Swine Fever....I've got it !

Oh my god !!... I've got it.....I feel sleepy...I feel ill. I must have spoken to someone in Sainsburys who had the major Mexican Strain. Maybe someone sneezed on me .Maybe someone coughed over me. I'd better go and clog up the docs surgery and demand an injection....

One good thing about this imminent demise is that I've forgotten about the credit-crunch or recession or downturn whatever. All of a sudden I've got something else to worry about. I've forgotten how the banks stole my money. They stole my money and now along with my kids, I've got to pay them back courtesy of the government...how does that work ??

We Are Not Alone

We are not alone are we Phil...so show us what you can do eh ?...How about it..?

Southampton fans are probably feeling the same as us. Except that we're feeling worse...

The only thing that can separate us from the rest of the clubs that are looking into the abyss is The Spirit. (yeah we know it's a cliche but it's all we've got) That's the same Charlton spirit that got us back to the Valley. That's the same Charlton spirit that was epitomised by Lennie and his team. That's what's needed now. We the fans can't do it on our own. Fans as a group, have done our best over the last few years but it's time to see that same level of faith and belief on the pitch. Maybe we've just been suckers and fools paying our dosh into the club over the years but we believe in something called Charlton Athletic Football Club. If only the manager and team believed in the same, we wouldn't be in the fix we are currently in. So c'mon Phil and start earning your corn....

Who said don't look back ?

Looking back is a better pastime than forward at CAFC these days. All that time, expense and effort that's been put in since the mid '90s to restore a truly great club and for what ? The prospect of Millwall being higher up the table than us ?

It's time to eat humble pie and ask Curbishley to help us out. No one knows what went on between Curbs and Muzza and the rest of the board apart from Curbs and Murray but it's time to put pride behind us and try and save the club from implosion.

I guess Curbs and his business brain brother would say forget the past and move on but I'm sure that Curbs has a piece of his heart that has Charlton tattooed on it. So Mr Murray and your supporters please make that call to the Curbishley household and ask for help. Ask for his help till the end of the season with no strings. Either side can walk away if it doesn't work. One's thing for sure. If Curbs was to walk out into the Valley, 10,000 supporters would give him a standing ovation and even if they lost 10,000 supporters wouldn't care because they would know that he can turn it around. Think about it Muzza. Right now we're in crisis and he's the man who can help us out.

This collective FEAR. What's it all about ?

Can someone please help me with this....Up until the $700bn bailout of the U.S. banks I thought I understood what was going on. That seems to have failed and now the world's markets are in free fall.

Are the united countries of the world saying that they ALL no longer have any confidence in any of their governments ? Certainly Leadership is a very scarce commodity at the moment. People are looking for a strong leader to make sense of what is going on but instead we just see small , frightened men, seemingly out of their depth, trying to play catch-up.

Maybe the computer banks that are triggering selling should just be turned off for a few days...

So farewell then Rick.

It was very sad to hear the other day about the death of Richard(Rick) Wright, the long time quiet keyboard player of Pink Floyd. He was always there producing some of the most harmonic and beautiful chords that set Pink Floyd apart from other bands. Listen to the Great Gig In The Sky from Dark Side Of The Moon to understand the true impact his playing and singing had on the essential and individual sound of the Floyd.

Therer are many people out there who for one reason or another never quite "got" what the Floyd were about and certainly some of their earlier stuff was quite pretentious but in the latter years with Dave Gilmour's strong and soulful guitar influence the band developed into a solid rock outfit but never losing the essential magic that made their music the soundtrack of so many early lives.

To many people under the age of 45 the Floyd are often regarded now as obsolete. Perhaps they are but their wonderfully soulful and evocative music will always be part of my time when I was starting out and for that I'm extremely grateful. So goodbye then Rick. You truly were a gentle man and a fine musician. We will miss you.

(Rick was aged 65 and died of cancer early this week. He was one of the founder members of the band .The Pink Floyd Pulse tour in 1995 filled Earls Court every night for 12 nights)

Confidential's Travels

During the summer break Confidential Rick eventually stopped sobbing over events at the Valley and took himself off with his lady-friend to explore some of the more wierd and wonderful traits of this country including an antique motor-bike rally and a steam fair with traction engines and our friend in the picture, Mr Hudspith, who has invented the steam bicycle.

He's seen here riding the machine in full steam. He originally had the extraordinary and unlikely vision of a steam bicycle back in the 1970s but then spent the next ten years learning about engineering, welding and brazing etc. because he had no formal training. Eventually in the 1980s the bike started to take shape and after years of development and continual changes and improvements he now has the only Hudspith Steam Bicycle in existence and rides it at steam rallies all over Europe. Apparently he's very big in Germany and Denmark so draw your own conclusions.....

Mr Hudspith is British to the core. This traditional, slightly eccentric British inventor of yesteryear has made an intricate,beautifully designed and built machine - even if Health & Safety would no doubt have a seizure with it's calibrated fuel mixtures of petrol and paraffin - and while the rest of us sit in our sat-naved motorised euro-boxes , he's out there steaming and whistling along with his own personal achievement. He's also invented a Steam Gramophone ! (not sure if it takes CDs though).

Legends - Is It Curtains ?

Well it's actually the blinds that are Confidential's latest beef. Let me explain. For those unfortunate souls who have never had the Legends experience, let me paint a picture. The Legends restaurant is situated inside the new North Stand with large plate glass windows providing a glorious vista overlooking a sea of modern bright red football stadia and the lush greensward of the Valley pitch, which on a sunny matchday afternoon, must gladden every Addick's heart. Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere is warm and convivial with fans enjoying excellent food and drink with great service.

(In fact it's rumoured by some of my fellow bloggers that certain people have been known to take advantage of this fantastic and very reasonably priced hospitality and NOT STAY TO WATCH THE MATCH !)

Imagine if you will the scenario during a Legends lunch. Surrounded by excellent company, food is being savoured, drinks are being quaffed and the truth is being embroidered on many a table. Towards the end of the meal Fine Wines and Belgian Chocolates are being enjoyed, when out of the corner of one's eye, a stealthy movement is detected as a mysterious squad of shadowy figures move among the diners and slowly proceed to blot out what is probably the best view in SE7. Yes folks these sadistic operatives are closing the blinds on the view of our beloved Valley. Why is this ? Is it to save the embarrassment of the people enjoying themselves in Legends from the poor unfortunate lower orders in their cramped plastic seats ? Or perhaps like a Dickens novel, some of the luckier ones outside have been able to press their noses against the warmth of the Legend windows ?

Of course the real reason is to get people out of the restaurant and into their seats in an orderly fashion, but it's a shame we can't sometimes enjoy the game, drink in hand, from the Legend windows .

And while we're at it, how about changing the name to Lennie's ?