Excitement builds as a tough season gets under way

It seems to have come up more quickly than some of us anticipated, but today Charlton face Watford at The Valley in the first of their Championship games in the new season.   CAS Trust has some fun with the turnover of Watford managers: https://www.castrust.org/2025/08/watford-in-new-manager-shock/

Many moons ago Murray mints said that the Championship was in effect a Premier League Division Two.  That is even more so today with parachute payments providing further funding for what are already big clubs.   It's going to be tough and Charlton fans will need to display a patience for which they are not noted.  

If there is one word I would use to describe last year's successful side it would be 'resilience'.   My view is that the key matches in a season are often away matches midweek.   That was the case last season at Mansfield.   They are not a great side, but they are tough to beat on their own patch, not least in wintry conditions.   When we won there, I thought that we might be in with a chance of promotion.

Unlike the barmy Belgian, the board have spent sensibly to try and stay in the division.  No, they didn't enter the Izak bidding war, but they have made some realistic acquisitions with potential.   The criticism of their strategy is obvious, and has been made by the 'experts' conjured up by The New York Times, but needs must.

The new side needs to gel and there are some tricky selection decisions.   The Sparrows Lane treatment table is already occupied, with Matty Godden having undergone a 'procedure' on his knee.

As for today's opponents, Four Four Two has them finishing 15th.    We should be able to beat them and it would be a great start to the season, but a draw is more likely.