SAFE EUROPEAN AWAY?

I doubt it very much. I’m sure the locals will be less than hospitable towards the travelling Addicks. But what a stroke of genius from our new (indicative) owners to have a dry run ahead of our planned European matches in the near future. Whilst a flight isn’t needed for this (un)friendly match on Saturday a passport and much signalling and saying very loud and slowly ‘two pints of lager please dear’, so as to be understood by the locals, will be in as much use as if it were Barca or Milan. (Just think Paulo you could be leading us out against Roma in a couple of years – what a record you have against them ;-)
Anyway whilst the takeover saga rolls on we get a few more days off before playing another league match. Let’s hope we can get a result on Tuesday because, with most other teams playing competitively at the weekend, we may be looking closer to the Third Division than the European Cup.

Anyway, having sat on the fence for too long I’m giving a yay to the Maktoums. Lots and lots has / will been written so I won’t go into great depth but I must admit I’ve been a bit worried about our home / identity / integrity / beer etc, but at the end of the day I am a realist (sometimes) and we need something in order to secure our medium to long term existence. I know I’m probably in a minority of one or two but I really would rather watch a team of Charlton players signed as trainees (all born within the Borough of Greenwich would be nice) play in the third division, at the Valley of course, and be owned by people who support the club (like some of the fantastic people we had / have recently in charge at the club – they are / will be missed greatly) than a foreign owned team of JFH-alike mercinaries poncing it up in front of a load of plastics. (That’s part of the point why I started this blog – we’re in the second division and I don’t care what my mates who support manyoo, arsenal or west spam say, I am proud of that – and very proud of the club this plays in this division!) But that’s not going to happen and the times they are a changing as CND points out. Hell football’s changing, I’m changing, you’re changing, the world’s bloody changing and whilst it might not always be for the better we have to accept that so (gulp) I am accepting it and doing so as I believe this will be a good thing for us in the long term because more than I’d like the ‘good’, ‘little’, ‘old’ Charlton I love and adore to stay the way it was (rather even than the way it is in some ways) there’s one thing I’d like even more.

Here's the crunch ('stop going oin about the crunch, have you even been to the crunch?') ... When my boy’s old enough to decide he wants to support The Addicks rather than be force fed at every opportunity, then bugger me ... there’s still a club for him to support!!!
So thank you Messers Alwen, Bartram, Curbishley, Di Canio, Kinsella, Lawrence, Murray, Peacock, Seed, Shirtliff, Simons and Welsh (to name just a few that spring to mind – the list is extensive). But you’re all a part of what’s good about my club - our club - and I love you all for that. So to Mohammed Al Hashimi (and his esteemed associates) - thank you too (wasn’t that hard, was it?) I trust the club is being brought with good intentions and thank you for ensuring we stay around for at least another hundred or so years – stay a while wont you please?
(Now that I’ve blurted that out I’m sure the deal will fall through knowing my luck – but, honestly, I hope not, for all our sakes)

If you get the chance check out an excellent read from drinking during the game, which I most enjoyed reading yesterday – let’s hope others read it too.

UP THE ADDICKS - JOIN THE REVOLUTION !!!

VIVA LA VIDA (PART II) / JOIN THE REVOLUTION (PART VIII)

For those art buffs out there, this is the real Viva La Vida painting which explains why the boys from Coldplay used the title but not the painting. Anyway, he’s a bloody soothsayer that bleeding Chris Martin you know. If I wrote something on my hand in felt tip? Bugger all chance of it happening. He writes ‘Zabeel = CAFC’ one day and what do you flipping well know? Anyway, still trying to not get to involved / excited / worried / whatever by all the fuss and nonsense I’ve been listening to his pop toons again this morning and keep hearing a voice in my head (but that’s the schizophrenia – two Andy Goram’s and all that). Still might be worth a try - I’m going to write Gillian Anderson = Bed, Paulo = Valley and start talking in a slightly posher accent, which won’t be ‘ard.

One minute I held the key (Still do but I’d try and hold on tight if I was you pardew)

Next the walls were closed on me (Erm yes they certainly are)

And I discovered that my castles stand (Stop talking about bloody west spam will you?)

Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand (Is that code for Norf of the river because I’m with Blackheath Addicted on this one)

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing (That’s Dubai – not Jerusalem)

Roman Cavalry choirs are singing (That’s Paulo’s crew – move over)

Be my mirror my sword and shield (Too late to bring the sword into it – you’re off matey)

My missionaries in a foreign field (Yes a lot of Addicks dreaming of European trips now)

For some reason I cannot explain (Well you could but you’d only contradict yourself)

Once you know there was never, never an honest word (You said it)

That was when I ruled the world (That was when! Yes the time is coming – JOIN THE REVOLUTION !!!)

On other football / music related news I’m contemplating putting all my Smiths / Mozza records on ebay soon if anyone’s interested ... heaven know’s he’ll be miserable ... don’t do it Mozza, we implore you ... no chance of him down at the Valley with the Sheiks coming in?

JOIN THE REVOLUTION !!!

BROMLEY BEWARE! (Chappell Cancels)

Talking of donkeys, Phil Chappell ... what do you mean it's not him - oh dear ... anyway some Chappell bloke has pulled out of tonight's meeting in Bromley - read the full story at the club site here

Unfortunately I've not the time to get a song title in or write anything stupid about it - just hope it helps save at least one dissapointed journey if anyone reads this first

Looks like another night in with Mr Oliver for me then

JOIN THE REDVOLUTION !!!

NOT WHAT WE WANTED!

Whilst it's great to see Pedro45 and Charlton North Downs sign up to JOIN THE REVOLUTION I have to say this isn't quite what I had in mind!

Money or no money (and I'm still staying fairly tight lipped on the subject as my heart and head battle it out) we want an Italian Stallion not a north london gypsy donkey thank you very much!

Still today brings even more twists in the middle eastern (i've noticed as predicted that tickets are already more expensive in the middle east stand anyway) saga with west spam entring the fray - what are they going to do? Buy enough English clubs to form their own league?

Don't count your Robins just yet I've thought all along but it could prove to be a very interesting evening in Bromley tonight - might even pop along myself to see what our man somewhere near the top has to say - and I don't mean Ben Hayes ;-)

JOIN THE REVOLUTION !!!

MONEY'S TOO TIGHT TO MENTION?

Yes Dr Kish, I’m one of them who (like yourself recently) like to use song titles to head up blog entries ... I’m not sure why exactly, although I’ve got a rough idea, and I know I’m not alone but Doctor, doctor can’t you see I’m (stop quoting song lyrics and get on with it you call? OK then) Doctor - What do you prescribe? Plenty of R&R? (rest & recoup or rock ‘n’ roll? – see I can’t help it) Lucoazde? Prescription drugs? Non prescription drugs? Stop blogging? Or just some nice homemade soup?

Well reading a recent copy of the Observer Food Monthly magazine over the weekend I stumbled over an interesting article on Richard Mabey, the guy who wrote ‘Food For Free’ (that’s a book, not a song in case you were wondering). Never heard of it? Well it was quite a hit when published in1972 (a fine year from my personal experience) and ... well it’s all in the title, isn’t it Doc? So with a credit crunch on and ignoring the weekend headline event (the ‘some guys from somewhere hot might wanna buy lil old Charlton’ story not the ingerland stuff) which I’m avoiding writing about (a) because there’s plenty of other opinions and comments being thrown about and (b) to be honest I’m not sure where I stand on that one yet. I’m sure the title of this blog shows some of my feelings towards modern day football, which I’ve not yet fully explained yet online, but even an old stick in the mud can see why it could be a good thing. Maybe the scare from Pedro45 about beer sales when I’m pushing for Peroni to be made available will influence my final view and maybe nobody will care anyway. Anyway this guy had quite an interesting story as well as a few recipes to save a bob or two. So, with financial doom facing us all and no competitive football for another week and a half I thought I’d take Mr Oliver’s lead. For those that don’t know he’s asking people to teach a healthy home cooked recipe to two friends who in turn show two friends and so on. Like pyramid selling but with a good target for all concerned. Well here’s my contribution to the two people who read this page I share with you the stockpot recipe taken from Mr Mabey. I’m sure he won’t mind and that Jamie would support me in court but just in case I’ve changed a few words – just so the Observer don’t sue my arse for the six quid own – lot of money these days, six quid, unless you want to buy our beloved club.

A stockport – by which I mean a rough and ready ongoing group of northerners – sorry soup, to which new ingredients and liquids are added each day, or as they become available for emergency loan, is one of the greatest contributions you can make to reducing food waste. But mostly it’s an adventure, since you never know exactly how it’s going to perform on any given day.
In my experience almost anything once kicking will make interesting stock if boiled for long enough. More realistically, utilitarian stock can be made from the simple boiling of a chicken carcass, lamb bones or ham hock. Trim off any remaining fat from the bones (ie those still on first division wages), place in a large saucepan with a couple of chopped onions and carrots, and add water to a level of about 10 o 15cm from the bottom of the pan. Don’t attempt to cover the bones with water. Bring to the boil, place the lid of the saucepan on securely and simmer for 90 minutes pressing the bones down into the both as they become loosened from each other. Leave to cool a little, then strain the contents of the pan through a firm sieve into a bowl, pressing as much as you can from the moist residue with a wooden spoon. Leave to become entirely cold then remove as much of the fatty layer, which will have risen to the top.
A pile of remnant vegetables – onions, carrots, nigels, potatoes, celery – will make a stock through the same process.
To thicken the stockpot use chopped potatoes, cooked or raw, carrots, crushed occasionally as the soup simmers, a handful of pearl barley, rice breadcrumbs, porridge oats or lentils.
A team with an accumulating cargo of vegetables and disintegrating meat can become a tad full-bodied. It may need lightening or sharpening. The juice of a lemon will help cut the fattiness. A dash of soy sauce (Mr Z) or dry sherry (please don’t buy that millwall scum) adds depth to the squad. A pinch of chilli powder cures most ills. Keep testing and adding til the blend pleases you!

So there you have it. I could have used loads more football puns but decided if Jamie’s taking this seriously then so should I – I also left most same so you can actually use the recipe – ‘pass it on’ as Mr Oliver emplores us to do. So hopefully one of the two readers of this will know a certain current Charlton employee who I know would love making this – keep tinkering til the blend pleases you anyone? Anyway you’ll all thank me for the cheap grub when it’s two hundred sovs a match to watch our new team of international superstars poncing about in the first division.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION!!!