Spurred On

"Hi Gavin, it's Dad." "Hi Dad, it must be late over there?" "Yes son, but listen I need you to do me a favour." "Of course.." "I need you to pray extra hard for Charlton, we need all the help we can get."

An imaginary conversation of course, but even divine inspiration may not be enough as a dishevelled Addicks side take on rampant Spurs in a year that ends in one.

Thankfully 'Arry has promised to rest some key players, whilst Simon Francis will be spared an utter humiliation because Gareth Bale is injured.

It is the FA Cup however, and whilst Spurs are typically one of the few big Premiership clubs still taking the competition seriously, their Champions League campaign is a bigger priority for now. Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope.

Unfortunately that glimmer soon dies away when one looks at the likely visiting teamsheet, and acknowledges the utter mediocrity that lies within.

As the esteemed blogger Wyn Grant poetically puts it: "We have a defence that can't defend, particularly at set pieces; a midfield that seems incapable of linking up with either the defence or the attack; one so-called striker is suspended and another is injured."

I think he flatters us to be honest.

The temporary installation of Keith Peacock as manager at least injects some additional nostalgic jollity into the occasion. There can't be many nicer men in football.

However whilst we will attend with the intention of having a good time regardless of the result, the recent takeover remains full of uncertainty.

Admittedly fans of other clubs have had it far worse than us on the ownership front, the likes of Portsmouth and now Blackburn springing to mind.

There is a school of thought that says you follow the club and not the owners, but the two surely cannot be entirely separated from one another. We all have a 'tipping point'.

Like an estranged father whose ex-wife remarries someone you can't bear, your love for the kids is unshakeable but it doesn't mean you relish the way they're now being brought up.

We would all feel better if we could glean more information about the motives and resources of the club's new owners, but other than the limited amount of information that they are legally required to divulge, we are otherwise in the dark.

Some fans are happy to rely on the fact that Richard Murray and Peter Varney remain involved, but for me this merely confuses the matter even more.

I would certainly not advise spending much time on Google seeking information on Messrs Slater and Jimenez.

Just as I managed to convince myself recently that I was gravely ill (when infact I was merely run down), the power of Google can help you reach conclusions that are likely false, but nonetheless extremely worrying.

However their decision about our new manager will provide considerable new information, both explicit and implicit.

In particular, if Dennis Wise is indeed installed as manager (as opposed to in a Director or Football type role), then many fans will become alienated virtually from the get-go.

This is not because Wise doesn't potentially have some added value, but because Slater categorically said he wasn't involved, and in light of Parky's sacking it would appear to have been premeditated if he subsequently is involved. That wouldn't be a good way to start your relationship with the fans.

Furthermore if Wise has indeed been lined up, then why bother with this interim Peacock strut?

Alternatively, if the Board are undertaking a proper unbiased search for a new manager, then quite clearly Wise would not be the most suitable candidate.

In other words, if Wise is confirmed as the next manager the Board have an awful lot of explaining to do (even if it wouldn't be the absolute worst appointment). I might even have reached my own personal 'tipping point.'

Up the Addicks!