Charlton loses its innocence
Charlton has lost its innocence proclaims the Financial Times today in a major feature on the club's escape route from the Valley of death (how many times have we heard that cliché?)
The article opens, 'In recent seasons it was easy to patronise Charlton Athletic as a nice, safe famuily club playing nice, safe family football in a nice, safe family stadium, the perfect role model for any small-middling club looking to establish themselves in the Premier League. If they could only sort out their post-Christmas form they might even qualify for Europe.'
'What is significant is the relentless nature of Charlton's confidence. At Charlton, barely a day goes by without another player talking of a sense of renewed purpose, of greater discipline and fitness in the squad.'
The FT is confident about Charlton's chances of escaping relegation. 'A manager appointed on Christmas Eve who prompts the arrival of a wise man from the east and seeks salvation on Good Friday? Perhaps it wouldn't be too surprising if they were to resurrect themselves from the relegation zone against Reading on Easter Monday.'
The analogy is overdrawn, but the argument is gratefully taken.
The article opens, 'In recent seasons it was easy to patronise Charlton Athletic as a nice, safe famuily club playing nice, safe family football in a nice, safe family stadium, the perfect role model for any small-middling club looking to establish themselves in the Premier League. If they could only sort out their post-Christmas form they might even qualify for Europe.'
'What is significant is the relentless nature of Charlton's confidence. At Charlton, barely a day goes by without another player talking of a sense of renewed purpose, of greater discipline and fitness in the squad.'
The FT is confident about Charlton's chances of escaping relegation. 'A manager appointed on Christmas Eve who prompts the arrival of a wise man from the east and seeks salvation on Good Friday? Perhaps it wouldn't be too surprising if they were to resurrect themselves from the relegation zone against Reading on Easter Monday.'
The analogy is overdrawn, but the argument is gratefully taken.
posted by Wyn Grant at 8:25 AM
1 Comments:
I have read with dismay about dropping the Red Red Robin (once again!) I would appreciate your comments on your site about this.
Please do not allow the club to give in to superficial short term popularity by describing the Red Red Robin as being 'little time for quaint traditions' and in so doing remove it from our traditional opening. Back in the nineties this was attempted by the club and failed miserably. How can 'Bjorn Frida' ever be considered in the same vein, and Peter Varney justifies Waterloo as appropriate as it is on the same railway line???
Charlton have generally admitted its attempts to pander to some mediocre trend have not been that successful in the past, Andrew Mills et al this season, and the clapper promotion and some of the pre-match entertainment have been significantly cringeworthy. Please don't overcook the tenor?
Please, even if you must still feel that these attempts are still worth a try, let us still have our our 60 seconds worth of Billy Cotton and the Red Red Robin.
Please forward this onto Peter Varney
Andrew Behr
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