Flipping Hull

I managed to temper the headline today much as I felt like being more earthy !

I felt we might get something from yesterday's game not least because they'd played midweek and we hadn't. The manner of our draw last week led me to believe we might see a reaction from the lads. Perhaps there was I can't be sure but it didn't manifest itself in goals if it did happen.

I'm not sure about the set up yesterday given to believe as I am that Yann was wide left at times. We need two proper wingers in my opinion and it's something we need to address.

Leicester on Tuesday was always going to be a really difficult game but I'm struggling to see how we'll get any kind of result now especially as they rested over the weekend. I pray I'm wrong of course but it's difficult to envisage much other than a defeat against a strong side seeking revenge for the early season defeat at ours ( yes, we really did beat them at home ! ).

The ongoing uncertainty over our place in the Championship does little to help with season ticket sales. As you know the prices were announced last week. The cost of my ticket is rising by about 17.5%, an increase which is making the train price increases seem positively philanthropic !

I understand we are told that prices have been suppressed in recent seasons but we've been in the third tier and I don't see that is was possible to charge more realistically in recent seasons. Anyway I felt that we were all somewhat overcharged in the previous Championship days when we were offered a free ticket if we got to the Premiership. As much chance of that now as then !

I realise that the cost of football has little in common with whatever the present rate of inflation or even with reality itself when viewing transfer fees and players wages but I'm sure most will find this rise tough to take. This is ever more so if like me you need to add the cost of travel living as I do some distance from the Valley. As always the owners will rely on us buying a season ticket no matter what the cost and that's true as it's like no other commodity I can think of.

It's most likely the overwhelming majority of fans will wait until early April to make a decision on renewing. We don't know what the " post early bird " prices will be. Should we find ourselves ( God forbid ) looking like potential relegation candidates then I suspect many will not renew at all.

Should we go down then the club will find itself in a bit of a pickle. I don't suppose they would offer refunds to the early bird folk and at the same time would feel obliged to charge post early bird folk a higher price, however small that may be.

The only commercially sensible thing to do in that event would be to offer some discount or the same price to the early bird folk for the following season in order to appease them.

It all looks like an uncomfortable few months ahead then for us Addicks both on and off the pitch. I do understand the financial position we're told we're in but with seemingly little investment in the playing staff it's a tough one to take.

None of the above is intended as a criticism of Sir Chris by the way. He's not perfect and I've highlighted and criticised what I think are mistakes on his part this term. However, given that he's not been receiving total support not least financially then he's done a bloody great job to achieve what he has to date.

Le'ts hope that we can retain our place in the league and go into next season with fresh impetus, new players and renewed confidence.