The Championship Relegation Battle begins in earnest

In modern day sport, it is increasingly common that tense occasions are over-hyped. Take for instance the Premier League Darts on Thursday evening. The massively exciting prospect of "Judgement Night", where four players faced elimination from the competition, essentially boiled down to those four players all losing, and the two players with the least points going into the night went home anyway. That's not really drama. What's often more intriguing is something that goes unnoticed for a great length of time, before gradually culminating in a very exciting finish. Like a good Test match. For that, you need to look no further than the Championship.

The league table at this stage, with the majority of teams having six games remaining, is one that either excites, or horrifies. 11th placed Birmingham, on 52 points, are only 5 places above the relegation zone. Teams such as Barnsley and Peterborough keep churning out results to keep their survival hopes alive, and crucially, prolong the battle for safety that the rest of the division faces. Charlton have had a great season in many respects. Few additions to a League One squad, some brilliant results along the way (the 5-4 win at home to Cardiff, and 4-3 at Watford especially), and yet the total of 51 points - good enough for 14th position - leaves the side only 4 points above the drop. It really is an incredible table.

I would argue that today is the first Significant Day in this crazy relegation dogfight. Forget the ludicrous clamour for coverage of Di Canio's political history, or the mad frenzy surrounding England's supposed failure out in Montenegro (it was a good point, honest), the Championship is really where there should be great intrigue. Yet, as the 'big clubs' are supposedly where the media feel they ought to devote their coverage, there is a risk that this superb battle for safety won't be covered anywhere near as much as it deserves. 

Significant Day, no. 1 then. There are some huge fixtures in the Championship, and not just at the bottom. Cardiff travel to Watford for the evening kick-off, with the visitors struggling to cross the line required to reach the 'promised land', with its high-quality football and incessant media coverage. Leicester also travel to Brighton, in the fight for one of the coveted play-off spots. Naturally, the games between the lower-placed sides won't be given as much notice, and you could argue that's fair - people want to know which teams will be playing Premier League football next season more than they want to know who will be playing in League One. And yet that's a cheap way of arguing that we should just ignore the battle because the stakes aren't high enough. But they are. The Championship, evidently, is such a competitive league that teams lower in the table this season can suddenly leap forward and challenge for the Premier League. Look at Crystal Palace, seemingly perennial relegation candidates, yet they are up there challenging for promotion. As Charlton found out, League One is an equally competitive league, and it takes time for teams to readjust to it before they manage to clamber back out of it. Hence, this fight matters.

Today sees the following crunch games:
Huddersfield (47pts, 22nd) vs Peterborough (46, 23rd)
Sheffield Wednesday (47, 21st) vs Blackburn (47, 19th)
Whilst these are the most significant given the proximity of the teams to the relegation zone, others are not safe. Charlton v Leeds is a big game, as there is a risk that the loser slides closer to the drop. Its about time the Sky people stopped talking about how far off the playoffs Leeds are, and instead focus on how far above the drop. Both should be safe, with 51 and 52 points respectively. Yet with the chaos this season has served up, who knows where safety will prove to be. Burnley also host Bristol City, in a game that could compound the misery of the visitors, who are already 7 points off safety, and see the hosts climb clear of trouble. Blackpool travel to Forest, Ipswich travel to Derby, and Barnsley - the form team, really - visit Palace. Two games where points could prove a real boost given wins are not expected. Wolves also travel to Bolton, and with three victories on the spin, the team spirit should give them hope of stealing something from the game.

So, a big day in the Championship. Typically, we won't be much closer to finding out which teams will eventually go down after today, as there are still clashes to come between bottom-half sides. But despite that, the cluster of teams at risk of being dragged down is large enough for today to mean a great deal to many teams. A few can claw their way towards relative safety, while others could find themselves drifting towards the impending doom of Carlisle away. (Its a distance thing.) 

Completely randomly, I think 54 points will mark 21st position come the end of the season, and hence mark safety. With 13 teams not yet reaching that mark, and lots of matches still to be played, nobody can afford to relax. 

Watch this relegation battle, because its going to be exciting. And if you're involved, good luck, it feels horrible for us as well.

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My match report from the subsequent 2-1 victory over Leeds can be found here. 

Under-par Addicks fall to tame defeat

The pre-match huddle, not particularly effective this time

25,000 Charlton fans witnessed a predominantly tame and under-par performance from the Addicks this afternoon, as Barnsley's dominance in the midfield gave them the edge. It could easily have been a different result but Charlton weren't at the races for large chunks of the game, allowing the visitors to capitalise and grab the decisive goal.

After a fairly bright start in terms of possession, the slide began as players conceded possession far too easily. Aside from one deft touch, Razak looked isolated and failed to provide that vital link between the midfield and Ricardo Fuller. One alarming chance for Barnsley aside (forcing a block from Hamer after a cross into the six yard box) it was a half of very few substantial efforts on goal. A late resurgence saw a Razak free kick well saved, a Stephens cross almost land in the far corner of the goal, and Kerkar almost squeezing a corner in at the front post.

 Powell recognised the deficiencies at half time, withdrawing Razak and Hollands from play, paying the price for lack of ball retention, and brought on Wright-Phillips and Jackson. Despite upping the intensity, the problems persisted, and it always seemed like Barnsley had the extra man in midfield, enabling them to spread the play to either flank and threaten to get in behind. The clever and functional style paid off, when Cwyka exploited a gap on the right byline and curled a shot into the far corner. Perkins was running the show for Barnsley, always picking up the loose ball and spreading it away from danger.

Charlton continued to struggle, but still managed to get the ball into dangerous areas on occasions. The ball from Kerkar on the left was deflected and fell towards Solly inside the area, and a sliding defensive block prevented him reaching the ball, though the referee turned down a hugely convincing penalty shout, which incensed the home crowd. A cross from the right was fumbled by the keeper under Wright-Phillips' challenge, and Jackson's flick towards goal was blocked by two men on the line, before Alnwick collected and a mass of bodies piled on top of him. Definitely didn't cross the line, but frustration built. Ricardo Filler had pulled up with a damaged hamstring. Him being forced off acted as a hammer-blow to our comeback hopes, and may well have significant consequences for the weeks ahead. Wilson was booked for avoiding being clattered on the edge of the box, and despite Hamer coming up for a late free kick, Barnsley held on and secured the victory. The referee had ensured he was booed off but ultimately Charlton fans cannot blame him for playing poorly for most of the afternoon.

Powell has had to endure a tough summer but calls
to replace him are quite simply ridiculous.

The defeat is not a sign that we cannot compete or cope in the Championship. Good victories against tough opponents have.already proved we can. The predominant problem is inconsistency. Momentum has twice been stalled by an international break, and whilst its the same for everyone having two weeks off, we've not profited from the rest. Boardroom problems continue to haunt the club, so blaming Powell would be both short-sighted and unhelpful. We have thus far cooed valiantly without significant addition, and an issue avoided last season is sadly causing problems this year, as an injury crisis seems to be taking hold. Whilst Wilson has filled in well, fluency down the left of Wiggins has gone missing, as has the presence of Yann Kermorgant, who could have formed a dangerous pairing with Fuller. The latter now also appears to have picked up a knock, so hopefully Rob Hulse is able to step up and score some goals. But the main issue is the midfield. We were overrun today, always second best, losing loose balls and being pressured into mistakes by the intensity of the visitors. The lack of quality in the middle of the park results in difficulty linking with the forward line, and whilst Fuller fought valiantly he cut an isolated figure. Fluency is badly needed, and Jackson seems a better bet in the middle than Hollands. As long as Powell can keep confidence up there are quality players who can pull out the performances needed to create goal-scoring chances. Whilst it was a poor display, it was definitely more a bad day at the office than a capitulation that justifies a panicked over-reaction.

Tough fixtures follow, but this squad have surprised us before and will do so again. Injuries aren't helping but the ills are certainly not incurable. In a time of turbulent off-field activity, we need to give Powell and his players our full backing.