"Brink of Collapse" - Sunday Mail I don't normally believe anything I read in the Daily Mail, however this appears in tomorrow's edition:

"Charlton are poised to be the next club to fall into administration, with a takeover bid on the brink of collapse because of debts of up to £40m. A group of local businessmen who had been in talks about a £30m buy-out were alarmed to discover the extent of the League One club's liabilities." (more)

The Mail also broke the denouement of the Zabeel takeover and the more I think about this the more I worry about the statement. There is clearly a reason why this whole process is taking a long time. Football club takeovers do not ordinarily present an array of issues in the M&A world as clubs generally are pretty transparent and simplistic organisations. We know there is debt but we were under the impression, because we were told so, that it was friendly, i.e. owed to existing directors.

Richard Murray was quoted recently saying him and others are set to write of millions if a takeover happens. However as New York Addick pointed out, I too think individual directors are disunited and at complete loggerheads putting their own motives, rightly or wrongly first to the detriment of new capital investors.

Meanwhile I am sure Peter Varney's love of the club is spurring him to go way beyond the line at where others might walk away. The finances have fallen a long way since Varney was last involved with the club, something Zabeel I am sure were too very concerned about after their due diligence.

It is said the takeover could be completed very early next week, it could also very easily collapse and propel us into administration, particularly if Murray, Chappell, Hatter et al call in their debts taking us very much to the brink.  ¶ 17:58 |

  Right back where we started As the Charlton players jet off with their new kit to Ireland they were to be joined at the airport by the latest in a long line of right-backs. This one we have actually signed for two years unlike the others who mainly just raided our coffers and fcuked off. Let's hope Frazer Richardson becomes a player we can fondly remember. Thoughts of a Leeds fan on Richardson here.

The 22 players who tried out in the game at Welling did not include Gray (injured), Racon (slight knock) and Sinclair (who knows) plus one other that the club has entirely forgotten about. Charlton, so his profile on the Official Site begins "fought off competition from Spanish giants Barcelona, Lazio of Italian Serie A, France Ligue 1 runners-up Marseille and Scottish Premier League champions Celtic as well as Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Everton for the signature of Yassin Moutaouakil." and the former France U21 captain's career has been inexplicably ruined by Alan Pardew and Phil Parkinson.

Yes rumours do exist of Yassin being a bad influence, a bad boy and a bad trainer. Sorry but not everybody is perfect and Pardew and Parkinson were and are paid to manage and coach a medley of young men and personalities. It is what diffentiates good managers from crap ones and we know what cards we were dealt.

My memories of Moutaouakil are of a player that cared - he celebrated wildly a number of times with Charlton fans- and he showed skill, pace and more ability than most of the no-marks who have randomly embarrassed us by wearing our Charlton shirt in the past couple of seasons. Yes, I also watched a player who made mistakes, but then doesn't that comes back to the coaching? And if he had a poor attitude then that is something scouts from Charlton, Barcelona, Marseille, Celtic, Villa and Everton all failed to pick up two years ago.

I read with interest yesterday how Southampton's new owners waited just a few hours before they dispatched with Mark Wotte's services, just day's after he was given a rolling 12-month contract. It didn't roll very far did it? Wotte's record actually stands up very well against Parky's. The Saints acquired 19 points under the Dutchman, compared to Parky's 23, but then again Parky did begin his managerial stint over 2 months before Wotte. Food for thought, and I wonder if any potential new Addick owners will be as ruthless as Markus Liebherr?  ¶ 13:36 |

  Taos, New Mexico It came as a surprise to me to find out that Santa Fe was actually over 7,000ft above sea-level. And a drive to Taos 90 miles north via the celebrated High Road takes you even higher firstly to Chimayó, then Cordova, a fine place for authentic locally produced wood carvings if you need some. Next stop was to an 8,000 foot mesa called Truchas, about halfway between Santa Fe and Taos. In-between farmlands and badlands, this is an old New Mexican town, whose families looked to have lived here for ever. Peering over it is the 13,000ft Truchas Peak.

The Picurís Pueblo is next where the 375 Tiwa citizens consider themselves a sovereign nation with their own tribal council government. The people of Picurís have been here since 750AD and interestingly own both the Picurís Pueblo Museum as well as the Hotel Santa Fe located in the capital's historic downtown area. Not bad work if you can get it.

This drive to Taos is about two and a half hours but it can be done following the course of the Rio Grande (below left) via State Road 68 and that's only about an hour. The town of Taos has a lot of history with plenty of galleries and shops to peruse and even a ski resort but the sole reason to visit is the 1,000 year old Taos Pueblo a couple of miles north of the city.

Taos is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA and is part of a 95,000 acre reservation with a wider population of 1,900 but realistically only a 100 or so Native Indians actually reside on the pueblo where no electricity or running water is allowed within the pueblo walls.

The Taos Pueblo is also self-governed and the conservation and preservation of it's history and culture is considered sacred. It is said that the Taos community is one of the most secretive Indian tribes, and with schooling done on the reservation by tribal members very little is known about these very conservative and religious people who ancestors archaeologists say lived in this valley long before Columbus discovered America and for hundreds of years before.

Standing in the dust looking at the adobe homes side by side and piled up on top of each other was a stunning sight. At one time the only entry way into the homes was by ladder through an opening in the rooftops. These entrances guarded against intruders and was additionally a source of light. The adobes have doors now but the ladders remain. The walls of the adobe, several feet thick, are made solely of clay, straw, sand and water. The exterior of the houses are restored annually while the interiors are coated with washes of white earth to keep the rooms bright and clean.

Most of the adobe's were selling all kind of crafts. I always find it so frustrating that you can go to one of earth's most fascinating places and yet all of the goods are made elsewhere or in bloody China! Not here. Everything is made by the man or woman greeting to you as you walk into their homes. Pottery, moccasins, drums, sculptures, paintings and jewellery were all great gifts to cherish plus the yummy Fry Bread, baked each morning in outside Horno's (above).

We spent a good 2 hours wandering around the pueblo. Just beyond the old wall boundary was the ruins of the original San Geromino Church, with just the desolate cemetery left to stare at and then the new (built in 1850, so hardly new) San Geromino Church with finely carved wooden beams within it's roof.

All around drying racks stand upright from the barren ground, once used for drying game and harvests as well as hides. Then the fast running Red River Creek runs through the middle of the 30 or so adobe buildings dividing the pueblo in half. The creek is the sole source of drinking water for natives, and kids are seen carrying little pails of water to-and-fro to the homes.

  ¶ 13:07 |

  A busy news day I like the new shirt from the glimpse we were offered on the OS before tonight's game with Welling. And a new sponsor Kent Reliance Building Society or KRBS paying us over £100,000 for the 3-year deal. It was interesting to read that 30 English clubs are yet to secure sponsorship for the new campaign so credit to the club again. The deal I believe was done by ex-commercial director Steve Sutherland before he got made redundant. There is some irony in there somewhere.

Two things jump out at me about the KRBS deal, one is that with Charlton's record with shirt sponsors I would pull all of your money out now of "the most innovative building society in the country" if you're a customer before they go tits up! And secondly how do you feel Mr Scally feels about his ground and shirt sponsor getting in bed with us bastards? Oh I can see the steam coming out of his caravan from here!

Also, in a busy day for the club website, Parky announced that ZZ and his agent have decided that they will move on despite the offer of a new contract. Let's face it, I could ask Jessica Biel out for a date, but it's unlikely she would say yes. However I enjoyed watching ZZ play in a Charlton shirt, I loved his energy and intelligent play and without a doubt the team improved with him in it at the conclusion of last season. Good luck and thanks ZZ.

With Matt Holland weighing up his options, he's training with Colchester at the moment and Fortune and Randolph yet to sign new deals, we are looking very thin on the ground. Holland doesn't owe us anything and he may feel he can get more play time and more money somewhere else. Randolph meanwhile has read like we have Parky's supposed interest in other 'keepers. I suspect though that any plans, including the future's of Parkinson and Kinsella, who is working without a contract, will now be on hold until any takeover takes place unless sanctioned by the new owners.  ¶ 16:05 |

  Bermuda Shorts On July 2nd, 1959 black movie goers protesting at segregation in Bermuda's cinemas started a two-week standoff which ultimately led to the end of segregaton not only in cinemas and theatre's but also hotels, restaurants and schools. Seems incredible doesn't it?

However to celebrate the 50th anniversery a small park has been established across the road from my office and opposite the cinema where the protest took place. Honestly it is a bit of a nonentity to look at, and incredibly took almost 4 months to complete but it does come with a striking eight-foot bronze statue by Bermudian sculptor Chesley Trott entitled 'When Voices Rise' costing a cool $140,000.

As I passed it daily I watched this project with interest, which included cutting down a couple of trees, and replacing them with concrete pavers. However it is a credible undertaking to honour the end of institutionalised racism on the Island, particularly at a tricky time in the countries next chapter of race relations.  ¶ 13:09 |

  Thursday's Q&A cancelled Richard Murray and Derek Chappell have been given "no choice" but to postpone this Thursday's question-and-answer evening at The Valley after receiving "extensive legal advice." (more)

Murray said: "Our advisors have warned us it would not be appropriate to attend a public meeting, and the current situation means that we would have been unable to answer or contribute to many of the likely main points of discussion, which would have been wholly unsatisfactory. It might sound strange, but I hope fans take this as a positive thing, and of course we will rearrange the event the moment we are able to speak more freely."

The plot thickens, but can we take this as positive news about some potential investment or a takeover or is it just another illusion to deprave fans of answers? It also begs the question of why the Q&A was ever offered in the first place, particularly in the knowledge that this was going on behind the scenes?

Whatever the scenario, at least the silence has been broken even though this whole summer has been like playing with a huge CAFC jigsaw puzzle.... with plenty of bits missing.  ¶ 10:15 |

  Four years on - a fitting memorial Four years ago today scumbugs tried to rip the heart out of the best city in the world and the people that live and work in it. They failed. This memorial unveiled today in Hyde Park is a beautiful and fitting tribute to the 52 people who were murdered on the morning of July 7th, 2005.

The memorial, designed by architects Carmody Groarke comprises a field of 52 closely spaced columns, each cast in stainless steel. They are arranged on a common grid, but are subtly separated into four groups, the number of columns in each corresponding to the number of deaths caused by one of the four bombs. I will have to make sure I put this little corner of Hyde Park, between Lover's Walk and Park Lane on my places to visit next time I am home.  ¶ 08:38 |

  More rumours in advance of Q&A More rumours persist on the world wide wind up tonight. Millwall's South London Press have cranked the old handle with this: "And the South London Press understands that their takeover could be completed within the next couple of days - allowing them to be in control within two weeks." (more)

The timing of this is actually very interesting because it is Thursday that Richard Murray and Derek Chappell host a question and answer session for fans at The Valley. Probably not helped in anyway by my complete blithe attitude to all things Charlton at present, I expected the Q&A to be a complete waste of time. Yes fans will show up with good intentions to get answers to tough questions but will never be as prepared as their hosts and will end up going home full of Murray's charm and goodwill and Chappell's BS.

Danny at Charlton Life has sent this letter to Derek Chappell and Matt Wright to be considered before Thursday and I think this is an excellent starting point to a conversation that is long overdue after a bewildering silence. The club were looking for more numbers last week, which is shameful quite honestly, but for those that are going please don't be duped or outwitted. We all deserve more after a wretched time in the club's history.

Elsewhere today Josh Wright, who wasn't offered a new contract signed for Scunthorpe. The youngster was clearly not in Parkinson's plans and I understand had a couple of offers on the table. I was impressed with Wright when I saw him play, although tabloid photos and stories of insolence didn't do him any favours. Nonetheless whose judgment would you back? Nigel Adkins or Phil Parkinson?  ¶ 17:25 |

  CPR & First Aid On Saturday I ticked another box of things I always wanted to do. We attended an Adult and Child CPR and First Aid course held by the Red Cross and an absorbing 7 hours it was, helped significantly by an excellent tutor. Next Saturday morning we complete the certification.

Saturday night we had dinner with some friends whilst watching the fireworks from Coral Beach and listening to the American's whoop. The 5-minute show hardly competed with some of these displays stateside but the thought was there and July 4th is meaningfully more important in Bermuda than St George's Day.

Yesterday I was glued to Wimbledon, I couldn't see a winner at one point during the 5th set but was chuffed it was Federer, the bloke is amazing but I did feel for Roddick, one of the nicer guys in sport, who sat devasted afterwards. He too would have been a worthy champion and my support now turns to him for the US Open.

After the match finished we collected our stuff and headed out to play tennis, it reminded me of being a kid and rushing up the park after the FA Cup final for a kickaround.  ¶ 08:31 |

  2009 Island Games - update #2 The closing ceremony ended in Åland less than a couple of hours ago and that's it for the Island Games for two years. Next stop the Isle of Wight and then in 2013 Bermuda will become the hosts for the first ever time.

Bermuda finished the Games well, winding up with 32 medals, 22 of which were in the Gymnastics arena. The Faroe Islands came top of the medal table for the first time with 34 golds and 81 medals in total with the Isle of Man in 2nd place, Jersey in 3rd with Bermuda 7th.

Sadly the islands of Alderney, Falklands, Frøya, Prince Edward Island and St Helena all went home without any medals but Sark won two, both silver in the automatic ball trap, a form of clay pigeon shooting.

In the final hours of competition Bermuda's basketball team collected gold when they beat Menorca 83-75, and yesterday a strong sailing team won the men's event gold and as I'd hoped the golfer's swept up with Jarryd Dillas collecting the individual gold and Daniel Augustus bringing home the bronze. The golfer's won the team gold by 15 shots and Bermuda's women grabbed their team gold by 4 shots. Unfortunately the highly regarded women's volleyball team missed out of on a consolationary bronze after losing to Menorca.

Finally in the men's football final Jersey beat hosts Åland 2-1 and in the Games' final event Åland's women footballers beat Guernsey's women 2-0 to give the hosts their 16th gold and 53rd medal overall. I am sure this small country of over 300 habitable islands and it's 27,000 people are justifiably very proud tonight.  ¶ 18:30 |

  Santa Fe, New Mexico If you're an artsy fartsy person then Santa Fe is for you. If you are interested in American history, then Santa Fe is also a place for you. If like me, you are interested in meandering around a beautiful and intriguing small city with great restaurants, and an air of sophistication sat at the foot of sloping mountains, then you too should visit Santa Fe.

I liked it, I really did. It reminded me of a cross between Santa Barbara and Sedona with Mexico thrown in for good measure. To all intents and purposes it is Mexico but sat in the contiguous United States. Meanwhile a good sprinklering of Native Americans bring an historical and enriching element to the city, New Mexico's state capital.

Spanish colonists first settled in these parts 400 years ago. They didn't take into account the power of the Pueblo Indians however, who drove the Spaniards out of the area in the only ever Native American uprising in 1680. The Spanish took it back in 1893, and then the city came under Mexican rule in 1821 before being being claimed by the United States after they declared war on the Mexicans in 1846. In 1912, New Mexico became the USA's 47th state, with Santa Fe as its capital. The Palace of Governors still today resides as a memory of those various seats of power, and is considered to be the oldest continuously occupied building in America. It is now an exhibition centre and $7 to go in.

Out front of The Palace of Governors facing the shady Plaza can be found Native Americans selling arts and crafts from very early in the morning. Once teeming I'd imagined with traders, livestock and farmers the Plaza is now a place to sit, meet friends and people watch, and is the universally accepted point of orientation. From here stem crooked streets with Pueblo-style architecture, many buildings centuries old and some a lot newer but thoughtfully built ask to be explored on foot.

There are a lot of museums, the oldest being the New Mexico Museum of Art that celebrates the region. Not far from here is the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, O'Keefe was an abstract painter and a major American artist. O'Keefe died in Santa Fe in 1986 and the Museum in her name was opened 11 years later and is an impressive building. From here a walk down Grant Avenue will give you a good slice of some older and well cared for Santa Fe homes. Burro Alley, once the city’s bawdy nightlife district now features some neat cafes and a statue of a Burro, a small donkey that were used to carry goods around the city.

Walk eastwards up San Francisco Street past pottery shops, jewellers and the Plaza and staring down at you is the grandiose Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi with it's round towers beckoning you towards it. Most of the stained glass windows came from France, and the building is a mixture of architectural styles. Adobe and French-Romanesque. Out front is a statue of St Francis of Assisi dancing on water and Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be made a saint.

Loretto Chapel was around the corner, with the mysterious staircase. DeVargas Street has it's own history and many superlatives, some of which I have considerable doubt over. The narrow road heading east away from the Old Santa Fe Trail contains both purportedly the oldest house in America and the oldest church.

San Miguel Mission Church (left) has original adobe walls and altar built by Tlaxcalan Indians who came north from Mexico with the Spanish in 1620. This area was formerly known as Barrio de Analco, and I did expect any minute to see a cowboy and indian shoot out. At 215 East De Vargas Street is a sign hung on a house calling it the oldest house in the United States, built circa 1646. Underneath was a sign pointing us to the Oldest House Shop and ATM. Quite naff. All that is truly old was the foundation. We took a photo and moved on.

Besides from the 10 major museums, there are also over 200 galleries in Santa Fe and the bulk of these can be found on Canyon Road. You don't have to be an art collector to appreciate the ambience of strolling up Canyon Road with it's mix of trendy upscale galleries and folky art shops interspersed with inviting cafes and restaurants. A car may have been handy here, particularly when it rained but one would miss the pretty houses with hidden gardens and statues. It is about a mile walk, and of course a mile back.

Seven miles north of the city is the famed Santa Fe Opera, recognised as one of the countries leading cultural centres but in the middle of nowhere, a longer stay would certainly have encouraged a visit. Whilst on things we didn't have time to do, how about the Santa Fe Southern Railway. A 4-hour round scenic desert trip to Lamy on a historic freight train.

We stayed close to the Plaza at the Inn of the Anasazi, a southwestern styled small hotel not perfect but it served us well, especially Sean the Bermudian working on the front desk who couldn't believed we were in Santa Fe.

We had booked dinner in the Inn of the Anasazi but cancelled it when we realised the superb choice of cheaper options in the city and we picked well. Two wonderful Mexican restaurants that I would wholeheartedly recommend. Firstly The Coyote Cafe, but the rooftop Cantina not the sparse restaurant. On a Wednesday night it was packed, lively and fun and the food was excellent. The next night we came across Los Mayas, a pretty courtyard restaurant hidden slightly on West Water St, but busy with tourists and locals alike. The grilled chicken was fantastic, and the two guys on guitar chef Roberto and cousin Fernando made the chili pepper decorated margaritas taste all the better. Breakfast was equally as fulfilling at the Plaza Cafe. A New Mexican funky menu, bottomless coffee and a step back in time diner atmosphere. I loved the sign on the wall listing important phone numbers including President Obama's.

We picked Santa Fe because we had heard it was very different to many of America's small cities. It was. The temperature was perfect and it had a nice feel with a rich history and I loved it's laid back gait, which was what was required as it might be the last time we'd be on our own on holiday for a long time. Gulp!
  ¶ 10:33 |

  God bless America It is days like today when I love working for an American company. Tomorrow is July 4th to those without a diary, a day that American's celebrate as their Independence from Great Britain and the nation's 233rd birthday. In 'observation' of American's fatties eating lots of pies and setting gazillions of fireworks off we have closed our office today. God bless the star spangled banner!

Tomorrow night there are in fact fireworks (illegal to buy here) at numerous places in Bermuda including I believe Dockyard, Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay. My with-bump-other-half will be driving me to meet two other English couples for dinner, where we will nonchalantly ignore all the flag waving and sparklers and enjoy our own little 'Liberation' dinner. I might even wear my union jack pants if I can find them.

A day off today times nicely with the men's semi-finals at Wimbledon. I might practice my own serve later, carry out a few chores and if it can stop raining for half an hour, wash the car.  ¶ 07:01 |

  Hudson to Cardiff for £1,075,000 plus Gotta love Peter Risdale, probably in the top 10 worst businessmen on the planet.

Risdale: "How much you want for that lump Mark Hudson then?"
Murray: "£500,000 and we will pay his train fare to Cardiff."
Risdale: "How about we give you a million.... no you know what make it £1,075,000. I have some brown envelopes in my desk somewhere. What you say?
Murray: "Wow Pete, that's great. Fantastic, but he's not very good you know?"
Risdale: "Yeh, we know. Anyhow just in case he turns out alright, what about a sell on clause?"
Murray: "Really? Blimey. You do know he took us down?"
Risdale: "Down? He's taking us up.... ok my final offer £1,075,000 plus a sell on and another £250,000 when he get's us promoted."
Murray: "Er, done."

Great job by the club, and whoever negotiated that deal.  ¶ 08:08 |

  Sneak preview This is the shoulder of the shirt all the best dressed football fans will be wearing around Leyton, Walsall, Hartlepool and their like this winter. The OS claim they will be giving us a little bit more of the kit leading up to it's debut at Park View Road next Wednesday in the Addicks first pre-season friendly.

So, what can we see of it? Well it has a collar, which is nice, it looks slightly more burgundy than red, which worries me but then again one would need to look at the whole jersey from a little distance to get a true look and it is made by Joma, their last year of the manufacturing contract.

It appears to have a white bar down the side of the shirt and we are told there will be white shorts and red and white socks - all good. There is no sign of a sponsor, perhaps if one can't be found we can adorn the name of Demelza House on our shirts, or some such good cause.

This is the 3rd home shirt in four seasons, and the new away one (yellow apparently) adds to the white, black and seahorse blue (or whatever it was called) all produced in the last couple of years. Of course if we replace Joma next summer, then expect a couple of more new kits in a year's time.  ¶ 14:04 |

  2009 Island Games - update #1 After the 3rd day of competition at the Island Games in Åland, Bermuda have picked up one gold, one silver and a solitary bronze medal. A gymnastics gold going to the women's floor and vault team. However the total of 3 medals is a long way behind medal leader the Faroe Islands, minnows in world football the Danish Kingdom maybe but so far they have won 38 medals, including 10 swimming golds.

Jersey join the Faroe's way ahead in the medals table with 31 medals, also including a big scoop of the swimming golds. Bermudian Jeneko Lottimore Place did win silver in the men's 200m (understandably 2.35 seconds slower than record holder Usain Bolt!), although track and field does start rather more in earnest tomorrow.

Even Sark, with a population of 650 won a silver today in the men's automatic ball trap.... frankly I never thought I would write those four words together in one sentence!

Anyway, also progressing is the football, Basketball, where Bermuda look a good bet for the gold, volleyball and golf, and if with more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world, if Bermuda can't bring a medal home then something is seriously wrong!  ¶ 17:37 |

  Book signing Last night we attended a friend's book signing here in a hotel in Hamilton, very cool and for anyone like me that yearns to write a novel, then I was both proud and envious. The Cuckold is a tale of infidelity and passion and I understand rather saucy in parts - I think I'll let my bookish other half read me snippets and I'll wait for the movie! Go buy the book or tell some one about it. Link here.  ¶ 06:03 |