Aug 9
As surprised as Chris Farnell was when those Addicks stormed his office in Hale on Friday, were those Addicks who saw David Jones sat with Farnell plotting his future role in their phony organization.
Rich Cawley now reports that Farnell and Elliott want ex-Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday manager Dave Jones to be head of the football side of the club with Gallen and Bowyer reporting to him.
You close your eyes for an afternoon, or in my case took a leisurely WiFi free lunch and all Charlton hell breaks loose. I’ll try to piece it together.
On the face of it there was only more concern for Addicks yesterday after the EFL failed ESI v2 as being qualified owners and directors. That in itself is quite an achievement. Three individuals were denied – Chris Farnell, Paul Elliott and Andrei Mihail, the brother of Marian.
At the same time Charlton fans burst into Chris Farnell’s company offices in Hale, Cheshire to confront the lawyer (photo), who happened to be sat with ex-manager Dave Jones. Rumours later circulated that Farnell was trying to replace Steve Gallen with Jones.
Jones was also involved at Bury.
Johnny Williams has followed Jake Forster-Caskey in committing to stay for the last year of his contract.
Williams could be the best player in League One. He could also be a drain on resources kicking around the medical room with the only playing statistic he leads is that of the most fouls won.
For Willians in the current environment there is no financial downside, but he must harbour hopes of playing for Wales and at a higher level. Assume he thinks he can do that with us.
Most half-prudent organizations would buy similar domain names to avoid copycat attacks or brand reputational damage, but not our friends at the EFL.
This website is a work of art, blissfully put together by some clever and provoked football fans, some I believe Addicks. Take a read and watch the football club stories, including Charlton’s, but let me warn you they will not warm your heart, they will only fire your anger.
Day 140 working from home (not that I’m counting 😩).
Like most others I’d imagine, I left the office on that Monday in March pretty unprepared for a long working stint at home, I walked out of the office re-assuring the team that I’d see them soon and was armed with my trusted laptop and notepad.
I was temporarily perched on the couch those first two weeks with laptop on lap, but with the TV news on a loop it became apparent how deep and bad the pandemic was.
Josh Cullen said his goodbyes to Charlton yesterday, but it is us that should be thanking him. I would firmly put the West Ham midfielder at the top of the list of loan players I have seen come and go in my thirty-plus years as a fan.
Cullen has an undying desire to make it at West Ham and I really hope he does, but wherever he ends up those fan’s will be picking up a gem of a player and a thoughtful and determined young man.
What a farce. The EFL covering themselves in glory again.
Now I will say we finished 2nd from bottom after 46 games and deserved our fate. You are where you are. We had our chances but blew it. Bowyer and his team got blood out of a stone and somehow managed to win 48 Championship points with a middling League One squad, a ridiculous and hugely distracting ownership saga, a long and debilitating injury list, our best player refusing to play, and a transfer embargo just one of the many behind the scenes troubles.
After the last EFL missive which ended with something tacky like: “The League will not provide a running commentary on this matter but will update as appropriate.”
Well Addicks took the bait and have bombarded the EFL all week demanding regular updates and it appears that a meeting took place, and the EFL gave an update to Rich Cawley.
There’s been a fair bit of cloak and dagger planning this week as Addicks furiously unsettle and destabilize those pretending to own and care about our football club.
If you are able to I’d recommend getting to The Elephant & Castle Pub in Woolwich Market at 6.30pm tonight to show solidarity and help support action to protect our historic football club from thieves and charlatans.
A national holiday in Bermuda today and tomorrow, as the island celebrate’s Cup Match, a cricket game between sides from the two ends of the island battling it out over two days to win de Cup.
For 118 years this battle of wits has occurred at this time of the year, never stopping for war or strife, but sadly like all the world’s major sporting events Bermuda Cup Match 2020 was cancelled.
In between work stuff today, I was drafting a post entitles ‘No time to waste.’ This was on the premise that the club are rapidly out of a commodity that no one owns…. time.
Yesterday VOTV highlighted this with Rick’s most recent article. Well worth a read as always. Click here.
But, then the sand in the hourglass sped up very tellingly tonight when the EFL made a statement laying the issues out in a couple of paragraphs. The ESI have failed to “demonstrate that the requirements of the EFL regulations are met.” The EFL are now demanding a meeting “with the current majority owner of ESI and also the proposed new owners, as it seeks to clarify the ongoing ownership issues at the club in the context of the EFL regulations.”
Overcoming Wednesday night is going to take me a while. Still not ready to talk about it. One of the Dad’s at the pool last night (my daughter was in a swim meet) got a few words out of me on the subject, he’s a staunch Villa fan, so has his own personal affliction, but this has been a harrowing few days.
Whilst this relegation was as unnecessary as the last one in 2016 at least that day thousands of Addicks could take to the pitch to express their anger. This time we were stuck at bloody home. Helpless. Hopeless. Powerless.
The non-owner owner is still having a bit of fun with access to the club’s website. He took the opportunity today to stand in the West Stand looking like he’s just stepped out of a 1980’s Janet Frazer catalogue and pen this ditty.
It’s hard to write this. Hard to take, and even harder to look into our future now.
Of course we shouldn’t have been here. Having to go to the league’s best team needing to win. We’d already blown it. When Birmingham’s scored last week I knew that. Congratulations to Luton and Barnsley. They properly stepped up when they had too, and commiserations to Wigan and their supporters. How about that bottom three f*ucked over by shysters eh?
EFL, you must be proud, and I hope Lyle Taylor and Chris Solly sleep well tonight.
Player of the Year despite our league position for me wasn’t an easy pick this year. Darren Pratley or Josh Cullen would have been worthy winners and Adam Matthews may have been an outside pick, but no one played as many games, was as consistent as Dillon Phillips, who fully deserved to win the 2019/20 Player of the Year award.
Since the middle of last season Phillips has been the proud owner of the number one jersey of the club he has been at since he was 8-years old. Let’s really hope he will be twisting and shouting tomorrow night.
