Largely forgotten?? hmmph !!
http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/a...earchyear=2015
Late Charlton Athletic rally didn't deserve points as fans protest in civilised fashion
Tuesday, 1 December 2015 By Kevin Nolan in Football
Brushed aside 3-0 for the fifth time this season, Charlton were easy prey for bright, confident Ipswich, who cruised to victory with something to spare.
To their credit, the Addicks came alive in the closing stages of a deeply disappointing match and forced visiting goalkeeper Dean Gerken into a trio of fine saves. By then it was too late to matter, of course, though their spirit was encouraging.
A turbulent afternoon began in the second minute with a dignified, well organised demonstration keyed into chief executive Katrien Meire’s dismissive and wildly inaccurate comment that only two per cent of supporters dissented from her proxy stewardship of their club.
Interim manager Karel Fraeye, when politely asked post-game for his reaction to the protest, toed the party line by curtly claiming not to have noticed it. It was an odd remark in the circumstances, one that might return to haunt him.
In fairness, Fraeye had more than enough to occupy him on-field, with influential captain Johnnie Jackson pulling up with suspected hamstring problems after just 13 minutes. He was replaced by Chris Solly, with assured rookie Tareiq Holmes-Dennis moving from right back to deputise for Jackson in midfield.
The new boss is learning that it never rains but pours biblically whenever things go wrong at Charlton. He seems a cool character and might need all his sang-froid, not to mention a stout umbrella, as this troubled season develops.
After lively Ademola Lookman began the proceeding with two narrowly off-target efforts and the outstanding Freddie Sears replied for the East Anglians with a venomous half-volley well saved by Stephen Henderson, the Tractor Boys opened the scoring in controversial circumstances.
Several opportunities to clear their lines were spurned by the home defenders before Ainsley Maitland-Niles hoisted a hopeful high punt into their penalty area, where Tommy Smith disposed of mismatched Solly’s challenge with a flailing arm across his diminutive opponent’s face. With that little detail attended to, Smith headed across goal to Darryl Murphy, whose simple task it was to nod home at the far post.
It was rough justice on Fraeye’s men and following routine saves by Gerken from Lookman’s shot and Jordan Cousins’ header, Sears doubled their misery in first-half added time.
Timing his run perfectly to stay marginally onside, the resurgent 26- year-old ran on to Luke Chambers’ through pass and shot into the bottom right corner with the help of a deflection off Patrick Bauer. Figuratively at least, it hadn’t stopped raining since Jackson limped off.
Replacing Morgan Fox for the second half, Ricardo Vaz Te proved a bright addition. His looping header from Solly’s cross mildly tested Gerken and he continued to be impressively aggressive.
Apparently he’s "fit" but not "match fit" yet, a state of limbo peculiar to Charlton while equally familiar to their long-suffering fans.
The mysteriously unexplained absences of Ahmed Kashi, Igor Vetokele and, to a lesser extent, Cristian Ceballos and Franck Moussa, serve to muddy already impenetrable waters. Like transfer fees, their ailments remain undisclosed. Expect evasive responses to enquiries about Jackson’s progress.
The Addicks were showing signs of recovery until Murphy’s second goal, midway through the second session, finished them off.
A sweeping move featured Sears’ raking pass from right to left, Brett Pitman’ s astute dummy and Jonathan Douglas’ clever lay-off to Murphy on his left. The Irish international continued his recent return to scoring form by shooting left-footed across Henderson into the far bottom corner.
With the horse already bolted, Charlton began locking defensive doors and briefly bombarded their cockahoop visitors.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s freekick was athletically returned from beyond the far post by Reza Goochannejhad but Bauer’s pointblank diving header bounced unluckily off Gerken’s chest.
Riding a new wave of confidence, the Londoners came even closer when Lookman’s deep centre from the left touchline was headed expertly by Vaz Te but brilliantly saved by Gerken at full stretch to his left.
The suddenly busy keeper then added another plunging save from Vaz Te’s fierce volley. It was too little too late but a stirring reponse for all that.
Well beaten by the better side, if on the short end of any luck that was going, the Addicks trailed off disconsolately to only mild opprobrium from the remnants of a crowd that’s seen it all before under the current regime.
Far from not caring, they prefer to make their feelings known in civilised protest. Meire and Roland Duchatelet might, to their advantage, bone up on the unique movement which forced Charlton back to The Valley from exile almost exactly 23 years ago.
Most of the heroes of that political triumph are still around and show no signs of going away. It makes sense to engage with them before the mutual poison takes lethal effect.
And it might help if throwaway comments about "two per cent" were disowned and discontinued. I was never much good at maths but even I know how hopelessly off the mark that one was.
Let’s leave a cautionary word to Gordon Lightfoot, an often perceptive but now largely forgotten Canadian troubadour. Here’s his riff on fractured relationships.
"I don’t know where we went wrong...but the feeling’s gone...and I just can’t get it back." Spot on, Gordon, couldn’t have put it better myself. Except, in my case, the feeling’s been bruised but it’s not quite gone.
Lightfoot reference in soccer/football write-up
