Charlton Athletic
Alan Pardew has stepped in to try to save Charlton
Charlton Athletic are one of the rarities of the English Premiership: a team that has managed to get promoted from the Championship and stick it out in the top flight with impressive results.
Embodying the spirit of English football, the south Londoners have been solidly plugging away for the last decade without much glory, simply holding their own among the country's elite.
But despite being well outside the country's top teams in terms of status and wealth, Charlton have led the charge in areas such as youth development and anti-racism campaigns, putting to shame some of the efforts of the bigger, richer Chelseas and Liverpools of the world.
With the numbers of their loyal and cheeky supporters bolstered year-on-year since their return to The Valley in 1992, the Addicks were promoted to the Premiership after one of the most memorable playoff finals of recent times, beating Sunderland on penalties at Wembley in 1998.
Despite dropping back down at the end of the season, Charlton bounced straight back under the steady hand of long-term boss Alan Curbishley and have managed some impressive performances since.
With the likes of new signing Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Darren Bent now thumping the goals in, the Addicks look like a team slowly developing into European-place contenders, even with a change of management with Curbishley out and Iain Dowie in.
Facts
Formed: 1905
Home: The Valley, capacity 27,111
Nickname: The Addicks
Adult 2006/07 season ticket prices: £275 - £560
Pedigree
League champions: Not yet.
FA Cup winners: 1 – 1947
Division One winners: 1 – 2000
Division One Play-off Champions: 1 – 1998
People
Chairman: Martin Simons
Chief executive: Peter Varney
Head coach: Iain Dowie
Assistant coach: Les Reed
Team captain: Luke Young
Last season
Premiership: 13th – P 38 W 13 D 8 L 17 GF 41 GA 55 GD -14 PTS 47
FA Cup: quarter-finalists – lost 4-2 to Middlesbrough
League Cup: fourth round – lost 2-3 to Blackburn
Major summer ins
Cory Gibbs –from Feyenoord Rotterdam
Simon Walton –from Leeds United - £500,000
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink –from Middlesbrough - free
Christian Bolanos – from Deportivo Saprissa - one-year loan
Djimi Traore – from Liverpool - £2 million
Amady Faye – from Newcastle - £2 million
Scott Carson - from Liverpool - season-long loan
Omar Pouso - from Penarol – £337,000 for season loan
Souleymane Diawara - from Sochaux – £3.7 million
Major summer outs
Chris Powell - to Watford - free
Sheku Kamara –to Watford - free
Jay Bothroyd - released
Chris Perry – to West Brom - free
Francis Jeffers - to Blackburn - free
Stephan Andersen - to Leeds – loan
Jason Euell - to Middlesbrough – undisclosed
Unheralded stars
Luke Young or Dennis Rommedahl
Charlton fans will have been pleased to hear the sound of club captain Luke Young's pen scratching across a new contract, as most realise the importance of the Addicks right-back.
Never missing an opportunity to utilise his considerable pace, the former Spurs man gives added options down the right wing in much the same way Gary Neville does for Manchester United.
Young's consistency and calmness also earned him a call up to the England squad in place of the injured Neville, although the tough-tackling defender became injured himself and missed out on a trip to the World Cup.
Rommedahl's home nation was not even present, so he got no chance to repeat his scintillating form from the 2002 World Cup. However, the Danish winger will be hoping to make up for this by improving his home form in the Premiership.
Dazzling runs down the wing and tantalising crosses have not come often enough for Rommedahl since signing for the Addicks, and he has at times drifted out of the game. But, when on form, the experienced winger can add that touch of class and ability to turn a game.
Starlets
Jerome Thomas or Darren Bent
Since joining Charlton from rivals Arsenal in 2004 after failing to make the grade under Arsene Wenger, Jerome Thomas has shown he certainly has what it takes to impress and improve with the south London outfit.
With more tricks up his sleeve than Paul Daniels in an oversized jacket, the hugely talented youngster is a key component of the Addicks' attacking moves.
However, challenging for a position alongside Lloyd Sam and Dennis Rommedahl has meant Thomas has been frequently frustrated over recent months, a situation he will clearly be keen to rectify during the new campaign and under the new style of Iain Dowie.
Bent, on the other hand, had a rollicking 2005/06 season, hammering in more goals than any other Englishman in the top flight.
Despite this, England manager Sven Goran Eriksson deigned it acceptable to leave him out of the World Cup finals squad, taking the unknown and unused teen Theo Walcott instead.
But Bent's undoubted talents as an out-and-out goalscorer have not been ignored at The Valley, with Dowie likely to start the youngster for most of the campaign, in the hope that he can inspire those around him by notching up a similar number of goals this season.
Predictions
League position: 13th.
New manager Iain Dowie has a lot to prove. He is, or was, highly-rated by Crystal Palace but he will be under pressure from the off at the Valley.
Chances of managerial change: Possible.
After Dowie was named as manager in May, chairman Richard Murray outlined his confidence that Dowie could take Charlton to the next level, which in all fairness, is quite possibly a task too tough for the former Eagle.
Top scorer: Darren Bent.
The youngster will be aiming to keep his shooting boots on from last season and become the top scoring Englishman again. Jimmy-Floyd will also be aiming for double figures though, keen to earn his keep at The Valley.
Player most likely to rock the boat: Probably Jimmy again.
Although a new boy in town will want to make a good impression on his new team mates, the Dutchman has a notoriously short temper and may get argumentative with the new boss should he be omitted from matches. Or even Dowie himself, as the ex-Palace man attempts to win over fans who once regarded him as a bitter enemy, he could try too hard and cause an upset behind the scenes.
Ben Tidman.