The next round of the Capital One Cup has matched us with local rivals Charlton Athletic. We had a chat with Addicks fan Simon Holmes to find out how recent times have been at the Valley.
Q. What were your hopes for the season before a ball was kicked?
Top six was, and remains, the hope. We need to avoid going on a bad run right in the middle of the season like we did last year. It is all very well winning three or four on the trot but if you then follow that up with one win in twelve, it pretty much undoes all the previous hard work.
Q. Did the club achieve what you expected in the summer transfer window?
Yes, we have certainly strengthened in some key areas. The signings have not only given more depth to the squad, but the actual quality of the starting eleven is strong now. There was a real mix of players brought in, and in particular Simon Makienok gives us an extra dimension up front if we need it. So he should at six foot seven inches tall! For the first time in a few seasons all the new signings appear to be the right ones for the club and things look positive at last.
Q. How has the season gone for you so far?
We started the first few games very well, looking confident going forward and keeping things tight at the back. The last few results have seen us lose some momentum. We are still playing quite well but not taking our chances. The last couple of home games against Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town were great opportunities to build on our solid start, but we returned just one point from those games when we really should have taken at least four. Our performances merited more but if you concede the first goal it then becomes a battle.
Q. Has the club struggled since the stability of having Chris Powell in charge for three years to now being on your fourth manager since March 2014?
I think most clubs, except Watford, thrive on stability. We were certainly stable in the years under Alan Curbishley, and with Powell, he brought in that same air of confidence to the club. He did a very good job under tough circumstances but once the new owners took over it became clear they had their own ideas for the club. You are never going to have stability with four managers in just over a year though. It has been very unlike Charlton and all these changes do not suit us. I feel the new owners are beginning to understand this at last.
Q. What are your impressions of Guy Luzon and how has he made his mark at the club? Is he an appointment for the future?
I like him. He actually really seems to care and it is encouraging to see the owners are behind him too. He plays to win every game so that is good for the fans too. I think that, provided we avoid any lengthy dips in form, he could be the man to give us a shot at a top six finish this season. We have the players to push for this, we just need them to gel up front. I honestly do think a top six finish is a possibility this season and I have not said that for a number of years.
Q. Do you have a solid group of players at the club that you can see achieving things? Are there any youth players breaking through?
I think we are getting a really good mix of youth and experience in the side now. We have three or four very good, experienced players such as Berg Gudmundsson and Tony Watt. Gudmundsson has tremendous quality and good experience at international level, being a regular for Iceland and helping them qualify for next year’s European Championships. We have also had a lot of youth players coming through recently, such as Joe Gomez (now at Liverpool) and Jordan Cousins among others. We have a lot of other youngsters coming in who also look pretty decent and we are lucky our youth structure is so strong that we can bring in some very good youngsters when others move on.
Q. We have to ask, what are your thoughts on Alan Pardew who managed Charlton from 2006 to 2008?
Not sure all Charlton fans will agree with me here, but I felt he was a little unlucky. He was manager at a time the club as a whole was on a bit of a downward spiral. He nearly kept us up the first season he took over. I always felt he was a very good manager after a string of wins, but after a run of bad results he seemed to have problems lifting the dressing room. Some of our final performances under him were awful. Let us not forget he played for us too, after Palace, and he was even our top scorer in the 1992/93 season! I am sure there are quite a few Charlton fans out there who would disagree with me and point to him as the main reason for our relegation from the Championship.
Q. It has been quite a rise for Palace in the past five years. Are there similarities to when Charlton started their lengthy stint in the Premier League?
Definitely. Whilst I may be a little loathed to sprinkle your side with praise, you have got yourselves promoted and you seem to be strengthening well. The test will come after a few more seasons if mid-table becomes the norm. You either try and push on for a higher place or remain mid-table. Fans are fickle sometimes and if boredom starts creeping in the club might try to change things too much, too quickly. You forget about blooding the youth players and if you then make the wrong signings, all of a sudden you find yourselves in League One.
Q. Name one player from Palace that you think Charlton should be wary of and one from Charlton that Palace should be wary of.
Well, Wilfried Zaha is always going to be a menace for his sheer trickery on the ball. We need to keep him quiet and stop him from getting into our penalty area as he bamboozles defenders. From us, Berg Gudmundsson is a class act and superb from set pieces. You will need to avoid giving away free kicks on the edge of your box as he really is an excellent dead ball specialist.
Q. And finally, your prediction?
Provided we keep it tight early on I think it will go to penalties …… with Charlton victorious 6-5 in the shoot out.
