Curate´s egg

The term used by the E Mail Bulletin is ´Jekyll and Hyde´´ but I prefer ´Curate´s Egg´to describe Charlton´s current performances. We have often put in sub-standard first half performances and then step up a gear in the second half. As Pards commented in relation to the Colchester game, We are better than we showed, and there were a lot of things in our play that were too sloppy.´

At least there is good news on Todorov and Iwelumo who were hit by severe cramp at Layer Road. They are therefore available for tomorrow night, although that only increases the selection dilemmas faced by Pards, particularly given that Luke Varney seems to have made a favourable impression on many of the Addickted.

If Pards had more quality in depth, he could face charges of operating a squad rotation policy of the kind favoured by the likes of Chelsea. Indeed, the same charge has been made against Jason Cadden at Leamington, although he faces particular constraints: Josh Blake had to be withdrawn on Saturday because of a rush house removal.

Thinking about football is a relief from events here in Valencia where it has all gone off big time as it always does when Chilean politics get dragged in. Apparently the President is in trouble for her perceived failure to integrate Santiago´s sparkling metro and its shambolic buses. Not that that has done much harm to Ken ...