First time I've had to reflect since Monday night so I apologise if this stuff is repeated elsewhere.
The surroundings may have changed and our Valley now looks a world away from either the stadium in the midst of it's metamorphism 7 seasons ago, or the ram shackled lovable old dump of the early seventies, but the overwhelming feeling I had as I looked out at a near empty Valley on Monday night, was that I'd been here before and as such, I had a slight advantage over my son and youngest daughter who, although not in full blown sobbing mode, had eyes that were slightly dampened from the advent of emotionally manufactured water in the tear ducts.
The article from Afka is spot on, that the opposition may change and the prize may alter, but if you support Charlton Athletic Football Club, you do so, regardless of the name of the opposition on the programme cover, or the spectre of bouncing around the football ladder like a demented squash ball.
In some ways we have been very un-Charlton like in the past few seasons. As a supporter of a certain age, mid table obscurity is about as foreign to me as applauding a palarse winner against unknown opposition and perhaps that is why despite all this season trials and tribulations, I and many others have stated that, we feel like we have our 'Old' club back.
Would I swap relegation for a stale mid table finish, possibly, maybe definitely, but would I have experienced such outstanding fan solidarity as witnessed at Ewood and on Monday night at the Valley had that been the case, almost certainly not. The balance on which is preferable is a fine one and one that only time will tell me if that sentiment is flawed and we fail to become more solid a club as a result.
What I do know is this, that now my children have a real sense of what it is like to support this club of ours. To be able to scream your undying support in the face of certain failure is what has made many of us the type of supporters we are now and this club the envy of so many. It was as much that emotion that had brought tears to the eyes of my children as the advent of relegation.
I am fairly certain from looking at events over the last 15 months, that this season would have been one of struggle, even without the embarrassing managerial merry go round, and that where we are now, is where we would have been even if Curbs had stayed. But I am also certain that with Alan Pardew, we now have at the helm someone who I consider to be 'proper Charlton' and that regardless of results next season he should stay with us.
If I may add a final philosophical note about proceedings, I would like to say that getting out of the enclosed space that is the Premiership may well be financially damaging, but I’m going to look upon it as like a breath of fresh air, because I don't know about the rest of you, but the stench emanating from those that are running it, was getting far to much to bear.
Sha la la la la la la la :-)
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Out of the frying pan and into the fire me thinks.
"If one day I should return to soccer, it would mean it has changed. I've been through the system. I left it because it was no longer similar to my vision of the game. Because of all the financial interests at stake, the sport is turing into a mafia."
How true the last line.
Does he post on here? (under a different name)
I'm glad that you all get a chance to share that quality.
Am still going to roll around the floor in fits of uncontrolled laughter as he takes to the field on the charity day ;-)
As will I and many others I suspect Sis! :-)