Mid Table Obscurity

For a few euphoric moments after the Reading game, I hoped for better this season, my feeling of well being, no doubt aided by Menorcan sunshine and Rioja. Just as well I can rely on the lads to put everything back into perspective eh?

Like others, I struggle to see how any sort of prolonged push is going to be achievable, without the addition of at least one more defender with some nous about him. Linvoy is both an ageing, and at best, short lived false dawn. Difficult to see how this situation can be changed, when we are both cash strapped and unglamorous, even to a loan signing of any proven quality.

Still, we are mid table, and that is pretty much where we should be, given the inconsistency of performance, coupled yet again with some baffling tactics from Alan Pardew. No doubt, some snippet will leak out about someone carrying, or picking up an injury from the match, but the choice of substitutions must still rate as poor. A break now until the arrival of Wolves, and we all know who is going to score during that game!!

You Just Can´t Leave It Alone

I am currently writing this from sunny (very sunny) Menorca, but every time I grab a look at the currant bun, something gets my goat. This time it is lifelong Spanner Kelvin McKenzie, and his utterances about Pards. Nothing is going to convince me that at least one member of the Charlton board did not know that this little bit of whimsy was going to go out in the style that it did.

A message to Mr. Murray and Mr Pardew - if you are really that pissed off with each other, and want to score points, then fine, but please do not have your squalid little argument through the sodding media - thank you!!

PS - I bet Harry Redknapp manages to turn JT into the next Maradonna!

Enough Now!

Given Alan Pardew's thinly disguised irritation with Charlton's necessary transfer dealings of the outbound variety, it can come as no surprise that Richard Murray has sought to balance things out a bit by pointing out some financial facts, well £15m of them to be exact. Understandable though this reaction is, it does fuel the speculation around the relationship between board and manager. I don't think it does either of them, or Charlton, any favours by conducting this dialogue through the media. Best to do it round the table lads, or at least be silent in public about it.

On a related point, I see that Younis Kaboul has joined Portsmouth from Tottenham today, so any chance of Martin Crainie now 'Arry, - pretty please? PS - thanks for recommending Amady Faye to Tony Pulis as well.

Super Alan Pardew?

This was a workmanlike performance, with little guile, and a slightly flattering scoreline, but who cares? We won our first game of the season, and I have little doubt that we will play a lot better, and lose at various points during the season, so let's just enjoy a solid start eh? The centre of midfield was the principal area of weakness today, and I am not entirely convinced that Nicky Bailey from Southend is the answer. Racon played very well today, but he, like Shelvey seemed to fade as the game went on, and neither ever really controlled the situation.

I was glad to see Bouazza though, as he should now give us a left hand side that carries real threat, when both Youga and Basey are available. If we do manage to secure Martin Crainie, then the right hand side starts to look quite tasty as well. Oh, and when was the last time we scored from a corner?, or a corner like set piece come to that?

All in all an acceptable day, despite the roads trying their best to stop me getting to The Valley at all, but am I the only one to think that Alan Pardew's after match interview carried a certain degree of controlled anger? He came across as someone under pressure to deliver, but who feels that he hasn't been given the tools for the job yet. He struck me as being irritated that he still has players to sign, although his "and another one, and another one" comment, if taken literally, would see four players arriving at the club in short order. Despite reports of a good meeting with the board last week, I am fast coming round to the belief that Pardew has limited time to impress. The Covered End may have chanted "Super Alan Pardew", but I am not convinced that those in authority at the club believe that.

Oh, and the DD family will be dining out at a Spanish restaurant today. Senor Martinez side will do ok in this division, but someone should buy him a coat!

Once More Unto The Breach

Well, almost time once more, for the Saturday ritual to begin. It will be good to see old friends in the Rose of Denmark again, and I do get a buzz from seeing The Valley turf in pristine condition, ready for another season of toil. Eldest son will be in attendance, who despite the last two seasons, has a startlingly good record of watching Charlton avoid defeat at home. I am hoping that the Roon will continue his fine home game watching record against the mighty Swans.

Too late now for new signings to have much bearing on Saturday, (famous last words). It would be unrealistic to expect anyone signed today or tomorrow to have anything more than a cameo role from the bench. To do otherwise, would be too dangerous, in terms of overall team understanding, so the starting eleven is probably fairly easy to predict.

I occasionally wonder whether the players or management understand how a good or bad result makes, or messes up the rest of the weekend for us fans. Win this one, and I will seek press coverage of the game, and read it avidly. In a mood of largesse, I will take the DD family out for lunch. Spanish tapas, or Italian being most likely. Lose, and I will probably have to cut the grass.

Good luck to Alan Pardew, the squad, and all of us - Come on you Addicks!!

Now What?

The club is to be congratulated on realising the best price possible for Madjid Bougherra, but as has been reported elsewhere, we are still in the hole financially, and one more, (I suspect Zheng Zhi), will also need to be sold before the transfer window closes.

In a previous post, I wondered whether the relationship between Alan Pardew and the board, was at best strained, and his radio interview seems to suggest to me, that all is indeed not well in the kingdom of Charlton. It will be interesting to see what the action of the board is likely to be, if say, after ten games we are struggling, or our manager remains unhappy at the lack of a transfer pot before the season started. Much will depend on what sort of contract Pardew has, as Charlton are in no position to pay off one manager, and potentially bring another one in. If that were to happen, I suspect the only financially realistic choice would be Parkinson, or possibly even Kinsella. It is of course possible that if Pardew is seriously hacked off, then he may leave for another club, which would at least be financially beneficial to Charlton.

The official site is quoting Pardew as looking for two backs, and a midfielder. Hopefully Crainie will be one of the backs, but with four weeks to go until the window closes, fingers crossed for the others. One loan, and a purchase maybe?