Return of the Silver Fox

Tomorrow marks the return of the prodigal son. What? Sorry, I mean, the return of the arrogant barsteward.

Yes, as if his managerial tenure wasn't enough, we now get to "appreciate" his presence for another afternoon. We can only hope that the result is the same of the last time he was in a dugout at The Valley. That his team loses 5-2.

Pardew, when with us, had a knack of performing well against his old clubs - 4-0 against West Ham and 4-2 against Reading. He will no doubt pull out all his motivational skills (don't scoff!) for this one, especially given that his oversized ego will be stinging from the barrells of abuse he receives from the stands. If Southampton fail to put in a decent performance or get a decent result that abuse might not just be confined to being propelled from Charlton mouths. After six games, only four points, and a list of excuses that even CAFC fans without Derren Brown's ability could have predicted, the new owners and fans of Southampton must be starting to worry a little. No wonder the rumours of Steve Coppell coming in as Director of Football have surfaced.

I hope that Phil Parkinson and the squad don't become too tense with the hype that will build regardless of what they would like. Plenty of players in the squad have reasons to show Pardew where he went wrong. And Parkinson, too. Parkinson seems to have learnt from Pardew's errors last year. No loanees at present, a consistent starting line up, and according to most reports, the spirit within the squad is the highest in years.

As far as team news goes, hopefully Bailey and Racon make it for the game as their impact has been classy, slick and effective so far this year. Sam and Semedo will also be looking to continue their excellent form, and the defence and Rob Elliot will be pushing to extend their unbeaten record for another game.

Whatever the result tomorrow, us fans can be secure in the knowledge that we will still be far ahead of Southampton and that without Pardew, we are in a far better predicament than we ever were with him.