Jay Dasilva on loan

In preparation for confirmation that Ademola Lookman's Charlton career is over, De Cloob have moved to bring in a temporary replacement. Eighteen year old Chelsea youth winger, Jay Dasilva, has signed on loan until the end of the season. On the face of it he is a close fit for Lookman - young, slight, attacking and will be playing on the left wing.

News too that Sheffield Wednesday are back looking to sign Morgan Fox. They were refuted to have offered £2m for him in August although I found that hard to believe considering we didn't sell. I assume the fee may be closer to £1m and that it will go through, partly because Duchatelet wants to cut his losses but also because Morgan Fox needs a change of scenery. He's become an easy target and scape-goat for a number of poor performances and results this season. Personally, I think he has the makings of a top flight full-back. He's not had great covering support for some time on the left and with a snail-paced centre-mid this season he has often been exposed and pulled about all over the place. I for one will miss him and wish him all the best for playing in a stronger side where I am sure he will hold his own in the Championship as he has done for us previously.

News too from Belgium that the Old Goat and his wife have been spouting more tripe to the media. This time he's making no bones about his lack of footballing ambition and again talking about attending games being a social occasion where everyone has fun (irrespective of the football)  - weird. Interesting to hear him again call Chris Powell unintelligent on the basis he didn't do what he was told by Duchatelet in terms of who to play and what formations. He also contradicts himself once again by claiming not to have told Powell who to pick or how to play.  I think we all know where we sit in terms of who is honest and intelligent, and who isn't.

Farewell Ademola Lookman

As expected, Ronald Koeman has confirmed Everton's intention of signing our top scorer, 19 year old Ademola Lookman for £10m. Lookman is the latest in a long line of Charlton youth products to step up for big money. Following in the footsteps of Joe Gomez, Diego Poyet, Jonjo Shelvey, Carl Jenkinson and all those before them. Lookman's first team playing career with Charlton reminds me of Lee Bowyer. A slight lad making a big scoring impact from midfield. Interestingly, both have similar stats, Ademola 10 goals from 45 appearances whilst Bowyer hit 8 from 46.

On top of the £5m pulled in prior to the start of the season with the sale of Gudmundsson, Cousins and Pope, Duchatelet will effectively have recouped more in transfer fees in six months than he paid for the club.

Sure, he has racked up large operational losses during the last three seasons but also had the fees from Kermorgant, Stephens, Poyet and Gomez to offset those. The relegation to League One has also meant that Meire has again cut the operating cost of the club which helps reduce those ongoing losses. If only she hadn't wasted all that money on paying off 7 managers in the meantime and all those Driesen Duffers who either never made it or who we have continued to pay for despite having to ship them off to other clubs in the hope of one day recouping a fee.

All the focus now is on how much bacon the Scouser and his team have managed to bring back from their train trip to visit The President in his St. Truiden lair. This will make fascinating viewing....

MK Dons 0 v Charlton Athletic 1

Both clubs and their supporters can be excused for feeling thoroughly sick of the sight of each other after the fourth tight game in a few months. Fair to say none of them have amounted to much and yesterday's was another drab affair settled by another Lookman goal. MK had early chances to have taken the game by the scruff of the neck but spurned them.

The win lifts Charlton just into the top half of the table and staves off any serious relegation threat for now at least. Thoughts now turn to what could be a pivotal January transfer window. News today that Madame Meire, Manager Robinson, Assistant-Assistant Richie Barker and Captain Jacko are off to St. Truiden to visit Santa Claus Roland Duchatelet to plead their case for what Robinson describes as "two midfielders hopefully, and a winger." Robinson also spoke with 'The President" after the Millwall game when he claims to have set the visit up and was consoled on his derby loss. 

Not sure what to make of this - does Meire need help in persuading The President? Worryingly, they will be taking in the St. Truiden v Standard match so I hope it's not to run the rule over over more network players. Robinson's comments hoping for two midfielders sounds a tad desperate. I assume the winger is a straightforward replacement for Lookman and that Robinson wants some spare change from that deal to strengthen the engine room which is unable to get out of second gear with the current incumbents. 

Duchatelet now has an 'on message' English manager and a side that looks like it may have found it's level. A big cash injection from Lookman and the prospect of more to come from Konsa if they can avoid over-playing him as well as longer shots on Aribo and O'Hanlon who are both now getting opportunities. The President may be sitting more comfortably now that his Player-farming model in a lower-geared cost club looks like it is beginning to work and might help reduce his paper losses to the point where he can get out without taking a massive haircut.

Meanwhile, supporting Charlton Athletic remains a desperate struggle for those still going. An empty stadium with the accompanying lack of atmosphere. A side that splutters from one match to another looking to grind out results. A harridan of a Chief Exec who has zero credibility but is still lording it over us. A thinly disguised PR machine making the best of what's a limited plan that prioritises cutting losses and moving to profit over ambition and results. Short-termism in the planning and cynicism in the execution. 

The Club is at the lowest point in it's 111-year history and the slow decline will continue and, in my opinion, we are much more likely to be involved next in another relegation struggle than a promotion push. They can say all the like in the media but he needs to sack Meire as a starting point to any serious intention to change or make a realistic go of his responsibilities as owner of Charlton Athletic Football Club.

Leyton Orient 3 v Crawley Town2

Spur-of-the-moment decision this morning to take a game in. I couldn't face watching Charlton so it had to be a game in London and one where I could pay on the day. Orient at home and kicking off at 1pm, so no-brainer.

I was there inside an hour and it looked very much like I was the only pay-on-the-day customer when I walked into the ticket office. The girl behind the desk looked bored rigid and handed me a ticket from below the desk which made it look like there was only one left. Thought £24 was a bit steep for League Two but it didn't include any walk-up surcharge.

Anyway, I took my place behind the home goal and sat down to enjoy an excellent first-half where the O's really tore into Crawley and had them on the rack for the first thirty minutes. It was great to see two wingers playing in tandem and at pace. Massey on the right caused allsorts of problems and Sandro Semedo on the left fed the ball back into the box on numerous occasions. I have really missed this sort of home performance. We haven't managed to play like this for years and I have been putting it down to the relatively increasing competitiveness of Championship football and our general decline.

Both O's front men scored in the opening period. First Sam Dolby headed home from six yards and then McCallum swept in a second from the same spot. They could have had a third before a penalty on the stroke of half-time should have ended the match as a contest. McCallum stroked home for three as I made my way down for  pie.

I was fully expecting five as I retook my seat but Crawley really made a game of it in the second-half. The O's were clearly defending a lead but when they came under pressure they looked shaky. Both full-backs, Judd and Hunt struggled to contain Crawley's wide-men and Cisak in goal began to flap a little, especially after the visitors pulled one back. Orient didn't take the hint and it took a second after 78 minutes before they really came out again looking for a fourth. Semedo cut in from the left on the overlap and might have scored but his drive was well held by Morris in the Crawley goal. Crawley finished with a flourish but their 295 fans left disapointed as the O's held on.

The gate was 4,486 which looked much better in their compact stadium and I am pretty sure there were not the thousands of comps given out as at Charlton. I could never follow another club like I have done Charlton, but it was good to know I haven't completely lost my love for football.

Home to coupon-busting news that another Ademola Lookman goal took the points against MK Dons and against the perceived wisdom, especially anyone  who has suffered either of the last two Charlton showings, although we weren't much better by all accounts. In addition to sorting the engine room out, Duchatelet will need to sanction a decent replacement for Lookman when he moves out next month.

Merry Christmas

As my mate and fellow Blogger, Chicago Addick, heads to Buckhead just north of Atlanta for his Christmas, I will be spending mine in Charlton, Inner London (Merry Christmas S). I'm not complaining, like CA I love being at home at Christmas and will be joined by my closest family tomorrow for the Christmas Dinner and family fun.

I had jobs all day yesterday which started with walking the dog and finished with delivering a few gifts and a dash to the self-service tills at Sainsburys for a few business-as-usual bits. It was there I had the pleasure of spotting Patrick Bauer and his other half. No-one else in the busy store recognised him but I couldn't miss the opportunity to wish him a Merry Christmas. He's taller than I expected, probably exactly the same height as me (but probably only 60% of my weight). I didn't want to get this wrong so said "Mr Bauer" to break the ice and ensure it wasn't Jimmy Smith. He said "yes" in an unmistakeable if slightly reluctant German accent, looked slightly nervous and then swallowed hard. When I said "Merry Christmas" and offered him my hand, a broad smile and a slight sense of relief broke over his face. I am too old for selfies, but it was good to shake hands with the BFG. 

Anyway, I am about to head off out with my dog again as I savour Christmas Eve and enjoy the waiting for Christmas Day. Wherever you are, I wish you and your families a peaceful and pleasant Christmas.

Man Management

Karl Robinson's post match press conference last night made uncomfortable viewing. He was clearly frustrated and more than a little embarrassed but he can't help adding gloss to the situation and talking in riddles. Given what a woeful performance it was, he acknowledged it wasn't good enough and then said we bossed the opening 45 minutes! It's been said he sounds like David Brent and I am hearing it more and more every time he opens his mouth.

In his first weeks he was bigging his squad of players up talking about the wealth of talent and how excited he was to be managing them. Yesterday he was talking about how close we are to the January window and how he needs to bring new players in. 

He has also done something that I really disagree with. He's washing his dirty laundry in public by saying that he will be speaking to all of the players one-by-one looking for 'the truth.' He has said he will ask them to write down what they think is going wrong and what improvements can be made. I am not sure this works in practice and it certainly won't work better for him telling the public he's doing it. Presumably, at least part of what's not working will be stuff the individuals simply won't tell him. If any of them are disillusioned with the number of managers we get through, they probably won't want to tell him. If they don't like the cut of his jib, they probably won't tell him. If they think we have too many back room staff, they probably won't tell him. If they think he's tactically hopeless, they probably won't tell him. Given his propensity for blabbing to the media, he's likely to get a load of anodyne answers which will get him nowhere.

Prefacing the conversations with this gem is also unlikely to help the situation; 
“People need to understand what it takes to play for this club. We have to be better. If people cannot accept  that, then I am not the man for them to play for." You might not be Karl but they can probably hang on for another couple of months if they don't like it, safe in the knowledge they won't be playing for you.

If you want to build the players back-up, do it, don't talk about it to the press because they will see it and realise you are playing games; “It might be a bit of positivity towards them as well. To build them back up. Do not see it as a negative. I want to build them back up."

Finally, “I am straight and hopefully my players appreciate that they get told the truth.” What does this mean? That they will be grateful for being told he doesn't rate them or that their recent performances haven't been acceptable? Does he not think they experience a poor game as individuals and as a team, and that they don't see or acknowledge results and league placings?

Karl Robinson obviously hasn't hit the ground running and I suspect the added ideas and instructions from Robinson and O'Loughlin might not be giving the players a joined-up view of what's needed. When you add the arrival of Richie Barker into the mix yesterday it looks like we have too many cooks. Scrooge won't want to keep paying for this lot but who will go first? If Robinson can't get a couple of results quickly my money's on O'Loughlin getting the gig I suspect Duchatelet was content to give him but was talked out of by those closer to the frontline just a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, following Charlton continues, almost unbelievably, to get harder and harder. All clubs suffer peaks and troughs but what have we done to deserve what's happening? Relegation, shocking football in an empty stadium, being insulted by the owner and lied to repeatedly by the Incompetent One. It's on a par with Luton and Portsmouth before us but their fans weren't driven away amidst it all. The way things are going, Daisy will preside over a further collapse in season ticket sales next season, irrespective of what division we are playing in. Given we have the single worst owner in the club's history presiding over the biggest failure in the club's history, it will not surprise me if we end up playing at the lowest level in the club's professional history next season. Unfortunately, Karl Robinson is looking like he doesn't possess the man management and motivational skills necessary to arrest the decline. 

I'm just glad I won't be suffering another 'performance' until the New Year. What price Bristol Rovers, recently spanked by Kevin Nugent's carefree swashbucklers, to return and take the points from Karl Robinson's eleven?

Millwall 3 v Charlton Athletic 1

My works Christmas bash today so I had a perfect excuse not to be suffering the New Den. As it happened I was on the train passing the ground at 7.30 and was tempted to jump off at Deptford, even without a ticket. As it was I stayed put and have followed the match from home on the internet.

So pleased I stayed on the train. More inept drivel and two goals conceded shortly before half-time killed us off. So much for the usual up-for-it Millwall bullshit from players and manager. No heart, no fight, rolled-over once again. Karl Robinson, two draws and three defeats - you don't look like the Messiah to me. A great bunch of lads, amazing talent, January could be a defining month, I have a little feeling.....oh dear Karl, looking and sounding like a busted flush. Let's do our talking on the pitch - yes, let's, when? Ajose pulled one back and we quickly conceded a third in typical Millwall fashion as if to underline how shit we are.

Are they seriously going to give this guy funds in January? Promotion will be beyond us and it will quickly be about next season, assuming we don't get sucked into another relegation battle. MK Dons will be rubbing their hands on Saturday and Southend will hardly be quaking in their boots. Embarrassing, absolutely embarrassing. Meire and Duchatelet are reaping what they have sown - gross negligence and total incompetence.

Where's Driesen? Let's hear what the boy scout has to say. Very wise after the events. What impact is Chris O'Loughlin having exactly? Robinson thought he was going to add something - what? He's your equally useless replacement Karl, just a matter of time. You have been made to look a right fool Robinson. All mouth and no trousers - Scouse gobshite. Post match press conference will be another humiliation as you weasel your way around your own ineptitude and your squad short-comings. Absolute joke of a set-up. Weak squad with poor management and invisible leadership. My £100 at 25-1 on relegation is looking tidy.

When are you talking to the fans Karl? You have already blown the honeymoon period. You will get slaughtered now. Been brilliant has it since you joined? Just what's been brilliant? Everything but our performances and results? Don't worry, Duchatalet doesn't give a toss, he's probably not even noticed. Daisy will have majored on your draws.

Have the last seven (7) managers been absolutely useless or is there a larger common denominator like a broken back-room and inept leadership? Lack of continuity and complete uncertainty. I can blame Meire for making lots of poor choices but I think we all know what the fundamental problem is - an arrogant, ignorant, stupid owner.

The last veneer

Roland Duchatelet was interviewed on Belgian TV yesterday and did his best, once again, to anger an insult as many Charlton fans as possible. The PR professionals he's paying for really are labouring in vain. They have managed to restrict Katrien Meire from putting her foot in it so frequently but they have no call over the bonkers Belgian billionaire.

Courtesy of Weegie Addick's translation blow, I have pointed out the bits that are the most insulting.

Presenter: STVV doing well – must please the owner and chairman, RD, welcome.
RD - Yes, a relief. Football is sometimes good, sometimes bad. The meaning of football for me is for people to meet and enjoy themselves and (at STVV) it’s always a party - we always have dancing after the match – that’s the tradition there.
Presenter: Last month you were 70 – belated congratulations – also an age to look back on things. But your sporting activities are still topical. Emails have recently come to light in the media in England that you sent a while ago to the former coach of Charlton, your club there. We have a few extracts from them (shows the Thuram email and the tactics one). Do you still support the sending of those emails?
RD Yes, of course, that was just after we had bought Charlton. That involved an awful lot of money – buying such a club in England. We had of course thoroughly investigated everything with our scouts beforehand, screened all the players one by one, what they were good at it, what they were not good at, the kind of mistakes they made etc. Our scouts knew them much better, I think, than the coach who was there. Then we also brought in half a dozen players whom we knew and the coach didn’t know and we tried to help the man, while the team were more or less last in the division.
Presenter: Should the sporting staff not have independence?
RD: I think in principle they were independent. They could make their own decisions. (Presenter makes a gesture suggesting they might be moved out and RD begins to get irritated.) If people don’t understand, if the coach could not understand, that he was getting help, and threw that help in the rubbish bin, when he was getting all these players whom he didn’t know, and he thinks he can continue without the advice from outside, well, then he is not a clever person and those who think the same are also not clever. In principle we were giving them the advice so they had responsibility and could take responsibility and that is how we work. I find it very stupid that a person who is getting help, an important person for the club, does not accept it. I also find that the activists, some activists at the club, who from their reactions think the coach was right, well they are just stupid people too.
Presenter: So imagine if the head of the Belgian FA (?) sent a letter to Roberto Martinez saying select him or select him, you would find that OK?
RD: Yes, I do it with other coaches, certainly at the beginning. It’s good for a coach that there is consideration/ discussion. When STVV were regularly losing and letting in a couple of goals a game, I called in the coach and said, you can do what you want but you have to stop letting in two goals or we’ll never win a match, bad football, whatever, but no more two goals conceded each match. He went away and thought about and changed some players and you see the results. I think it is good that there is such discussion.
Presenter: Moving on. Charlton – there is a group there, some supporters, I won’t say all supporters, who are strongly protesting. (Describes protest and shows footage of the birthday encounter and the coffin). Is this situation still retrievable?
RD: Football is itself emotional, of course, but there are a number of people behind this who are doing it for all sorts of reasons.
Presenter: They are not real supporters, you are saying?
RD: They are activists acting out of other considerations than pure interests of the club. Of course when things are not going well with the club…It is not the first time. It is the third time. (Presenter points to a picture of the taxi). They started it when I let that famous trainer go – the one who was only getting a point per match. Then Jose Riga came in and with all the other players that the other coach had said were bad players, got 1.5 points per match and saved the club, then it all stopped.
Presenter: With all these things going on are you not planning over time to sell the club?
RD: Look, no, yes, well, I got into football in the first place as a sponsor. I think I have done a reasonable job but I am also not planning to be doing this forever. It’s unexpected that I’m now back in football at STVV because the club had to be sold by the former to someone else and there wasn’t anyone and it was also an annoying situation, but actually I think that I can input much more in other areas – in social/ economic areas.
Presenter: We’ll come to that. So now that you are 70 have you not had enough with these clubs?
RD: Well, for a while, it is now two years since I sold Standard. (Not quite catching the next bit). Football for me has become less important. I have done calculations – I will only reach a certain age.

1) Final proof, if any were needed, that Duchatelet was meddling with Powell's team selection and tactics, just like Powell told us. One of Meire's biggest and most oft repeated lies. The half-a-dozen players he brought in that were better than what we had! Thuram, Polish Pete, Loic Nego, Reza for starters. 

2) Independent my arse. I reckon Duchatelet and Driesen are interfering right now with Robinson. Two youth substitutions, one a debut, in the 90th minute on Saturday? Box ticked?

3) Powell not a very clever man and protesters stupid! Huh?

4) He suggests Riga got more from the expanded squad than Powell had managed but conveniently forgets the fact that Riga stuck with Powell's old squad to get out of the meire. He ditched the inadequates that they tried to foist on Powell. 

5) Sooner rather than later Roland - big party when you pop your clogs.

Charlton Athletic 0 v Peterborough United 2

For once this season I put Charlton on my accumulator. Buoyed by the spirited showing at Valley Parade last week I expected us to roll Peterborough United over. How wrong was I?

Another pile of crap served up at home. So much for Robinson's guff about every player of his fighting for the shirt. So much for all that tosh about this brilliant group of players and all the learning and bonding. A first-half of turgid drivel. The closest we got to a chance was a cross shot which was deflected up into the air and collected with ease by their keeper. Piss-poor.

After what I presume was the Scouse rant at half-time, we looked bothered for ten minutes. Magennis charged in from an acute angle and shaved the far post. Jose was furious not to have scored with a slight pullback but, frankly, I suspect Josh came closer to scoring that Ajose would have. Minutes later, the bemused Botaka saw a deflected shot touched onto the bar by the Posh goalie. After that and until I left for much needed refreshments, we were hopeless. 

Karl Robinson's post-match presser will be interesting. More positive spin or a dose of reality? This is a poor League One and we have a squad playing with less than average heart and commitment. The exodus of Lookman in January will be telling. What will the manager be given to spend? How will the remaining players respond? Crofts and Ulvestad are pedestrian in midfield and both need to be replaced. Magennis is alone upfront. Ajose is too small and ineffective. We have little wide threat without Holmes. 

This isn't a strong division but we look vulnerable. If Robinson can't carry this squad, and it looked very worrying today, we are bang in trouble.

Millwall were skelped at Scunthorpe today but half their usual fight against us on Wednesday will be enough. After that we go to MK Dons who know how to beat us before an awkward trip to Southend on New Year's Eve. The next home match against Bristol Rovers could be a new low. Yes, I am feeling pretty glum.

Roland, Katrien, anything to say? Thought not....

MK Dons 3 v Charlton Athletic 1 (aet)

Forget Brighton, we've ended our participation in this season's Cup competitions and can concentrate on securing our League One berth for next season.

Karl Robinson put a very positive spon on things once again - he really does see the best in everything - although those there were somewhat less overwhelmed. We did field a younger side but not sure everyone will necessarily remember this one for the rest of their lives....

Good enough to hold the draw after 90 minutes we capitulated on the opening period of extra time and that man Bowditch killed us off with the third.

Meanwhile, Roly looks like he may get at least £11m for Lookman in the January sales...

Bradford City 0 v Charlton Athletic 0

A second successive nil-nil for latest manager Karl Robinson but this one was a much more entertaining affair against a better side than last Saturday's Cup snore-fest.

It was my first (and only?) away match of the season and I made the trip to spend the day with Mexico City Addict who is back for Christmas. We went up on the 9.03am and I was pleased to see 'Dave the Train' and his lad Matt join us. Three of the of the old gang back in harness and Mexico Addict had another surprise when we changed trains as 'Leeds Paul' joined us. Paul used to sit next to me in the East until his job with the Post Office finished and he no longer had any reason to be in London on Saturdays. The pair of them hadn't met in 15 years, so we all had plenty to catch-up on. That was done over a pints in Weatherspoons in Leeds and the station pub outside Bradford Interchange. 

Up to the ground then and I was pleasantly surprised by a much improved Valley Parade from my last visit at the end of the 1996-97 season, the night Tony Blair's new Labour government was swept into office. The ground now boasts two impressive new stands which dominate half the ground and are clearly a legacy from City's brief spell in the Premiership. The 550 visiting fans were packed into the compact upper tier of the small two story effort behind one of the goals. It was also good to be in a reasonably full stadium again.

It was a good enough view to watch an impressive first-half from the Addicts. Dillon Phillips was confident in goal and with a solid back four we limited Bradford until the second-half. Jason Pearce limped off after five minutes to be replaced by Tex who immediately settled in alongside the combative Bauer. Cons was assured at left back and Chicksen was probably my man-of-the-match for a powerful display on the right against the quick and tumbling City winger, Marshall.

The midfield problem was still apparent although with only three deployed in Ulvestad, Crofts and Botaka, it meant we played the ball forward more for Novak, Ajose and Magennis. The front three lead the break-out very well in the first-half and we had City back-pedalling for prolonged spells. Magennis gave a Kermorgant-like performance harassing the back-line and cross shot from an Ajose through-ball rebounded off the inside of the City post having beaten keeper Doyle. He struck the timber again with a fine header before the break as we pushed for the lead but we needed Phillips to rush out of goal and be big to stop Hiwula before the whistle.

After the break City did more pressing and they played some good football from the back and with pace out to their wingers who pegged us back and supplied a stream of crosses which Texeira and Bauer dealt with. Chicken and Konsa were also very busy stemming the flow and we restricted City to another Hiwula effort which Phillips diverted off-target at full stretch. Bauer can feel hard-done-by to be sent off for a second yellow five minutes before the end. He was booked for an obstruction which looked to me as much as his opponent was looking for it. He does have to learn to curb his points tallying without losing any of his assertiveness.


At the end of the match, Karl Robinson was quickly over to celebrate with his players in front of us and he persuaded a reluctant Hanlon (I think) to take his shirt off so Robinson could hurl it up to the applauding Addicks in the top tier. "He thinks he's Jurgen Klopp" was the comment alongside me.

All-in-all a good point and a fair one as a City fan agreed with me in the Midland Hotel after the game. It was also a good day out and a reminder of old times. When will they return I wonder?

Charlton Athletic 0 v MK Dons 0

Glad I missed this yawn-fest. The gate of 4,982 (639 from MK) must be the lowest F A Cup gate at the Valley in living memory. Too early to condemn but no visible signs of the relentless attacking football promised by Karl Robinson. Plenty of playing to the gallery by all accounts (all Scousers are comedians) and he's still bigging up his employers which is probably a little naive however you see things. The draw means we will play MK three times this month. Karl will be pleased to be the centre of attention.

Big shout out for the Belgium 20 who were again in St. Truiden yesterday and who again managed to confront a for-once happy looking Roland Duchatelet who accepted up to 200 Christmas cards/letters from bitter ex-employees, having first established that they weren't from C.A.R.D. Not sure Roly really understands what a coalition is but he might join the dots if he reads any of the letters. I really hope he's read mine.

I'm off to Bradford next week because an exiled Addick and mate is home for Cnristmas and wants his fix. I can hardly wait.

Doing your homework

When you really research a subject in depth and can talk about it with absolute authority, you can make a compelling and powerful argument. Amid all the claim and counter-claim in the battle between Duchatelet and Meire and the protesting supporters of Charlton Athletic, much of the debate has lacked facts, evidence and authority.

Hats off then to the producers of the four part 'Getting to know the Network." In the first two parts they have reached parts others have been unable to.

My fellow blogger Hungry Ted covers it perfectly here....

You can't argue with facts from the horse's mouth or plain evidence and they have managed both. Please listen......

Jimmy Stone - tikabowson - you have a chapter to yourself in Airman Brown's next best-seller.....