Owners to back Jones over signings

The club's owners have said they will back Nathan Jones in the summer transfer window.   We have heard this before from owners, of course, but it is surely the best way for them of getting a return on their investment: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/charlton-athletic-owners-fully-intent-on-backing-nathan-jones-in-summer-transfer-window/

Jones has said that he will avoid loan signings.   Whilst there has been the odd success such as Rak Sakyi, there have also been numerous failures with players who are not fit enough or simply not good enough.

Whilst we don't know the final shape of the division for next season, often lazily dismissed as a 'poxy' league, in fact it looks as if it is going to be even more competitive.

Players want Dobbo to stay

Conor Coventry says every player wants George Dobson to stay next season (as do probably almost all fans): https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/every-charlton-player-wants-george-dobson-to-stay-midfielder-conor-coventry-on-skippers-future/

Richard Cawley of the SLP comments: ‘Contract is legally binding. Only way to change that is agreement between the two clubs. Plus you've got to factor in what GD wants to do. I'd hazard a guess that having signed for another team from July 1 it wouldn't be a great look - even if he was so-inclined - to say that he wanted to stay!’

Return to Charlton

I made the trek down to London yesterday expecting a draw and that's what I got.  Because of the Wembley semi-finals the train I normally catch was terminated at Princes Risborough so I had to transfer from a six coach train to a three coach one, fortunately a helpful railway staff member found me a seat.

I found myself sitting opposite a Leyton Orient fan who had booked hospitality for himself and his wife (and they lost to Fleetwood).  Fortunately, I was able to make the GMT cafe in East Greenwich, see old friends at the RAH and meet up with Steve from Petts Wood outside the West Stand.

From my seat at the top of the Lower West just outside hospitality I had an excellent view, a perspective I had not seen befire, and it was good to be back in The Valley again.

In the first half Shrewsbury were clearly more up for it, indeed aggressive and sometimes theatrical which took in the referee.  I wasn't impressed by Istead who should have called for a ball that went fot a corner and Gillesphey was as bad as everyone told me he was.

As usual it was panic stations in defence and the inevitable happened when Udoh, a former Leamington player, scored for the Shrews.

Dobbo opened the second half with a decisive goal, racing on to Connor Wickham's through ball and evading the keeper to score in an empty net in front of the Covered End.  How we are going yo miss him.   Nathan Jones wants to keep him, but his manner after the match suggested this really was goodbye.

Chuks and Kanu were brought on, but didn't make much of a difference.  We were dispossessed of the ball too easily.

Karoy Anderson headed over from close range after meeting Thierry Small's cross from the left shortly before the hour mark while Marosi got down well to parry away substitute Daniel Kanu's strike.

Two interlopers got on the pitch, pausing the game,    As the Salopians sang, 'What the ****ing hell was that?'

Another draw, equaling our club record.   It has been pointed out that this was the lowest position since 1926, although it should be noted that there was a third division north and south then.

It was a poor group of players but Nathan Jones managed to stop us getting relegated.  He made a short but appropriate speech after the game and it was a subdued parade of platers.  Now let's hope we have a clear out and he gets the players he wants.   I do have more confidence in this group of owners than their predevssors, although it's a low bar.

The draw of London

Poor health has kept me from The Valley for longer than I would have liked, but I have bought a ticket in the Stand of the Living Dead for tomorrow and am going to make the five hour return journey to London.

I am anticipating another draw and am looking forward to the presentation of the draw specialist trophies for both the EFL and League One.

Shrewsbury drew at Bolton on Tuesdaty.   Shropshire's finest may not be mathematically safe, but they are as good as.

Away from home, the Salopians have won five, dawn five and lost twelve.

After last Saturday's home loss to Wycombe shell shocked Shewsbury supremo Paul Hurst said: 'I can see and hear the fan's [sic] anger a little bit in this game, but I can't stand here and say I don't agree with them.  It is hard to put into words what we have witnessed this afternoon.  It was a nothing performance.'   But then there have been a few of those at The Valley.

The CAF Trust preview suggests there may be reason to hope for a win: https://www.castrust.org/2024/04/will-we-see-an-upbeat-ending-to-the-season/?v=79cba1185463

Valete Portsmouth, Salvete Stockport

Congratulations to Portsmouth on their promotion to the Championship, that's one less worry for pitch announcer Brian Cole.

Inevitably former Leamington Colby Bishop scored for Pompey last night.   We could have had him for £50k but he was snapped up by Accrington and then by Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's departure is not altogether good news for us as we were a bit of a bogey team for them, unbeaten against them this year.

I believe I am right in saying that we have played Pompey more than any other club.   More about their resurgence here: https://footballeconomyv2.blogspot.com/2024/04/pompey-did-play-up.html

Stockport are the only club whose ground I have visited both for Charlton and for my non-league club Leamington.   Their fans were a lot of trouble when they came to Harbury Lane and one got on the pich and poured a pint of beer over our then goal keeper. the Barmy Binman.

Stockport see League One as a way station to their rightful place in the Championship so they will be in confident mood.   Confidence is important in football, but it is also possible to be over confident.

Salvete: Wrexham

Wrexham will be joining League One next season and there is no doubt that they pose a real threat.  They show that even a club in an obscure location, albeit now a city, can be globalised with the right backers and a third Disney+ series.  Under former Addicks manager Phil Parkinson they will benefit from momentum.  Football finance guru Kieran Maguire thinks they will be competitive: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68819844

Salvete: Rotherham United

As one of the longer lasting League One clubs, one of our tasks is to ‘welcome’ the seven new opponents who will be joining us next season.   Rotherham United have already been relegated from the Championship.   In the season so far they have won just four matches (none away) and have conceded 85 goals.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Rotherham has had its economic and social challenges since the decline of the steel industry.   It is very much in the shadow of a more vibrant Sheffield.

When I was an undergraduate (nearly sixty years ago) one of my flat mates had a girl friend who came from Rotherham.   Not only that, her family owned the leading (probably the only) department store in Rotherham.  When he went up there he was given a tour of the department store with every member of staff bowing and scraping to Miss X.  

I can’t give her name because she is still alive and I had a bit of a run in with her which looks bizarrely amusing in retrospect, but annoyed me at the time.   What was evident was that the family were not short of money including a big house in an even then expensive Cornish resort.  The point here is that Rotherham was once a prosperous working class community.

Now, ‘Rotherham has been ranked the unhappiest place to live in England according to a survey. Rightmove asked 21,000 people to complete a study based on their overall happiness with their area and what makes a place feel like home. Out of 221 cities, towns and villages surveyed, Rotherham came bottom of the list.’

Many years back after seeing Charlton play an early kick off at Huddersfield, some of us went over to see Brighton play at Millmoor, Rotherham United’s then ground.   I thought it was a typical old style Third Division North ground, atmospheric but not 21^st century.

Now the Millers have a smart new stadium, the New York Stadium (actually named after a local area), but they keep yo yoing between the Championship and League One, although the training ground is a swamp and apparently frequently under water. They have been relegated in four of the last eight seasons, owner Tony Stewart refusing to splash the cash and put the club into debt.

Stewart owns a local lighting manufacturing firm.

Former supremo Matt Taylor missed all his summer transfer targets and ended up signing players who were too old or injury prone to attract interest elsewhere.

They might be better off trying to consolidate in League One, taking advantage of not paying Championship wages to improve the infrastructure.  A decent training ground is a key to success.

Match day attendances are a constraint: the record at the new stadium was 11,758 against local rivals Sheffield United in 2013.

However, the owner and the fans will expect them to compete so they could well be in the running for promotion.   In other words, they are a potential thorn in our side as we seek to escape from League One.