Plan B?

Just 4 days to go before another crucial game in our fight to avoid the drop. Will we do it or not? Player interviews and quotes seem to be at an all time high and all are quoted as saying that the atmosphere at the club is very optimistic, that Pards is doing a great job and hopes at avoiding the unthinkable are clearly high. As for Saturday, it'll be a tough game and it could be that games against mid-table Reading, Spurs and Blackburn may be easier than these against the likes of battling Wigan, Man. City and Sheff U, although to describe Man. City these days as "battling" is possibly an exaggeration.

But perhaps consious of the fact that there's just 8 games left and we are still in the bottom 3, still 4 points behind and not yet out of the distinctly unroaring twenties and despite Pardews positive talk there are a few signs that he has been making a Plan B, just in case.

There was much comment in the summer regarding our over-spending on new players and the fact that some of next seasons budget had been spent. So it doesn't take a genius to work out that if the worst should happen and that Wigan, Man. City and Sheff U all manage to string 3 or 4 wins together it all could get a bit sticky. Even the Hamsters have got lucky and started to win and via a no-goal into the bargain.

So whats Pards been doing? Striker Chris Dickson has been already been signed from Dulwich while on Sunday we read that Pardew will make a summer bid for Southend striker Freddy Eastwood - although with the proviso "whether the Addicks are in the Premiership or not."

The 23-year-old Eastwood has netted 16 goals in all competitions this season - but Southend are currently third-bottom in the Championship and may well need the cash come the summer. A figure of £3million is even mentioned. And back on Friday there's talk that Pards is chasing Watford striker Marlon King. What's it all about? Well, of course its all good business sense when you have an asset the size of Darren Bent to have a "back-up" just in case...

But although there's no comments from Darren, its pleasing to read that, unlike the odd Dane, the Chinaman is happy and not planning to go anywhere. Despite needing an interpretor all the time, ZiZi has obviously picked up on some rumours on possible low-summer spending by saying early on that no matter what happens he wants to stay.

So come on Pards, no more chinese on the wing, put ZiZi in the hole behind little Darren and chuck your Plan B out the window. We don't need it!!