Have I been sacked?

In the Porthmellon Studio of Radio Scilly

My position as mainland football correspondent of Radio Scilly may be in jeopardy. I was planning tomorrow to reassure local Plymouth Argyle supporters that their team put in a decent performance at The Valley last Saturday. The Argyle Community Trust was working with the Five Islands Football Club training youngsters on St. Mary's in August.

Yesterday morning the station was on auto pilot. Morning show host Will Lethbridge was revealed by Facebook as being in Barcelona. Ofcom had changed the license holder at 6.01 a.m. that morning. Investigations at Companies House revealed that Zoe Parry and her partner had resigned as directors. BTW, I was interested to learn that one former director had 'Charlton' as his middle name. I thought that only happened on Only Fools and Horses!

This morning I tuned in and heard the dulcet tones of community bus driver and local councillor Steve Sims. It was evident that he was struggling with the equipment and the running order. It also emerged that no one was ringing in to answer the breakfast brain teaser, but eventually someone did and got it right.

I sent Steve a message of sympathy because I wouldn't like to host the morning show which is the peak listening time and he did read it out on air, so perhaps all is not lost. Having been involved in commercial radio since it started, I would struggle with the equipment!

But don't expect my football preview tomorrow! I'm not sure that anyone listens, although a friend who was staying in a hotel was told by the owner that 'he knows all the managers.' Which I don't! Some of them I wouldn't want to know.

Scilly times

At Radio Scilly's Porthmellon studio

When Zoe Parry became the license holder and station manager at Radio Scilly earlier this year, I thought that my job as mainland football correspondent might be in jeopardy. I went to the islands to meet Zoe and not only was my 9.45 slot on Saturdays confirmed, she tasked me to cover the US presidential elections and develop a bespoke series on islands.

Zoe, who has extensive experience in commercial radio, stood down from her job at Islands Partnership today to devote more time to the station. Meanwhile, station DJ Will has to deliver five hours of live programming from 7 to 12 noon each day.

Zoe and I will be working on some new programming ideas in 2017.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has published the best report I have seen yet on the two team football league on the islands: Smallest league

Wishing all Addicks a Happy Christmas and a Roland and Katrien free New Year.

Will Hartlepool spoil promotion party?

I remember when we went up to the Premiership as champions we lost 0-3 at home to Ipswich which took a little of the edge off the celebration and sent the Bloke Behind Me ballistic as he screamed 'Sort it out Curbishley'.

Will Hartlepool spoil our party tomorrow? Their manager is calling it a 'curtain call' and is looking forward to rebuilding the squad over the summer: Monkey hangers

Apparently a lot of their fans are going to come dressed as smurfs, although for some unknown reason they are describing themselves as 'blue and white gnomes': Gnomes . I remember that when our Erith-born eldest was eight or nine we gave her a smurf and she still recalls it now she is a mum with two kids of her own as one of her best presents.

No disrespect to Hartlepool, I have a lot of time for Stuart Drummond who went from being the club's monkey mascot to elected mayor, but they are another team I am glad not to be playing next season. The presenter on PM this evening asked me if I was 'disappointed' about the elected mayors referendum results: what would have really disappointed me was if Charlton had not been promoted.

I need to catch up on my sleep after staying up until 4 a.m. doing election broadcasting, but I am looking forward to the day. I should have put something into my Radio Scilly sports show slot, but it's the biggest sporting weekend of the year on the island (world gig championships), so there wasn't really time. Anyway Keri prefers me to talk about Plymouth Argyle.

Historic win for Old Dribblers

In the annual Boxing Day football match between over 35s and under 35s at the Garrison Field stadium on the Isles of Scilly, the Old Dribblers won for the first time in 35 years:
http://www.scillytoday.com/2011/12/27/old-dribblers-beat-younger-team-in-annual-football-match/

The Radio Scilly sports show is currently taking a festive break but we will be back on air in the New Year at 10 a.m. on Saturdays with host Mark Twynham and myself as mainland football correspondent.

Bradley: my heavy heart

Bradley Wright-Phillips came to Charlton last January as part of an ongoing fire sale at financially troubled Plymouth Argyle.   They have now been saved from oblivion and the Addicks striker is delighted for their fans.

He told The Football League Paper that he left the Pilgrims with a heavy heart believing that he had abandoned the club in its hour of need.  'We had a brilliant team,' said League One's leading scorer.  'Everyone I spoke to was sad to leave.  We all felt a bit like we were jumping ship.  But the club had to sell players to stay afloat.'

He added, 'It's good for the staff there too.  They are such good people down there and they haven't been paid for so long.'   He also noted, 'At a club the size of Plymouth, nobody was on good money.'   One can assume he got a bit more at The Valley.   Indeed, the key now is to keep him for the rest of the season and then for him to form the nucleus of a strike force in the Championship.   As the chant goes, he is better than his brother.

Plymouth Argyle are the team of choice on the Scilly Islands.   Indeed, they put a lot of work in with young people on the islands which is more important in the long run than visits by the likes of Beckham and Gerrard.   However, anyone who wants more exciting fare than the two club league on the islands would have to leave early on Saturday and come back on Monday if they wanted to go to a game at Home Park.

Radio Scilly supremo Keri Jones always likes it if I can feature Argyle in my Saturday slot on the sports show, but points out that there are no known Charlton supporters on the islands (whereas teams like Manchester City have a following).