Parkinson eyeing immediate Charlton return

The reasons for Charlton's demise — the disastrous managerial appointments, appalling signings and boardroom uncertainty — have been pored over for longer than most Addicks fans will care to remember.

But the time for recriminations is over. Charlton cannot afford a stodgy start to their first campaign in English football's third tier for 29 years otherwise the tailspin which has produced two relegations in three seasons could wreak yet more havoc.

"We have to get some sort of side together or we'll go into League Two," said former Charlton striker Derek Hales, who played for the club in the 1970s.

"Last season was the worst Charlton side I've seen. They were damn ordinary players, who didn't roll their sleeves up and didn't do anything for the cause, sat on the bench and the treatment table and took the money. We need the type of players who play for the right reasons.

"While we've got support we've got a chance but we've still got to put a side on the field. By all accounts we're looking pretty dire. I wouldn't be putting my money on Charlton as promotion candidates."

Hales is not alone. The presence of Leeds, Norwich and Southampton in League One may cheer up Charlton's accountants, who can at least look forward to some healthy home gates, but it will do nothing for the club's prospects of making an immediate return to the Championship.

Throw in a welter of local derbies — half of the sides in the division are based south of Milton Keynes — and Charlton's mission appears even tougher.

Much depends on whether Parkinson, whose appointment on a permanent basis last season split opinion among supporters, has succeeded in rebuilding his squad's morale, which crumbled during an horrific 18-game winless run last autumn.

Either way, he will lean heavily on the handful of players who shone through the murk of last season: Nicky Bailey, the midfielder attracting interest from Middlesbrough, winger Lloyd Sam and Jonjo Shelvey, one of the brightest prospects outside the top flight.

Charlton's prospects are hardly sunnier than those of their London rivals in League One. It may be asking too much of Millwall to repeat their achievement of last season when they reached the play-off final, particularly if they lose Zak Whitbread, who is attracting interest from the Championship, but the Lions' spirit alone will make them daunting opponents.

Leyton Orient and newly-promoted Brentford will both consider survival to be a minor triumph, although if there is to be a dark horse challenging the thoroughbreds at the top of the table, the Bees might just be it. If nothing else, Andy Scott's side boast formidable momentum.

Compared to the star-studded League One, the Championship has a rather humdrum feel to it, with only Newcastle on hand to supply a touch of glamour. That at least leaves the field wide open, which should cheer Queens Park Rangers and their new manager Jim Magilton.

With the possible exception of the hot-seat at St James' Park, there can be few managerial posts with less job security than Loftus Road but even joint owner Flavio Briatore will not be able to complain if Magilton, a combustible character who could enjoy a sparky relationship with the Italian, delivers in his first season.

Little can be expected of Crystal Palace and Watford, both of whom hardly have two pounds to rub together between them and will probably be grateful to avoid Charlton's fate.

In League Two, John Still's hopes of his Dagenham & Redbridge side emulating last season's extraordinary tilt at the play-offs — which floundered so cruelly on the final afternoon — appear to have disappeared with the trio of senior players who have departed for Brentford.

That could leave the door ajar for Barnet, although the club who routinely post the lowest attendances in the Football League will doubtless settle for mid-table security in Ian Hendon's first full season in charge.

Coca-Cola Championship

CRYSTAL PALACE

TRANSFERS
INS: Darren Ambrose (Charlton, free), Freddie Sears (West Ham, loan), Stern John (Southampton, free)
OUTS: Carl Fletcher (Plymouth, free), Scott Flinders (Hartlepool, free), Rhoys Wiggins (undisclosed, Norwich), James Scowcroft, Shefki Kuqi, John Oster, Paul Ifill, Gerson Dos Santos (all released)

PROSPECTS
Bleak. The youngsters that looked so promising two seasons ago went backwards last year, while manager Neil Warnock must work with one of the division's most constrained budgets as chairman Simon Jordan continues in his increasingly forlorn attempt to sell the club.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nathaniel Clyne
Palace are ready to sell Clyne to provide some much-needed cash but they will also be aware that the youngster is arguably their best defender and would be sorely missed. A class act at right-back, seasoned observers suggest the 18-year-old is Palace's brightest prospect in that position since Kenny Sansom.

QPR

TRANSFERS
INS: Alejandro Faurlin (Instituto, £3.5m), Adel Taarabt (Spurs, loan) Alessandro Pellicori (Avellino, undisclosed)
OUTS: Dexter Blackstock (Nottingham Forest, £1.6m), Jake Cole (Barnet, free), Lee Camp (Nottingham Forest, £100,000), Damien Delaney (Ipswich, £750,000), Zesh Rehman (Bradford, free), Liam Miller, Chris Arthur, Danny Maguire (all released)

PROSPECTS
Who knows? Last season was a curate's egg of a campaign for Rangers, who were exceptional at home and wretched on their travels. Since then, Jim Magilton has been appointed as manager. More goals is the priority.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Rowan Vine
The striker missed virtually the whole of last season with a broken leg so he will be anxious to make up for lost time. With Dexter Blackstock having departed for Nottingham Forest, the onus will be on him to provide Rangers with some much-needed firepower.

WATFORD

TRANSFERS
INS: Jure Travner (NK Selje, undisclosed), Danny Graham (Carlisle, compensation), Scott Severin (Aberdeen, free)
OUTS: Theo Robinson (Huddersfield), Lee Williamson (Sheff Utd, £500,000), Stuart Searle (MK Dons, undisclosed), Mart Poom (released), Steve Kabba (Brentford, free)

PROSPECTS
Brendan Rodgers left behind a squad that was on the up but new boss Malky Mackay faces a tough job maintaining that momentum as he takes his first stab at management. A play-off challenge looks beyond them but the Hornets should remain comfortably in mid-table, especially if Mackay can hold on to star striker Tommy Smith.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Danny Graham
With money in short supply, Mackay has had to do some shrewd business in the transfer market and Graham looks an astute purchase from Carlisle. He has been prolific in pre-season, although Championship defences will be tougher to crack.

Coca-Cola League One

BRENTFORD

TRANSFERS
INS: Ben Strevens, Sam Saunders, Danny Foster (all Dag & Redbridge, free), Alan Bennett (signed), Nikki Bull (Aldershot), Leon Legge (Tonbridge Angels, undisclosed), Myles Weston (N County, undisclosed), Lewis Price (Derby, loan), Steve Kabba (Watford, free)
OUTS: Moses Ademola (Woking, loan), Adam Newton (Luton, free), Nathan Elder (Shrewsbury, undisclosed), Seb Brown, Craig Dobson, John Halls, Brett Johnson, Craig Pead, Glenn Poole, Darren Powell, Gary Smith (all released), Kerry Mayo (retired)

PROSPECTS
Andy Scott led the Bees to promotion last term. This season will be more of a slog but Scott has fostered a formidable team spirit at Griffin Park.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ben Strevens
The striker, who has made the short move across town from Dagenham & Redbridge, scored 14 goals last season and his whole-hearted approach should sit well with Scott's ethos.

CHARLTON

TRANSFERS
INS: Miguel Angel Llera (MK Dons, free), Frazer Richardson (Leeds, free), Christian Dailly (Rangers, free)
OUTS: Mark Hudson (Cardiff, £1.3m), Darren Ambrose (C Palace, free), Henry Arter (Woking, free), Josh Wright (Scunthorpe, free), Aswad Thomas (Woking, free), Svetoslav Todorov, Nicky Weaver, Rashid Yussuff, Zheng Zhi (all released)

PROSPECTS
As if a first season in the third tier for 28 years was not ignominious enough, a host of senior players have scurried for the exit door this summer. The pain may not be over yet and the priority for boss Phil Parkinson must be to stop the slide.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jonjo Shelvey
The teenager was the only bright spark in a dire campaign last year and is surely destined for bigger and better things. Four goals in 18 starts suggests the 17-year-old could be that most precious of players — a genuinely-threatening attacking midfielder — although whether Charlton can fend off interest from elsewhere is questionable.

LEYTON ORIENT

TRANSFERS
INS: Ben Chorley (Tranmere, free), Scott McGleish (Wycombe, free), Adrian Patulea (Lincoln, free), Jamie Scowcroft (C Palace, free), Jimmy Smith (Chelsea, free)
OUTS: Adam Boyd (Hartlepool, £80,000), Danny Granville, Bradley Gray, Wayne Gray, Aidan Palmer, Brian Saah, Solomon Shields, Paul Terry, Alton Thelwell (all released)

PROSPECTS
If last season's dramatic turnaround raised expectations, the 6-1 pre-season humiliation of Newcastle has sent them crashing through the roof. Manager Geraint Williams is too level-headed to get carried away but Orient could challenge for the play-offs.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jimmy Smith
The midfielder made a good impression during a three-month loan spell last season and Williams grabbed the chance to sign the youngster on a permanent deal. Smith, 22, can operate on either flank or through the middle.

MILLWALL

TRANSFERS
INS: Steve Morison (Stevenage, £130,000), Jason Price (Doncaster, free)
OUTS: Adrian Forbes (Grimsby, free), Ahmet Brkovic, Gary Bowes, Richard Duffy, Darren Ebsworth, Preston Edwards, Lenny Pidgeley, Danny Spiller, Lyle Taylor, Laurie Walker (all released)

PROSPECTS
Millwall's hopes will depend on how quickly they can shake of the hangover of May's devastating play-off final defeat by Scunthorpe. The early signs in pre-season suggest manager Kenny Jackett has got his side back on track and there seems to be no reason why the Lions cannot sustain another challenge for a top-six spot.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nadjim Abdou
Abdou — or Jimmy to his pals at The Den — was a surprise hit last season, establishing himself as a feisty central midfielder and playing a key role in the club's charge to Wembley, scoring the crucial equaliser at Leeds in the semi-final decider. Will expect to go one better this season.

Coca-Cola League Two

BARNET

TRANSFERS
INS: Jake Cole (QPR, free), Jake Hyde (Swindon, free), Micah Hyde (Woking, free), Daniel Leach (Portland Timbers, free), Yannick Bolasie (Plymouth, loan)
OUTS: Neal Bishop (N County, free), Michael Leary (Grimsby, free), Max Porter, Cliff Akurang (both Rushden and Diamonds, free), Adam Birchall, Nicky Nicolau, Ran Kadoch (all released)

PROSPECTS
Last season was one to forget for Barnet, who replaced Paul Fairclough with Ian Hendon as relegation loomed. The new boss led the Bees to safety and should be targeting mid-table security.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Yannick Bolasie
The winger is on a six-month loan after impressing at Underhill last season and will be expected to provide some invention to the side.

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE

TRANSFERS
INS: Will Antwi (Wycombe, free), Danny Green (B Stortford, free), Abu Ogogo (Arsenal, free), Josh Scott (Hayes & Yeading, free), Stuart Thurgood (Gray's Athletic, free), Alex Bentley, Chris Lewington (both Fisher Athletic)
OUTS: Magnus Okuonghae (Colchester, tribunal), Danny Foster, Sam Saunders, Ben Strevens (all Brentford, free), Jon Boardman (Woking, free), Jacob Erskine (Bromley, free), Daniel Charge, Michael Alaile, Richard Graham, Richard Priest (all released)

PROSPECTS
Manager John Still faces a huge task to repeat last season's play-off near miss after losing key men Okuonghae, Saunders, Strevens and Foster.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Wesley Thomas
With Strevens gone and a flurry of goals in
pre-season, the striker is in the frame to partner Paul Benson up front.