Nathan Jones comes up against one of his previous clubs on Saturday and there doesn't seem to be a great deal of love lost between them.

However, the Charlton manager played it cool in his press conference today: "it's just another Championship game for us"

Southampton's relegation last year was pretty spectacular. After the turn of the year they lost fourteen of their last eighteen games and ended up with twelve points in total - just one better than Derby's notorious eleven in 2008. This was enough to see off two managers - Russell Martin who was sacked in December and Ivan Juric who lasted until early April. The club's choice of replacement was a bold one - 33 year old Will Still, whose previous management experience had been in Belgium and France. He was unveiled on a three year contract last May.

As a result of his team's poor start - two wins in thirteen games -  his services were dispensed with three weeks ago after losses at Blackburn and Bristol City were followed by a 0-2 home defeat by Preston. Tonda Eckert was promoted from under 21s head coach to interim head coach while the search for a permanent replacement got underway. The team have won both the games under his leadership (2-1 at QPR and 3-1 v Sheffield Wednesday) and it remains to be seen whether the club will stick with him.

Nathan Jones's stay at Southampton was even shorter than Will Still's. He arrived in November 2022 and departed three months later with a record of five wins and nine defeats from his fourteen games in charge. Four of those wins were in cup games so it can be seen that his team lost seven of his eight Premier League matches including all four at home. Saints fans were not impressed and will no doubt be loudly expressing their disdain for Nathan on Saturday. We'll just have to drown them out.......

It’s become tricky to predict how teams will line up against Charlton. In recent fixtures, teams have started switching from a back four to a back three. The idea is to have an extra passing option and make it tougher for the Charlton front two to press the defence into a mistake. Southampton have been playing a back three all season but a two week break and Eckert still being in post does throw up the potential for change.

One thing we do know is that James Bree won’t be playing against his parent club. With a number of defenders likely to still be on the sidelines, Charlton’s wingback options are worryingly attacking. Rob Apter has played right wing back but Jones has previously told Richard Cawley that Apter was too attacking an option without a more defensive left wing back. Joe Rankin-Costello has played wing back for Blackburn Rovers but seems out of favour. In more normal times Kayne Ramsay could shift out to wing back but there is no cover for him at centre back. Maybe a tweak in formation is in store for the Addicks this time.

It will be interesting to see whether Nathan Jones sees fit to select Tyreece Campbell and Karoy Anderson for his squad after Jamaica's failure to beat Curaçao in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Neither featured in the game itself (although Kaheim Dixon came on in the second half) but the long journey and the humiliating failure to qualify will have taken their toll.  Conor Coventry, however, will be buoyed after being part of the Irish squad that unexpectedly picked up maximum points in their last two qualifying games to push themselves into the European play-offs.

Most Charlton fans would be delighted to have Joe Aribo in their team, but for the visitors, the midfielder will probably be on the bench and may only be used as a late substitute.

There will not have been many who predicted that after fifteen games Charlton would be sitting above two of the three clubs relegated from last season's Premier League, but that's where we find ourselves. Despite winning their last two games The Saints are marching into SE7 in 17th place and we are eight places and five points above them  - only behind the Premier League's other relegated club - Ipswich - on goal difference.

It's no wonder it almost feels like we're in seventh heaven with such a good start to the season. In what looks to be a very tight division, we've shown that we're more than capable of holding our own and we hope the Addicks will continue where they left off against West Bromwich Albion a couple of weeks ago - showing grit and determination which will surely be needed if they are to get maximum points again.

If they can do that it will propel Nathan Jones a little nearer sainthood in our eyes.