I'm starting this early because I, like everybody else, knows and feels how important the start of the season will be.
Just stop and think what your own personal reaction would be if you were in your teens or early twentys and you were running out of the tunnel on Saturday with the hopes of tens of thousands of people resting on your shoulders. Would you be nervous? proud? Tentative?
Now have a think: you've got the ball and one of two things happen. You try a pass to your colleague and misplace it and the opposition get the ball and the sound of boos ring round the stadium OR you get the ball send a delightful defensive splitting pass to one of your colleagues and rapturous applause is followed by the crowd singing your name. How would you feel and react at both of those events. You wouldnt be human if one lifted you and one demoralised you.
Well that means we, as supporters, have as much importance on how our young players play and how our season pans out and I think we, like we expect the players to, should stand up and be counted by pledging our full uncommitted support to the cause.
It doesnt matter if you a glass half full or glass half empty we're all in this mess together and we should all get out of it together so lets start by making a pledge to give full uncommitted backing to all of our players but especially remembering the effect on our younger players. Semedo, Youga, Wagstaff, Racon, Basey, Shelvey, Varney. Over half of our team could be very young and they need it.
I pledge my full and uncommitted support to all of the team, especially the young'uns regardless. Brunello
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I'm a glass half full person by nature and though I don't think we have a side that's going to do much this season(particularly following the recent alarmingly drastic selling policy), I remain 'optomistic' that a season or two down the line we may once again be up there challenging for promotion.
Having said all that in the words of Saint & Greavsie......."It's a funny old game" and come next May we could possibly be sitting here with huge grins on our faces.....after all, that's the general idea aint it!!
In case anyone wanted to know
Our average squad age this season as it stands is 23.71
So a young squad
Our oldest players are Holland (34) Gray (30) Faye (30) Weaver (29) Fortune (27) Hudson (26)
Some d*ckheads in the East stand booed Faye when he came on on Saturday...before he had even touched a ball :-(
Come on you Reds.
im with you there lets hope everyone else is
Brunello for supporters director!
Up you Addicks young & old!
Its a point i've tried to emphasise in my latest article, which can be found in all good retailers, some bad ones, or by clicking on the link below :-)
http://www.charltonlife.com/blog/?p=191
Folks, Brunello is spot on with his scenarios how bad crowd reaction affects players - the younger players fall to pieces, the older players get totally pissed off. What you don't get is a better performance.
What is the point of creating a hostile environment against our own players?
The team are going to go a goal down some days, so get right behind them and give them that lift.
We used to be 'Fortress Valley' with most people urging the team on.
Let's bring those days back - and this season really support the team!
Because it's not just about the young players being booed directly, if other individuals within the team get the same treatment, then it WILL have an effect, regardless of who it is aimed at.
Perhaps now is not the time to justify whether the whole action of booing works or not, but I believe it doesn't and I also believe we all know it. Can any of those that do it point to one player who has improved as a direct result of being booed, NO!
What I suppose it does is make the person feel better, in that they have expressed their displeasure at what is going on in front of them, something they have paid hansomly to watch. Well fair enough, but if you had a bought car that wasn't performing as it should, because some of the engine components weren't operating properly, would you do a Basil Fawlty on it and beat the 5hit out of your car with a tree branch? It'll make you feel better for sure, but you'd then find you actually made things worse.
I guess the problem with that analagy is that unlike motor mechanics, everyone who goes to watch football thinks they're an expert! :-(
It's time to stand up and be counted as has been mentioned elsewhere, it's time to be a part of our club and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
I love the analogy, KB....... quality!
But you are also so right.
You're joking ? Brunello could n't direct a seagull to the coast
They mean to do their best.
I said last season looking at a team crammed with other teams players, 'if I'm gonna watch rubbish, I'd rather it was OUR rubbish, play the youngsters'.
Have a go if they don't give 100% maybe, bite your lips and keep your counsel when mistakes happen, but above everything, as Brunello has said, lets get behind OUR lads, make em want to do it for us. LOVE 'EM!