Humiliation Averted

So, the evening wasn’t entirely wasted. We got to see the goals from the Youth Cup at half-time and humiliation was eventually avoided. As an anniversary present for Sir Chris it wasn’t what he would have wanted, it wasn’t what we really wanted (the performance and the prospect of a replay), and with Bournemouth apparently winning tonight the outcome isn’t what my French partner Suzanne will have wanted (stupidly I exchanged a freebie voucher for that game as she is in London for the weekend but soon realised that both we and Bournemouth would need to lose for her to get to use it). But at least after a miserable first-half we managed to apply some pressure and avoid defeat, almost winning it towards the end.

In the event the pitch looked ragged and heavy but was perfectly playable (and for the record I’d add my apologies to all the others to the Barnsley fans – and Addicks who had to travel further than I did - regarding Saturday’s fiasco). The team selected for the night had to balance the demands of a tough trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday and the need to pay at least lip-service to the FA Cup. Hamer got the nod in goal (just what the loan signing of Thuram-Ulien means for him and Alnwick of course remains to be seen), Wilson and Wiggins the full-backs, Morrison and Wood in central defence, Jackson and Cousins central midfield, Kermorgant and Church up front, with Pritchard and Cook being selected for the wider positions. A mix but looked strong enough on paper.

However, selection can mean less than application and preparation and, in front of a meagre crowd (despite the restrictions there were plenty of seats available), we made what many will feel was a predictable start. It doesn’t take much for things to go against you when you’re not truly up for it, especially when the opposition are and the ref’s a bit slow. An indifferent opening spell turned into a poor one as the ref failed to spot a blatant shove in the build-up, one of a number of craftily foul challenges by Oxford that the officials seemed oblivious to, which resulted in a corner and one of those goalmouth nightmares that sees a bit of a scramble and a bit of a shot take a wicked deflection off Morrison to leave Hamer stranded.

Not long after and Cousins was caught dawdling on the ball and their guy played it into the path of another who took it on and beat Hamer. 0-2 and a debacle was becoming a possibility. It could have been worse before the break as one of theirs shot over from a good position, while all we had offered was a good run by Wilson into space and a dangerous cross not converted, plus a late penalty appeal followed by our first shot in anger after 42 minutes. Basically we hadn’t troubled Oxford as nothing was happening to pull them out of position, everything was too one-paced and predictable, with the honourable exception being the work done by Cook.

There were no changes at the break, presumably on the grounds that singling out up to three would have been unfair and to make them go out again and do better. With Oxford having had the break to think about it, and causing us fewer problems, we did start to look as though we could make something happen. And when we did it was quite simple. Corner, near post run by Morrison and neat header in.

That raised the crowd and the team and thereafter we were the more likely, even if it was to require a good turn around the post by Hamer to prevent them getting a third. Pritchard, who has struggled to have an impact, was replaced by Green, whose ability to cross the ball was to make a material difference. One ball in from the right saw Jackson get in a decent header which went just wide of the post. I’d like to find the words to describe our equaliser, but if truth be told after that near miss I decided it was time to take a quick break for a Jimmie and missed it all. Apparently it was a ball in from Green and something of a scissor-kick from Kermorgant, a beauty but I’ll have to take others’ word for it.

The chance to win it at the death came as Harriott – who along with Pigott had replaced Cook and Church - rose at the far post to get the header in only for it to hit their defender close to the line in the face. Five minutes of stoppage time failed to head off an unwanted replay.

Let’s leave it at that. It was no game to welcome in Monsieur Duchatelet and his people, no game to celebrate Sir Chris’ tenure, and no game to linger in the memory. Oxford, despite a fair amount of questionable tackling, deserved to get something out of it for their first-half efforts and hopefully to reward their fans who made the delayed journey. Let’s just hope that the dome gets back on the pitch quickly as the rain is coming down again and that on Saturday we get back to the serious business.

Duchatelet Statement Positives

I was just getting ready to ramble on about the game tomorrow (we know that, barring a last-minute deluge, it’s on and I hope there’s a bumper crowd ready to provide a warm welcome to Monsieur Duchatelet whether or not he’s there in person), about transfer rumours, and/or about life in general (including just why was I at the ground to use a season ticket voucher to get a ticket for the Bournemouth game for my French partner Suzanne, even though she tried to poison me over the holiday period). There was a danger of a bit of negativity, based not least around some of the rumours, but have just seen the statement released on the club site and, reading between the lines, what it contains is undoubtedly positive.

So the statement related to key concerns first (sorry, the poisoning attempt may have to wait). Number one, Duchatelet refers to Charlton having “a rich history, a cherished stadium ….” It is indeed a cherished stadium and if describing it as such is indicative of no plans to turn it into affordable housing that’s a real thumbs-up.

Number two, he says he’s having regular discussions with Chris Powell “about his plans for the rest of the season …”. That’s not quite along the lines of ‘Sir Chris is one of the finest young managers in the country and I would be daft to consider making a change, I want to tie him up on a new contract’ but here too it’s a positive statement. At the least it suggests no preconceived ideas about any managerial change.

Duchatelet confirms that Richard Murray “will act as the spokesperson for the board” (just as Powell will “represent the first team”). That at least suggests that Murray will be more than a figurehead. There is another board member announced, Katrien Meire, who according to the statement “will be working at The Valley from now on”. That will have sent us all off scrambling to Wikopedia, where she is described as ‘legal and international relations manager at Standard Liege’. Presumably no more. One potentially murky element is the fact that the search seems to reveal that she is also an agent for players, including (if this is the same person) Belgium’s newest starlet Michy Batshuayi (the report was about whether Arsenal had made a bid for him; back off Gooners, he might be ours now ….).

The statement concludes that “we will do our best to make sure that there are many more reasons to be proud to be associated with the club in the years to come”. Amen to that. So as an introduction, I’d see the sentiments expressed as all-round positive. The title of this post might have been ‘silence isn’t always golden’ and there’s no need for that now. Over to the team (and us) to deliver the victory tomorrow that would mean a great deal all round, for morale and for the basic implications for our league position.

So why was I concerned? Well, it’s fair to assume that our new owner, our manager (and his staff), the players, the fans, and all right-thinking members of the human race have a common goal in ensuring that this season does not end in relegation. The takeover increases the chances of that, as has a four-game unbeaten run over the holiday season (albeit with only one win and with a poor performance against Sheff Wed). But we are still in a position where it could go pear-shaped. After all, three teams will go down and there’s a long way to go.

For me, our major asset in this situation is the character and determination that the players and management have demonstrated through the past two seasons. Every club says there’s a good spirit in the dressing room, but often this is bs. The only evidence of a good spirit is the way the team performs, not in terms of quality but in terms of togetherness. I don’t think anyone can doubt us on that front of late. Leading on from this, the spine of our team has been Hamer, Morrison, Jackson and Kermorgant (which is not in any way meant to belittle the contributions of others, most obviously Solly and Wiggins but many others).

Now in the past couple of days we’ve seen confirmation that Stewart has joined Leeds and that Obika has gone out to Brighton. Stewart may not be the finished article but if put into a good team he may well shine (I will gloss over whether I think Leeds are a good team); with the exception of the last time I saw him (Sheff Wed, when he had a mare) it seemed to me he applied himself well and made a valuable contribution. Good luck to him. Obika would have been welcome back again, but it’s not to be. We’ve also seen speculation regarding Morrison and Stephens and have concerns about other saleable assets (Solly, Kermorgant).

Of course all teams change, but ask me what would be likely to scupper our prospects for this season and it would be upsetting the dressing room. Hamer got injured and lost his place to Alnwick. Since coming in, I haven’t seen him put a foot wrong (I do regard distribution of the ball as low down on the priority list for a goalkeeper). Now Hamer, if he’s really fit again, might well accept that there’s no case for him replacing Alnwick, unless and until the latter loses form or gets injured. Equally, Pope may well accept that with plenty of time on his hands being number three is fair enough. But I would expect all three to be heartily hacked off if one of the early post-takeover moves was to bring in another goalkeeper. Now Yohann Thuram-Ulien may well be a fine keeper, I hope he has a splendid career. I may even hope he ends up with us one day. But this isn’t it. It’s not that we don’t need another goalkeeper, it’s that bringing one in, especially one that might expect to come in as first choice, would be decidedly counter-productive.

I honestly don’t know if we’ve brought in Thuram-Ulien or not. The reports/blog posts yesterday suggested we had, but there’s been no confirmation from the club. The piece on the ‘agreed’ loan deal published on Get French Football News was clearly written by either a moron or a lazy journalist who can’t be bothered to check his facts. Commenting that we have “one of the worst” defensive records in the league is just wrong. Eight teams have conceded more than us, which puts us at the bottom end of the middle third. Not outstanding, but when set against the fact that only three teams have scored fewer than us, as others have pointed out, our priorities are midfield and up front. With Hamer/Alnwick, Solly/Wilson, Wiggins/Evina, Morrison plus Wood, Dervite and (hopefully before long) Cort, we are covered and have more than enough quality to leave well alone.

I find it hard to believe that Sir Chris would have made another keeper a priority, which in turn might suggest that if Thuram-Ulien does come on board he isn’t deciding on who we need/don’t need (again, Duchatelet’s statement does provide some reassurance on that front). With Stewart departing, bringing in Ajdarevic does have obvious rationale (although I’ve no idea whether he’s match-fit or indeed what he feels to be his best position). Beyond that, getting Morrison (who with apologies to Solly got my vote for player of the year last season and would get it for this if the vote was held now) nailed down on new contract would seem to me to be a real priority. Make him happy, keep the keepers happy, reassure Kermit that the club is back on track and, along with Jackson, we have the spine in place to build around. The alternative scenario would see to me to be obvious and clearly unappealing.

So, onwards and upwards, starting tomorrow. Blimey, if the good run continues I might even hold out the hope to Suzanne that she could see us win when she comes along to the Bournemouth game, having this season assured her that the points were in the bag against Millwall, Leeds and Sheff Wed. Perhaps there lies the reason for the poisoning attempt. You see, it might be a splendid tradition to put a sixpence in the Christmas pudding, but putting a brass weight, one caked in months of accumulated fat and grime (who actually needs a set of scales?), into a tart au praline and handing the piece to your partner has to be questionable. If the teeth didn’t go, at best it would have sat in my stomach for years to come, setting off every airport security check; at worst … well, I’m no doctor. Perhaps by the time she arrives for the Bournemouth game we will have a full squad of French/Belgian players. That might appease her, were it not for the fact that she’s not especially enamoured with French men at the moment, due to the (alleged) activities of her president. Sometimes I just can’t win (he is male, so I get the rap).

Looking Forwards; And Backwards

You hope for a number of things in any meaningful cup draw, especially as they’ve been thin on the ground for us in recent years. A good test against top-flight opposition (Fulham away was fun, despite the result), something decidedly money-spinning, or a pairing that offers a good chance of progressing and getting the dosh and/or glory further down the line. To be pulled out of the hat to travel to Huddersfield, a team we lost to tamely at home in the FA Cup third round last season and who have already this season put us out of the Capital One Cup (and who beat us on their patch in the league) clearly doesn’t press any of these buttons, even if we do eventually progress by beating Oxford (who of course we also played against in the Capital Cup this season), whenever the match takes place.

The only good thing that can be said about the draw is that if we get past Oxford and/or Bournemouth progress against Burton Albion, the scheduled game at home against Bournemouth will have to be rescheduled. That might offer the opportunity for a decent stretch of time between games at The Valley; if we do play Oxford during the week ahead and the home game against Barnsley goes ahead, the next match at home (barring of course a cup replay) would seem to be Birmingham on 8 February. It was pleasing to see the club release a fuller statement on the nature of the drainage problems and clearly even a few weeks with no matches played on the surface can’t cure the underlying problems. But it might allow some short-term planning without interruptions regarding what can be done.

Absent that, for the foreseeable future we live with the surface and I’d suggest trying to make it a positive. We know what the conditions are like, teams coming down will be aware of them but won’t be used to them. I’m not suggesting that necessarily we go out-and-out long ball, but surely, with the pitch the same for both teams, we can give some thought to how we turn this to possible advantage rather than just concluding that at best a difficult pitch will hamper our fight to move away from the relegation zone.

Of course, if the Oxford game is further put back, we may have to wait in the event that Roland Duchatelet has any desire to make a formal introduction to the fans, to give some outline of his plans and expectations. If the Barnsley game also falls foul of the weather/pitch, he could end up with a few unused Eurostar tickets and, as above, it could be well into February before he might be introduced to us. If that’s the case, it would be good to get some prior indications. The clearest of these remains extending Sir Chris’ contract (he, being the guy he is, might say the players’ deals come first, but the stability and reassurance we are looking for rests on no change of manager).

As others have commented, at the least ahead of a clarification of plans and the motivation for buying us Duchatelet is entitled to a warm welcome, something more than just giving him the benefit of the doubt. The stage had been reached whereby a change of ownership was if not necessary then clearly desirable, given the previous owners’ reluctance/inability to provide the financing necessary to ensure we progress (which obviously in the first instance means no relegation). As yet we know very little about the guy and why he has been buying up football clubs across Europe, but the decision to retain Richard Murray, as non-exec chairman, is welcome (whether some role was the quid pro quo for him not retaining a stake in the club, as he was reported to have wanted, will have to remain idle speculation). He will be judged on his actions, beginning with Sir Chris.

If there’s another positive for me from reading between the lines, it’s that Duchatelet’s creation of a mini-network of European clubs would suggest that the purchase of Charlton isn’t indicative of someone intent on a single project (ranging from asset stripping/property development all the way down to having a plaything). It’s reasonable to assume that he won’t be able to devote all his time and energy on us, suggesting the appointment of someone to do the day-to-day stuff. We want him to fall in love with us (who could fail to?), obviously we want some of his money, and we want him to leave footballing matters to those who truly know the game.

As for the Jiminez/Slater legacy positive or negative issue, it’s always going to be a mixed record. The initial investments, the appointment of Sir Chris (and that of Paul Hart), and the simple basic comparison of where we were when they bought us and where we are now do lend support to Slater’s claim that “in every important respect we leave the club in a far better state than when we took over three years ago”. They didn’t asset-strip, they didn’t move us away from The Valley, and they had a plan based on progression and development, one that they proved unable to see through. We were never a plaything for them. Nobody can know what might have happened if they hadn’t come along, even if it’s reasonable to assume that another buyer for the club would have been found sooner or later.

Against this, the ridiculous lack of communication (which started with the secrecy which surrounded who was actually involved in the takeover) and important statements which depending on interpretation were either misleading or economical with the truth, plus the treatment of certain figures at the club, weigh against them. In his Huff Post, Jiminez states that when they took over “the club was also just days away from slipping into administration”. Set this alongside Slater’s comment in the programme for the match against Swindon at the start of 2011, when paying tribute to Murray, that “he saved the club from almost certain administration (the previous summer) while he sought new investment”. So, just how long did we spend just ‘days away’ from administration and why would Murray, having done the necessary to avoid administration in the summer, would have been days away from a similar fate just a few months later? All of which brings me back to the still unanswered question (for me at least) of just who was going to put us into administration?

Early this season Slater’s rejection of the Voice of the Valley claims about a sale document having been put together and circulated sounded hollow at the time. Perhaps those denials are behind Jiminez commenting in his post that “our position at the club has been the subject of huge speculation over the last few months” (ie subsequent to the denials that the owners were looking to sell up). And his claim at a recent supporters’ meeting (going on reports, I wasn’t there) that the five-year development plan was still on track now appears simply laughable. Slater was always personable and entertaining, but we knew he wasn’t calling the shots when it came to finances. In that Swindon programme statement he said that “we will always live within our means”. A laudable ambition, but did they think that promotion to the Championship would enable an end to losses? If the owners’ ability/willingness to continue to fund our losses had come to an end, what was wrong with saying so?

With honesty, openness and fair treatment of those who may have criticised their actions the legacy would have been very clearly positive. It’s not often we say something positive about Palace, but the way that their chairman went on radio after the departure of Holloway and spoke well, openly and honestly, about the situation that had developed and the outcome stood in stark contrast to the way things were running for us. I hope that changes with the new owner. We may be de facto stakeholders in the club by virtue of the role that fans play at any club, but we’re also happy suckers in that all we really want is for Charlton to thrive.

The criticisms of the former owners in turn cast some doubt over any other statements, such as Slater’s that in Duchatelet “we believe we have found an investor with extensive knowledge of football”; indeed, talkSPORT’s ‘man in Belgium’, Rudy Nuyens has commented that “everybody that has worked with him says he might be a big man in business but he doesn’t know anything about football”.

I don’t really care if Monsieur Duchatelet does or does not know anything about football, as long as it isn’t the case that he doesn’t know anything but thinks he does. Put in place/retain the right people and let them get on with it and we will embrace you, just as given our situation at the time we welcomed the former owners,

Apologies To Oxford Fans

I doubt that any of us are surprised by confirmation that the cup tie tomorrow has been postponed. I can’t vouch for the amount of water dropped on it over the past week as I decamped to Amsterdam with my French partner Suzanne to see in the new year there (for the record it was great fun, with the enjoyment enhanced by the news of Jackson’s late equaliser, although the Dutch seem to lose their inhibitions that time of the year when someone puts a firework in their hand; they were going off in all places all night, in a less than organised fashion). But judging from the weather there, and the fact that at the moment our playing surface is veering between the bloody difficult and the downright unplayable, a damp morning seems to have been enough to have the game already called off.

I’ve no interest in indulging in conspiracy theories related to the club’s desire to play a game which it would presumably have lost money on, to shift the loss to a new owner, or indeed to secure a place in the fourth-round draw by any means. But I hope we have the decency to formally apologise to Oxford and especially their supporters. They’ve been robbed of a decent day out and many will probably be unable to attend a rescheduled midweek game. It would be a decent gesture on our part to offer financial recompense to them, or even to offer to play the game at their ground (were that to be allowed by the rules), but given our current financial condition I guess that’s not going to happen.

Weather conditions may be exceptional, the Doncaster postponement at half-time may be written off as one of those things. But having played all subsequent games at home in difficult conditions and now having a match called off a day in advance it’s a real embarrassment. Just when the league gets involved and what a club’s responsibilities are regarding playing surfaces I’ve no idea, but if there are problems with next Saturday’s home game I’d have thought it reasonable for questions to be asked at an official level. With that in mind, it feels to me like time for the club to make a fuller statement than the comments made to date, including what remedial action is possible in the short term. Colin Powell and his staff should not be left to carry the can if the current state of affairs has arisen because of a lack of investment/a cutting of corners when it comes to the playing surface.

In the interim, we await confirmation that the purchase of the club has gone through, with the fresh media reports suggesting that it has but as yet no announcement from the club. Suffice to say, if Monsieur Duchatelet wishes to begin a tenure on the right note he will quickly confirm that Sir Chris is being retained – and vice versa.

And as a postscript, since penning the above it has to be fair chucked down and there has been confirmation of the takeover on the club site. Now over to you Monsieur Duchatelet. 

Played Poorly And Didn't Lose

When you play badly you should be happy just not to lose. And we did play badly, with only mitigating circumstances from seemingly enforced changes from the Boxing Day team and a difficult pitch. Against better opposition we would have suffered, although as we’ve seen before we probably wouldn’t have been as sluggish against a better side. It seemed that having bagged three points against Brighton we wanted to nick this one, or at least not lose. That we didn’t was down to poor play in the final third by Wednesday. That we didn’t win – and get some much-needed breathing space from the bottom three - was first and foremost down to us but also due to us not taking the chance at the death to secure what would have been an undeserved but entirely welcome three points.

Ahead of the game there was the thought about whether we would stick with a winning team or whether another match quickly after might necessitate changes. That Solly didn’t manage another in quick succession after his comeback wasn’t entirely surprising, but losing Wiggins as well (apparently for the birth of his child) meant disruption. Wilson, having scored two from the more advanced position, reverted to full-back and Evina came in for Wiggins. That meant a space in midfield and Sir Chris opted to recall Jackson, in a central(ish) position alongside Cousins, with Stephens pushed out to a wide right role, Stewart on the left, and Kermorgant and Church up front.

The changes worked against any early fluency, especially as Stephens seemed completely wasted in a position that doesn’t suit him, Jackson looked off the pace, and Stewart struggled to get in the game. Stripped of any threat down the flanks and unable to retain possession in central midfield, from early on we were resorting to generally aimless balls towards the front two. Church and Kermorgant may be used to having to feed off scraps, but today, with no support for either, it was a truly thankless task.

At the other end Wednesday were generally unambitious as long as the game was scoreless and seldom threatened, although in Wickham they had a player who threatened to rise above the dirge and what passing and movement there was came from them. Our worst moments came when efforts to play the ball out from the back ran aground, catching us on the back foot, but I kept checking my watch. 10 minutes nothing of note, 20 the same, then the entire first half. We had I think one poor shot from outside the box which took a deflection. On another day it could have been diverted into the net, but today, in keeping with all else that was going on, it bobbled tamely back to their keeper.

Things could only get better and they did shortly after the break from a piece of quick thinking and quality at odds with all that had gone before. A throw-in on the right side threatened nothing, but with all the obvious options covered Stephens made a break into space, wasn’t picked up, and was found. He took it into the box, stepped inside and planted the ball into the corner of the net. It was a goal out of nothing but full marks for Stephens’ intent to make something happen and his ability to take the opportunity.

That broke the deadlock to the extent that Wednesday made changes to adopt a more attacking formation, creating more space for us to (possibly) exploit. We seemed to have weathered the initial reaction and even had a chance to extend the lead as a ball in to the near post saw Church ghost in and get a deft flick only for Kirkland to turn it around the post. The officials gave a goal kick.

Wednesday were enjoying the lion’s share of possession by now and we struggled both to retain the ball or to find any outlet. When you’re winning you don’t really care that much, but we were on the edge as balls began to fly into our box. Generally they were dealt with well, but eventually the pressure told as their guy twisted free on the right. His low cross was blocked but looped up across the goal for a tap-in from their guy. There were appeals for offside, but sitting in the East Stand I really couldn’t tell.

Wednesday now smelt blood and continued to press, but failed to create the clear-cut chance to win the game, through a combination of poor shooting and poor choices in decent positions. One driven low cross went all the way across our goal without anyone getting a touch. Stewart, who had been no more effective in the second half than the first, departed, along with Jackson, to be replaced by Green and Dervite, with Stephens seemingly moving more wide left than central. Green did make a nuisance of himself and brought much-needed drive and energy, but more often than not ran into cul-de-sacs. Basically we got no better.

Just as we were settling for the point, we had the chance as the clock ticked towards 90. Another ball forward was contested by Kermorgant and ran loose to Church on the edge of the area. He took a touch but then blazed the shot over the bar. That he should have at least hit the target goes without saying. This was a game in which such opportunities were very few and far between. I care not a jot whether it would have been an undeserved winner (unquestionably it would have been).

So, we know the only positive was not being beaten, extending the unbeaten ‘run’ to three and keeping up Sir Chris’ target of taking something from each of the holiday games (extending that away at Ipswich will require much more than we offered today). The actual team performance was very, very poor, the way the team was set up didn’t work (shifting Stephens to a wide position to accommodate Jackson, who was off the pace throughout, has to be viewed as a decision that didn’t pay off), and our point was on the balance of play over the full game more than we deserved. We can (and will have to) do better.

Player Ratings:

Alnwick – 7/10. Dealt with what he had to capably, didn’t seem to be culpable for their goal. Poor distribution, but we didn’t do anything with the ball in any event.

Wilson – 6/10. Not sure how he will have felt reverting to filling in for Solly, but stuck to the task. Not as prominent getting forward as in other games but wasn’t helped by having no real wide player ahead of him.

Evina – 7/10. Filled in capably enough and made a few runs forward. Can be content with his performance.

Morrison – 8/10. That Wednesday were generally restricted to efforts from outside the box is a fair testament to the defence today and he played his part.

Wood – 7/10. Generally accomplished defensively, just made a couple of errors with distribution which could have been costly.

Stephens – 7/10. To say that out wide isn’t his natural position is something of an understatement. But it was his quick thinking and finishing that gave us the lead.

Cousins – 6/10. Covered well and tried to keep possession better than most.

Jackson – 5/10. Seemed off the pace throughout on his return, no surprise he was taken off.

Stewart – 4/10. You have to give the mark for the performance and today he barely touched the ball. That was as much down to others failing to provide him anything to work with, but a potential match-winner who provides nothing on the day has to get a low mark.

Kermorgant – 6/10. Less effective than against Brighton, due not least to the quality of balls in his direction.

Church – 5/10. Worked hard as usual and I thought he pulled out a good save from their keeper with his near post header. But fact is he was presented with a good chance to win the game and failed to take it.

Belgian To Win Dutch Auction?

Seems like we’re going to have to put back in the box all the Monty Python jokes about Belgians, with the indications being that our own Dutch auction is about to be won by one of their number, one based in the French-speaking Walloon area, much to the delight of my French partner Suzanne (who being French is ideologically close to communist, so she applauds Vivant’s proposal of a basic income guarantee for all citizens).

As usual, anyone looking for insight, actual information (inside or not) etc should not look here. As has been pointed out by others, we’ll believe a deal has been done when one is confirmed but the fact that the club has put a brief statement on the official site is a fair indication that either this deal, or another one to be flushed out, will become a reality soon. Presumably the fact that a purchase price of 14m has been released lays the base amount for any other offers, although it’s reasonable to suppose that there are accompanying elements involving debt, past deals etc that make an actual figure somewhat meaningless.

I know nothing about Roland Duchatelet other than the thumbnails that have been published elsewhere; and it’s been many moons since I wrote about Belgian politics (there was a time I could name both linguistic wings of the major parties and know which combination formed the incumbent government). The reports suggest he isn’t obscenely rich but has pockets deep enough. And let’s face it if our current supply of funds has dried up completely they don’t need to be that deep to compare favourably. It’s tempting to say that he has a clear interest in football (ie a plus), but buying a team (Standard Liege) in your own backyard can be an astute move for a guy with political ambitions. Just why he might be interested in branching out into south-east London remains to be seen (other than the obvious fact that we are the finest club in the country). Perhaps more negatively, someone who’s made decent money in a growing industry and has gone on to form his own political party, as well as buying a football club, is unlikely to be short on ego. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, provided it’s not tipped over into the realms of despotism (viz Cardiff).

The bottom line I think we’d all agree is that our current owners can’t or don’t want the current situation (ie their funding of the levels of losses necessary for us to compete in the Championship) to continue. From the failure to date to conclude possible deals it can be inferred that the price and/or conditions previously demanded for a sale have been unacceptable to the other party/parties, such that our owners are now more inclined to take whatever’s on the table. And if there are no concrete alternative offers materialising pretty soon it looks like Monsieur Duchatelet will take over.

Of course we have concerns. Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if a new owner opens up with “there will be no move away from The Valley and my first priority is to agree a new contract with Sir Chris, followed by signing extensions for key players; and by the way there will be funds made available to strengthen the squad in January if the manager feels this is desirable”. Something along those lines and I’ll eat chips and drink lager for the rest of my life, perhaps even learn to love that silly peeing statue (I know that’s Brussels but it’s close enough to Liege in global terms). I will even try to become a more committed pro-European than I already am (it was Brussels for the last new year, Amsterdam this time around, not long after we extend our winning home run tomorrow). Bring it on.

Santa's An Addick

Well bless my cotton socks, Santa’s an Addick after all. Today we found a new goalscorer, saw Kermorgant back to his strutting best, came from behind to win, at home, and found the net three times for the first time this season. Doesn’t take much to make me happy. To be fair, we were due some breaks at home and today we had some, with Brighton generally playing decent stuff, hitting both posts, having one headed off the line, and fluffing a couple. On another day they would have taken the points, but this one was to be ours, reward for character and sheer determination to overcome a side that for stretches appeared to be better and stronger than us.

The team was unchanged from that for Bolton, with Wilson continuing in the more advanced wide position in front of the returning Solly, Wood keeping his place ahead of Dervitte, and Church and Kermorgant paired up front in a straightforward 4-4-2. The pitch was heavy, with the ball not running true in all areas, and the opening exchanges were to be fairly routine. After 20 minutes of honest endeavour neither keeper had been called into action.

That was to change, all too predictably for us. A quick check on the BBC report says “Charlton failed to deal with a ball into the box …”. In truth this was another example of a sneaky professional foul going unpunished. A ball in the air in our box was going to be headed clear before their guy gave our defender in the air a blatant shove in the back. Ball not headed clear, drops to their guy, who takes a touch and plants it into the bottom of the net. Referee and linesman both had clear views, neither signalled anything. It seems to happen so often to us I’m just sick of it.

Given our home record this season, Brighton could have been forgiven for thinking it was already game over. Certainly falling behind to a team that likes to knock it around and retain possession pointed to another dispiriting afternoon. Our response was decent enough, with Stewart creating the space in the box for a shot but not able to wrap his foot around it, Church having an effort (and a strong appeal for a penalty after being shoved off the ball in the box), and Wiggins going on a storming run down the left. But you wondered where a goal might come from whereas Brighton looked capable of adding to their lead, with their fluidity and movement periodically stretching us.

We badly needed to be level at the break and glory be we did indeed level things after around half-an-hour. Good work by Kermorgant got Stewart in on the left side and his lowish cross was either dummied or helped on by Kermit to an unmarked Wilson. I had no idea from where I sit if his curling effort was well placed or not until the net billowed, so it was indeed well taken.

That stung Brighton a little but despite the probing the defence held firm and we saw things out to the break. Couldn’t help thinking at the time that we looked happy to be back in it rather than having ideas about going on to win, but at half-time the game was finely balanced, with one of theirs yellow carded for a professional foul on Stewart, holding him back when he would have been breaking into space; couldn’t quite justify a red but wasn’t that far off. Felt like next goal would prove the winner, but what do I know?

The second half carried on in a similar vein, with Brighton enjoying more possession but with Stephens and Cousins working hard to prevent them turning that into scoring opportunities, while Church and Kermorgant worked their socks off to chase everything down. Stewart was becoming more influential, after a mixed first half, and he was to be instrumental in us taking the lead. A ball in from the left side saw Kermorgant attempt a sort of bicycle kick only for it to run on for a second time in the game to Wilson inside the box. He somehow managed to dig the ball out from under his feet and planted it into the roof of the net. Glory be, we’re winning at home! Final whistle if you please.

Brighton now had to chase things and made additional changes, while we had more space on the break, with Solly and Wilson making things happen down the right. This was the period when we had major breaks as from one corner their guy headed over, another shot was put wide from a good position, and then a header from another corner was cleared off the line, by Stephens or Wiggins.

With plenty of time left it was getting hairy, but then came the moment when it seemed we’d put the game to bed. A cut inside by Stewart saw him brought down, the ref played an advantage only for a resulting shot to be blocked, by a hand I thought. If he’d played advantage the first time I thought it should have been a penalty. Instead play was brought back for the original foul on Stewart. It’s been a while since we scored from a direct free kick, but Kermit’s got his strut back. A couple of paces and a beautifully curled effort over/around the wall. Their keeper didn’t move and we had the breathing space we needed.

Now it was all about seeing out the game. Brighton managed to hit both posts from the same attack and that should have told us that finally our luck at home was turning. We sent a signal of our intent as Church and Stewart went off, to be replaced by Evina and Dervitte, while all was done to run down the clock. Four minutes of stoppage time were indicated and just when we started to feel almost comfortable Brighton pulled on back. Don’t ask me what really happened as it was confused, with the ball finally put into an empty net by their guy. It wasn’t to matter in the end as the final whistle did eventually come, after Wilson had departed for Pritchard, who played his part by wasting some more seconds down the right.

An immense result and so needed. We know another massive game is coming up on Sunday. Another victory could change the season, but with these three points the pressure at least eases. We ended the game with all of our Frenchmen on the pitch. My partner Suzanne is currently making her way somehow across London and will be in attendance for the Sheff Wed game. Today she would have been proud of her favourite compatriot as Kermit was strutting, complaining – and most important scoring again.

Player Ratings:

Alnwick – 7/10. No chance with the first goal, not really sure what happened for the second, and otherwise capable. He’s been all we could ask for to date.

Solly – 8/10. He’s an excellent player and there’s no question that his return adds significantly to the side, which is no reflection on Wilson.

Wiggins – 8/10. One or two things didn’t come off in the first half, but generally his very capable self.

Morrison – 7/10. We were up against a decent team today and the defence was stretched, but he and the others held up well.

Wood – 7/10. Much the same, he’s reliable and effective. Just that on another day we could easily have conceded more.

Stewart – 7/10. Struggled to be influential in the first half, but became more effective as the match wore on. He adds some quality and the ability to unsettle a defence, which we badly need.

Stephens – 7/10. Decent game, plenty of work to do without the ball and generally effective with the passing.

Cousins -   8/10. Felt he had a better game than recently, perhaps because of the nature of the game as his ability to read situations and make important interceptions/tackles were to the fore.

Wilson – 9/10. Hope the guy takes his new song with the affection that is behind it. Solly’s back and is always going to be first choice at full-back, so it’s up to him to nail down the position in front of him. He scored twice when goals for us have been in short supply, so he’s earned my MotM for today.

Church – 7/10. Tireless running, much to good effect. Perhaps a slightly unfair mark.

Kermorgant – 9/10. Showed that when he’s fit and on song he is one of the catalysts for the team. A heart-warming display, rounded off with that sublime free-kick.

Subs – Evina, Dervitte, Pritchard (no marks are fair as when they came on we just wanted to see out the game, but they played their part).