Rumours are rife that the players are not happy with Guy Luzon, it was reported that they went to the board questioning the Israeli’s credentials before he was even appointed.

There has been evidence in the last two games at The Valley that there is substance to the rumours. Jordan Cousins did not acknowledge the bench after scoring against Rotherham and Johnnie Jackson did not engage with Luzon after being substituted on Tuesday.

The recent disjointed performances offer further evidence. Alan Pardew once explained that when players appear disinterested it is because they do not believe that they can win by following the manager’s instructions. Pardew added that it was his job, as manager, to convince them that they could.

A fresh approach can work wonders as Tony Pulis has demonstrated on numerous occasions. Pardew himself is exhibiting the same thing at Palace and closer to home, Jose Riga increased Charlton’s points per game ratio from 0.9 to 1.5 last season.

In the last two games, both Middlesbrough and Norwich have played with wing-backs, thus restricting the opportunities for Charlton’s full-backs to move forward.

The Addicks have no natural midfield enforcer, so the three-to-two advantage Boro and the Canaries had in the middle of the park made it relatively easy for them to compress the game into Charlton’s half for lengthy periods.

Once Bob Peeters’ system was worked out by opposition coaches, he struggled as he had no Plan B. Luzon looks to be swimming against the tide at the moment.

Whatever problems a club may have with injuries, they do not go fourteen games without a win unless there are more serious underlying factors.

The Addicks still have to visit the bottom three, were they able to win those games, they would be within touching distance of safety. Lose them, and it would be an entirely different story.

Wigan and Blackpool are currently tailed off and the Valley faithful will be hoping that the duo fail to put a winning run together.

Charlton are now 20th in the table, with Brighton the only buffer between them and the relegation places.

Brighton visit Hillsborough on Saturday, whilst 22nd placed Millwall go to Leeds. The Addicks have a tough looking fixture with Brentford but really need to make home advantage count to avoid been sucked into the drop zone.

As Alan Curbishley once said, if the players do not respond to the manager, you either have to change the players or change the manager.

It may be desperately unfair to be questioning Luzon’s ability after just four games in charge, but maintaining Championship status is vital for Charlton. The head coach desperately needs a win on Saturday.