After their disappointing 3-1 defeat at home to Barnsley on Saturday the future of Charlton manager Alan Pardew looks bleak to say the least. His side have already lost eight of their fifteen Championship games and lie in the bottom three for the first time this season.

The former Premiership side have been going no-where since their relegation from England’s top league in 2006 and haven’t once looked like regained their Premier-league status.

Since loosing Alan Curbishley in 2006 the club have been on a downward slope and are close to hitting the bottom if their season continues like it is.

The reason behind their current struggle could be explained by the season they had after Curbishley’s departure.

The club went through three managers in four months sacking both Ian Dowie and Les Reed before settling with Alan Pardew, who came from relegation rivals West Ham United, who under Curbishley survived on the final day of the season.

The last thing the club needed after loosing a manager like Curbishley was this sort of managerial merry-go-round.

Pardew thankfully is still the manager, but after nearly two years in charge his position looks very vulnerable after taking too many steps back under his stewardship.

The club were relegated in his first season, but in truth he could do little to keep his side up after two sacked managers before him.

A quick return to the Premiership was expected as Charlton kept the majority of the players that had given them success in the Premiership.

However the quick return didn’t come about as the fans would have liked as the Addicks underachieved hugely in finishing down in 11th six points off the play-off places.

To be fair to the side they weren’t anywhere near the play-offs at any part of the season and were never contenders to be re-promoted as West Brom and Stoke City stormed the league.

This season was therefore looked upo as one to re-build the side and push for promotion next season.

Chairman Richard Murray had highlighted Pardew as his man to bring his side top-flight football, however this season has been more about how the side have missed their chance to get out of on the most difficult leagues in the world.

They find themselves in the bottom three and not a sniff of the the top half let alone the play-offs.

Things have to change if this side to get out of their current predicament and it doesn’t look good for the London club.

The squad assembled by Pardew is simply not good enough for this league. It’s as simple as that. It’s a squad that are doing exactly what it says on the tin, struggling in a league too big for them.

Players like Mark Hudson, Luke Varney and Lloyd Sam won’t strike fear into any side, dare I say it not even in League 1.

The man to take all the flack will be Pardew, due to the performances I’m sure. But I think the side are playing as well as they can, they just look out of their depth.

This may become irrelevant in 24 hours as Pardew is set to get the dreaded ‘vote of confidence’. However it will take more than a change of manager to turn things around at the Valley.

This former Premiership club will find it hard whether he stays or goes, and their in for a tough end to the season.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Joey Barton’s goal on Tuesday evening against West Brom meant many things. Not only did it help give Newcastle their first win under caretaker manager Joe Kinnear, but it was Barton’s first goal since his jail sentence and the formal ban given to him by the football association.

Now the ban is over Barton can get on with his career, something that he started on Saturday against Sunderland and has now continued by scoring on Tuesday evening. Now the process begins as opposing fans coming to terms with Barton’s return to the game something that many feel he should never have been allowed to do.

I’m pretty certain that the Football Association wouldn’t have let him complete his comeback to the game if he hadn’t proven he could change and be a positive influence on the game. But that won’t stop many opposition supporters.

Barton has got the job of turning some of those supporters round, just like Jonathan Woodgate had since he was involved in an assault in 2001 along with Lee Bowyer. The only way he can do it, just like Woodgate did, is by turning out week in week out and performing like we know he can. After all Barton still hasn’t recaptured the form that saw him earn an England cap while he was at Manchester City.

He’s not the only one whose had to prove himself however. In 2004 Lee Hughes, then of West Bromwich Albion was involved in a car crash in which the driver in the car hit was killed. Hughes, foolishly fled the scene of the accident but handed himself in just 24 hours later. He was later charged with dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident and jailed for six years.

He was released after three years for good behavior and returned to football months later with Oldham Athletic, after West Brom had terminated his contract. Many fans were against the signing and boycotted games that he was involved in.

However soon his form on the pitch turned the fans around, and even though there are football fans out there outraged that he is allowed to play many have made their peace with the decision. Hughes is now an influential presence in the Oldham side as they push towards promotion from League 1.

Hughes has shown how hard work on the pitch can help turn the tables in your favor and if Barton wants to get similar respect he needs to turn out performances mirrored on how Hughes made his comeback.

Not letting himself get in stupid disputes like he did while at Manchester City will help, a particular incident at Goodison Park comes to mind, when he dropped his shorts towards opposition supporters.

Barton has an example to follow, it’s now down to him put the work in and get the fans back on his side.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When Carlisle United were relegated from the football league in 2004 their fans must have feared the worst. Their club had avoided relegation on numerous occasions from Division 3 and when they were finally relegated they must have feared that they could be down in the realms of Non-league for years to come.

On the contrary, they were promoted straight back up the following season, and used the relegation as the catalyst for where they are today, playing League 1 football. However it looks as though the club, who missed out on promotion to the Championship last season might need another relegation to kick-start their fortunes.

The club lie 14th in the table three points off the relegation places and searching for a win that doesn’t look like coming.

Recent defeats to struggling Hereford United and now Colchester United, who recorded their first win at their new stadium on Saturday with a thumping 5-0 win. Things haven’t looked this bleak for the club since the non-league days four years ago.

With the squad at John Ward’s disposal its hard to see why they are struggling. They lost very little of the squad which finished fourth in the league last season. Keiron Westwood has gone to Coventry City in the Championship but this move is hardly a worthy excuse for the disappointing start.

The events of the final day of last season could have diminished the sides confidence somewhat. They were second going into the final day needing a draw at home to Bournemouth who themselves needed a win to stand any chance of staying in the league. The game ended in a draw, a result which helped neither side as Nottingham Forest were promoted ahead of Carlisle and Cheltenham Town stayed up at the expense of Bournemouth. This left Carlisle in the lottery of the play-offs where they faced Leeds and lost 3-2 after leading the tie 2-0 at one point.

After coming so close to promotion some of this disappointment they experienced may have filtered over into this current season. In truth the team would have struggled in the Championship so not being promoted so soon could have helped them, but in the manner they missed out it would have hurt.

The team aren’t looking as strong a unit as they did last season and don’t ever look likely to hold onto leads like they showed at MK Dons when after taking the lead ended up on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline.

The man mountain upfront Danny Graham has weighed in with his share of goals as always, scoring ten in total this season but he is short of support on the goal front. Graham has the hopes of the team on his shoulders and its obvious someone needs to step up to help the talented forward.

The introduction of Graham Kavanagh will hopefully sure up the midfield and give some creativity up front, but as his career comes to a close its unclear how many of Carlisle’s games he will play.

At the back the side has struggled hugely and with the fire-power up top the side knows that if it defends well it has a chance. It must be hugely frustrating for John Ward that his side can’t get it together at both ends.

The team have already conceded 26 goals in the league, the worst defense outside the bottom four. The loss of Peter Murphy is a big one sure, but no-one has stepped up to the plate defensively and taken charge, because no offense to Colchester United if they are scoring five past you then you have serious problems.

Ward has done an admirable job since taking over 2 years ago and getting the club to this stage is very admiral, but he is in danger of losing all he has created if his side don’t sort out their defensive frailties.

With Graham in the side they always have a chance but until problems are sorted out elsewhere his goals, and there will be plenty of them, will be going to waste.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Harry Redknapp has agreed to join Tottenham Hotsphur as their new manager after the London club sacked Juande Ramos yesterday evening. Redknapp who has also managed at Bournemouth and Southampton has been seeking a big time job for some years now and after putting off a number of offers in recently, has finally given in and taken over the mantle at Spurs.

For Redknapp personally he deserves the step up. He has overachieved massively with Portsmouth consolidating them as a regular Premeirship side, devoid of relegation scraps and as of last season competing for European Qualification. Last season’s FA Cup win was the reward he deserved after all his hard work at the club. He was linked with the vacant position at Newcastle United and bookmakers even started playing out on Redknapp becoming the next manager at St. James’ Park. However a u-turn by Redknapp allowed Kevin Keegan to return to the club.

The refreshing loyalty shown by Redknapp gave us all hope that at least some of our heroes do have a conscience under there somewhere. Redknapp somewhere along the way has had a change of thought and I think it centers around what has happened at the club over the last eight months since he was offered the job at Newcastle.

He had the success at bringing European football in Fratton Park and a Premiership-best finish of eighth-place. However the uncertainty over the club’s finances might have led Redknapp to believe it was the right time to go.

On the pitch, predictably things hadn’t going to plan after last season’s brilliant start. They found themselves at one point bottom of the League with no win from their opening three games. Since then results have picked up but heavy defeats at Chelsea and Manchester City wouldn’t have helped and after setting such high standards last season maybe Redknapp thought he had done all he could.

As with any job if a promotion comes along, you want to take it no-matter what anyone else wants. After all this is a career and more importantly a new challenge for Redknapp. He deserves the opportunity to show he isn’t just an overachiever at a small club, that he can mix it with the big boys as well.

If Portsmouth fans truly love Redknapp like they profess then they will let him go quietly. Disappointed they will be, but dejected they shouldn’t be; their team is hardly struggling. Redknapp has earned his chance, let’s see whether Tottenham will be a step up too far for the man who at one point this year thought of finishing his managerial career at Portsmouth.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Many teams’ start to this new season has been somewhat surprising and for some its been disastrous. Newly promoted side Doncaster Rovers have had a poor start to the season has been somewhat shocking due to the huge potential they showed in getting promoted from League 1 last season.

They showed all last season they could compete with the league and at times outstripped many of their competitors. In the play-off final in May Rovers defeated Leeds in a very one-sided game and they showed once and for-all they could compete with the big boys.

Their attack minded way of playing and there unique passing game won them many supporters in League 1 and many foresaw them having an good time of it in the championship. However it hasn’t quiet come worked out for them.

With just two wins from 12 league games Rovers have been left lying in 23rd already six points from safety in the Championship.

Obviously for a club who had hopes of a top half finish they won’t be happy about their early season form.

Reasons for there slum in form is difficult to pinpoint. Their away form of 5 defeats from six does explain a lot of their problems, but its not like their home form has been brilliant either, with three defeats from six.

One obvious stat that can be gathered from their poor start is their goal threat up front. With just six goals from 12 games the core of there problems are obvious.

Lewis Guy and Richie Wellens, the team focal points have just two goals each and James Coppinger who was influential last season is yet to get off the mark.

Doncaster were always tight at the back, and conceding 13 goals from 12 games shows they can defend, if they had a lead to defend now and again it might give them a chance.

Rovers were very negative in the summer with Darren Byfield and John Spicer the only two players they bought in. A quality Championship striker was what they really needed, and with so many floating around I’m surprised they didn’t make a gamble.

Their current predicament, which includes seven defeats in their last eight can only be rectified if they make changes in the January transfer window.

Manager Sean O’Dricoll has a good record in the football league in his short career as a manager after his time at Bournemouth and I for one back his ability to succeed in the Championship.

He’s been found out somewhat in this league and this could be down to under-preparing as they have looked flat-footed against some of the more average Championship sides.

There doesn’t look like much light at the end of the tunnel but the club need to get to January with as little damage as possible, and hope O’Discoll can wield his magic in the new year window, something that is a necessity if Rovers are to survive another season in the Championship

From Soccerlens.com - Football News