On August 12th CAST was delighted to host a webinar with journalists Henry Winter (HW), Ben Ransom (BR) and Rich Cawley (RC).

The event was open to all Charlton fans who were invited to turn the tables on the journalists and fire questions at them about Charlton and the wider football world.

We began with a question about Charlton's chances for the forthcoming season:

RC predicted the season will be "as tough as last season" and said that most commentators thought Charlton would be "in and around the bottom end of the table." BR agreed and thought the quality in The Championship will be higher this season - particularly in light of the three relegated clubs. He added that the clubs that have come up will have momentum which Charlton had last season. However, he felt that Charlton had recruited well within the allotted budget and suggested that the challenge will be to get points early on. He said that if Godden can play once a week that make a big difference.

HW stressed how much he admires Nathan Jones. He remembered having a coffee with him straight after his sacking from Southampton and being impressed by his resilience. He said he loves how fascinating and competitive he is. "He has such a big heart. You want him to do well"

On the question of whether the owners should invest more to pursue survival BR said it was always a balance and we couldn't expect them just to "throw money at the wall." He noted that EFL clubs are always looking for new or greater investment but, if that isn't available, the requirement is a good manager; a small but talented group and a thriving Academy. He said the CAFC Academy always gives him hope.

He hopes that the PL /EFL deal will help deal with the "monstrous" gap between the PL and Championship. He noted that Brentford and Bournemouth are currently worth five times more than Charlton.

HW said that on the subject of the financial deal the ball was currently in the EFL's court and that it will be interesting to see their response. He noted there will without doubt be tension about distribution between the three EFL divisions but the "deal must get signed as it has been four years now." He said he hoped that a condition might be that some cash is ring fenced for Academies. "If Ezri Konsa is sold to Arsenal, it would be great if some of the money could find its way to support dedicated Academy staff." He argued that the financial regulations should exclude the wages of former Academy players from the calculations at least for a few years.

RC said that, although it was never popular to sell players, one way of gradually building was to sell to invest. He noted that Millwall had done this over the years but that Charlton hadn't recently seemed to have had a "significant money" player in the squad. He added that the journey from League One to PL was so much more "arduous" than a decade ago.

HW reminded us that it is only ten years since the fairy tale of Leicester City and that football is about dreams. He mentioned Konsa's humble beginnings and how inspiring his rise should be for current Academy youngsters.

BR mentioned that new investors can be attracted by the fact that Championship clubs are only "one season away from the Premier League" but, with the size and quality of many clubs (often recently in the Premier League) the way for a club like Charlton was more likely to be through "Luton-esque overachievement" fired perhaps by a couple of outstanding youngsters.

RC thought that there was a good chance that Lloyd Jones would sign a new contract and stay at Charlton. Although Preston had shown interest in Tyreece Campbell he thought it more likely that TC would see what transpires in the window and might even seek to run his contract down. He stressed how highly Nathan Jones values him. Kayne Ramsey is currently injured and might be out for a while. Nathan wants to keep him. One option for the club if a player is unwilling to commit is to freeze him out and he noted that Danny McNamara is a very competent player.

In terms of Charlton's rivals next season BR thought that Bolton might be the weakest club but that Lincoln have good momentum and are well organised. He said some pundits are questioning Blackburn. He reiterated that Charlton's start will be important and, if they can be tough to beat when playing the top sides but play a bit at The Valley, they will improve their chances.

HW commented that, with the play-offs extended to eight teams there will be no dead games next season and it will be very tense until the end. He put his faith in Nathan Jones who "perenially feels he has something to prove" and who is someone that players "will absolutely respond to." RC said that Nathan was calmer when off the touchline and, although he could still be intense, he could also much be more measured.

RC said he was not aware of any current rumours about players on the radar. He wouldn't say never for Rak-Sakyi but he thought it was very unlikely. HW said what a fantastic signing Nathaniel Chalobah would be if he could stay fit. He said that his journey from Sierra Leone and his battle to survive and improve had given him great resilience and leadership and that for him to have a "golden period" with Charlton would be wonderful.

HW said we certainly hadn't heard the last of Spygate and that he expected the FA suspension of Eckert would be substantial. If it was six months would Southampton be able to cope with an interim manager?  RC thought it was plausible that Sparrows Lane might have also been spied on because the 1-5 defeat was the first time Charlton had been taken apart. It had been very damaging, followed as it was by the 0-3 defeat at Stoke.

On the subject of Sparrows Lane HW remembered an occasion when the England team under Sven were training there on the women's team pitch for some reason. Photographers were particularly keen to get pictures of Sven standing in front of a sign saying "Addickted to Women"

RC agreed that a change of formation for Charlton from three at the back did risk the team being more open and vulnerable but that they could always revert to a back three when playing the top teams (eg at West Ham). He said it should provide more goals although Championship defences will be harder to break down. BR noted that Chalobah was a player who could break lines and give players like Sonny Carey more space. Although Charlton didn't have one prolific scorer he hoped each striker could get 5-10 next season and he would love to see Leaburn and Kelman really step up. He also mentioned the great promise shown by Micah Mbick. RC said that Mbick had played 45 minutes against Fulham this week and had scored a goal. HW said he was impressed by Carey who is a contender for top scorer next season.

RC noted at this point that any jokes about him being a Fulham fan were "water off a duck's back"

In terms of potential player recruitment and which "ponds" Charlton could fish in HW pointed to the "richness" of the South London area. He said a good England squad could be assembled using only players from within ten miles of The Valley. Recruitment of local players who might have learned their football in the cages was great for the local community and that fans loved to see "one of their own".  RC agreed (and cited Alan Mwamba's ability and attitude) but said it made sense to recruit from other countries given the cost of EFL players (eg Lisbie to Millwall from Peterborough). He reminded us of the deal signed with the Mark Fish Foundation whereby young South Africans could have a chance of a trial at Charlton.

All three panellists were strongly against VAR being introduced into The Championship. HW said it was here to stay but he had met West Ham fans who were not too perturbed about relegation because it brought cheaper tickets, fewer tourists, probable success if they keep Bowen and, above all, no VAR.

BR said he had originally been a VAR fan in the hope that it would iron out decisions which favoured the big clubs but that now "no-one knows what a foul or handball is." He pointed to the irony of Sheffield United being robbed of promotion from The Championship by a VAR decision at Wembley when VAR didn't exist in The Championship.

HW said he was in Paris for the infamous Thierry Henry handball against Ireland in 2009 and that VAR would have spotted such a clear and obvious foul. He suggested that if a decision couldn't be reached in a maximum of ninety seconds, then it evidently wasn't a clear and obvious error so the referee's decision should stand. He regretted that VAR robs supporters of uninhibited celebration.

RC was asked about access to club owners as a journalist. He said it had always been clear that Global Football Partners would not be available, although he did have access to Gavin Carter. He had had one sit-down meeting with Roland Duchatelet which had gone down like a "lead balloon".  He remembered that he "had had my moments" with Thomas Sandgaard when he expressed disagreement with Thomas. He recalled the days when there was a payphone at Sparrows Lane and he would phone up in the hope that someone would answer and agree to make some comments.

HW recalled how "utterly charming" Katrien Meire had been when he was invited for lunch. He said he felt that the lunch might have been "suitable as a first date" but he wasn't sure that you would want her running your club and being in charge of a community asset although BR suggested "she might be able to run a cinema".

HW said that the clock is ticking for Gianni Infantino (who he referred to as Johnny Cash) as September 5th is the first day of the FIFA under twenty Women's World Cup hosted by Poland and a UEFA boycott would put tremendous pressure on Infantino and his family. He thought Infantino would not last until the March 2027 FIFA elections. He felt that his replacement could not be European and maybe Victor Montagliani of Canada might fit the bill. He stressed that candidates should ask themselves "what can I do for the game, not what can the game do for me?"

BR recalled the corrupt days of Sepp Blatter's regime and said that, if Blatter was the voice of reason, you can tell there is a problem. He was mystified that Infantino and Shakira had a role at the World Cup and didn’t want to see or hear from either of them at a World Cup again

HW observed how brutal the Spanish fans' chants against Infantino were at the World Cup.

Finally, our experts were put on the spot and asked to predict Charlton's finishing position for the 26/27 season.

BR had predicted 15th last season but went for 20th this season as "it will be more of a struggle." RC had gone for 17th last season but 19th this season but added that "there's nothing wrong with bedding in". HW said that Charlton are always winners off the pitch because of the club's amazing community work and that they would survive by finishing 18th this season "because I love your manager"