Rock On Tommy

Well that was certainly backs-against-the-walls stuff but we hung on and acquired a valuable point, and the dubious distinction of our third consecutive nil-nil draw. It reminded me of the types of performances that typified our first season back in the Premiership in 2000/01 - tons of effort, but very little quality. I'd have hoped we'd have pushed on a little on the quality front, but the club seems to be in a transitory phase right now so we may have to put up with it for a while.

The back four were immense, limiting Liverpool in fairness to very few 'clear-cut' chances, and when they arrived, Thomas Myhre was in fine form. Up until now, Myhre had struck me as a really solid keeper who did all the simple things exceptionally well in that calm Nordic way, but who might have been a little lacking in the shot-stopping department. However that series of first-half saves has proved me well and truly wrong.

If one had to pinpoint the 'problem' area, it would again have to be the central midfield. My Dad texted me at half-time to ask, "what is the point of Bryan Hughes?" and I must confess I would struggle to answer him, even with the help of three lifelines. If any readers can provide any insights I would be grateful to receive them ("to make the other players look better" is true but not the answer I am looking for). To be fair to Hughes (and Holland), they were competing against perhaps the world's best central midfielder (not Hamann, the other one). However there is something quite patently lacking in our midfield, and in my view putting Kish back in the centre would at least be a start.

I watched the game in a quiet Upper East Side bar which amazingly perhaps contained up to seven Charlton fans (and only one Liverpool fan). In a city which is dominated by Liverpool and Man Utd followers, this was truly amazing. It has given me the confidence to go ahead and try to organise an official USA supporters club.

I had already arranged to meet a charming middle-aged couple in the bar, both genuine New Yorkers, who have developed a love for the Addicks thanks to having received some overwhelming hospitality from the club on a trip to London. Clad in Charlton hats and scarves, any fans sceptical about the point of the club's emphasis on community-spiritedness and friendliness should be obliged to meet with them. I can assure you that when Robbie Fowler appeared to have given Liverpool a late late win, whilst I watched it with an air of calm resignation, their exclamation of horror was both genuine and heartfelt.

Indeed, many fans on the message boards have expressed some concerns about the atmosphere at the Valley, and suggested that it may be due to the club's stated aim to acquire 'new' fans (via the Valley Express initiative for example). I think these critics miss the point - I don't believe the lack of atmosphere is related to this at all (I will explain another time).

We lost a generation of fans during the wilderness years of 1985-1992 - as someone else pointed out, we seem to have very few fans in their early 30s since their formative football supporting years would have occurred when we were playing halfway around the South Circular. These fans can never be won back because they are now supporting West Ham or Palace.

However the club knows the marginal cost of a Valley seat is essentially zero and even if just 10% of the fans offered incentives to attend develop a real passion (whether it be via a return bus ride or a free ticket), then the long-term future of the club will be far surer. Even if the other 90% contribute to a 'happy-clappy' atmosphere, then this will still be a better atmosphere than the 12-15,000 so-called 'real fans' could generate.

My opposition to the club's stadium expansion stems from the risk of them getting 'ahead of themselves.' Whilst the zero marginal cost issue still applies, the capital expenditure required to build the new seats runs into the millions and these funds might better be spent on a new midfielder right now.