Pessimism, negativity and complaining about your own team is a characteristic of football supports generally who tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full. One suspects that it is a means of releasing other frustrations in their lives.
Charlton fans have something of a media reputation for being a particularly despairing lot, perhaps not so suprising given the club's history on the pitch, although the positive energy surrounding the Back to the Valley campaign showed another side of the coin.
However, I had been wondering how a negative narrative could be constructed around our present position. I suppose one could argue that if we hadn't drawn at home with Tranmere and lost at Stevenage we would be six points clear.
Pessimists have come up with the argument that just because we are first now doesn't mean we will be at the end of the season. Incontrivertibly true, of course. They go on to argue that we can't feel confident until we are mathematically certain of promotion.
Nothing is certain in a long season and there is tough competition in the shape of Huddersfield and the two Sheffield clubs. We tend to have difficulty coping with physical sides who play negative football, not helped by officials failing to act on blatant time wasting.
Nevertheless, here are a few reasons for optimism. Bradley Wright-Phillips is a goal scoring machine (pessimists would point out that he could get injured or snapped up in the January transfer window). Kermorgant has added value to the side, showing that Chris Powell can see beyond a poor penalty. The midfield is not perfect but a lot better than it was last season. Rhoys Wiggins is a real discovery and my player of the year so far. Our central defence looks more solid than it has been since the days of Richard Rufus and Jorge Costa.
And it's mild for November, saving on all those heating bills.
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