http://www.lepetitjournal.com/communaute-londres/123909-charlton-afc-une-colonie-francaise-chez-les-addicks.htmlNestled in the south-east London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the district of Charlton, a former village in the county of Kent, offers travelers disembarking from the train a sleepy landscape composed of residential houses, old factories scattered fallow and brick houses lined up in tight rows.
Attached to the British capital since 1855, Cerletone - the name of the district in Old English means " farm people and free peasants "- is a quiet haven on the south bank of the Thames. Its population steadily rising, the result is a rich mix between families "native" and middle class workers and workers of various ethnic backgrounds.
North of the old town Sparrow Lane, in the lush grass of green spaces, camouflages the training center of Charlton AFC football club ranked second English division and pride of its inhabitants. If the Addicks - the nickname of the players - do not belong to the elite of London football, with six clubs in the prestigious Premier League, as Arsenal, Chelsea or Tottenham, reds and whites have evolved several times at the highest level , especially from 2000 to 2007.
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This is news to me. Player pen pictures on the official site are over a year out of date (!?)
Match days, the main street, decor worthy of the film Billy Elliot, The Valley which leads to the confines of Charlton AFC is filled with a sea of red and white jerseys. This is the beating pulse of Cerletone. And it is within this community, proud of its identity, what recently landed three frenchies: Salim Kerkar, Yann Kermorgant and Dorian Dervite.
La Marseillaise sung stage
Popular in English football since the advent of the great Arsenal in the late 90s with Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, now the French coast in the Addicks.
Architect of the rise of the third club in the second division last season, the Breton Yann Kermorgant has paved the way for his compatriots. Admiring the exploits of the "big Yann," fans regularly sing the Marseillaise in his honor in the aisles of The Valley. And in the corridors of the clubhouse Charlton AFC or the columns of the club's official magazine, the photo of the prolific striker, 12 league goals during the year 2011/12, is omnipresent.
Salim Kerkar, 24 years old, former Glasgow Rangers player, only played a few games with the Addicks but has already made an impression. At the output of the last match of red and white against Blackburn (1-1), September 29, Jack, 32 years and a supporter of the club since childhood, confessed to be "impressed by the performance of the player," he did not know a few weeks earlier.
A declaration of love is not to displease the frenchies happy to Charlton. "There is a real public passion for the game is played at high level for it. Past year in the third division was changed three times before 27,000 people in a stadium sold out," said Yann Kermorgant. "It is clear that you do not see such an enthusiasm level in Ligue 2, except perhaps in Lens. You take your foot," Dorian Dervite rebounds. "Football in general is experienced totally differently. People come for example at the family," said Yann Kermorgant.
Yann Kermorgant the colors of Charlton
A "Little Arsenal"?
Like the latter, which has gone through difficult episodes in his career at Leicester Arles, Salim Kerkar and Dorian Dervite borrowed sometimes tortuous paths, away from the spotlight. They landed here in this small but ambitious training London who dreams of finding lawns Premier League is also to raise.
But far from being a clan apart in the locker room, the French trio is perfectly infused with the identity and lifestyle of their teammates UK.
"With the presence of Yann is already a part of the locker room, my integration was facilitated," said Dorian Dervite. "But we do not rest solely between French. Often taken our meals between players and there was a party with everyone during the course of pre-season. And there are also events planned for Christmas," added the Northerner of origin that has been training center ranges club Lille.
"This club has a strong English identity. It's not like a club like Arsenal where there are almost as strangers," argues Jack, club jersey on his shoulders. "Like most Charlton fans I'm from here," he adds, pointing to a hand gesture brick houses which encircle the stadium.
A strong identity that is cultivated. In the locker room, when the trio discusses French, he quickly resumed. "Here we speak English", reminds him of his teammates.