Signed, sealed, delivered?

Bjorn Borg is one of the style icons of the seventies and early eighties, not to mention an Addick as well. The Swede who, in my eyes, put sportswear firm Fila on the map was always a hero of mine.

So when i saw my chance to have my very own piece of Borg Fila style, at less than half price, i jumped at it. The red and white track top our man is wearing in the picture above was the said article of clothing.
Size?, a division of JD sports, advertised it on their website. I did the necessary clicking of the mouse and this garment of desire was duly dispatched via the Home Delivery Network courier company. You may be more familiar with their more commercial  name, Yodel.
Obviously popular with the British public, check out this twitter account.

That was the last anyone ever saw of it.  The same day it left the Gatwick depot in a van, the bar code fell off (or so their story goes!) and the driver was unable to determine where to deliver it, so it returned to where it came from. As far as anyone can work out it still sits, unloved, at that same depot in a dark corner somewhere. You've probably realised like i did that without a bar code you cannot read the name and address, and therefore cannot possibly know where to take it.

Without an attempted delivery, i never received a 'sorry we missed you' card through the door. It was only a few days later i started to make some enquires. I'd bought from Size? before and things had turned up pretty much next day.
I could, apparently,  track my parcel and arrange re-delivery on line. No matter what i tried it remained firmly planted in the Gatwick depot.
I finally rang the courier firm and told them of my woe. It took a few attempts (at 10 pence a minute) of getting cut off at the promise of being put through to an advisor, before finally getting through to a real person. A search of the depot was promised, my number taken, i would hear something soon.
Or never. Not a dickie bird.

I then e-mailed Size? (who have been a pleasure to deal with i may add) and asked them to do the chasing as these phone calls were costing me a fortune. Plus i figured clients carried a little more clout than me.
Yesterday they told me Home Delivery Network could not locate my parcel and it was now classed as lost. No shit Sherlock.
I've been refunded the full amount as the item is out of stock and no replacement can therefore be sent. I didn't really want a refund though, i wanted to look like Bjorn Borg.

I've since heard I'm not by any means alone with my unfortunate luck with this company. Even the BBC Watchdog programme have touched on the subject. They are one of the main couriers for Amazon and therefore deal with many parcels YOU receive. Good luck.

The courier company couldn't deliver, could Charlton do better? Not in the Carling cup.
Preston North End came to The Valley to take on our impressive second string from the first round.
Last night however the reserves didn't look quite so fluent in their game and went out of the competition 2-0.
It is after all only a distraction from the league and i suspect all supporters would rather we saved our very best for that.
And without kicking a ball in the promotion hunt last night, we moved to the top of the pile.
Sheffield United dropped points at home to contenders Huddersfield, whilst Brentford conceded an injury time goal to Colchester. This all left the Addicks sat at the summit, with a game in hand over second and third. Not a bad outcome to an evening of cup disappointment.

The final piece of news of the day was signing number nineteen (i think, i may possibly have lost count) of the season. Obviously very low on numbers in personnel, we have signed free agent Yann Kermorgant on a two year deal.
The French striker has had some experience in England lately with Leicester City, hence Powell's knowledge of the player. Looking at the statistics he's not going to lead any goal scoring charts but is a big lad and may well be seen as someone to hold the ball up and link with a natural finisher.

I just hope he isn't delivered to The Valley by Yodel, otherwise we may never see him. We wouldn't want him to end up disappearing, lost forever like my parcel............................or Alonso.

And The Reds Go Marching On

Things are moving on at quite some pace for Charlton. Our assault on League One is well and truly underway, games will come thick and fast, and our main rivals have made themselves known to one and all.
After the slight disappointment, and dropping of points, against Scunthorpe the Red Army are back on course.

A re-scheduled Carling Cup tie on Tuesday night saw a very different Addicks side to that we had become accustomed to. Not that this was by any means a bad thing, quality in depth is obviously something Chris Powell intended on with the summer spending spree, and every single debutant shone in this opportunity to impress. Agreed, it wasn't a first strength Reading team, but League One reserves still beat Championship reserves on the night. Competitive reserve football is something that has been missing for a little while in our part of South London.
 Chicago Addick wrote a piece on this subject recently and rather than risk parroting (is that a real word?) him, may i suggest following the link and reading his piece, it's a great article.

Having watched the match at a later date on the club website, work again the culprit, the football was at times enchanting. The score could have been a lot more had last ditch defending not been so evident and slightly better finishing been on show.
The heart and soul Charlton supporter could not have failed to feel proud of seeing the names Benson and Euell on the score sheet. This was without doubt a Charlton performance for the fans, put on by a team that knew we deserved it. Schoolboy comic book images flash to mind.
Bradley Pritchard was the name that stood out on a night of many many shining performances. This is the lad signed from Hayes & Yeading remember, one of the sixteen or so that we never really mentioned or got carried away with. In hindsight, i bet a lot more of the regular 15,000 wish they had spent a tenner on watching our reserves.

Our reward for beating Reading is the visit of Preston. This of course we already knew, what we have discovered since is the prise of a trip to Southampton (or possibly Di Canio's Swindon) for the victors. Not really Roy of the Rovers stuff is it! Maybe we'll have to wait until Wembley for the big gun.

Could we take this momentum back into the League? A trip to Bury wasn't going to be the most glamorous or simplest of tasks.
Hamer stayed in goal as once again the Robbie Elliot saga trundles along. We have now reported Newcastle to the Football League for their behaviour over the matter. It would seem we are not alone in this action. For one reason or another (can't think what) I've gone off The Toon of late.
Bradley Wright-Phillips was the other absentee from the side that took on The Iron. This meant a little re-shuffle could accommodate both Danny Green and Scott Wagstaff.

A glorious free kick resulted in the home side going into the break with their noses in front. This was the first time this season our boys had been behind. At last, a proper test of our metal
Paul Hayes scored at the start of the second period whilst a gem from Johnnie Jackson on the end of a splendid ball showed we have the necessary grit and determination needed to turn this early good fortune into a serious challenge on the summit. Happy happy days indeed.

Our next game is a Monday night affair in front of those dreaded TV camera's. Sheffield Wednesday as Jose Semedo return. Oh how I'm looking forward to this one, and it's on the box, everyone can watch. Except me of course, I'll be working. I seem to really have the short straw.
Exeter at home the following Saturday however and I'll be there. I'm expecting my train to roll into SE7 at around three o'clock so a sprint to the ground will be in order, but it's been too long and everbody else seems to be having more than their fair share of this euphoria. I want/need some of it!

Yesterday i had to make do with some television highlights, extended highlights as it turned out, for my footballing fix. Poor Carl Jenkinson. The reds of Manchester are also on the march.
8-2 is more of a football manager computer game score than a real life one. You have to hand it to Sir Alex, he's about the only old school manager left in the game but still the best by a country mile. Squad after squad is built and rewards are never far away, unlike Arsene Wenger who would love some kind of silverware to put in the cabinet.
Not only was Jenkinson out of his depth, but an early bath as well heaped the disappointment onto the youngsters early Arsenal career. This isn't really how he envisaged making a name for himself surely?

Someone out to once again make a name for himself is Phil Parkinson who yesterday was appointed manager of Bradford City.
I don't know much about The Bantams, they have Valley in the name of their ground which caught fire once, they had a very brief stint in the top flight and on their way down they sold the great Eddie Youds to us.
Looking into the current situation a little i find they are in the bottom half of League Two picking up only four points from their first five games. Good luck Parky, i think you may need it sir.

And so to a bank holiday Monday and a whole day off. No work, no church, and no children's ministry. Heidi's gone off to work leaving me to my own devices and i notice Sutton United are at home to Dover in the Conference South at Gander Green Lane. I'm going to jump on the bike and take a ride up there.
The chance, sorry, rare chance to see a little bit of live football.
I'm having some of that.

Any old Iron.

That was the shout of the Rag and Bone man who was after your discarded and unwanted odds and sods that he could still salvage. Scunthorpe, The Iron, filled that role yesterday taking a point (albeit more than deserved) that we discarded.

A quality side will get result even when they haven't always had the best of the match. Charlton have had plenty of warning already at this early stage of the season, first halves have been dominant only to let the opposition back in a little in the second forty five. It was only a matter of time before somebody punished us.
Scunthorpe stepped up to that challenge after some very sloppy defending gave us our first glimpse of disappointment.

Johnnie Jackson opened the scoring with what is becoming a trademark looping header. This was followed by Bradley Wright-Phillips getting on the end of an inch perfect cross from Danny Hollands. 2-0 and controlling a game we had little right to. Scunthorpe had the more possession, the more shots on and off target and six corners to each one of ours.
The visitors never laid down and got themselves back into the match through Bobby Grant. A goal with around a quarter of an hour to go, then in the first of five added minutes the marksman doubled his tally to break Charlton hearts.
Watching these goals on TV highlighted that the striker was surrounded by red shirts on both occasions, yet twice allowed a route through to goal.

This result was inevitable, every team every season will drop points. Four wins on the trot was asking a lot to open a season with. It's how we bounce back from this and what we'll take from it that matters. Last season we went from match to match making similar, if not the same, mistakes. We've an opportunity on Tuesday to take a scalp, if you can call Reading that, and get back into winning ways, it was a habit that suited us.

Chris Powell has stuck with the same side so far, i hope (and expect) the Carling Cup will give others from our large squad a chance, and the opportunity, to stake a claim in the starting XI for the trip to Bury next Saturday.
Bury have started well, but these are the teams we need to send a lesson out to. MK Dons and Brentford both walloped their opposition yesterday, the former likely to be promotion candidates come May. We have only dropped the first two points out of twelve and we've been taught a valuable lesson. We have to take as many of our chances as possible to put a game to bed. It's something we've never really been that good at.

As the weeks go by, we'll think of this as a useful point gained rather than two dropped. Scunthorpe will be in the mix judging by the standard of football witnessed at The Valley, and they will be expecting the quick return to the Championship we had once dreamed of.

Let's hope we see some of the more positive football from now on that we are more than capable of and take a leaf out of the Franchise's book. I would like to see us sticking to having two up front till the death, no disrespect to the Ginger Pele, but late goals can win or change games for either side.

Here's to a hatful at Gigg Lane.

Knots Landing

This has without doubt been a week in history we won't forget in a hurry. And not for the reason of Jason Euell re-signing for the club on a one year contract, becoming the club's sixteenth signing of the summer.
Neither will it be remembered for the Carling cup second round draw taking place. A draw that was seeded no less, defying all rhyme and reason so completely taking any romance out of an already stale tournament. Going into the hat with our name on the same ball as Reading meant we were a 'seeded' side and hence unable to be paired with any kind of glamour tie and a potential bumper pay day.
A few years back this would have worked to our possible advantage, making the prize of a Wembley day out slightly more obtainable.
Now we have the possible visit of Preston to get excited about. I've thought about trying to dress that up as best i can, but have ultimately given up through a real lack of ideas.


So whilst the Premier league gets under way today, we have our first away trip. Norwich City (remember them) are at Wigan, we are at Notts County. OK, Wigan isn't all that glamorous as top flight games go, but the debacle of 'that' Colchester match must be a very foggy memory. Oh how we all laughed and gloated.........

Last season we visited Meadow Lane in February and had the pleasure of playing in good old fashioned mud. Bradley Wright-Phillips missed a penalty and the chance to rescue a point after Neal Bishop had scored for the home side with his backside.
He is in the minority today of playing in that game, lining up now in our new look team. Chris Powell started with the same eleven as last Saturday against Bournemouth, sticking with Wagstaff over the eligible again Danny Green.
Green joined Jason Euell on the bench at the expense of Paul Benson and Bradley Pritchard.

The 800 travelling Addicks were in good voice and didn't have long to wait, Charlton started much the brighter of the two teams. In fact, Charlton looked far the better side for the whole first half playing good passing football. This culminated with two goals in the last ten minutes of the first period,
young Scott Wagstaff came up trumps first. After great work from Danny Hollands, Waggy took the ball around the keeper and netted from a very tight angle. Two in two from the homegrown talent reassured us all that there is no way he's giving his place up for anyone!
Then just before the break Chris Solly found Wright-Phillips with a delightful pass. The striker would have been forgiven for taking it on himself, but chose instead to play it to across the goal for Paul Hayes to get on the end of, notching his first goal for the Addicks.
By half time it really was just like watching Brazil, just as the south Londoners were singing.

In the second half we were 'treated' to the arrival of Lee Hughes for the home side. Again we started brightly and the skipper, Johnnie Jackson, nearly put us three up with his head, only for it to be cleared before crossing the line.
Notts County to their credit never really laid down and got back into the match on the hour mark. County substitute Montano got on the end of a corner and the ball snuck past the far post. After this the Magpies seemed very capable of snatching back a point, but our new Charlton are a lot more resilient. If anything, this was a good test for our midfield and defense. Last season we would have crumbled in a similar situation but this time around that nervousness has all but gone and a new found professionalism has come to the fore.

The Doc came on again to steady things up at the back for the final few minutes, whilst debuts came for Andy Hughes and Jason Euell. Euell of course to a rapturous ovation.
Danny Hollands and Paul Hayes both stood out as having very solid games although once again all eleven put a shift in and gave a good team performance.
This is Charlton's first win on the road in a very long time and for the second week running we can say we are top of the league. It sounds good.
One flash point happened after the final whistle. Hollands and Bishop were both booked after a bust up in front of the travelling support. It had been a good tempered match on the whole and this did seem to put a slight dampener on an otherwise great day. I'm sure in time we'll find out exactly the nature of these fisticuffs.

Norwich by the way got their first point on the board with a 1-1 draw at Wigan. A much better start to their life mixing it with the big boys than poor Queens Park Rangers........