Charlton Athletics fall to League 1

A former well established premiership club, and now a league 1 team fighting to restore the glory days at The Valley. Indeed, the past few years have been nothing short of a nightmare for Charlton fans as they watched their favourite team fall to the club's lowest point for almost 20 years. Much debate has risen as to what is the main cause for the Addicks downfall and even the legendary Alan Curbishley has been the subject of much criticism after leaving the club at a pivotal time. "Curbs" left the club as a hero in 2006 after placing Charlton in an era of ecstasy where they competed for European football. Since his departure, no manager has been able to restore the passion in the Charlton shirt and reignite a plagued club. This left much anger within the Charlton faithful as some argued that Curbishley left the club in an unstable situation and should have left once they were secured for the years ahead.

The tenure of Ian Dowie is the subject of which fans try to forget as money was wasted and the club was placed on a downwards spiral which would continue right to the present day. Alan Pardew can not be forgetten, his wreckless use of money has to be scrutinised thoroughly and especially when you evaluate the 2.5 million signing of Luke Varney. Many Charlton fans would agree Varney was a decent signing, however, for such a heavy price tag many would have expected a much better record than what he produced. Millions more were thrown on failures such as Chris Iwelumo and Andy Gray, a strike partnership that was inevitably never going to set the footballing world on fire. This wreckless spending seems to be a formality for Pardew as he evidently has proven at his new club Southampton. Despite arguably doing an excellent job for the Saints, he has spent over 5 million in his first year at the club, and for a league 1 club this is extremely excessive. I recognise that their new owners aren't exactly lacking cash, however, this spending spree for Pardew could destroy many other clubs who haven't got such secure finances as he proved in his prolonged stay at SE7.

Speaking from an unbiased point of view, i do also recognise that the blame must equally be passed right to the top at the hands of the board. Its all very well condemning Pardew for his excessive spending, but the root of this money comes from the likes of Richard Murray who could have easily had said 'no'. Perhaps the real blame is that of the Chairman, perhaps not but one thing is for sure, something has to give at Charlton Athletic soon to kick start and revitalise a club that is punching way below its weight.

In 1984 Charlton Athletic went into administration, and i feel i speak for many Addicks as i say that de ja vu isnt out of the question as fans are constantly kept in the dark over financial affairs. Phil Parkinson, despite his critics, does appear to have restored some pride in the red Charlton shirt and has attracted many supporters back to the Valley which became an intimidating journey for league 1 clubs this year. Despite losing in a fiercely contested play off semi-final against Danny Wilson's Swindon, the passion and effort the players showed on that nerve jangling night reassured many supporters that good times may lie ahead. Credit has to be given to Parkinson, he has walked into a club that many managers would have opted to have steered well clear of. With extremely high expectations, Parkinson fully well knew the demands expected as many want a fast track back to the Premier League. And he didn't shy away and take a easy road out of SE7, he stuck around and has begun to form a team capable of great things. Indeed, he has his critics and has on several occasions not showed the tactical expertise expected from a manager, but he has a lot to learn and with the guidance from fan favourite Mark Kinsella fans will hope they can form a winning formula for Charlton Athletic and start a revival that will see the red robins bob bob bobbing along back to the Premier league.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, i would appreciate it if you could leave your views below in the comments section.

Time runs out for the Owls.

This was a game that didn't disappoint and certainly lived up to the hype surrounding it, palace and Sheffield Wednesday put on a cracker. The reaction from the seasoned Shaun Derry epitomised exactly what this game meant to the players and fans as he was reduced to tears of joy as the referee blew the whistle on not only the game, but also Sheffield Wednesday's spell in the Championship. Indeed, the majority of the bumper crowd in Hillsborough left disappointed from the heartbreaking result, but also proud of the positivity their side showed at times through the pace of Jermaine Johnson and the inspiration from Darren Purse. But they came up short to a Palace team who only needed a point to secure their status as a Championship team for another season.Goals from target man Alan Lee and the prolific Darren Ambrose were enough to doom Sheffield Wednesday back to the 3rd tier of English football, a goal from Darren Purse came in the 87th minute but it proved too little to late for the Owls. So what now for both sides? Crystal Palace will hope that this can inject some life back into the club and some money so they can progress on in the Championship next season whiles hoping for a light in what has been a very dull affair off the pitch this year. The club will hope that the passion displayed in today's game can convince any potential buyers that they are a club worth investing in. The Owls on the other hand will need to re-group and assess over the summer which way they now want to go in order to progress. Alan Irvine is a highly experienced manager and has a proven track record despite this blip in his managerial career. With the likelihood of players such as Marcus Tudgay, Luke Varney and Jermaine Johnson being sought after from other clubs, Wednesday will need to ensure to keep the bulk of the team intact and ready for a tough yet optimistic season in league 1. With the passion that Irvines side displayed today, it bodes well for next year when they will need to dig deep on occasions if they are to stand any chance of returning to the Championship.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and it would be much appreciated if you left a comment on the article and also where you see the two clubs going in the future.