Addicks: Why are we moaning?

[hartley]

Interesting to note.

EPL started in 1992.

Only 8 teams have always played in the EPL: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Of the other 12 teams in the EPL this season, only Newcastle United [11 years] and Middlesbrouh [7 years] have a longer tenure than Charlton Athletic [5 years]. Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, and Fulham follow with 4 years for each club.

So, why are we moaning? Do we expect to take the league or go to Europe in only five years? How long were we in the next division down before we got promoted? How many years in the division below that?

It gets harder to climb the ladder the further you get up. With only 5 consecutive years in the EPL, and with the kind of baby steps we must take financially, we should be proud of where the club is.

Don't Newcastle and Boro have much longer histories overall than we do? Of the other clubs close to us in tenure, I can only remember Blackburn doing anything of note -- winning the league. And haven't they gone down and come back up since then?

Yeah, we have slid down again. So what? Would you rather be Norwich City? I don't think so.

And yeah, it is right to start building up some expectations. And maybe it is time for Curbs to either move along or move up within the club. Maybe it's time to bring in a young coach to groom as manager. Most of all, it is definitely time to stick to our philosophy. We can't afford to be the next Leeds United.

Keep the faith. Go Addicks!

[kevruth]

Why are we moaning? Well, we've contended for upper half finishes for almost every season since we were last promoted. We were doing it with no-name players. So if we could do it before with no money shouldn't we be able to do even better with a £12.5m transfer kitty?

I've come to the conclusion that the reason we do so well for the first half a season is that all of our opponents don't seem to care about the first half. Once the new year comes around and they look at the table and say "OMG! We've got to step it up or we will get relegated/won't qualfier for Europe." As a result we start losing to those that really want to win.

I think another problem is that we don't have a real star that eveyone fan looks to. There is no one that fits that bill. Di Canio was about as close to it last season and Euell had been the most popular player according to fan polls in prior years and he repaid them with being our highest goal scorer.

As for your comparision to Norwich, at least every time I watch them they look like they really are trying. Huckerby is everywhere and never gives up. Even Stuart plays with a lot of passion and he's only been there since January. I think I'd rather lose like Norwich and win/draw with the top clubs occassionally as they have then continue to be walked all over by everyone in the bottom half and not come close to a result versus the big boys the way Charlton does.

[doug001001]

This season looked like it was going to be glorious a few months ago: in the final 16 of the fa cup facing a lower division side. tied with boro and liverpool for 5th in the EPL a few games past the halfway point.

We all know the story since then.

C'mon Addicks, play with passion and leave it all on the field and make us proud!