Six pointer at The Valley
It's a real six pointer at The Valley this evening. If Charlton or Spurs win they will go into seventh place ahead of Middlesbrough. And with an Arsenal v Manchester United cup final likely, finishing seventh in the Premiership would lead to a Uefa cup place.
So there's everything to play for. Gloomsters have been pointing to Charlton's traditional end of season slump, but their analyses rarely take into account injury problems or the pattern of fixtures in earlier years. Facts are trivial without context.
Curbs has a fully fit squad to choose from. The big question is whether it will be a 4-5-1 formation or a 4-4-2. The latter would give a better chance of securing all three points, particularly given that Shaun Bartlett does not seem too comfortable playing alone up front and is prone to miss sitters.
However a 4-4-2 would mean starting with Jeffers. Despite completing 90 minutes and scoring a goal at the San Siro on Monday night, Lisbie is likely to be on the bench at best. Jeffers has enthusiastic support from many of the Addickted, but I think that he has only performed well against Birmingham teams.
Another option is a 4-5-1 that switches as needed into a 4-3-3. Whatever else happens, I hope that on form Paul Konchesky is in the line up. I would like to see Chris Perry at the back, both for his experience and also for the hope that he could score again against his old club as he did last year. It would also be sweet if the ever improving Luke Young could score against his old club.
The weight of expectation has sat heavily on Spurs for many years. Many of their fans continue to live in the glory years of the 1960s and cannot accept their club's role as stalwarts of the Premiership's mid-table competition. The way in which the Haringey club has been eclipsed by their Islington neighbours has been particularly hard to bear.
However, expectations at The Valley have risen considerably. Indeed, the club faces a big problem in expectations management. The 'Curbs has taken the club as far as he can' crowd never spell out how far they reasonably expect the club to go. The realisation that the club may have reached a plateau is understandably demoralising as every club needs to be driven by ambition.
We have lost more than we have won at home to Spurs in the Premiership. There has never been a score draw, but I fear this could be the outcome tonight, one which would suit neither club.
So there's everything to play for. Gloomsters have been pointing to Charlton's traditional end of season slump, but their analyses rarely take into account injury problems or the pattern of fixtures in earlier years. Facts are trivial without context.
Curbs has a fully fit squad to choose from. The big question is whether it will be a 4-5-1 formation or a 4-4-2. The latter would give a better chance of securing all three points, particularly given that Shaun Bartlett does not seem too comfortable playing alone up front and is prone to miss sitters.
However a 4-4-2 would mean starting with Jeffers. Despite completing 90 minutes and scoring a goal at the San Siro on Monday night, Lisbie is likely to be on the bench at best. Jeffers has enthusiastic support from many of the Addickted, but I think that he has only performed well against Birmingham teams.
Another option is a 4-5-1 that switches as needed into a 4-3-3. Whatever else happens, I hope that on form Paul Konchesky is in the line up. I would like to see Chris Perry at the back, both for his experience and also for the hope that he could score again against his old club as he did last year. It would also be sweet if the ever improving Luke Young could score against his old club.
The weight of expectation has sat heavily on Spurs for many years. Many of their fans continue to live in the glory years of the 1960s and cannot accept their club's role as stalwarts of the Premiership's mid-table competition. The way in which the Haringey club has been eclipsed by their Islington neighbours has been particularly hard to bear.
However, expectations at The Valley have risen considerably. Indeed, the club faces a big problem in expectations management. The 'Curbs has taken the club as far as he can' crowd never spell out how far they reasonably expect the club to go. The realisation that the club may have reached a plateau is understandably demoralising as every club needs to be driven by ambition.
We have lost more than we have won at home to Spurs in the Premiership. There has never been a score draw, but I fear this could be the outcome tonight, one which would suit neither club.
posted by Wyn Grant at 8:14 AM
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