Friday 10 August 2018

Status quo on deadline day - is the takeover finally off?

I hoped Lee Bowyer wouldn't be left 'polishing a turd' yesterday but that's exactly what happened. With no reinforcements arriving, he was left trying to make it a positive day by telling us that none of our remaining 16 first-teamers had left and that we should be signing a loanee this morning subject to a medical. That will be a desperately needed second keeper ahead of the home game against Shrewsbury on Saturday - Villa understudy Matija Sarkic.

Blackburn's refusal to meet Duchatelet's price on Bauer means he stays until January but he is clearly unsettled and could still be loaned out to save on wages. However, with Pearce out for 4-6 weeks, and the loan win now closing at the end of the month, it looks like he will have to resign himself to another five months in Addicks colours. Ajose didn't go either but it's very clear he isn't wanted in SE7 and a loan deal is most likely, even if that's abroad after the end of August.

Bowyer did speak of 'two more' loanees, one of whom he appears to be close to but they are holding out for a Championship club. That sounds very much like Leeds' unwanted Irish midfielder Eunan O'Kane who Bowyer clearly sees as a short-term replacement for the injured Forster-Caskey. I would assume the other has to be a central defender to bolster options at the back following Summer outgoings.

So, we have started the season with a significantly reduced squad from the one that ended it and undeniably weaker. Injuries have added to that situation and it will be another test of Bowyer's management skills to see if he can get the bare bones to play-up above the sum of their collective parts.

I am also left wondering if the Aussie's takeover ship has sailed? Still no word and with the transfer window closed, their ability to influence things on the playing front is shut until 2019. They would be starting with five months of ongoing operating losses and most likely to see this season written-off in terms of any chances of promotion before it opens again. Timing is everything when you have been scrabbling to get sufficient money together to fund a takeover and a plan long enough to change the fortunes of the club. I wonder if Bowyer's position being confirmed as permanent rather than temporary in the short-term might come with an announcement that the deal is finally off?

Finally, CARD were at it once again yesterday, embarrassing the Belgian Billionaire by sending branded bottles of water to the training ground for the young players who have been forced to drink from the tap following a miserly decision to restrict bottled water to the first-team. The club's Spin Machine (Tom Rubbashaw) was forced to respond and after a brainstorming session he came up with a defence on grounds of the environmental damage of plastic water bottles which was incredibly weak and left us all laughing and asking about the first-teamers still getting bottled water and all of the plastic bottles and cups used at The Valley on match days. I loved the line that they had decided to provide "fresh water' for the players instead of that unfresh bottled stuff. Massive own-goal and school-boy error from the Duchatelet Apologist.

3 comments:

  1. Status Quo?
    Yup, ‘Down Down’ ringing in our ears with just one game under our belts.

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  2. Dave, it's a right old mess eh ? This is bad even by the old scrote's standards.
    One wonders what it be like if people like Bowyer and a few others weren't involved.
    I've given up on the Aussies as I can't believe that the hold up was entirely down to the EFL no matter how ineffectual they are. The long and the short of it seems to be that they simply don't have enough dosh.
    Clearly the other interested party so often referred doesn't exist as they have a free run now and we'd have heard more.
    The only hope of forcing Duchataletet's hand would appear to be action in Belgium and in particular the local elections. That would need a response form him to lower the asking price to something more realistic and even then for someone to be prepared to take the club on.
    There's no doubting the potential of our club but it needs a lot of hard work and investment. Someone with Duchatelet's money but with a modicum of interest would be ideal....we can but dream !

    ReplyDelete
  3. To say I'm bitterly disappointed by things is a massive understatement seeing the Aussies at the Shrewsbury game really gave me hope, 2 season tickets were already mentally bought. I was going to take George to Luton away but fuck it, I'm so done.

    PH

    ReplyDelete

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