SINCE August, life for Charlton Athletic fans has been a roller-coaster ride to say the least.

The boss brought in new faces including a new idol up front, there was the astounding start to the Premiership campaign, the Carling Cup drama at Chelsea, the FA Cup run, the drastic dip in form, speculation about Alan Curbishley and the England job and, finally, the departure of the man in the hot seat.

Ultimately however, the air around The Valley is heavy with disappointment at another season of mediocrity and mid-table wilderness.

But everything started brilliantly with Charlton winning four out of four and sitting pretty behind Chelsea in the Premiership while skipper Luke Young got his first start in an England shirt against Wales.

New boys Darren Bent and on-loan Alexei Smertin, with the now-departed Danny Murphy, were the catalyst behind the good form and the visit of the champions to The Valley in September was Curbishley's and the fans' chance just to see just how good Charlton actually were.

The comfortable 2-0 defeat suggested they had some way to go but character was strong within the squad as victories over Hartlepool in the Carling Cup, including Jay Bothroyd's first goal, and a 2-1 win at West Bromich Albion proved.

However in the 11 games between the October 1 defeat to Tottenham and the victory over West Ham on December 31, Charlton conceded 24 goals and won just seven points out of a possible 33 the slump had well and truly set in.

Between the sticks Stephan Andersen paid a heavy price, losing his place to Dean Kiely in November.

But the long-standing favourite lost his place to new boy Thomas Myhre and the Norwegian made the number one shirt his own for virtually the rest of the season.

Murphy swapped the red of Charlton for the white of Spurs with an unsavoury parting gesture of a red card against Arsenal on Boxing Day.

The new year started with defeat at Everton but happier times followed thanks to the FA Cup with victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient in January.

By now Charlton were mid-table which is where they would stay thanks to a series of goalless draws, an occasional victory and intermittent defeats, which did little to enthuse The Valley faithful.

Darren Bent got the England call-up his 20+ goals warranted and the recent injury to Wayne Rooney means Bent could feature for England in the World Cup.

The FA Cup was still proving to be a happy hunting ground as Brentford's dismissal in February saw Charlton advance to a quarter-final date with Middlesbrough.

Unfortunately a fourth goalless draw in six games saw the match replayed at Middlesbrough and an abject Addicks went down 4-2.

Defensive frailties returned and Charlton conceded 13 in five games to end the season 13th in the Premiership.

Player ratings

Thomas Myhre: Partly responsible for steadying the Addicks ship after the drop in form 8.

Luke Young: An England start and inspirational season as skipper. Unfortunte injury may ruin World Cup dream 7.

Chris Perry: Not the best of seasons in a troubled defence 6.

Chris Powell: Some good shows but age is catching the full back 6.

Hermann Hreidarsson (top picture): Like Perry had a troubled season in a battered defence 6.

Radostin Kishishev: Not a season to remember, often inneffective and invisible 6.

Matt Holland: A steady return from injury but he is not the player he was 6.

Bryan Hughes (bottom picture): Suffered the boo boys more than most although he finished as the highest-scoring midfielder 6.

Darren Ambrose: Not able to hold a regular place but showed skill when given the chance 7.

Marcus Bent: New signing netted twice but did little else 6.

Darren Bent: His 22 goals rightly earned him the Player of the Year award for an outstanding season in the top flight 9.

Shaun Bartlett: Made few appearances and has a single goal to show for his efforts 6.

Dennis Rommedhal: Much was expected from the Dane but little was given 6.

Stephan Andersen: Enjoyed great start to the season but was the scapegoat when things went wrong 7.

Jerome Thomas: Always got the crowd going when he played but he was rarely on the pitch 7.

Jay Bothroyd: Five goals from the tall striker is not bad for someone who spent most of his time coming off the bench late on 6.

Jonathan Spector: Took time to settle before impressing in Luke Young's absence. Has returned to Manchester United after his loan ended 6.

Talal El Kharkouri: The defender rarely featured in the first team due to injury and international duty 6.

Jason Euell: Transfer speculation and injury hindered his season 6.

Jonathan Fortune: Another rare face in the team as injury took its toll 6.

Gonzalo Sorondo: Did not get in first team until late due to injury. Performances were poor as a result 6.

Alan Curbishley: Ends on a typically mediocre season but his contribution to the club since 1991 is immense and deserves special praise 7.