Addicks need to find winning combination

By Nick Martindale on March 15, 2007 12:00 AM |

CHARLTON have been promising to bounce back from the threat of relegation for most of the season but if they are to have any chance of staying in the Premiership they need to get on with the serious business of winning games.
Manager Alan Pardew claims he would not swap his side's runin for that of any other club's but the fact is that those individual games need to be translated into victories if the Addicks are to have any hope of survival.
There can be no doubt that the team - and the club in general - is now on a much more level footing following Pardew's appointment in December last year, after the madness that followed the resignation of Alan Curbishley at the back end of last season.

The former West Ham boss has instilled a self-belief in his players that borders on blind optimism, which could prove vital over the coming weeks. But whether that will ultimately be enough to repair the damage that was largely done under his predecessors Les Reed and Iain Dowie remains to be seen.
This Sunday's (March 18) home game against Newcastle United is the first of nine vital clashes that together represent the final chance to pick up the points needed to overtake those sides just above them in the table.
After a shambolic first-half in the game with Watford two weeks ago, the defence is likely to be reshuffled following the return of Ben Thatcher, Hermann Hreidarsson, Souleymane Diawara and Madjid Bougherra.
There was a time not so long ago when any game against the Magpies was one from which very little could be expected but, on the back of a 4-0 thumping of West Ham in their last home match, Charlton have a real opportunity of taking three more points.
And with further home games against Wigan Athletic, Reading, Sheffield United and Tottenham, as well as away trips to Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Everton, yet to come, there is still hope for Addicks supporters of Premiership football next season.
But, as full-back Luke Young admitted, draws - such as the 2-2 result against Watford - are no longer enough. "There were some mixed emotions in the dressing room [after the Watford game] because maybe the comeback made it seem a better result than it was," he admitted.
"We went there to take all three points and only came away with one. Time will tell if the point will be enough for us. We've got two games at home now and if we can pick up two victories against Newcastle and Wigan the table will look an altogether different proposition.
"Our home games are going to be vitally important. I feel we need to beat both Newcastle and Wigan and the good thing is we know what we have to do to get out of it. We have to win games and it starts with Newcastle."
Charlton's run-in is helped by the fact they still have to play all those sides just above them - with two of the three at home - and that they only have to face one of the top four, when they travel to Anfield on the final day of the season.
The club, meanwhile, has started to make preparations for next season, regardless of the division Charlton play in. In a bid to ensure full capacity even if they are relegated, the Addicks are offering free season tickets for the 2008-09 season if they go down and are then promoted at the first attempt, to those who renew their season tickets for next year before the end of April.
The Addicks have also completed the signing of Danish Under-21 winger Martin Christensen on a four-year deal that could be worth #350,000.
"He's a great prospect. We think highly of him," said Pardew. "It's going to be a big step up for him to this level but he's of a good age and we feel he'll progress quickly."
The 19-year-old has signed on a pre-contract basis from Herfolge Boldklub and as part of the deal the two clubs have agreed a three-year collaboration package including youth development and pre-season friendlies. Christensen will join Charlton in July. 
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