Former Addick Simon Church complains about his treatment by Bob Peeters in an interview with the South London Press: Simon Church
Peeters may well have thought that Church wasn't good enough, but possibly matters could have been handled better.
On a more positive note, the SLP also has an interview with new defender Patrick Bauer: Bauer made welcome
Richard Cawley has tweeted that Gudmundsson may go to Wolves with striker Bjorn Sigurdarson coming the other way.
So far I have not found any confirmation from my West Midlands sources.
We have also been linked with Genk's Jelle Vossen. Admittedly, he is Belgian, but he was on loan at 'Boro last season and would like to go back there: Jelle Vossen
As for French winger and ex-Foxes player Anthony Knockaert, it looks as if he is going to the mother ship, which is not to say we might not see him at The Valley eventually: Knockaert
Former Addicks coach Bob Peeters has signed a two year deal with Lokeren. One man who won't be returning to the network.
Bob Peeters has reacted to his dismissal from Charlton. He said that he was very disappointed. "What kind of person is Katrien Meire? I ask myself now. In the beginning we could work well together, but I regularly reacted against her. The fans also saw that reinforcements were needed," says Peeters.
He thinks that the club was exaggerating the extent of the problems. "There were clear goals in the beginning of the season. This season we had to have a quiet season with a very young team. We were thirteenth with 31 points. The results were less good the last weeks, I admit."
Promises were however made to Peeters. "When two days before your resignation they guarantee you that you can stay, it is strange that you get sacked on Sunday." Difficulties with English staff members seem to have been a trigger.
"It is strange that nothing was said to me. Strange that an assistant can ultimately determine the fate of the head coach." Normally Peeters would never respond after a lay off. "Now I make an exception, because things have appeared [in the press] that are not right. I was hailed by players and fans."
Some players will now have to collaborate again with Guy Luzon, the man who didn’t need them at Standard. "Some of them are not at all satisfied, but that’s none of my business anymore," said the disgruntled Peeters.
Original text here: Flemish version
So, Bob Peeters has gone, but who and what will follow? Rick Everitt gives his views here: After Bob?
Like Rick, I would be happy to see Riga back, but it is more likely to be his assistant. I still think that Guy Luzon is less likely. He is currently 1/4 in the betting, but he was hardly a success at the mother ship. But then Alan Curbishley is 16/1 and there are even odds for Dowie.
The club statement reads: 'Charlton have terminated the contract of Head Coach Bob Peeters with immediate effect, the club can confirm. The contracts of Senior Professional Development Coach Patrick Van Houdt and Performance Analyst Guy Kiala have also been terminated. Peeters signed a 12-month contract at The Valley in the summer and enjoyed a good start to life in the Championship. However, given the recent downturn in results and performances the board felt they had to make a change at this time. The club would like to thank the trio for their efforts and a further statement will be made in due course.'
Whoever comes in really needs the chance to invest in the squad, even though that function is separated from coaching. The squad is too thin.
I also think there is a lot to be said for managerial stability. The two most successful periods in the club's history were under long-serving managers, Jimmy Seed and Alan Curbishley. But new managers do usually bring a short-term boost and at the moment we badly need that.
Football is a game of thin margins and if Henderson had not been injured and Vetokele and other players had not lost form, the pattern of results might have been different. However, we are where we are and I was struck by how subdued the crowd was on Saturday both during and after the match, almost an atmosphere of quiet despair. It looked as if Bob had lost the crowd and that was one reason for moving on.
The authoritative Richard Cawley of South London Press has denied on Twitter rumours that Bob Peeters has been sacked and replaced by Guy Luzon.
Luzon resigned as Standard Liege coach last October after disappointing results: Luzon. Installing him at Charlton would give 'network cast off' a whole new meaning. Israeli media are linking him with the vacancy at Maccabi Haifa which sounds a lot more plausible.
It is my view that Bob will be in place for the whole season.
Below are some thoughts on our progress published on the Glynne Jones list. They represent good sense and I thought that they were worth reproducing.
Our record of Won 6, Drawn 11 and Lost 3 is respectable and we sit in 11th place, three points from the play offs and eleven points from third from bottom. I would have taken that before the start of the season. Also some of the football played has been a big improvement on last season however I take into account the new pitch as a contributory factor. The laying of the new pitch is the best thing RD has done for us so far, the quality of football in the matches not only by us but by the opposition as well is much better. This leads to better quality matches.
With some investment in the forward line and attacking midfield in January could see us making a bid for the play offs although I am happy for measured progress and if you can get better players on better deals then the long term deals will need to wait until the summer. However we will need in my opinion a decent striker either on loan or short term signing to support Vetokele in January.
I don't think our squad has the quality in depth to make a sustained challenge at the top although we have a good quality first 16 with some promising young players as well.
I can understand some peoples frustration that if we had more up top and scored more goals turning draws into wins then we could be top six. However considering everything the club are in a better position than twelve months ago and the outlook good if RD invests a reasonable amount in the squad. Also I think he needs to consider Bob Peeters contract which was only for one year and for stability and planning I'd like to see him be given another two years. He has made errors but is learning the English game and he could be really good for us. I think going just from year to year is too short term a vision.
I think it's fair to say that not everyone has bought into the RD vision and some need persuading. I'd be fibbing if I said I was 100% sure that RD was perfect for us, for me, it is still too early to tell but it is promising. Our attendances are a bit disappointing and not showing much sign of increasing. The lack of goals recently at The Valley hasn't helped and a quality forward signing in January leading to more goals and wins especially at home could well boost the numbers. Time will tell on that one.
Overall I am satisfied with the progress made, we are higher up the table than I thought and not looking too nervously at the bottom three. The football is better and we have the best forward we have had at the club for quite a few years in Vetokele. Young players like Cousins and Gomez promise to achieve great things and I hope the crowd get behind Harriott as I think he has the talent to be a good player for us. His confidence seems very fragile but when confident he is a real handful.
Karlan Ahearne-Grant has been called up for the England under 18s for their double header against Poland. Here he talks about how the confidence that Bob Peeters has shown in him has been a boost and how he thinks his play has benefitted as a result of playing alongside older players: Ahearne-Grant
Elsewhere Ipswich boss Mick McCarty has said that teams like Charlton could be priced out of promotion by the dilution of the Football League's financial fair play rules: Fair Play
Charlton voted against the rule change and have complained about its effects. It is certainly a setback for Roland's strategy.
A couple of Addicks have been taking a look at the stats for the season so far. One reports: 'We've averaged 44% possession; had a total of 114 shots to the opposition's 205; with 40 on target to their 57; and 16 goals to their 12. Behind these stats are our 40 corners (only 14 at home!) to their 118.'
'If you want to be positive, then we have a much higher percentage of our shots on target, and of those on target, we score 40per cent whereas they only get half that.'
Another Addick commented, 'We have had more possession than our opponents only once in the last 8 games! That is consistent with our season to date: for example in our last 5 games we have only managed a total of 29 efforts on goal (around 6 a match) compared to 80 by our opponents over the same games (an average of 16 attempts per match).
So what are we to make of this. The glass half empty view, as represented by Derek from Dymchurch, would be that we have been riding our luck and will eventually get found out.
The glass half full view, which I prefer, is that we have found a way of coping with the weaknesses of a relatively thin squad vulnerable to injuries to key players. We have a strong defence, exemplified by Bikey, a point made in this report of the Bolton game: Defensive display . If we get a bit more pace and penetration going forward, we would be a real threat.
It should also be noted that we have beaten the two teams in the promotion places. Of the four teams above us, we have beaten one and drawn with two (one yet to play). So there are grounds for some optimism, particularly if we strengthen in the January transfer window.
In this connection, reports of Bob's dinner meeting with Roland are mildly encouraging whilst not containing any firm commitments about strengthening the squad to the extent necessary to push for a play off place: Squad strengthening
Rioting fans forced the abandonment of Standard Liege's match at the weekend and tried to reach Roland in his box. The club is now just above the relegation zone.
The Belgian press is speculating that Bob Peeters may now be asked to return to the mother ship, but this does not seem like an immediate or very realistic prospect: Bob Peeters
Roland is travelling to England today and is expected to be at tomorrow night's match against Bolton, but this trip has been planned for some time.
Bob Peeters has subsequently ruled out any move to the mother ship: Staying in SE7
Big Bob Peeters is one of four nominees for Sky Bet Championship manager of the month. He is praised for bringing in 'organisation and defensive stability' with the win over Norwich a highlight. The smart money is probably on Ipswich's Mick McCarthy: Bob Peeters
In some ways it would be good if he didn't win it as it is usually followed by a run of bad results!
If he is successful, he will be the first Addicks boss to receive a monthly award since Chris Powell in February 2012.
Following the 1-3 defeat of Wolves by Chris Powell's Huddersfield at Molineux last night, Charlton have moved back into the play off places at 6th.
Even the Sub-Standard gave us a decent write up last night. Bob Peeters revealed that a Norwich newspaper’s prediction that Charlton would get turned over last night provided the motivation for his side to stun the Championship leaders. They had forecast a 3-0 win for the home side. The Addicks coach altered his planned team talk after seeing the article.
Callum Harriott has knocked on the office door of Big Bob Peeters to discuss his lack of starts this season: Unhappy bunny. You have to admire his guts as I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Big Bob who showed at the Wigan game that he is capable of flying off the handle (nothing wrong with that in football).
When Harriott has come on, he has hardly been a game changer. As Steve from Petts Wood commented, 'He can't score goals and he can't create goal scoring opportunities for others.' I am sure that Harriott has potential, but I sometimes wonder if his approach is sufficiently disciplined, notwithstanding flashes of brilliance.
Anyway, I am sure that Big Bob offered him some wise words. No doubt Acworth will add his own insights.
Big Bob Peeters has scoffed at rumours that Darren Bent or Danny Graham might come on loan to The Valley. He says that he nothing about these reports himself. He also points out that the Addicks have a wages policy that does not permit them to bring in expensive players on loan: The rumour mill
Admittedly, sometimes bigger clubs will continue to pay part of the wage bill themselves. However, the rumour mill has got a bit out of control in these cases. It also seems that the good start to the season has inflated expectations among Charlton fans who before the season started would have been pleased to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight.
When I first started supporting Charlton, one of the most feared visits was that of Wolves. This was understandable because in 1953/4 they became champions for the first time and were then runners up the following year. This was the era of Billy Wright, their skipper and right half, who had clocked up 54 international appearances by 1953 and was the England captain. He joined Wolves straight from school and he was nearly turned down because he was so small.
It is common these days for footballers to have celebrity partners, but Wright pioneered this trend by marrying Joe Beverley of the Beverley Sisters. With their saccharine style, they were big in the 1950s.
I have the programme for their visit on 21st November 1953, a match which we lost 0-2. Wolves had three other internationals in their team, wing forward Hancocks scoring one of the goals.
The programme described Wolves 'as strong representatives from the Midlands whom we have always associated with all that is best in the game. Before World War II in the Major Buckley era, Wolves were prominent in big transfer deals, and at one period fielded the youngest team in the First Division. Between 1935 and 1939 Wolves received £110,658 in transfer fees - a colossal sum when it is considered that top prices of that period were nothing like as high as they are today.' According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, that would be £6,577,484 in today's prices.
I am looking forward to the game tonight which will be a big test of what Charlton can expect to achieve this season with Wolves one point and two places ahead of the Addicks. Away from home, they have won one, drawn one and lost one. Odds are 19/10 Charlton, draw 9/4, Wolves 6/4.
Solly is likely to be rested and Gudmundsson is likely to be unavailable. I would consider playing Joe Gomez at right back and having Lawrie Wilson further up field.
Yoni Buyens pays tribute to Bob Peeters as a coach here: Buyens
The Watford fan on the train complained, 'We conceded a penalty in the first two minutes, we bossed it for the next 88, but we couldn't score.' Part of the problem for Watford was that some chances were thrown away through wayward shots, but credit must also go to the Addicks for resolute defending. The Hornets complained that they were denied a penalty of their own, but it was difficult to get a clear view from where I sit. Having looked at it on television from behind, there was contact, although not a lot so it was easily missed.
After Buyens had dispatched the penalty, Watford came back into the game, but increasingly resorted to blatant fouls as their efforts got them nowhere. The referee was keen to dish out yellow cards, although the Addicks got their share in the second half.
The Hornets came out of the traps determined to score in the second half and for a while we lost our shape and composure. Deeney did score, but it was rightly ruled offside. However, I thought that we recovered somewhat towards the end of the game. Even so, possession was 62-38 in Watford's favour. But then last season we would have capitulated to such an onslaught.
On the way into the ground, a long-standing fan expressed the view that the David Whyte commemoration had gone over the top, albeit it with the best of intentions. However, I thought that the applause on the 10th minute was very appropriate and went well.
I don't know what went wrong at Charlton Station, but there was a long wait for trains and I was lucky to get on one at 5.30. My train from Marylebone had a noisy group on it who turned out to be dentists who had been to a course on botox which they had found 'very draining'. I found the match quite draining in an edge of the seat way, but it was absorbing and in no way like drawing teeth.
Charlton remain unbeaten and are 5th in a table that is tightly packed at the top. Wolves on Tuesday will be a crucial test. Home games are juts like buses: you don't get one for a month and then they come along in pairs.
As Steve Claridge said on The Football League Show, 'The sign of a good manager is doing the best with what you've got and there's no doubt that Bob Peeters is doing that.'
Derek from Dymchurch writes, 'That Belgian geezer can't go on riding his luck. As I've said before, the wheels are coming off. And, no, Acworth is not my long lost cousin.'
Match analysis
Stephen Henderson was my Man of the Match, not just for his saves, but also for his command of his area. One save in the first half required him to spot the ball through a crowd of players. In the second half he made two outstanding saves to keep us in the game. Bikey made a few errors in distribution, but I wouldn't like to face him if I was on the pitch. Ben Haim came close to giving away a penalty, but he also stood up to the onslaught. Solly had a good game, some nice skill and touches. Wiggins foraged forward a few times, but is perhaps not up to the standard of last season.
Buyens took the penalty very well. He made some errors going forward. Cousins didn't seem that involved a lot of the time and some of his corners were poor. Jackson looks a bit off the pace a lot of the time. Playing Gudmundsson when he had picked up an injury on international duty was probably a mistake. It must have been a disappointment for the two Iceland supporters in front of me to see so little of him. Tucudean has a good work rate, but got muscled off the ball too easily. Vetokele didn't seem to be too affected by his recent return from Africa, although he did have a chance to score in the second half.
I am a great fan of Wilson and he did managed to get forward when others didn't, but it wasn't the best performance by the player described in the programme as 12th on the head coach's list. Dyer managed to get round him to create a goal scoring opportunity, but fortunately his shot was dire. Moussa has energy and enthusiasm, but he squandered opportunities a couple of times by failing to pass the ball when he forged forward. Harriott couldn't score and he couldn't help anyone else to score.
If I was still doing Hiss of the Match I would give it to charm merchant Troy Deeney who seemed to think that his role as captain was to try and intimidate the referee.
Bob Peeters can spend in the transfer window if Charlton are challenging for promotion. However, those who hoped to sign Messi are going to be disappointed as Roland has made it clear there will be no Manchester United style splashing the cash: which is as it should be.
Read the full Sub-Standard report here: Going for promotion
Charlton supporters are in a good frame of mind as the season gets under way. This is the overall finding of our online survey. I would like to thank the 401 fans who responded, the best response I have had to a survey.
Fans are clearly warming to Roland's regime. Asked how their views of the Belgian had changed since the takeover, 58 per cent said that it had improved considerably and another 33 per cent chose the improved slightly, giving overall positive ratings of 91 per cent. 8 per cent chose no change and 1 per cent said their opinion had deteriorated.
It's early days for Bob Peeters, and opinions could change if we start losing matches, but 26 per cent of respondents gave him an excellent rating and 65 per cent chose the good option, giving him the same overall positive rating as Roland, 91 per cent. 6 per cent said fair, two per cent said poor and 1 per cent didn't know.
Katrien has also made a good start as chief executive with overall positive ratings of 74 per cent, 22 per cent excellent and 52 per cent good. The don't know category was unsurprisingly higher in her case and 19 per cent said 'fair'.
Fans are clearly pleased with the summer signings, with an overall positive rating of no less than 97 per cent. When it came to strengthening the squad, the overwhelming preference was for a striker, 83 per cent. 5 per cent wanted a defender, 4 per cent wanted a keeper, 4 per cent wanted a central midfielder and 1 per cent another midfield position (3 per cent don't know). I included the central midfielder option because there has been quite a lot of talk among fans about this position, but it is clearly not seen as the priority.
51 per cent of fans thought that we would finish just below the play offs, 21 per cent in the play offs and an optimistic 3 per cent thought we would get automatic promotion. 22 per cent chose mid-table and just three per cent lower mid-table. Relegation is clearly off the agenda, the odd Millwall or Palace fan aside. This distribution of figures pretty much matches what would be my estimates of possible outcomes.
The answers to the question about this blog confirmed what I know from 'hits'. The news service is what is really valued, especially during the transfer season. I will probably drop match previews and slim down the match reports, keeping the match ratings provided by our canine analysts. I still hold to my view that a dog can do as good a job as the average football journalist.
As far as news stories are concerned, I clearly need to do more checking of sources to avoid repeating a recent error. In that connection fans will be aware of stories circulating on the internet regarding former striker David Whyte. They appear to have a solid source, but until there is confirmation I cannot write an appropriate story.
Detailed comments on Roland
Charlton target Andy Delort has opted for the delights of Wigan pier. Charlton supremo Big Bob is disappointed that he failed to secure his signature as he was an 'interesting' player: Delort
It's always disappointing to lose out on a player to Championship rivals, particularly after such a long drawn out saga. However, I wouldn't blame Roland for refusing to pay over the odds.
Big Bob has not ruled out further signings before the transfer window closes, but emphasises that they would have to be good quality. I would have thought that any pod that was going to leave the mother ship that would have done so by now.
The signing of Bulot may allow Cousins to move into the centre where he is more effective and does not cramp Wiggins' style.
It's been an unusual experience this weekend to see the number of Charlton fans expressing positive sentiments outweighing those with negative views. Fans are taking to Big Bob Peeters. He is getting the team to play football: I expect to see 'hoof and hope' at a non-league game, but not at The Valley. He is also a bit of a character, to say the least.
Of course, the fact that we are in the play off places means nothing at this time of the season and a defeat tomorrow night could soon change the mood music (BTW, the new programme format needs to make a clearer distinction between home and away matches).
One area on which further work is needed is holding up the ball: come back Carl Leaburn, all is forgiven (even better, Andy Hunt).
The attendance was a bit disappointing on Saturday at just over 15,000: no wonder it wasn't announced. Wigan brought relatively few supporters. When I went there in Premier League days, most of their supporters seemed to be lippy twelve year olds: perhaps they have grown out of football. It is also still the holiday season. There is an element of resistance to Roland, but success on the pitch may help to overcome that.
In that connection I was walking to the ground from the Rose of Denmark and a bloke came alongside me and asked if I was going to the match. He asked who were playing and where we finished last season. Then he went into his house. How can we appeal to people on our doorstep?
Although morale is good, nothing like a joke or two for Monday morning. Heard on Radio 5 last week:
Interviewer to former undercover police officer: 'Did you sleep with any of your targets?'
'No, they were Millwall football hooligans, so that didn't arise.'
An interview in the Football League Paper revealed that former Addick Dale Stephens has a tattoo which reads 'Dale'. I suppose it's useful if you forget your name. Why not your house number and postal code as well?
Up for it coach acknowledges the crowd
Summary
Charlton head coach Bob Peeters has been derided by the media, but today's 2-1 victory against Wigan Athletic provided further confirmation that he does know what he's doing. We're no longer playing hoof ball and trying to pass the ball to other Charlton players. It's far from perfect, and there's a lot to be worked on, as Peeters knows himself, but it's a good start.
It was a rather cagey affair, played at a rather slow tempo for much of the game. I think that when we upped the tempo in the last quarter of an hour or so we did better.
The Bloke Behind Me has mellowed over the years, but he has a young companion who is only too ready to look for negatives. After complaining about Cousins, the Charlton product scored an excellent opening goal for the Addicks, leading the Covered End to chant 'He's one of our own.'
Unfortunately, poor defending by Wiggins allowed Wigan to score an equaliser. For much of the second half it seemed as if both sides were content to settle for a draw, but a burst of energy by Charlton in the last ten minutes (including five minutes added on) saw substitute Franck Moussa score a goal that sent The Valley delirious with joy. The Covered End set up a chant of 'Bobby Peeters' Red Army'.
Full report
It was a rather unusual start to the season for me as I went to brief Mustang on his duties as match analyst on Friday evening which took me to his splendid home on the Oxfordshire-Berkshire border. It's the first time I've stayed there and I'm still not sure how many bedrooms there are, although mine was large and immaculate. I'm not sure I would have ever have had the energy to host dinner parties on two successive evenings, but I suppose that is why I am not seriously rich.
On Saturday morning my brief sample of the millionaire lifestyle came to an end and I headed back up to the A34 to Bicester Station, catching a train that started there. That was fortuitous as one of the Warwickshire Addicks told me that he had had to stand all the way from Warwick. The Jubilee Line was experiencing severe delays (again) with signal failure at North Greenwich, so I took the Bakerloo to Charing Cross on which trains had to be 'regulated' because of the problems on the Jubilee.
However, I got to the Rose of Denmark to talk to the Oman Addick who is enjoying a wonderful lifestyle out there. I also chatted to former pitch announcer Brian Cole who has encountered more challenging times. It was great to see his daughter Clare and her new husband: they met through Addicktion when they were teenagers.
I bought my Voice of the Valley off a rather grumpy gnome and was able to exchange a brief worked with the Rickster himself. The editorial emphasised that the line from now on would be intelligent criticism of the regime, which is always good, although I'm not sure how the ravings of Dicko fit into this plan.
I had a surprise at the ground when the Bloke Beside Me (Paul from Bexleyheath) did not appear and the seats were occupied by a dad and two young children. In front of me were three Chinese youngsters and their mum with their dad taking photos from the row in front. They were certainly well into the game so perhaps Beijing will not be an Addick free zone when I go there next week.
The new pitch was looking great. I was pleased to see Bob Peters exchanging passes with the mascots before the game.
Charlton went ahead on eight minutes after Cousins collected Johann Gudmundsson's pass, cut inside and struck into the top corner beyond Carson. The visitors fought back and equalised 15 minutes later when McArthur set up McManaman, who steered his left-footed effort past Henderson. A shot from Wiggins was well saved by Carson.
Former Racing Club Warwick goalkeeper and employee of Café Rouge in Leamington, Carson was forced into action again in the second half when he gathered from Igor Vetokele's shot, which deflected off James Perch. Henderson limped off, possibly with a hamstring injury. Moussa scored with a late shot that took a wicked deflection off Keenan.
The real drama came at the end of the match as the two coaches had to be pulled apart. Peeters had irked Rosler by celebrating the winner goal right down by the Wigan bench. Rosler then retorted with some choice words at the final whistle (it is unclear whether these were in German which both of them speak). Big Bob wanted to knock Rosler's block off, but was held back. Peeters said later that he had apologised to the players for losing his composure, but he was not going to apologise to Rosler.
Match analysis
Novice match analyst Mustang greatly enjoyed his first outing to The Valley and awarded the Silver Bone to André Bikey-Amougou. The defender is built like the proverbial brick facility, but he is really mobile and as well as intercepting the ball plays it out of defence well. Mustang noted that he had only been given one star by Rick Everitt in Voice of the Valley and wondered if he should check his decision out with Rick's dog, but he was told that Rick did not have a dog, only gnomes and elves.
The Wigan goal was scored at an acute angle and I wouldn't blame Henderson. I was surprised later to see him injured and I have heard various explanations, so best to leave it until I hear something official. Ben Haim is not as impressive as Bikey, but he did his job. Whether he is better than Morrison is a moot point. I thought that Solly had an excellent game, once again showing his pace and his ability to be in the right place at the right time. Wiggins seems a little rusty. His distribution was poor, but he did improve in the second half. Buyens was condemned by the young Bloke Behind Me as useless and unable to control the ball, but I thought that he had a good game and it seems that many other Addicks did as well, although perhaps he did tire a bit in the second half. Cousins was involved in a number of attacks, apart from scoring his goal, but I still think he is better in central midfield rather than out on the left. Jackson did his best but he lacks pace and Big Bob was right to withdraw him when he got tired. Gudmundsson confirmed my belief that he is a good acquisition, charging through the Wigan defence at one point. Steve from Petts Wood is not sure that Tucudean is up to the task, but there were some decent touches and he did create some chances. He was a little rushed at times, but I am not giving him the thumbs down yet. Vitokele was roundly abused by the young Bloke Behind Me after he failed to score when one on one with Carson. But the keeper (warmly applauded on his return) made a good save and as the old Bloke Behind Me pointed out, in his new sagacious mood, it was Vitokele who created the chance. Moussa showed with his goal that he can make a difference. Pope was not really tested that much and seemed a little hesitant with static kicks, but he is clearly a good substitute keeper and it was nice for him to have some match time. Wilson was up for it when he came on and may have been one of the factors that made a difference in the closing phase of the game.
Rescue Cat Reg has been temporarily removed from Hiss of the Match duties after repeatedly staying out all night, but Fat Cat Fleur has no hesitation in giving the accolade to the banker from Billericay Andy d'Urso. Once again the referee showed no favours to Charlton and was urged to call a toll free number to arrange his pension. Chris Solly was brought down in a blatant foul when he was advancing on goal, but d'Urso dismissed it as a dive. Why would Solly do that when he was making good progress?
