How Yann Kermorgant joined Charlton

Richard Cawley has published the latest instalment of the informative Peter Varney diaries on his Substack page,   Here is a small taster about the recruitment of Yann Kermorgant.

Chris was very keen on Yann Kermorgant at Leicester. There was a massive negativity around Yann. We looked at the Leicester forums. You didn’t have a Leicester fan that had a good word to say about Yann because he missed the penalty in the play-offs where he tried to chip it.   Chris said: “Trust me, this guy has the potential to go all the way through the leagues.”

We were up to our £4.2m budget. We only had £3,000 a week left. Yann was on £6,000 at Leicester. He had a French agent, Gregory, and we threw around certain ideas how money could be recovered if we got promoted.

Once it was all agreed, Yann came in and said: “Now you’ve got me we will get promoted. It’s as simple as that - there won’t be any issue with it.”

'More clubs than Tiger Woods'

Former Addicks striker Macauley Bonne is seeking to relaunch his football career at Billericay Town, Isthmian Premier League promotion hopefuls.  I lived in Billericay when I was at secondary school and I don't recall many barn doors in the surrounding countryside.

But Blues boss Danny Scopes is hopeful Bonne can lead them to promotion at New Lodge.  

The 30-year old front man recently played three international matches for Zimbabwe in the African Nations Cup in Morocco.   He described playing for The Warriors against teams like Angola as one of the best experiences of his career.

A season in non-league with Southend yielded just five goals in 30 appearances.   He then joined Maldon & Tiptree but lasted just two months at the ambitious Jammers.

Bonne admitted, 'I know I am a bit of a journeyman.  I've had more clubs than Tiger Woods.'

'As long as I'm kicking a ball and playing with a smile on my face, I'm happy', Bonne told today's Non-League Paper.

His reported fee when he joined the Addicks was around £200,000.

Lisbie lands first managerial post

Congratulations to Kevin Lisbie on landing his first managerial role at Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Valley PM.    Super Kev formerly played for them.

Other members of the Lisbie football family are busy banging in the goals.   Having been recruited fm the non-league Kyrell Lisbie is finding the net for Peterborough, including a recent hat trick: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c75engezdq9o

Kyereece Lisbie is a forward with Colchester United and has scored ten goals this season.

The Lisbie family cat is called Kat.

Attendance slump alarms analysts

Increasing concerns have been expressed about the attendance of under 15,000 at Wednesday's match against Stoke City.

VOTV editor Rick Everitt has stated: '1,112 Stoke fans - if the club’s recent claim of 12,500 season tickets is correct, that would suggest the #cafc home ticket sale for this game was circa 1,000 (allowing for unavoidable comps). That is really dire, even allowing for the run of games and circs. Sky doesn’t help.

Don’t think there are any easy answers to this. Actual crowd was much lower than 14,836 due to absent STs. Affordability is a factor for sales with three home games in 12 days, but I’ve never been persuaded you can price people in to night matches - you can certainly price them out.'

Addicks swoop for Antonio

Richard Cawley reports that Charlton are in negotiations to sign former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio, thus filling the last vacant slot in the 25 man squad.

The 35-year-old striker, the Hammers' all-time record Premier League goalscorer, has been a free agent since June. Antonio had been training with Leicester City in December.

He suffered a broken leg, fracturing his femur in four places, in a car crash in December 2024, requiring four bolts to be inserted in his thigh.   Antonio went back to see his wrecked Ferrari, which smashed into a tree in Epping Forest, after surgery.   

"It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It just made me realise how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me,” he told BBC Sport in March 2025.

Leicester thought he would be some time before he was match fit.

It was good to see Charlton's goal against Stoke on BBC Midlands last night and not accompanied by the usual 'humorous' remarks about 'Charlton Pathetic' or 'Charlton were anything but athletic.'

To the Londoners 1-0

Tyreece Campbell came off the bench to grab an 81st-minute winner for Charlton Athletic as the Addicks edged out Stoke at The Valley to pull away from the Championship relegation zone.

Campbell's winner moved Nathan Jones' side seven points clear of danger as Stoke's winless run was extended to six games.

The visitors had their chances but it was Campbell's cool finish after Ashley Phillips was left flat-footed by Lyndon Dykes' flick-on which settled the contest.

It was a sweet victory for Nathan Jones who had ten months in charge at Stoke in 2019, and he milked the moment with his energetic celebrations leading to an on-field confrontation with Potters coach Ryan Shawcross.

Charlton made the early running, almost taking the lead in the sixth minute when defender Harry Clarke hit the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.

Stoke defender Phillips was then forced to clear desperately with his head from Dykes' lob and Lloyd Jones missed another good chance.

However Stoke came into the game more as the half wore on with the dangerous Jesurun Rak-Sakyi striking the bar against his former club after being put in by Lamine Cisse.

Charlton were also fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 29th minute when Sorba Thomas' cross from the left struck the arm of Liverpool loanee Luke Chambers but referee Anthony Backhouse remained unmoved.

Thomas was a constant thorn in Charlton's side down the left but Stoke's frontline failed to get on the end of a series of inviting crosses, much to the frustration of the Wales international.

Instead it was the home side who grasped the moment with a route-one winner.  Campbell, on for Matty Godden who was withdrawn after an hour, raced through to score after Dykes had nodded on Thomas Kaminski's goal kick to score the decisive goal.

Charlton remain 18th on goal difference behind Sheffield United and Norwich also on 39 points.

Avatar Desmond from Deal commented: 'I was hoping that Jones would be the second manager in London to get his P45 today, but once again he has got lucky.'

Nathan Jones said: "I thought we deserved it. I had a feeling about TC (Tyreece Campbell) tonight after last Friday night's game where I didn't feel he was at it. I gave him a little bit of a chat and I just had a feeling about him tonight.

"If he realises how good he is and gets his mental side of everything right, then the kid can go all the way.

"He moves like a Premier League player. How he controls things, how he shifts, how he runs - he has all the physical attributes to be that. It's just up to us to bring that together."

Championship play offs to be expanded

Not relevant for Charlton this year, but could be next year if we stay up.   It would be even more promising if the regulator curbs parachute payments.

Clubs in the English Football League are set to vote on plans to expand the Championship play-offs to six teams.   The New York Times reports that their sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated the 72 clubs in the EFL will vote on increasing the number of spots from four to six at an extraordinary general meeting on March 5.

The vote will represent the final step in a lengthy consultation process, which has involved discussions between the EFL, clubs, and the Football Association, and required the approval of the FA Board.

The vote will require a straight majority, rather than the two thirds majority used by the Premier League, to pass, meaning 13 Championship clubs and 37 EFL clubs overall will need to vote in favour if the change is to be approved.

The Athletic reported in September that the EFL was considering a plan to add an eliminator round to the Championship play-offs, which would increase the number of teams involved to six.

The proposal would follow a similar format to the National League play-offs, with the team that finishes fifth playing the eighth-place team and sixth meeting seventh in one-off ties at the home ground of the higher finishing club. The winners would then progress to a two-legged semi-final tie against the teams who finished in third and fourth, before the final at Wembley for a place in the Premier League.

The aim is to reduce the number of meaningless games towards the end of the season, add two more high-profile games to the calendar and give more clubs a shot at promotion.  The idea was presented to Championship executives by Preston North End chief executive Peter Ridsdale at a meeting in September and received initial widespread support.

End-of-season play-offs were first introduced to the EFL in 1987, and the idea to expand them has been mooted before. Former Crystal Palace and Bristol City chief executive Phil Alexander, who is now CEO of the National League, proposed it several times in the past — initially in 2003 — without success.