Full League Record of Spurs v Charlton:-
Premier Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 2 0 2 0 2 - 2 2
Away 2 1 0 1 4 - 2 3
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Total (Premier) 4 1 2 1 6 - 4 5
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Football Lge Div 1
Home 11 6 1 4 22 -15 15
Away 11 6 4 1 20 -11 18
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Total (Division 1) 22 12 5 5 42 -26 33
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Football Lge Div 2
Home 6 5 1 0 20 - 5 11
Away 6 1 0 5 5 - 9 2
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Total (Division 2) 12 6 1 5 25 -14 13
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Total (Premier) 4 1 2 1 6 - 4 5
Total (Division 1) 22 12 5 5 42 -26 33
Total (Division 2) 12 6 1 5 25 -14 13
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Grand Total 38 19 8 11 73 -44 51
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Charlton's record this season:-
Pos P W D L F-A Pts
15th 15 4 6 5 18-19 18
Charlton 1 2 Everton
A. Villa 1 0 Charlton
Ipswich 0 1 Charlton
Charlton 1 1 Fulham
Charlton 0 2 Leeds Utd
Sunderland 2 2 Charlton
Charlton 2 0 Leicester
Charlton 0 0 Middlesbrough
Derby 1 1 Charlton
Charlton 0 2 Liverpool
Arsenal 2 4 Charlton
Charlton 4 4 West Ham
Southampton 1 0 Charlton
Charlton 1 1 Newcastle
Chelsea 0 1 Charlton
Charlton have won just four games this season and only one of those has been at home, against lowly Leicester. However, they have obtained two of the most remarkable results of any team this season, by beating both Arsenal and Chelsea away. Clearly this is a team not to be messed with, and Spurs will have their work cut out to maintain their own excellent league form. Ex-Wimbledon man Jason Euell is the top scorer with five goals, followed closely by Johansson, on four.
A full house is guaranteed, and Spurs Odyssey will be there to report upon the action. At this stage, it looks like Les Ferdinand will be absent, but maybe Mauricio Taricco will be fit.
Here is Brian Judson's preview of the game
Charlton's best days were those before and just after WW2. They rose from
the old Third Division (South) to within a whisker of winning the
Championship only a few years after having been bottom of the League. The
vision for that climb, of course, came from Jimmy Seed. If you know your
Spurs history, you will be aware that Seed was one of Tottenham's great
players. Seed joined Sunderland just before WW1 but was gassed whilst
serving in the Army and was released by Sunderland, who did not think he
was fit to play football. Tottenham spotted him playing for Mid-Rhondda
and signed him in February 1920. Like many other players, Seed was injured
and could not regain his place in 1927. He was allowed to move to
Sheffield Wednesday and played his part in their successful fight to avoid
relegation and then go on to win two successive championships whilst Spurs
spent most of the next 20 years regretting the day they had released him.
After leaving the Owls, he had a brief stint as manager of Clapton Orient
before taking over at Charlton, where he was manager from 1933 to 1956. In
his time there, Charlton were runners-up in the FA Cup in 1946 and winners
the following year, both finals being characterised by the ball bursting
during play.
Because Charlton were relegated in May 1957, I only saw them once for many
years. We thrashed them 6-2 at Tottenham, the fourth goal being our 100th
for the season. They were a very sad side that day. It was obvious it
would be a long time before they graced the top flight again.
In fact, they did not return to top flight football until season 1986-87
when Lennie Lawrence was their manager. They survived the fight against
relegation for five seasons before dropping down a flight, which cost
Lawrence his job. Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt were then appointed
joint managers until Gritt's services were dispensed with in the summer of
1995. Curbishley has become one of the game's most thoughtful managers and
has twice steered Charlton into the Premier League on a shoestring budget.
Undoubtedly, the turning point for Charlton was their emotional return to
The Valley. In 1985, they had abandoned The Valley because it was too
expensive and had shared grounds with Crystal Palace and West Ham before
returning to a smaller version of The Valley. The ground has been slowly
rebuilt in line with their limited budget. They are unlikely to be one of
the bigger teams in the pyramid but they are probably one of the
friendliest clubs.
I have not been to the Valley, as far as I can recall. I very rarely
travelled south of the river as it is a nightmare travelling to games. I
cannot recall going anywhere other than to Millwall (once) and Crystal
Palace (twice) so I am unable to recall any past encounters in this
particular fixture.
Whilst there have been a number of former Spurs players who have also
played for Charlton (Mike Flanagan springs to mind), I cannot remember
Spurs signing anyone from Charlton offhand. Flanagan and Derek Hales were
a very effective strike force for Charlton but the team played so badly in
a Cup tie that I believe Flanagan and Hales were sent off for fighting
each other even though they were team mates. I believe Hales was
subsequently sacked by Charlton.
Probably one of Charlton's best players was Eddie Firmani, a player who
came from South Africa but who had Italian ancestry. He played in Italy
during the same era as John Charles, who played for Juventus and Roma,
whilst Firmani played for Genoa. Another good player for Charlton was one
Johnny Summers, who once scored five goals for Charlton in a match that
saw Charlton beat Huddersfield Town, 7-6.
Charlton made a surprise start to last season and threatened to qualify
for Europe at one point before settling for a mid-table position.
Unhappily, they have not been able to recapture last season's form and
have been struggling, although they are unlikely to be dragged down to the
basement with the strugglers.
Spurs are capable of going to The Valley and pulling off a good victory.
Their confidence must be sky-high after the way they came back against
Bolton last Monday. The Trotters posed some considerable questions with
their 4-5-1 line-up which made life difficult for Spurs when they fell
behind but they played well in the second half. Ferdinand is doubtful for
tomorrow's match but everybody else is expected to be fit. I expect Spurs
to play well and to win 2-1.
COME ON YOU SPURS!
Cheers, Brian
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