The only way is up?

Two days to go before the expected confirmation of a takeover at the Valley. The secrecy over the identity of the new owners has been maintained impressively so far but it's only natural to assume that we can expect some leakage ahead of the formal announcement as those in the know might succumb to the temptation to share their knowledge and bask in some reflected glory.


As I have already said, I hope the reports of Dennis Wise being spotted at the ground and training ground have either an innocent explanation or that they are scurrilous rumours by those who are convinced Wise is involved. 


Whatever happens, we need to be prepared to accept that after three years of looking, whoever's stumping up the cash has to be a better bet going forward than Richard Murray on the basis that he cannot continue to run the club and keep us out of Administration. So we should be looking to assess the news in terms of how good it is for the club irrespective of who's involved. In the meantime we can dream although I'm in the Chicago Addick camp on this, in that I expect it will be a consortium of interested individuals, none of whom have the money to risk having gone it alone and that their ambitions will be relatively limited.


The prospect of their first game in charge being at the Valley on Boxing Day against former Premiership rivals, Southampton, is looking odds-on. The thaw that started yesterday has continued and we didn't get the 5-10cm of snow that the Soothsayers were predicting. Ordinarily, I can see Southampton piling on the pressure by beating our boys but maybe a positive announcement on Friday might focus minds and competition for places. I am also clinging to the hope that the Brentford home defeat that the Saints suffered last time out was a reflection of unrest at the club and that it will hang over into Sunday.