Robbed and Hurt

If I was Jose I would be saying we just won 2-1 as Chelskis 2nd goal should never have been and M. Bent scored a perfectly fine goal, instead we were robbed and went away with nothing.

Chelsea edged an even 1st half and grabbed a goal after just 6 minutes on the clock. Lampard swung in a corner, which Ballack met with a diving headed, Hughes blocked it but it landed at the feet of Drogba who hammered it between the post and Ambrose.

With 13 minutes gone a neat bit of play on the edge of the box found Ballack who drove the ball along the ground with great power only for Carson to make a smart save low to his left.
JFH when clean though only for the ref to wave his flag and then Reid got a knock and Romm joined the action. It only took him a minute to create a chance for DB who headed wide.
Drogba when through our defence and was closing in on the goal but he dragged his shot well wide. JFH got in to handbags with Ballack, just before the whistle went for half time.
We started the better in the second half, but lost Traore after he failed to shake off a knock from the 1st half.
Then with 54 minutes on the clock JFH did what every Charlton fan had been waiting for after some great wide work from Romm he found JFH who skipped a tackle took a touch and curled it along the ground into the bottom corner.

But we were only on level terms for 6 minutes, Diawara when off injured just before Chelski took a corner, which found the head of Carvalho, as the ball flew towards the goal, Faye got a touch but it went in anyway. Drogba looked to have been in the keepers way but the ref let the goal stand.

Marcus came on for Diawara and he put the ball in the net as the clock struck the 72-minute mark, but the ref disallowed it for handball but it clearly came off of his chest.





The ref really decided to put on his Chelski shirt after Kalou threw himself to the ground after the slightest touch from El Karkouri. It was a joke but lucky for us Super Scott was between the sticks and saved Lampards spot kick.

Despite some pressure we could not find an equaliser and Chelski has stolen 3 points from Dowies red army.

Chelski, Bent and New Blood?

After last seasons displays at the Bridge, a win (unless you are Jose) and a draw, could we be the first team to take all 3 points off of Chelski in there own backyard. I think we have a chance due to Chelski not looking themselves of late and also the fact that we have bought well in the transfer market since the win over Bolton.
Diawara is a godsend at this moment in time with HH, Sorondo, Gibbs and Fortune all missing, he will almost certainly start on Saturday. Souleymane has attributes that are well suited to the Premiership, he has pace, he reads the game well and is an imposing figure in and around the area. While Pouso could get a place on the bench, he is a good all-round midfielder and is Carrick like with the ball at his feet. Chelski also bought well before (well actually after) the window shut by finally ending the worlds most boring transfer saga and signing Cole, but I feel that the loss of Gallas (for me a better player than Cole) could have a big impact of there season.
Chelski are having problems making the new faces fit in with the 4-3-3 they have played for the last 2 seasons and hopefully Dowie can mastermind a plan to take advantage of this. I would personally play a 4-3-3 with Kish, Faye and Ambrose in the middle of the park and Romm, Bent and Reid up top. I feel that this would give us a great chance of getting 3 points.
I think we will get at least a draw if not a 1-0 win, with Bent finding the net.

Speaking of Bent, McClaren proved why he was no ones 1st choice for the England job by leaving out the best striker in his squad (and also the one with the most goals). McClaren may have won but both performances were poor and playing Defoe was a joke topped off by bringing on Johnson instead of Bent. Defoe may have got 2 goals against the mighty Andorra but his general performance in both games was dreadful he looked slow and had poor movement. If Bent had been at boro he would have been starting, the proof of that is Downing who has been less than impressive. Also Lampard should have been dropped by now, he has never been someone I rated and his last 10 games for England have been very poor. The worst thing is Rooney is back now and so Bent will drop further down the pecking order, so unless McClaren wakes up soon Bent will have no hope of playing for England.

With the transfer window now closed, Dowie can only sign free agents and he has been in talks with Diego Tristan (30), he has the physical presence and goal-scoring prowess to be a hit in the Prem but his form has dropped in recent seasons (matching the fortunes of his former club.) Bolton and Newcastle are in the chase as well but if Dowie can talk him around he certainly has the talent to make it. Dowie is also thought to have his eye on Czech forward Marek Heinz as a back up if he fails to land Tristan with a host of European clubs also chasing him.

Dowie Does Diawara Deal

Charlton look set to sign defender Souleymane Diawara from French side Sochaux on a 3-year deal and for a fee thought to be between £3-4m.
His agent said "Souleymane is going to Charlton as both clubs have agreed a fee, he has had talks and passed his medical at the club. "Souleymane has agreed a three-year deal and he should complete the formalities of the deal soon."
This will be a boost to Dowie as he looks to strengthen his team before the window closes on Thursday. The 27 year-old Senegalese centre back was being chased by other Premiership clubs such as Newcastle and Portsmouth.
Dowie is still thought to be looking for at least one more midfielder (thought to be Pouso) and a striker, with M. Bent and Euell both heading for the exit.

Dazzas Double Delights Dowie (Charlton 2-0 Bolton)

A display of heart and skill earned Charlton their first 3 points of the season as Bent showed why he should start for England.
In a very entertaining game it was Bolton who had the first clear-cut opportunity as Stelios ran clean threw towards Carson’s goal with 11 minutes gone, he sent El Karkouri the wrong way but before he could do any damage Hughes made a crucial block.
Then a lovely bit of play from Charlton as Jimmy played a defence splitting pass to Ambrose who’s shot was saved, but it deflected to Bent who smashed the ball against Meite on the line, it fell to Ambrose who found the back of the net but he was offside.
The referee then decided to pick on Herman and sent him off for an accidental elbow on Davies, after Davies himself had been attacking our team with elbows from the opening minute.
After half time we made a bright start and El Karkouri rose like a salmon but headed wide, the ref then noticed that El was wearing Traore’s shirt, which was quickly rectified.
The next blunder from the ref came in the 57th minute as Diouf and Faye tangled running into the box and Diouf put his feet together and threw himself to the floor in a clear dive, but the ref said penalty but thankfully he only booked Faye. As Diouf stepped up to take the spot kick to a chorus of boos from a nervous Valley crowd, he tapped the ball to the keeper’s right but Carson saved the day and the shot with a brilliant save then he bounced back up to clear the ball. The save sent the crowd mad with delight as Carson handed out justice.
After Carson’s heroics it was the 10 men of Charlton who took control of the game and after a period of good possession it was Reid who placed a chip into the path of Bent only for Ben Haim to grab his shirt and as Bent hit the floor the ref finally decided to do the right thing and pointed to the spot. Bent placed the on the spot and took his run up, as around 23000 Charlton fans crossed there fingers and went mad as Bent sent the ball flying passed Jaaskelainen.
As the clock struck the 72 minute mark the ref put his glasses on for the second time in the match, when Davies jumped up with Faye and threw a vicious elbow into Faye’s face right in front of the ref, Davies got what was coming to him a red card.
As everyone in the Valley sat on the edges of there seats hoping Charlton could hang on, then Bent beat the keeper to a long ball and lifted it over his head but as the ball came down wide. Then a bit of route 1 action sealed the day, Jimmy flicked the ball into the box and found Bent who took the ball well before releasing a shot while falling which when in-between the keepers legs and made the points save.
Carson got to make another great save before the end as he palmed away a lob from Tal.
All in all it was a great game, despite the ref making a few big errors and big Sam’a thugs lost to a side with more heart and ability than his side will ever have (he claimed after the game that his side should of won and that Davies was an angel and HH was the devil).
Bring on Chelski!



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Undone (Charlton 0-3 Manchester United)

Well it’s been 2 games and we have yet to win, but it could have been different, on Saturday we could have won if it had not been for a ref who was too quick to send off Djimi (especially considering the tackles by Michael Brown and Ben Thatcher). While if we could of kept our 1st half performance (and luck), it could have been a draw.
In the first half we put in a solid display but we failed to create anything apart from half chances which included a miss fire from Jimmy, a far post header for Dazza and a spell where 2 possible penalties were turned down. United on the other hand had 4 great chances, a shot from Park (well saved by Carson) and a superb Giggs free kick (which hit the inside of the post.) Then a tremendous run and curling shot by Giggs that was well saved by Carson and finally a powerful rising shot from Ronaldo, which hit the crossbar.
The second half opened with hope after Ambrose hit a dipping shot from about 40 yards but it clipped the post. Then disaster, Fortune slipped and let Fletcher into score and from that moment on it was all uphill. United took control and kept possession well, while we lost the ball with in seconds of wining it by always trying for a killer pass.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink did not impress (but he has only played 2 games and maybe he should be coming off the bench as he often looked lost playing in the hole) and was subbed in the 65th minute for M. Bent who also failed to contribute.
As we pushed forward they got stronger and pushed home their advantage with 11 minutes left on the clock, a Brown pass found Saha on the edge of the box, he then turned and smashed the ball past a despairing Carson.
Rommedahl came on too late to change anything but he looked bright and provided much needed width.
United then broke in move that saw Solskjaer left with a gapping goal only for Carson to become superman and stop a certain goal. But 3 minutes later Solskjaer made no mistake after everyone missed a Saha cross, Ole tapped it into an empty net as our defence stood static.
So on to Saturday we march a result against a hot and cold Bolton side would lift the club, but even if we lose it will not be the end of the world as he has to be given time. Dowie has also said he is still looking for 1 or 2 players and hopefully they are a striker and a playmaker.


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Dim Costs Us Win (West Ham 3 –1 Charlton)

From a Charlton point of view theirs not much I can say about this game, we started slowly as we had been doing all pre-season, then Gabbidon gifted us a penalty with a silly handball, which Bent duly dispatched with ease. We then started to play well and became the better side for a few minutes, until new boy Djimi Traore, decided to pick up a silly 2nd booking for blocking the taking of a quick free-kick (the 1st yellow had come only minutes earlier for a poor tackle on Bowyer.)
From that moment on it was the West Ham show, putting us under unbearable pressure for the rest of the half, but somehow we held out until half time thanks to Carson who was a real hero pulling off a string of good saves.
The second half began the way the first had finished and Dowie’s team talk became redundant after 6 minutes, when everyone in the middle missed a Bowyer cross only for Zamora to tuck it in at the back post.
West Ham kept coming and in the 67th minute a comedy goal gave the hammers the lead. Bowyer’s cross found Zamora who miss hit a shot, which hit the post and trickled over the line as our back line looked on in horror.
After going a goal down we got back into the game and started to play a bit better, but our only real chance came in the last minute, from substitute Andy Reid’s free kick, which found Sorondo who headed a good chance over. Then as the game drew to an end and as we licked our wounds, Carlton Cole came on in injury time with a bag of salt and poured it all over us as he scored with his first touch to make it 3-1.

A Preview of the Coming Season (and the Hammers match)

Well the new season starts tomorrow at 3pm and there have been a few changes since United took us apart. We have a new leader who goes my the name Dowie and he has made promises of a new attacking style or as one man once said "sexy football." While most of the football pundits regard him as one of the best young managers about, most fans were sent in to hysterics when a certain Simon presented himself as a tangerine Yosemite Sam, as he ranted on Sky Sports News, with the sound bite "I would not issue a writ through my lawyers on a point of principle. I will issue a writ on a point of law because points of principle are expensive as Iain will find out." (or "Varmint, I'm a-gonna blow you to smithereens!" ) As Bugs (that's Mr Murray to you and me) stayed calm and uttered the immortal phrase "Of course you realize, 'DIS means war!" (or words to that effect.) Anyway this all has to go to court where Jordan will lose as he is wrong (in more ways than one), but we all know that already.

The playing squad has improved with a total of 9 new players and Sorondo who has made his loan permanent, the most high profile of which is Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink. The 34 year-old will bring his know how to the Valley and hopefully a few goals, I am looking forward to seeing his rocket launcher like shots. Dowies other main signings are Faye (who will be a force in the centre of the park), Traore (he can sometimes look lost but if he focuses he could prove to be a great buy) and Reid (he will bring flair and a great footballing mind to the team, but he we need time to get fit.) Despite the club having a great set of keepers already Dowie felt we needed another keeper and signed England U21 keeper Scott Carson on a season long loan, while exciting trialist Bolanos has also joined on loan. Dowie said he wanted to make signings for the future and did so in Walton a tough tackling centre back/midfielder (who has gone on loan to Ipswich) and Staunton a defender from Celtic. USA international defender Cory Gibbs also joined on a free, but lost his World Cup place and will be out until November, after picking up a knee injury and having surgery.
But leaving the club are fan favourites Powell and Perry, along with Jeffers (who never made an impact), JJ (a fan favourite for a while until the goals dried up), Bartlett (he gave good service to the club but he was never going to be a starter) and Bothroyd (ok while he was here, but he needed to work harder).



Well this is the bit where the expectations and predictions come in, the thing is how to go about it. I could go for if our season is going to be a movie it would be Snakes on a Plane or go with the usual Charlton will start ok, be ok in the middle and finish badly (forgetting we have a new manager and staff), but end up mid-table.
What I will say is that I expect an exciting season with some good football, my heart says top 6, but I would settle for 17th. So my prediction is top 10 (where over the top hope meets reality) and a cup run (probably to the semis of the Carling cup.)
As for tomorrow, I think we will win 3-1 with a Bent double and JFH opening his Charlton account too.

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