Striker Light

OK. Let's assume for now that McLeod will be loaned out to Hearts, Dickson will be loaned out to whoever, and Fleetwood stays at Exeter. Let us also assume that Mooney is now sufficiently crocked that his loan will not even warrant an attempt at an extension. Add to the mix, Holden being released as not being the answer to our left wing prayers, and what have we got? Akpo Sodje, who may or may not go back to the blue side of Sheffield.

The left side will be filled by McKenzie. He played in that position for Coventry, whenever he was fit enough to take to the pitch that is, so we still have a weak left hand side. In attack, other than the mighty, and ageing Burton, we realistically have nothing if Sodje Jr. returns to the steel city . So, what to do? Deep breath here. Michael Mifsud. I believe he is without a club presently, and he is a striker with a proven record, and I think? he is left footed, so could also fill in on the left hand berth. Young Wagstaff will have a lot to prove on the right if Sam does get sold though. Another deep breath, and an assumption that Notts County are about to implode. Lee Hughes.

Both these players have very publicly revealed flaws, and as a management challenge, we would really find out whether Parkinson is the man for the job. Mifsud particularly has a past that is at best kept hidden, (unless somebody can tell me otherwise?), but in the same way that I knew Norwich had got it right when they employed Hoolihan and Holt, and they do not have the chequered history of the two I am citing here, I genuinely believe that Mifsud and Hughes would give us the mid season impetus to make it back to the Championship. Given the mid term financial results, it has to be a gamble worth taking. The consequnces of Charlton not getting promoted are Chesterian at best.

One last throw of the dice ladies and gentlemen, and as ever, I am happy to be proved wrong!

Crumbs!

You know a friend, or even a passing acquaintance, who is a genuine football fan will never take the piss, even in jest, when your team is in trouble. Most of the time, the subject of football will never be discussed between you, when previously it would always be the opening gambit of conversation. There is an innate understanding that "There but for the grace of.....etc" exists between genuine fans, who know that the dividing line between success or failure is often the narrowest of tightropes.

So it was, on the last day of last season when I bought two Cov supporting friends to The Valley to see their inept team ripped to shreds by south London's finest. Discussing football afterwards in the Rose of Denmark was inevitable, given the occasion, but I genuinely felt sorry for them, and was able to pinpoint fairly easily the source of their teams shortcomings that day, namely that the central midfield pairing, with a combined age of near 70 was the weakness that most urgently needed to be addressed.

Last night I gave my season ticket to one of them. If the club want to take it away for my misdemeanour, then quite frankly it would be a mercy killing right now. Hopefully I will be able to catch up with him this weekend, because I will be interested to know what he thinks our problems are from a more objective point of view. He would have had every opportunity to boo the team off last night in safety, but do you know what? - he won't have done. One, because he is a mate, and two, he knows what we are going through right now. Cov survived by one point last season, and that looks positively comfortable compared to where we are right now.

Quiet Desperation

Well, we took a point that could have been three. Two points lost in the blink of a prematurely celebrating eye. I think most of us would have taken a point before the game began, and it does take us out of the bottom three, but once again, it feels like underachievement. On to Birmingham, a game where I suspect expectations of a favourable Charlton outcome will be minimal.

As has been reported elsewhere, Pardew will almost certainly not be with us come Christmas, unless there is a marked upturn in Charlton fortunes, and I am interested in what criteria the board will be using to define "upturn". League position whilst important, is too nebulous, unless we are in the bottom three, so I assume that points will indeed make prizes. For me, the logical decision point would be mid December, as by that stage, we will have played exactly half the season, once the Derby County game has been played. The telling games between now and then, are the three games immediately preceding the Derby game, against Southampton, Blackpool, and Coventry. All of these should be winnable, and a decent haul of points from them would probably save Pardew's job until the summer at least.

Over the past ten seasons, the range of points for the team finishing third bottom, has ranged from 42 - 52. Indeed, Leicester's relegation last season, saw them go down with the highest points total in that ten year period. So, using that as the worst case scenario, means that we should really be sitting at a minimum 26 points at the halfway stage. We currently have 16 points, so three wins and a draw in our next seven games is required. I am assuming here, that the board are accepting survival as a positive result.

Pardew has been oft quoted, regarding his dislike of using loan players, and yet, it would appear that we are about to juggle the books, and bring more of them in. Much will depend on Ambrose going out on loan, as I suspect he still retains a Premier League salary level, but does anybody else on a high salary need to go out? As to who comes in, I think this highlights the poor position we are in, as essentially we are looking for a spine to the team, comprising a central defender, central midfielder, and a striker. Quietly desperate times indeed.