Support your local team
Tomorrow night I will go to see Charlton play the team favoured by many of my neighbours, Aston Villa. Such are the tensions between Leamington and Coventry that my guess would be that more Spa residents support the Birmingham team which is, in any case, a genuinely West Midlands regional team (unlike Birmingham City whose support has a narrower geographical base). When I first came to live in Leamington in the early 1970s, a line of coaches was to be found in the Parade ready to transport supporters to Villa Park whenever there was a home match.
I must say that the local Villa give good parties. And I have some sympathy for a team that is punching below its weight, according to most Villa supporters because of the policies of 'deadly' Doug Ellis. Indeed, now and then I have been invited to comment on the situation at Villa on regional radio. But there my sympathy for Villa fans ends.
Away matches at Villa have not ended well for us in the Premiership, apart from during our first season in the top division. With Steve Brown making a superb save in goal after after Petterson had been sent off on 80 minutes, Danny Mills made it 4-3 to the Addicks on 89 minutes. Watching in the early morning Pacific time from a sports bar in Seattle where I was working at the time I felt that we might still remain in the Premiership, but it all went sour on the final Saturday.
Given our recent away record at Villa (the Independent on Sunday picked up the story at one match when Bob the Dog gave the Silver Bone to spectator Shaun Newton) and Charlton's recent form, another defeat might seem to be the inevitable conclusion. It would be a particularly bitter pill to swallow if Carthorse Cole scored the winning goal. However, each match starts 0-0 and with the Charlton following reduced to the faithful Addickted, Charlton may yet surprise us.
El Karkouri will be back in defence and our seasonal slide started when he was sent off. Fortune and Young remain doubtful, but Kishishev could come in at right back (indeed Holland can also play there). Some refreshing of the midfield would be in order with questions being asked about whether Matt Holland is 100 per cent fit.
Charlton have taken an average of just nine points from the 30 available every season since 1998/99. That even includes 1999/2000 when we won the Football League Championship, eventually stumbling across the line with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.
I don't accept the idea that the players switch off once safety is reached. There is a rough relationship between a club's resources and its position in competitive football (the guys at the Football Governance Research Centre could show you some good regression equations on this). Some teams over perform through good management, e.g., Crewe. Others punch below their weight because of mismanagement, e.g., Leeds.
Charlton are actually a team that have out performed their resource base. There are just two ways forward. The prudent, patient approach of the current board which can seem frustratingly slow at times, particularly now when we have reached a plateau. Or the 'quick fix' of a wealthy external buyer, a scenario that many fans would not like, but is not as remote a possibility as some people believe.
For now we have to hope that the team will find that extra something to up their performance at Villa. Even a draw would be a step forward!
I must say that the local Villa give good parties. And I have some sympathy for a team that is punching below its weight, according to most Villa supporters because of the policies of 'deadly' Doug Ellis. Indeed, now and then I have been invited to comment on the situation at Villa on regional radio. But there my sympathy for Villa fans ends.
Away matches at Villa have not ended well for us in the Premiership, apart from during our first season in the top division. With Steve Brown making a superb save in goal after after Petterson had been sent off on 80 minutes, Danny Mills made it 4-3 to the Addicks on 89 minutes. Watching in the early morning Pacific time from a sports bar in Seattle where I was working at the time I felt that we might still remain in the Premiership, but it all went sour on the final Saturday.
Given our recent away record at Villa (the Independent on Sunday picked up the story at one match when Bob the Dog gave the Silver Bone to spectator Shaun Newton) and Charlton's recent form, another defeat might seem to be the inevitable conclusion. It would be a particularly bitter pill to swallow if Carthorse Cole scored the winning goal. However, each match starts 0-0 and with the Charlton following reduced to the faithful Addickted, Charlton may yet surprise us.
El Karkouri will be back in defence and our seasonal slide started when he was sent off. Fortune and Young remain doubtful, but Kishishev could come in at right back (indeed Holland can also play there). Some refreshing of the midfield would be in order with questions being asked about whether Matt Holland is 100 per cent fit.
Charlton have taken an average of just nine points from the 30 available every season since 1998/99. That even includes 1999/2000 when we won the Football League Championship, eventually stumbling across the line with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.
I don't accept the idea that the players switch off once safety is reached. There is a rough relationship between a club's resources and its position in competitive football (the guys at the Football Governance Research Centre could show you some good regression equations on this). Some teams over perform through good management, e.g., Crewe. Others punch below their weight because of mismanagement, e.g., Leeds.
Charlton are actually a team that have out performed their resource base. There are just two ways forward. The prudent, patient approach of the current board which can seem frustratingly slow at times, particularly now when we have reached a plateau. Or the 'quick fix' of a wealthy external buyer, a scenario that many fans would not like, but is not as remote a possibility as some people believe.
For now we have to hope that the team will find that extra something to up their performance at Villa. Even a draw would be a step forward!
posted by Wyn Grant at 5:30 PM
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