Charlton seek a little bit of history repeated as Karl Robinson aims to tap into fan power amid owner turmoil

Twenty-five years ago this week, Charlton Athletic returned to The Valley, after a depressing seven-year exile of nomadic ground-sharing, to beat Portsmouth 1-0 in the First Division amid a joyous party atmosphere. On Saturday, in one of those little quirks, they face Portsmouth again.

It should be nothing but a cause for celebration, a celebration of what Charlton manager Karl Robinson calls one of the most “iconic moments in football history... what they did 25 years ago, I don’t think that will happen again”.

It was, Robinson notes, a testimony to “what fan power can actually do”.

For many Charlton supporters that comment touches a raw nerve given the controversial, unhappy ownership of the club by Belgian businessman Roland Duchatelet, who they are still trying to force out.

Charlton struggled to recover from Premier League relegation in 2007 but the way the club has been run under Duchatelet has alienated many fans, even if on the field it has improved since Robinson became the eighth manager in three years in November 2016.

“When I went into the club I knew how hard it was going to be,” Robinson says. “So I just tried to be me, stick to being the coach and say what I felt.”

That included meeting fans “over a few pints” and navigating the line between hearing their concerns, being respectful of his employer and trying to turn the club around. Charlton are sixth in League One, in the play-off places, and clearly a return to the Championship is a priority. There has been a Robinson resurgence.

But there remains an essential sadness that a club that has represented so much in terms of supporter power and a proud, fierce community spirit is in this way. The protest group CARD - the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet – is working hard for change, although they may be disappointed to hear that Robinson does not think a takeover is imminent.

“I think it can be distracting but I have been told that’s not the case and have to take that on face value,” Robinson says. “Listen, I do my job the best I can. I don’t get involved in the politics. It (the dissent) is not as loud but I don’t think it’s quietened down in terms of how people feel about it. I think CARD brought something out a month ago saying they respect what we are trying to do on the pitch and that, for us, was a tremendous testament.

“Whether they are part of CARD or not they are still fans and we just hope that one day we can come together and be a much stronger club. I don’t know what makes that happen. We just hope that we can put ourselves in a place where we are all one.”

It cannot happen under Duchatelet. Robinson’s concerns are on the pitch but he is well aware of the importance of the Portsmouth match.

“Our main objective is to get promoted but there are certain moments where people see the bigger picture and at every football club that is the fans, what they stand for and what they have been through,” he says. “Fundamentally, I want to make people proud of being a Charlton Athletic fan and when they look back at what they did, they should be so proud of themselves.”

Food for thought over Newcastle takeover

Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley talked over her proposed takeover of Newcastle United at a London curry house on Wednesday night. As you do. That will give Newcastle fans heart, given the fear that the two parties remain so far apart in their valuation. But there is plenty of food for thought.

The fear is the effect this is all having, not least with the growing realisation that if a deal is agreed it will not go through until after the January transfer window closes. Hopefully an outline deal can be secured before then because the club desperately needs a kick-start with new signings after an unhappy summer transfer period.

Newcastle are in a dangerous limbo. They have two vital home games in five days: on Saturday they face a revitalised Leicester City, then they host Everton, led by former manager Sam Allardyce.

A glance at the table shows how precariously they are pitched. They are 15^th, five points outside the relegation places, but are on the slide having lost five of their last six matches, and won once in 10. Not so long ago they were over-achieving, now, while they talk, they are in danger of going under.

Wilshere needs more game time

Jack Wilshere started the week with an ice skating controversy after being photographed on a rink - not a good thing with his glass ankles – and then helped Arsenal glide past BATE Borisov in the Europa League. He even scored.

Cue fresh debate over an England recall. But England do not play again until March. If Wilshere actually starts a Premier League game before then there may be an argument.

“You could see he is ready,” Arsene Wenger said afterwards, having recently, unhelpfully, urged Gareth Southgate to pick Wilshere for England.

So hopefully Wenger will now play him rather than talk about playing him. Wilshere is brilliantly talented, the best of his generation, but has just 65 minutes in the league so far this season. There is no argument.

Awesome foursome

Ahead of the Merseyside derby, Liverpool’s ‘Fab Four’ of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane have already scored 46 goals between them in all competitions this season. What is even more remarkable, though, is the frequency of goals the quartet score when they are on the pitch together: one every 23 minutes.

Not ideal prep, Pep

Manchester City flew to Ukraine on Monday for their Champions League tie away to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday and stayed until Thursday afternoon. Given it was a ‘dead rubber’, given there is the Manchester derby this Sunday and given it was freezing cold, it did not feel like ideal preparation for such a big match.