Charlton a under 23 side

Charlton are basically fielding an under 23 side at the moment says Lewis Page. He is full of praise for debutante Goerge Lapslie, but clearly implies that the situation is not viable: Reinforcements needed

Bitter blow for Charlton

A Sunderland goal in the sixth minute of injury time saw a battling Charlton side defeated 2-1 by Sunderland today.

The Addicks had gone ahead with a Taylor penalty on 10 minutes. After being in charge in the first half, they were under the cosh in the second.

Despite the result, Lee Bowyer was impressed by the performance of his weakened squad: Late heartbreak

Forster-Caskey injured

Reports are coming from a variety o sources, including the authoritative Roker Reports, that key midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey has been injured and will not play in front of the Sky cameras at Sunderland today. It is feared that the injury is a long-term one.

I cannot remember such a bad injury crisis at the start of a season. If you are going up to Sunderland, take your boots.

Austerity regime at Sparrows Lane

Bottled water is being rationed at Sparrows Lane and the air conditioning is barely on. The Independent takes an in depth look at the plight of Charlton and the challenges facing Lee Bowyer: Charlton

It's a tough opening game says Sunderland supremo

In his press conference today, Sunderland manager Jack Ross was asked about Charlton: 'Well, I think first of all, it’s a really tough opening game for us when you look at the teams that filled the top positions in the table last year, it’s a team that obviously reached the playoffs and a big club as well. Probably that has went through some sort of turbulent period in recent times and they’ve also had injuries to contend with during pre-season.'

'So, there’s a little bit of synergy between the two clubs in that respect, the one difference being that they obviously enjoyed a relatively successful period season last year and we didn’t. So, I think it’s a tough game for us and I would imagine that they’re a club who believe that they will challenge again in those automatic or playoff spots.'

'Aside from that, we’re quite thorough in our work and our preparation in terms of dealing with the opposition and that’s been new for me because normally when I’m doing that I’ve been very familiar with the players I’m looking at. So, I’ve had to educate myself in that respect, but we’ve worked hard to be as well prepared as we can, not just for this game but for every game moving forward.'

Of course, much of this is just expectations management and getting your excuses in first. He needs to motivate his squad by telling them they are up against tough opposition.

Holmes takes a step down

Former Addick Ricky Holmes has failed to impress at Sheffield United so he has taken a step down and gone on loan to Oxford United where he will join his former supremo 'Gobby': Loan deal

One Charlton fan asked, 'Does Robinson sign anyone he hasn't worked with at one of his old clubs?'

It's still happy Valley for Bowyer

Despite long hours, no permanent position and the uncertainty surrounding the club it's still a happy Valley for Lee Bowyer: Happy Valley

One fan commented, 'He's hardly likely to say otherwise, not if he wants to keep his job.'

Bowyer is using 'old school' training methods to get his players fit and is optimistic about the season ahead. I am glad someone is.