the hughes dilemma Like everyone else, well except for Trevor Francis and Steve Bruce (he played 228 games under them at Birmingham), plus Alan Curbishley and Iain Dowie it seems I have a hard time understanding what Bryan Hughes gives to the team.

Hughes is one of those players who would be a star, okay maybe that’s an exaggeration, in the Championship, but does not quite cut the mustard in the Premiership. He tracks back (not always), he gets into some good attacking positions (not always), he harries opposing midfielders (not always) and can put in a decent cross (but not always) but in my mind he does always give 100% when he is wearing the shirt, which to us Addicks means he won’t get booed but equally won’t win many plaudits either.

So what is it that coaches within the game see? Apparently Curbs wasn’t the only suitor for his services when his contract ran out at St Andrews. Is he a good trainer? Does he take instructions well? Does he just do things that 25,000 of us don’t see? Or perhaps he’s the next Arsene Wenger, well he was crap when he played too!

It is amazing to think after signing 3 additional midfield players during the summer that Hughes is still a first choice, and under a new coaching staff as well.

You see my dilemma is that Bryan Hughes son is my son’s best friend. They go to the same school, they sit next to each other in the same classroom and they play for the same football team. A perturbing thought a 6-year old running around with ‘Hughes’ plastered across his back!

So, similarly when my son was doing Peter Crouch goal scoring celebrations during the summer and proclaiming him as the best footballer in the world, I had to just grin and bare it and now I have the Hughes dilemma. "Daddy, Bryan’s so nice, why aren’t you a footballer like Flynn’s Dad?" "He’s the best Charlton player by miles."

What to do, except just nod and try to explain to him why he’s got Darren Bent’s number on his back and not the number 20.  ¶ 10:30