An eccentric and unpredictable owner. Five managers in twenty months. Supporter protests. Erratic performance. And that is just the opposition.
The Leeds United circus rolls into town on Saturday with the added attraction this time of being led by the delightful and charming Steve Evans who took over at Elland Road when owner Massimo Cellino sacked Uwe Rosler in October. Evans (for whose teams no referee has ever made a favourable decision) was seen on the touchline at The Valley as recently as the middle of September when his Rotherham side punctured Charlton's early season optimism with a 1-1 draw.
He has presided over 3 wins, 3 defeats and 2 draws so far and Leeds arrive in seventeenth position. Their best performance was in beating Hull 2-1 last weekend. Their worst was surely their 0-1 home defeat by Rotherham on 21st November - a result which must have delighted Neil Redfearn as much as it disappointed Charlton fans. The Leeds attack is led by the New Zealander Chris Wood who has scored 7 so far this term. He is likely to be partnered by Italian Mirco Antenucci (5 goals) who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ipswich's Daryl Murphy. That doesn't auger well for Charlton's defence.
The Football League's ban on Cellino (after he was found guilty of tax offences in Italy) has been deferred pending the outcome of his appeal. It was typical of his erratic behaviour that at the end of October he publicly agreed to discussing with Leeds Fans United the possibility of their taking over his shareholding only, a few days later, to change his mind and retract the offer. A spokesman for LFU said "it is much better that we identify this insincerity now before we spend our shareholders' money"
Meanwhile, Leeds supporters are up in arms about a £5 increase in the price of tickets in their South Stand. The new price includes a meal deal which is why it has been dubbed the "pie tax". Some Leeds fans staged a walk out after 17 minutes (because Cellino apparently hates the number 17) of the Hull game and the Chairman of Leeds Supporters Trust Michael Green was quoted as saying how the increase showed how the club was "out of touch with its supporters".
Charlton's performance in the first half at Brighton was so good that there must be some grounds for optimism this week, even though it must be acknowledged that their best moments came on the break. The good news is that Johnnie Jackson is likely to be available to provide the leadership which was so lacking in the second half at The Amex. Vaz Te, Reza and Lookman looked mobile, alert and incisive and we can only hope they can reproduce this form at home.
The last time Charlton had two winnable home games in succession was in September when everything began to fall apart. A similar outcome from the Leeds and Bolton games and the mood could turn very ugly indeed.