Spring expects tough season

Spring: Tough times ahead

Matthew Spring has warned his Charlton team-mates that if they are relegated from the Championship not to expect an easy ride in League One.

The Addicks' future in the country's second tier is hanging by a thread with the club 12 points from safety with just four games remaining.

With big names such as Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest all struggling to come to terms with life in League One over the years Spring is under no illusions about how tough next season will be.

The midfielder also added that he expects manager Phil Parkinson to make vast changes to the playing squad over the summer after what has been a dismal season.

"It is tough to get out of League One and many sides come down from the Championship expecting it to be easy," he told skysports.com.

"But sides like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday have shown in the past that it isn't as simple as that.

"We have to get the right blend in the team and anyone who expects us to fly back into the Championship will be sorely mistaken as it will be difficult.

Interesting time

"The manager will be doing his business during the summer, deciding who stays and who goes and this summer will be a very interesting time for everyone connected with the club."

But Leicester City's success this term proves that an immediate return to the Championship is a possibility and the 29-year-old believes that if Charlton can get a settled side they too can do the same.

"It is definitely possible to bounce straight back, but it is all about getting a settled side and getting the balance just right," he added.

"Keeping the gaffer in a job is bound to give us a better chance of promotion next season because change is not always a good thing in football and this club has seen that since (Alan) Curbishley left.

"It disrupts the flow of everything and every manager who comes in has a different view on things, with players he wants to replace etc.

"It is just the way that football goes and stability will be key for us over the next 12 months or so to see where this club is heading."