It’s now 3 months since I posted for the first time on CL as a "Returning Addick - 16 years on".
And what a return it’s been ... if you can see things from a perspective of long-term supporter (albeit with periods of physical separation).
"Clear improvement on last season", "moving in the right direction", "top half team", "exceeding expectations", "one or two players short of making a real challenge", blah. And clichés they may be, but I'm really buying into all that and genuinely excited by the club’s future. On top of that, I absolutely love living the Charlton life once again, sitting with my dad and my son, relishing every rendition of Valley Floyd Road…..so many memories rekindled.
But let’s pause for a minute to see things a bit differently – from the perspective of my 10 year old boy. Born and bred abroad, Charltonised from birth by his dad, but nonetheless a supporter from afar. A boy who’s now - worryingly! - of an age to judge for himself which team he wants to follow.
In those formative 3 months, he has seen the following home games (all Saturdays):
Watford 1-0
Boro 0-0
Brum 1-1
Wendies 1-1
Millwall 0-0
Ipswich 0-1
So, he’s seen 6 matches and 3 Charlton goals, one of which was a penalty in the 3rd minute of the first game. Since then, he has experienced the ultimate joy of football – jumping to his feet and cheering a goal by his team – twice in 6 matches. That’s twice in 9 hours. Without even counting Fulham on Sky.
And all the time his new schoolmates are jabbering away: “Charlton? Why? They’re not in the Premier League”, “Charlton are shit, why don’t you support Chelsea like me?” and the latest classic “OK, right, Charlton. But who are your real team?”
And his dad – while enjoying the heightened skill levels in midfield, the promising academy youngsters, our newly water-tight defence – is now getting concerned about the lack of goals to entertain a restless 10-year-old. Because in his own youth, you see, he was spoilt by Horsfield, Hales, Powell, Flanagan and so thrilled by the goal rush on offer at the Valley that the jabbering of the plastic Gooners and Hammers became completely irrelevant. Does my boy feel the same? I doubt it - how can he if he doesn’t see us score?
He’s not wavering yet, good lad, I just wanted to share my probably irrational fear that he could .. especially if we draw another blank against the bottom team. Anyone with (or without!) kids feeling the same?
13
Comments
When we came back up and started beating arsenal, spurs and Chelsea I rammed those taunts right back down their throat!! He might get that chance if we make the same progress!
Does he seem to have a favourite player or players ? Is he a member of Young Addicks , if not, would he be interested in joining ?
His contemporaries will have little or no chance of meeting their heroes from the so called "big" Clubs but your lad can meet all the Charlton squad at the YA Xmas party , get their autographs, have his photo taken with them ! If Reza was still in situ, he'd get to meet a World Cup goal scorer !!! There are also Q & A sessions with players at The Valley arranged for members during school holidays ...
Should joining the YA not be an option, I believe you will be able to buy him a ticket for the party which might whet his appetite. Anna Molloy is the lady at our Club to contact for more details.
This is just a suggestion as our 2 eldest grandkids ( 10 and 7) attend matches occasionally but have had the opportunity to "say hello" to several players ( especially Chris Solly who must think they are stalking him !) and this has made them feel "closer" to the Club IYKWIM.
Anyway, I SO hope that you are able to retain his interest in some way, whether it be via what happens on the pitch or not. A final thought is maybe try to take him to an away game soon ( Ipswich ?) as he'll definitely feel more a part of all things Charlton in the away end there.
Will keep my fingers crossed for you !
Thats life
Nobody outside my family has ever taken me supporting Charlton seriously, even my ex-wife tried to get my daughter to support Wednesday, which was when i put my foot down. I took said daughter to 10 away games (9W 1D) including Halifax 4-0 in the cup, during the promo season. To say it made her baptism easy is an understatement. Times have wavered since but she is still Charlton which at 13 with other DISTRACTIONS, is a tough ask. But I asked her if she was coming to Forest on Saturday and she said yes. No duress, just the chance to have a family day with me and her grand-dad. She's never complained about the results, even when it was so cold at Hudds that she put her gloves on her feet, and getting soaked in the downpour after Blackburn last year, it didn't put her off! So keep the faith AB and they will all return.
When I was a kid, I wanted to go to games, but for various reasons couldn't - my Dad worked Saturdays and wasn't really interested, I hadn't the money; then when I did it was because I had a Saturday job. At the time I said I support Man U cos I could watch them on the telly etc. To this day I've never seen them live. I stopped caring around that time - what did any of it mean to me? I'd never been further north than Epping Forest. The only proper football supporter in my family had been my mum, who used to go to The Valley with her dad before and after the War. She had long stopped by the time I came along and her Dad died a year or so after I was born. Did I ask her about it before she died? Not really, not enough... (this was true of so many things).
And gradually I found myself taking more and more interest in results in SE7. Watching out for reports in the papers. When my son wanted to go to a game, it was always going to be at The Valley. (Sadly he's not interested, but I'm not writing him off). A Red Card beckoned.Occasional tickets. Season tickets. Pronouns migrated from third person to first person plural.
If I'd been asked 10 years ago if I expected to care this much and for CAFC to be such a big chunk of my life, I would have said it was unlikely. But here I am. Your son's journey won't be the same as yours, but supporting Charlton marks you out in my view - and always in a good way. Someone who isn't following the herd. Who has the resilience to deal with disappointment and cherish those moments of joy when they come because we don't expect things to be perfect all the time.
And I really enjoyed the Ipswich game until the 95th minute. It was full of the little bits of skill that make watching live football so joyous. (Agree we need some goals though....)
Fanny! - you are my all time CL hero! We will look into Young Addicks, thank you.
I'd try and take him to an away game or two as well. That atmosphere is always a bit special and I used to find it pretty thrilling as boy. If you enjoy watching football, as your lad seems to, we all know there is no replacement for the atmosphere of being there, even when we lose and no amount of watching Chelsea on the TV is going to replace that feeling. You might be surprised how much it means to him to spend the time with his Old Man too.
I've got my first kid on the way due in May and I now live 4000 miles away in Canada. I'm now starting to wonder how I am going to make sure I bring up another Addick, so far from the Valley, and not another bloody Ice Hockey fan!
I often wonder if i should not have smoked the wacky baccy that year
but as others have said he can boast having been to 10 away grounds (not seen us win yet) and plenty of home games unlike his mates , although some do go to a lot of their home games
Although recently he said he gets nervous going to games and would like to give em a miss but that's my fault for being negative and tetchy and a bit jumpy at games every time the oppo attacks .... So I'm gonna try a more positive approach
He asked Santa for Charlton shirts with Vetokele and Bikey on the back of each ,(greedy git) so he's on his way to Addickdom for life
We have an iPod with the Charlton album on it , so I'm always playing The Red Red Robin and a couple of others from that that the boys like , brainwashing them
My 6 year old (who funnily enough is more in to trains than football!!) really enjoys the match day atmosphere and loves all the singing and screaming and shouting ,he's a bit radio rental though
The 4 and 2 year old haven't been but recognise the badges and songs and have some Charlton pyjamas that help with the brainwashing
Eventually , I hope, they'll be past the point of not being able to chose another team and my job is then done
So keep up your good work AshB
Anyway, many years ago, when oldest boy was at Primary school he came home one day looking nervous and said 'everyone at school tells me West Ham are rubbish so I have decided to support Man Utd'. My colleague thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders and said 'ok son'. Anyway his son looked relieved and very happy.
Then Saturday came and Dad, Mum and youngest get their West Ham clobber on and oldest says to Dad, 'I can't find my West Ham shirt dad'. My colleague says to him 'well your Man Utd now son so we will drop you off at your mans on the way to the match'.
His lad never wavered again! Lol.
I was at deaths door Sunday with the same stomach virus, so I felt quite proud of the little chap for going.
She's in Year 10 now and the other day she said to me, 'You know when I was worried about being a Charlton fan and you said I would get respect?' 'Yes', I replied, looking forward to this moment of affirmation.
'Well I don't.'
Funnily enough, as an adult when you say "I support Charlton" you actually get complimented for being a 'real' fan. I genuinely feel sorry for those who support the so called 'big' teams. They'll never know what its like to get pure joy out of Football.
Apart from that (too cliché and too abstract I know, lol), I think Fanny's suggestion of Young Addicks is a very good idea. It's always better if your son can have an opportunity to meet the players personally and possibly find fellow Addicks of similar age. It will certainly bring him more great fun and keep him interested.
And don't worry too much about your son wavering - it's not likely to happen when his dad is a big Charlton fan and so keen to make him an Addick as well :-) I'm Chinese and have been a Charlton fan for over ten years despite that I've never ever been to a Charlton game. The club's spent seven years of the last decade in lower leagues - meaning very little live game coverage in my country - but look where I am now? Still a die-hard Charlton fan, rooting for our beloved club every week. You can take your son to games when you want to and you have the ideal environment for nurturing a future Addick so there's no need to worry. Furthermore, I think the darkest days are behind us and we're on the way up. No better time to attract young supporters than now. :-)