Take time to smell the flowers

With the half-way stage of the season approaching, it looks like we will be firmly in contention for promotion, if not clinging on to an automatic berth come the New Year. That's something that only the most optimistic 20% were expecting in June and July (I wasn't one of them).

Whilst the long-term financial security of the club is uncertain, we do have cover for the second-half of the season and money that the Board invested in October demonstrates their medium term commitment to ensuring the club does not suffer unduly between now and it passing on to new ownership. Sullivan and Gold may be interested in taking over and investing although it's just as likely that they are using us for leverage in their negotiations to gain control of the club they really want. If you were worth £750m and the purchase price of the club you support was somewhere between £42m and £80m and it was your last realistic opportunity to live the dream, would you be deterred on price and have a genuine Plan B that could see you owning a rival club instead? Irrespective, the publicity we are receiving over this will do our prospects of finding more wealthy backers no harm.

On the pitch few can doubt that the side are playing with new found confidence and the value of a number of players has risen since our relegation in May. In the stands things have livened up too with season ticket holders yet to see the Addicks lose at home and die-hard fans enjoying visits to old favourite haunts as well as a good few new experiences.

So I think we should look around us and reflect that maybe things are much better than we might be giving ourselves credit for. Notts County have been put up for sale. This a club bought by the unlikely sounding Munto Finance in the Summer who promised great things for County's future. They are actually in contention for promotion and home gates have doubled but something is obviously not right and you can see the whole thing collapsing like a pack of cards and County being left hugely exposed with their newly extended squad.

Portsmouth finally sacked poor Paul Hart last month and they lurch from one payday crisis to the next. Rumours of Administration abound and their Sky TV money may be diverted to creditors by the PL. Prospects for avoiding relegation don't look great either, as they sit rock bottom four points adrift of West Ham in 17th. Oh and their next five matches look horrendous as they entertain Liverpool and Arsenal and have to travel to Sunderland, Chelsea and West Ham. If they do go down, odds on relegation from the Championship will likely be better than on their promotion. There's every prospect of us playing them next season and finishing above them.

Along the way, we should take time to smell the flowers whilst we can.