G'day
My name is Alan and I am an Addick.
This is my story (well, a part of it).
In a single week in September 1985 I received the second yellow card from my missus, the company I worked for was put up for sale by its parent company, and Charlton moved away to SE25. Oh, and a young, inexperienced but highly capable manager had cheaply assembled a talented Charlton side that despite the trauma of exile gained promotion that season.
This very morning there is rumbling disquiet about Charlton's prospects as a club, the company I work for (owned by my personal partner) is passing through critical (hopefully not terminal) times, and I am about to tell my partner that our 20-year relationship must come to an end - I will be leaving her and Holland behind to return to the tribal homelands of Lansdowne Lane. My health is slowly deteriorating and this may be the last summer that I have much mobility. Oh, and a young, inexperienced but highly capable manager has cheaply assembled a talented Charlton side that .... could surprise us all.
Was it Del Boy who said "it's deja-vu all over again"? Well, despite everything we're still here and we're still giving it a shot, aren't we, aren't we though.
Over the years for every Hulyer we've seen a Murray. For every Dowie, every Mullery we've seen a Lawrence, a Seed or a Curbishley, for every Bent (M) a Bent (D). We will survive, and more than survive - we will duly prosper.
Undoubtedly the distinguished owners of our club will, if only in their enlightened financial self-interest, try to avoid the disembowelling of what still remains a significant and resilient sporting enterprise, and in due course (better sooner rather than later) find acceptable new investors. It will happen. (Just where is the Nigerian chieftain when you want one?)
Charlton has been a constant thread in my life in so many ways that I would hesitate to try and explain it all to a sane audience - as a single example, if I said that I too had had an Adrian moment on the Fylde coast, where else but on here would there be many who would instantly understand ?
Concerning CL, these pages are full of earnest, sincere, forthright, articulate - and subjective - opinions. Usually the discussions are entertaining, informative and refreshing but at times like the present they can become oppressive and self-indulgent. I value the breadth and insight of most of what appears on here but sometimes a degree of perspective and restraint would come as a welcome relief.
I'm looking forward so much to a return to SE7. It may be overcast and thundery today but brighter days will soon be here, of that I'm sure.
COYA
As a PS - I don't know if there has been any recent word of March51 but I hope the young man is on the mend.
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Comments
Needless to say he received plenty of "constructive" advice and the thread duly entered Charlton Life legend.
Welcome back GHF and please continue to pursue the memoirs and post them on here.
As for my repatriation, well, que sera, sera. For many reasons it has to be done and it's best that it's done now. I guess I've drifted through most of the major events in my life and at 66 this is one of the few decisions I've really taken for myself - oh well, I suppose we all have to grow up in the end !
Good luck to you mate.
Good luck.
Perhaps this is a good moment to ask advice. (Mind you, this is the first OP I have done and it was really meant to be about Charlton first and foremost.)
I am not so confident of my writing, such as it is, but I always try to show respect to whomever is out there reading it. In the recent stuff about Charlton in the 1960s I was thinking of three potential types of reader - a) fellow old farts, for whom the lines were bringing back cherished memories (are you reading this, Terry the milkman, who I used to bump into sometimes up the top of the East - without his float, I should add); b) younger folks - the remark I appreciated by far the most was from the gentleman who would read my lines verbatim to his 6 and 8 year olds - because we old-timers have a duty to pass on our own memories to those who follow; and c) and maybe this sounds rather fanciful - to any member of the current playing staff who may be lurking on here, and reads of the utmost regard and affection still held of all our distant heroes, and the next day he knocks on SCP's door and says "Can you help me - I want to be the next Bobby Curtis, the next Brian Kinsey, the next you", and the great man replies, "If you know that, then already you know enough .... how you do it you'll work out on the way, but all you've got to do is reach out and take it - it's there, waiting for you." That's how legends might be made ....
Like I said, this is all maybe going a bit far, but to tell the truth I am feeling very ill at ease reading the Matt Wright discussion today, and these lines here are for anyone in need of some light rose-tinting.
Back in February, my Sky Planner crashed, in an instance losing our treasured 87% assortment of Home & Away, Emmerdale, Loose Women, Pepper Pig and Justin's House. Then, incredibly just 2 days later, two of my trains to work were cancelled.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, other people suffer as well you know.
I hope you can find ketmans love life threads not that was lifer advice at its best
Having said that, I mentioned in the OP about self-indulgence. Well, if writing about writing isn't self-indulgent, I don't know what is - my apologies.
Btw, I am delighted that the passing mention of Adrian has drawn a warm response. What a true legend !!
This discussion might be labelled Charlton Lite in contrast to some of the other stuff being posted today - well, guilty as charged. There are serious and valid topics under notice at present but juggling with old dynamite to me is no spectator sport and neither does it end in anything but tears. I read some posts earlier which I never thought could have surfaced on this site, and frankly enough was enough.
Writing is self indulgent, not writing is just selfish.
And thanks to all for your interest. I hope to be back within the next week.
It is immensely pleasing to think that a few words can unlock old uns' memories and open up bygone days for young uns. We're saturated with material these days but for an unfashionable club such as ours earlier times are much more sparsely recorded, and reminiscence is a vital resource.
Just as an exercise I wrote a story in my head of Carlisle 3-1 CAFC 01 Jan 66. There is a little bit of personal history that goes with that game but I was amazed at how much I still remembered.
As mentioned elsewhere, a couple of years ago I parted company with all my programmes, books and other stuff, so if anyone out there has a 2004 Home and Away for disposal we need to talk !!