One thing that is certain in life its that there is always someone richer than you, however flush you might feel and that is always true in football ownership. Most seasons , as a Charlton fan, it’s virtually every other team owner than ours, although the one time we got a fabulously wealthy owner with Roland Duchatelet he turned out to be a miserable miser who celebrated his 70th birthday in the front window table at Nando’s.
This season, it is evident that Ipswich are the big spenders on transfers and although there are no guarantees in football, they also have a good manager and it would be a surprise if they don’t waltz through to promotion.
Worryingly, Wigan and MK Dons appear to be assembling good teams with extravagant recruitment. Other teams like Pompey, Sunderland, the Massives and ourselves appear to be stuck in the slow lane on recruitment.
It is a bit difficult to really understand what is happening but whatever business we are still hoping to do is going to be very late indeed. Sparrows Lane and The Valley have become the Marie Celeste for rumours.
Some reassurance that we are going to add more quality players to give it a go this season would be very welcome. I know that we all owe Thomas a big debt of gratitude for saving us from extinction but the thought of a mid table or worse finish in the 3rd division is certainly not my idea of fun.
Unfortunately for football club owners the other perpetual truth is that football fans have very short memories and very little patience for failure.
Albury Addick 
It is becoming apparent that we will not be going into next season with a team that is any better than it was at the end of last season – for example whilst signing Stockley on a permanent deal was welcome he was with us at the end of last season anyway.
It may be enough to get us in the play offs given we wren’t far off last season and perhaps a few of the younger players will have developed a bit more. We could equally finish mid-table however. I was hoping and expecting a bit more tbh and I don’t know if we’ll ever get out of this league.
At least it is better than bankruptcy and extinction i guess.
Nine days to go before the new season starts…..Adkins says he needs some more experienced players along with some fitter, younger, players in the squad.Surely some of the players already snapped up by the likes of Ipswich,Wigan,Wycome, etc. must have been on his/our radar,and yet there were no rumours or whispers of us even being interested let alone making bids.
Unless something miraculous happens in the next few days we will be in the queue for half a dozen loan players again…….Sound familiar ?
Yeah but King Roland was a good owner n did is best I reckon. Ourn went up under King Lee n thass who appointed, juss a pity ourn went dahn n all but only just.
Now that we know how Adkins analyses every little detail, l reckon he has looked at just how close Charlton came to making the Play-Offs last season and concluded that a couple of more points is all it would have taken to make the top 6. An awful few results early in the year cost us dearly – not only a Play-Off position but possibly an automatic place. NA probably thinks that with just a few additions and a few tweaks to the playing style we could do it this time around. What is abundantly clear is that the league will be tougher. Strength in depth is a major requirement and well as a proven goalscorer. Stockley will score a fair out l’m sure but what if he gets injured? Could we reasonably rely on Davison or Ronnie? What if Inniss or Famewo suffer similar fates as last season? It’s a tall order to ask untested youngsters like Davison, Elerewe, Ghandour or Claydon to play week in week out. Even player’s like Pearce and Gunter struggled last season. Gunter struggled in his natural RB spot never mind asking him to play at LB.
I have been very encouraged by the workmrate and playing style so far in pre-season. That will carry the team so far but when winter arrives and the playing surfaces are boggy we will need a different style and set of players to cope.
We cannot turn back the clock but fans’ expectation levels were unnecessarily raised by the Owner/Manager with statements about PL football in 5 years and emulating Hull next season. It’s great for selling season tickets but managing the reality of finances etc is different. I do admire the ambition however.
Overall l am optimistic for the coming season but slightly frustrated at seeing Ipswich assemble such a strong squad. Charlton has made some notable signings themselves so it’s not all doom and gloom. However, as a fan who was one of a mere 4000 back in the 70s & 80s, who has travelled many miles and seen many games, it is fantastic to now have such an engaging owner who really “gets it” and, more importantly, cares for the Club. An owner who treats us as fans and not customers or, as in the case of ESI, treats us as mugs. We have stable ownership from chancers, opportunists and a pandemic from which we can grow but at least the club will be around to grow and that is what l personally appreciate and am grateful for. The club is slowly being reassembled. The women’s team has been brought back into the fold as a professional entity with contracted players. All this while strengthening the L1 side in parallel. TS has committed to buying The Valley and SL in the future as well as other long term ambitions too. None of this can be done overnight but TS is no slouch and he is pressing ahead at pace. We will get to where we want to be of that l have no doubt. If it happens sooner rather than later then that’s a bonus as far as l am concerned. For me, TS riding to our rescue at the 11th hour is already a win win. The only way is up!
COYR!
Norfolk
Thanks for your thoughtful response – lets face it whatever happens, we will still be there shouting them on !!
I am sure that NA will be able to recruit 2 or 3 decent loan players but we need another 2 or 3 permanent signings. Clare and Dobson look lively in midfield but are not playmakers like JFC or Morgan. JFC will miss at least half the season so Morgan is the only playmaker available unless we recruit, Gilbey will need time to recover but he is more likely to be competition for Clare and Dobson.
Elewere has looked extremely good in preseason but because of his age will need to be handled with care. He will probably be a regular on the subs bench and I think from what I have seen he could cover defensive midfield as well as central defence. I like Matthews but I am not a fan of Gunter and think Barker could be the answer as cover at right back ( I don’t know whether he can play at left back,) with Matthews switching to the left if required, Davison is obviously cover for Stockley but I think he offers more than that as he looks useful when he goes wide right so could also be cover for DJ. I saw Davison play well for FGR. when he played alongside their tall centre forward. Without question he will in time be a No9 but needs to play regularly at this point in time. If you look back at the No.9s who have played for CAFC over the last 50 or so years Horsfield was an inside forward for Swindon, Flanagan played as a winger for 2 or 3 years before he became the No.9. Hunt played most of his career as a winger or inside forward before joining CAFC. So they all gained experience before becoming No.9s.