The season comes to a close
As I was about to set out for The Valley on Saturday morning, I received an E mail from the president of Leamington Football Club urging me as a vice-president to come to Harbury Lane for that afternoon's vital match. The Brakes demolished Alveston 7-0 to win the Midlands Combination Premiership title and secure Travel Factory Midland Alliance football and a FA Cup place for next season. Charlton lost 1-2 to Bolton, meaning that their season will end in mid-table obscurity.
Was I in the wrong place? No, and not just because Alveston is a team almost literally made up of boys. Although the result against Bolton gave new ammunition to the moaners, I thought that Charlton played much more effectively than they had against Portsmouth. Indeed, if a controversial early penalty had not put the Whites 1-0 ahead, the result might have been very different.
As it was, the injustice of the penalty stimulated Charlton to level the scores before the half hour. But the match went a bit flat after that and Bolton were allowed to go ahead in the second half through a soft goal scored by El Hadj Diouf just after he had come as substitute. A storming conclusion to the match by the Addicks failed to bring an equaliser.
My Centenary shirt not having brought me much luck at The Valley this season, I decided to wear a River Plate shirt given to me by an Argentinian friend. Of course, such things have no connection with the result, but football fans are notorious for such superstitions. Arriving early at the pub, having driven down, unconfirmed rumours suggested that the club wanted to re-locate the street party from its historically redolent site to the West Stand car park. It was alleged that one motivation was to give the club more control over the event.
Charlton seemed to be showing more appetite in the spring sunshine than they had for several weeks. An early blow happened when Jonathan Fortune was injured after an accidental collision with Matt Holland. He was helped off looking groggy and it was subsequently revealed that he had suffered a broken nose. However, just as in the old days when Ufton played with the more serious injury of a regularly dislocated shoulder, Fortune soldiered on. This was just as well, as with the up to then ever present Luke Young injured, the defensive side of the Charlton bench was somewhat threadbare with Barry Fuller named as a substitute.
Barely five minutes had passed when referee Wiley awarded a penalty to the visitors. At first I thought he had blown up for a free kick in our favour. I didn't see the incident, but it appears that the ball struck the Herminator's arm low down. Whether it is ball to hand or hand to ball is a matter for the referee's judgement. However, incidents such as these do reinforce the call for some use of video technology in the game. To those who object that the game would be slowed up, my answer (as already advocated on Casino Avenue courtesy of Inspector Sands) would be to allow managers one appeal for or against a penalty per game, this wild card to be known as a 'Strachan'. In any event, Jay-Jay Okocha efficiently drove the ball past Deano to make it 0-1.
Jaaskelainen's name in Finnish means 'the one who catches falling trees with his bare hands' and I have always rated him as one of the better keepers in the Premiership and an important element in Bolton's success. However, he did not seem to be on top form and managed to spill the ball. In the resulting confusion, Danny Murphy managed to get hold of the ball and put in a powerful shot which was only just over the bar.
Charlton were awarded a free kick, but instead of having an attempt on goal, Murphy tried to connect with Charlton players in the area, leading to an offside decision. Bolton were given a free kick against Fortune, but Rommedahl impressively took the ball off them the moment it was played. Bolton were then awarded a second free kick which seemed to have little justification and Deano punched the ball out. With Wanderers awarded another free kick, the chant broke out 'If you hate the ref, stand up.' This may have had some effect because the Sunday Times argues that a number of dubious decisions subsequently went the way of the Addicks.
Rommedahl won Charlton a corner but it was unproductive. The Herminator managed to miss the ball, but fortunately this incident was not repeated throughout the game as it has been in recent matches. A free kick was awarded against Perry and he gave the East Stand linesman a mouthful that led to a yellow card. The Herminator cleared the ball from the Bolton free kick.
Charlton won a couple of corners, the second thanks to Rommedahl again and then Murphy drew a save from the keeper. Charlton kept up the pressure and, hassled by Jeffers, Jasskelainen handled outside the area. No card was awarded because of a lack of intent. From the resultant free kick, Jeffers equalised.
As Chris Perry was called on for good defensive work, the chant went up 'You've only got twelve men' (or 'thirteen', shouted one wag). Okocha fouled Hughes to an extent that earned him a telling off from referee Wiley who seemed to find aspects of the match amusing. Wanderers continued to showed a capacity to look dangerous with a shot that went just over the bar. Thomas put in an excellent cross right in front of the Bolton goal, but no one was able to connect. He then won Charlton a corner, but the Herminator was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
Half time: Addicks 1, Whites 1
Rommedahl provided some early pressure and this led to an opportunity for Konchesky from distance, but unfortunately he dragged his shot wide. A Wanderers free kick went just over. The Bloke Behind Me was screaming that we should get our umbrellas out and I wondered what he was talking about until I saw that spitting champion Diouf was about to come on.
Nevertheless, he is a good footballer and it says something about the strength of Bolton's squad that he was available on the bench. In no time at all, Bolton had set up a move that allowed hin to score. Stelios 'my name is too big for my shirt' put in a cross, Speed nodded the ball into the area and Diouf connected with a header that looped past Deano. Although it was a well worked move, a decent defence should have stopped it at some stage. Although Charlton then fought hard to find the equaliser, they were always in danger of conceding a third goal as they forged forward.
Thomas went on a good run, but he was obstructed by Ben Haim who received a yellow card. The free kick bounced off the Bolton wall. Rommedahl made a good run, but it was unproductive. Thomas was taken off in favour of JJ who almost immediately managed to give the ball away. Rommedahl displayed his pace again, but a Hughes error meant that the move broke down. Bolton still looked threatening with Deano making a good save with his hands. A Wanderers shot went just wide of Deano's post.
Charlton won a corner, but the shot went over. Rommedahl then played the ball to Holland who run the corner. The Herminator's effort was on target but was saved on the line with relative ease by the keeper. Then it was Wanderers turn to win a corner but Deano saved from the corner.
Candela was withdrawn by Bolton and Ricardo Gardner came on. A run from JJ won Charlton a throw in but the subsequent effort from Murphy went over. Curbs then played hs final cards, briniging on Euell and Kishishev in place of Hughes and Konchesky. Four minutes of time added on gave Charlton a last chance during which time they won more two corners. However, in effect they had been chasing the game since the early penalty. When Charlton concede the first goal, they rarely recover.
Charlton played better than they did against the Massives or Pompey, but they weren't good enough to hold Wanderers to a draw. When you look at the Wanderers team, they seem to make more use of foreign players from a variety of locations. Charlton's formula is English + Irish + South African + Nordic countries (the one exception being El Karkouri who we have sorely missed). When Curbs does eventually leave, which I hope will be not yet, I would like Charlton to have a foreign manager. But I know that Charlton is too conservative a club to make the step which many Premiership clubs recognise as necessary in an era of globalised football.
Match analysis
Match analyst Hooch the Pooch had no hesitation in awarding the Silver Bone to Dennis Rommedahl. This was the best performance yet by him in a Charlton shirt and he may yet come to be known as a great Dane. Deano made a couple of good saves and was not at fault for the goal. Perry had a cracking game and my opinion of him goes up for mouthing off at the incompetent East Stand linesman. Hreidarsson had a better game than he has had for many weeks and probably had more shots on goal than anyone. Konchesky did his best in an unfamiliar position and I was surprised to see him taken off. Thomas displayed moments of sublime skill, but this was not one of his better games. He hugged the touchline too much. Holland was anonymous for much of the game, but contributed more in the last quarter of an hour.
Hughes did not contribute that much and often detracted from potentially good moves. Murphy generally had a good game, but still drifts out now and then. Jeffers was up for it, showed some real skill and took his goal well. The Bloke Beside Me has little time for JJ and his performance suggests that he is right. His head went down too easily. Kishishev is a player that divides fans but he showed real spirit and determination when he came on. Euell contributed very little during his short spell on the pitch.
Hiss of the Match This has been given by Juneau the Soccer Cat to the East Stand linesman who was so bad that even a special visit to Specsavers would not remedy his problems. He appeared to be suffering from a cold, but he also suffered from a lack of understanding of the rules of the game or at least their fair application.
Crowd rating The crowd was generally subdued, although roused to anger by some of the decisions by the officials. 5/10.H
Was I in the wrong place? No, and not just because Alveston is a team almost literally made up of boys. Although the result against Bolton gave new ammunition to the moaners, I thought that Charlton played much more effectively than they had against Portsmouth. Indeed, if a controversial early penalty had not put the Whites 1-0 ahead, the result might have been very different.
As it was, the injustice of the penalty stimulated Charlton to level the scores before the half hour. But the match went a bit flat after that and Bolton were allowed to go ahead in the second half through a soft goal scored by El Hadj Diouf just after he had come as substitute. A storming conclusion to the match by the Addicks failed to bring an equaliser.
My Centenary shirt not having brought me much luck at The Valley this season, I decided to wear a River Plate shirt given to me by an Argentinian friend. Of course, such things have no connection with the result, but football fans are notorious for such superstitions. Arriving early at the pub, having driven down, unconfirmed rumours suggested that the club wanted to re-locate the street party from its historically redolent site to the West Stand car park. It was alleged that one motivation was to give the club more control over the event.
Charlton seemed to be showing more appetite in the spring sunshine than they had for several weeks. An early blow happened when Jonathan Fortune was injured after an accidental collision with Matt Holland. He was helped off looking groggy and it was subsequently revealed that he had suffered a broken nose. However, just as in the old days when Ufton played with the more serious injury of a regularly dislocated shoulder, Fortune soldiered on. This was just as well, as with the up to then ever present Luke Young injured, the defensive side of the Charlton bench was somewhat threadbare with Barry Fuller named as a substitute.
Barely five minutes had passed when referee Wiley awarded a penalty to the visitors. At first I thought he had blown up for a free kick in our favour. I didn't see the incident, but it appears that the ball struck the Herminator's arm low down. Whether it is ball to hand or hand to ball is a matter for the referee's judgement. However, incidents such as these do reinforce the call for some use of video technology in the game. To those who object that the game would be slowed up, my answer (as already advocated on Casino Avenue courtesy of Inspector Sands) would be to allow managers one appeal for or against a penalty per game, this wild card to be known as a 'Strachan'. In any event, Jay-Jay Okocha efficiently drove the ball past Deano to make it 0-1.
Jaaskelainen's name in Finnish means 'the one who catches falling trees with his bare hands' and I have always rated him as one of the better keepers in the Premiership and an important element in Bolton's success. However, he did not seem to be on top form and managed to spill the ball. In the resulting confusion, Danny Murphy managed to get hold of the ball and put in a powerful shot which was only just over the bar.
Charlton were awarded a free kick, but instead of having an attempt on goal, Murphy tried to connect with Charlton players in the area, leading to an offside decision. Bolton were given a free kick against Fortune, but Rommedahl impressively took the ball off them the moment it was played. Bolton were then awarded a second free kick which seemed to have little justification and Deano punched the ball out. With Wanderers awarded another free kick, the chant broke out 'If you hate the ref, stand up.' This may have had some effect because the Sunday Times argues that a number of dubious decisions subsequently went the way of the Addicks.
Rommedahl won Charlton a corner but it was unproductive. The Herminator managed to miss the ball, but fortunately this incident was not repeated throughout the game as it has been in recent matches. A free kick was awarded against Perry and he gave the East Stand linesman a mouthful that led to a yellow card. The Herminator cleared the ball from the Bolton free kick.
Charlton won a couple of corners, the second thanks to Rommedahl again and then Murphy drew a save from the keeper. Charlton kept up the pressure and, hassled by Jeffers, Jasskelainen handled outside the area. No card was awarded because of a lack of intent. From the resultant free kick, Jeffers equalised.
As Chris Perry was called on for good defensive work, the chant went up 'You've only got twelve men' (or 'thirteen', shouted one wag). Okocha fouled Hughes to an extent that earned him a telling off from referee Wiley who seemed to find aspects of the match amusing. Wanderers continued to showed a capacity to look dangerous with a shot that went just over the bar. Thomas put in an excellent cross right in front of the Bolton goal, but no one was able to connect. He then won Charlton a corner, but the Herminator was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
Half time: Addicks 1, Whites 1
Rommedahl provided some early pressure and this led to an opportunity for Konchesky from distance, but unfortunately he dragged his shot wide. A Wanderers free kick went just over. The Bloke Behind Me was screaming that we should get our umbrellas out and I wondered what he was talking about until I saw that spitting champion Diouf was about to come on.
Nevertheless, he is a good footballer and it says something about the strength of Bolton's squad that he was available on the bench. In no time at all, Bolton had set up a move that allowed hin to score. Stelios 'my name is too big for my shirt' put in a cross, Speed nodded the ball into the area and Diouf connected with a header that looped past Deano. Although it was a well worked move, a decent defence should have stopped it at some stage. Although Charlton then fought hard to find the equaliser, they were always in danger of conceding a third goal as they forged forward.
Thomas went on a good run, but he was obstructed by Ben Haim who received a yellow card. The free kick bounced off the Bolton wall. Rommedahl made a good run, but it was unproductive. Thomas was taken off in favour of JJ who almost immediately managed to give the ball away. Rommedahl displayed his pace again, but a Hughes error meant that the move broke down. Bolton still looked threatening with Deano making a good save with his hands. A Wanderers shot went just wide of Deano's post.
Charlton won a corner, but the shot went over. Rommedahl then played the ball to Holland who run the corner. The Herminator's effort was on target but was saved on the line with relative ease by the keeper. Then it was Wanderers turn to win a corner but Deano saved from the corner.
Candela was withdrawn by Bolton and Ricardo Gardner came on. A run from JJ won Charlton a throw in but the subsequent effort from Murphy went over. Curbs then played hs final cards, briniging on Euell and Kishishev in place of Hughes and Konchesky. Four minutes of time added on gave Charlton a last chance during which time they won more two corners. However, in effect they had been chasing the game since the early penalty. When Charlton concede the first goal, they rarely recover.
Charlton played better than they did against the Massives or Pompey, but they weren't good enough to hold Wanderers to a draw. When you look at the Wanderers team, they seem to make more use of foreign players from a variety of locations. Charlton's formula is English + Irish + South African + Nordic countries (the one exception being El Karkouri who we have sorely missed). When Curbs does eventually leave, which I hope will be not yet, I would like Charlton to have a foreign manager. But I know that Charlton is too conservative a club to make the step which many Premiership clubs recognise as necessary in an era of globalised football.
Match analysis
Match analyst Hooch the Pooch had no hesitation in awarding the Silver Bone to Dennis Rommedahl. This was the best performance yet by him in a Charlton shirt and he may yet come to be known as a great Dane. Deano made a couple of good saves and was not at fault for the goal. Perry had a cracking game and my opinion of him goes up for mouthing off at the incompetent East Stand linesman. Hreidarsson had a better game than he has had for many weeks and probably had more shots on goal than anyone. Konchesky did his best in an unfamiliar position and I was surprised to see him taken off. Thomas displayed moments of sublime skill, but this was not one of his better games. He hugged the touchline too much. Holland was anonymous for much of the game, but contributed more in the last quarter of an hour.
Hughes did not contribute that much and often detracted from potentially good moves. Murphy generally had a good game, but still drifts out now and then. Jeffers was up for it, showed some real skill and took his goal well. The Bloke Beside Me has little time for JJ and his performance suggests that he is right. His head went down too easily. Kishishev is a player that divides fans but he showed real spirit and determination when he came on. Euell contributed very little during his short spell on the pitch.
Hiss of the Match This has been given by Juneau the Soccer Cat to the East Stand linesman who was so bad that even a special visit to Specsavers would not remedy his problems. He appeared to be suffering from a cold, but he also suffered from a lack of understanding of the rules of the game or at least their fair application.
Crowd rating The crowd was generally subdued, although roused to anger by some of the decisions by the officials. 5/10.H
posted by Wyn Grant at 7:32 PM
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