Charlton are a second rate Watford

That is the claim made by the Football League Paper makes today in article illustrated by a cartoon of the now famous revolving door at The Valley. The network model can work, the paper argues, if it is done properly, as it is at Watford, but not at Charlton.

The paper reckons that Roland Duchatelet saw Watford's 'foreign loanees waltz through the Championship. He saw them change managers with no apparent dip in performance. He saw them pushing for the Premier League and saw the riches at the end of the rainbow. He thought, "I'll have some of that.'"' [I'm not sure that Roland has ever given a moment's thought to Watford, but the argument is interesting nevertheless].

'Unfortunately, he failed to factor in some crucial differences. Like the fact that Pozzo also owns Udinese and Granada. One play in Serie A. The other is in La Liga. Or that the Italian employs more dedicated scouts than any other owner in world football. Not only is that a powerful, well-connected network, it has also been running like clockwork for 20 years. The upshot is a pool of players that Watford - or any other Championship club - could under normal circumstances neither attract nor afford.'

Listing Roland's clubs, the FLP says, 'Equating that ropey stable to Pozzo's resources is like comparing Steptoe and Son's backyard to a Swiss bank vault. Is it any wonder that almost every player Duchatelet has imported has proved unfit for purpose? This season has shown signs of improvement, but it is not like Yoni Buyens or an ageing Tal Ben Haim would walk into any Championship team.'

'Duchatelet's formative system has nothing to offer Charlton. That's not to say it won't in the future. The theory is proven. Right now Charlton need either investment in players or - as is happening - youth development. But that will not bear fruit without stability.'

Noting that managers are Charlton are changed like a broken light bulb, the paper argues that Roland needs to stop aping Watford's tendency to jettison managers.

Have Watford lost their identity?

This interesting blog post by a Watford fan challenges a suggestion by yet another lazy journalist that the club has lost its identity under the ownership of the Pozzo family: Watford

This resonates, of course, with a recent debate at Charlton. My view is that the identity of a club rests with its fans. Owners and managers come and go, but the fans (well, most of them) remain constant.

Hornets can sting

The general view was that we were unfortunate not to get anything out of our home game with Watford in October when we went down 1-2 to the 10-man opposition: Watford. However, the chances of getting anything more than a draw at Vicarage Road tomorrow are not that promising. Watford are currently 3rd in the home table and Charlton are currently bottom. The Hornets have been defeated just once in 11 games.

I saw the quite long excerpt on The Football League Show of Watford's 3-1 victory at the Amex over Brighton and Hove Albion (it is certainly a longer excerpt than Charlton customarily get). The Hornets looked full of confidence and particularly strong in the counter attack.

Czech international Matej Vydra, on loan from Udinese, is clearly a danger man. At Brighton he scored two goals and provided an assist, as well as forcing a good save from the Albion keeper. Troy Deeny's goal was also excellent and he provided the assist for Vydra's second. In midfield Chalobah was calm and composed on the ball, delivering well-weighted passes throughout: just what we haven't got at Charlton. Fitz Hall did everything that was asked of him in defence, but Alumnia in goal made a silly mistake to give away the penalty. Although clearly a more than competent keeper, he can be pressured to make errors.

Charlton will be without Michael Morrison in defence. As Hungry Ted has noted in his blog, the consensus among the Addickted is that Chris Powell should have taken him off at half time. Even just listening to the commentary, it was clear to me that the rotund referee had him in his sights. It has been observed that he has been playing below his usual standard in recent games and this has led him to make errors that can attract cards.

Bradley Wright-Phillips impressed on Saturday and arguably did enough to earn a starting place. Bradley Pritchard was his usual vigorous self. After a hesitant start, Evina did well, certainly better than Seaborne who was angling for a permanent berth in a programme interview a few weeks ago: thanks, but no thanks.

I can make one prediction with confidence about this match: the symmetry of Charlton's away record will end. Currently we have won four, drawn four and lost four. Watford have lost as many matches at home as away (four), but I fear a loss for the Addicks to start 2013. Odds are: Watford 5/6, Draw 5/2, Charlton 10/3

Whilst we shouldn't blame referees for our own poor performances, it's not good news that Trevor Kettle is refereeing this match. He rewarded the horror tackle on Grant Basey at Bristol Rovers by Dominic Blizzard with a yellow card, although he did have the grace to apologise afterwards. Views by fans of this cloud of steam are far from favourable: Kettle

In the event of a defeat, if Chris Powell is not provided with a taxi then or shortly afterwards, he is probably safe for the rest of the season, barring a complete collapse. We don't need to add to the crazy turnover of Championship managers.

The Italian job

'Very disappointing' was the verdict in Row Q after Charlton went down 1-2 at home to 10-man Watford. No doubt stronger verdicts were heard elsewhere in the ground. Given that Millwall and the Massives drew away, the Addicks remain outside the relegation places in 20th position for now. But we have a tough fixture away at Blackpool on Saturday.

This was not a match I was expecting to win. I reaffirmed my 2-2 forecast in our Row Q competition. It was a match I thought could go one of three ways, but I did not really expect us to lose. However, as my wife said before I left, 'they'll lose.'

The first half ended 1-1 with Ricardo Fuller replying to their opener. Just before the break, Italian charmer Forestieri was sent off with a second yellow for diving, although he is now claiming he slipped on the wet pitch.

Playing against ten men does not give an automatic advantage, however. A lot depends on how the other team responds. I thought that Zola was rather clever in putting five men behind the ball and then trying to hit us on the break - and Watford could break quickly. This is what they did after Cort very foolishly gave a bear hug to one of their players in a dangerous position.

We then mounted attack after attack, getting eleven shots on target against their nine, but they crowded the box and it was difficult to get a clear shot away. Over five minutes of time were added on, but it was one of those nights when we could have had an extra half hour and not scored.

Match report

I was a bit puzzled to read that it had cost one other Midland Addick £100 to go to the match. Deutsche Bahn charged me £18.70 return to Marylebone and then I had perhaps £10 or so on my Oyster.

I was not surprised to see large numbers of Japanese ladies with branded shopping bags getting on at Bicester North after a visit to Bicester Village. I was a bit more puzzled to see quite a few Japanese on the 472 from North Greenwich, one reading a Japanese paper that seemed to be aimed at the Japanese community in Britain.

I was quite optimistic about the game, as one has to be travelling some distance, but reading an article in the Sub-Standard about the match by Giuseppe Moro (from the Hornets press office) I noted that Zola thought that the slow start to their promotion push might help them. He had observed a positive shift in the mood at the club in the past week.

Walking past the station a swarm of Hornets emerged chanting 'Watford! Watford! Want any aggro?' which got no response at all in a SE7 where it was raining heavily.

One of the oddities of evening games is that Steve to my left and Paul to my right are wearing sharp suits, betraying their pikey connections, while I was clad in what is now a rather scruffy Alan Curbishley training top.

It was evident to me that Watford's game plan was to go for an early goal and Solly was soon called on to show his defensive skills. I thought that Kerkar and Wright Phillips combined well. Wilson made an excellent run down the right which admittedly only got a throw in but it was worth a try. The Hornets put in a shot from distance which Hamer gathered a little uncomfortably.

On 15 minutes Charlton won a free kick in a promising position to the right of the 'D'. Something happened in the Watford wall, possibly a handball, and the free kick had to be taken again. It took some time for the recipient of the yellow card to appear on the screen and it was allocated to former inmate Troy Deeney, apparently on the advice of the fourth official. It turned out that it had been given to Fernando Foresteri and this was to prove significant later.

Kerkar put in a decent free kick which won a corner but the corner itself was poor. By this time the rain was starting to ease off. A good cross came in from the left, but there was no one there to connect with it. A corner taken by Green led to some initially good pressure from Charlton, but it was not sustained.

Morrison got a finger wagging from the referee. A Watford free kick took a slight deflection off the back of a Charlton player. The corner was not properly placed in the prescribed area, but the bald dimwit of a linesman took no action. The ball came in and was headed in the back of the net. It was a bullet header and we thought it might have been an own goal, but in fact it came off Hoban. I have not seen it again, but my impression at the time was of sloppy defending. I think it would have been difficult for Hamer to save it.

Watford threatened to score a second from a break and Hamer had to save at the post. Impressive skill by Kerkar and a good pass by Stephens then set up Fuller for the equaliser.

Wilson dealt well with a Watford threat. A Charlton free kick after a push on Kerkar was saved, but it might have been possible to exploit a gap at the near post. Almunia had to save from Kerkar. Green provided good work on the right.

Morrison put in what many to be judged a fair tackle on Forestieri, although it was arguably slightly from behind. The free kick came off the wall and Forestieri put on a shot wide as he was booed. In the one minute added on, Watford won a corner and Forestieri dived - as far as I could see - to get a penalty. Hence, the referee was right to give him a second yellow and send him off. However, as I heard a Watford fan say later, 'If he hadn't have been sent off, we might not have won that match.

It had been an incident packed first half and the scoreline at half time reflected the balance of play. My notes were far more extensive than they had been against Blackburn.

Half-time, Addicks 1, Hornets 1

Playing against ten men is not necessarily easy as they can be fired up by a sense of injustice and Zola's handling of the situation was tactically astute. Wright-Phillips won Charlton a free kick. Abdi rolled around dramatically on the ground, securing the Hornets a free kick, and then walked away nonchantly without a care in the world. His drama lessons clearly pay.

Wright-Phillips drew a save. Neuton received a yellow card for a foul. Danny Green won Charlton a corner. For a short while it was panic stations in the Watford defence, but the ball was eventually cleared.

Wright-Phillips was chased by three Hornets. He was pulled back and should have gone down, but instead he shot over. Unfortunately, Kerkar overhit his cross following a Charlton free kick, but redeemed himself by winning the Addicks a corner. Green received a yellow card.

Then on 69 minutes Cort gave away the fatal free kick and the shot from Abdi went straight in the net. Hamer was called on to make a save shortly afterwards. Charlton won a corner, but our play was getting increasingly frantic and were inclined to spoil potential chances by overhitting the ball.

The referee then awarded a free kick for a back pass. He was right to do so, but you don't see them given very often, although I saw one in non-league earlier in the season. We also saw two awards for foul throws in the first half. Fortunately, the subsequent free kick was unproductive. Chris Powell made his double substitutions, although his critics argue this came too late. Wilson put in a good ball that led to a Charlton corner. Abdi went in the referee's book for a foul.

In the five minutes added on, Watford tried to slow things down as much as possible, making two substitutions. Almunia got a yellow card for his time wasting, but, of course, it was too late to have any impact. The one half chance in time added on fell to Dale Stephens who put the ball not too far over from distance.

Even two points from two home games, which was what I was expecting, would not have been good enough, but one is disastrous. So far, however, we have not lost by more than one goal and the standard of our passing has been generally good. But we are aware that we have stepped up a level. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are in a play off position.

The attendance was 15,385. Given that there were 1,000 - 1,500 Hornets, this means that we sold only about 2,000 walk up tickets. It's always going to be difficult at midweek matches because of work commitments, but unfortunately the way things are going will not encourage people to turn up and take a look.

Was it worth getting back to Leamington at 12.30 p.m.? Should I have attended to my duties as secretary in the vice-presidents lounge at the Brakes and see them go out on penalties to Belper in FA Trophy (another team that doesn't do cups). Probably not, because whatever else one can say about the match it was not boring.

Match analysis

Ivy the Terrible has given the Silver Bone to Salman Kerkar. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but he can show real skill as he did when he set up our goal. As a commentator on the Drinking During the Game blog eloquently put it, 'He's the best thing to come out of Ibrox since the taxman.' Arguably Hamer could have positioned himself better for their winning goal. Although the laser eye surgery has been beneficial, perhaps he could have some surgery for rushes of blood to the head. He sometimes rushes off his line dangerously, confusing the reliable Morrison. He should also moan a little less. I wouldn't fault Morrison for what happened tonight. He has made the transition to the Championship as well as anyone and is one of our best players. I am also quite a fan of Cort but it was a disastrous error that gave Watford their winning goal. I think that Wilson continues to improve. He certainly has some pace and puts himself about, unfortunately a number of his balls were overhit. Whilst Solly was not as prominent as he is in some games, I noted some good defensive work. He did enough to earn a chant from the Covered End. There are a lot of complaints about Jackson being too slow, but we always seem to miss him when he is absent. We have a continuing problem in central midfield. Hollands was rather anonymous last night and was eventually substituted. Stephens showed some neat touches, but he also made some errors such as passing to a Watford player. The more fundamental question is whether he is creative enough. Green didn't do as much as in the games since his reapperance in the starting lineup. He did make a contribution, especially in the first half, but his crossing is not always accurate. Fuller took his goal very well, but that was about the sum of it. The row behind was starting on Wright-Phillips before the match and there have been some complaints since, but I think he did his best. At one point he might have got a penalty, but honourably stayed on his feet. Arguments are being made that Chris Powell got it wrong by switching away from 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1, but I think that formation limited us against Blackburn. When Pritchard came on he was his usual busy self. What he lacks in style and skill he more than makes up for in energy and commitment and I remain well disposed to him as a player. I didn't see much of a contribution from Hulse but the game was so frenetic by that stage that I could well have missed something.

Juneau the Soccer Cat had no hesitation in awarding a Hiss of the Match to the referee who I am now told was changed for a third time which means that I can't use any of my rather poor jokes about central heating or his wife's colour scheme. Admittedly he gave Watford a big collection of yellow cards, but that doesn't help us and it won't harm them all that much as they seem to be able to rotate. I thought that in the second half he was trying to even things up by not giving us many decisions.

A look inside the Hornets' nest

It's too early in the season to talk of both Watford and Charlton being in the Championship Relegation League. However, the Addicks are one point and one place behind the Hornets. What is immediately striking is that the Hornets have scored three more goals (12 against nine) but have conceded half as many again (fifteen against ten), although five of those were in a defeat by Derby.

Over the summer Watford were bought by the Pozzo family who also own Udinese and loan players from there are a key part of the new set up. Chelsea legend Gianfronco Zola was brought in as manager. Sean Dyche, who had got the club to 11th last season with a minimal financial outlay, was unceremoniously shunted out of the way. Even so, the starting odds were 28/1 for the Hornets to win the division and 5/1 to be relegated.

Four Four Two had them finishing 15th and that was also the position chosen by the Football League Paper. The Times saw them ending up 19th, which indeed is where they are at the moment.

Watford had a special boost on 22nd September against Bristol City when striker Troy Deeney was released from prison after serving just two-and-a-half months of a ten month sentence imposed for affray following a brawl outside a Birmigham night club. The prison diet does not seem to have done him any harm as he made an immediate impact. Nevertheless, the match ended 2-2 despite Watford having the majority of the possession and far more shots on and off target. This perhaps says something about defensive vulnerability.

Last Saturday they beat Huddersfield 3-2, winning with a 87th minute penalty. This was Watford's first win in six games. And it was Troy Deeney who stepped up to slot the ball home.

Former Arsenal keeper Manuel Alumina is in goal for the Hornets, although clearly he is not invincible and was thought to be somewhat at fault for the first Bristol goal. Italian international full back Marco Casetti seems to be a bit of a disaster area. Against Bristol City he was caught out of position several times. He struggled against Huddersfield.

Centre back Nyron Nosworthy was a tower of strength against Bristol. He was unavailable last Saturday, but is expected to play tonight. Udinese loanee Neuton [sic] finds the physical side of the Championship a bit of a challenge, but he was solid enough at Huddersfield.

Hornets youngster Nathaniel Chalobah was more impressive against Bristol than away at Huddersfield. Almen Abdi controlled the flow of play in the first half against Bristol, but was disappointing at Huddersfield.

Udinese loanee Fernando Forestieri was often thwarted and lost possession against Bristol, but was the star man for Watford at Huddersfield. He scored one goal and won the decisive penalty.

Forestieri played in Serie A when he was just 17 and he has an impressive turn of speed which enables him to get behind defenders. However, he can also be a bit moody, so it is never quite clear which version is going to turn up. He tends to play for himself rather than the team.

Vydra will be back from injury tonight and he was a real threat against Bristol City, scoring his fourth goal of the season after sublime control. He has excellent ball control and is good at getting past defenders.

Watford are going to score at least one goal, so we need to attack them. The big question mark is whether Ricardo Fuller will have recovered from what sounded like a nasty virus. If Wright-Phillips has to start on his own, then we need someone in the hole behind him who can get balls to him along the ground.

I am at pretty hopeless at predictions as my position in both the West Sussex league and the informal Row Q competition shows. However, if you want a guess, I will go for 2-2. See you there! Incidentally, when I started supporting Charlton in the 1950s, I would have been astonished if someone had told me that in 2012 I would be travelling 100 miles to games, using a train service provided by Deutsche Bahn.

Watford's top scorer back

Watford's top scorer Matej Vydra will be fit enough to return from the Hornets at The Valley tomorrow night: Vydra

Given that we have been playing reasonably well and have a goal difference of only -1 it is disappointing to find ourselves 20th in the table. We badly need to get points on the board to avoid getting sucked into a relegation struggle.

In our last two home matches against Watford we drew 2-2 in 2007/8 and lost 2-3 the following year. I am not expecting a goalless draw tomorrow night. To say that it could go one of three ways is a bit of a cop out, but I genuinely think that is the case.

I will be taking a closer look at the Watford side, which includes one time Addick Chris Iwelumo, tomorrow.

A new referee, Carl Boyeson, has been brought in. He learnt his trade in the Hull Sunday League before going on to the Unibond which he reckoned could be 'scary'. He won't put up with any nonsense from southern softies then. As is a central heating technician by trade, there better had not be anything wrong with the radiators in his dressing room.

He refereed our 1-0 away defeat at Huddersfield earlier this year when he awarded a penalty against us and sent off Russell, although I am not saying that either decision was incorrect.