When he was sacked as head coach of Charlton, Guy Luzon did not accept the offer of a Eurostar ticket. Instead, he has stayed on in London in the hope of getting back into English football: Staying on
Luzon says that he feels sympathy for fellow national, Katrien Miere.
Guy Luzon has said that he did not have the final say on signings when he was Charlton head coach. It was the network scout who was behind the deals: Guy Luzon
Roland Duchatelet claimed that the manager had a crucial role.
Former Addicks coach Guy Luzon has been linked with the managerial vacancy at Reading following the departure of Steve Clarke: Shock contender
At least he can now claim Championship experience.
Sacked Charlton coach Guy Luzon is disappointed that Roland Duchatelet decided to sack him just as his thin squad was starting to recover from injury: Luzer
It has to be said that successive 0-3 defeats at home would place any coach's position in jeopardy. We haven't seen similar results since the last days of Pardew.
Luzon does thank the Charlton fans who he says have been 'fantastic' for him throughout.
As my train approached Coventry Station tonight, a passing Addick told me that Guy Luzon had been sacked. In the circumstances, the only appropriate comment is the one I have used in my headline which was the formulation the newsreels used when Neville Chamberlain was replaced as prime minister by Winston Churchill.
With his two assistants gone, it is not clear who takes over in the interim. More crucial is the question of who will replace him. They face a tough challenge.
Luzon said in the programme that he took responsibility for what had gone wrong. He might have had some excuse on Wednesday with a weakened team, but today it was pretty much the first choice players. It was evident that if there was a plan they didn't understand it or were unwilling to execute it.
There's not a lot of point in saying much about the match. For the first fifteen minutes or so, we looked quite good and had three chances to score, but were unable to take any of them. After that, it was downhill all the way. All credit to Brentford who took their goals well and were a real menace on the wing.
We didn't seem to be marking any of their players, whether that was an instruction I don't know, but consequently they had acres of space to operate it.
I don't want to comment on the players because they all seem demoralised and no one had a good game. Simon Makienok was a real disappointment. Tony Watt can carve open defences, but he needs to learn to pass the ball. Morgan Fox was woeful, both in defence and going forward.
I suppose all we can say is that we have hit rock bottom and, hopefully, the only way is up.
The Football League Show featured the game tonight. Malkay Mackay was at the game and they are tipping the former Wigan manager as the new Charlton supremo. Details of the Scot's career are here: Malky Mackay
It is possible, however, that he was there because the manager's position at Brentford is only a temporary one, and speculation has also surrounded a network candidate, Karel Fraeye, Riga's former assistant.
This is Lydia Burton reporting from The Valley on a brisk, dry night. Wyn Grant is in Switzerland trying to earn a crust. Good luck with that, given the exchange rate.
Preston opened the score with a free kick from a central position after two minutes. Ba could have dealt with things better in the build up. Nick Pope in the goal was caught out by Gallagher. It was the worst possible start. Needless to say, the Addickted were very subdued.
A Preston player dived. OMG, the free kick was again in a dangerous place. Still no one on the post, wtf Two deflections, panic stations and then Diarra got it away.
There was no rhythm and shape to Charlton, Preston were chasing every single ball.
Tony Watt was trying to do something, but without success. Good work by Holmes-Dennis lifted the crowd a little.
Ba gave the ball away when all he needed to do was to give a simple ball to Cousins.
Preston won a corner on 18 minutes. Pope jumped and claimed it.
Charlton were giving the ball away too easily to a yellow shirt. All the confidence has gone. The Addickted started a chant of ‘Red Army’, but it faded away.
Preston got a free header which fortunately went just wide.
Pope took the ball over for a Preston corner. Tony Watt got the ball away and got a Charlton throw.
Gallagher got a yellow card for a foul on Cousins. On 26 minutes Watt drew ironic applause for the first Charlton shot into the arms of the keeper.
Watt ran at the defence, Solly was on his outside, but Watt chose to take on one more man which spoilt the promising move.
Charlton were starting to cause a few problems, but the final quality wasn’t there. Watt needed a bit more support.
A ball from Charlton flashed across the six yard area, but there was no one there to connect.
Preston won a corner. Ba headed the ball clear, but it went out for another corner after a shot from 25 yards. Pope punched it clear. Gallagher fired it in with a screamer to make it 2-0 to the visitors. The boos rang out. Fans streamed out for some consolation.
The Addicks had no reply to Preston. Charlton won a corner, Ba went down, but the keeper cleared the ball.
Pope had to put the ball over the bar to deny Gallagher his hat trick. Why was he getting so much time and space? Bauer would have stopped that. Preston hit the crossbar from the corner.
Excuse my French, mes amis, but that was merde.
HT 0-2
Bergdich came off, having been played out of position and McAleny came on
Fox and Brown squared up after Brown grabbed him round the throat and Cousins came steaming in. Both players got booked.
Preston were being careful to keep plenty of men behind the ball and safeguard their leave. They were also trying to wind up the Charlton players.
McAleny was cynically fouled and Cunningham got a yellow. The pace was still far too slow. Charlton’s passing needed to be sharper and quicker.
Big Mak came on for Ahearne-Grant and Ba went off to boos while Johnnie Jackson got a cheer and his chant.
It was all to no avail as Preston went 3-0 ahead on 62 minutes through Johnson as he evaded Holmes-Dennis. The shot went into the top fright hand corner. Sugar!
It had become a training game for the visitors. Johnson had a shooting opportunity, but it went just behind.
After that, I pretty much lost interest in the game. Any significant shots were coming from Preston. Overall in the game it was 8 to 18, but on target one to five. Says it all really.
We are now in the relegation positions. Grim reality stares us in the face.
Wyn certainly made the right call by going to Switzerland. He'll be back for Saturday's Relegation League match against Brentford.
Some fans have been expressing unhappiness about tonight's line up for the game at Selhurst Park. Among the more printable comments are 'It's a derby game and we put out the reserves' and 'Luzon is writing his own P45.'
Diarra, Solly and Cousins are all playing, while Pope has to be in goal. However, it is the forward line that has given most concern: Ahearne-Grant and Kennedy. The latter will find Palace a much tougher test than Peterborough.
Watt, Kashi, Gudmundsson and Bauer are all on the bench, but if we fall behind, they may not be able to turn things round.
I give a low credibility rating to rumours in the French media that Pascal Dupraz may become coach at Charlton: Pascal Dupraz
Whilst Roland has a habit of changing coaches, there have been no suggestions that Guy Luzon's position is in doubt after a credible record last season.
The 52-year old has recently ended a second spell as coach at Ligue 1 Évian.
There will be no overnight success at Charlton says coach Guy Luzon in an interview with the South London Press. It is not a question of investing a little more and getting to the Premier League: The path ahead
Luzon also discusses Vetokele's loss of form in the latter part of the season and his muscle injuries.
Charlton beat bottom club Blackpool 3-0 tonight to secure another of their trademark wins by that scoreline under coach Guy 'loser' Luzon. Having got the result he wanted, he was then able to focus on the election results from Israel.
The pitch at Bloomfield Road had been flattened, but it was muddy and soon started to cut up as Charlton faced Blackpool. The ball was inclined to bobble all over the place. The atmosphere was eerie with the few thousand home fans quiet. About 3,700 people were actually there, 250 or so of them Addickted. Vetokele had been left at home.
Gudmundsson put in a curler to the near post, but Church’s header went over the bar. Watt got into the box, but his ball was not accurate.
Johnson had to use his pace to prevent Blackpool getting a corner. Blackpool’s centre halves were being physical with Tony Watt.
Church went down with an apparent ankle injury. He had been in a running battle with Peter Clarke. Church got up, but was limping.
Blackpool put in a shot that went over the bar. Blackpool then won a corner on 20 minutes. It was very scrappy.
A Blackpool free kick was flicked on by the vertically challenged player Telford but went over the bar. There was a moment of danger and Fox had to scramble.
A shot from Orlandi went wide and attracted tepid applause from the home fans. Charlton were having trouble keeping possession on the pitch. Eagles fired in a shot, but it was cleared after he took an extra touch.
The Addicks were getting out muscled in midfield in a poor quality game. A wag on Twitter said it was the Dog & Duck versus the Fox & Hounds on a Sunday league pitch. Charlton made a quick counter attack involving Gudmundsson, tearing through the Tangerines. The home side just managed to clear.
Tony Watt played Church through who was unselfish and ‘Red Robin’ Eagles had a tap in to make it 1-0 to Charlton.
The referee had a word with Gudmundsson and the much travelled Perkins.
Diarra got a yellow card for a challenge, he was not a happy bunny. Perkins placed a ball straight into the hands of Henderson. The Addickted tried to make some noise in the sepulchral stadium.Ferguson won a free kick although Cousins seemed to get something on the ball. The free kick was unproductive.
Solly had to challenge Perkins, but the Tangerines got a corner.
HT: 0-1
Barkhausen was allowed to get a shot in, but it went wide.
Gudmundsson put in a shot, but it was tame in the end and went wide.
Blackpool applied some pressure. Perkins shot straight at Henderson, getting a sarcastic standing ovation from the home support behind the goal.
Blackpool made a double substitution . There were cheers, but they may have been ironic.
Charlton needed a second goal to kill the game off. Out of nowhere, Gudmundsson had some space and Church had to control the ball and took his goal really well to make it 2-0 to Charlton after 61 minutes. Eagles went off for the follicular challenged Buyens.
Orlandi was in a good position but put the ball over the bar. There was a handball call for a penalty against Blackpool.
Charlton put in some good work, but Cousins put his volley over the bar.
Solly got away down the right and Blackpool conceded a corner. The move ended with a horrible ball from Morgan Fox.
Some of the home fans started to slip out to get an early tram. Blackpool got a free kick on the edge of the box as the spray came out for the first time. Henderson made a St. Patrick’s day leap to claim the ball.
Blackpool made their third substitution with Orlandi going off. Tony Watt, who had pulled up, came off and Christophe Lepoint came on.
Henderson had to tip a shot over the bar as it threatened to loop over him. The header by Medine went over the bar.
Clarke and Church squared up to each other. Church got booked. Barkhausen got a yellow card and Charlton won a free kick. Gudmundsson scored once again.
Bulot replaced Diarra who won applause for his battling performance from the Addickted.
Charlton won a late corner, Lepoint made a good run, but his header went wide.
Luzon wrote in last Saturday's programme, 'The reason I get paid by the club is to give [the players] advice and make changes when things are not going well or people are tired, but it is the squad who put ideas into action.'
Luzon has hailed Gudmundsson as 'the David Beckham of the Championship': He comes from Iceland
Charlton are now 11th in the table.
Many Charlton fans are now focusing on the Good Friday match at the New Den, but the Addicks could face their biggest test since Derby when they face Blackburn Rovers at The Valley tomorrow. Having held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield at the weekend, Jordan Rhodes popped up to give Rovers a 94th minute 1-0 win over Bolton midweek. Rhodes will be starting tomorrow, despite being linked with a loan move to 'Boro. Blackburn are now three points ahead of Charlton in the mid-table league.
Charlton have no particular injury worries, apart from the long-term injuries to Johnnie Jackson, Rhoys Wiggins and Franck Moussa [who he, ed?] The Sparrows Lane tea lady reports that Stephen Henderson will be fit after having to withdraw at half time against Cardiff. Talk of a late fitness test can be taken with a pinch of salt.
Our recent record against Blackburn is not too impressive. Blackburn won the last meeting 2-1 at The Valley in the FA Cup in January. Rovers also won the earlier league meeting this season 2-0 at Ewood Park in December. Blackburn have won the last three meetings in all competitions. Charlton's last win was 1-0 at Ewood Park in the Championship in October 2013. Blackburn are unbeaten in the last three meetings at The Valley in all competitions, winning the last two. Charlton's last win at home was 1-0 in the Premier League in December 2006.
A party of Addicks visited Sparrows Lane yesterday and reported that morale was very high, with players speaking with great enthusiasm about Guy Luzon as a coach. One well-regarded player said that he was the best manager he had ever had. Another young player said that Luzon analysed each match with him one on one and then phoned him at home to go through it again.
Roland made one of his rare visits to Sparrows Lane yesterday, but Guy Luzon was tight lipped about whether there had been any discussion of summer transfer targets: Flying visit
Odds: Charlton 9/5, Draw 11/5, Blackburn 8/5.
Charlton's run of good form under coach Guy Luzon continued with a 2-1 win at Cardiff this afternoon.
The Addicks had to stage a second-half recovery. Keeper Stephen Henderson was unable to return after the break following a knock, Dmitrovic replacing him. Federico Macheda gave Cardiff the lead early in the second half, turning in Kenwyne Jones' knock-back.
But Addicks substitute Chris Eagles cut back a cross for Tony Watt, who was lurking off his markers to fire home. (In fact, it may have been Roger Johnson who put the cross in according to a tweet from Richard Cawley of the SLP). Then Charlton substitute Simon Church went tumbling under Sean Morrison's challenge in the area, with Yoni Buyens tucking the penalty away on 87 minutes.
Charlton remain 12th: in fact, there is quite a squeezed area in mid-tale with Birmingham 14th on 46 points and Sheffield Wednesday 10th with 49 points. They are, however, 2nd in the form table.
Millwall's troubles continued with a 1-4 defeat at home to Norwich. Beleaguered boss Ian Holloway was jeered by the Spanners every time he emerged from the dugout. Holloway decided to hunker down in his bunker, explaining 'I felt if I came out from the dugout the fans would vent their spleen on me and that would not benefit the team.' Looking for positives, he said, 'I felt the lads kept going and showed a Millwall spirit, but maybe I'm the only one in the ground who did.'
A Welsh report, not surprisingly, gives a more negative view of the game: Dominant Cardiff throw it away
However, the match stats do not really support a picture of dominance by the Bluebirds. Admittedly, they had a lot of shots off target, but led only four to three on shots on target and five to four on corners. Possession was 54-46 per cent in their favour.
This morning's Football League Paper gives its highest scores (8) to Tony Watt ('should have had a penalty') and Chris 'Red Robin' Eagles who replaced Lepoint on 60 minutes and 'galvanised Charlton ... It took the former Manchester United forward less than 60 seconds to register his side's first shot on target in an hour.' Stephen Henderson got a 7 and Jordan Cousins got a 7 for 'a game of two halves like his team. Quiet before the break but lively late on.' Christophe Lepoint gets slated: 'A poor man's Peter Crouch. Brought in to offer height and presence and lacked touch.' His miserable score of 4 will give some comfort to those who doubt the quality of some of our acquisitions.
On the two halves point, Guy Luzon gave the team a telling off at half time. He said, 'We didn't play well in the first half and I told the players at half time that something had to change if we wanted to take three points back to London. In my philosophy, there is no point to play long balls. If you keep the ball and move it, then you have the chance to score goals. That is the first thing of football. We also showed character when we were 1-0 down away from home to get the goal and then to continue playing after the goal.'
By now the evidence is accumulating that he is quite a skilled coach who is able to motivate the players, but hard liners insist they will only chant his name if we beat Millwall at The New Den. Given our record against Millwall, that is a tough challenge to meet. Others point that they have no quarrel with Luzon personally, but rather with Roland.
As far as Stephen Henderson is concerned, he twisted his ankle. Normally reliable sources say that he got on the coach without any strapping on his ankle and shout be fit for the clash against the chicken farmers on Saturday.
That is what one Addick tweeted after Charlton beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at The Valley tonight through a Bulot brace.
Tony Watt launched one of his trademark attacks early in the game, but got fouled.
Tony Watt was taken out as he went steaming forward and a yellow card was given to Lascelles. From the free kick Bulot put it into the top left-hand corner with a screamer to make it 1-0 after six minutes. The Gabonese fans I passed in Floyd Road on Saturday would be happy if they had come again.
Antonio got the ball on to his right foot and put the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to make it 1-1 as Henderson made a despairing drive.
Lawrie Wilson was brought down off the pitch by Antonio and needed the attention of the physio.
Watt didn’t have enough support as he forged forward and ran into a dead end. Lansbury put a shot straight at Henderson.
Diarra had to clear the ball away as Charlton were under pressure from Diarra. This led to the first corner of the game. Henderson got his fists to it and put it out. The curling ball caused chaos. Charlton struggled to get the ball clear, but it eventually went out for a goal kick. However, the old Charlton vulnerability in defending corners showed.
Forest had the upper hand as news came through that Millwall were 2-0 down at Boro. Diarra did well, but was thrown head first into the advertising hoardings. Charm merchant Lansbury was lucky to get away with a yellow card.
Wilson did well as Antonio threatened again. His powerful runs had troubled Reading last Saturday. Henderson was unsighted as Antonio made a shot and Henderson put it out for a corner. The ball went out for another corner. Henderson missed it, but the ball went out for a goal kick.
Charlton needed to get back in the game as Forest were on top. Wilson delivered a good ball into the box and Bulot buried it to make it 2-1. This is Bulot who was written off in the last Voice of the Valley by Steve Dixon: ‘I cannot remember a significant contribution from [him].’
Cousins battled well with Osborn as two minutes were added on. Harriott seemed to be in trouble after he tripped up. Good work by Vetokele dealt with Antonio.
HT: Addicks 2, Forest 1
With Harriott off with a knock, Eagles came on. Bikey replaced Wilson. Luzon showed that he was not afraid to make half time substitutions.
Forest got a free kick in a dangerous position after protestations by Antonio. Vetokele intercepted for a corner.
Charlton got their first corner of the game, but it was unproductive. Diarra defended well.
Forest put in a header which went over the bar, Bikey told Fox he should have got it away.
Antonio was still causing problems, muscling Eagles out of the way.
A Forest shot curled wide. They had got the upper hand in the second half. But then Charlton put in some good work with the ball hitting the defender for a throw in.
Gardner, who had had a frustrating time in the second half in his role of feeding Antonio, was taken off.
Henderson took the ball well as the offside flag was raised, but it looked as if he had injured his shoulder, but he carried on.
Vetokele couldn’t just get to a ball that was chipped in by Gomez. Dexter Blackstock came on for Forest. Bikey defended well.
Burke got away from Fox but Bikey blocked his shot. Lansbury came off and was replacesd by Vekdwijk.
Bulot had shot on 85 minutes, but it was held by Darlow in the Forest goal. Vetokele went down and Lepoint came on. Darlow kept out a header from Watt and a shot by Bulot was blocked. Lichaj was booked for a foul on Watt. Antonio was then shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
Forest got a late corner and Darlow came up but to no avail.
The Addicks are now 14 points above Millwall who lost 3-0 at 'Boro. Charlton are now 5th in the form table.
When will fans start to sing Guy Luzon's name? Luzon said a week ago that he would win the fans round and the topic is being discussed on the boards. Fans did not object to Luzon personally, it was just the apparent manner of his appointment and the concern that he was another network cast off - although his first season at the mother ship was a good one.
The case for him being a useful coach is that he does seem to have some idea of what he is doing. The team does seem to be playing as a team in quite a disciplined way, Johnnie Jackson said that he really only achieved this at the Brentford match. His philosophy is to have a solid defence, but let the forwards express themselves which works well with Tony Watt whom he coached at Standard Liege.
The counter case is that we lost at Derby, which might not seem that surprising, but some fans thought that there were mistakes in team selection. It is also argued that the 3-0 wins could be a flash in the pan and we need to see ten matches to make a balanced judgment, a reasonable point.
His gyrations on the touchline are seen by some to be ridiculous and others as a sign of passion, but one explanation may be that he has a relatively weak voice.
The game against Notts Forest will be a crucial test of how far he has lifted the team. One would not expect fans to identify with him in the way that they did with Chris Powell. It is also possible that he may be replaced at the end of the season however well he does. The managerial merry go round is one of the least attractive aspects of life in the network. But, as with many things with Roland, it is a question of fifty shades of grey.
Our most common result this season has been 1-1. But our most common winning score is now 3-0, all three victories achieved with Guy Luzon as coach. This was the result against Huddersfield Town this afternoon in front of a 'football for a fiver' crowd of over 25,000.
Charlton opened their account just before the half hour mark with a great free kick by Gudmundsson opening the scoring and in the second half Tony Watt scored two goals, the second goal a superb one. Despite being a network player, Charlton fans have quickly taken to Watt with his attractive attacking style and real skill with the ball.
Guy Luzon claimed in the programme that he is trying to create an attractive attacking style. Although we were dangerous in the opening five minutes, we had not really threatened until the set piece. However, we attacked with increasing pace, although the Terriers were capable of threatening on the counter. Henderson made some first class saves, keeping the clean sheet. 'Now don't cock it up,' yelled the Bloke Behind Me when we went 2-0 ahead, but we increasingly took charge in the game.
Charlton have gone up to the top half of the table again in 12th position and are 11 points above Millwall who lost at Rotherham. So what's going on? The explanation in CAS Trust News, distributed at the ground, was that the Head Coach has 'momentarily turned things around.' So it's a blip, but it's a decent blip and looks increasingly like keeping us out of League One.
I rang Derek from Dymchurch who has been at the UKIP convention in Margate and he told me, 'Clearly it's all down to the fighting spirit of the players. It's nothing to do with Luzon.' So if we had lost 0-3 today, what would he then say? 'Oh, in that case, it would be down to Luzon. I don't begrudge him his bit of luck, but these Belgian geezers always get found out in the end.'
Chris Powell got appropriately warm applause on his return, with many fans also applauding at the third minute. I was particularly pleased to see Richard Rufus walking round with the Academy players after all his troubles. My late wife was his kit sponsor for many years and he heard and acknowledged the shout of 'Roofus' from our row.
Player ratings
Henderson was certainly a close second for man of the match. He was particularly tested by Wallace's close range shot, but dealt with everything. The 17-year old Gomez was a great advert for the Academy in the centre back role. The yellow card he received was harsh. Giving Johnson a 8 this morning the Football League Paper said 'Four games, three clean sheets for Charlton since Johnson arrived at The Valley.' He wants to get his career back on track and that works for us. Of course, fans will say, 'why did we hold on to Morrison?' but I would think his wages were higher and we are losing £7m a year. I thought that Fox had a decent game, even though Scannell did get behind him once. Solly put in a very solid and professional performance, once again showing that his more mature than his years (something discussed in his interesting exchange with Johnnie Jackson in the programme).
Gudmundsson took his free kick well and he was active in midfield, but he didn't take a great part in open play. Even so, I was a bit surprised when he was the first player to be substituted, but maybe he was fading a bit or perhaps had picked up a knock. Cousins was very active in midfield, always available to receive a ball and pass it on well. In my view he is becoming a class act, a Lee Bowyer without the petulance. There was some debate around me about whether the yellow card was deserved. I think there was a shove, but the player shoved made the most of it. Bulot had some good bursts down the wing and provided some quality crosses and got warm applause when he was substituted. Buyens comes in for a lot of criticism from fans, but I thought he was better yesterday. The FLP gave him a 8 and said, 'Nothing flashy, but his neatness and protection enabled team mates to flourish.'
Igor combines well with Watt and provided the assist for both of his goals. Watt got a rare 9 from the FLP and was clearly man of the match. Luzon was impressed with him at the mother ship and wanted him at Charlton.
Wilson was energetic when he came on and didn't do anything wrong. Diarra looks a bit of a lump, but he can move the ball around nicely and knows how to pass to a Charlton player. Eagles moved the ball around confidently.
I know we don't do 'Hiss of the Match' any more, but I certainly would have given one to Vaughan who abused the referee for some time after a yellow card was finally given to a visiting player. He was lucky not to get booked for dissent.
Plymouth: I was expecting to hear news of Argyle at dinner last night, indeed I had promised Radio Scilly a feature given that they are the most supported club on the islands. However, neither of my hosts had been near Home Park and one was a fanatical Cardiff City fan whose opening gambit was, 'Charlton aren't doing very well these days.'
I have urged them to finish today's talks (which start with the presentation of my passport to prove that I am EU citizen) so that I can be back home in time for the commentary on tonight's crucial match. They have generously paid for first class travel to entice me to Plymouth, but judging on yesterday's experience, I wouldn't like to rely on the WiFi on Virgin Cross Country.
At the beginning of the season, Wigan were judged to be likely candidates for promotion back to the top flight. Now they are in a relegation battle and look in danger of going down with fellow Lancastrians Blackpool. Is Charlton's name on the third relegation place? Even those who regard RD as an existential threat to Charlton as we know it accept that the short-term objective has to be to stay in the Championship. If Roland goes out, someone has to come in. Hence, tonight justifies the cliché of six pointer.
Johnnie Jackson, unfortunately out injured for a month, stated at the five year season ticket holders meeting in the week that last Saturday was the first time Guy Luzon had got the team playing as he wanted. (Incidentally, the timing of this meeting the night before the Woolwich meeting was not a ploy by Katrien, it had been fixed weeks beforehand).
I liked the tight and disciplined 4-4-2 formation that Luzon produced last Saturday. However, as pessimists were quick to point out, one swallow does not make a summer, even if it has a Scottish accent. We have also lost Wiggins and while Morgan Fox tries his best, he is still on a learning curve as a player. Chris Eagles can play in an attacking role on the left, but having been criticised for her lack of knowledge of immigration law, Katrien now faces the challenge of getting his surname changed to Red-Robin by this evening.
Roger Johnson is also unlikely to be available after playing through the pain of cracked ribs on Saturday when we had already had to make two substitutions because of injury. Even dedicated moaners have given grudging respect to his bravery for the cause.
Charlton won the earlier meeting this season 2-1 at The Valley in August. The home side have won six of the seven meetings between these teams, drawing the other. Wigan have won all three meetings at the DW Stadium, scoring eight goals and conceding three. Wigan won 1-0 at Reading on Tuesday - their first win in nine games in all competitions. Wigan have not won any of their last 12 home games, losing six. Their last win at the DW Stadium was 4-0 against Birmingham on 30 August
The bookies (Coral) think they know the outcome, offering 3-1 against a Charlton win, 5-2 for a draw and very short odds on a home win. If I was a gambler, I might be tempted by the odds on a Charlton win. However, all four officials are from 'oop North (two from nearby), so expect no quarter to be shown to the southern softies. I would be quite surprised to turn up at a Charlton game and find that the referee was from Margate and one of the linos was from Sevenoaks.
When I went to Wigan in our Premier League days, the typical supporter was a lippy twelve year old. They have now 'grown up', but one has been forecasting a 9-0 win on Twitter. With Henderson in goal, I don't think so. I still have many reservations about Luzon, but I am going for a 2-1 win for the Addicks.
Guy Luzon gets a back page splash in the Football League Paper and says that he is confident in his own ability to quick alter fans' views of him.
Well, maybe, if we get a run of good results. However, Charlton fans know that the greatest periods in their history have come with managerial stability: Jimmy Seed, Alan Curbishley (and backs against the wall) Lennie Lawrence. Incidentally, the Derek Ufton interviews in Voice of the Valley have been fascinating in terms of the replacement of Seed by Trotter. Ufton revealed that Seed had developed a liking for an occasional drink, but confirmed my long held view that Trotter was the wrong replacement.
However, I must not start reminiscing about Sunday morning chats between fans about the Seed v. Trotter rivalry against the background of the hissing gas lights in my uncle's newsagents in Lakedale Road. Let's focus on Luzon.
Luzon states: 'When I arrived in Belgium some of the people didn't think I was experienced in Belgian football, but in my first year there we did well. Mr Duchatelet sacked me because in my second year at Standard Liege we replaced all the players and we knew that we needed time to improve the team because it was totally new. [This does strike me as an odd way of running a club]. But Standard Liege is a big club and the fans didn't have the patience to wait.'
'We have a good relationship and if he didn't trust me I wouldn't be here, but he seems to trust me and knows my quality and that is why I am here. We don't need to think about my position, my position is not important, it is important that the team collect points'.
Luzon cites Avram Grant as his 'inspiration': 'Avram is my friend as he is from the same city, Petah Tikva, and he was the first Israeli coach in the Premier League.'
We shall see. Yesterday the Covered End was chanting 'We are Charlton's Red Army.'
That is the question posed by the Football League Paper in their profile of Guy Luzon. The picture emerges is a rather mixed one, but it looks like being a bumpy ride.
Perceptions of him in Israel are influenced by the unpopularity of his Libyan-born uncles Ami and Amos who control top flight club Petah Tikva. Journalist Alon Sinai told the FLP, 'his image in his homeland remains that of a master manipulator who owes his status to his connections rather than his talents.' Luzon himself said, 'I met with senior sports writers who told me they know how much I mean to my uncles - that's why they did hatchet jobs on me.'
After Luzon had a short and unspectacular career in Israel's lower divisions which was ended by injury uncle Amos appointed him manager of Tikva at the age of just 26. He led Tikva to second in the table and secured European qualification. He then went to fallen giants Happel Tel Aviv, but was sacked after just five months. He then joined Briei Yahuda and secured consecutive top three finishes and qualification for the group stages of the Europa League.
'The criticism of Luzon is not always right,' said journalist Ron Amikam. 'He was very close to his players at Tikva and they all liked him.'
Luzon is a fan of rotating players, Tal Ben Haim commenting, 'I've never seen anything like the amount of rotation Luzon uses, even at Chelsea.' [That's all very well if one has a squad with the depth and quality of Chelsea, but carries considerable risks at Charlton.]
According to Amikam, Luzon has a volatile temperament: 'He does not always communicate well, especially with the media. He can be very arrogant and does not stand criticism. In additional, he can be very emotional.' So we can expect some interesting press conferences and a few touchline incidents.
On the face of it tomorrow's game between Wolves and Charlton looks like an easy three points for the home side. However, commentators in the Midlands fear 'a new boss bounce': New boss bounce
Pessimistic Charlton fans have already decided that Luzon will be thrown to the Wolves, writing him off as incompetent before he has had charge of a single game. Much the same was said about Riga when he took over from Chris Powell. Many fans hoped that Luzon would not get his work permit which was never going to happen given the political ramifications of such a decision.
Wolves are very much looking back up the table having ended their poor slump in form. The hosts have picked up 16 of the last 18 points available in the league, conceding just two goals in those six games to get their playoff challenge back on track. They now sit only one point adrift of the top six and, with two of the three teams directly above them in the table playing each other this weekend, Kenny Jackett's side will have a chance to close the gap.
Wolves are aiming for a fifth straight win in the second tier for the first time since 2008, and with three more teams currently in the bottom half to come in their immediate fixtures after this one, they will fancy their chances of extending that run even further.
Indeed, so high is confidence at Molineux that they think they could still win the title: We are going up
Wolves have won two of the last three meetings at Molineux, drawing the other. Charlton's last win there was a 4-0 triumph in the Premier League in August 2003.
I won't judge Luzon on the basis of one tough match, especially when he has had little time to prepare the team. I remain unenthusiastic about the appointment, but he is now the head coach and I want him to succeed. Come on you Reds!
One possible concern is that the banker from Billericay, Andy d'Urso, is referee. I don't think he has it in for Charlton, he is just a poor decision maker who will spoil the game. I will be surprised if there are 22 players on the pitch at the end of the match.
Odds are: Wolves 4/6, Draw 5/2, Charlton 9/2.
This is probably a forlorn hope, as I doubt whether he has strayed to SE7, but if anyone has seen Leamington's cardboard dog mascot Nimrod could they let me know as he is needed in the fight against relegation at Stockport County tomorrow: Where is Nimrod?
Reports that Curbs has been seen at The Valley need to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Either they are the product of wishful thinking or a decision to start a rumour that might cheer us all up.
However, given that the regime seem to be at sea on footballing matters, particularly concerning the requirements of the Championship, it would be an encouraging sign if Katrien talked to Curbs to get some advice. Even better, although appointing Curbs as a manager would not be a good idea given its 'back to the future' nature and the time he has been out of management, there could be another role for him.
He couldn't be director of football as the recruitment function is already being filled. However, he could occupy the slot he did at Fulham as 'technical advisor', i.e., advising on tactics and team selection. Admittedly, at Fulham he was described as the lonely man in the stands, but I am sure he could make a more active contribution at his old stamping grounds at Sparrows Lane and The Valley. On his brief stay at Fulham see the earlier report here: Curbs at Fulham
I am grateful to those who have explained the technicalities associated with Guy Luzon getting a work permit. However, I do not think that potentially high profile cases like this one are purely rule driven. They become much more political, although admittedly the club's political influence is not what it was. Nevertheless, it does seem unlikely that this can be sorted by Saturday and the uncertainty is doing us no good.
