Operation Lancashire

So its seven more victories needed to reach the Magic-40 and while we have 7 more games at home, it'll surely be the away trips to Lancashire that will decide our fate.

With six trips to the North-West between now and the end of the season maybe Pards should be taking them all up there instead of to Spain to get the players better acclimatized because recently its become an area much like the Forbidden Zone as far as wins are concerned. With every point available at a premium the games in Liverpool and Manchester twice each and further trips to Bolton and Blackburn are vital to the Addicks cause. And if anyone still wants to point to Curbs as the reason for the clubs current dilemma, perhaps its the trips to the north-west that illustrate their case best of all and show how difficult the region has become for us.

To remind everyone, last seasons trips to the North-West saw 4-0 and 3-2 defeats in our trips to Manchester while we suffered 4-1 defeats at both Blackburn and Bolton. A further 3-1 loss was suffered at Everton while we managed our solitary point from the county in 2005-06 with a 0-0 at Liverpool. Even a first time visit to Wigan saw a 3-0 defeat.

So 7 games, 6 defeats and one draw. 5 goals scored and a massive 21 goals against. Lousy Lancashire then.

As mentioned in the official CAFC site, you have to go back over 2 years now to Jan 22 2005 to find an Addicks win, 1-0 at Everton. That season, 2004-05, saw comprehensive defeats at Bolton 4-1, Man.City 4-0, Liverpool 2-0, Manure 2-0 and Blackburn 1-0. The total in that year was 6 games played, of which we managed 1 win and 5 defeats with 2 goals scored and 13 against.

So in the last two and a half years and with this seasons 3-2 defeat at Wigan included its a total of 14 games in the North-West seeing 1 win, 1 draw and 12 defeats - with 9 goals scored and a massive 37 conceded....... It makes dismal reading and there's nobody about that I can think of that can the conjure up the ex-players curse to give us the points as at Portsmouth.

Pards, of course, will this time be trying to forget recent history and concentrating on keeping the mood high and getting that win. It'll need something special to get a win out of these six games but that's what they said of only one home defeat Pompey. To encourage us Blackburn have suffered 5 home defeats, Man.City good home record has collasped recently with 3 defeats in their last 4 games - shame we don't play them till April - and even Everton have lost twice at home. And Bolton? We've already beaten them twice this season and they've already lost 3 games at home.

So come on Pards, this sequence of dismal failure has to change.