The Run to the Beat route for 8 September 2013 (updated 29 March 2013).

Charlton Champion exclusive: Plans for this year’s Run To The Beat half-marathon will cut off Sunday footballers in Charlton Park and Meridian Sports Club, this website can reveal.

The route proposed by organisers will enclose Charlton Park on three sides and cut off access to the adjacent Meridian Sports Club. Both are used by scores of Sunday morning footballers each morning.

Run to the Beat, run commercially to promote a sportswear firm, has run every year since 2008, but has been regularly criticised by locals for poor communication and its road closures, as its circular route effectively shuts in residents in parts of Greenwich, Blackheath, Charlton and Woolwich for most of the day.

Greenwich Council ignored a resolution from local Labour Party members to give the race the go-ahead without full consultation. The council later admitted “errors” had been made in organising the race.

This year’s race – scheduled for 8 September – was launched on Monday, but full details of the route have not been publicly revealed, apart from a decision to reverse the direction of the route, divert it away from Woolwich town centre and to start/finish it in Greenwich Park.

However, this website has seen plans which involve a change of route through Charlton, so the race avoids The Village to run via Charlton Road, Hornfair Road, Canberra Road, Charlton Park Lane, Cemetery Road and Little Heath. It then continues into Woolwich via Hillreach, Repository Road, Ha Ha Road, Grand Depot Road, John Wilson Street and Woolwich Church Street. Route maps indicate possible short diversions in the route at Royal Artillery Barracks and Artillery Place.

Back into Charlton, the race will run via Woolwich Road, Anchor & Hope Lane and Bugsby’s Way, before heading onto the Greenwich peninsula, where the route is not yet clear.

Race organisers IMG told the News Shopper newspaper that the loss of the route through Woolwich town centre would be made up by using Greenwich Park. However, it appears encircling Charlton Park is also part of the plan to avoid using Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal development.

Local councillors have been in discussions with them over the route, trying to persuade organisers to switch to a route which would not cut residents off. Organisers plan to repoen roads around Charlton Park at 11.45am and Woolwich Road at 1.20pm.

Organisers would only send out a generic launch press release when asked for details of the route. A petition against the race route has been launched by Charlton resident and Labour Party activist Annie Keys, while local councillors are keen to hear feedback.

He has currently has a Charlton comics blog: The Charlton Comics Reading Library; check it out!

His experience and knowledge regarding all things Charlton and Ditko make him a valuable addition to the site. I look forward to reading his regular posts.

Welcome Fester!

IDW currently has a free full-length preview of Gorgo #1; a great issue that was drawn by Steve Ditko in 1961. Here is what they say:

Hey gang!  We’re really excited about the recently released STEVE DITKO’S MONSTERS VOL. 1: GORGO and thought it’d be awesome to give you guys a GIGANTIC preview of the monster-fueled mayhem within.

To read the preview and to visit the featured page click here.

Hello everyone. Just a quick reminder that the Indie Pub Quiz returns for its record breaking second outing this Saturday (23rd) at The Royal Oak on Charlton Lane. The first attempt in January was a glorious and highly enjoyable shambles. This time we are going one better by actually playing Indie music and not having to make do with a drunk bloke at the bar singing Tom Jones covers, although it was good of my Dad to try and help.

Paul

Thanks for writing, Paul. A Charlton Champion-powered team won the first quiz, but will any of the CC writers be able to repeat the triumph?

67 days ago Michael Appleton was given a two and a half year contract after walking out on Blackpool but after he proved further that the Chicken men really should have stayed in Bollywood or at least with Steve Kean, he too was given a cheque to go away with Rovers 4 points off relegation.

One has to start feeling sorry for Rovers’ fans although they may be sitting at home uncomfortably tonight after the treatment they gave to Kean during his tenure. As for the Venky’s, one has to question the validity of the Football and Premier League’s Fit and Proper Test.

It’s hard to feel sorry for Michael Appleton either, who has snappled jobs that others are simply better at, and cheaper. Returned caretaker manager Gary Bowyer is a case in point. I saw the bulk of Rovers’ two games against Millwall and they were shocking playing a long ball game that Big Sam has perfected and clearly Appleton hasn’t.

I would be suprised if Appleton ever got a job again managing a club, especially with a win record like his. The sad thing is that the whole of Appleton’s back room staff have also been cleared out.

Staying in The Championship I had to smile at ex-Addick Carl Ikeme getting injured during half time after punching a tactics board. Hopefully that disrupts Dean Saunders and Wolves further. Today’s Championship events has to be good news for Charlton.

Jordan Cook went on loan to Yeovil yesterday until the end of the season, although he might end up moving permanently. I have only seen him briefly and Forest away won’t be a game that he will care to remember. I think Cook’s contract does have another year left on it however.

With Cook, BWP, Sullivan, Mambo, Smith (who has 2 in 3 for Colchester) and Pope all out on loan, it may signal room in the kitty for another one coming in?

Rok 1966 však pre Bobbyho nebol zas tak márny, záhu si schladil na domácom svetovom šampionáte. Na ňom predal všetky svoje nesporné umenie a bet365 bonus mal najväčšiu zásluhu na zisku Zlatej Niké. Domáce favorit sa síce sprvu trápil, po bezgólovým skóre s Uruguajom to vyzeralo dlho bledo aj proti Mexiku, potom sa ale v polke ihriska lopty chopil Charlton, prešiel s ním nikým neatakován k hranici šestnástky, potencionálny súpera poslal klamlivým pohybom tela niekam úplne inam a nádhernú strelou do šibenice otvoril skóre.

A rozohral sa k unikátnym výkonom, na ktoré v Anglicku spomínajú dodnes. V slušivom zápase s Francúzskom opäť riadil útočnú vozy Albionu, ktorý po dvoch Huntových trefách postúpil do štvrťfinále. O prvotriednu řezničině s Argentínčania bola už reč, prikročí teda k semifinále, kde čakalo nadržané Portugalsko s fenomenálnym Eusebio. Bobby v tomto stretnutí podal jeden zo svojich životných výkonov. V ten deň ho nešlo zastaviť (urobil to až záverečný hvizd rozhodcu), strieľal, prihrával, nabehal toho po celom ihrisku neuveriteľné moc, škoda že sa vtedy ešte nemerala vzdialenosť naběhaných kilometrov. Strelil oba góly svojho mužstva – najprv bet365 bonus ranou po zemi vrátil do siete brankárom vyrazenú loptu av druhom polčase z hranice šestnástky napálil do horného rohu bet365 bonus bránky loptu po spätnej prihrávke Hurstově dostatočne prudko, aby ju nemohol brankár chytiť, a dostatočne jemne, aby si zaplnenej Wembley stačilo tých niekoľko stotín jeho letu dostatočne slastne prežiť a potom zborovo zaryčet “Goal”. Vo finále ho potom dostal osobne na starosť Beckenbauer, ale neustrážil ho. Hoci Bobby nezopakoval vynikajúci výkon zo semifinále, aj vo finále s NSR hral veľmi dobre a mal leví podiel na celkovom víťazstve 4:2, ktoré hyzdily len dve pehy na kráse v podobe dvoch neregulárnych gólov novopečeného svetového šampióna. Po zásluhe potom na konci roka zdvihol nad hlavu Zlatá lopta. Boys, bude náš
V ďalšej sezóne získali chlapci z Old Trafford prvenstvo v Prvá divízii a dobre si uvedomovali, že stojí asi pred poslednou šancou utrhnúť niečo aj v Európe. Navyše sa finále malo hrať vo Wembley, čo si priať viac? Snáď len to dokázať . Onoho 29. mája 1967 sa vo Wembley zišli traja muži, ktorí k tomuto zápasu vzhliadali deväť dlhých rokov – Busby, Foulkes a Charlton. Posledný, kto im v naplnení sna mohol zabrániť, bol portugalský majster Benfica Lisabon s vynikajúcimi borci ako Simões, Coluna, Aguas a hlavne Eusebio. Celá Anglicka bola na nohách a priala Manchestru víťazstvo, možno aj celá Európa. Skóre otvoril parádny hlavičkou Bobby Charlton a od tej doby mysleli “Busbyho deti” už len na udržanie chudého vedenie. Bránili sa, kosba im sily stačili, ale Benfica je stlačila a pätnásť minút pred koncom vyrovnala. Mala ešte ďalšie šance, tú najväčšiu chytil zázračným zákrokom veľkému Eusebio brankár Stepney, za čo mu “Európsky Pelé” opakovane uznanlivo zatlieskal. Nasledovalo predĺženie, ktoré vošlo do dejín. Vo chvíli pauzy obchádzal Busby svoje vyčerpané “babes” a povzbudzoval ich: “Boys, bude náš. ” Všetci tomu chceli veriť, ale fyzicky boli na dne a ich psychike drvivý finiš súpera a vyrovnanie tesne pred koncom taky zrovna nepridali.

I spoke at length to my brother after the game, it was a depressing conversation. Like thousands of others he had to make a detour to get home and was at Falconwood Station after a pint with a mate. Between us we concurred we have seen us lose to them more times than we care to remember.

My stomach hurt after the game yesterday. It hurt because I was kicked in it. The feelings don’t get any easier, with age, location or familiarity. 5 wins in the last 38 meetings.

I was told the heart was there, the battle. We were even on top before they scored. All perhaps except Fuller gave everything. They can’t be criticised for that, it’s just that miracles don’t happen.

Who’s next? Bolton at home. Oh joy.

Addick Bloggers at The Valley: Charlton Casual; God Charlton and Punk Rock; I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right; Blackheath Addick; Addicks Championship Diary; Valley Talk.
Powell-ometer: Our home is simply ridiculous. He turned on a reporter in the press conference, and we know Powelly is hurting but we need him to find solutions and get us going again.
Elsewhere: It was a good day for the lower teams today with Wolves beating Bristol City 2-1, Peterborough won 1-0 at Blackpool, Barnsley beat Watford 1-0, Ipswich beat Bolton by the same scoreline and Huddersfield won the Yorkshire derby 2-1 at Elland Road. Forest won again, this time at promotion rivals Hull, Cardiff beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough and Leicester and Middlesbrough both lost. City at Derby and Boro at home to Birmingham. Today Palace were thrashed by their A23 rivals Brighton at the Amex, which at least put a smile on my face and Blackburn grabbed a late, late equaliser at home to M65 rivals Burnley.

Anyway let’s hope the Millwall players all got sloshed on the bus on the way back to Bermondsey and forget they have an early game to prepare for on Saturday.

I have always dreaded Millwall games and Saturday is no different. Fortunately at The Den in December CP instilled a belief in the side that we haven’t seen in many derby games, at least in my almost 4 decades of following them. The fans sensed it too, and I hope for more of that Saturday.

Recent rumours that Powell maybe able to bring a loan player in came to fruitition today. Swansea’s Mark Gower has signed until the end of the season. The ex-Southend midfielder, who was the bench for Swansea on Saturday should add some much needed quality to the midfield.

Big, big win today, our first at Huddersfield since an equally big win in December 1999. It didn’t sound pretty on a pitch perhaps worse than ours but to hang on for a first clean sheet in 17 games was, as they say in a different part of Yorkshire, massive!

It was great to see Callum Harriott score, great to see anyone score, but it’s always special when it’s ‘one of your own’. The 19-year old hit home from a training ground free-kick routine with Solly the provider. That was in the 3rd minute but for the first time since November the Addicks didn’t concede after taking the lead despite the game again being one of the last in the country to finish.

Our away form is nothing short of remarkable, the 3rd best in the division and 4 points in a week has once again made this crazy league look a lot more attractive.

Addick Bloggers at the John Smith’s Stadium: Doctor Kish.
Powell-ometer: Well, Powelly got it right today. It might not be like watching Brazil but they have big, big hearts. I wonder where they get that from?
Elsewhere: A limited programme today with 3 Championship sides still in the Cup, but once again results showed how mental this league is. Watford lost at home to Blackpool 2-1, for Paul Ince’s first win, Leicester lost at home again, this time to Sheffield Wednesday. Brighton lost at Bolton, who after being in the bottom 3 a few weeks ago are now 3 points from the play-off’s and Palace were held at home by Warnock’s Leeds. Forest won their 5th consecutive game beating Wolves 3-1, Bristol City beat tottering Middlesbrough, Birmingham beat Derby 3-1 and Peterborough and Ipswich was goalless.

Huddersfield Town fan Charlie Johnson gives us the lowdown on what we can expect from our trip to the John Smith Stadium.

Recent form…

We haven’t been playing particularly well in recent months, but the team are putting in a lot more effort and some decent results have followed. It hasn’t been pretty but we have picked up some vital wins, none more so than the home victory over Middlesbrough on Tuesday. Coming from a goal down to actually win has given everyone a huge boost.

Home form…

Our home form has been solid in recent weeks. We aren’t scoring many and are nervous when chances present themselves but we work hard and don’t concede anywhere near as many as we have been on the road, where we soak up pressure like a particularly leaky colander.

Our home form isn’t spectacular but it’s where we are best and we’ll be hopeful of getting a win.

Tactical set up…

4-2-3-1 I believe, although I know so very little about tactics that I make Alan Shearer look dangerously insightful. I do know that our focus is to stay tight and at least protect the point we start with.

Players to look out for…

Nobody has been exceptional recently, and that’s been a huge problem and left us in the mess we’ve been in. We lack the killer instinct you need & have had no clear talisman. Danny Ward came on against Boro and changed the game so although he’s unlikely to start, he can be very good. I’m hopeful that it can be the start of something good for Danny, who has really struggled to maintain good form.

Prediction…

A scrappy 1-0 win for the Terriers

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A valuable point last night at London Road, although for me it only prolonged the after-taste of Saturday’s home defeat to Burnley. Nonetheless taken in isolation it was a good point and one I gladly add to our recent static total, especially in light of the other results last night.

What pleased me most was how we attacked the beginning of each half. Led by the captain, the manager’s words that we hadn’t lost confidence were underscored as we started the game brightly and on the offensive.

Likewise despite being behind we began the 2nd half in similar vain but this time got our just rewards with two goals both celebrated wildly in front of a noisy band of travelling Addicks enjoying a rare opportunity to stand on the terraces.

Unfortunately we couldn’t hold on for the full 3 points as Peterborough equalised and then it could have gone either way before the match ended with a point apiece.

Solly returned and although I like Leon Cort I was pleased to see Matt Taylor return alongside Michael Morrison, although according to a number of eyewitnesses it is maybe Morrison that needs a break.

It seems David Button is no Peter Cech but goalkeeper’s deserve a run in the team and finally those Jackson detractors were meant to eat their words again last night as the skipper drove the team forward proved once more if needed that what he lacks in natural ability he makes up for with heart and leadership.

Onto Yorkshire next to visit familar foes.

Addick Bloggers at London Road: Hungry Ted; From The Hill To The Valley; Addicks Championship Diary; Doctor Kish.
Powell-ometer: Another bout of tinkering but we approach away games much more assuredly. Haynes needs to be up front and with no new blood upcoming CP would have been very pleased with young Harriott’s contribution.
Elsewhere: Leicester equalised late at home to Leeds, Palace’s excellent home form continued with a 4-1 win over Hull, Kevin Phillips scoring a hat-trick. Watford came from behind to beat Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff drew at home to Derby and Brighton drew 0-0 at Bristol City. Middlesbrough slipped up again, this time losing to two late goals at Huddersfield and Bolton won late at home to Blackburn. Wolves had a big win at Millwall, Ipswich lost at Nottingham Forest, Burnley drew 1-1 with Barnsley as did Birmingham and Blackpool.

Yet another loss at home, this time to Burnley, spelt doom and gloom for many Addicks. Depressed by the lack of creativity in the side and concerned by the form of those below us, the game away to Peterborough suddenly looked like a tough test. Yet after a well-earned point, that saw us get some of our attacking mojo back, the nerves have been calmed and we can get on with our lives again. But first, let’s look at four things we’ve learned from the two games…

1) Kermorgant is suspended right when we need him the most.

As Yann trudged off the pitch against Forest last weekend we all knew our big French man would be missed but it was only after Burnley headed away cross after cross in the last fifteen minutes this weekend that it became apparent just how badly we needed him. Haynes has an impressive leap and Fuller possesses good upper body strength, but neither can really dominate in the air like Kermorgant. Against Burnley, on a woeful playing surface, with our midfield low on both confidence and creativity, Chartlon largely resorted to long balls and crosses from deep when chasing an equaliser. Yet without the presence of Kermorgant up front it never looked like it was working. You can be sure that the Burnley defence would have had a lot more to think about with a bustling and bruising Kermorgant to deal with.

As we begin to look disconcertingly over our shoulder towards the bottom three, we have two huge games against other potential relegation candidates in Huddersfield and Millwall. The results of these fixtures could either push us safely away from the “dogfight” or drag us right into the midst of it. Make no mistake, these games are not going to be pretty, (both Huddersfield and Millwall are known to be physical sides) and with our players looking low on confidence we will have to grind out an ugly win or two to calm the nerves. These are exactly the games Kermorgant would thrive in. Yann has shown that he will battle for Charlton bloodied and bandaged if he has to. He is clearly passionate about the cause as his post-match tantrum after Birmingham suggested. And he is our top scorer. Kermorgant has all attributes we need in a player during this difficult period and must be ready and match fit in time for the Millwall game. If only Greg Halford wasn’t so inherently kickable…

2) We need an anchorman.

A recurring problem for Charlton this season is that we are getting overrun in midfield by teams with pacier, more dynamic and more creative centre-midfielders. In many games Powell has tried to combat this by playing Dorian Dervite in a defensive midfielder or anchorman. The problem, however, is that this is clearly not a natural position for Dervite and while he can compete in the air and offers a physical presence he doesn’t have the positional know-how to offer Charlton’s back four a solid and reliable shield. So much of being a good defensive midfielder is knowing exactly where to be at all times, about always positioning yourself between the opposition’s attack and your defence. As the acres of space Charlie Austin had to line up his shot without Dervite in sight demonstrated*, the French centre-half doesn’t have this in his locker.

It should be remembered that Dervite has actually performed very well as a centre-back (he was immense away to Millwall) and is a good squad player. Andy Hughes is perhaps a better option between now and the end of the season in this role, but at 35 years of age and having just returned from a lengthy injury, he cannot be relied upon beyond that.

3) Callum Harriott is ready for the first team.

He’s fast, he’s skillfull and he’s powerful. Yes there have been moments that he has looked a little rough around the edges (overhit crosses etc…) but Callum Harriott’s performances against Forest as a sub, and then Peterborough as a starter have proved to the fans, and more importantly Chris Powell that he is ready to be a first team player. His assist for Johnnie Jackson’s goal was a wonderful piece of creativity and vision. As a number of tight looking fixtures approach, Harriott’s touch of magic could well prove to be the difference for Charlton.

4) Chris Powell is prepared to be brave, bold and ruthless.

“He’s too nice” or, “he’s too indecisice” – criticism’s often levelled at our otherwise revered manager. Yet despite yet another home loss on Saturday Powell can’t be accused of these misgivings. After a series of poor and costly mistakes the gaffer was prepared to drop number one Ben Hamer for summer signing David Button who then retained his place against Peterborough. I still believe that in the long term, Powell regards Hamer as his no.1, but he has sent a message to the rest of the squad that if standards aren’t met then there will be consequences.

Furthermore, Powell was prepared to experiment with his tactics by lining up with a 4-3-3 against Burnley. In hindsight, Powell may have judged his selection as a step too far – although we looked far more threatening than we did in the previous home fixture vs Forest, our players were not suited to the formation and the switch back to 4-4-2 was duly made in the second half. Without a natural anchorman our full-backs couldn’t safely bomb forward as is required in a 4-3-3. Furthermore, our front three was made up of three players best deployed as a centre forward who all looked slightly confused as to what they were supposed to be doing.

Some Charlton fans have criticised Powell for going with a 4-3-3 yet there are undoubtedly positives to be taken from it. It is now clear that the formation is not suited to our squad, and it should be canned until next season and the arrival of new additions to the squad. But we should be pleased that our young manager is prepared to go outside of his the comfort zone when it comes to tactics. Not only will this see him progress as a tactician as he learns the pros & cons of different formations, it shows us that we don’t have a tactical dinosaur incapable of seeing beyond a traditional 4-4-2 in charge of our club. One only has to look at the example of Swansea to see that being brave enough to play with different formations in the Championship can have startlingly beneficial effects in the long term.

*As highlighted by JJCAFC’s excellent comment on the Player Ratings.

As an aside, which is food for thought for the board, sadly I am seeing more and more of my mates and family picking their games and I can tell you that once you stop buying a season ticket then rarely do people go back to spending their Saturday’s at football.

Anyway, the point of this is that I watched three games of football this weekend and each in their own way was disappointing.

On Friday night I was at the Boleyn Ground to watch West Ham and Manchester United’s U21 Development Team’s play out a bore 0-0 draw on an ice-cold East End night.

I was hoping for a carefree passing game with lots of young abandonment but instead we got a dreadfully dull game strewn with misplaced passes and had to wait until the 65th minute for the first shot at goal. The Lee clan were out in force in a crowd of over 800, to see youngest son Elliot have a neat and tidy game up front for the Hammers. He is a strong lad and has a very good first touch and on the ground was a real threat to United’s defence which included the 6ft 3 ex-Addick Sean McGinty.

West Ham’s team also included two other players with family ties. Midfielder Dan Potts’ Dad Steve is on the coaching staff at Upton Park and lining up alongside him was George Moncur, son of John.

Brazilian Wellington Paulista, who is on loan from Cruzeiro, played up front with Elliot Lee and was unpredictable at best but I was most impressed with right back Jordan Spence, who had a very good game, which had me confused as to why Sam Allardyce has an interest in Chris Solly, who is the same age.

The best player on the field though was another player that Addicks will be familiar with, and that was United’s Jeffrey Schlupp. Chris Powell knows him well from his Leicester days and was said to be keen on taking him on loan, but Schlupp is on trial at Man Utd, and the BBC are reporting today that Sir Alex is close to making an offer for him.

We all know what happened on Saturday, and then Sunday morning I was shivering again on the touchline in Mote Park in Maidstone watching my son play for his club. Unfortunately he didn’t get on until half-time, which I know upset him, but similar to watching Charlton occasionally, I have to accept that all the kids have to take their turn on the sub’s bench, and I don’t watch him week in and out.

He did well when he came on, playing in midfield, but he got frustrated, because the only thing I have ever told him to do is get the ball, pass it simply, and move into space, dispiritedly they appear to be coached just to hoof it up the park, and only a few can give it any real welly anyway, so the game transcended into a bit of a scrap.

The other side were better, and beat my son’s team 3-1 and went top of the table with this win. One annoyance was having to listen to a couple of the Dads giving the young referee some abuse after he awarded a 1st half penalty to the other side, which I thought was locked on. It was completely unnecessary and told them so, and I made sure I saw the referee after and congratulated him on a good game.

My plan tonight was to be up at Peterborough, but the primary reason I’m back at home is to attend my son’s GCSE Options meeting at his school tonight. Originally the meeting was “after school” but in the last couple of weeks it got moved to 7pm, which saves me a schlepp up the M11 and potentially another bleak football experience.

Hopefully it won’t be and later tonight I’d wish I’d have been there.

A wall hanging decorating the hall at Losar in South London.

We bent our heads under strings of Tibetan Prayer flags and descended through a damp doorway and along a murky side path. There was a group of men smoking lit by the faint glow coming from the entrance at the far end of the alley way. The entrance was covered with a thin fabric hanging and as we ducked underneath it we were greeted by a small boy with a beaming round face who waved and declared, “Thanks for coming! Have a wonderful evening!” The adults were perhaps not as effusive in their greetings but we were certainly made to feel welcome.

Tibetan Prayer Flags marked the entrance to the hall that was also lined with prayer flags.

The hall was full of activity and I could immediately smell, and almost taste, the food that was being prepared. The large hall was fringed with tables around a large dance floor. At each table were groups and families playing bingo, playing cards and chatting. In a corner of the hall children were playing football with an empty crushed plastic water bottle. There was a stand selling t-shirts with contemporary Tibetan slogans on them which contrasted with the array of traditional clothing that was also on display, though many people were also dressed casually.

Either side of the modern slogans you can see examples of the more traditional clothing.

We wanted to use the theme of food and feasting to lead our filming so we headed straight for the kitchen where we did our best not to get in the way in a cramped space while all the different kinds of foods were pointed out to us. The food wasn’t served until much later in the evening but it was being produced on a fairly industrial scale to feed the large numbers of people who were attending.

This is the food that was served as part of the Losar celebration. You can also see the butter tea in the bottom right hand corner

Very shortly after that we began chatting to a few people on camera. We began with a very friendly gentleman who was the first Tibetan person to move to the Woolwich area and is a sort of founder of the Tibetan community there. He told us of childhood in Tibet and moving to India where, although it is much warmer, when he had to take off all of his Tibetan clothes to wear jeans and a t-shirt to go to school he felt cold for the first time in his life.

We spoke to a woman who told us about the special drink that you drink first thing in the morning, while still in bed, on Losar.

We spoke to her daughter who runs a blog called High Peaks, Pure Earth that translates blogs in Tibetan and Chinese in to English to share them more widely, these can include essays, opinions and poetry. She talked to us about the difference between Tibetan Butter Tea and Indian Sweet Tea and how Tibetans now look to India because it is where many exiles leave for and is the home of the Dalai Lama.

We spoke to a very charming young man of about 10 whose mother works in a Tibetan restaurant. He was very interesting as he grew up in Nepal until he was eight before moving to London. Although he may not have been able to express it fully yet he clearly felt the difference between living in the East and West.

As we were speaking to a man who had escaped Tibet many years before and just as he was showing us his traditional outfit people began running down the alleyway, where we had been filming, clapping their hands. We had to move. Fast. A Lama had arrived. This Lama had some to give a talk and answer questions at the Losar celebration. He had been a very high level Lama within Tibet and been picked out by the Chinese government before he had gone into exile.

The image shows the altar from a distance with a few of the details underneath.

He spoke for a while and answered many questions but all in Tibetan so it was difficult to know what was going on. We spoke to a lovely man who explained more about the Lama and his work; how he now lives in America but travels the world to speak to Tibetan and Buddhist communities. The man explaining was very interesting himself having gone into exile, become a monk, left the monastery again and moved to Poland before finally coming to the UK. He was a very peaceful person and talked about accepting positivity and rejecting negative influences in his life.

We were also introduced to a young theology student who talked us through the symbolism of the altar, which I shan’t go into but to let you know that the long bit of dry bread in the top left of the picture below have a name that literally translates as Donkey’s Ears!

More details from the altar.

You may also notice some familiar sweets which is a development from the Tibetan diaspora because the tower of food is symbolic of favourite and best foods. The food is very important. And long lines formed when the food was finally brought out from the kitchen and after getting some images of the food, which you have already seen above, we had to run to catch our train. Within moments being back on a train station in London felt quite surreal and we felt like we had been immersed in Tibetan culture for much longer than a few hours and were struck by how generous, open and kind everyone had been to us while we were there.

The footage from this day will be combined in a video with footage from a workshop that the Horniman hosted inviting Tibetan people and other interested parties to come and look at some of the Tibetan Food and Feasting objects from their main collection.

I’ve tried to remain positive about our Valley form albeit from afar but, bloody hell that was poor yesterday wasn’t it?

I mean the effort was unquestionable but the quality was so lacking I hardly clapped a pass or a passage of play. I just sat with 20,064 others, the majority of whom must have spent the entire game in the toilets, which was probably the best seat in fairness, and just wished I’d stayed in the pub.

Powell started with three strikers but they each spent the first hour getting in each others way on the off chance that they may get a pass into feet from one of their team mates behind them and it wasn’t until Powell finally gave the side some width that we actually started to create something. Green in particular impressing me and Harriott raising the temperature a couple of times but not seeing enough of the ball.

Up until then we were relying on Wilson and Wiggins to provide any form of width and whilst Wilson tried his best to get into advanced areas, Wiggins still lacked the fitness to gallop regularly into the acre of space in front of him.

The midfield three was wholly uninspiring, although Pritchard worked hard as usual, Jackson tried desperately to find the right pass, but unsuccessfully whereas Dervite couldn’t put a foot right reminding us, if he needed to, that he is a centre-half and not a cultured centre-midfielder.

Burnley weren’t much better, which made the result all the worse, but each team in this division has a player who can do something special (I’m unsure to who ours is today) but the Clarets had Charlie Austin, who scored one of those goals for the visitors that if I was that way inclined, I would have clapped.

The last 15 minutes was of a particular disappointment to me because at every opportunity we just hoofed the ball into the box with seemingly no idea but to hope for a flukey knock down or a scramble. Don’t get me wrong if we’d scored a goal off someone’s arse I would have celebrated like we’d won the Champions League, but it would have papered over another very disappointing performance.

Our Valley form is little less than scandalous, and somehow needs to be addressed with the players that Powell has available to him. Yet our focus is now on two away games. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little worried.

Addick Bloggers at The Valley: Drinking During the Game; And Nothing Else Matters; Kings Hill Addick; Deepest Darkest; Stickleback; Hungry Ted; Blackheath Addick.
Powell-ometer:
Elsewhere: Leeds beat Millwall in the early game, leaders Cardiff lost at Middlesbrough, Kieron Dyer scoring a league for the first time in 6 years. Leicester lost at Ipswich but Hull put 5 past Birmingham with George Boyd starring. Brighton beat Huddersfield 4-1, Bolton won at Barnsley 3-2 and Forest were impressive again winning at Sheffield Wednesday. Blackpool and Bristol City was goalless and Blackburn were beaten by Peterborough at Ewood 3-2, after being 3-up at half-time.

1) Come Out Swinging.

Too often we have taken too long to get going when playing on home soil/mud/sand. It is worth noting that Charlton’s only win at home from a Saturday three o’clock kick off came courtesy of two first-half goals against Blackpool. Our failure to hang onto leads has been well documented in recent months yet in every case where points have been thrown away, we have only ever been leading by one goal. Our late jitters wouldn’t be such a problem if we could put ourselves into a dominant, commanding position earlier in the game. Indeed, Charlton have scored more than once at home on five occasions, winning 4 of those games (Leicester, Cardiff, Peterborough & Blackpool) and drawing the other (Brighton). Against Burnley this Saturday, with a Valley crowd desperate for some drive and ambition, Chris Powell should order his men to throw caution to the wind in the first fifteen minutes in a bid to rattle Burnley defence, get the crowd on their feet and to set a tone of dominance for the game.

2) Start Fuller.

If he’s fit, Ricardo Fuller must start when we’re playing at home. While Yann Kermorgant can dominate most defenders in the air, and is brilliant at holding the ball high up the field when we’re playing away, it is only Fuller who can really scare them into submission. Possessing a Premier League standard first touch, and capable of bamboozling runs that can leave a defender wondering what post code he’s in, Fuller is Charlton’s only player truly capable of creating something out of nothing. We might not always be the best team on the day, we might not always dominate games, but with Fuller in the side we always have a chance of scoring.

3) Play With Width and Pace.

Wilson, Pritchard and Jackson are all fine players who have put in sterling performances throughout the season. But one thing they are not is Championship-level wingers capable of terrorizing opposition full backs with pace, power or trickery. Pritchard has admittedly racked up a high number of assists this season, yet many of these have come from the right hand side of a central three – a position far better suited to his attributes. Since Scott Wagstaff’s reintroduction to the side we have looked far more threatening and dynamic in the final third. Yet at home we should have dynamic wingers on both flanks. Haynes, Kerkar, Green, Cook & Harriott are all naturally attacking players who can get the crowd off their feet and give us more options in the final third.

Salim Kerkar in particular, who has recently found himself out of favour, could come back into consideration for home games. Yes, Kerkar has gone missing too often when playing away, but his early season performances at home were impressive – particularly in the epic Cardiff encounter where Kerkar notched three assists. Is it time for a second chance?

4) Don’t Be Afraid To Change Things.

Powell’s substitutions (or lack of) is a topic that is almost getting boring now for Charlton fans after endless debates, arguments, tweets and discussions about his failure to change things before it’s too late. To his credit, it does seem that in recent games Powell has been more decisive with his substitutions – against Leicester, after having just conceded an equaliser, Powell threw on Danny Haynes in a bold bid to regain the impetus. It worked perfectly and after a Haynes stunner we walked away with three points. Powell must continue to display this proactive instinct at home, being bold and making changes that can keep us in control of games before the opposition can get a sniff.

5) Experiment With Youth. 

There have been few moments at The Valley this season where the crowd have been as enthused and excited as they were when Callum Harriott got his first minutes in the first team this season against Blackpool. It was a fairly brief cameo, but Harriott still managed to make a nuisance of himself with some clever trickery and bursts of pace. Paul Hart’s U-21 side have picked up some terrific results this season so there is undoubted young talent at our disposal; Cook, Azeez, Poyet, Cousins and Harriott himself have all earned rave reviews and must be creeping into Chris Powell’s thoughts. Many of our more experienced players have often looked paralyzed in front of a restless Valley crowd. Perhaps then Powell should embrace the fearlessness of youth and unleash our young talent onto the first team.

The government is changing the way welfare benefits are calculated and paid including:

And much more. Come and find out more this Friday — with toys, teas, coffees and 1-2-1 sessions tailored to you.

The Big Red Bus Club was founded by local mums in the wake of council cutbacks in 2011. If you’re a local parent and worried about benefit changes, here’s where to find it…

Hughes last appearance for the Addicks was in the Fulham 3rd Round FA Cup game last season and his last full game was in the win at Brentford in November 2011. He has made 20 appearances overall.

The Yorkshireman has since struggled with a complicated achilles injury which has required numerous operations but on his recent comeback trail he has featured in some U21 Development League games including yesterday’s 3-0 win over Bristol City.

I am told his enthusiam for the game and the club has never waned though and he is a positive influence on the training ground and amongst the Academy players and still follows the 1st team games home and away.

When Hughes was signed by CP he was a recognised right-back and was a veteran of 4 promotions. After CP gave Hughes the No.2 shirt prior to last season there was some conjecture as to what this might mean for Chris Solly, although that question was soon put to bed. Where Hughes did impress though was in midfield where his know-how and hard work was acknowledged by Addicks.

If it wasn’t for his long-term injury then he may well have been valuable to us this season playing a role that Dervite has often taken or as the pivot point in a midfield five.

With this season’s games disappearing at a rate of knots, and Hughes’ contract expring in the summer, we may never see him in a Charlton shirt again. However it wouldn’t surprise this Addick if he continued in the game in a coaching or managerial capacity.

After the post on Floyd Road, it’s a Dirty Charlton special. David writes…

I’ve been living in SE7 for the past 3 years and I’m fed up with the amount of rubbish that is thrown on the street in Eastcombe avenue, the end of Eversley Road and especially Kirkside underpass.

I was wondering if anyone else is also fed up with this and is interested in creating a group to collect the rubbish early on a Saturday morning so it look much better over the weekend? I reckon it would take one person about 25 mins.

I have mixed feelings about clean-up operations – we pay the council to clean up rubbish through our council tax, and if the council doesn’t do it right, we should be getting onto local councillors and telling them to sort it.

But then again, if it’s the only way to get things fixed, then it’s the only way, and perhaps it can shame others into action. Do you want to help David? Leave a note in the comments and I’ll pass on your details.

Speaking of the underpass from Bramshot Avenue to Siebert Road in Blackheath, it had some fetching artwork in it last weekend – now removed, presumably not to an auction house in the US.

Ahem.

Speaking of filthy streets – and complaining to Greenwich Council – I had this email a few weeks ago from Clare:

I was wondering if Charlton Champion would be the place to cover the unpleasant issue of dogs waste? It is an absolute blight where I live ( Tallis Grove, and often worse on Highcombe near the allotment). Literally every 10 steps you need to divert your course and face the terrible consequences if you take your eyes off the pavement. It is Russian “poo”lette if you need to walk there after dark!

I have a toddler and we cannot walk around the block without wending our way through the piles of mess. I have written to the council – so maybe thats the best course of action and maybe charlton champion should deal with more pleasant matters!

Oddly enough, since Clare sent me this email, things might have improved. I’ve been waiting to capture a photo of Highcombe looking a mess – but to no avail. Even the fly-tipping seems to have eased. Complaining can work. And what’s this stenciled onto Tallis Grove?

There are streets in Charlton notorious for sporadic outbreaks of dog muck – bad owners tend to come and go, I guess – and Greenwich Council can be handy with the stencils (which have caused controversy elsewhere in SE London). But do they work? Share your experiences below – after wiping your feet, of course.

Another home defeat on a pudding of a pitch. By all accounts we were never in it and for the second time this season Forest were simply too good for us.

The general opinion was that the referee and his assistant had a shocker sending off our Gallic prince but in truth after his heroics on Tuesday night Yann went from hero to zero and lost his rag and kicked out at a provocative Greg Halford to make an already difficult task impossible.

That was in the 37th minute but by then we were already chasing shadows and Billy Davies’ Forest had their tales up with Andy Reid as conductor and once Majewski scored early in the 2nd half it was a case of how many, just like it was at the City Ground in September.

Fortunately Forest took their foot of the gas but there was to be no attempt at a fightback, which at least we saw in the away game. Looking at how the top sides are falling over themselves it would not surprise me at all if Forest charged into the play-off’s and conceivably the automatics.

As for us, being a season-ticket holder has been burdensome this season and unless Powell can somehow instil some form of imagination and invention into our play for the remaining 6 games at The Valley, we are on course for the worst home season for over a couple of decades (we did win only 4 at home in 1998/99 but we were in the Premier League).

Trying to think of a positive to end with, and to underline how Powell sets us up, in the two games against Forest we have been well and truly outclassed, but they are the only team I can think of that have done that.

Anyway I will be joining the hopeful and the hapless at The Valley next Saturday.

Addick Bloggers at The Valley: Drinking During the Game A welcome back to Charlton Casualty; Albury Addick; Deepest Darkest; At the End of the Day; From The Hill to The Valley; God, Charlton and Punk Rock; Stickleback; Blackheath Addick; Addicks Championship Diary; Ramblings of a Football Fan.
Powell-ometer: Our away and home form are like light and day and understanding that we have a system and players that are more effective on the road, our Valley form this season is unacceptable.
Elsewhere: Watford moved 2nd after beating Derby 2-1 as Hull were surprisingly thrashed at Bolton. The Tigers were 3-down after just 8 minutes. Leicester drew at Blackpool, Brighton beat Burnley and Palace lost at Wednesday. Millwall won for the first time in 6 games at an horribly out of form Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Leeds was goalless as was Huddersfield and Ipswich. Bristol City beat Barnsley 5-3 in the game of the day and Birmingham won at Peterborough to once again show how topsy-turvy this league is.