Diarra has hairline fracture

Alou Diarra pulled up in the warm up at Park View Road yesterday and has a hairline fracture. Just the news we needed: Diarra

Protests not affecting team

Alou Diarra says that customer protests at The Valley are not affecting the team, who are being professional in their attitude: Protests

Indeed, Blues manager Gary Rowett complained that they had an adverse effect on his team who were all warmed up and ready to go, then faced a delay to the start of the match.

Diarra revealed that he is playing through the pain barrier with a crack in his right foot, but needs to keep going to the end of the Championship season. He certainly made a positive difference on Saturday.

Vetokele could return on Saturday

Igor Vetokele has a 50-50 chance of returning for Saturday's clash against Cardiff City: Vetokele

I think he is most likely to feature on the bench.

Another much missed player, Alou Diarra, could be back in a few weeks.

Diarra suspended

Diarra is suspended for Saturday's game against Brentford after picking up a fifth yellow card: Diarra

Bauer, much missed on Tuesday, will be back and there are hopes that Stephen Henderson will at last be in goal. Sparrows Lane sources have suggested that if the club had known he was going to be out for so long, they would have brought someone in on loan.

Brentford won convincingly at Wolves last night, but according to 'Besotted Brentford' some of their fans are disappointed as it undercut their chance to moan.

I am going to a dinner in Great George Street tonight and I know that a leading Brentford fan will be there, so I am expecting him to give it large.

Charlton lose to league leaders

The early exchanges between Derby County and Charlton Athletic were not decisive for either side, but then Derby County got an easy goal after nine minutes with a tap in from Hendrick after it had seemed that a home player was offside, but Bent had been given free scope. No one expected it to be easy, but such an early setback was disheartening.

A Johnson header was required to deal with a Derby attack. The front three of Ince, Lingard and Bent were giving Charlton problems. A Derby shot went not far wide. Cousins, out injured, was being missed in the middle. Derby were flooding forward once they got the ball with a five man attack and Lingard buried Derby’s second. Roger Johnson was furious. It was all too easy. Charlton needed to tighten up in midfield. One pass and Buyens was out of the game.

Every time Charlton got the ball they couldn’t get into the Derby half and the Rams were threatening every time they came forward. As soon as Charlton went forward, there were three men on the ball and it was unsettling the Addicks.

Henderson had to pluck a Derby free kick out of the air. The movement from the Derby players was very fluent. Charlton tried to launch an attack, but the momentum disappeared and they went backwards.

Charlton got a corner after Bulot threatened, following a loose pass in midfield snapped up by Buyens. The ball was eventually cleared from the corner. Derby did seem to have taken their foot off the pedal. Charlton were recovering their organisation which they had had at the beginning of the game.

Sloppy work by Ben Haim gave Derby a shooting chance, but fortunately it went just left of Henderson’s goal. The keeper would not have reached it.

A shot from Solly needed a save from Grant. Charlton had managed to put some serious pressure on the Derby goal. Watt was fouled and Charlton got a free kick in a promising position. Gudmundsson’s effort from 25 yards out needed a save at full stretch from Grant. It was panic stations at the corner, but ultimately it was unproductive. After a disastrous first fifteen minutes, Charlton were getting into the game.

Darren Bent got in behind the defence, but the move was unproductive. With one minute of injury time, Charlton found themselves under pressure after a poor ball by Wilson. Derby then hit the crossbar. It was a frantic last minute. However, the Addicks had recovered well from a disastrous first fifteen minutes.

Rams 2, Addicks 0

Wilson had not a good first half in midfield and Diarra was brought on. Buyens had to make a good tackle to break up a Derby attack.

Diarra put in some excellent defending with an excellent tackle to win the ball back for Charlton. An attempt by Diarra was blocked by Keogh after a free kick. The Derby tried to rally their team after Charlton applied some pressure.

Diarra put in another excellent tackle, he had won three or four challenges. On 68 minutes Bulot went off and Chris ‘Red Robin’ Eagles came on.

Lingard went off and Dawkins came on. Charlton brought on Harriott and Watt, who may have taken a knock, was taken off. Derby brought on Mascarell. Derby took off Hughes and brought on Bryson.

Charlton got a free kick five or six yards outside the penalty area, but Gudmundsson’s effort went just over the bar. Perhaps the ball should have been directed to Harriott.

Harriott did well to win the ball back for Charlton. The Addicks made a good move, but the ball was collected by the keeper.

Ben Haim put in a good tackle and then a shot cannoned off Diarra to give the Rams a corner. Henderson took the ball comfortably.

Three minutes were added on, but they were uneventful. Word came through that Millwall were losing 0-3 at home to Sheffield Wednesday (final score 1-3).

All the damage had been done in the first fifteen minutes, but at least it was not a rout at the hands of the league leaders. Charlton fell back to 16th, but were eight points above the top relegation spot occupied by Millwall.

<>The local Derby fan has commented: 'You gave our young talented midfielders far too much space in the first twenty minutes by standing off and defending deep. Once you pushed up and crowded midfield it stopped the flow for us but killed the game for your as well. To be honest on the first half it looked as if they were trying to waste time to get in only two down. Charlton were much better second half doubling up on our providers but actually the best chances came in the first half. The last hour was a bit of a damp squib to be honest.'

It should also be noted that the only top eight side we have left to play is Bournemouth (on the last day of the season).

Fans divided on Diarra signing

Fans have expressed divergent views about the signing of Alou Diarra. One commented, 'We are his 12th club in the last 15 years - a player at 33 who has been criticised for lack and effort of application and cannot settle down anywhere or hold a regular place in a team (Lyon, Rennes and West Ham) and has played less than twenty games in the last three years. Does not look like a great signing, but you never know.'

The contrary view is that there is more to him than his Wikipedia entry which you can read here Diarra. 'Those of us who remember him as a fine, deep-lying midfielder for Bordeaux in the Champions League not all that long ago, may perhaps view the statistics as, at best, only half the story (as they would appear to have been with Watt, and Bulot recently).

In my view, he's needed cover, no more, no less.

Alou Diarra on trial

Former West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra is on trial at Charlton and could sign next week if he impresses. Luzon is in the market for a central midfielder after Johnnie Jackson was ruled out for a month with a leg injury. Buyens is also out for two matches after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season.

However, one Addick commented, 'Since he did not impress in a recent trial in the US I doubt that he could help us. Apart from a few name players in their declining years MLS is about League 1 level.' Diarra was at Chicago Fire, but was let go: Alou Diarra

Any offer to the 33-year old, a one time French international, would be on a short-term basis to meet current needs.