Charlton look like a 'third tier cloub'

One expects Millwall fan Rod Liddle to be regularly disobliging about Charlton in his Sunday Times column.   Apart from anything else, his stock in trade (he also writes for the Spectator) is starting an argument in an empty room. 

Liddle starts by reasonably questioning Birmingham City's expectations of an immediate return to the second tier and hits the nail amusingly on the head about Peterborough by describing them as 'Peterborough United (who exist as a club solely to compete between the top six of tier three and the bottom six of tier two).'

However, Liddle is soon back to the Millwall of the Midlands, noting that 'The eye-catching, if wholly predictable, capture, however, was Alfie May, sprung from Charlton Athletic for about £900,000 and arguably cheap at the price, despite his advancing age. May, 31 last month, scored 23 goals from 43 games for Charlton last time out and won the League One Golden Boot — a remarkable achievement considering that one or another of Charlton’s procession of inept managers, I forget which one, played him out on the wing half the time.

Poor Charlton is the second question on the agenda, seeing as they are installed as one of the favourites for promotion and are the second-biggest spenders. Charlton dragged themselves away from what looked like probable relegation with some panache last season and the fans have rather taken to the manager, Nathan Jones. But May and the talented Corey Blackett-Taylor scored about half of their goals last season and both have gone, Blackett-Taylor to the newly promoted Derby County.

The new owners have spent a little, bringing in Matty Godden, from Coventry City, for an undisclosed fee, and the Moroccan Gassan Ahadme from Ipswich Town, for about a million quid. Godden has been reliable enough for Coventry, averaging about a goal every three games, while Ahadme — properly a second striker — banged in 11 while on loan at Cambridge United last season.

This will be Charlton’s fifth consecutive season in League One and their 11th out of the past 16. Much as I hate to say it as a Millwall fan, obviously, they are beginning to look like a tier three club and the attendances have gradually fallen away.'  (Transfermarkt says they up marginally from 13,436 to 13,481).

Personally, I have some faith in Jones and the new owners, although I accept that not everyone does.