Solidarity?

Well the last few weeks have been fun haven't they? First we were quids in, now reports suggest we're £20m in hock. But that's just been a sideshow to the team's slide on the pitch. We've been plunging downwards in tandem with the financial markets.

It all came to a head for me today though, with a fan comment included in this BBC report of the Dubai pull-out. I understand the sentiment, but are we really thinking about League 1 with 30 games of the season left?

Where's the fight, where's the belief gone? The team plays like they're stiff with fear. The management seems increasingly desperate and railing against individual players. But what shocks me most is how quickly our support is replaced by raw fury.

A bloke in the upper North on Tuesday night offered 60 minutes (I arrived late) of unceasing abuse of every member of the playing staff. This wasn't banter like we used to rib Robinson and lionise Leaburn's limitations. This was pure venom. He was calling a kid like Youga a "cunt", telling Pardew to "fuck off" and bollocking Lloyd Sam five minutes after his introduction. No one near him stopped his bile. Then enough joined in to really ram home the point.

The club appears to be tearing itself apart internally at a time when it most needs to pull together. The performance I saw on Tuesday was at times absolutely awful. But the boos have got worse then when we fell out of the Premiership, louder and more angry then the jeers that didn't galvanise the team last season.

What's causing this? What do people think they'll achieve? I honestly want to understand. And maybe the new fan's representative will need to. Never mind the prophecy about League 1. Right now we risk losing something much more essential than status or points; the very bond between club and fan.

So, where from now?

I don't even want to look at the table. After tonight's 2-0 defeat to Bristol City, I didn't even want to hang around to the bitter end like I usually do.

There's definitely a sickness surrounding The Valley. And no, it's not the cold I still can't properly shake off. Yes, it's the crowd - who turned as soon as Lee Trundle scored that simple, simple goal - but yes, it's the team too, unable to communicate with each other and becoming much, much less than the sum of their parts.

I've no idea what Alan Pardew's saying to the press right now, but he's got a hell of a lot of explaining to do. I wasn't at Cardiff and didn't see highlights, but chatting after tonight's match, we thought back to the win over Ipswich, and remembered that it didn't feel much like a victory, because it was achieved in such a haphazard manner, yet Pards was talking about having put in "more technical players".

Whatever, it's probably going to be a sleepless night round at chez Pards this evening. If it goes wrong against Burnley, the Valley moaners' prophecies may become self-fulfilling...

Don't tell me to dance in the street, but...

So where were you when you first heard about the tentative deal for Zabeel Investments to buy Charlton? I had yesterday off work, had a big night on Thursday, and wandered off for a little siesta at about half-past four before heading out again.

Two-and-a-bit hours later, my phone was full of messages, my upstairs neighbour heard some dazed, sleepy bloke downstairs yell something unprintable, and people I knew were on Sky Sports News (damn! missed my chance!), and a little bit of my world looked like it'd changed forever.

And since then, we've learned all about Zabeel Investments, seen its nice website, and found that it is run by Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum, poetry-loving son of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, and they'd also flirted with Liverpool and Manchester City. Yes, there is serious money here.

But what to make of it? Well, I'm conflicted. Let's be upfront about one thing - I can't leave my personal politics at the turnstile. This is coming out of oil money, and the world's addiction to oil is killing it. Dubai has an appalling record of the treatment of its foreign workers, while its legal system is hardly a shining example of fairness by western standards. Let's get that out of the way.

Secondly, deals like this are killing English football. When Manchester City were bought by investors from Dubai's fellow emirate, Abu Dhabi, earlier this season, I was left wondering what the point of the English professional game was. Years back, when clubs rushed to float themselves on the stock market, satirists drew cartoons of fans cheering share prices. Now they're waving wallets, boasting about who's got the richest clubs.

In terms of the wider picture, no good can come of this. Football is changing for the worse.

But without the deal... what's the future for Charlton? Left behind as clubs are revived by fresh capital from elsewhere, doomed never to fulfil our potential as the media focuses ever more on a smaller number of big clubs? Maybe. Say the positions were reversed, and the oil sheiks had moved in on Crystal Palace? How would we feel then?

If we want to be in with a decent shout of competing in the professional game, we'll need money. Richard Murray's not been in a hurry to sell up - and if he says he's a good deal, I'll trust him on that. He's thrown too much money into this club for him to risk its future. And I'm reassured by news that Murray should remain with the club if the deal goes through.

Of course, we need to be on our guard. What happens if the old guard and the new guard fall out? Would we see a situation along the lines of that at QPR, where the new owners talk of it being a "boutique club"? And... what happens when everyone gets bought by rich Arab owners? Maybe, in a few years time, I'll be disenfranchised and end up pitching up at Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday afternoons. But then... what's stopping that happening anyway?

After a rollercoaster 25 years, the continued security of Charlton Athletic is something to be grateful for. But please don't expect me to be dancing on the street or wearing a tea towel on my head when the deal gets done.

Zabeel: What the papers say

THE GUARDIAN: Charlton Athletic were last night the subject of a takeover bid by the Maktoum family in a deal that would seem to end Dubai's interest in Liverpool.

The Valley club's efforts to play down the deal last night by insisting there is "no certainty" that the "indicative" bid will become a formal offer will not restrain unbridled excitement in south-east London. The involvement of Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum, son of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, through his Zabeel Investments vehicle would make the ascendancy of a club that dropped out of the Premier League with only 34 points in 2007 almost a certainty.

Superficially there would seem to be few motives for taking over a club who lie only 14th in the Championship today. But there was an influential link with Liverpool in that Rothschilds, the investment bank, had represented the five-times European champions and also worked for Charlton.

The Valley club have been scouring the market for fresh investment in recent months but few could have considered that the Dubai ruling caste would be interested in a Championship club. One close observer of Dubai's football negotiations expressed surprise at the deal, saying: "They usually go for the front of the grid."

THE INDEPENDENT: Buying Charlton may appear a strange choice but their location in London and the fact that they own the freehold on their stadium and training ground makes them attractive. Their manager, Alan Pardew, is understood to be aware of the deal and has already been reassured by the club's board – and the prospective new owners – that his job is safe and that he will receive funds in the January transfer window.

THE TIMES: Zabeel is not interested simply in throwing money at football. It is understood to have had talks with Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, but regarded his asking price of £480 million as too steep.

Instead of bidding for an established Barclays Premier League club, it has followed the lead of Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, who took over Queens Park Rangers for an investment of £14 million and are looking to take them into the top flight — a more economical way of acquiring a Premier League club, if it comes off.

Charlton are fourteenth in the Championship after losing their Premier League status in 2007 and may not seem an obvious attraction when, for example, Portsmouth are reported to be on the market for a similar amount. However, while the South Coast club are in the Premier League, they cannot match the solid foundations of the London club, who have a modern stadium with good facilities and plans to expand.

THE SUN: After failing with attempts to buy Liverpool and Arsenal, businessman Mohammed Al Hashimi — whose company Zabeel Investments is worth more than £3billion — is poised to take control at The Valley.

Should his offer be accepted by Charlton’s shareholders — and this seems certain — Al Hashimi will also wipe out the club’s debts of £20m.

Current chairman Richard Murray, in charge at the club since 1995, will advise the new owners and remain at the club.

For the time being at least, Alan Pardew’s position as manager seems to be safe.

The Sun's headline? Next it's Valley of the Kings.

Zabeel: Inspector Sands' Facebook feed

Well, someone close to Inspector Sands, anyway...

Charlton fan A fumin, no arabs for charlton please!! fuck off with your dirty oil money! 22:49 Fri

Charlton fan B is wearing a tea towel on his head. Give us your money Dubai! 20.56 Fri

Newcastle fan A is laughing at toon, Mike Ashley has lost another Arab, this time to Charlatan hahahaha. 20:22 Fri

Charlton fan C is wondering if he should have 8 Gerrard or 9 Rooney on the back of his CAFC shirt next season... 20:08 Fri

Charlton fan D doesn't mind the global economic crash - he's just seen the football news!!! 19:46 Fri

Charlton fan E is cautious about takeovers. 19:45 Fri

Charlton fan F is very sad at the prospect of waving goodbye to a true community club. What's the price of "progress"? 19:28 Fri
- Charlton fan N at 19:33: mate its amazing news!
- Charlton fan F at 20:17: I used to criticise Fulham, Blackburn et al for buying success and was proud of what we achieved purely through good management and on the pitch.
- Charlton fan O at 20:26: exactly =( I honestly refused, and perhaps still am refusing, to believe it because I just feel like part of what charlton is will have died. It's desperately needed, no mistake. But still really sad to see what we can never be proud of again.

Charlton fan G is hoping you Palace, Millwall and West Ham fans are going to fill your cars up this weekend, cause we'll like to buy a few more players. 19:14 Fri
- Palace fan A at 21:06: I'm so glad I don't drive. you'll not get a penny off me. a PENNY!

Charlton fan H loves the people of dubai , Joe Cole in a red shirt would be nice. 19:13 Fri

Charlton fan I can't believe that Charlton are going to be rich!! 19:12 Fri

Charlton fan J is out on the pub crawl and unsure about the arabs! 19:11 Fri

Charlton fan K is thinking... Dubai group make bid for Charlton. COME ON SON! 18:14 Fri

Charlton fan L is in shock. Dubai is coming to Charlton!!! 17:14 Fri

Charlton fan M is a tad sheikhen up by news from the Valley..... 17:07 Fri

Dubai takeover bid - first, decisive reaction

I really haven't a clue what to make of this.

But oh, my word... it could be an exciting future ahead - but a scary one too.

Anyone else think the rescue boat's pulled up, and we've no choice but to get in it - whatever the risks? Hmmm. More on this later, one I've been to the pub had a proper think...

Pards poser after Palace defeat

Well, 12 years of barely-challenged supremacy had to come to an end at some point, but tonight's limp defeat at Sellout left a nasty taste in my mouth. I think plenty of us, in all honesty, saw it coming. I think I did too - defeat's sometimes better taken on your own, and I ended up perched towards the foot of the grotty-as-ever Arthur Waite stand, and ended up walking out seven minutes before the end, taking out my frustrations on that sodding great hill that takes you up to Crystal Palace Park. At least I'm a bit fitter for the trip...

So, what have we learned? We have learned that we are bloody awful at a 4-5-1 formation. Luke Varney had no chance at the head of that. We have learned that we are bloody awful at a long ball game. Especially when you play a fairly muscular side like Palace. Okay, our weaknesses on the wings may force us into hoofing the ball, but we looked undeniably better with the ball on the ground. We have learned we still have serious problems in defence. Well, the increasingly erratic Kelly Youga, for a start. And I'm still scratching my head as to what Martin Cranie actually brings to our side - at Forest, he seemed to add a few IQ points to the back four, but they weren't in evidence tonight.

My deeper worry, though, is the team itself - it's less than the sum of its parts. For all Bailey's efforts, for all Varney's toil, it's as if our players simply don't believe they can take on the best. So we get run ragged by the likes of Victor Moses, or outclassed by Ben Watson, let our heads drop, and tamely surrender.

Which surely comes back to... the manager. Sorry, Pards, this defeat has your fingerprints all over it. There's no point saying you plan to shake the team up when you said exactly the same thing three days ago after another defeat. His implication that our tactics involved playing long balls is also worrying.

So, we've got a problem. The Evening Sub-Standard - which hates Charlton as much as it loves the current mayor - stuck its oar in with a "vote of confidence" story. Or, as Sky regurgitated it - the "dreaded vote of confidence".

The Dowie/Reed fiasco aside, we aren't one of those mug clubs who go through managers every couple of years. Instability wrecks sides. But I've a nasty feeling we're on a slippery slope. Only one man can change it. Pards - it's down to you, mate. Make us believe in you again.

On the edge of a crisis?

"Crisis" is an over-used word in football. When your badly-run bank has to be taken over by the government, that's a crisis. When your football team doesn't win a match, it's a mere misfortune. But I'm not alone in feeling something deeper is amiss at Charlton right now. But I can't put my finger on what's quite wrong.

I should have known we'd lose yesterday when that pillock of a pitch announcer drivelled on about facing Sheffield Wednesday "on the back of two clean sheets". I wasn't at the win over Doncaster Rovers, but the day out at Nottingham Forest was pleasant enough, and I still wake up in sweats over Andy Gray's shot being saved at close range.

Alan Pardew tweaked our suspect defence ahead of the Wednesday clash - with returning loanee Linvoy Primus coming in for the hapless Jonathan Fortune. But did it do any good? Er... no. Luke Varney's opener was swiftly overturned by a nightmare three minutes which saw two goals go in and left defenders and goalkeeper yelling at each other.

Much like at Forest, a frantic (and entertaining) second half saw us batter the Owls' goal - but to no avail. (Did you see how good we were for that spell with just three at the back, by the way?) And then the boos ran out yet again...

There's definitely something broken at Charlton. I've dealt with the fans often enough, but our ridiculous level of expectation just makes The Valley a welcoming place for opponents. Our team's good enough to beat any of its rivals in the Championship. Most of them are level-headed pros rather than the oafish blinged-up dimwits who spoil the Premiership. But the spirit isn't there. Is it the manager? Alan Pardew says he's now got players who can play his way, rather than having to adapt to a team created by his predecessors. But it's clearly not working. Unfortunately, I really fear that if we lose to Crystal Palace on Tuesday, it'll start a chain of events that we may live to regret.

So, what to do? I haven't a clue. I fear that getting behind the team is beyond too many Charlton fans, who just use their visits to the Valley to take out their frustration. I've got a nasty feeling about Tuesday's trip to Selhurst, since we've had it our way there for what seems like an age - that can't go on forever. It was always going to be a big fixture - this could end up being our biggest for a couple of seasons. Here's hoping it's for the right reasons.

Ravaged by the Wolves

There was a different context to this weekend's match for me. As some readers may know already, I was in the Midlands last week at the funeral of a Wolves-supporting pal of mine who I was hoping to have seen at yesterday's match. Think it's desolate in Wolverhampton on a matchday? You try it on a wet Tuesday morning when you're in a black suit. But there's a certain class attached to the old gold, and I don't just mean memories of George Berry's afro.

After the service and a tipsy wake, I discovered the funeral cortege had been driven through the grounds of Molineux. The traffic was stopped so the cars could pause at the statue of Billy Wright - and the club staff stood, in their blazers, to attention. Like I said, a certain class.

Class brings expectations, but Big Mick McCarthy's showing every sign of delivering on them this season. Yes, Nicky Bailey's goal was one of the best I've ever seen at The Valley - but Wolves showed a resillience that we, at the moment, can only dream of. And how good a striker is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake?

I thought both sides looked a bit fuzzy in the first half - international break and all that. Wolves looked like they missed Big Chris Iwulemo, who's been - surprise, surprise - doing the business for them since he moved north. I expected a sharper match in the second half, but instead we just seemed to wither away. The defence gave up - Jon Fortune increasingly looking like the weakest link, while Martin Cranie didn't do much to impress on his debut. Alan Pardew is delighted we still have Zheng Zhi - and so am I after having seen our midfield implode. And despite those great runs, Luke Varney's still flattering to decieve.

There's a lots of things we can learn from Saturday's match - me, I'm lumping a fiver on Wolves to win the division; and it's just an awful shame my pal isn't around to see them top of the league.

For us, there'll be better days, and hopefully one will come at Doncaster on Tuesday.

On the wrong frequency

I spent Saturday cursing our clapped-out rail network for preventing me from making an easy journey to Preston - who else was tempted to make the trip after our defeat of Reading?

But later on, I was praising our terrible trains for saving me from seeing a match in which, by all accounts, we were very much second best. However, it wasn't as if I could hear very much of it, since BBC London decided not to cover our match.

In fact, the BBC's local station for the capital, which has exclusive commentary rights for Charlton matches, opted to broadcast West Ham v Blackburn on both its 94.9 FM and DAB services. Unfortunately, this was the same match 5 Live was covering. Not sensible.

It's not just us - I wouldn't have minded if they'd neglected us in favour of QPR's trip to Bristol City, we share a crowded patch for football clubs and to be honest, I'm happier hearing us on a London-wide station than a parochial commentary on a community station.

Ah, but what about BBC Radio Kent, you say? Well, yes, they did cover the game... but you try picking that up in Charlton. You can't.

There's a broader issue with BBC London having too many radio rights, not least because there isn't the competition - the commercial stations have given up on commentaries. LBC haven't done it for donkey's years, Capital Gold (and Xfm) gave up two or three years back, and Talksport dropped their London opt-out a few years back.

Which leaves you with just BBC London trying to serve a load of clubs - and doing it badly. Even if they're just trying to chase the audience, doing West Ham (at home!) when 5 Live are doing it as well is insane. Ad it's the kind of thing which makes people question the licence fee.

If I was them, I'd prioritise the Championship sides and cover us/Palace/QPR aways, and maybe the odd Premiership game if it isn't being covered elsewhere.

But I guess they don't want to be seen as an "inferior" station to 5 Live, fit only for second-tier commentaries.. yet by continually following what 5 Live does, that's all they are ever going to be. And it's what we're lumbered with this season.

If you feel the same way as me, you could do little worse than drop the BBC a line here.