Which Charlton side will turn up against Barnsley? (From News Shopper)

Which Charlton side will turn up against Barnsley?

9:38am Friday 19th October 2012 in Sport

ADDICKS columnist MATIAS GREZ isn’t sure which Charlton side will turn up against Barnsley tomorrow – the one which won at Blackpool in the last game or the team beaten tamely at home by Watford.

IT’S hard to gauge just how well or badly Charlton will play in tomorrow’s meeting with Barnsley, which makes it even harder to write about them rationally and fairly in this column on a game-by-game basis.

I think all teams, including the Manchester Uniteds of this world, suffer changing fortunes over the course of a season but I find it highly unlikely anyone else is experiencing the drastic weekly fluctuations we as Charlton fans are.

After the woeful performance against 10-man Watford, not even the most optimistic of Charlton fans could have predicted the mature, organised and dogged 2-0 away win against Blackpool – not forgetting the touch of class added by Chris Solly, of course.

It is baffling how the same players who played so poorly against the Hornets could produce a performance of that magnitude at Blackpool.

Chris Powell must be scratching his head in disbelief and frustration at the inconsistency shown by his team.

If there are positives to take from Charlton’s first 10 games it’s that they have proven they are more than capable of mixing it with the big boys of Championship, as the wins against Blackpool and Leicester and the draws against Birmingham and Blackburn proved.

There was a period just before the start of the season when a lot of Charlton fans, myself included, were guilty of getting carried away with thoughts of back-to-back promotion.

However, after a few games reality struck and everybody came around to the sobering thought this season was, first and foremost, about consolidation.

Considering the lack of investment in the club over the summer and the need for Chris Powell to get players on free transfers and loan deals, getting anywhere near promotion would be a monumental ask.

Although, if the Addicks do manage to get rid of their inconsistency and string together a month’s worth of good results, the top half of the table is not far off.

On Saturday, Chris Powell’s men have the chance to show in excess of 20,000 fans exactly what they are capable of and give those who only venture to The Valley during Football for a Fiver a reason to come back once the ticket prices return to normal.

With regards to off-field matters, the Daily Mirror last week reported Charlton wanted Paul Elliot to become the Addicks’ new chairman, and the first black chairman in history, allowing Michael Slater to take a more hands-off role at the club.

However, this rumour was extinguished as quickly as it was ignited with Slater denying claims that he had offered Elliot the chairman’s position.

On and off the field, there is certainly no lack of drama at The Valley this season!

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