Danny Mills says farewell

We reproduce below a farewell message from Danny Mills in which he praises the club and fans. Given our financial position, we could not sign him or continue to pay his wages, but he will certainly be missed:

As I approach my final week at Charlton I felt this to be the right time to reflect on what has been from a footballing point of view an enjoyable last 5 months.

My departure after the game at Leicester will certainly be tinged with a degree of sadness and I hope the fans will feel I have given them every bit as much commitment as when I last played for this club. Initially we had hoped to be in a position whereby we could agree a permanent move, but unfortunately this does not seem to be possible and with no resolution on the horizon, I will now be returning to Manchester at the end of this month.

It is at this point I would like to make it clear that I have really enjoyed my time back at the Valley, particularly playing competitive football week in and week out. Charlton are a great club, the players and staff are a superb bunch of people and to put it bluntly I have the utmost respect for the gaffer. He for one made it clear very early on that he would like me to stay and I am sure he has done all he can to make that happen. As we all know, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes when trying to secure the services of a player whether it be the politics that exist between the clubs involved or with the negotiations between player, agent and the powers that be. Having now worked with him during these last 5 months, albeit a relatively short time, I have found him to be one of the better managers that I have played for. His ability to deal with players and situations is second to none! Perhaps the best way to describe his attributes is to say that he is always open to new ideas as well as being very tactically aware. Most importantly though are his skills as a very good man manager, treating the players with respect and honesty. That for me is vital when looking to continually get the best from your players week in and week out, especially when results aren’t always going right for you on the pitch.

I'll certainly miss the fans who I feel welcomed and accepted me back very quickly and that extra support can be very beneficial at times, especially when you’re being booed by just about every away fan. To be honest, I quite like it particularly as you know that you’ve certainly made a mark and are being recognised for whatever reason. The Charlton fans have certainly got behind me on this one and I think they loved the fact that the opposition were going to boo my every touch of the ball.
This Saturday sees me possibly involved in my last home game where hopefully the result will go our way and I can say farewell with a smile and three points in the bag. Of course I hope I’m going to be missed, but not too much because I really hope that Charlton end up back in the Premiership with or without my services.

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and on the flip side I won't miss getting up at 5a.m. in the morning to travel down on the train for training 2 or 3 times each week. Football and family life do not often mix well and this has certainly been the case for me. Being on loan miles away creates its own pressures, but I'm glad I've done it and thankful to Charlton for the opportunity. However football is a funny game and just when you think things are going in one direction, football does seem to have the habit of turning you around and sending you off in another. So who knows what is just around the corner and at this time of year who knows what Santa might just bring?!!?

So with just three games left for me, my aim is to get the maximum from these games and help contribute to getting Charlton back into the top three. That will be a great way to finish my loan period at this club and will allow me to then feel that I have done my job leaving on a relatively happy note.

I hope you all have a great time over the festive period, eat too much...drink too much... and then spend January wishing you hadn't!