Up Pompey!

Modern football never sleeps. Charlton Athletic have a full ninety minutes left to play this season, yet before the dust is being given a chance to settle, this summers pre-season friendlies have been announced by the club. Handy if you haven't actually booked your holidays yet.

The cream of the crop has to be a trip to Fratton Park and Fourth Division Portsmouth. Always a great ground to visit, there are plenty of superb watering holes in the town. Portsmouth of course are now the largest fan based owned football club in England, and like the many others in that situation they have my deepest respect and good wishes. Pompey know more than anyone with their 'island' like mentality how mismanagement can ruin and destroy the history, pride, and livelihoods of not only the club and it's loyal supporters but the townsfolk as a whole.

There must be a theme to these friendlies as AFC Wimbledon, a club also owned by a supporters trust, will welcome the Addicks to the Kingsmeadow ground in Kingston as well. The Dons survived by the skin of their teeth in an enthralling League Two relegation scrap last weekend to achieve a third successive season at that level. No mean feat when you consider how small their budget is in comparison to their counterparts.

Another side caught up in the mire at the foot of the league with Wimbledon were Dagenham & Redbridge. They too will play host to Charlton as the Addicks continue their tour of local League Two grounds.

Welling United will, as is traditional, start our pre-season outings. The Wings will be looking forward to a season at the highest level of non league football after claiming the Conference South title this season, while Isthmian League Thurrock will entertain a 'Charlton XI' (probably the newly crowned Kent Senior Cup winners team) in the one other friendly announced, although expect one or two more to be confirmed during the summer. I highly doubt however that this will include a trip to Spain again.

The full list is-
Sat July 6th Welling United (a) 3pm

Wed July 17th AFC Wimbledon (a) 7.45pm

Sat July 20th Portsmouth (a) 3pm
Sat July 20th Thurrock (a) 3pm

Tue July 23rd Dagenham & Redbridge (a) 7.45pm

We mustn't forget though as we hastily scribble these dates in our diaries the small matter of finishing this campaign first. The club certainly don't want you run the risk of losing interest for a couple of months do they!

Ground floor perfumery, stationery and leather goods

Now i don't for one second presume i could do anything any better than those at the helm, for running a football club has got to be difficult and you're never going to keep everyone happy all the time.
Running a household is enough of a challenge financially for me, while keeping one person happy every once in a while is seen as a success.

The boardroom at The Valley sounds ferocious and the club as a whole doesn't appear the happiest place to work recently. If rumours are to be believed, Rick Everitt the club development officer could soon be visiting the labour exchange. An outspoken Charlton stalwart, Rick would be another link with our recent history that would be lost to the club, another voice saying what it really means to 'be Charlton' that would fall silent.
In real life Charlton behind the scenes could be much healthier than we know, but being kept in the dark supporters will always fear the worst.

One part of the clubs operations we do know something about is the club shop, sorry superstore. Didn't Tesco copyright that term?

With all the excitement and ultimately disappointment of Friday you would have been forgiven for missing the news of the refurbished and refitted store reopening.
Charlton fan and radio disc jockey, Dave Berry gave up some of his birthday to cut the ribbon and open the doors to the public.

I've mentioned my dislike of the Nike brand before, the financial rewards for the club aside, they will always be an American basketball brand to me famed for their sweatshops.
The club shop is now a 'Charlton Athletic Nike store', i pray we don't go the route of Bolton and Reebok although in retrospect Reebok did hail from that part of the world.

We already know the season highlights DVD was only available from the commercial centre and back issues of matchday programmes are no longer in the store. We also knew Nike were bringing in, all but for a couple of leading faces, their own staff, what we have since discovered though is the addition of the Nike boot room and the Nike casual range in this first wave of rebranding. The basketball floor i expect will come later.
A standard 'Just Do It' slogan t-shirt is already available if you can't find it on the shelf of your local JD sports.

Someone told me the other day that when Dr Martens sponsored Rushden & Diamonds, the famous air cushioned soles were available from the club shop. I still think we should be sponsored by a brewery!

It's the modern football world, club shops aren't portacabins anymore but are big business ventures. To compete on a level playing field clubs can't afford to be one step behind the rest.
It doesn't matter how much heritage you have if you can't pay the bills, look at Portsmouth still living day to day.

No doubt nearer Christmas a young family members wish of a replica shirt will force me to give Nike some of my pennies although I'll be buying on line. I don't want to have to carry matching running spikes, basketball hoops, aftershave and golf bag home on the train with me.