After unheralded Jose Riga helped Charlton Athletic stay up last season with seven wins in his short 16-game spell, the Addicks went for another manager new to English football by appointing Bob Peeters not long into the summer.
With Roland Duchatelet as their owner, the relatively unknown arrivals from his Belgian club Standard Liege continued, while integral players such as Ben Hamer, Diego Poyet and Dorian Dervite left the club.
One positive for the Addicks is that they got all their business done in plenty of time for the new season, giving Peeters ample hours on the training ground to prepare the squad for the campaign.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on the 2014 half to find out how they got on.
August
A trip across London to newly-promoted Brentford would begin the season and summer signing Igor Vetokele netted on his debut for what appeared to be the winner at Griffin Park. That was until the Bees struck a late equaliser to snatch a point.
In the next game Charlton were celebrating a late goal of their own when Franck Moussa struck in stoppage time to down Wigan and earn Peeters his first league win of the season.
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Vetokele was on the scoresheet again as Charlton made it back-to-back home wins with a pulsating 3-2 win over Derby County to go joint-top of the table.
Draws away at Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion followed, with Vetokele netting three in two to make it five for the month and he would go on to win the division's player of the month.
An impressive unbeaten start in the league, but they didn't progress past round two of the Capital One Cup as Derby got their revenge for the league defeat after Colchester United had four put past them in the opening round.
September
Peeters's men started September in the playoff places and they were just a point off the top after Yoni Buyens's early penalty which downed Watford, who were above them in the table.
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That made it three wins from three at The Valley, but their 100% home record would fall in the next game as Wolverhampton Wanderers, another side above Charlton, had to come back for a point in South London.
Draws at Rotherham United and at home to Middlesbrough followed before Charlton ended the month with a last-gasp win at league leaders Norwich City.
Make that 10 games unbeaten. Charlton had come up against several of the early pacesetters and were now just two points off the top.
October
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Vetokele didn't find the net in September, but he was back on the scoresheet in the opening game of October, starting the scoring against Birmingham City in a 1-1 draw. It was the Addicks' seventh draw in 11 games and was soon followed by a first defeat.
They conceded inside five minutes at Bournemouth and were unable to break the Cherries down on the South coast.
They bounced back with a fourth home victory against Bolton Wanderers before a second defeat in three games as bottom-three side Fulham convincingly beat the Addicks 3-0. Still, Charlton were in the top half and just four points off the top.
November
A pair of draws against Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United began November before Vetokele's eighth and last goal of the season so far earned the Addicks victory at Reading. That put them just five points off the top going into the third international break, but it would be their last win of the year.
A goalless draw at home to nearby Millwall followed and it looked like it would be two stalemates on the bounce when Ipswich Town visited The Valley a week later. November would end on a sour note as Ipswich debutant Noel Hunt struck with virtually the last kick of the game in the 95th minute to deny Peeters's men a point.
December
Only a wonder goal from Robert Tesche denied Charlton at Nottingham Forest in the first game of December and they followed it with another disappointing draw at home.
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After the last-gasp heartbreak against Ipswich Town two weeks before, another late goal hurt the Addicks as rock-bottom Blackpool snatched a point in the 89th minute.
That was followed by a third away defeat at Blackburn Rovers before this time Charlton scored a late goal at home to salvage a point against Cardiff City, who had taken an early lead and seen Callum Harriott sent off in the first half. Johann Berg Gudmundsson delivered an 88th-minute thunderbolt that lifted The Valley's spirit on Boxing Day.
The year would end in defeat, making it seven games without a win, as high-flying Ipswich again got the better of Charlton with a 3-0 win at Portman Road.
Despite the disappointing end to the year, Charlton are only out of the top half on goal difference and almost as close to the playoffs as the bottom three. Most Addicks fans would have taken that in August. With 13 draws to their name, Charlton have drawn more than anyone else. Convert a few more of those into wins and they'll be fine.
Star man: Andre Bikey
Must do better: Callum Harriott
Where to strengthen in January: Attack
Position at start of 2015: 13th
Mid-season grade: B-
To see Charlton's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
