Hellsborough?

Charlton are unbeaten in six on the road (despite having just 39 per cent possession in these matches) and Sheffield Wednesday have not won a game at home this season. They did secure a surprise 0-0 draw away at league leaders Coventry last weekend, putting their promotion celebrations on ice. This is just the kind of scenario that appeals to the negativity and pessimism of so many Charlton supporters.

Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones wants his team to be more ‘clinical’ and ‘get back to basics’ against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

He said: 'We have had opportunities to win games lately and we haven’t. We have let ourselves down on one or two little things. We have to work so hard to get chances, to get goals. We have created enough chances in recent weeks and I just want us to be a bit more clinical. If you can’t keep a clean sheet and you don’t convert your chances then that is not a good sign so we have to get back to basics this weekend.'

The Addicks will be backed by around 2,000 fans on Saturday and the visitors are set to be boosted by the return of former England defender Conor Coady after he was stretchered off and taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious on Easter Monday.

The Massives have won their last four home games against Charlton, keeping a clean sheet each time.  The Addicks have not completed the league double over the Owls since 1953/4.   Jamal Lowe has scored in both of his last two league games against Charlton, although in 2020 it was for Wigan.

Interesting that Lincoln University's student paper reckons that the Imps will have as small a playing budget as Charlton next season: https://thelinc.co.uk/2026/04/lincoln-city-finances-championship/

Shelvey's Arabian dream

Jonjo Shelvey started his career at Cbarlton, but now he is heading to the UAE to manage third tier minnows, the Arabian Falcons: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clyjj2pjdypo

It is no clear whether falconry instruction comes as part of the package.

Tonight's results

Portsmouth had a surprise victory over Ipswich tonight with former Leamington ace Colby Bishop scoring the second goal.   Pompey are now just one point behind Charlton.

However, Blackburn lost, have now played one more game and have an inferior goal difference.

Addicks swoop for Dorking starlet

The official statement from Dorking Wanderers about the signing of Josh Herbert for Charlton: https://dwfc.co.uk/2026/04/joshua-hebert-signs-professional-deal-with-charlton-athletic/

A number of other EFL clubs were interested including Millwall, but Herbert has been training with Charlton.   His grandfather made one appearance for the Addicks - see Richard Cawley's Substack for the full story.

I still regret that Charlton weren't prepared to pay £10k for Colby Bishop from Leamington.  Accrington signed him and he is now playing for Portsmouth (and scoring against us).

Baggies deny rules breach

West Bromwich Albion are facing a possible points deduction after being charged with an alleged breach of the EFL’s Profit and Sustainability  (P&S) regulations.  The charge relates to the three years ending with the 2024-25 season, with Championship clubs allowed to lose £41.5million ($56m) over that period.

According to the club accounts posted on Companies’ House, West Brom lost £7.6m in 2022-23, £37.6m in 23-24, and £18.8m in 24-25, amounting to a pre-tax loss of £64m.

P&S allows exclusions from this total for “healthy” expenses, such as long-term infrastructure or community projects, which can be added back from the loss calculation.  This includes the Category One academy, which costs the club several million pounds per season in operating costs. Accounting for these exclusions, the breach is thought to be marginal.

Under the EFL’s regulations, sporting penalties from the previous term must be applied in the following term, suggesting any potential points deduction will be taken from this season’s total.

The EFL’s base punishment for a P&S breach is 12 points, but it is softened based on the severity. For example, the deduction is reduced to three points if the breach is less than £2m, four points if between £2 and £4m, up to 12 points if the breach is greater than £15m.

There can also be further deductions from the base 12-point penalty if the loss in the final season is less than the season before. In West Brom’s case, their losses halved in 24-25 compared to the 23-24 term, the second of the three seaso period in question. The EFL Board can also request up to an additional nine-point penalty for “any aggravating factors and any other penalty it feels appropriate”.

West Brom released a statement in response to reports of the charge on Monday afternoon.    The statement reads: “The club considers that it has fully complied with the P&S rules. The club will continue to co-operate with the EFL’s Club Financial Reporting Unit and looks forward to resolving this matter.”

Bilkul Football WBA, a company owned by American businessman Shilen Patel, completed a takeover of the West Midlands club in February 2024 from Chinese businessman Lai Guochuan.

West Brom have been operating under an EFL “business plan” that limited their football spending during the period under scrutiny, which further complicates the assessment of their case. The charge follows West Brom posting their financial figures for the 2024-25 season, although industry experts calculate that any infringement, should the charge be proven, would be a “small breach”.

According to the EFL’s financial rules any sporting punishment, such as a points deduction, must be applied the season after the breach — which would mean this season in West Brom’s case — but time is now running out, with only four games remaining in the 2025-26 campaign. A transfer embargo and/or a fine are also potential punishments.

Any club handed a so-called “sporting sanction” has a period of ten working days to lodge an appeal, which would take any final decision well into the close season. But the EFL does not publish its fixtures until June 25, raising the theoretical prospect of West Brom surviving relegation, only to be demoted retrospectively should they be found guilty and handed a points deduction.

West Brom will have 14 days to respond from the date of the official charge. The EFL regular season ends in 19 days’ time, on May 2, which may help West Brom argue that any points deduction should be deferred.

Football finance guru Kieran Maguire calculates that, when mitigating factors such as infrastructure and academy costs are factored in, West Brom’s declared loss will be about £42.6million — approximately £1.1million more than is allowable.

I doubt whether this matter will be resolved this season and any points deduction is likely to occur next season.

 

Is my glass emptying?

I am a glass half full guy, but sluggish performances by Charlton in the last two home games have been concerning.

One of my Valley friends who is not a professional moaner messaged me: '.I am getting concerned. Creating chances but not taking them will relegate us. I am sure players are confident and would say we cannot be dropped but no matter if they don’t score the team and club will suffer.'

I have always thought the chances of survival were 50/50 because we have one of the smallest playing budgets in the division.   Measuring this metric is not straightforward as what does one count?   Physios and the medical team, certainly.  The staff who prepare and serve the players' meals?   Probably.

In any event one can fit a simple two variable linear regression model to the relationship between playing budget and on pitch performance.  One doesn't even need to do any data transformations such as the logarithmic and certainly there is no need for curvilinear models of the kind used in econometrics.

Of course, there are always outliers, teams that over perform or under perform.   In the latter case this season think Tottenham Hotspur and for the former perhaps Brentford.   They are what make football interesting, but the overall model is robust.  Money talks.

Richard Cawley tries to steady the reds: 'Emotions are always high after a defeat and also the sense of foreboding. But how much trouble are Charlton in as they get ready to head to already-relegated Wednesday this weekend?

The gap to the bottom three has been trimmed to five points but Opta Analyst puts the chances of an Addicks relegation at just 3.16 per cent. Contrast that with Leicester City (86.44), Oxford United (52.52) and Portsmouth (28.92). Those latter two won at the weekend. West Brom (18.38) and Blackburn (10.58) are also below Charlton in the table.'

The fixture away to the Massives bothers me as they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  I also remember them sending us down after our first stay in the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion have been charged with a breach of financial rules, but it is not clear when any penalties would apply.

One goal is not enough

Faced with the challenge of scoring a second goal, Charlton went down 1-2 to Preston at The Valley this afternoon.   Charlton stay 18th, but are just five points above Oxford in the first relegation position.

After he had hit the woodwork from a Tyreece Campbell cross, the returning Joe Rankin-Costello put the Addicks ahead on 18 minutes.   He finished on the volley after Carey's long throw was flicked in off a Preston defender's head.

Charlton's lead did not last long.  Villa loanee Lewis Dobbin put a looping header over Mannion on 25 minutes.

On the half hour mark, Mannion had to save from Devine, attempting to score from a tight angle.

As Preston threatened again as half time approached, Brad Pitts sliced wide from a good position.

Charlton were retreating a lot in the first phase of the second half and Fullah and Goddard were brought on to liven things up with Rankin-Costello and Chambers going off.

Charlton pushed on in an attempt to score, but opened up a glaring gap, enabling Potts to score for the visitors on 65 minutes.

The game went a bit flat.  Campbell was taken off and replaced by Miles Leaburn.

Carey went off for Berry as the end of normal time approached.

With seven minutes added on Charlton applied some pressure but a great block from Gibson denied Dykes a scoring opportunity,

Concerned supremo Nathan Jones told the BBC: .We started really well, got the goal and had a number of chances to get further ahead. But we switched off and lost shape at a set play and they scored from it. They started the second half better and we're lethargic and they score after we give the ball away.

'Then we throw everything at them and have a number of chances and can't score which is pretty much what has been happening.  The home form is concerning. My worry is that for all our play we don't have the conversion rate we need to win games. we had a number of chances today but cannot score.'