Jerome Talks The Talk

Sometimes in a player’s career you just have to take the least worst option on the table, pucker up and make the best of it. Oh, and of course you have to tell the media what you think a new batch of supporters want to hear. So today spare a thought for Jerome Thomas. That’s long enough, he ain’t exactly hit skid row.

Having reportedly been made available on a free by West Brom, Thomas has signed for Palace. The quote on the BBC site is a classic of its kind: “After they got promoted Ollie gave me a call. We had a good talk and after that there wasn’t much doubt in my mind where I wanted to go. I wanted to stay at the top level.” Need we put it another way? ‘At 30 and the clock ticking the chances of a Premiership club coming in for me aren’t great. I’ve had a decent run, never quite hit the heights I might have hoped for at one stage but as football careers go it’s not been bad. OK, it’s only the Premiership for one more season, but I get to go back to the smoke (and I’m sure I can find somewhere to live far enough away from Selhurst, wherever that is).’

Good luck to him, really. I can’t think badly of Thomas, given his role in that midfield (Thomas, Kishishev, Murphy, Smertin, Rommadahl). If he's still with Palace the season after next, and if we don't get promoted, I'll clap rather than boo him on a return to The Valley. 

Just remember Jerome, all things are relative. Lee Martin, released by Ipswich, has to go to Millwall. And of course Scottie Wagstaff has had to take a step back to League One with Bristol City. And before we get too smug, there’s always the reminder from the diary and the TV show based on it of Eamon Dumphy consoling a youngster being let go by Millwall with the words that things could be worse, he’s got to go and play for Charlton. 

Piggot Grabs His Chance At Welling

The day didn’t quite take on the shape expected, or rather the schedule was terminated prematurely. We did manage a 10.30 start for beers, wine and rugby; we did leave for a curry at 12.45; we did get over to Welling for the match; and we did then get back. But a combination of last night’s and the morning’s excesses, followed by being baked for a couple of hours on the open terrace (why can’t we have a bit of rain?), saw enthusiasm wane for a return to a pub and a second curry. Shame on us. So instead I don’t have a decent reason not to pen something on the game (and can take the opportunity to add my belated congratulations to Welling on their promotion to the Conference).

It was, as they say, a game of two halves as Sir Chris adopted the entirely sensible tactic for a friendly of playing two teams for 45 minutes (I wish they’d adopt this for international friendlies). We were to win the first 4-0, which speaks for itself, with undoubtedly the headlines made by Piggot, who notched a hat-trick (does he get to keep a match ball?); the second was a more humdrum affair, one we were rather fortunate to win 1-0, although having gone ahead we could have gone on to score a couple more.

The programme contained the words that off the pitch, many improvements have been made, some that are noticeable today and others that are not”. One improvement not yet made, or at least entirely unapparent to me, is the loudspeaker, which remains unintelligible to those outside the main stand. The meant that the early periods of both halves were spent clarifying who was actually playing (and now having a quick shuftie at the club site to ensure no mistakes). So it seems that in the first half Pope was in goal, Morrison and trialist Wood were the centre-backs, Solly and Fox the full-backs, with Jackson and Hughes in central midfield, Harriott and Pritchard out wide, and Kermorgant and Piggot up front. Might have been a bit strange for Kermit to find himself not the obvious target for high balls forward.

Given the nature of the contest, our interest understandably focused on the non-regulars in the team: Pope, Fox and Piggot. The first half belonged to Piggot, who took three of four (arguably five) opportunities that came his way, taking advantage of their keeper’s propensity to come out for balls he couldn’t get to lob one in, and finishing smartly for his third. Kermorgant was not to be sidelined and he notched the fourth with a good finish. Pope made one decent save when called on, but by and large Welling didn’t threaten, which made it hard for Woods to shine; perhaps you can say that Welling didn’t threaten because he did his job well enough. Fox was put under some pressure at times by a lively winger but came through it well enough.

There was some welcome news with the start of the second half. First, Welling brought on their splendidly rotund keeper. In the game a year ago he – thanks to the programme I can now put a name to the frame, Jamie Turner – came on and looked for all the world like a veteran just come in and a touch short on match fitness. A year later and he’s pretty much the same. He must take stick up and down the country and, quite rightly, seems indifferent. Perhaps his deal with Welling – and it can’t be easy to find a part-time guy content to be on the bench – amounts to: ‘I’ll turn up and play if required, but sod training. He must be a bit of a character as he seems to have chosen 66 as his squad number (the other player count stops at 33). Second, included in our second team was Evina, who it seems hasn’t (at least yet) found a new home having turned down the contract offered. I hope he stays (just as I hope that Haynes doesn’t find another club and comes back).

The second-half team was Button in goal, Cort and Dervite in central defence, Wilson and Evina the full-backs, with a five-man midfield – Green, Stephens, Hollands, Gower and Cook – and Smith operating as a lone striker. Not surprisingly we managed to dominate midfield, but there was little evidence of players running on from midfield to support Smith, at least until towards the end. Less stretched at the back, Welling were to carve out chances this time around, with Button making a couple of more than routine saves and helpless when one looping header went over him only to come back off the bar. We did go on to win the half, thanks to an iffy penalty (a Wilson cross blocked by a barely outstretched arm) converted by Green, after which he became livelier and better movement from him and Cook created openings. Smith, who had been unlucky with a couple of headers, did then fail to convert a couple of one-on-ones, while Hollands almost scored with a chip.

It was a tough ask for Smith, to follow up Piggot’s goals and to operate on his own without much support until the late stages. Cook came more into the game towards the end as he seemed to be more intent to go looking for the ball. More of that please if he’s going to make an impact this season, as he needs to.

So, a satisfactory and enjoyable afternoon all round. Apparently Wiggins has a knock and didn’t feature, nor did Hamer. Perhaps a little disappointing not to have a chance to see what Azeez can do (he was one of six unused subs, all youngsters). Now we focus back on who might come in and who might still depart, with for me the opportunity for the Valley friendly before ducking out of the start of the season for the holidays. My French partner Suzanne has already made her plans, booking a London trip in September which will incorporate .... the Millwall game. Well, if a French woman can win Wimbledon perhaps the culture shock won’t be too great.

Lull Before The Storm?

When the latest piece about Charlton on the BBC’s site is about two weeks old and relates to the Championship fixture list, it’s reasonable to describe the period we are in as a lull. Every other team in the league has had something on them since. But is it the lull before the storm? (I have no reason or information to believe this to be so, this is just a cliché to provide an intro as if you wait long enough you are bound to be proven right.) The Ruskies haven’t bought us (yet), Obika hasn’t signed for us (yet), and nobody else has come in or gone. Something’s surely going to happen soon, and I don’t just mean Welling.

How would I feel if the club is bought by a Russian or a Russian consortium? If there was any indication on the part of the current owners that their desire to take the club forward, and to keep writing the cheques, was waning, we’d have to welcome anyone with open arms, given the implications. Absent a real fair play-generated levelling of the playing field – which I’m inclined to believe that any half-decent accountant will find a way around – we need an ongoing level of cash injection to be able to compete in the Championship, which can of course sometimes be aided as in the past by the sale of a player. That aside, and I don’t think this is prejudice, Russian money would be the last type I’d want for us.

I’m certainly no expert on Russia. Never been there and my experience writing/editing pieces on the country ended a decade ago. But the two abiding impressions I was left with were first, the constitution Boris Yeltsin introduced would ensure that Russia would not be truly democratic for the foreseeable future; and second, nobody made an honest buck out of the privatisation process. I can’t help thinking that nobody, except possibly Goldman Sachs, has made an honest buck in the country since – or at least nobody has made one and stayed honest.

Just why would a Russian oligarch (or group of) want to buy/invest in Charlton? I’d be happy to find out that any new owner/investor did indeed have some affiliation with us, or simply learnt in a short space of time to love being an Addick (as any normal person would). But surely the chances are that the motivation would be found in a mix of finding a plaything/potential bolt-hole and having money to throw away (or, shall we say, cleanse). The opportunity for a reasonable piece of bargain-hunting by people already involved with football was taken by our current owners. They would quite reasonably expect some return (again, unless their pockets and/or motivation are running out), even in the form of the potential for a future pay-out (and I’m assuming that there are still former shareholders entitled to some belated dosh if we were to return to the Premiership).

Let’s face it, there’s no novelty in a Russian owner; it’s been done. And the idea that a Russian owner will simply throw millions at us in a ‘promotion at all costs’ drive is of course appealing (if only for us to tag along for the ride) but far from assured. We’re far from a sure thing when it comes to backing a club to take into the promised land and stay there. Sir Chris wants to build and progress, but would he be the new owner’s choice? The plans for expanding The Valley would need to be taken off the shelf and dusted down, or would the new owner favour a move?

So I guess my answer to the first question would be I’d feel dubious, sceptical, concerned – but willing to be persuaded otherwise. If pushed, I’d have a hankering for a revival of the mooted Dubai takeover (if there was any residual interest on their part). I know that’s been done too, with Abu Dhabi, but the reassurance it comes with is that a country’s reputation is put on the line, not necessarily to ensure success but to ensure that things are done correctly (there’s no point in Abu Dhabi having Man City as part of its marketing department if it brings bad publicity).

It’s obviously too much to hope for the authorities’ ‘fit and proper person’ test to offer some kind of safety net. So our ‘ace in the hole’ has still to be Richard Murray. He may no longer be in a position to determine whether or not any sale of the club goes through; but he can – arguably should – pass comment on any change. His opinion still carries considerable weight with us, the supporters, and when he sold to the current owners he in effect gave them his endorsement. He still has skin in the game and quite understandably his own financial interests to consider. But if any deal does happen I’d be assuming it had his endorsement, as if he came out against it there would be a fair chance of the supporters turning anti too. To that extent, a deal and either no comment or open endorsement from Murray would allay my immediate concerns.

Have to say some concerns were eased by the news that Tony Jimenez and Dennis Wise are embroiled in a court case. I have no interest in the case itself, but the remote risk that Sir Chris would do a runner (to Wigan, Brighton or anywhere else) and our owners consider replacing him with said Mr Wise would seem to have gone for good. Let’s be pleased with that.

So, no news and nothing to plan for. As my French partner Suzanne will tell you, I’m not strong on planning. She gets pleasure from anticipation – generated by being away from me for spells of course – so plans; if I make a plan I want it to happen now. If it isn’t going to, why plan for it? But sometimes days just fall into place and I’ll break my rule. This Saturday is a case in point.

The loose itinerary for us involves being seated in a drinking establishment by 10.30 for decent seats and wine for the final Lions test. Emerge around 12.45 and enter decent establishment for a ruby (with wine). Exit around 14.00 for bus to Welling, in time to try to fathom out the team and subs. Enjoy the match, bus back and into another drinking place by around 17.45. Round things off with another curry whenever suits.

The next time Suzanne tells me I don’t plan anything I’ll point to this day. I can if I have to.

Coyle For Wigan Relief

Phew, that’s a relief. With reports indicating that Owen Coyle is taking over at Wigan, the rumours about Sir Chris decamping have happily come to nothing. But of course nothing’s ever that simple. For a day or two his odds on going north shortened dramatically and the bottom line is that there were sufficient grounds, or at least suspicions, on our part to fear that he could have been off. These relate to what might be inferred about the budget for the coming season, given that ahead of actual news all the indications seem to be that funds are in very short supply.

This is still all in the realms of speculation, especially as the assumption is that there will be more departures to add to those already released. But reaction does say something about the still apparent doubts about our owners’ goals and expectations. That’s a bit harsh when they are funding the ongoing losses and in view of the uncertain impact of the ‘fair play’ rules. But there it is, an underlying trust deficit, encouraged by secrecy and lack of transparency, which inclines us to think the worse. When the owners say the ambition is a return to the Premiership it’s hardly surprising that we want that sooner rather than later. And sensible or not the goal is hard to square with financial restrictions to the point of expecting Powell and his team to perform miracles with depleted resources.

I don’t know who’s going to win the lunch with Sir Chris advertised on the club site (it isn’t going to be me as when I click to fill out the survey for a shot at the prize the SurveyPlanet site just tells me I will have a better experience if I upgrade my browser; I had a better experience by not taking the trouble). But whoever it is might have ‘are you happy?’ at the top of the subjects for discussion.

With less than a month to endure now before Welling, for news items we’re still feeding off scraps and rumours (or at least I am as I’m never going to be first with them). The chances of the bulk of the further activity to come being concluded by the time we take the field have to be slim in the extreme, so note to self: get to Welling in time to pick up a programme and to try to hear the team announcement, or face once more the prospect of having to try to work it all out through the first half (before the inevitable surprises from the subs bench).

The club’s ebay auctions are undoubtedly fun and a good opportunity to pick up some memorabilia, both to display and as an investment for the time when we’re dominating world football and collectors worldwide scramble for curios of an age gone by. I’ve picked up the occasional item myself. But I couldn’t help wondering, just who bought (if anyone did) the nicely signed and clearly unwashed shorts worn by Callum Harriott for the last game of the season? Did seem to me that that one was only just about in the best possible taste.

Just who occupies the shorts for next season remains a matter of speculation. The Mercury last week flagged that Obika is top of the target list (which will surprise nobody) and mentioned that having had to return to Spurs he scored in the Premier League U21s final against Man Utd (Spurs lost 2-3). The paper might have added that he bagged two in the semi-final against Everton, including an 89th-minute header to win the game (3-2). Just par for the course really, albeit a little early in the game for him. I just hope this doesn’t encourage Spurs to keep hold of him, or to put an extra nought on the price. As noted elsewhere, Kermorgant notched the winner for Brittany against Mali, but it’s reasonable to suppose that we will need more than one established forward for the next campaign.

The contract extension for Hughes and the permanent signing of Gower may not have set the pulses racing, but the news on both fronts was welcome. Hughes clearly gives us something on and off the pitch and I’m perhaps more upbeat than others about Gower. He was clearly rusty when he first appeared for us but improved with match practise, suggesting that we have yet to see the best of him. Of course, his arrival casts more doubt over Stephens and Hollands, so on that front too we sit and wait.

All we can do is keep a tally on the effective balance of changes as they stand. As Hughes and Gower were around at the end of last season they don’t feel like new signings, so essentially we are down Haynes, Fuller, Obika, Wagstaff, Kerkar, Taylor and presumably Wright-Phillips and Evina. At the same time we are informed of our possible opponents for the Capital One Cup: AFC Wimbledon, Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Coventry City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Exeter City, Gillingham, Newport County, Northampton Town, Oxford Utd, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Southend, Stevenage, Torquay, or Wycombe. That is a timely reminder of exactly where we don’t want to go back to.

5 Live Still Peddling Curbs Nonsense

This might be going over old ground, as the subject has already been well covered by others. But yesterday evening Radio 5 Live plumbed new depths in their attempt to perpetuate the myth that Curbs was somehow hounded out by Charlton supporters looking for the club to move up to the ‘next level’. Once again it was in response to a question about Stoke (and Hughes/Pulis), with us raised once more as the classic example of unrealistic expectations leading to disaster. The host went on to say that Charlton fans were now trying to deny that this was the case – which suggests that enough of us have been pointing out to the Beeb that this is drivel – and to indicate that of course Radio 5 Live knew the truth.

I remember hearing Donald Rumsfeld being interviewed on BBC radio before the Iraq war. He alluded to links between Saddam Hussein and terrorist groups. The interviewer interrupted and pointed out that the US intelligence agencies had said that they had found no evidence of such. Ah, replies Rumsfeld, just think how useful it would be for international terrorist groups to have ties with a country which people did not believe they had infiltrated. In other words, the total lack of evidence was just further proof that he was right. It seems now that Radio 5 Live are happy to peddle the line that the more Charlton fans might point out that they are plain wrong, the more we are in denial.

So (hopefully) for the last time, will Radio 5 Live please accept they are talking nonsense, perpetuating a simplistic misconception because it fits easily into their chosen theme. Did some Charlton fans complain about Curbishley and suggest that he had run his time? Sure. Were they at any stage any more than an isolated few? No. Did events subsequently turn out not to our advantage? Ahem, yes. Surely the real evidence in this is that we all knew what the ‘next level’ for Charlton was at the time: expansion of The Valley to a capacity that could enable us to compete consistently in the top flight.

It is never mentioned by the BBC that Curbs had one more year left on his contract and that he had said he wouldn’t be signing a new one, that he had just come out of the process of being shortlisted for the England job, which must have been unsettling, and that everyone knew that the team needed an overhaul. I also felt at the time that Curbishley might have been disappointed by the speed at which the dynamic and exciting team he’d put together at the start of that last season (Thomas, Kishishev, Smertin, Murphy, Rommadahl, Bent) fell apart, when Murphy threw his toys out of the pram and Smertin did a runner. There may well have been other factors, but unless and until either Curbs or Richard Murray lend support to the ‘next level’ theory I do wish the Beeb’s team would stop peddling this misconception. It is a slur on Charlton fans and the admiration and gratitude we have for the magnificent job that Curbs did for the club.

On other matters, well, it’s just about true by definition that nobody wants to be accused of sour grapes. If you are, the chances are that this is the result of a reaction to an outcome that you didn’t want, ie an undesirable (if not downright absurd, unnatural, incomprehensible) state of affairs. So instead we offer our heartfelt congratulations to Palace, just as we welcomed Millwall avoiding relegation. The fact that this was a play-off final that for long stretches bored the pants off all and sundry (in sharp contrast to a previous universally-celebrated and fondly remembered encounter) and that it was contested by one team largely comprising borrowed Italians, a situation criticised by the manager of the other team which contained a player sold and immediately borrowed back again, should be glossed over.

I think we’re all aware of the pros and cons of the outcome. The former include being able to leapfrog them after next season without having to play them again; the latter includes a season of ruined Match of the Days (it’s much easier to fast forward a reply of the Football League Show), even assuming that Palace don’t actually win any games. It’s done and we live with it. Perhaps for one season the pubs around The Valley can be temporarily renamed ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ until the natural state of things is restored.

I did like Chicago Addick’s take on a club not long out of administration being handed a circa £120m windfall perhaps giving a thought to those, apparently including the St Johns Ambulance, who were screwed by their decision to take the points rap at a convenient time. Would be nice to see a bit of pressure to this end, perhaps police and others refusing to participate at Palace games until some money for worthy suppliers of services has been made. Wishful thinking I know.

As for us, this is one of the worst times of the year, not just because I’m already starting to miss proper football. More than a month to go before Welling. We’ve released players and it’s too early for anything more than rumours about possible new signings, while there is the obvious possibility of the sale of one or more. The decision to release Haynes did surprise me; I don’t know about his fitness, but we’ve seen enough to know that he was capable of being one of the two first-choice forwards for the coming season. At this stage (ie ahead of anyone coming in) it has to be worrying with respect to what resources might be available to Sir Chris. With Evina apparently turning down a new one-year contract, doubts about what will be done with a number of players (Stephens, Hollands, Green etc), and the possibility of Solly being sold, we wait for fresh news with a little trepidation, while hoping to be proven just a natural pessimist.

This does all raise the issue of what would constitute progress for us next season. Of course it’s tempting to say that after a ninth-placed finish it means a play-off spot. But perhaps progress might take the form of further development of the youth teams and the introduction of some of them into the first team, with a view to creating a team largely from internal resources over the next couple of seasons. I really can’t comment on the chances of such an approach, or the chances of it working, having only seen the Youth Cup game at The Valley. Powell and his staff will of course know whether they are (or are close to) being ready, I just hope it wouldn’t prove to be a strategy forced on him by finances but one driven by the kids’ potential.

So Much For A Pause For Breath

You take a deep breath after the final game and with some satisfaction ponder the benefits of being an Addick (including justifiable pride at the community club award, the emergence of the Trust, and the return of Voice of the Valley), especially as the post-international break mini-season proved as good as we could have hoped for. You look forward to the season’s DVD and spare a thought for those less fortunate than us, including those still holding forlorn hopes of advancement (even when all past experience suggests that promotion would only bring tears afresh to accompany a season of humiliation), plus those who have failed to hang onto their managers (yes, you couldn’t help having a high regard for Jackett; and yes, wouldn’t Dowie be a splendid choice to replace him). And rather lazily, with work getting in the way, you start thinking about maybe writing something who might have to leave us to prepare the ground fresh blood for the season ahead.

Then suddenly there’s the news that to the list of disposals to date (Sullivan and Mambo, plus presumably Wright-Phillips) have been added the names of Wagstaff, Taylor, Kerkar and Fuller. All seven go with nothing but best wishes, especially Wagstaff, for obvious reasons. He hasn’t at least yet quite become the John Robinson all-round nuisance (for the opposition and officials) on the pitch but will hopefully find a suitable home not far away (I was thinking Orient rather than Millwall). He, Taylor and Wright-Phillips made key contributions last season, but if we are looking to push on tough decisions have to be made. These clearly include the calculation over Fuller, in terms of wages per likely availability. We will remember him a good deal more fondly than Hasselbaink. Kerkar promised much with his early appearances, but ended up not really taking the chance to nail down a starting place.

The announced departures at least should put a stop to thoughts about whether the late season form might suggest we can progress next season with a virtually unchanged squad. I do remember penning something a few months ago along the lines of the squad perhaps needing to be reduced in size and a little extra quality added, which might look like the plan. We are after all letting go two of our only four players who have reached double-digits in Charlton career goals (assuming BWP doesn’t get a new contract), a sometimes outstanding forward, one who has shown he is capable of unnerving defences, plus a decent centre-back.

Any thoughts about who we might bring in have to be conditioned by the owners’ financial planning. Of this of course we know little, but it’s not unreasonable to think in terms of three broad options: first, accept a similar level of losses (and financing) as this season; second, look to at least trend towards trying to balance the books; third, spend more and target promotion. We all want attendances to rise and revenues to expand, but there’s no prospect of the club’s finances being truly stabilised in this division through substantially higher revenues, leaving aside player sales (and we all know who that would mean). The second option is probably as much of a gamble as the third, even with the phasing-in of fair play rules, given the consequences of relegation. But I’m not the one writing the cheques. I’d be inclined to expect the first option to prevail, with the emphasis on adjusting the player cost base by slimming but improving the squad.

Then you turn to the spine of a side, what you want to build on. In the promotion season just about all component parts made up that spine. Through the past season in the Championship it was refined down, but I think it’s fair to say that with Hamer, Morrison, Jackson and Kermorgant you have the essential core. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect (my partner Suzanne doesn’t like perfection, which is just as well for me; ‘there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in’), rather that they form the base. The character, spirit and determination may stem from the manager and his team, but you need it to be evident on the pitch too. This also suggests a bias when looking for new players in favour of a type who would play well in partnership with them.

Consequently for the defence, nobody (at least not me) would have any complaints if we lined up next season with Hamer, Solly, Wiggins, Morrison and Cort/Devite, or if the back-ups remained Button, Wilson, Evina and the one of Cort/Devite not in the first team. Releasing both Mambo and Taylor does suggest a new centre-back, unless one of the youngsters is deemed ready to be on standby. And clearly the imponderables are whether we will get a bid for Solly which cannot be turned down, plus whether Button, Wilson and especially Evina are prepared to wait for fresh chances. Hopefully they are.

Losing Wagstaff and Kerkar would seem to imply that Harriott, Pritchard and Green, plus Wilson, will contest the wide midfield positions absent fresh blood. But central midfield is more complicated. Hollands, Stephens, Hughes, possibly Gower too, along with Jackson and Pritchard. I thought Gower looked increasingly effective with more match-practise, but you can’t really make a case for both him and Hughes. Neither would we (or presumably they) want another season in which Hollands and Stephens played a similar number of games; they both deserve to be starting regularly for us or someone else. It’s a decision for Sir Chris to make as for me either one or both of the two become mainstays next season or we bring in another option – or perhaps of course the new ace in the pack will prove to be Rouamba; hopefully he’s been enjoying the sun of late.

Up front, shorn of Fuller and presumably Wright-Phillips, with Cook seemingly peripheral, and with it entirely unclear whether Obika might be an option, we are as things stand down to Kermorgant and Haynes. Smith might be moving up the pecking order, as might other youngsters, I really don’t know. But in an ideal world, even if 4-5-1 (or variations) is used periodically, you would want four available strikers (and in my simple world usually two bigger guys matched with two speedy goal-poachers).

So with seven down and no doubt more changes to come, you can make the case for a new centre-back, central midfielder and two forwards. Don’t look to me for suggestions beyond the obvious (seems both Baldock and N’Guessan ended their seasons looking rather disgruntled); I seldom pay attention to any of our opposition during games as basically I just want them to fall over, balloon it over the bar, or pick up a second yellow for another silly challenge. What I do hope is that the latest news heralds a better planned strategy for new recruits than appeared to be the case last time around, based on the VotV commentary. We should appear a more attractive club to sign for than a year ago, as long as the owners ensure that first and foremost Sir Chris and his team are signed up securely.

Signing Off In Style

As end-of-season sign-offs with nothing really to play for go, this one was as good as it gets. We managed to sign off the campaign with a fourth straight home win and, with us unbeaten away since mid-February, that meant 18 points from our final eight games. We didn’t quite manage a first home clean sheet since late November, but perhaps you shouldn’t crave everything. Not even Palace missing out on the play-offs, or Millwall getting relegated. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to return to the Premiership on the back of one point from four games against them. So let’s go again next season with the words of Sir Chris in our ears, the impetus that we have, and confidence in the strengths that have contributed to our end of the season. In between, a decent holiday won’t go amiss.

I don’t want to indulge in a blow-by-blow account of the final game, perhaps just to focus on the main moments as I remember them (which given the early pub start are fading by the moment). The team showed a couple of surprise changes, forced by injury, with Hamer unavailable and no sign of Fuller. Button came in in goal with Obika getting a start up front, while Jackson returned for Hollands but Gower kept his place alongside him , Hughes being kept on the bench. It did give us a chance to look at the two loan players in the final run-out.

Let’s face it, the first-half didn’t exactly set the pulses racing. Bristol City were playing for pride and beyond ensuring ninth place and signing off in style I can’t think what we were going for. It was a contest crying out for a goal to make something happen. In the event we had a couple of early headers, one glancing and one powered, but with neither troubling their keeper, plus Harriott being played in only to blaze wide. They had a free-kick which summed things up as after their guy made a run towards the box and was adjudged to have been fouled by Gower (who picked up a yellow), the shot went into the centre of the wall at about knee-height. The ref entered into the spirit of things, as after at least two interminable breaks for injuries and drinks, including the premature departure of Wiggins (with Wilson coming on and Solly switching sides), he thought two minutes of stoppage time would suffice. Hard to disagree if he’d gone for the obligatory one.

It was a case of Sir Chris telling the players at the break that they can kip in tomorrow but had 45 minutes left to send us home happy. Maybe he planted an idea in Kermorgant’s head that he would end up on single figures and behind Jackson in the goalscoring chart for the season. Whatever was said, the deadlock was broken in a fashion entirely out of keeping with what had gone before, prompting a quick reassessment of the goal-of-the-season competition.

Good work fashioned a position out right and the ball was played into the box slightly behind Yann. If you want to hit a shot on the volley and on the turn you couldn’t dream of doing it better. Kermorgant fairly leathered it into the top corner of the net. If I fall asleep before the League Show on TV tonight I’ll be watching it tomorrow. And now with the impetus and attacking the Covered End, it wasn’t long before we extended the lead, with a goal that in its way was almost as good. The ball was worked wide left and when the cross came in Kermorgant made sure it was his, burying the header.

Suddenly we were 2-0 up and having a party. But the game itself then settled back into first-half mode as we assumed it was done and Bristol perked up after replacing Baldock, who looked like a player who felt he’d made a poor decision in pre-season. No worries, but the game as a contest came back to life as we managed to gift a truly poor goal, passing the ball back progressively until an awkward ball to Morrison saw him try to lay it back to Button, only to screw it up and lay it on a plate for their guy to lob over the keeper into the net. I’ll have to see it again, but I think they didn’t touch the ball between our throw-in in their half and the guy scoring. Tough on Button too as he’d had nothing to do through the game, had no chance with the goal, and was to depart shortly after following a pulled muscle, with Pope taking over between the sticks.

It would be wrong to make it sound dramatic, but the game was now up for grabs, with the sub-plot being whether Kermorgant could complete his hat-trick and overtake Jackson as top scorer for the season. You wanted a last-minute penalty to see who would demand to be the taker. In the event, after Wagstaff replaced Harriott, the outcome was just about settled by additional goals. Kermorgant worked some space outside the box and tried to chip the keeper. It didn’t quite fade into the net, but came back off the bar for Obika to nod home.

That pretty much settled the result, but there was still the mini-contest to decide – and Jackson made sure he won out, by getting on the end of a cross to extend the lead. More goals could have come, with a daft sequence of blocks in a goalmouth scramble preventing Yann getting his just rewards, but it ended as it did, not too soon for Bristol and with us sated.

No player ratings for today as it was no match to judge performances. No question who gets man-of-the-match, as Kermorgant’s first strike could well get goal-of-the-season and his brace settled the contest. Just a good deal of satisfaction with how we’ve performed overall, especially when the chips were slipping if not down. Clubs talk about good spirit and character but not all of them have it. We do. Ninth becomes the benchmark for next season, but let’s worry about that tomorrow.