Thought I'd start a shiny new thread for everyone to express their appreciation for Paddy's achievements on and off and with the pitch. Please try to keep other chat about the circumstances of Paddy's leaving to the other thread.
As a kid growing up and watching us in the 70's I had the joy of watching Paddy in sides containing Flash, Killer and Keithy Peacock. It's testimony to Paddy's quality as a player that he comfortably could be talked about alongside such quality players.
They say don't meet your heroes but I've had the pleasure of meeting Paddy several times throughout my live and he has always been an absolute pleasure to speak to and generous with his time.
Thank you so much for everything you've given to our club over so many years Colin and I wish you nothing but a long, healthy and very happy retirement if that's the case or every success in any new role you take on in the future.
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I hope that Paddy will still be around in the future as a match day host or similar
Echo Ooh Ahh's words
Top man, top player, top groundsman.
just dont retire from Umpiring at Downham and Bromley though
Will always remember your link-ups with Killer and Flash ... great days.
Good luck.
I hope this is the case for paddy top top top man
Thank you
I hope he has not been treated as harshly as it reads.
thanks for everything you gave us Paddy you will be missed
I've never met Paddy, but the many comments on this thread pay tribute to a thoroughly likeable man. Here's wishing you a happy and healthy future.
''When I was asked if I would be part of Colin Powell’s Testimonial Committee I had no hesitation in accepting as, like many Charlton fans, Colin was one of my favourite players of all time; the legendary forward line of Powell, Hales and Flanagan has to be one of the greatest in the Club’s history and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better or more accurate crosser of a ball.
This was emphasised by Derek Hales when, speaking to the legendary commentator Brian Moore on the Big Match just after his transfer to Derby County in 1976 about his goal for Charlton against Hull City being voted ‘Goal of the Season’ he said that, he ‘wished he could take Colin with him to Derby’!
However my own association with him goes back to 1988 during my first spell at the Club when I was Commercial Manager and together with the then General Manager, Arnie Warren, I visited Colin at his former place of work, Westminster School to offer him the role of Head Groundsman at Charlton Athletic. I remember to this day that all the while I was there with Arnie and Colin I couldn’t quite believe that I was actually talking to Colin Powell, one of my football heroes.
Colin had met the then Chairman Roger Alwen at a cricket match and basically offered him the chance to come back to, initially, become the groundsman at the Sparrows Lane training ground. Whilst I suppose Arnie and I were there to ‘interview’ Colin, as it was conducted in the middle of a football pitch I don’t recall us asking him too many searching questions!
Later in my career when I was on the Playing Surfaces Committee at The Football League, I regularly visited Colin at The Valley as he was more often than not a regional winner of the ‘Groundsman of the Year’ Awards.
I’ve also been lucky enough to have played many times with Colin for the Charlton Athletic Veterans Team and I once turned out for him in a Veterans match at Margate FC where he was team manager. It was testimonial game for a Margate player and I played up front with Mike Flanagan. It was 50-50 between them as to who moaned at me the most throughout the whole match!
I have known Colin or ‘Powelly’ – it’s funny but I’ve never called him Paddy - for over 30 years first as a revered player then as a friend and colleague and I am delighted that I have been able to assist him with his very well deserved second testimonial''.
Good luck Colin.
Good luck Paddy and thanks for some truely great memories and all the work you did on the hallowed Valley Turf.
Another great Theo Foley signing, Paddy was one of the reasons the Valley was such an entertaining place to watch football during those free-scoring years. It was great to see him return as our groundsman and, if he fancies it in due course after the dust has settled, I'm sure that he would, as others have suggested, make an excellent match day host.
If Roland is serious about making match days a real community highlight (rather like going to church in the old days, as he put it), he needs to understand the regard in which we hold our old heroes and (at the risk of veering off point) our craving for some continuity in the players we're watching, rather than witnessing the fruits of a revolving door approach.
Thanks a million, Paddy, and all the very best for a long, happy and healthy future. You'll always be revered in these parts.