My old family home is literally a stone's throw from the Valley - my Dad's family is the only one to have lived at the address since the house was built, though until a couple of decades ago they were council tenants of course. My mum still lives there and I visit as much as I can. Four generations of Charlton fans now born and bred. But regardless of current family ties to SE7, every fan with Charlton Athletic in his or her heart is equal. I don't believe in some fans being 'better' or superior to others for any reason. Fans who have been to every game for decades, fans who have relatives who've played for the Club, or family who have served the Club in any way, fans who have moved into the area as youngsters maybe and adopted CAFC as their Club - All should be equally proud We are all the Charlton family
Charlie Barker is a proper baller whoever we sign he will be in or around the first team this season.... probably at right back
I gather Charlie Barker didn't have a great game against Doncaster. But I'm glad that fans here and on ITTV have not been lining up to slaughter the young man. A fearless 17 year old who has been dropped straight into the senior starting XI and started five straight games in a weakened team. He was bound to have an average day at the office sooner or later. In one way it's a damning indictment of the situation we are in, that LB has been forced to rely on Barker like this. But I mean no disrespect to Barker at all when I say that. CB has clearly given everything he can for the cause so far, and his efforts make me proud. He does great credit to the shirt and our Club.
No boo boys round ere. He tried to deal with a cross and it went wrong. If he had left it a lurking Donny Rover would have tapped it in. I hope he gets a decent song
As a newbie I thought I might resurrect an old topic and give a bit about my connection to Charlton. My maternal grandfather was the RSM of the Horse Artillery at Woolwich Barracks. After retirement as an active soldier he ran the stables. A lot of military history on my mother's side. My mother's house was bombed during the Blitz (no casualties) and one of her classmates married Eddie Firmani. My father was apprenticed at Johnson & Philips, where his father worked. They were also bombed out, by a V-1, not so luckily. He was a great friend of 50s player Sid Ellis with whom I played as a youngster in a local league (Sid was by then in his 40s). My first games were Charlton v Sunderland and v Southampton in December 1963. My abiding memory of that first game is the performance of the two goalkeepers, Mike Rose and Jim Montgomery.
My first game was in 1962. I think the goalkeeper was Peter Wakeham. But I think it was the Season after that Mike Rose started in goal. I can't remember who the opposition were in my first game. My Dad worked in Stones in Charlton for a while.
1954 was my first game, was bored s**tless, I think it was aganst Bolton 0-0. I was dragged to the Valley sporadically until I was old enough to make up my own mind. 1964 I got hooked, but it wasn't the football but the inner sanctom of the covered end. I found people like me, disfunctional and out of control. Was aginst Pompey, around 14,000 but sounded like 100,000. The fans of CAFC were my first family, and my first sanity, the football is an extra.