From the Swindon Advertiser:
“OH yeah, definitely,” replied Swindon assistant manager Peter Shirtliff, with a wide smile and glint in his eye.
Town’s number two was responding to whether he wanted to get one over former club Charlton tomorrow when the sides meet at the County Ground.
However, Shirtliff’s motivation is not based purely on beating his former players, but also making up for a feeling of two points dropped from the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
On that occasion Swindon failed to see off the nine-man Addicks, conceding a 95th-minute equaliser, and while Shirtliff explained that result is now far behind them, he is keen to secure all three points this time.
“We were disappointed to come away from Charlton on Boxing Day with a draw, as the game panned out with the players getting sent off and things like that,” said the 48-year-old.
“But you would have probably taken a point before the game.
“It was a situation where we had a very good chance to take three points and we didn’t.
“But once that’s gone it’s dismissed and we move on to the next game.
“There’s no point in dwelling on what’s happened because it’s finished.
“But we will approach the game as we have done with every other match this season and try to win it.
“Charlton play some good football and have got some good players for this level, but hopefully we can get the right result.”
Shirtliff spent three years in the late 1980s at the heart of Charlton’s defence, making more than 120 appearances in the process, and admits it was a memorable time.
But the former centre-half is surprised about how far their stock has fallen over the last three years since top flight relegation.
“You tend to look for your older clubs, and I enjoyed three good years at Charlton under Lennie Lawrence in the old first division.
“It was a nice time,” he told the Swindon Advertiser.
“Obviously things have gone a little bit downhill since then, but they are a force in this league and will be looking for promotion just like we are.
“They will have ambitions of certainly making the play-offs, if not challenging for the top two.
“They were an established Premier League club when Alan Curbishley was manager, and then it was strange how events unfolded when he left the club.
“There suddenly seemed to be a downward spiral which, once you are on that, takes some stopping.
“Of course they now find themselves in League One and it is a very difficult division to get out of, as Leeds have seen.
“Big clubs come into League One as a result of falling out of higher levels, because of financial problems or whatever.
“I am surprised to see them in this position, but nobody is immune from it.”
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That's what we have to break ........at all levels in the club.
Not just manager and players. Supporters too.
It's a mindset.
He's got a point :-)
Bigger clubs. Much bigger clubs than us have fallen into this league. Leeds, Forest, Wednesday...
The difference being that their fans get behind the team every week and don't have idiots booing their players and manager off at half time. Some of the fans who did that could do with having a read of Lennie Lawrence's book to remind themselves that our club has seen much darker periods than the last few years and came through it because of the spirit and togetherness of the the club fans.
Agreed.
The surprising thing for me is the age of some of the fans booing. 50+ who you would have thought have seen the worst times you refer to.
I can sort of understand, whilst disagreeing with it, under 25s or so booing because they got used to supporting a club on the up under Curbishley only to see the whole edifice come crashing down.
Those 50 plus fans should know better though in my opinion.
I agree. I am 22 and am not old enough to remember seeing Lawrence at Charlton (my first match was 1992 under Curbs and Gritt) but I still know the history of our club before that (mainly thanks to my Dad!) and realise where we have come from and that we've seen darker days. Even though I'm relatively young, most of my time spent watching Charlton has been in Division 1 (The Championship) - most of it at mid-table so I wouldn't say I expect success at all! I think all fans should know better and owe it to themselves to learn a bit more about the history of their club. Curb's didn't build us up overnight, it took years to get us promoted and several ups and downs, e.g defeat in the Playoffs to Palace, followed by a mid-table season, etc. It took him time to get it right and once he did we stayed there. It may take time for Parkinson to get it right as well and I hope the fans get behind him. At the start of the season I would have settled for the Playoffs as a realistic target. We performed above expectations at the start of the season and are probably starting to find our level in this league. Every team has a blip - Norwich will have one and Leeds are in one now a bit too. There's still a long way to go so lets get behind the team, whatever happens. Since when were the Playoffs deemed a failure?!
Maybe some fans just became a bit spoilt with top flight football and have adopted that way of thinking. Perhaps it's just become fashionable to boo? Also sometimes I think we just need to accept that the other side were the better team. I would say though that some players clearly struggle to cope with the pressure and expectation from the fans at The Valley.
probably these 'fans' gave up quite easily on charlton in the early 80's and never made it to selhurst or upton park keeping themselves immune for the bad times. only coming back in better circumstances and with through some very hard work from the club to do it.
Good post mate
nice one
and '92 meant you were 4 too eh!!!
hahaha hope you made the first game back at the Valley then too
Funnily enough that was my first ever game! Might still have the Back to The Valley kids shirt somewhere too!
When I lived in sheffield used to watch wednesday alot, and saw most their home games when they were in league one and the atmosphere was NOT behind the team, unless ultimate gallows humour, booing and abusing your own management team/players is gettin behind yourn team. Infact it was a worse atmosphere than the one we've had at the Valley the last few years.
A said fact of life is unless we get promoted from this division the atmosphere will just get worse and worse until we find we have crowds of about 8k and we become a league one size, all the time we are a 'bigger' club in a 'smaller' division it will be like this we as fans expect far far too much, the true sad fact is before this season kicked off if you said we'd be where we are having only lost 3 times most fans would have laughed at you for being in the dillisional rose tinted brigade, now these same fans are claiming we should be top not to have dropped a single point and slating the team for being way above where these 'fans' thought we'd be
It's a downward spiral - a viscious circle that drives the energy down.
It's hard for anyone to get motivated when the atmosphere is bad.
It just dumbs everything down.
That's why we need to talk things up again!
Oggy....I couldn't possibly agree with you more.
We should be that way from the tea lady at Sparrows Lane to the young school kid coming through The Valley turnstiles for the very first time.
It's got 'nothing' and I mean 'nothing' to do with rose coloured spectecles (as some would have you believe) but 'everything' to do with positive support/thought.
There are times to talk about doom and gloom (and we've had plenty of totally justifiable reason to have heard plenty of it in recent times)...........but third in the table with only three losses by mid February aint one of 'em!
Sure we could be doing better and we could have better players....but in living memory hasn't that always been the case.
Moaners and groaners can take to the stage once (and if) the promotion battle is lost...until then everyone should just stay POSITIVE!
I'm going to mention a couple of names here, Large and DFT (there are others of course)...fer Christ's sake stop bellyaching and preaching nothing but gloom and looming disaster...like I said if that happens then is the time to analyse what took place and have a dig....and with total justification.
Now isn't the right time....what we need right now, during the run in, is unity from top to bottom.
i think parky has asembled a good squad and this is alone is the reason that we find ourselvs in third spot.
Ive been watching a load of charlton vids today and some deon burton clips form his sheff weds days ...
The commentary dropped the moment before Bailey scored last night and by the time I got the thing working we were level.. Result!!!!
We arent playing well yet we did well against Swindon and I think Parks would have taken a point at kick off, they had the bloke who won player of the month and 6 games at home on the spin or something and beating leeds... thats a pretty good resume.....
threadkiller, did you say havnt seen a good perfromance this season.....
FS man waht was 5-1 against dons.... those several 4's we got on the road at the beginning of the season.... going to leeds and looking the most likely .... even scappier dirty wins like brentford away.....
Keep battling, 2 wins on the spin and the dream will be alive again....
DONT LOSE FAITH, I know its hard, but we just got a last minute draw that will feel like a win to the players if we can take that on and get an early goal next game we are likely for the points.... lots more psychology down here in league one
COME ON YOU REDS!!!
keep the faith i agree but it can't just be blind faith.
; )