When Charlton had a global profile

Peter Varney talks about the global links he built when was at Charlton: https://www.integralsportsmanagement.co.uk/the-big-wide-world/

He recalls: 'It used to be a brilliant sight on a home match day in the North West Quadrant at The Valley seeing all the different coloured country branded scarves and flags from our overseas supporters. Hermann Hreidarsson (Iceland), Claus Jensen (Denmark), Jonatan Johansson (Finland), Martin Pringle (Sweden), Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark) and Mathias Svensson (Sweden) would always give up their time to speak to the travelling fans from Scandanavia and elsewhere.'

He reckons there are now new opportunities for the club.   The international dimension will be challenging and complex, but would benefit from a bottom up approach.

One of my memories from the Premier League days is turning on the television in Kunming in south-west China and seeing an intelligent discussion of how Curbs and Keith Peacock (now a great-grandfather) worked together.

Real nostalgia

A fan reports, 'Anyone remember The Big Match in the 70s & 80s? It was ITV's answer to MOTD but went out on a Sunday lunchtime. Well ITV are currently revisiting them on Sunday mornings on ITV4 and today's programme was February 1977 and featured Fulham against Charlton.'

'Fulham's line-up included George Best, Bobby Moore and Rodney Marsh. Charlton included Mick Flanagan, Colin Powell and Keith Peacock (who was interviewed afterwards). Real nostalgia to see that team again despite having lost Derek Hales the previous month to Derby.'

He added, 'For me yesterday's game was pure nostalgia. Especially seeing Colin Powell again at his imperious best.'

Apparently you can see it on the ITV Hub.

Keith Peacock recalls becoming first ever substitute

Keith Peacock recalls becoming the first ever substitute in English football. He says that he is probably better known for that than the nearly 600 games he played for the club. It's a standard quiz question: Addicks legend

A warning to those of a nervous or sensitive disposition. The article is illustrated by a photograph of Peacock sitting alongside Katrien Meire, although he does look suitably grim faced.

Being let go by Charlton was lowest point says McGleish

At 40 years old Scott McGleish is still playing football for Wealdstone in the Conference South, close to his original club at Edgware. Aged 20, he left there to take a year's contract at Charlton. Being let go by the Addicks was the lowest point in his career, he has told today's Football League Paper.

He went on to play for a series of lower division Football League teams, most recently for Leyton Orient. He scored the winning goal for them against us on 25 January 2010. He could be said to have found his level.

McGleish said of his release by Charlton, 'I'd given up everything to go pro and I felt I deserved another year's contract. I'd finished the season as the reserves top goal scorer. When I came out of that meeting with Steve Grit and Alan Curbishley, I felt that everything had gone. Luckily Keith Peacock pulled me to one side and said, "Don't worry, I've had lots of phone calls from clubs, you will be ok."'

As far as the first team was concerned, I recall him as a player who came on as a late substitute.

Saints alive!

Three things irritate me about football (well, not just three, but it's a start). Number one is the excessive focus on the manager. Of course, the manager is very important: he selects the team, oversees training, chooses the formation, decides when to make substitutes etc.

But it is the team that are on the pitch. And the fact of the matter is that, taken as a whole, the current Charlton team is not simply good enough. It's not a lack of commitment or effort. It's a lack of skill. And that lack of skill is compounded when a bad run drains the team's confidence.

The second irritant is short-termism. A comment on another blog said, 'Powell out? Obviously.' Leaving aside the fact that we are becoming a bit of a laughing stock with the frequency of our managerial changes, any manager needs 18 months to be judged fairly. As Alex Dyer pointed out in his interesting interview the other week, the pre-season is crucial. Hopefully Chris Powell will be giving the opportunity and the funds to reconstruct the squad. Unfortunately, some of the more hopeless members are on contracts until 2012.

Much is being made in some quarters of Powell's inexperience. But there are plenty of experienced managers who fail. And Powell has Keith Peacock to advise him. One thing I am sure of: if Chris thinks he really can't hack it, he will honourably walk away.

The third irritant is the excessive pessmism of Charlton fans. Already the gloom merchants are forecasting relegation. As has been pointed out elsewhere, all we really need to stay up is a win and a draw.

The draw could well come tonight against an admittedly rampant Southampton. I am going for 1-1. However, I would drop Worner and bring in the Millwall stopper.

The genuis that is Lawro

Lawro has predicted that Spurs will beat Charlton in Sunday's FA Cup game. What a genius! I wish I could get paid for stating the obvious.

Apart from passing 'go' and collecting £250k, and the chance to pay a tribute to Charlton legend Keith Peacock, this is all about damage limitation. Hints by our 'Arry earlier in the week that David Beckham might play now seem unlikely to be realised. It is also possible that 'Arry may rest key players, or at least keep them on the bench, which would help to keep the scoreline down to a respectable level: Day off

We have a defence that can't defend, particularly at set pieces; a midfield that seems incapable of linking up with either the defence or the attack; one so-called striker is suspended and another is injured. It's just possible that the bombardment of long balls will confuse Spurs, someone will bring a Charlton player down in the box and Jackson will score from the spot.

I am going for 4-1 to Spurs (Jackson for the Addicks).

BTW, this map of football support in London is interesting as a talking point: Map