Charlton Athletic are in trouble. One win from their last eight Championship fixtures has pitched them from top of the table after three games to 17th, and Saturday's defeat at Watford was about as bad a way to lose as it gets: passive, low on energy, and obligingly generous to a side that had conceded nine goals in its previous two matches.

The gift Charlton keep giving

There is a pattern here that cannot be dismissed as coincidence. Stoke City and Cardiff City have both used victories against the Addicks to arrest their own poor runs this season. Watford, badly rattled after those nine goals conceded, recorded their first clean sheet of the campaign against Charlton. Fan writer Paul Sullivan, writing for BBC Sport, put it plainly: "Whoever the personnel, it seems to be in our DNA." That is a damning verdict, and it is hard to argue with it.

Nathan Jones admitted his side failed to take the game to Watford. Against opponents starved of confidence, that lethargy is not merely disappointing; it is a strategic failure. Crisis clubs need a lift. Charlton keep providing one.

A midfield becoming a genuine concern

The most pressing issue is the engine room. Oliver Skipp, who earned praise from Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte during his time at Tottenham and played a part in a Championship title-winning campaign during a loan spell at Norwich City, has looked a shadow of that player. How a midfielder of his pedigree can appear so peripheral in the second tier is a question the coaching staff must answer.

Conor Coventry, meanwhile, has been publicly criticised by Jones on two separate occasions now: first for conceding a penalty against Bristol City, then for his role in the build-up to Watford's opening goal on Saturday. Repeated public criticism of the same player rarely ends well for either party.

The hope, according to Sullivan, is that Nathaniel Chalobah can return and provide the drive that is so conspicuously absent. But Chalobah's fitness remains a concern, and building a revival around a player who is not yet fit to play is not a plan; it is a wish.

The numbers demand attention

Charlton are four points worse off at this stage than they were at the same point last season. That is not a crisis in isolation, but combined with the manner of recent defeats and a failure to create chances consistently, it demands scrutiny. Summer recruitment is already being questioned by supporters, and rightly so; if the squad lacks the quality to hurt a Watford side conceding freely, questions about squad construction are entirely legitimate.

Miles Leaburn, according to Sullivan, needs a rest. Karlan Grant needs to offer considerably more. Whether Alan Mwamba or Harvey Knibbs are given extended runs to inject some freshness is a decision for Jones, but the current personnel are not delivering.

Credit in the bank, but the account is not bottomless

Jones retains support from large sections of the fanbase, and given Charlton's budget constraints, that support is not misplaced. He built genuine momentum: that 96th-minute equaliser at Burnley was the sort of result that can galvanise a group. The concern is that Charlton have now burned through that momentum in the space of a single week.

Four consecutive good results would not be enough to draw firm conclusions in either direction. Football at this level is too volatile for that, and a side that climbs from 17th to 10th in a fortnight can just as easily slide back. What Jones needs is not a run of form but a consistent foundation: a midfield that wins the ball, a forward line that creates, and a defensive structure that does not hand opponents a lifeline when they need one most.

Difficult fixtures are coming. The training ground work this week, as Coventry himself acknowledged, is crucial. Charlton cannot afford to be accommodating much longer.

Frequently asked

Why have Charlton dropped down the Championship table this season?
Charlton have won just one of their last eight Championship matches, slipping from top after three games to 17th. Poor performances in midfield, a lack of attacking creativity and soft defensive errors have all contributed to the slide.
What is wrong with Charlton's midfield this season?
Oliver Skipp has struggled to reproduce the form that earned him praise at Tottenham and a Championship title with Norwich on loan, while Conor Coventry has been publicly criticised by manager Nathan Jones on more than one occasion. Nathaniel Chalobah, who could provide more drive, is working his way back from a fitness concern.
Is Nathan Jones under pressure at Charlton?
Jones retains support from the fanbase and has credit built up from his work at the club, but results must improve. One win in eight has raised real questions about squad depth and summer recruitment, and the margin for further slip-ups is narrowing.