The Joy of Six

Two games, six points and a sudden sense of optimism has drifted over from the Valley, even reaching me here in New York. When the fixture list was published, it was clear we'd been handed a relatively relaxed start (if there is such a thing in the cut and thrust of the Premiership) but we have gone about our games professionally and by all accounts fully deserved the two wins. If nothing else, these two wins will have hugely boosted our confidence when the tougher fixtures begin up at the Riverside next Sunday.

Thomas was an obvious replacement for Ambrose, and it was reassuring that Curbs had no concerns about fielding two out-and-out wingers, suggesting perhaps that he is slowly learning we should give the opposition something to worry about, especially at home, rather than thinking first about how they might hurt us.

Whilst there is every likelihood that both Sunderland and Wigan will spend the season at the wrong end of the table, there are a number of very clear positives emerging from our first two games. The two I would highlight are the link-up in central midfield between Smertin and Murphy, and the possible emergence of a genuine goalscorer in Darren Bent.

As mentioned in my blog after the QPR friendly, Smertin looks the 'real deal' but perhaps more importantly he gives Murphy the comfort and freedom to look forward instead of back, which is his natural style of playing. If these two can stay fit, we have every reason to expect to dominate midfield battles in the majority of our matches.

It is not very Charlton-esque to have a striker atop the scoring charts despite having missed at least two further gilt-edge chances. His two goals at Sunderland were brilliant individual finishes...today's a more mundane goal, but no less vital. The problem with our other strikers is not so much that they miss countless chances (JJ has a pretty good goals-to-chances record for example), but that they don't seem to get many chances in the first place, and the fault cannot entirely lie in the distribution. If Bent can continue to both fashion his own chances, as well as finish off those created by others then we may finally see the 15 goal plus striker that fans have been crying out for.

It may be a bonus not to have a midweek game, particularly against an improving Liverpool side, and instead we can look forward to a winnable game against a goal-less Boro side and hopefully show TV viewers that we are again something of a 'dark horse' in this season's Premier League.

Apologies to those who followed by Charlton/Blackburn/Wolves treble, though 2 out of 3 ain't bad as Meat Loaf said.