Club at crossroads

 Happy New Year to all Addicks

Charlton's chances of making the play offs are fast disappearing over the horizon as another season of mid-table mediocrity looms.  Soon the 'we'll be playing in League Two next season' crowd will be out.  However, I think there is enough in the squad to avoid regulation, plus there are at least four teams that are actually worse.

The loyalty of fans is being strained, however, although as Peter Varney pointed out the other day, we still have an excellent away following.

The manager's tactics are open to question, as the Chicago Addick has argued, but the real problem is the lack of quality in depth in the squad.  Without resolving that, changing the manager will achieve nothing and no one of real calibre is likely to be attracted to a mid-table League One club.

It is difficult to work out what the strategy of the owners is.   The late lamented Dave from Drinking During the Game devoted analytical effort to trying to work it out but was unable to come up with an answer he found satisfactory.

The rational strategy would be to 'fatten the calf', get us into the Championship and hope that some wealthy individual saw it as an economical way to get into the Premier League.   However, it is a narrow path to success with steep drops on either side.   Moreover, little in football is rational.

We need decisive action in the January transfer window, albeit it is a difficult window in which to secure value.   Whether we will get it remains to be seen, but without it the outlook is bleak.

My health is stabilised, so I hope I will be able to make it to The Vallwy when the weather improves.