No regrets, says pards as charlton go down

"We've tried everything to turn it around but it wasn't to be," said Pardew. "We've been a bit unlucky with the fixtures. We've come up against Everton, Blackburn and Tottenham who are all vying for Europe but ultimately you have to score goals. The last time we scored two in a game was at Watford.
"I have no regrets about coming here," he added. "I'm just sad that I haven't managed to pull it off for them and get them out of this situation. We now have to focus on our last league game and make sure we leave the league with pride."
Where Charlton go from here - aside from the Championship - is uncertain. Pardew is likely to remain as manager and is one of the few people who can emerge from this mess with any credit, having picked up 21 points in his 18 games in charge.
But the fact that he was the third manager by Christmas is perhaps the most telling reason for the club's decline.
If the decision to appoint Iain Dowie as Alan Curbishley's successor back in August was understandable, installing Les Reed as manager and then firing him after just six weeks was one that smacked of desperation and rocked the club to its very foundations.
Much of the blame must lie with the players too, despite the disruption they have had to endure. The likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dennis Rommedahl and Marcus Bent have failed to live up to their reputations or to deliver when the pressure was really on.
Others, too, have felt the pressure of the relegation scrap. Jerome Thomas has been a shadow of the exciting, young talent who lit up the Premiership last season while the likes of Luke Young and Hermann Hreidarsson have also struggled. Even Darren Bent has faded, despite chipping in with some vital goals.
Many of those will leave the club, not prepared to take their share of the blame and help put things right next season. Others will be sacrificed to get them off the wage bill with Darren Bent and Young likely to be the first casualties as the board seeks to cope with the estimated #30m cost of relegation.
The challenge for Pardew and the board now is to construct a side that is financially viable yet capable of winning promotion while the club benefits from the parachute payments that accompany those sides dropping out of the top flight for two years. The board clearly has to reduce costs but going too far in that direction could see Charlton stuck in the Championship for years or even tumble further down the ladder.
Players such as Osei Sankofa, Lloyd Sam, Simon Walton and Kevin Lisbie should now be given their chance and if Charlton can retain experienced campaigners such as Hreidarsson, Matt Holland and Ben Thatcher, they will have the nucleus of a team that could win promotion without jeopardising the club's financial stability.
Thomas Myhre may provide an experienced pair of hands in goal, with loanee Scott Carson returning to Liverpool.
But one thing is for sure: life is going to be considerably different for the next 12 months at least. After this Sunday's final game of the season against the Champions League finalists at Anfield, the new surroundings of next season will come as a shock to fans and players who have grown used to Premiership football.
All that can be hoped for now is that what emerges from this period of uncertainty is ultimately stronger and more stable than the chaos that has gone before it.
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