Parker Pens: Charlton must shake off away day blues if they want to survive
CHARLTON'S season plunged to new depths with an early FA Cup exit at the hands of League One outfit Nottingham Forest last weekend.
I was watching Soccer Saturday and even 'Champagne' Charlie Nicholas, who was covering the City Ground clash, was cowering behind his headset at how poor the Addicks were.
It was an abysmal performance in a match that represented a good opportunity for Alan Pardew's men to get out of their rut on the road.
Forest have got a good crowd, ground and pitch and there cannot be any excuses for meekly succumbing to a 2-0 defeat in those circumstances.
The Addicks' underperforming players just don't appear capable of getting results away from The Valley. There are not enough fighters in the Charlton squad to grind out away day draws and victories and stop a miserable run which stretches back an unbelievable 14 months now.
Admittedly, that dire sequence will hardly instill confidence in under-pressure players whenever they board the team bus. However, the best way to climb out of that morale-sapping, vicious cycle is to dig in, scrap for every ball and show some much-needed resilience.
Charlton fans have not been seeing enough determination and grit from their side away from their SE7 home and, as a result, they follow their team more in hope than belief.
It would also help if Charlton's players could miraculously sure up a leaky defence, but it's obvious the art of defending has deserted them after this latest setback.
AS if that Cup calamity was not bad enough, uncertainty continues to surround Darren Bent's future after conflicting signals from his new manager Pardew.
The former West Ham United boss stated he'd be prepared to listen to offers for his injury-hit topscorer last week.
However, he's since made a dramatic U-turn, insisting his one star player is not for sale, at least until the end of the season.
Pardew is in a very, very difficult situation regarding Bent. One of his managerial predecessors, Iain Dowie, has already eaten into next season's budget, meaning there's very little left in the club's coffers.
The Addicks boss, therefore, has to sell to generate funds and he's only got one player who could command a good fee, or even, interest.
Who would score the goals for Charlton if Darren Bent were to leave though? Is Pardew likely to find a comparable replacement if the England international were to depart?
Alternatively, if he keeps Bent beyond January, what happens if he further aggravates his knee injury and is sidelined for longer?
Pardew's unquestionably got a big decision to make if he is to safeguard Charlton's Premiership status and he needs to gamble pronto.
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