Charlton: Then and Now
Posted by The Addickted in Charlton | 2 December 2006
In light of today's loss at Brammall Lane I offer you a contrast of then and now, then being our early days of Premiership survival and now being the 2006/2007 season, with Charlton rooted to the bottom of the Premiership in the run up to Christmas.
Then:
Charlton, as a newly promoted side and firm favourites for the drop, were punching above their weight and picking up points against vastly superior opposition. The team had a largely unskillful but hard working core of home grown players mixed in with Curbishley's shrewd budget buys.
Now:
New manager(s) and big names have graced the Valley this season, but the team have been utterly unable to perform well or grind out good results from poor games. There is no excuse, a record amount of spending in the summer should see Charlton climbing the table and not plummeting. However, the harsh reality is that against all three newly promoted teams we have picked up 1 point and scored 2 goals. Not to mention our away record which consists of 5 points from a possible 68 (dating back to October 2005) and it is every bit as embaressing as it sounds.
On paper, our squad now is a vast improvement on that of 5 years ago, but it simply isn't the case. The 2006/07 team can be personified by Jimmy Floyd Money-Bainks; who seems to be in South London for no reason other than to claim his final pay-cheque. By this I mean that with a couple of exceptions, the first team all see Charlton as a step down from their previous club. It is to the extent that I highly doubt that Rommedahl or Diawara had even heard of us until they were issued with a contract. Mark Kinsella, Scott Parker and such likes were on the pitch with a name to make, something that can not be undervalued. The same is the case with Andy Reid and since warming the bench at Spuds he's on the pitch now to justify the £6m+ spent on him in that last couple of years and he is by far Charlton's most consistent performer.
Maybe I haven't cooled off since losing to Sheffied United, who were we'll worth their win, with 19 shots to our 5, but I think it's too late for us now. I hope Charlton can prove me wrong.
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