A Charlton Athletic F.C Story

[Bullardinho]

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Charlton Athletic F.C.

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As a young boy growing up in London and supporting Newcastle, I wasn't often able to go and watch my favourite team play, that was unless they were away against my local team Charlton.

As a passionate football fan from a very young age, I would often go to regular matches to see 'The Addicks' play, whether it be a Premier League game on a Saturday or a late night Championship game on a Wednesday night.

I have never officially been a supporter of Charlton but I have always had a huge soft spot for them and I would be chuffed if they ever made it back to the promised land rather than yo-yoing between the 2nd and 3rd tier of English football.

Until then I shall have to settle with trying to get the club back to the Premiership myself, it won't be easy but I am looking forward to giving it a go.



Club Overview

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The club has a pretty decent infrastructure, although the running of the club both on and off the pitch has been pretty **** poor in the last decade or so. Finances are pretty bleak and despite their distinctly average performances in the league over the past few years we are touted to finish 2nd.



First Team

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We have a decent squad at present, although the majority of players are yet to reach their potential. There does also seem to be worrying lack of quality in several positions, 3 of our best 7 players are centre forwards and there is only one natural wide defender (Solly) who appears in our top 20 players list.



Key Players

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Can play as an attacking wing back, although would be more comfortable a little further up the pitch.


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A very good defender for this league, although he will be injured throughout our preseason which could hamper his season.


One To Watch

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We already have Championship clubs sniffing around so one of my first jobs was to tie the youngster to a new contract.



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[Bullardinho]

Arrivals & Departures


Out

Tony Watt - Wigan - £725k

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Tony was arguably our best forward and this deal could come back to bite me in the **** but we needed the cash to reinvest and I needed some more attacking midfielders in the side.


In

Olexandr Yakovenko

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Olex will easily slot straight into the AML or AMC role and the former Fiorentina signing could prove to be a very useful one.



Enzo Zidane

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The eldest son of the great Zinedine Zidane was quite an expensive outlay but I couldn't resist. I am sure he will still be a superb addition at this level and will again slot into the CM or AMC role.



Connor Randall

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Connor will be great cover at both RB and DM and not only are we not paying a penny for the loan but we can choose to make the deal permanent for £190k at any time.


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[Linecoigne1998]

Some decent looking signings so far but shame to have lost Tony Watt! Charlton have always been a team I was tempted of starting a save with but never got around to it so will be following

 

[Bullardinho]

Some decent looking signings so far but shame to have lost Tony Watt! Charlton have always been a team I was tempted of starting a save with but never got around to it so will be following

Yeah I didn't really want to let him go but he was the only player of any value that any team was interested in, plus I only play with one central striker and we have the cover. Thanks, they are an interesting team, to manage and certainly a challenge.

 

[Bullardinho]

Pre-season Round-up


Friendlies and Fixtures

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A mixed bag of results but ultimately they went as expected. We played well despite the result against Celtic and we probably should of had more then a draw at Brugge. No stand out performers but the lads are gelling well and all-in-all they seem to be understanding my tactics and philosophy.
We start the campaign with some difficult fixtures but I fully expect us to start with a win at Bury.


Odds

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We have been made second favourites although this is an extremely difficult league and I am under no illusion that even missing out on the playoff could be a real possibility if we don't perform consistently.


Checkatrade Trophy Draw

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We should progress but to be honest I have no interest in this competition, the league is our main focus and a decent FA Cup run would be nice.


Coaching Course

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As always I like to get as many qualifications as possible to improve my skills.


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[issteo]

Goodluck with this should be a good save!

 

[Bullardinho]

August

Results

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We didn't get off to a very good start at all, only managing our first league win at the fourth attempt. As it turns out it only took a few minor tweaks in our approach to open the floodgates and the goals started flowing. Thanks to great wins against Bolton and Cardiff meant we actually enjoyed a decent first month.


Table

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Charlton Player of the Month

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Olex has started his Charlton career with some immense performances.


EFL 3rd Round Draw

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Not much chance of a good EFL Cup run then. Least we get a nice day out at Old Trafford.



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[Bullardinho]

September

Results

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Almost a perfect month as we maintain a 100% record in the league throughout September, taking our winning streak now to 7 consecutive matches in the league and we remain unbeaten since the opening day loss to Bury.
Whilst the game against Wimbledon may have been good for the neutral, it was a nightmare for me, 3 times we led and 3 times they equalised, thankfully late substitute Joe Aribo sealed the 3 points.
The match against Man U in the cup was weird one as well, we only had 3 shots on target, they only had 7.. not a good day for goalkeepers.


League Table

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Our superb form has seen us shoot up the table and take our place at the top. I don't expect the unbeaten run to go on for ever but it would be nice if it could continue a little longer to give us some breathing space.


Awards

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Ezri has been superb all season, keeping some experienced players out of the first team.
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I would actually have said that Yakovenko deserved it but I am just happy they are both involved.



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First Manager of the Month award, hopefully I can pick up a few more in my career.


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[Bullardinho]

October

Results

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Another perfect month in the league stretching our run to 13 consecutive wins. I couldn't be happier with our start in the league and with the way our season has gone so far. Our win against local rivals Millwall was a particular highlight, the only blip being the loss in the Checkatrade Cup match but I had fielded a second side anyway to concentrate on the league.


League Table

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Our superb form means we keep our place at the top of course, now opening up a 5 point gap from second place Peterborough.


Awards

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Another great goal scoring month from Novak who has struck up a good partnership with Aherne-Grant this month.


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How Karlan didn't win player of the month for his performances is beyond me. He has been superb in the absence of the injured Yakovenko who picked up a 4 week injury.


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Personal award no. 2​

 

[Bullardinho]

November

Results

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Well that was unexpected! After a superb unbeaten spell that stretched back to the opening day of the season, with 13 consecutive league wins, the wheels have fallen off all of a sudden. Firstly we were knocked out of the Checkatrade Cup, luckily that doesn't matter, but then that appears to have been the catalyst for our collapse. Three points out of twelve is not promotion material and the pitiful performance against Port Vale is certainly not what you would expect from title contenders. Much improvement needed.


League Table

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Somehow we remain top but Peterborough are hot on our tails now. December brings about some must win fixtures against Bradford and contenders Peterborough.


Other News

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My development continues after achieving my Continental C license.


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[Bullardinho]

December

Results

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Almost back to another perfect month, albeit with a slip up at mid-table MK Dons. Results at Peterborough and Bradford City were vital if we wanted to hold on to our place at the top of the table. In truth we were lucky against Peterborough, with two penalties being awarded our way, but we did dominate the game and still deserved the 3 points.


League Table

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We are past the halfway stage now and we have a nice 10 point gap between ourselves and Bradford City in 3rd. Still along way to go but I am confident we can hold on for an automatic promotion place.


Awards

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Overall Dasilva has been very good, although his sending off against MK Dons was unacceptable and actually gave them the winning goal when giving away a penalty.
Novak also won 2nd place in Player of the Month and I was 2nd for the Manager of the Month award.


FA Cup 3rd Round

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We face struggling Premier League side Middlesbrough in the FA Cup 3rd round. We may be away from home but I am hoping we can pinch a result from this one.



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[Bullardinho]

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Before I give you the update on the rest of January I thought I would give you the round up of our transfers so far and there has been some cracking signings for a League One side. Firstly though lets look at the 'outs', starting with a few players that returned to their parent clubs.


Nathan Byrne

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Despite being touted as a key player, Nathan has been atrocious for us this season I with our financial situation not being great, I wanted him off the wage bill.



Fredrik Ulvestad

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Fredrik was a superb player but unfortunately he was on the end of a horror tackle which wiped him out for the rest of the season, 4-6 months with a broken leg.



We also sent Jordan Botaka back to Leeds as he just wasn't up to scratch and didn't fit into my plans.



Josh Magennis

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Should have been one of our best strikers in the absence of Watt but once again he was another player that just didn't fit into my plans. Also we are struggling financially thanks to crippling loan repayments so player sales are a must.

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Players IN

Jonathan BentekeView attachment 92348
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The younger brother of Christian Benteke joins us on a permanent deal. He will come in as a rotation option at first but if he can find some form he could be useful even in the Championship.



Liam Walsh

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Liam comes in to bolster our midfield options with Ulvestad departing and Johnnie Jackson become less able to play a full 90 mins. Should be a good player at this level and a great addition at zero cost.



Richie Towell

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Towell has some cracking stats and if his form for Dundalk last season was anything to go buy he could provide a fair few goals. If he performs well I hope to make the deal permanent for £800k



Tyrone Mings

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We already have Dasilva playing well in the left wing-back position but when I saw I could bring in Mings for virtually peanuts I had to jump at the chance. He has a bright future as long as he can stay injury free. If he performs well and stays fit I will hopefully be signing him for £1.1m



Lewis Cook

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Last but definitely not least we have completed our 2nd loan signing from Bournemouth in the shape of Lewis Cook. Another superb addition with bags of potential, only Lewis is already potentially a Premier League player, so he should walk it in League One. Best bit is we aren't paying a penny!!



That rounds things up for now but there is still a few days to go in the window yet, hopefully I can pick up another bargain or two.

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[Bullardinho]

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Final Deals


OUT

Patrick Bauer

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Bauer was actually a really good defender for this level and would even have done a job in the Championship but as we continue to hemorrhage cash we needed to sell again and we have plenty of cover in the central defence positions.



IN

Baily Cargill

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Another signing from Bournemouth, this time youngster Baily Cargill comes in on an cheap permanent deal. The lad has the potential to play a part if we get promoted, hopefully we can make some profit in the future.



Ademola Lookman

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Ademola comes back to the club 6 months after his switch to Everton. After only making one appearance for his new club in 6 months, they decided to loan list the lad and I snatched at the chance to bring him back. I am hoping he will have a big impact and help us secure promotion.



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[Bullardinho]

January

Results

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Our superb performance in the league continued with 15 points out of a possible 18 secured in January, including conclusive wins against the likes of Bolton, Rochdale and rivals Millwall, but our impressive and emphatic win against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup was definitely the highlight of the month. We ripped them apart and to be honest they didn't deserve their goal, they even had their strongest team out so there were no excuses.
This them lead on to our fourth round tie against Liverpool at Anfield, unfortunately that's were our cup run ended. We did ourselves proud though, we had more possession, more shots and we held the score level until the second half. There was only one real difference between us on the day.. Philippe Coutinho.


League Table

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With 9 points over Peterborough in 2nd place and 16 points from 3rd place Bradford, I feel like automatic promotion is ours to lose now. We have 17 matches to go, I think if we can secure another 30 points the title will be ours.


Player of the Month

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Forster-Caskey's performances have been really good of late, he has stepped up and improved his overall game in the last couple of months and he fully deserves his recognition.


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[Bullardinho]

February

Results

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We continued our tremendous league form throughout February, once again going on an unbeaten run spanning 12 games, winning 9 and scoring an average of over 2 goals a game (26). Overall I am really pleased with our performances, although if I was being critical our defence has continued to give me a few headaches, especially in the last game of the month against struggling side Shrewsbury, we conceded two early goals that could have easily been avoided, meaning we had to dig in to claw back and steal a point.


League Table

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I couldn't be happier with how our season has gone so far, I never would have thought we would been in this position going into March. Such is my confidence now, I am actually looking at some of the league records we could potentially break:


Most Games Won in a Season: 32 (Aston Villa 1971/72)
Current Games Won: 24
Projected: 32 (Based on season average so far)


Most Points in a Season: 103 (Wolves 2013/14)
Current Points Total: 80
Projected:105 (Based on season average so far)


Player of the Month Award

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Yet another player picks up the league award for best player of the month. Between Enzo, Novak and Yakovenko we have had a lethal front three who have thrilled the fans all season.



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[Bullardinho]

March

Results

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The unbeaten sequence continued throughout March as we took our total games unbeaten to 18 consecutive league matches. The performances wernt all that in truth, we just have a far superior attacking threat than most teams in this league, in truth I am just looking forward to the challenge of the Championship.


League Table

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With a 20 point gap with only 6 matches to go, the keen mathematicians among you will have noticed that we have already secured the Sky Bet League One title..


Champions!!!

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I am really chuffed we managed to gain promotion and with such ease at the first time of asking. In truth though it was so easy I started to lose some interest near the end, but I am buzzing for the new challenge next season.


Awards

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New Contract

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As soon as the title was sealed the board wanted to discuss new terms and I am delighted to have signed a new contract. I am hoping I can work my way in to the Charlton hall of fame.

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[Bullardinho]

April

Results

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The wheels had started to fall off a little in April but we finished strong with some good performances and high morale to take into the summer holidays. Several players caught the eye, no one more so then Enzo Zidane who finished the season in terrific form.


Final League Table

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So as expected in the end, we ran away with the league. We didn't quite manager to beat either of the League One records, although we did beat the all-time club record for the highest points to be achieved in a single season, previously being 101. After what was an extremely tight competition for the 2nd spot, Peterborough just clinched it, with Rochdale completing the promotion places via a win in the Play-offs.


End of Season Review and Awards

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I thought Yakovenko would have taken this award but with the Ukrainian's form tailing off towards the end of the year and Enzo's form peaking towards the end, the young Frenchman just takes the award.


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I think these are fair inclusions and fully deserved by each of the players.


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Konsa's performances at the end of the season meant he just sneaked ahead of Yakovenko and Enzo for our highest average rated player, he also made it on the Team of the Year, however didn't make the top three for the Young Player of the Year?!



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Other News

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I have completed my Continental B license and I immediately requested to further my development which was accepted.


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