Christmas is a time of year that is meant to be joyous. That’s certainly not how I felt at 3.20pm on Saturday up at Ewood Park!

Sadly, during the first 20 minutes at Blackburn, Charlton displayed that most festive of characteristics – generosity. 

The two goals we conceded were awful. Firstly, Nicky Pope rolled the ball out to Jordan Cousins within our own half. The midfielder was quickly pounced upon by three Rovers men, who dispossessed him, allowing Jordan Rhodes through on goal to score. 

Sadly, its’ not the first time we’ve come a cropper with our tactics of playing from the back. Johnnie Jackson said after Tal Ben Haim was mugged at Rotherham in September that conceding goals like that is “collateral damage” that will occur because of the way we play. 

Earlier on in the season we were playing some of our best football for years with these tactics, but sometimes errors have cost us goals. There has to be a common-sense mentality around the game plan. When a side like Blackburn are wise to us and are right on top of any ball out then we have to adapt. Maybe that can be a New Year’s Resolution!

The second goal we conceded could be the highlight feature on Danny Baker’s latest Own Goals and Gaffes DVD. A simple long ball over the top was completely misjudged by Ben Haim, before Pope came out and couldn’t get enough on the ball to stop Rhodes adding a second.

It was an awful, awful goal to concede but, to be honest, a mistake like that from Ben Haim was completely unexpected. He’s generally been very good so far this season, especially with long balls. 

Joe Piggott came on at half-time, and the fact we had to throw on a youth player highlighted the lack of options we have up front. There’s been rumours that Tony Watt, the Standard Liege Striker may be joining in January. I asked Big Bad Bobby Peeters about this in the post-match interviews and he somewhat side-stepped the question, but I’m confident that this is a deal that will be going ahead.

The person who would be in charge of clinching that deal would be Katrien Meire, the club’s chief executive. I was lucky enough to be on the same train home as Meire from Blackburn on Saturday. 

It’s a rare opportunity to have the chance to talk to someone ranked so highly at the club, and in such cases you wouldn’t expect them to be as open and honest as Meire was for us.

Being the way I am, I asked all the boring questions, from the future of the club shop, to the new caterers at The Valley, as well as trying to get snippets about potential transfer activity in the coming month or so.

It was a fascinating conversation that I enjoyed immensely, although sadly it was soured right at the end.

A Charlton fan we didn’t know wandered past, spotted Meire, and decided to go on the attack at her. He asked a rambling, drunken question which included him telling us his wife’s nationality three times before eventually declaring his undying love for Jose Riga and demanding he was immediately reinstated as Charlton’s head coach. His aggression somewhat ruined the journey home.

So, as we look forward to the festive fixture schedule, Charlton need to turnaround an alarming run of form. Hopefully, and with the help of some new players in January, we will be able to address that form!

Merry Christmas to all, and come on you Reds!!

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