Fizzy No. 14 - Saints(a)

For a thorough analysis of todays game you can do no better than read the official review by Lindsay McCombie over on CAFC. We're reminded that we haven't won in Southampton since Garth Crooks' single goal in 1988 and in fact have never won at the St. Marys ground being their very first victims in November 2001.

All-out attack seems to be Burleys plan and while conceding an "awful" lot its meant that Southampton have the proud record, until today perhaps, of having scored in every game they've played this season, all 14 of them. In comparison, the Addicks have failed to score in the last 3, only managing an own goal over the last three games. And there's also the news that we haven't kept a clean sheet since September 22nd against Leicester City, 6 games ago.

And just to rub it in, on current form, the Saints are the 3rd best team in the fizzies with 12 points from the last 18 available while the Addicks are 4th from bottom with just 5 points over the last 6 games played.

So a bit of a Home Banker then and it makes you wonder if there's any point at all turning up.

Have We Got Any Chance At All?

But, home banker or not, the bookies are hedging their bets and apparently still see some life in the old dog and somehow favour a 1-1 draw, as does killer and so incidentally does newyorkaddick. And there's more optimism from Wyn Grant, another forecaster who sees ZiZi scoring - and Basey as well - in a 2-2 scoreline. Most optimistic of all has to be drinkingduringthegame a 3-2 away win man, who as Therry Racon's sponsor is surely hoping that Pards will put his boy in for his first start.

But there's always someone to offset the dreams and this week its Pedro45, applying the sword with a 0-2 defeat and he helpfully points out that we face another toughie on Tuesday with Bristol City away, before inviting another ex back to Valley when Cardiff come to town a week today, damn.

And speaking of ex's its possible that a potential nemesis will not play as Jason Euell is reported suffering from a calf injury that he received last timeout.

While there's also some upsetting news, especially if you're a Saints player, that players may have to be sold in the January window to make sure that everyone gets paid for the rest of the season!

Who's talking?

Well, Sammy Sodje and Bradley Wright-Phillips for two. Sodje tells us yesterday that "Every club is going to have a blip, hopefully that was ours and we can move past it now. We're still relaxed and that's how good the manager is. He's not letting us panic or think that we're bad players, because you don't turn into bad players overnight."

While over at St. Marys, Bradley is obviously unaware, at the moment anyway, that he'll be the first to be sold come the window, lays it on a bit thick with "Charlton are a big side, a big club and this will be a big game for us," but "I think we are a top-six side, that's got to be the aim."

And from Jason Euell himself, "I took a knock on Tuesday and after the game it went rock hard but its getting better. We'll see tomorrow how it is. The fact that its my old club does not really make a difference, its just a case of trying to get another three points. They will be vying for promotion and if we can beat them it will make them stutter and a win will take us above them. The defence is not as tight as we would like but as long as we score more than we concede we'll be OK."

OK, Prediction..ish

Quite obviously, whatever the bookies say, its got a 2-1 written all over it. But which way, that's the question. Trouble is with our strikers form at the moment I can't see us scoring two goals but this is football we're talking about and almost 6 years ago, if you remember, we scored 4 times at the Arse after only one goal ( by Jason Euell) in our last 4 games.... A remarkable victory at a ground where we hadn't won for 46 years. Can we repeat it today at a ground where we've never won?

So, as Euell is clearly the key to a repeat of that success in 2001, it has to be 2-1 defeat if he plays or a 2-1 win to the Addicks if he doesn't.