Did a hosepipe cost us promotion in '68/69

WrightCharlie

Cloughie wasn't just a great team manager, it seems he had a little help from his groundsman too. Bob Smith would flood the Baseball Ground pitch to keep it muddy and soggy for first team games as Clough believed it suited Derby's style of play.

Derby finished a long way north of us in '68/9 and it's more than a stretch but did a hosepipe cost us promotion that year?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-34807761

charltonbob

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

Lincsaddick

charltonbob said:

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

and one of THE very best Addicks performances I have seen from a well balanced team playing at its peak .. pity is we could not cash in on this terrific performance and more like it in that so near yet so far season

charltonbob

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

and one of THE very best Addicks performances I have seen from a well balanced team playing at its peak .. pity is we could not cash in on this terrific performance and more like it in that so near yet so far season

& then finished the next season 3rd from bottom

Lincsaddick

charltonbob said:

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

and one of THE very best Addicks performances I have seen from a well balanced team playing at its peak .. pity is we could not cash in on this terrific performance and more like it in that so near yet so far season

& then finished the next season 3rd from bottom

exactly .. this was after Firmani put a block on party nights out and boozing for the lads .. Bobby Curtis and Paul Went were never the same after that ((:>)

Rob

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

and one of THE very best Addicks performances I have seen from a well balanced team playing at its peak .. pity is we could not cash in on this terrific performance and more like it in that so near yet so far season

& then finished the next season 3rd from bottom

exactly .. this was after Firmani put a block on party nights out and boozing for the lads .. Bobby Curtis and Paul Went were never the same after that ((:>)

And Eddie started insisting that he be called 'Mr' Firmani.

WrightCharlie

Rob said:

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Lincsaddick said:

charltonbob said:

Too many drawn games cost us promotion.

Our pitch was muddy & soggy when we played the rams didn't help them then :-)

Actually should have beaten them away as well, hit the bloody woodwork 4 times

and one of THE very best Addicks performances I have seen from a well balanced team playing at its peak .. pity is we could not cash in on this terrific performance and more like it in that so near yet so far season

& then finished the next season 3rd from bottom

exactly .. this was after Firmani put a block on party nights out and boozing for the lads .. Bobby Curtis and Paul Went were never the same after that ((:>)

And Eddie started insisting that he be called 'Mr' Firmani.

Ha ha, they weren't ever the same, but I guess Firmani never did manage to catch Bobby Curtis at the British Oak either!

Happy Days, one of the best season's football and time of excitement to watch Charlton I've ever had.

Palace were always under my radar until that season as I never thought of them as a local London team - Croydon, Surrey. Haven't liked them since though!!

Blucher

Agree with charltonbob - too many drawn games, especially at home. That, plus a number of missed penalties, including one at Selhurst Park in the 3-3 draw and two in the final game of the season, which we lost 0-1 at the Valley to Preston (although we were out of it by then). I'm sure there were others.

charltonbob

Blucher said:

Agree with charltonbob - too many drawn games, especially at home. That, plus a number of missed penalties, including one at Selhurst Park in the 3-3 draw and two in the final game of the season, which we lost 0-1 at the Valley to Preston (although we were out of it by then). I'm sure there were others.

Was going to mention the shithurst park game we were 2-0 up at one point.
That was the game where we started walking to London away games, estimated 2000 walked to this one, considerably less to others.

Lincsaddick

digressing further from Clough's hosepipe .. Millwall as usual did us again that season .. that was a good Millwall side .. Possee, (still alive) Weller, Kitchener and Cripps (all three now RIP), King etc. .. I was young and innocent in this era and I used to PRAY that we would sign Keith Weller .. alas he went to Leicester and played alongside Len Glover for quite a while .. I hope this archive is still active (EDIT: It still is).. http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/9629/the-week-that-was-10th-august-1968-charlton-3-millwall-4

RedChaser

Lincsaddick said:

digressing further from Clough's hosepipe .. Millwall as usual did us again that season .. that was a good Millwall side .. Possee, (still alive) Weller, Kitchener and Cripps (all three now RIP), King etc. .. I was young and innocent in this era and I used to PRAY that we would sign Keith Weller .. alas he went to Leicester and played alongside Len Glover for quite a while .. I hope this archive is still active (EDIT: It still is).. http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/9629/the-week-that-was-10th-august-1968-charlton-3-millwall-4

They added Barry Bridges just after that season Lincs sporting a Mexican Pete moustache if I remember correctly. Also remember Weller wearing tights when playing for Leicester, it's cold up North for us Southern softies you know

simonmatthews

And Eddie started insisting that he be called 'Mr' Firmani.

Actually - Firmani being a disciplinarian wasn't really the problem. What knocked us for six was selling Tees and replacing him with Riddick, a much less effective player, in late August 1969 - the start of the following season. If I recollect at the start of 1969-1970 we got 3 wins and 2 draws in our opening 6 games, and, you would have put money on it being another good season. Then Tees left and morale dropped immediately with the club going into a slump that lasted 3 months ending up in the relegation zone. (Sound familiar?) Looked at with hindsight (is it really 47 years ago?) the batch of games in February 1969 were among the best performances at the club since at least the mid '50's and until the mid '80's. The away win at Palace in the FA Cup (which my uncle, who'd followed Charlton since 1938 always said was the best he'd seen the club play), the away win at Blackpool and the home win against Derby were all brilliant.

Lewis Coaches

Colin Cameron Always said that the replay against Palace was the best match he had seen Charlton play in.That says it all for me .Think myself Lucky i was there,just getting into the ground as the roar went up and Palace went one down.

charltonbob

Lewis Coaches said:

Colin Cameron Always said that the replay against Palace was the best match he had seen Charlton play in.That says it all for me .Think myself Lucky i was there,just getting into the ground as the roar went up and Palace went one down.

What a night, massive support for Charlton, team played brilliantly. Is my memory going or did Charlie Wright save a penalty ?
Poxy ground of course & the holmsdale only had terracing halfway up, the rest was very slippery grass/mud.... cue 1000s of Charlton slipping & sliding all over the place.
Trains were dismantled all the way back to London Bridge.

GlassHalfFull

Jan+Feb 69 - within the space of five weeks Treacy scored three goals of the season/decade - Palace and Fulham away, and the all-time greatest vs Derby at home. Plus a huge Cup-tie at Highbury. Wonderful times !!

waldo

Lincsaddick said:

digressing further from Clough's hosepipe .. Millwall as usual did us again that season .. that was a good Millwall side .. Possee, (still alive) Weller, Kitchener and Cripps (all three now RIP), King etc. .. I was young and innocent in this era and I used to PRAY that we would sign Keith Weller .. alas he went to Leicester and played alongside Len Glover for quite a while .. I hope this archive is still active (EDIT: It still is).. http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/9629/the-week-that-was-10th-august-1968-charlton-3-millwall-4

Derek Possee's son was at Primary school with my son and at end of school D.P. was surrounded by young mums. I think he went Canada but am not sure. Maybe stayed there? I remember reading that Keith Weller was learning to fly some years ago and, of course the legendary Harry came to us.