As already mentioned I didn't attend this game. Ipswich don't really do it for me, and I have a very heavy workload this week. If all goes to plan by tomorrow morning my life will return to some sort of normality and I will be able to start to ramp up the excitement of a new season.
The result (despite both our goals coming from penalties) is good news. As Blackheath Addick said the skill of holding on to a lead is not only real but perceived. The more times you can do something the more you believe you can do it. It may seem like I'm looking for positives, and, of course, I am, but I suspect that if we are to be successful this season we will need to be able to hold on to leads in the face of constant pressure.
As has already been mentioned elsewhere, we are going to see a large number of away fans at The Valley this season. I mean relative to the number of fans the teams take elsewhere. There is nothing more encouraging than having a larger then average support behind you. The South Stand has good acoustics too, so we could well find a number of teams really 'up for it' next season.
The confidence that is built from successively facing down those types of teams and winning (especially by a narrow margin) can make all the difference over a season, and you can only beat what is in front of you.
As I wasn't at the game I'm not going to comment on the match itself, but all the signs are encouraging. The club are clearly trying to sell some players, and the ones that will leave will be down to the ones that other teams want. Richard Murray made an observation at the recent(ish) EGM that Leicester only kept hold of their squad because they couldn't find buyers for the players they wanted to off load. Thus we will not know which players will be here on 1st September until 1st September. It may well be, I'm not sure, that players can move from League One to The Championship outside of the transfer window, so we may even see players leave after the start of September.
What we can be sure of, however, is that as the season draws closer the obsession with transfers and take overs will be replaced with a healthy excitement at actually going to a league game.
That's right, the season is almost upon us. The butterflies are starting. The joy or horror of last season is now gone. The coming season can still be anything. It could bring wins, success, promotion, a visit to Wembley or none of the above.
It's the anticipation of what it could be, that's what keeps up coming back.
Bring it on!
Up the Addicks!
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