Forest 2 Charlton 0

Remember the dismal days of FA Cup games back in the 60's, 70's and 80's when it was simply impossible for us to beat anyone in a higher Division? Year after year the FA Cup was always a depressing event with defeat after defeat against all-comers until finally we started to improve in the early nineties and then on 8th Feb 1994 we finally managed some giant-killing and beat a club above us with the scalp of the Premier League runners-up Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at Ewood Park with a Pitcher screamer.

Well, we've now gone to completely the other extreme - a Premiership club simply unable to match anyone from a Lower Division in cup games. After getting to our first League Cup Quarter-Final in December we surrender 1-0, at home, to lowly Wycombe of Division 2 and now a couple of weeks later do the same against Division 1 side Nottingham Forest.

The usual look at the papers and its mostly bad news. Once again the same adjectives resurface, with the favorite - abject ( of a situation or condition, extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading [New Oxford Dict] ) - being used in all its former glory by the independent. With Charlton floundering and unable to cope from the observer and seemingly ignored by the telegraph while there is a surprisingly good report in the dailymail focusing on apparent snipes between Pards and Curbs over their respective past dealings with each others teams.

The only good news, apart from many papers including the mail again including Sheffield United in the other cup shock, we can get from this dismal situation is that the new Manager Pards has had his eyes opened at the right time to do something about it. The FA Cup doesn't really matter, its Premiership survival that we need and he now has 3 weeks left to find more able bodies to fight the fight.

There's obviously going to be heads rolling with Pards in a steep learning curve, "I learned a lot about this team today. I'm not going to be too harsh on them. They are delicate specimens in terms of confidence and need to wash away the negativity they have in their bodies. But one or two players will have to recognise that they are not good enough for this club and must respond, otherwise they will not be near the first team any more."

Speaking of heads rolling, its reported that Spurs have had a £7M bid for Darren B rejected but that this hasn't apparently put them off. Once again it would appear that January is going to bring more depressing news for the Addicks.