A statistic in the last Charlton yearly handbook for season 2006/07 tells us that nobody played more games for the Addicks that year than Radostin Kishishev, Kish to everyone. How a simple sentence can show how quickly things can change.
That year saw a total of 34 Premiership games for Kish in Curbs' last season in a midfield that started with Murphy and Smertin. This was by far Kish's best season although by the end of the year in a triangle with Holland and Hughes the flaws were beginning to show. He first appeared for the Addicks in our first game in our 7 year run in the Premiership in 2000 as a right-back against Man. City in a 4-0 win but by the end of his time here he was a combative midfielder and for all of his latter-day mistakes he had won over the fans with his endless effort for the team. Sweating buckets he always gave everything he could and that's why we loved him. Eager and enthusiastic, his name was easily dropped to the simple one syllable that we demand of our heroes and became a by-word for effort. But by the end we all knew that despite our tortured affection he had to go.
With the arrival of Dowie last summer, new-boy Amady Faye was the chosen ball-winning midfielder and Kish started only one game until Reed took over in November. He started in our third win of the season over Blackburn in December and continued against Spurs at the Lane in a midfield of Faye, Reid and Holland that finished with a 5-1 defeat. He thankfully missed the Liverpool game but returned for the fixture at Middlesbrough and then played in Pardew's first two games in charge against Fulham and Aston Villa but the Villa game was to be his last in a Charlton shirt. Holland was increasing preferred and then Song arrived that really spelt the end for Kish.
So after exactly 200 appearances for the Addicks the writing was on the wall and at 33 in July he was never going to be offered another contract. Farmed out to Leeds towards the end of last season where he played 10 games and its been his good reviews there that has prompted Leicester to take him on.
He'll return on September 22nd with Leicester and we'll look forward to seeing him. It's certain that he'll get a rousing reception before and after the game even though after 90 minutes he'll have worked his socks off for another team. Cheers Kish we don't mind, it was good to see you again.
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