Progress Report

So, what have we learnt so far? For sure this can only be an interim assessment as there’s bound to be a good deal more transfer activity, both in and out, before a ball is kicked in earnest and the transfer window closes. But you have to say so far on balance it’s positive, not uniformly but on balance.

First thing we’ve learnt is that any doubts about the formation now that Jones is able to shape a squad have surely been dispelled. When you have one genuine winger left, are not linked with any potential wide signings, and are in the process of trying to convert that one winger into a central forward, plus have stocked up on centre-backs and wing-backs, it’s safe to say it’s going to be 3-5-2/5-3-2 as Plan A for the foreseeable future.

In goal so far Mannion has come in and neither Isted nor Maynard-Brewer have departed, while another signing continues to be speculated. The duties in the friendlies to date have been shared equally between the three, and the starting berth may simply go to the man in form, but it’s fair to assume that Mannion has not been brought in to play second or third fiddle to the two others. Another one signed and presumably Isted or Maynard-Brewer will be encouraged to find pastures new.

For the wing-backs, we currently have available (in no particular order) Edun, Watson, Small, Asiimwe, Ramsay and Edwards (of course Edun and Edwards could feature in other positions). For two starting berths and at least one place on the bench (or two first choice and two back-ups) that’s plenty, presumably Small and Ramsay are the first choices. Whether Watson and/or Edun would be content to wait for their chance only they know, perhaps Asiimwe could go out on loan to further his development. As things stand we’re well covered.

For the centre-backs, having let Thomas and Hector depart we have available from last season Jones, Ness, Gillesphey, and Edmonds-Green, to which have been added Mitchell, Edwards (if he plays in a back three) and the returning Mitchell. If trialist Potts signs on we would probably move from well covered to overloaded and one or more could be given a nudge, with all best wishes. As mentioned elsewhere, the relative absence of Ness from the friendlies so far points to him, but he still has potential and is only 22; I’d rather see him out on loan (he needs game time not having been able to reproduce his best form last season post-injury) than sold (and same goes for Mitchell if he’s not in the squad). Presumably Mitchell will be looked on as the new defensive leader and cornerstone, leaving Jones to work out the best combination for the other two slots.

Midfield remains decidedly unclear given the decimation from last season. Although McGrandles has added to the departures and Henry effectively too, Fraser and Taylor are still with us, as are Coventry and Anderson. We’ve added Berry and Docherty, we continue to look at Bishop it seems, while Campbell is still listed as a midfielder (and again is the only genuine winger we have). For the three starting places you assume Berry will take one, but which combination from the others is a much tougher call. You’d expect Coventry to be one, but nothing’s clear-cut and in this area it would be surprising if there were not more transfer activity.

For the forwards, let’s not mince words. Selling May has left us materially weaker, which is no reflection on Godden’s abilities. Very few players will score 20 or more goals in this division next season and May, barring injury, is highly likely to be one of them, especially as he has gone to a club everyone assumes will be challenging for promotion. The exact balance of factors behind his departure (relations with Jones, Jones’ assessment of his abilities, family pressures, money etc) is subjective, fact is we have lost a nailed on goalscorer (and when he was at his best last season he was irrepressible).

We now number Godden and Ahadme as the two major signings and the expected starting pair, plus Kanu, Aneke (when available) and Leaburn (when finally fit), plus Campbell if he is used in this position. Discount Leaburn for now, assume that Aneke will continue to be used for 60 minutes max, and you are down to three, possibly four, two of whom are new to the club and have yet to show they are a natural partnership (on paper it looks good) and one being converted from a winger (and on that front you’d say Campbell makes the grade for getting in behind if given space but has yet to show he has or can develop a poacher’s instinct inside the box). Like last season, you would say if all were available and match-fit we would be strong, but that’s a bit ‘if’.

It's not surprising that transfer activity has tailed off over the past couple of weeks, as Jones and the squad headed for Slovenia and a chance for people to bed in as well as get up to speed. You’d say the bulk of the changes have been made, but there’s still ample scope in midfield and up front for an addition or two, perhaps this time a loan signing to potentially add some quality.

If you had to pick a starting X1 right now (and not including trialists) I’d suggest: Mannion, Small, Ramsay, Gillesphey, Mitchell, Jones, Coventry, Berry, Dochety, Ahadme and Godden. Subs would presumably include Isted/Maynard-Brewer then a selection from Watson, Edun, Asiimwe, Ness, Mitchell, Anderson, Campbell, Kanu, Aneke.

As for whether such a line-up would be good enough for promotion, you’d need to be much more in tune with the multitudinous comings and goings at other clubs than me to draw any conclusions. It’s reasonable to say the (almost) unbeaten run we went on late last season sets the tone for what Jones wants, a team that is bloody difficult to beat. We’ve not been that for some years, so that is clearly an important step in the right direction. By the same token that run contained mostly draws, ie we were competitive but no more than that. Whether we can compensate for the loss of May’s goals depends on how the new front two hit it off, whether we can work out how to score from set pieces, and whether some of the midfielders can make a meaningful contribution.

Pretty obvious conclusions but areas which you can’t say we have made changes to clearly address. Birmingham are going to be everyone’s favourites to win the league, Rotherham you’d put money on being in the top six. The bookies seem to currently have us 7th favourite to get promoted (which implies just missing out on a play-off spot). That you’d say is fair as things stand, but with the potential for Jones to get more out of the team/squad than others, with his standardised style of play, and for a little more tweaking in the market to shorten our odds.

Are we going to be pretty? Wouldn’t bet on it, but that is secondary to success. And success has to be promotion, not a promotion challenge, not missing out in the play-offs. Not because we have any divine right, just because failure equates to another season in a division in which our club cannot thrive.

As a final aside, Rak-Sakyi’s goal against us for Palace in the latest curtain-raiser does raise an interesting question. Just how many recent Charlton Players of the Year might score against us this season? Of course May is next up, Dobson appearing for Wrexham could make it all of the last three. Then you have Forster-Caskey, at Stevenage, to make it four. Going back another year and you have a long shot, if Phillips can launch one into our net (or take a penalty) for Rotherham. Then it’s the ubiquitous Taylor, now at Colchester; we could of course draw them in some cup. The same applies to his predecessor Dasilva, now at Coventry, and going back another year Holmes, now at non-league Farnborough). More likely would be Cousins (we’re now back to 2015/16 PotY, also 2014/15 for that matter), now with Cambridge. I think we can draw the line there, given that the 2013/14 winner was Poyet, now assistant manager for the Greek national team.

U18s Fall Just Short

So, not to be for the U18s today, we fell short against a determined Birmingham team and weren’t able to close our season with a trophy. Whereas against Barnsley in the semi-final we were never behind, but were pegged back three times before pulling clear, today we were never ahead. We managed to level things up twice but not a third time, with Birmingham taking the lead early in extra time and seeing things out, despite going down to 10 for the second period of the extra 30 minutes, the game ending with most on the pitch (subs being the notable exceptions) barely able to stand let alone run.

On the balance of play and chances created, we were hard done-by. The man of the match for me was the Birmingham keeper, who pulled off a number of excellent saves and otherwise dealt capably with balls into the box. And while against Barnsley Mbick was simply impossible for them to handle and Casey bagged a brace, today Birmingham had a central defender able to match Mbick for physique, at least making it an even contest, while Casey cut a largely frustrated figure and was substituted with around 20 minutes of normal time left. Birmingham defended capably throughout – despite our pressure and chances we ended up scoring with a superb low strike from outside the box and a rather soft penalty as the defender clipped sub Fuller’s trailing leg. By contrast, their goals came as their effective main forward sprung an offside trap and chipped our keeper, as a break led to a guy being found in space inside the box with time to pick his spot, and with a sub getting through a couple of ineffective challenges and powering home.

The game overall probably turned on the moment when we’d levelled at 1-1 and almost went ahead, only for Birmingham to break forward and take the lead instead. We were back chasing the game and made substitutions relatively early. Birmingham made theirs late, which meant that when we went into extra time suddenly they were the fresher, livelier side. They took the lead again and seemed set fair to increase their lead, only for a late tackle on sub Rylah down the line to lead to a second yellow, which meant that in the final 15 minutes Birmingham were able to focus on just getting everyone behind the ball and clearing their lines.

It was a game that did credit to both clubs – which might be the first time in my life I’ve said something nice about Birmingham. They dug in very deep and, while they could have had no complaints if we’d emerged victorious, we have to doff our caps to them on the day.

Of course, after the semi-final and given their combined 87 goals this season (now 88 after Mbick converted the penalty), much of the interest for us was another opportunity to assess whether or not one or both of the prolific front two might be ready to play an important role for the first team in the season ahead, even to the extent of persuading Jones and the club that we don’t need to sign another forward. Asking a lot of course, but players that young have broken through before and both Mbick and Casey have been involved with the first team squad this season.

Nobody’s going to draw conclusions based on one game and decisions will be taken by people much more capable than me of assessing potential and stage of development.  All you can say is that we’re in the frustrating position of having a range of possibilities up front, some or all of which might come off, but can’t say we have options you can be confident will be sufficient to lead us into a promotion challenge.

Of course there’s May. We know if he stays fit and available, gets any sort of service, and he’s good for 20+ goals a season. I think the general assumption is that if a front two – or the combined contributions of all those who occupy the front two positions - scores 35 between them you are going to be in the running. It may be old fashioned for some, but that points to us needing a reliable partner for May who can contribute 10-15 goals, take the weight physically, in a ‘big man/little man’ partnership. (I am here assuming that May will not be sold and in this world ‘never say never’.)

As things stand we have available Aneke, Leaburn, Kanu, plus Mbick and Caskey. We have to assume that Aneke will have to be limited to the 30 minute cameo, we have no real idea how well Leaburn will return after a lengthy absence or indeed whether he will be a good foil for May, we’ve seen Kanu come on considerably last season without it looking like he would be a natural partner for Alfie, and surely we have to conclude that at this stage meaningful contributions from Mbick and/or Casey next season would be a very valuable bonus, not something we can rely on.

So I’m left thinking we do still need another forward, whether or not it’s Motherwell’s Bair. I confess I was slightly surprised that we didn’t make an offer to retain Wickham. For our situation he would seem to fit the bill. I remember that Sir Chris began our title-winning campaign with Hayes alongside Wright-Phillips. In that role, to accompany the prolific scorer, he wasn’t doing badly – but then up cropped Kermorgant and the rest is history. Now next season perhaps one of the players we have will come through in that fashion, we all hope so of course. But if we are serious about a promotion bid it’s too big a risk not to have a good enough, reliable option, from the start.

Now For The Reconstruction - Spine Needed

Now the curtain has been drawn, with the campaign concluded (no mentions in dispatches except for Dobson and May, plus Blackett-Taylor before he left), gongs awarded (and congrats to all the recipients, most obviously May), and now the details on who is for now retained and who released, before the horse-trading of the transfer window itself starts in June. And I think it’s fair to say that we have less idea about the likely composition of the squad come August than in any previous season in living memory.

Much will of course depend on the budget, but not so much how as regards the money made available for new signings but rather the extent to which the owners are prepared to carry the weight of players still under contract but not featuring in Jones’ plans and unable/unwilling to be moved on, bearing in mind financial fair play rules. We know Jones wants a smaller squad, as did those who went before him, and that he is at least inclined to avoid dependence on loan signings. What we don’t know is whether incomings and outgoings will need to be broadly balanced, or whether a slow pace of the latter will slow that of the former. What we do know is that many more changes are in store.

Taking each department in turn:

Goalkeeper. With Ward not retained and speculation that we will be targeting a new keeper, nothing is decided. Neither Isted nor Maynard-Brewer will look back on the past season with that much satisfaction and both will be wondering if someone new will be brought in to be Jones’ No.1. Isted has performed well enough in that role, without coming across as outstanding. He has another year on his contract (with an optional further year) and at 27 should be coming into his prime. Maynard-Brewer at 24 has time on his side (and a contract until 2026). If we spend money on a new first-choice keeper you would expect that to result in one of the two moving on. Maynard-Brewer might be ready to accept another year as back-up but surely not as a third-choice, Isted may not wish to stay as a back-up.

Conclusion: In my head the ideal set-up is a clear first-choice keeper in his prime, a second-choice (probably a bit younger) champing at the bit and ready to step up if injury, suspension or form demand, and a third-choice, probably a veteran, ready to accept playing little and being involved in coaching. Without Ward we don’t have the last of these and now we don’t know if Isted or Maynard-Brewer will be happy to stay if someone comes in above them. Isted doesn’t look comfortable in the air and has made errors, nor does he come across as able to command and direct the back line. He is nevertheless a decent keeper while Maynard-Brewer can develop if he gets the chance. So be it, but if Jones wants a new No.1 hopefully we have a target in mind and get this one resolved quickly.

Centre-back: With Hector and Thomas released, on the books now we have Jones, Gillesphey, Edmonds-Green, Ness (contract extended) and Mitchell (returning on loan). Hector and Thomas both leave with all good wishes, fact is the defence has failed collectively this season and simply couldn’t be revamped if they were kept on (Jones has another year on his contract while Gillesphey and Edmonds-Green were only signed in January).

Conclusion: We need a new leader to be the lynchpin in central defence, whether we play a back four or three/five. None of those retained have looked like they can step into that role. Ness had a disappointing season, set in the context of the promise he showed before getting injured late the previous one, Jones (strangely absent from the end of the season) seemed to suffer from mistakes made, Gillesphey has been strangely low-key so far, and Edmonds-Green looks like a valuable member of a three but not the leader. For me, it’s all down to the new signing and then fit the pieces around him.

Full-backs/wing-backs: With Chin the only real change to date, we have on the books Watson, Ramsay, Asiimwe, Edun and Small. Watson has (like Jones) not featured of late, Edun has generally been out of favour, while Asiimwe perhaps didn’t make the mark this season that I and others thought he would. He still has time on his hands. That all left Ramsay (despite injury) and newcomer Small as the players with the shirts.

Conclusion: Much of course depends on the formation. If we stick with a back five and wing-backs, all the signs are that Ramsay and Small will start the next season as first-choice. That’s tough on Watson (who did after all make a League One team of the season I saw based on match ratings) and certainly not what Edun would have been expecting when he signed from Blackburn. But if all four are happy to stay this is probably the one area which looks reasonably settled – and already probably good enough.

Midfield: If the defence has been set up for a revamp, the midfield is currently utter chaos. The wording of the club’s statement would seem to draw a line under Dobson (but never say never, perhaps they’re haggling over a price) and we have to assume he will not be with us. Of those involved in the squad at the end of the season, we now have just Coventry, Anderson and our only winger Campbell (with LuaLua not offered a new contract and Rylah still developing). Added to them are Fraser and McGrandles (returning - however reluctantly or temporarily – from loan), Henry also coming back, and there is the as yet unknown Taylor if he is fit. This assumes that none of the midfield loanees – Watson(L), Bakinson, Camara or Fiorini – are bought, with Payne and Jaiyesimi not offered new contracts.

Conclusion: All we can say for now is that Coventry will have to step up to be the fulcrum of a new midfield, one unfortunately it seems without Dobson. Anderson’s emergence was one of the few bright spots of the season, but what role he may play will presumably be down to who is brought in – and we clearly need a few. It is hard to imagine Fraser or McGrandles being happy (ie motivated) to stay and Taylor is just an unquantifiable factor. At least Jones has almost a blank sheet to create an effective unit.

Forwards: Options up front are equally impossible to qualify. Without Ladapo and Wickham, we have May, Leaburn, Kanu and Aneke, with Casey and Mbick capable it seems of forcing their way into contention.

Conclusion:  If we knew that Leaburn will be able to pick up where he left off and that Aneke can be relied on to continue to at least play the 30-min sub role, you might say that what we have could be pretty good, given that we can rely on May scoring goals. Fact is we can’t be sure on those two fronts. If we are going to be pushing for promotion we will need a new signing, a selected partner for May. Leaburn and Kanu are full of promise and hopefully will both have the blinding seasons we believe they are capable of. But if I was sitting down to put together a team for a promotion campaign I would want the forward we were looking for last season, the role which Tedic, Ladapo and Wickham were brought in to fill and which Aneke couldn’t provide regularly or for more than a part of a game. Someone who will lead the line, chip in 10-15 goals, to complement May’s 20+.

Overall Conclusion: If you talk about successful teams having a strong spine you have to conclude that right now we don’t have a spine at all. The keeper position is it seems up for grabs, the leader in central defence isn’t there, the mainstay of midfield (Coventry) is as yet us unproven, and while we trust in May he needs a reliable partner. For sure that underlines the extent of the rebuilding required if we are to compete at the top. Sir Chris did it with an almost completely new team, Jones by contrast has plenty of available players to fit in around a new spine. You might conclude that there are only perhaps four new signings needed, three if we stick with our current two keepers. Just that they need to be top quality, all to be in the category of the eight players capable of winning promotion and performing in the Championship.

Beaten At The Last

And so it finished. Objectives for the game read: win to finish the season in style; at least draw to keep the unbeaten run intact through to the end; hold on to 16th place in the league; and have May confirmed as the division’s leading scorer. Perhaps it was fitting that we secured just two of the four, perhaps even also that we couldn’t remain unbeaten, just so that there are no illusions about the size of the task ahead. Nathan Jones came in and saw us avoid relegation, job done. But unbeaten in 14 actually only returned 22 points (now 22 from 15), which extended over a full season wouldn’t get you into the play-offs. We end up in 16th place thanks to a second goal from Blackpool after another performance which ended up falling just short.

The team and squad contained modest surprises. Coventry was given a rest, put among the subs, while Gillesphey, Edun and Wickham dropped out of the starting X1 and the squad. In came Ness, with Edmunds-Green kept on the bench, Ramsay, Bakinson and Kanu. Still 3-5-2/5-3-2 but with different personnel, it remaining to be seen how Anderson and Bakinson would combine. Among the subs a spot was found for Fiorni. I think you would have got long odds on that before the game.

We went behind early on, in the 6th minute, with just another case of inadequate defending. We made a mess of clearing our lines and of keeping shape and when the ball was put back into the danger area Thomas – who had already over-elaborated and given the ball away in a dangerous position – made an ill-considered lunge from the side which felled their guy. About as clear a penalty as you can get and one confidently tucked away.

Through the remainder of the first half Wycombe seemed content to play within themselves, sitting on a lead, and quite frankly very seldom looked capable of adding to it. By the same token we struggled to get anything going where it mattered, with May and Kanu well controlled and nothing much coordinated from midfield. We did get some joy down the flanks, with Small prominent, delivering some decent balls in which were well defended. We probably should have equalised from a corner, with Thomas adding to his sins by failing to even get his head to the ball when it came his way in space unchallenged in the box, it coming off his shoulder.

You can add in a slightly clumsy challenge on Kanu inside the box, which was a long shot for a penalty, and a decent break which ended with Anderson opting to play a pass wide rather than take the shot. But bottom line was we had no efforts on target in the first half (and just four efforts in total), their keeper not tested at all.

Jones rang the changes at half-time, taking off Ness, Anderson and May, replacing them with Fiorini, Campbell and LuaLua, switching it seemed to a sort of 4-5-1. But before they had time to break sweat we were almost two down, with Isted saving a shot from a free kick and then the effort from the rebound when it looked as though their guy would score. Then it was out turn for a half-chance as a Campbell cross from the right required their keeper getting a touch before it could run through for Dobson at the far post. Isted saved another shot, Aneke came on for Kanu, then just after the hour it took a terrific Ramsay intervention to prevent their guy converting.

On 73 minutes I thought we should have had a penalty this time. Ramsay went on a storming run down the right and kept going into the area. Their defender came across and tackled late, getting nowhere near the ball and sending Ramsay over, although he tried to stay on his feet to get to the ball. It wasn’t stone cold, but confident it would have been given by VAR. And just after that we came within a whisker of equalising. Campbell was fouled, the free kick in a decent position outside the box and fairly central. Fiorini’s moment had come and he curled a beauty over the wall only for it to come crashing down off the bar with their keeper beaten.

That proved to be pretty much it. Wycombe in the remainder of the game did a good job of messing things up, disrupting play, defending well, feigning an injury when it suited – all the things to see out a game which we have failed to be able to do through the season. It became rather fractious (we ended up with six yellow cards, including one for Jones for expressing his dissatisfaction, to their two). There was really just one more chance for us, in the five minutes of stoppage time, as Aneke headed down in the box for Campbell, only for his fierce and possibly goalbound shot to be blocked.

There was no Jones post-match interview on CharltonTV but I’d imagine he was yet again disappointed by the result, felt we deserved something from the game. Like so many of late we might well have got more than we did, in a pretty even game of no clear-cut chances. The stats show we had nine efforts on goal to their 11, just one on target (I think there were two, if you include Campbell’s blocked shot) to their four. Isted was the keeper called on to make saves, they had a stonewall penalty, we had two shouts and none given. Fine margins as usual.

There will be time now to reflect. I don’t much care that our final position is our lowest for over 90 years. Every season in this division is a mark of failure and another failure if we don’t get promoted. We’re well aware both of what Jones has done since his arrival - for which he deserves all the plaudits (along with May, the only question being whether he has secured the Player of the Season award, to go with his League One Golden Boot trophy, with 100% of the votes) – and the size of the restructuring task ahead if we are to mount a serious promotion challenge next season.

To end on a positive note, it was confirmed on CharltonTV that live streaming of games will continue next season, “in some format”, for international subscribers, including myself. That is very welcome news, hopefully the format will be much as before.

CharltonTV, Long May It Continue

Thoughts of whether we end the season in 16th or 17th spot, of who stays and who goes, even whether Lyon Duchere will gain promotion (their chances took a tumble at the weekend with a 3-2 defeat against OL’s second string) will have to wait a little longer. There’s someone (some people?) I would like to meet.

Now understandably the club is promoting on the official site the streaming option for Saturday’s final game of the season. But the actual offers presented raised a chuckle from me. You have the annual subscription, more on that in a moment. Alternatively fans can watch the game live with “a live stream match pass, which is priced at £10”, or, I kid you not, “a monthly CharltonTV subscription, which is priced at £35 per month recurring and will allow fans to watch every regular 2023/24 league match live”. Err, so I can pay £35 for a month, to watch one remaining game, or £10 for … that game.

So I really want the club to name anyone who takes up the monthly option. Those people would deserve some sort of prize, although how it would be worded could be a sensitive matter. I would like to meet them, I could do with a laugh.

In the piece the club continues to make the offer of “an annual CharltonTV subscription”. OK, what’s the problem? I have one which auto renewed in late December. Trouble is I don’t think it is guaranteed that CharltonTV will be continuing next season.

Under the new EFL/Sky agreement, which comes into force for next season and runs until 2028/29, Sky says it will show live a minimum of 248 League One matches, with 10 EFL games to be shown each matchday weekend, five of which will be from the Championship (ie 5 from League One and League Two). On this basis Sky says supporters of League One and League Two teams will “now benefit from greater coverage than ever before”. Well, if you’re talking overall live coverage of the two divisions that may be correct; if you are talking access to the games of the club you support its BS – and the games shown live on Sky will be played outside the 14.45-17.15 period, ie not the normal start time.

Sky goes on to say that its new coverage will “effectively replace … the EFL’s domestic streaming option provided via iFollow and club streaming services”, adding that “domestic (ie UK) streaming audio services will remain alongside existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services”.

So, if I understand things correctly, if you are based in the UK (and aren’t circumventing rights issues with the use of VPN), your CharltonTV service comes to an end after tomorrow (if anyone’s based in the UK and just taken out an annual sub you qualify for an award as above). If, like me, you are based outside the UK, it would seem that Charlton, like other EFL clubs, has the option to continue to provide the streaming of games live – in our case along with the excellent pre- and post-match show.

However, I’ve not seen any confirmation of this from the club. I sent an email back in January to inquire as to whether CharltonTV would be continuing next season – and if not how the club would deal with unexpired subscription periods. It took a resend to elicit a rather bland, corporatist, non-committal reply that at that point in time the club was “awaiting confirmation on streaming rules for next season”. OK, those rules were I assume confirmed in early April, so it would be good to know what the club is planning. I would suggest that if CharltonTV were to come to a stop it is invidious of the club to now be publicising the option of an annual subscription to the service.

I’m not privy to the club’s thinking on CharltonTV, or the finances of the service, ie the extent to which current subscriptions cover costs, or projections if the services were to continue and be available only for non-UK subscribers. Again, I think it’s reasonable to expect confirmation from the club whether or not the service will continue next season for International Addicks as currently provided, whether there will be a pared back service, and how much it is planned to charge for the service with no UK-based users.

To that I’d add that CharltonTV provides a massively important link to the club for us living abroad. Sky’s infrequent and probably impersonal service will provide no substitute. And beyond my personal interest there is the whole issue of the extent to which the club wishes to embrace and interact with its international supporters, for mutual benefit. It is appreciated that the club’s key focus has to be getting more fans back into The Valley, but ignoring the international fan base would, I believe, be short-sighted. These Addicks – I am a member of the International Addicks fan group – are a committed bunch (in every sense of the word, as all who have encountered the German Addicks in particular will testify) ready and willing to do what they can to help promote the club all over the world. The CATV streaming service is an irreplaceable lifeline for them, essential if they are to help increase an international fan base in the years ahead.

Also, let’s not forget, CharltonTV is bloody good. Steve Brown and Curbs, plus Scott Minto and others, come close to making bloggers redundant with the quality of their analysis. No doubt the number of EFL clubs providing a streaming service for its overseas fans will be reduced by the EFL/Sky deal. Retaining the service will only enhance the reputation of Charlton within the game.

Perhaps with the coverage tomorrow the CharltonTV team will indicate if it’s ‘see you again next season’ or ‘adieu’.

Campaign All But Done But Duchere Still In The Hunt

So, when they come to write the next volume in the history of Charlton Athletic, what will Saturday’s game be remembered for? Wickham’s first goal for the club (first of many or one and only?), the one that marked formal confirmation that we have avoided relegation, the unbeaten run being extended to 13 (only two more to have it last until the end of the season), for yet another bloody draw, or for the extension of another sequence which seems to have been going on a while, namely games after which Jones expressed his frustration at not having won? Probably all and none of the above.

Sure, we might have won it, another game in which we outdid the opposition on attempts on goal and an inch the other way and May’s one off the post would probably have been the winner. Having taken the lead we were dominant in the first half, even if the pitch and conditions worked against anyone playing football. However, I really couldn’t begrudge Cambridge their point. They dug deep in the second half to get something out of the game and probably had the better of things in that period, without carrying much of a threat, aside from the confusion caused by long throws into the box. Their goal was disappointing from our perspective, but then the reverse also applied – Wickham did exceptionally well but their centre-backs left him to do what he did unchallenged. Ultimately we didn’t do enough well enough in either box to win the game, a familiar story.

The game ultimately left me feeling that it really is time to draw a veil over this season. The record books will show us ending in the lower half of the third flight and another season of disappointment. I suspect that the stats freaks among us will question how many clubs have a season which includes a winless run of 18 games followed by 13 (perhaps up to 15) unbeaten? The rest of us will remember it as a campaign which saw us never truly threaten to secure a top-six finish and which included a disastrous period which saw us come closer to relegation to the fourth division than ever before in our lifetimes. Of course, we all fervently hope it will also be remembered as the watershed which prompted the arrival of Jones at the club and the start of the period of glorious revival and unparalleled success.

Rather than going over the details of another mid-table game I thought it was appropriate to give a quick update on French football matters, ie the contest for promotion from National 3 involving my adopted team, Lyon Duchere. The last update was after the 17th round of the 26-round campaign, with Duchere then in second place, two points behind near neighbours Saint-Priest, following a 2-2 draw between the two. Since then Duchere have beaten comfortably St Etienne’s second string 3-1, but then came unstuck, losing 2-3 away at Chassieu Decines. They were back on track with a 3-0 home win over US Feurs, a 2-1 victory away at FC Espaly, and a 3-0 win over Limonest Dardilly. Over the same period Saint-Priest were held to a 2-2 away at lowly Ain Sud, beat Chambery Savoie 1-0 at home, but then surprisingly lost 1-2 to Clermont Foot reserves. They followed this with a 2-0 win at Olympique de Valence and a 2-1 victory over Vaulx en Velin.

The upshot of all this is that the pair are still locked together at the top, both on 46 points from 22 games, with four to play. I confess I’m not sure why, but the sites of both Duchere and Saint-Priest show Duchere in the top spot, despite a goal difference of 15 against one of 23 for Saint-Priest. With only one to go up, it is the time that Alex Ferguson used to refer to. Indeed, the next round of games is going to centre on Lyon, with Duchere to take on Olympique Lyonnais’ second string while Saint-Priest will host Haut-Lyonnais.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on developments on that front, although this weekend I will be at The Valley! Planned a trip to take in the final home game of the season, more I confess for the ambience and company than in anticipation of a footballing classic. Hopefully we will enjoy a decent game and emerge unbeaten again, a few goals wouldn’t come amiss. But I suspect like most others the main theme of the debate will be who should stay and who should go – and what players we need to bring in. I am sure that during the glasses of wine before and after the game, then the obligatory curry, deep and meaningful conclusions will be drawn.

Run Continues As Spoils Are Shared

Wrong of course to suggest that nothing was riding on tonight’s game, but there wasn’t much. Another victory and if followed by Port Vale losing we would be mathematically safe, keep the unbeaten run going, finish as high as possible, help May stay top of the goalscoring chart. All worthy objectives but in the greater scheme of things the pressure was off. And in that context coming away with a point was not unacceptable, especially given that we were ahead curtesy of a joke goal, one that quite obviously should not have been awarded, and after conceding two rather sloppy goals had to come from behind to share the spoils. On chances we finished well ahead, Wigan scoring twice from three attempts on target, but you don’t get points for that.

With Jones (the player) and Wickham apparently available for selection, there was interest in whether Jones (the manager) would indulge in a little tinkering or try to keep the pressure on to secure as high a finish in the league as possible. In the event there was only one change to the starting line-up, with Watson returning and Ramsay moving to the bench. Wickham joined him there, with Edmunds-Green and Ladapo left out of the squad. As on Saturday, this left us looking light on defensive cover (we finished the Barnsley game with Anderson filling in at wing-back), with two replacement forwards (Wickham and Aneke) and two wingers (Campbell and LuaLua) for a team employing wing-backs. I can’t pretend to understand it but presumably there was a plan.

The easing of pressure seemed to be reflected in a drab first half, one in which neither side registered an attempt on target (we did score of course). Jones after the match seemed to be pleased with the effort put in, but beyond the hustle and bustle nothing much was created at either end. Early on May was unable to collect a Watson header back across goal and Kanu saw his effort blocked, although straight from that Wigan had their most dangerous moment as their tricky wide guy Godo, on loan from Fulham, surprised the much bigger Small by getting around him and almost coverting.

Our ‘goal’ came on 18 minutes, A bit of ping-pong saw Gillsephey send it back long. Their defender seemed to have it covered but was backpeddling. May was never going to get there and as their guy shaped to hook clear pulled him over. Off balance his slice sent the ball looping over the keeper’s head and into the net on the bounce. The club website talked of May putting their guy ‘under pressure’. OK, we are pleased, we take the break, reminded me of Washington, who often used to challenge on the edge for balls he had no chance of winning, leaving it up to the ref to decide. But quite frankly it was ridiculous how the officials did not award Wigan a free-kick.

After that May played in Dobson, who shot into the side-netting from the left side, Hector picked up a yellow for protesting too much, Watson pulled up injured and was replaced by Ramsay, Dobson late on found Anderson but he couldn’t get his shot away, and right at the end Wigan gave the ball away only for May’s shot to be diverted and Small not able to convert.

So at the break we were ahead on points and ahead in reality thanks to the officials. Early in the second half we had the chances to make the game probably safe but Small’s shot was saved and Dobson’s was deflected onto the post. Instead we went on to concede two goals in four minutes to find ourselves behind. Their guy’s shot was saved by Isted, the follow-up blocked, but the ball then running for another to slot home; and not long after one of theirs was played through the middle and Gillesphey arriving late was only able to deflect his shot past Isted.

That prompted a triple substitution, with Aneke, Campbell and LuaLua introduced for Gillesphey, May and Kanu, thereby making a nonsense of my pre-match thought that there was no point having both Campbell and LuaLua on the bench as there was no way both would be used. Seems we reverted to a kind of 4-3-3. And the remainder of the game was largely about whether we could equalise and even go on and win. We did manage the first, with Aneke heading home from close range, and had chances after that, after another switch as Wickham came on for Anderson. But seven minutes of stoppage time failed to deliver a decider and both teams left the pitch if not over the moon then at least not in despair.

It means mathematically we need another five points to be certain of staying up, although that would drop to three or two if Port Vale fail to win at Peterborough tonight. And in reality we are safe. Three more unbeaten, taking that run to 15 games, would be a nice way to finish the season. The season itself will go down as a poor failure overall, but one which fell into three stages: the first, through to end-November, when we were in sight of the play-off places but with injuries taking a heavy toll needed more bodies if we were to challenge; the second saw us slump through December and January and into February, with the extensive changes in the transfer window intensifying the chaos as we slid towards the relegation spots, culminating in the defeat at Reading; and the third as Jones took charge and imposed a new style of play, one which has kept us up. For him the season is mission accomplished; but next season’s mission will be very different.