This weekend

When the fixtures came out in June, it was this weekend that held the promise of the best Charlton day-out of the season. Bournemouth on a Saturday in Spring. A match which we all hoped would see a maximum away following and three precious promotion points. All of that has been dashed by our calamitous collapse of form post the Powell hype. 

I have an Aberdonian mate arriving from Norway for the weekend and he was up for anything tomorrow. He hasn't seen us play before and, whilst he is now fully accustomed to disappointment as a Dons fan (and season ticket holder - he travels from Norway), I am not ruining his weekend by dragging him down to the South Coast. Instead, I will entertain him in London before other mates arrive ahead of Sunday's match at The Emirates.

A Scottish match against Brazil brings back fond memories for me of the World Cup opener in 1998 when "we near-ly beat Brazil" in Paris. It was a scorching hot day and I arrived with a dozen mates off the train from Bordeaux at 10am. We walked through the waking city to the sound of bagpipes, Scottish accents and Saltires slung from windows and balconies. As we crossed the Seine I saw one of the most astonishing sights I have ever seen. A fishing boat from my home town on the Moray Firth was motoring up the river with it's crew of Scots singing on the deck. It may sound daft but I didn't know you could sail to Paris and a round-trip of 2,000 miles on a small fishing boat just to be there summed it all up for me. 

Brazil have lost two friendlies in a row and the chances of that becoming a third look akin to our hopes at Dean Court. It won't matter. The sun should be shining and I will be in the company of good friends. There will be plenty of laughter as always. I am more than a little bit suspicious that there will be no water in the fountains at Trafalgar Square and suspect some of my countrymen will head to Putney for a dip instead ahead of the Boat Race.