There are many emotions that the average fan experiences during a football match. Even a drab 0-0 can take us through highs and lows, and sometimes a comfortable win (or defeat) can cause little emotion due to inevitability of the result once a decent lead has been established.
The most exciting games, however, involve something of a surprise result from a certain point in the proceedings. Our game at Newcastle in January 1992 was such an example. From being 3-0 behind in the first half we managed to come back to win 4-3. I wasn’t at the game, but I still remember, some eighteen years later, screaming in the car when the third, and especially the forth, goals went in. The season was unremarkable, despite us missing out on the playoffs by three points, and Newcastle finished just five points above a drop into the third division, but that game will probably be memorable for the rest of my life.
The game on Saturday had a number of emotions. The excitement and trepidation when we went 1-0 in front. It is difficult to come back from a goal behind and win, especially when you have as little confidence that we have right now, so to score first was very important. The trepidation was that having expected a defeat we suddenly had something to lose.
At 2-0 I started to feel really excited at the very real possibility that we were going to get at least a point – away to a side that had started the season well, and much better than we had.
At half time I just thought we needed to keep it tight for the first five minutes and leave them chasing a two goal lead that would soon start to drain their enthusiasm and confidence of getting anything out of the game.
At 3-0 all of the emotion drained out of me. I was no longer worried about not winning the game. The third goal didn’t make that much difference and suddenly I accepted that we would win, and was very, very relaxed about it.
3-1 and nothing much changed. Back to the plan for the start of the second half. Keep it tight for five or ten minutes and stop them from believing that they have a chance.
3-2 and “Shit, we’re never going to keep them out until the end!”
3-3. The anger started to surface. We needed something out of this game and we had thrown away a very confortable lead. I wasn’t angry with Parkinson or the players, but I could just sense the anger building up in me. I should mention at this point that Mrs Kings Hill and Kings Hill Junior had gone to stay with Mrs Kings Hill’s mother for the weekend and due to the amount of work I had to get done I’d worked right through the night and was pumped full of caffeine. I was feeling very angry.
I was confident that we would go on to lost the game. In those circumstances the team that has come back from 3-0 down has all the impetus. Strangely we let a 2-0 lead slip at Norwich last season and managed to keep them from winning 3-2 twice in the last few minutes with goal line clearances. At this point, however, I would have taken a draw because anything less would have been a total disaster, under the circumstances.
Our forth goal, coming as late as it did, was clearly a winning goal. I was pleased for Benson to have scored it (his fifth) and it will potentially have a massive effect on our season. The emotion was less like euphoria and a little more like relief. After having the game in the bag at 3-0 anything less than a win was a terrible outcome.
So this leaves us rather like where we were before we played Brighton. We still look like a side that will do well to make top two but should really fancy itself to make the top six. The relegation threats seem to be on the back burned again for another week. I was never that worried about relegation, but then I wasn’t until January in 2008/09, but the fear that another season in this division and the financial implications it brings is never far away.
Those that are half full will be looking at the three points to second and the one point to sixth, and the half empty will be looking at the six points to forth from bottom.
At least it’s not exciting.
Up the Addicks!
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Comments and Spam - Not Charlton related
Anyone that has ever written a blog will understand how gratifying it is to receive comments. Sadly I normally only receive comments when I have written a controversial, or negative post. This suggests that people do not like what I have written, and often that is the case, but I suspect that the controversial and negative posts are the ones that are written after an event that makes us all emotional. With that in mind I suspect that those writing the comments are doing so as they feel emotional enough to 'have their say. Certainly I add more comments to other football blogs when I feel like that.
However I have recently been the beneficiary of a significant increase in comments from various helpful retailers offering to sell me all sorts of products and services. I have no idea how so many of these helpful souls deduced that I (or my readers) would benefit from a penis enlargement and then some Viagra to maximise the benefit of such an enlargement, and time the effectiveness of the Viagra on a new watch that looks just like a real Rolex, but I decided not to share those comments.
For the record I did not do so in an attempt to keep all the Viagra and the Rolex watches (well you'd not know the difference unless you had eyes) to myself, while siting in the waiting room for my 'minor' to 'major' surgery. No, I just decided that Kings Hill Addick was not in a position to endorse these products at this time. *
The solution to this influx of helpful retail contacts is to 'moderate' all comments and 'mark as spam' those that are not Charlton related (like this post in fact) but they became just too numerous. This did beg the question, "Just how many penis engagements can one need?" but I'm getting side tracked. This had now become a nuisance, so I've decided to follow my peers and add a word verification that should reduce the numbers of 'offers' comments I have to reject.
I am conscious, however, that this increases the effort for people to leave comments, and despite it being a huge boost to my blogging ego when I receive them I have decided to risk it by taking this route. I would ask that if you were going to leave a comment, please do go to the little extra effort as your comments are important to me and are greatly appreciated.
Up The Addicks!
* If you would like a penis enlargement, some Viagra or a watch that looks just like a Rolex, please leave a comment below. I will not help you with supplying your need, but it will provide a good laugh to all those that visit after you did.
However I have recently been the beneficiary of a significant increase in comments from various helpful retailers offering to sell me all sorts of products and services. I have no idea how so many of these helpful souls deduced that I (or my readers) would benefit from a penis enlargement and then some Viagra to maximise the benefit of such an enlargement, and time the effectiveness of the Viagra on a new watch that looks just like a real Rolex, but I decided not to share those comments.
For the record I did not do so in an attempt to keep all the Viagra and the Rolex watches (well you'd not know the difference unless you had eyes) to myself, while siting in the waiting room for my 'minor' to 'major' surgery. No, I just decided that Kings Hill Addick was not in a position to endorse these products at this time. *
The solution to this influx of helpful retail contacts is to 'moderate' all comments and 'mark as spam' those that are not Charlton related (like this post in fact) but they became just too numerous. This did beg the question, "Just how many penis engagements can one need?" but I'm getting side tracked. This had now become a nuisance, so I've decided to follow my peers and add a word verification that should reduce the numbers of 'offers' comments I have to reject.
I am conscious, however, that this increases the effort for people to leave comments, and despite it being a huge boost to my blogging ego when I receive them I have decided to risk it by taking this route. I would ask that if you were going to leave a comment, please do go to the little extra effort as your comments are important to me and are greatly appreciated.
Up The Addicks!
* If you would like a penis enlargement, some Viagra or a watch that looks just like a Rolex, please leave a comment below. I will not help you with supplying your need, but it will provide a good laugh to all those that visit after you did.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Charlton 0 v 4 Brighton
What was that all about?
I'm not going to write too much because I don't have anything good to say and as my mum always used to say......
My Dad was away and I text him after about fifteen minutes and suggested that Brighton had a lot of confidence but limited talent. I still believe that, but they beat us 4-0 and despite the fact that the score line could be described as flattering Brighton, it was an easy win for them in the end.
My thoughts in bullet points:
- Benson had an average game compared to what I've seen so far.
- Abbott was shocking from start to when he went off. He looks overweight and cumbersome when he runs. I had very high hopes for him at the end of the season, but I'm now wondering if he was just having a good season last year at Oldham.
- Our players played like a group that had met in the changing room. The suggestion that the team needs to gel is looking like wishful thinking now. We are just not a team in any sense of the word when comparing us to Brighton.
- Kish was the best player on the pitch by a mile (in my opinion) and we released him three years ago (when he was three years closer to his peak) because we thought he wasn't good enough for us any more.
- Anyinsah looked like the best forward we have at the club but came on when the game was lost.
- We chose the worst performance for what could well be the highest crowd we will have for years if not decades - especially if we continue the decline we seem determined to.
- Parkinson could have no excuses if he were relieved of his duties this week, and the pressure of that will almost certainly make it harder to turn things around
- We lost 4-0 at home in the third division. Chicago Addick pointed out on his blog that the last time we lost 4-0 at home it was to Man Utd, who are actually rather good.
- It was rather cold at The Valley yesterday and my Dad was in Tenerife where it was "High 20s". I wish I'd been with him drinking a cold Dorada.
I have been supportive of Parkinson for a long time now. I've believed, or should I say trusted, Richard Murray's insistence that this is the man to lead us to success. However, we are getting dangerously close now to the conclusion that appointing Curbishley was the exception to the norm and that the appointments of Dowie, Reed and Pardew are better indications of his ability to select the right man for the job.
It's almost an admission that if we are forced to sack Parky, Murray should be held accountable for our fall from grace, and that places pressure on him too. The relegation from the Premier League after Curbishley left was, to a small degree, acceptable as we were never a totally established top flight side. However, never in our history have we been a bottom half of the third division side, and that looks like what we are right now.
Let's also remember that, despite his involvement in getting us there, we have never had a better platform from which to grow this club than we had in the first few years of this millennium, so our fall from grace is even more incompetent.
If we are going to turn around our fortunes like Norwich did last season we are going to have to follow their lead and replace the manager. Otherwise we are going to have to get lucky, raise the performances above what we have been seen in the first fifteen games (including cup fixtures), and scrape through the playoffs.
I don't want to be too dramatic after a big defeat, and Brighton were top before the game, but I don't want to watch another season of decline with all the financial implications that come with it.
I think Parkinson has been given plenty of time to prove himself, but take out the first six games of last season and his performance is not good enough to get us where we need to be. To get us where the club can actually survive financially.
So, no pressure then?
Up the Addicks!
I'm not going to write too much because I don't have anything good to say and as my mum always used to say......
My Dad was away and I text him after about fifteen minutes and suggested that Brighton had a lot of confidence but limited talent. I still believe that, but they beat us 4-0 and despite the fact that the score line could be described as flattering Brighton, it was an easy win for them in the end.
My thoughts in bullet points:
- Benson had an average game compared to what I've seen so far.
- Abbott was shocking from start to when he went off. He looks overweight and cumbersome when he runs. I had very high hopes for him at the end of the season, but I'm now wondering if he was just having a good season last year at Oldham.
- Our players played like a group that had met in the changing room. The suggestion that the team needs to gel is looking like wishful thinking now. We are just not a team in any sense of the word when comparing us to Brighton.
- Kish was the best player on the pitch by a mile (in my opinion) and we released him three years ago (when he was three years closer to his peak) because we thought he wasn't good enough for us any more.
- Anyinsah looked like the best forward we have at the club but came on when the game was lost.
- We chose the worst performance for what could well be the highest crowd we will have for years if not decades - especially if we continue the decline we seem determined to.
- Parkinson could have no excuses if he were relieved of his duties this week, and the pressure of that will almost certainly make it harder to turn things around
- We lost 4-0 at home in the third division. Chicago Addick pointed out on his blog that the last time we lost 4-0 at home it was to Man Utd, who are actually rather good.
- It was rather cold at The Valley yesterday and my Dad was in Tenerife where it was "High 20s". I wish I'd been with him drinking a cold Dorada.
I have been supportive of Parkinson for a long time now. I've believed, or should I say trusted, Richard Murray's insistence that this is the man to lead us to success. However, we are getting dangerously close now to the conclusion that appointing Curbishley was the exception to the norm and that the appointments of Dowie, Reed and Pardew are better indications of his ability to select the right man for the job.
It's almost an admission that if we are forced to sack Parky, Murray should be held accountable for our fall from grace, and that places pressure on him too. The relegation from the Premier League after Curbishley left was, to a small degree, acceptable as we were never a totally established top flight side. However, never in our history have we been a bottom half of the third division side, and that looks like what we are right now.
Let's also remember that, despite his involvement in getting us there, we have never had a better platform from which to grow this club than we had in the first few years of this millennium, so our fall from grace is even more incompetent.
If we are going to turn around our fortunes like Norwich did last season we are going to have to follow their lead and replace the manager. Otherwise we are going to have to get lucky, raise the performances above what we have been seen in the first fifteen games (including cup fixtures), and scrape through the playoffs.
I don't want to be too dramatic after a big defeat, and Brighton were top before the game, but I don't want to watch another season of decline with all the financial implications that come with it.
I think Parkinson has been given plenty of time to prove himself, but take out the first six games of last season and his performance is not good enough to get us where we need to be. To get us where the club can actually survive financially.
So, no pressure then?
Up the Addicks!
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