August is upon us and on Saturday we open the League One season at newly relegated Sunderland. I have just read a good piece by fellow-blogger Blackheath Addick which details the current squad short-comings and the ongoing hopelessness under Duchatelet.
This isn't really news to any of us. We have seen the fire sale. We know he is continuing to have players touted (Bauer and Ajose) and it's crystal clear he is asset stripping, probably with tacit support from any would-be buyers as it lowers their wage bill and keeps their hands clean. What surprises me, however, is the near-permanent optimism of some Charlton supporters who will always believe that the latest signing is Lionel Messi or that their personal urging from the sidelines can turn matches. For that merry band, their hope is now placed full-square on "our first eleven can be competitive" and "if they all stay fit."
Confirmation this week that Bolton have stolen Josh Magennis for a fraction of what they bid for him in January, maybe as low as £200k, tells you that this is as much about wage trimming which is probably why Bauer and Ajose are next in line. Lee Bowyer's suggestion that Lyle Taylor has been signed as Magennis' replacement is managing expectations and those are that we will once again start a season short of the strike power necessary to get promoted. Furthermore, we had a significant first-half season from Ricky Holmes that we won't get this year. I think we will need a Lionel-Messi-level of goal-scoring from Taylor to even stay in contention. Suggestions that Ahearne-Grant might partner him is also the least-cost option. Ahearne-Grant hasn't been ready for League One so far and despite enjoying a successful loan spell at League Two Crawley Town, we should not expect that he will suddenly weigh-in with the goals needed from a second striker either.
As a gambling man I am far closer to taking us at 16-1 for relegation than 9-2 for promotion. The old adage is that we just need to be better than three sides to avoid the drop. I suspect we probably are, even with out attendant positional weaknesses, but I'd argue that as things stand under Duchatelet, there aren't three clubs as poorly prepared or under-resourced as us and if we find ourselves in trouble, I can see us spiralling downwards.
We had a surprisingly good set of pre-season results, which usually follows with a poor start to the season. Sunderland have been a basket-case over the last few years but if they have managed to sober-up during the close season, it's hard to see us getting anything up there, especially as we are live on TV.
This isn't really news to any of us. We have seen the fire sale. We know he is continuing to have players touted (Bauer and Ajose) and it's crystal clear he is asset stripping, probably with tacit support from any would-be buyers as it lowers their wage bill and keeps their hands clean. What surprises me, however, is the near-permanent optimism of some Charlton supporters who will always believe that the latest signing is Lionel Messi or that their personal urging from the sidelines can turn matches. For that merry band, their hope is now placed full-square on "our first eleven can be competitive" and "if they all stay fit."
Confirmation this week that Bolton have stolen Josh Magennis for a fraction of what they bid for him in January, maybe as low as £200k, tells you that this is as much about wage trimming which is probably why Bauer and Ajose are next in line. Lee Bowyer's suggestion that Lyle Taylor has been signed as Magennis' replacement is managing expectations and those are that we will once again start a season short of the strike power necessary to get promoted. Furthermore, we had a significant first-half season from Ricky Holmes that we won't get this year. I think we will need a Lionel-Messi-level of goal-scoring from Taylor to even stay in contention. Suggestions that Ahearne-Grant might partner him is also the least-cost option. Ahearne-Grant hasn't been ready for League One so far and despite enjoying a successful loan spell at League Two Crawley Town, we should not expect that he will suddenly weigh-in with the goals needed from a second striker either.
As a gambling man I am far closer to taking us at 16-1 for relegation than 9-2 for promotion. The old adage is that we just need to be better than three sides to avoid the drop. I suspect we probably are, even with out attendant positional weaknesses, but I'd argue that as things stand under Duchatelet, there aren't three clubs as poorly prepared or under-resourced as us and if we find ourselves in trouble, I can see us spiralling downwards.
We had a surprisingly good set of pre-season results, which usually follows with a poor start to the season. Sunderland have been a basket-case over the last few years but if they have managed to sober-up during the close season, it's hard to see us getting anything up there, especially as we are live on TV.
"The old adage is that we just need to be better than three sides to avoid the drop."
ReplyDeleteDon't forget four go down...