London Calling

"The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in.Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin;Engines stop running, but I have no fear. Cause London is drowning and I, live by the river."

It seems The Clash were ahead of their time. There's only so many weeks of endless sunshine, good food and reasonable prices one can handle before pining for Blighty. Alas it's with a heavy heart, and a light wallet (full of rapidly depreciating US Dollars) that we are heading back to London for a while to re-connect with family and friends, and of course Charlton Athletic.

I only managed to attend one game last season; with hindsight, perhaps it was a blessing. However may well be attending five Charlton games in August, all of which are against teams beginning with the letter 'S' for some reason (Sporting Braga, Scunthorpe, Swindon, Stoke, Sheffield Wednesday).

Although I'm not sure Dean Sinclair and a converted Jose Semedo are the solution to our midfield 'problem', I am struggling not to be optimistic about our chances this season. Unlike last season, the transfer decisions we have made seem logical and reasonable, and I am confident we have the right man to build a team that will be greater than the sum of its parts.

With the likes of McCarthy and Iwelumo, he has added the steel which should complement the talents of Ambrose, Reid, Thomas et al, all of whom ought to be a creative cut above anything in this division. There is always a risk of course whenever there is this much player turnover, but the 'miracle of Darren Bent' will hopefully ensure both additional late-summer additions, as well as a small January kitty.

After an intense Charlton-filled August, I will return to NYC knowing full well that my ability to follow our fortunes close enough to warrant a description as 'informed blogger', will be stretched. However with only 8 more posts required to reach the iconic '500 mark', I should find enough to talk about in the meantime. Up the Addicks!