The British are coming, the British are coming! This blogging malarkey is quite addictive. I am now getting to grips with the Templates and have added some Links and a little poll and worked out how to put photo's on the page.

This seems like a good point to plug my fellow blogger Addick All Quiet In The East Stand and the stimulus for this site. I own a few other websites and with a mate ran Where Were You? a few years back, but it was like a big floppy dog and just got out of control. The two us were finding that our day jobs were getting in the way and when we felt we couldn't do it justice we stopped.

But since then I have had a void in my life. I love writing, I love Charlton and I now happen to find myself with a new life experience living in America, hence What was the score?

I have a busy week coming up. I'm moving apartment on Tuesday and then flying back to London on Wednesday for a few days to catch up with friends & family before coming back to Chicago on Sunday night.

It's Independence Day in the US next Sunday and Monday is a National Holiday - I actually got asked yesterday by a colleague (a supposedly educated American who was at school until he was 25, normal thing) if we celebrate Independence Day in Britain?! Try asking that to King George III you dumb-ass!  ¶ 23:01 |

 
Sorry you'll have to speak up I can't see you!   ¶ 23:53 |

  Curbs on 5 Live Curbs was co-commentating on the German / Czech Rep game this evening and was asked about Dennis Rommedahl and he confirmed that the two clubs have agreed a fee, but he was yet to talk to the player. He said that he expected nothing to happen until after the Euro Champs.

Other news tonight is that Julian Gray has finally found the escape route from Sainsbury's and signed for Birmingham City.

Thought of day. A couple of years back PSV Eindhoven fans wouldn't have even heard of Charlton and now they're all over the Net Addicks board offering translations and information on their best players. I don't know, whatever happened to Johnny Ostergaad eh?   ¶ 19:10 |

  Mamma Mia Sneaked out of work this afternoon to watch the Italian game with a pal of mine who is Italian, well 12 times removed or something. I can't believe they are out. Felt sorry for him and all the waiters in the pub, but could not help but think it was good news for us.

When I was on my way to the pub (13.45 k.o. here) couldn't help but chuckle about a phone in I was listening to yesterday evening on the 5 Live website. It was callers ringing from different parts of the world sharing the excuses they are using with their bosses to get away from work at strange times of the day to watch the England matches.

One guy from Seattle said that in the past week he had already been to the dentist, taken the dog to the vet and the car to the garage and he was asking Mark Bright for some advice on Thursday's excuse! Fortunately he said the Septics haven't a scooby about what's going on so he's getting away with it!

Today I was asked (by an American, obviously) "if the same teams are in the European Championships that are in the World Cup?!" Derr....  ¶ 20:42 |

  Rumours, damn rumours and more rumours Anyway, whilst I am on the subject (see below) Cahill does seem a bit steep for GBP 4m (sorry, my American laptop doesn't have a pound sign - doesn't exist see?), sounds like Theo Opodopolous is trying to start an auction (it will be Julian Gray all over again - you watch my words). I'm not that over excited by the Bryan Hughes rumour, although he is a much better player than his namesake Stephen.

I, like others think that the signing of players like Kezman & Overmars will send out a real message, not just to other clubs but to us, the poxy fans too. Signing Kezman would show true ambition on the back of Di Canio last season. He has scored 135 goals in 160 games in domestic & European competition and he is only 25 years old. And he was once nearly kidnapped. True, I don't make these things up you know? Well I make some things up, but not this.

What about Carrick? And Earnshaw? Reid? And that Moroccan defender, El Sid or whatever his name is? Come on Curbs, how about a little clue?

  ¶ 20:06 |

  Ah, jealously is a wonderful thing! Absolute hilarious postings on the Spanners message board 'North Stand banter' - how do they know which stand is which? They all look the same. Maybe they carry flick knives encompassing compasses?

Anyway it all started with someone's Dad saying that he had heard down the market that we were signing Tim Cahill. Read the postings, I was p1ssing myself.

  ¶ 19:57 |

  Rooney, Rooney! Feeling extremely patriotic & confident this afternoon. Have popped back to work to, well basically write this and log off. I can hear my name being called....thinks it's the pub. Rooney, Rooney!  ¶ 19:44 |

  Bears, Bulls & Cubs I have always viewed people who supported more than one team with condescension and this extended to other sports as well. Being a Charlton fan is a full time job and takes up a lot of nerve endings. Apart from a penchant for Kent County Cricket Club I have never had the time nor inclination to support or follow anyone else.

On the odd occasion when I got invited to attend games not involving Charlton I would accept and look forward to just enjoying a game of football but during the 90 minutes I would find myself becoming apathetic to what was going on on the pitch and eventually lose interest. This was because I had no emotional attachment to what was going on.

So when I came to Chicago I knew I would struggle to find room for another sporting love in my life.

First of all I took in Chicago Fire, who are one of Major League Soccer's (MLS) 10 teams. I have been to see them a few times, but I really really struggle to find an ounce of passion in my body to support them. They have a couple of reasonable players - Southampton are courting winger DaMarcus Beasley - but the standard is poor, and Fire are one of the better sides in the MLS. They play in the huge Soldier Field and their small but noisy fans (mostly 2nd generation Europeans & families) are swallowed up by the huge arena. They do play in red, which helps, but they are not Charlton and I can't get excited about them. And their 'star' forward Ante Razov is crap and he annoys me a lot.

I was a little too late for the Chicago Bears' season which ended prematurely at about the same time as Santa's work for the year. And anyway I am still coming to terms with American Football and I think I need some more time to appreciate it.

Next up was the hugely popular Chicago Bulls who according to urban myth and the record books were pretty awesome in the mid to late 90's when Michael Jordan was shaking his thang in the Windy City. Tickets are still hard to come by and the Bulls suffer huge expectation levels, but I saw them play a few times and quite enjoyed the experience even though they are clearly rubbish.

Now basketball is one of those typical American sports where 3 minutes can last 20, they don't do draws and fans wearing big plastic hands are awoken from their stupor by loud bursts of 'We will rock you' being played over the loud speaker. I don't get it, it ain't football, it ain't Charlton.

But there is hope. Throughout the winter when I was struggling to come to terms with the cold, I kept getting told of hot summer days drinking beer and watching the Chicago Cubs in the ivy clad bleachers.

There are two baseball teams in this City, the Cubs in the North and the White Sox in the South and this actually causes friction and rivalry. This is more like it I thought.

I have taken to the Cubs because it is about 2 miles from my apartment and have been 6-7 times already this season. There are a 160 odd games a season (!) and they play most days in front of 40,000 people! Surely they can't all be in insurance?

The Cubs stadium Wrigley Field is 90 years old and by American standards holds a lot of history and tradition. Sure, watching them is like being at a party - the stadium is surrounded by bars - much to the distaste of more 'serious' Sox fans - but it is fun, easy to follow and for the first time at an American sporting event I have actually shown a bit of animation

Sammy Sosa hitting a home run is not quite the same as Jason Euell scoring a goal but its a start!   ¶ 23:31 |

  Swiss rolled Not long been back from the pub - feel a bit squiffy. Can't understand some of the people ringing in to Radio 5 Live moaning about our performance. 3-0 is a win in my book and all the great Championship winning sides stutter a bit in the early rounds. Rooney was again outstanding, don't know what's happened to Owen? Thought the midfield played a bit deep but it's got to be a good job done, right?

I got into the pub - Fado's on Grand Ave - around 10.30 this morning (I was reassured that it was midday somewhere in the world so excepted the offer of a pint) and the place was heaving with English fans. You meet so few Brits in Chicago, but just like the Rugby World Cup its amazing what a bit sporting patriotism can do.

The bloody frogs let us down, but it has been a good day. Home now to catch the Sky Sports bulletin on Fox Sports World at 6pm.

  ¶ 19:23 |

  True Gritt Well I see Gritty's back amongst the fold. Am a bit concerned that he doesn't have any previous Academy experience but he's got no hair so I don't care.

Question of the day? How can no other club in the country keep a secret - whether it's players forgetting to piss in a tube or the signing of a new player - yet Curbs can tell us that we have signed 2 players but he's not going to tell us who they are?

On that note, a mate of mine who supports Southampton (not a reliable source, works in Bermuda & drinks a lot) phoned me tonight & told me that one of his pals is an agent and knows a lot of the Southampton players and James Beattie is in fact talking to us about a transfer, apparently Sturrock is prepared to cash him in!!

Oh come on Curbs, you can tell us!
  ¶ 19:35 |

  Tribute to the Roof I am a bit old to have favourite players, as a kid it was Paddy Powell, then Paul Walsh, but anyone who wears the red shirt with pride & belief and gives 110% is alright with me. However there is / was an exception to the rule. His name was Richard Rufus.

He was one of our own, he grew up with us and was for 10 years the heartbeat of our team. If Rufus didn't play, it used to fill Charlton fans with dread. He was so important to the team. His positional play, his pace, his man-marking, his consistency, his organisational skills, his tackling and in particular the timing of his tackling and his heading was superb. One tribute mentioned that he was the complete defender, at least what used to be described as the complete defender. He was no Alan Hansen admittedly, but to me he was what Charlton was all about and how he never got a single cap I will never know.

The news of Richard's retirement is so, so sad, particularly as we lost Super Clive to a career finishing injury as well. I don't think I have ever celebrated a goal like his first ever one at Wembley. How different we all feel now.

We will never forget. "Rufus, Rufus."




  ¶ 18:15 |

  Gutted Its night's like tonight that you need to be surrounded by your own. I watched the match with some American pals who have a reasonable grasp of our beautiful game but they don't have a clue how I feel now. I need to be in a pub with some mates back home who are feeling my pain. We can chew on it, find someone to blame (Beckham? Gerrard? James?) and talk it out of our system with the gentle help of beer.

Truly, truly gutted!  ¶ 21:54 |

  Hello After 37 years of living in London I took the opportunity last November to leave Blighty and come and work & live in Chicago. Chicago's quite a cool place actually and I don't really miss London at all accept for the obvious things (people aside) such as sitting in front of Soccer Saturday with a cup of tea and a proper sausage sandwich dripping in HP sauce or even better having a couple of pints in the Bugle Horn on a matchday, eating a cheese roll that had had a worse week than me.

This brings me to the main reason of What was the score? because I can't tell you how hard it is living in America being a Charlton fan. Now as you know living in Charlton and being a Charlton fan is no easy ride! However missing the bulk of the best ever Addicks season in modern memory was tough.

This will be my place to vent my views on Charlton and anything else that I think about, and believe me I think about some strange stuff! Be warned - if you are an American, your country & the people that live in it may get the odd mention too!

Welcome to What was the score?
  ¶ 21:52 |