot of service
Grant: decision making is just wrong, wrong, wrong
Vetokele: no service in his cameo but his elevated class and intelligence was immediately apparent, if he's back to anything like fit enough the team will be hugely improved, fewer chances will go begging
Fun fact - Vetokele is actually slightly taller than Ajose
There was banter then from all sides of the ground,but it was when the changing rooms & function rooms were in the cabins...(not tunnel) either way,comforting some of them said upset girls was a hard job,but someone had to do it...:)
Soz may have happened in the 80's too,but reading your post reminded me of some pretty good times working for GW specially at that particular time...sigh...!!!
The East Stand opened on 2 Apr 94 - the famous 4-3 victory against Southend (3-0 up, then 3-3, then Pardew broke away in the last minute to make it 4-3.
Surprisingly the back end of 93/94 and the start of 94/95 were characterised by Valley crowds of 8-9000. The new East Stand made no immediate impact on attendances.
CAFC 3-0 Watford on 1 Oct 94 was climaxed by one of DWWW's very best goals. I was guesting a Hornet - yessss!!
I hadn't remembered exactly when the East Stand had opened.
I do remember Target 10,000 though -and people working hard to increase attendances.
Increasing the stadium capacity did not by itself generate better gates. A very promising 93/94, including a superb Cup run, just fizzled out, and 94/95 - albeit with some good moments - was plain average. Hence T10K.
First home game Aug 94 vs Barnsley. Mostly dismal drawn games. Addicks first-minute "attack" immediately fizzled out with a Barnsley goal kick. TBBM leapt to his feet - "I've had enough of this garbage. I'm serious. Who wants a season ticket?!" 30 seconds into the new season .... always special days at The Valley. (There were no takers, btw.)
94/95 was a strange one. Despite some poor performances and results gates did begin to pick up. I lived in Lansdowne Lane overlooking the stadium, and in those days could see Floyd Road, Ransom Walk and Charlton Lane from my flat. On 21 Feb 95, a poor Tuesday night vs Tranmere, it was astonishing to see how many were going to the game. It came to 11900, and Tranmere, although they were going well, brought only a handful. Naturally, in front of a good-sized crowd we lost 0-1 to a late Pat Nevin goal.
That season - Brown, Robinson, Keith Jones, Walsh, Whyte, Rufus, BFP, Nelse, Mortimer, Leeeabuurn - and early Bowyer!!