Pards' vow
Alan Pardew insists he will 'leave no stone unturned' in his bid to get Charlton's play-off hopes back on track at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday (3pm).
The Addicks have lost form at the worst possible time, and go into the clash against promotion rivals Argyle without a win in six games and four points adrift of the top six.
Like Charlton, Plymouth recently slipped out of the play-off places themselves, but will be boosted by their record at Home Park which has seen them lose just four times this season.
It therefore promises to be a tough encounter for the Addicks, but Pardew is confident his players can produce the goods against Paul Sturrock's outfit to bring Charlton's recent poor form to an end.
The Addicks boss told the official website: "People are disappointed - none more so than myself - that we've had this recent run.
"We've been in the top six for most of the season, but just recently we can't get a win and some of our performances haven't deserved that.
"Richard Murray has pledged his support to me and I thank him for that, but the most important people I have to answer to are the fans, and at the minute we're not delivering for them.
"In the short term the only answer really is to win on Saturday at Plymouth, because we've got some outstanding players here and some outstanding young players. So we're not in a terrible position, but we need to get a win because we want to try as hard as we can to get in the play-offs."
Charlton's recent run has inevitably led to criticism from some quarters, and Pardew admits his side's lack of form has seen everyone at the club question their own ability.
But the Charlton manager insists the Addicks have the personnel in place to turn their season around with five games remaining.
"I'd be foolish if I didn't question myself because the responsibility lies with me," said Pardew. "In any walk of life, if you think what you've done in the past is going to see you through, it doesn't work like that.
"I'm trying to make sure I do the right things; that I question my staff and they question me, so we can drive ourselves to be better.
"I can only reassure Charlton fans that I'll leave no stone unturned to try and change this immediate situation around. All of us are trying to turn it around but I'm at the top of tree in terms of responsibility, so I must carry the burden and I accept that.
"My view when I came here was not to stay for a year, get Charlton promoted and leave for another club. I signed a four-year contract and I want to build something here, like I did at Reading and at West Ham United.
"At West Ham in my first year, I got accused of many similar things; signing players who were too young, not bringing in more experienced players etc.
"But it stood us in good stead and we got promoted the next year. My policy has always been to try and build up the younger players and that's what I'll try to do. In the short term, though, it would be nice to get a win to cheer everybody up, not least the Charlton fan who pays good money for his ticket."
The Addicks were perhaps somewhat unfortunate to slip to a last-gasp defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
And, while naturally disappointed with the 3-2 loss, Pardew insists there were plenty of positives to take from the game at The Valley, not least Leroy Lita's first goal in Charlton colours since his loan switch from Premier League side Reading.
In the end, Lita's strike counted for little, although Pardew hopes it will be the first of several goals for the Congo-born hitman between now and the end of the campaign.
"There were a number of positives; our second-half performance and also Leroy Lita scoring," said Pardew.
"You could see from his celebration what the goal meant to him. Our strikers not scoring has been our biggest problem in this run.
"It doesn't matter how much of the game you control, if your strikers are not playing with their wings fully extended then you're not going to run away with games, they're going to be tight and you can lose. So that goal will be massive for him and hopefully it will be massive for us."
Plymouth currently lie three places ahead of Charlton in the Championship table, and Pardew knows the Addicks will have to be at the top of their game to come away from Home Park with a victory.
"We've struggled against the lower sides this season, but against the top sides we've done as well as anyone," Pardew stated.
"But we have to overcome Plymouth to give ourselves a chance really, and then we go to the next game. We shouldn't look any further than that at the minute with the run we're on.
"There will be plenty of tension, we both have to win, which isn't possible, so there will be some toil and trouble in all the right way.
"We'll both be up for it and it will be a tight game. It's a tough place down there, I got beaten with West Ham and it's a hard place to get a result."
The boss added: "I know Paul Sturrock very well. He likes to get the ball forward quickly and you have to defend well and you have to be competitive."
In terms of team news, both Zheng Zhi and Andy Gray are doubtful for the trip to Devon with flu. Sam Sodje and Lita suffered bangs to the head during training on Thursday but should be fine. Svetoslav Todorov, Chris Dickson and Izale McLeod remain long-term absentees, while Lloyd Sam is still returning to fitness after suffering a hamstring strain against Preston North End.
For a full preview of the Plymouth game click here.
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