News begins to filter from The Valley...

So news begins fo filter out of The Valley press office amongst other sources.

With three pre-season friendlies being announced in quick succession, none to challenging and all, two very local (the added value of two away games that I can definatley attend - i'll need to negotiate Pompey with Mrs Coops).

I wonder who has negotiated/agreed these games? I can only guess Murray has been rather involved, ensuring the tradditional Welling game goes ahead, and using his relationship with Varney to grab another local work out. Seeing as things stand we are currently head coach/managerless I can't see who else would be making such football decisions. (Bare in mind Riga's contract was only until the end of the season, so currently he's between jobs regardless of whether he gets the gig for another term or not, we are without a leader).

The board did state that they want playing personell sorted by the end of June. So I guess we'll have a better idea of how recruitment and squad decisions are made pretty soon. (ie. will the board put a bunch of players together and ask someone to coach them or vice versa?).

Sky reporting that Dervite is nearly a Bolton player is a bit alarming. I think the general concensus is that they have a much bigger payroll than us, therefore i can see why he may decide that it's the right move for him. Similar size club, set me up siging fee and a better salary. Riga was bigging him up towards the end of last season, and rightly so to some extent. I wonder what sort of offer, if any was tabled by the board for him?

I expect it, for better or worst, to be a busy few weeks news wise from The Club.

One thing that I do find a bit bemusing.

The board stated that once our Championship status was confirmed and the job in hand was done, they would engage in dialogue with the fans. (Either The Trust or The Royal Oak Group (or twelve angry men as I like to know them).

After all of the bluster following the takeover and subsequent sacking of Sir Chris both parties in this respect have gone rrather quiet! Surley now is the time they should be making the same sort of noise they were a monnth or so ago?

In the imortal word of that other football mentalist and perfect egg boiler Delia Smith 'where are ya, hic'

Sea of change is upon us...

So the sea's of change are finally upon us. Unsubstantiated reports that Danny Green will be leaving to find a new club come the summer, official confirmation that dear old Hughsey will be leaving for pastures new (despite the fact he didn't play that many games for the club is the latest addition to my very own 'favourite Addicks players' list).

Apparently Decisions on Riga's immediate future at the club are imminent. Let hope that if he goes then his replacement proves to be at the very least as much of a gent and competent man as Jose has been in his so far short tenure. Let's also hope that the incoming comes in soon enough to enable them to work with the board to re-build that squad suffiently so that at the very least we can compete in this division without the squeaky bum end to the season we all had to endure. I still remain confident that the new regime is far less 'sinister' than some seem to think. My opinion may change if we see a managerless club start to bring in playing staff.

The biggest and most confidence boosting news this week was that the planning permission for the new academy building has been given the thumbs up by The Royal Borough of Greenwich.

With a plethora of players contracts expiring in June, first teamers included I expect to see lots of news over the immediately ensuing weeks of players signing contracts, players leaving and some fresh faces incoming.

In short, I wouldn't expect it to be a quiet summer for Charlton bloggers.

Watch this space.

Mission Accomplished...

It's taken me so long to post as I've only just recovered from chewing my fingernail down to my knuckles on Tuesday night.

What a night it was, typical Charlton. After the stick he'd taken over the past few games I was pleased and thought that it was fitting that young Callum got the brace that in effect keeps us in this division and i'm sure means we will see, after the lull of the past two close seasons, a flurry of activity during the summer.

Reading Roland's bit in the programme I still reserve judgement over the direction that the club is being driven in but initial thoughts are still quietly confident that we will not simply become a nursery/feeder team for Standard Liege.

From what he is saying he see's the importance of the academy and trying to achieve cat 1 status (whilst i don't really agree with this system whereby a club with a cat 1 academy can basically fleece the best players from clubs with Cat 2 and 3 status of their best young players - it's a system that's with us. And i'd rather we were the plunderers rather than the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and dare I say even Fulham or Palace coming and nicking our young starlets.

He also mentioned that whilst there could be movement between network clubs, if the need to go outside the network to get the right specific player arises it will happen. (Although through shrewd dealings not breaking the bank).

What remains to be seen is who is at the helm. If it's not Riga (who I've actually grown to quite like) then I hope, as we all will, it's a sensible long term appointment. And not some European nut-job who does not understand the Championship. (Did you see the manic/maniac Watford 'Head Coach'? I watched him from the West Stand and half expected him to spontaneously explode at any given moment!)

So onto Saturday, a meaningless seaside away day of a fixture at Blackpool. I'm so pleased i'll be able to amble around Saturday lunchtime without a care in the world. Hopefully chuckling to myself as my phone updates tell me of a Kermogant hat trick.

Bring on the Polski!

As we enter the final few weeks of the season it's very much crunch time. The bottom of the table has constricted with no team amongst the bottom six adrift, even Yeovil are very much in with a shout at staying up.

The real plus for us is Blackpool's current form dip and plummet into contention for third division football next season.

The one thing I can say for sure is that there is no one player amongst the current crop of Adddicks who looks likley to hit some form and sky rocket us out of the relegation battle. I just can't see any of our forwards suddenly discovering goal a game performances and creativley down the flanks (with perhaps the excpetion of Fox based on yesterdays encouriging performance) doesn't look like suddenley changing for the better.

What does bemuse me slightly is, with the dreadful striking options we have, that Piotr Parzyszek has not been thrown into the fray. Even from the bench perhaps he might offer us something of a goal threat. Besides inability,  phycologically getting goals from our players will become harder and harder as  they have become visibally effected by the whole we coudn't hit a barn door mantra.

With just four games to go why not just throw the youngster in and see what happens? He surley can't be any less effective than Church, Sordell and Reza. (The latter reminding me of a cross between Ralph Milne and Dennis Rommedall at their worst!).

An evening not for those of a nervous disposition...

Pre match tension has definatley been the order of the day in my gaff.

I've got he week off of work to enjoy some down time with the wife nd kids, but the last two days have been spent scanning the net for team news, looking at the remaining fixtures of ourselves and those around us and working out the various permetations that could effect where we start next season.

All of which is completely irrelevant as we go into tonights must win game in hand against Barnsley. If rumours are true and we see the return of Solly at right back with Wilson playing in front we may all of a sudden see a real attacking creative spark running down the right flank of the park. (Something we have missed all season really - playing with not good enough or make shift wingers).

I can't really make any sort of prediction for the result of this game. We'll either see a nervy affair decided by just the one goal either way or, if an early goal goes in a gung-ho blood and tears relegation thriller with both sides having to throw caution to the wind to grab all three points. A draw does neither side any favours.

One way or the other once the full time whistle blows I may well need a stiff drink to recover.

COYR

Nervous???

However strange it seems, referring to a home game against Yeovil as a massive match, that certainly what this evenings match is.

It's been a slog this season. One thing that is really telling about the two teams contesting tonight s game is their inability to score goals. Take Yeovil's Miller, who's been kicked back to Forest, goals away from Yeovil and they have scored only one more goal than ourselves this season. But have conceded 15 more times than ourselves.

Charlton's real plus point in amongst the teams around us is our mean defense. At 48 conceded you'd have to go up to 13th placed Middles borough to find the next team who have conceded 48 goals or less.

In fact we've lost by a single goal margin no fewer than 10 times this season (convert half of those to a draw and that gives us 5 more points). We've drawn nil on four occasions (so lets say half of those we managed to nick a goal, that's another 6 points) and we've score drawn seven times (apply the same rule that if we were as average going forward as we are defensively we could have nicked a winner just under half of these games - another 10 points missed out on). So that's potentially 21 points that if we had the creative spark we so needed along with a competent striker - which would have put us on 59 points and in the upper echelons of mid table.

It's these tight margins that can dictate a season. The whole debate around Stephens and Yan going misses me a touch. Yes Kermo would certainly have given us a bit more snarl going forwards over recent weeks, but our form didn't suddenly dip post their departure.

The bottom line is whether we stay up or not, we will need two decent wide men and a striker with some competence who's not afraid to miss up top.

Tonight's game, with all of the other sides around us playing, will be a nervy affair. Yeovil seem to enjoy being underdogs, and despite the fact that we certainly won't be viewing them as that, will approach the game with that kind of spirit. Which will make life difficult for us.

I'm keeping everything crossed for a one nil victory, three points and a bit of breathing space going into the next few days.

Penalty save could prove pivotal moment in Charlton's season...

I had to do a lot of running around last night, delivering various of my Children to Guides, after school activities and collecting from the school show.

Sky Score Centre wasn't playing ball on my phone so I reverted to pressing refresh on the BBC mobile websites text commentary - which although working was on a proper go slow.

I sat in the school car park, nervously watching the clock run down as we tried to hold onto Rezza's excellent strike. (I watched it once I got home on Sky Sports News - if it wasn't a fluke what a great time for the boy to find his feet in The Championship!).

Anyone inadvertently watching me must have thought I was having some kind of mental breakdown. Manically pressing the refresh button on my phone, then when there was finally an update, collapsing crest fallen into my drivers seat at seeing a penalty being awarded against Poyet. Then another 5 minutes of frantically pressing the refresh button again waiting for the inevitable news that we'd just thrown away an excellent opportunity to put a little bit of breathing space between ourselves and the bottom three. When it did update and i realised Hamer had saved the day anyone witnessing my flailing body in the car might have felt compelled to dial 999.

Moments like that don't come along all that often being a Charlton supporter, but when they do they're bloody great!

Not saying were out of the woods yet, but as we edge to the finishing line things are certainly looking a lot rosier than they have done for a few weeks.