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Having missed out on getting to Ebbsfleet (a long story I won’t bore anyone with here but I’m disappointed to have to wait another two weeks to see my beloved boys in red and white) I’ve decided not to write about the pre-season friendlies for now and concentrate on my second division predictions again. Anyway I’ll be seeing us take on Brighton, Bilbao (shouldn’t we get Bowyer back if Stallone’s coming to SE7?) and Swansea in friendlies ahead of the propa kick off fast approaching.
Moving onto the mid table I must admit it could be anyone’s game but here’s my opinion to be sniped, laughed and derided as seen fit by anyone who knows better ... Having picked the top eight, including CAFC here’s the next batch of division one wannabes...
9th = Ipswich ... always there or there about but not perhaps on a downward trend (?) for the team that brought us up to 5 players in a single match at recent points of history
10th = Wolves ... I wish it was lower but they have the money and support – let’s hope mccarthy feels like he’s mistakenly turned up to Roy Keane’s birthday party when he comes sarf again this season
11t = Southampton ... nothing to say really – former 1st division perennials, now nowhere men
12th = Bristol C ... no way they’re going to repeat last season’s feats but well done on the play off semis guys – mine’s a strongbow please Mr Lee Collins ;-)
13th = Coventry ... no dowie so a move in the right direction but not really going o achieve anything
14th = Barnsley ... this team is second division and proud – shouldn’t trouble either ends of the table and should stay here forever, lucky bastards ;-)
15th = Preston ... lost a good manager couple of years back and don’t look like reignighting the potential of one of the country’s most historic clubs
That’s all folks ... I’ll be back soon to put you out of your misery as to where the trees, seasiders and ladies from croydon will finish soon ... well when the money runs out, the pub kicks out and I’ve nothing else to do ... until then tara chuck
So here we are, after two months of euro pansies, cr*ck@t and wimbledon the reds return with proper football ... hoorah I here you join me? Well it might be hoorah tonight when we carry out the standard drumming of non league Welling (well usually anyway) but last night saw a Charlton XI crash 1-0 away to Bromley. Not that the result matters of course at this stage – it’s about fitness, formation, etc etc ... or so they say
Well despite being tempted by a ‘goal-laced evening’ by the official site it seems like a rather low key affair apart from the heralding of the new kit, which I actually rather like for a change over recent years. With Phil Parkinson and Mark Kinsella taking control (at the Valley?) Charlton fans were able to see some new faces (and some not so new but mainly young) in the new kit.
A young and mainly reserve team (yes that includes you Jerome!) failed to manage a goal amongst them despite promising non league statistics from debutant Stuart Fleetwood (36 for Forest Green 2007/08), Chris Dixon (31 for Dulwich Hamlet 2006/07) and trialist Sean Canham (41 for Team Bath 2007/08). Good news to here Fleetwood, who I expect will feature against Welling with the current injuries up front, to make an impressive debut but ... what is this recent trend with buying non league strikers? Can players really make the jump 3 or more leagues up at a time o the second division? I’m not so sure but glad to be proved wrong if only one in three make it. However when some other strikers (you choose from the list) fail to make the step up from second division to ... erm second division I feel I may be right. Dickson and Basey both hit the post but that appears to have been it I’m afraid.
With Elliot in goal and Binks on the bench it will be interesting with the other young studs and possible signings to see who will be number 1 and number 2 number 1 (if you know what I mean) at the Valley this season ... but that’s a discussion for another day. Other interesting thing was that Jonjo Shelvey warmed the bench all night so hopefully he’ll be featuring tonight against Welling and more often in the coming months.
So it’s of to Welling tonight and I’m afraid I won’t be there due to work commitments but hopefully the lads can start to gain a bit of momentum, fitness, camaraderie and confidence after all the pies ad tequilas of the summer.
If only they could have had Jar Jar Binks in goal, I’m sure nothing would get past those ears ... see y’all soon
Jimminy Cricket (or any other associated boring sport for that matter) I hear you say (well all 2 of you who found / read the first blog (thanks for the link Pedro45) it’s back for more … a ground breaking 2nd blog from 2dap! Well maybe not but here anyway is my second blog – enjoy ;-)
So, with the slightly different set of rules for the league* having been established I’m going to try and predict where everyone will finish.
* That’s no foreign teams and the correct title of second division having been restored … hell I’m even going to go as far as 2 points for a win – any other suggestions?
First of all I took about 2 minutes to divide the teams into groups when I got in from the pub last night (a little worse the wear from my old mate Nelson!) That didn’t prove very successful as I basically had Charlton and Birmingham in group 1, croydon planks in group 3 and everyone else in group 2 so I thought I’d start again. Well not quite – my first prediction is that the blue nosers will run away with the second division – much in the same way as we did last year ;-) My second prediction is that Charlton will finish 7th but that’s as much down to wishful thinking and my backward psychology as anything else (more to follow on that another day) – if you want reasoned debate my friends then try www.charltonathleticonline.co.uk my friends – you’re in the wrong bar here.
Having regrouped the teams when slightly more complus mentus I’ve come up with the chasing pack of …
Derby, Norwich, QPR , Reading, Sheff U and Watford. So putting them into order we have the following –
2nd = Watford … should have learnt the lessons of being almost over confident of pissing the league last year (sound familiar pardew?)
3rd = Derby … have been playing 2nd division football since November so the drop won’t be any problem to them
4th = QPR … surely that money’s gotta pay off? Maybe not in the real second division hey flavio!
5th = Reading … Coppell seems to be keeping most of the team together and they should do well at this level (where they’ve always belonged)
6th = Norwich … because I really like Norwich … the city, the day out there, the ground, Delia, the broads, Great Yarmouth, the yellow kit, the long bar … I could go on but you’d think I was on the turn
7th = Charlton … just where we (well I) want to be but that’s for another day
8th = Sheff U … as the old boxing phrase goes they could be contenders … repeat & fail each year
So that’s the top 8 – I’ll be back when I can be arsed with some more random scrawlings that might be vaguely Charlton related if you’re (un)lucky … Cheers
Ok so, here we are … the 1st July ... half way through the year and just 46 days from Charlton’s push for seventh place in the second division. Just 7 days from the first riveting pre-season friendly at Bromley and 32 days from the home match against who knows?
So … do we need another blog about things vaguely resembling Charlton Athletic Football Club? … No!
So … what can I offer that others can’t? … erm, nothing really!
So … Why? … I guess I’m bored … no wait … I have a mission …
Fed up with the transglobal (express) monopolisation, over packaging and saturisation of football (as it used to be called) I’m regaining what is rightfully ours … the English Second Division!
Inspired by ‘arry and Ken I’ve 
decided to publish the ‘real second division’ table as the season unwinds because … well just because I want to really. I’m not a Pompey fan by any long shot … no soft spot for ‘ammer ‘arry or their bloody chimes … in fact ‘erman’s the only real reason I might give a toss what they’re doing. Except for Saturday 17th May 2008 when ‘arry saved ENGLISH football! Don’t get me wrong I’m not anti welsh at all … except when it comes to the double standards of playing in our competitions but still keeping one foot in each camp – like glasgow celtic and glasgow rangers they have their own league, cup and seep so why should they be in our league, cup etc.
So, in 39 days time when 18 teams kick off their second division season on Saturday 9th August, 4 teams will have to wait. Forest play Reading a day later but Charlton and Southampton must wait a week more to kick off after meaningless ‘friendlies’ against welsh opposition on the 9th … what a sad and sorry state of affairs.
So here it is … the real second division is here … no premiership (ship?), championship or ky jelly super cup in sight … propa English football for … well anyone who wants to join me … Cheers
