Any old Iron

Scunthorpe is one of the few English footballing towns I have never been to, never for football, nor work or even a dirty weekend. The 600 or so Addicks who will be in the Industrial Garden Town tomorrow have my respect.

It is tomorrow up on the east coast of Lincolnshire that Charlton will attempt to take the hearts out of a few mouths and put them back proudly pumping in chests. I don’t know what Powell will do with the team selection, it’s unlikely to be too radical, but one would have to think if now is not the time for some minor changes then when is?

I, like a lot of others, had Scunny entering the last 10 games at the business end of the table but after a bright start including a draw at The Valley they have slowly travelled into the relegation zone as if being pulled by a magnet. The rather large bulk of Jon Parkin, who is on loan, has recently helped slow the train and they have put in a couple of decent performances.

Bermuda is currently just 3 hours behind the UK, as we have already sprung our clocks forward, so tomorrow I get to sit in front of the computer at more sociable lunchtime.

There was some mutterings that Powell might enter the loan market this week. He didn’t, but rather interestingly he got linked with winger Gregg Wylde, who I would never had heard of except he was the first person out of the door at Ibrox releasing himself from his contract with no pay-off. Nice touch, but this unselfish move does allow him to write his own cheque as a free-agent.

Bolton, Everton and Aston Villa were all said to be chasing him, but we, yes Charlton, had offered more money and he was coming to The Valley. Powell has since denied it, but it was a nice story that told of ambition and planning and it got a Villa fan in a right old flap.