Qualification or 3 points?

The thing about watching England - even from afar, here in Canada - is that it's not that different to watching Charlton. Always flattering to deceive. 2-0 down early on, then pull it back to 2-2, just like at Colchester. But last night England were outclassed and blew their chances, conceding a late winner to Croatia.

It was a big disappointment, and it will hit home in the summer when we have to watch the Euro Championship without England taking part. But I've often played it over in my mind: would I rather have England succeed in a major tournament, or have Charlton get three point on Saturday - this week at Preston? Consistently I come up with the same answer. It's Charlton every time.

I understand the arguments how England's success is good for all levels of the game, with crowds at domestic games soaring and interest heightened. If England were to win a major tournament that would be brilliant, of course. But for me it's always Charlton's fortunes that come first. I've spoken to others that actually go to games and they all say the same. It's their own club that is more important than England. Maybe it's because we can get to see our own club live rather than on the telly. We feel we belong. It's more regular. Whatever. It's always Charlton that comes first.

And this week it's going to take considerably longer to get to the game. My flight leaves Canada at quarter to six local time, arriving at Heathrow at ten past seven on Saturday morning. Plans have now changed at this point. Originally Matt was meant to pick me up drop my bag at home and then off up to Preston. But Matt's car has broken down and he's not going any more. So a call to the Old Man and hopefully we can stick to the same schedule. He'll drive around from Essex and pick me up. I won't now be staying over in Blackpool, but the priority is to go to every game this season. This'll keep the run going. Any delays to the flight - and snow is forecast - and it'll have to be straight up to Preston though. Fingers crossed.

Preston is a new ground for me and the Old Man - the 104th ground for the Old Man! A bit like The Valley, it's a rebuild on the original site. It's always interesting to see whether the renovations have more character than the new builds. Not sure we'll have time to take in the museum, but looking forward to it anyway. Just need to get my head down somewhere en route.

Definitely looking forward to it more than the England game though.

Up The Addicks!

Robin

Homeward bound

Having enjoyed a mini sabatical here in Canada, thoughts are now turning to the return home and the challenge of getting to Heathrow, home and Deepdale all in a day. Original plans were to meet Matt at Heathrow, drop stuff at home, a quick nap and drive up to Preston. An overnight stay in Blackpool would have broken the travelling up. But I've now learned that Matt's car has broken down and a plan B is required. This involves the Old Man getting out of his pit at some unearthly hour on Saturday morning to pick me up from the airport at around 7.30am, getting me home and going up to Preston with him. It will be there and back in a day so I'll be going around like a zombie on Sunday, depending on how much shut-eye I get in the car.

It's strange here in Canada with so little news about The Addicks and football in general. Thanks to the advice from a few Canadian based Addicks I'll be watching the England game in a local bar. This'll be the only real football I'll experience out here. But at least last weekend's results mean there's something to cheer rather than jeer at.

Up The Addicks! - and come on England

Robin

Charlton 3 Cardiff 0

Well, on Saturday night we were back up to second in the table. Three consecutive wins following three consecutive defeats. It truly is a funny old game. Totally unpredictable. Except that for each of the last three wins we have scored our first goal (the only goal in the away games) deep into injury time or 'added time' as the media would now have us know it. In truth the game was more even than the score suggested. But we clearly edged it and deserved the win. It doesn't matter when the goals are scored, they all count.

So we start another 'international break' and I set off for Canada on Sunday afternoon. This provides the opportunity for reflection, and I'm sure others will reflect that life in The Championship is far more entertaining than in the Premier League. It obviously helps that we're at the top end of the league. But there are other changes. We can dispense with that silly handshaking stuff with the opposition that we were obliged to do before every game in the Prem. I'm not sure how that ever enhanced the game - or 'product' as the media would describe it.



But clearly money is tight in this league. It's great running out to Red Red Robin every game. But we've got no balls. For those of us that remember Keith Peacock leading the team out, playing keepy uppy - as it's now known - and blasting into an empty net, we miss the pre-match ritual of playing with our balls. On Saturday only the mascots got to play with a ball. Cardiff had no balls at all. In past seasons the warm up consisted of at least half a dozen balls for each side. But this season we're lucky to get one ball for each team. And the players look lost, meandering aimlessly around their half of the pitch. Occasionally they will burst into a short sprint, but most of the time they wander around and greet their team mates like long lost friends. Surely they were in the dressing room together for the team talk only a few minutes before?

But they hug each other or 'high-five' each other as they walk around the pitch.

And then curiously, just as the ref and his linesmen - or 'referees assistants' as they are now properly titled - prepares for kick off, we go into an intimate little huddle. Christ knows what they talk about for the ten seconds they are there together. I'm always worried the opposition will kick off while we're still fannying about, take a long shot and score. Maybe while all the heads are together they are trying to work out what Pardew was on about in the dressing room. Or maybe they are just trying to find out who has the balls. Does anyone have any idea? Are they telling jokes? Whatever it is, it seems to have worked on Saturday.

But it is difficult to predict what will happen in this funny old game - or 'soccer' as the Yanks would have us know it. The bookies know how unpredictable it is. That's why they set silly odds for some bets. Sodje was 33-1 to score the first goal against Cardiff. I know 'cos I had a tenner on him.

Funny old game betting.

Up The Addicks!

Robin

International break ahead

Well if the previous week was bad, this past week has been good. Very good. Somehow the wins away from home always seem that much sweeter. And last minute winners against Southampton and Bristol City were sweeter still. This could be a good season to go to every game, home and away. Obviously we hope that we make it a perfect week with a win against Cardiff, but we've lost the last two home games, so take nothing for granted.

But this Saturday is the last game before the international break. So I'm taking an international break. We'll probably meet the Basildon boys in the Horse and Groom - it's becoming a regular haunt - before working out how many of us are going up to Preston in a couple of weeks. So we need to get tickets before the game, but afterwards I'm off home to pack for a trip to Canada. The loved one is back home studying in Canada so the international break provides just enough time to get to Toronto and back. Flights have been booked for Sunday - after Cardiff - and return on the Saturday morning of the Preston game. Sky kindly agreed to move the game back a few hours to allow me to drop my bag off at home and get up to Preston. If there are no delays it should work OK, but right now I'm not sure how I'm getting up to Preston. Something else to discuss on Saturday.

In the meantime let's just hope we can keep the run going with three points against Cardiff.

Up The Addicks!

Robin

Bristol City 0 Charlton 1

Well, this is the first game I've been to on my own this season. It felt a bit odd going on my own, particularly to a ground I've not been to before. Nor was I sure how to get to the ground from the station. But I arrived in plenty of time and managed to walk alongside the river down to the ground, so arrived in plenty of time.

There were around 600 travelling addicks there, but not too many from Essex. For the first time this season we were playing a team above us in the league. I think most of us there would have settled for a draw. And that's what it looked like for 90 minutes. But then a peach of a pass from Reidee, and big Chris was on the end of it again - right in front of the Charlton fans again.

On the basis of the first half we were the better team, but after the break Bristol City stepped it up. We were expecting the draw until Big Chris did his stuff.

Then the challenge of finding my way back to the station in time for the last train. There were buses lined up behind the ground - one of which went back to the station. Despite what seemed like an agonising delay in getting away, we made it back to Temple Meads station. There were some slight problems with the trains, but it eventually came and we made it back to London after 12.30am. With the hotel in Paddington booked and just around the corner, It was a quick beer and bed. Dtraight to work in the morning.

Happy days!

Up The Addicks!

Robin

Bristol bound

With train tickets and hotel booked, it's off to Bristol tomorrow. With fresh enthusiasm from Saturday's win maybe we can be a little more optimistic. Not too optimistic though!

The convoluted arrangements have been made - see earlier post. Following this game I'll be sorting out details for the Preston game. I fly out to Canada on Sunday and get back to Heathrow at 7.00am on the day of the Preston game. Theoretically it's all possible, but right now I'm not sure how I'll be getting up for the game. Still, plenty of time to sort that out after Bristol. The main challenge right now is to find the route from the ground back to te station to catch the last train back to London.

Up The Addicks!

Robin

We've only got ten men

This is what away games are about. Today is the reason we travel the length and breadth of the country. They don't work out like this very often, but when they do they are memorable.

We set off at about 11.00. Toby and his Basildon boys were already on the road. Jane - the trusty sat-nav suggested two hour delays on the M3. Radio reports confirmed the motorway had indeed been closed. Fortunately we were able to take the A3, and head for the park and ride, just off junction 8 of the M27. I don't know how others got on, but it didn't really affect our journey.

Overall the Park and Ride was a good experience, but somehow I wasn't expecting it to cost a fiver. The woman taking the money on the gate said other people had complained about that. Maybe it's because it doesn't say anything on the ticket! But we paid and parked up and got one of several buses waiting. We were droppped off at the ground fifteen minutes later. Half past one. Plenty of time for a couple of beers. We followed signs to the city centre and came across the Plume of Feathers. They had a little portable telly showing the live game and free food so we stayed a while. There were a reasonable number of Addicks already there, but as the pub filled up the atmosphere seemed to change. A glance outside showed there were large groups outside the pub. It's no fun being ambushed in a pub, so we made our way outside. There was a considerable police presence outside using video cameras. Nothing happened while we were there, but there was definitely potential for it.

The threat of trouble seemed to carry into the ground, and there was a commotion at the top of our stand. Typically heavy handed, the stewards made a meal of it and it took four of them to get a young teenager out. There's no way of knowing the justification of their actions, but you can't help there's other ways to defuse the situation rather than inflame it.

After the game the coaches and buses were lined up waiting and as soon as the first Park and Ride bus was full, it left. No hanging around for the coaches. We were escorted away and back to the cars within fifteen minutes. Five minutes later we were back on the motorway - indoors before half past seven. My first experience of such a scheme, and one I'll certainly repeat.

But it was the bit in between that made it special.

We were bright enough and certainly equal to Southampton. But yet again a refereeing performance overshadowed the football. It was always on the cards that someone would be sent off and Semedo was the one to go. With over half the game still to play with only ten men, the prospects looked bleak. But our formation meant that we coped well and definitely gave as good as we got. And we were rewarded for our adventurous play with an injury time goal. If you are going to win 1-0, that's the way to do it. Players and supporters were ecstatic. But even when scoring a goal the ref found something to book Mootoo for. Idiot.

It's a good weekend. A very good weekend!

Up The Addicks!

Robin