Rochdale next up

Having played Bromley and Welling so far, the mighty Addicks step up the quality of opposition tomorrow night when we take on League Two side Rochdale in Spain. Dale have already been beaten 3-1 by Peterborough, so I will assume an easy win and that the confidence building will continue apace before we finally meet Atheltic Bilbao on 2nd August. The Rochdale website is also reporting that we are due to play Gibralter later this week.

It would appear that Marcus Bent has shown remarkable honesty today in showing Cardiff exactly what sort of character they were potentially buying for £1m by instead heading for Birmingham in search of a better offer; this after Charlton and Cardiff agreed a fee and he agreed personal terms with the Bluebirds. Cardiff fans, you might be feeling angry right now but let me assure you that you have had a close escape and will have the last laugh. Frankly, Bent and Birmingham deserve each other, although I thought Alex McLeish was a better judge of a player and personality than this. I only hope the Birmingham deal gets done because Cardiff have rightly withdrawn their offer and we need to get rid of this unprofessional liability.

Meanwhile, Ben Thatcher is getting a trial with Ipswich Town. I wish him all the best but if we couldn't afford his wage demands, I can't see Ipswich having the funds. Perhaps Thatcher will be willing to settle for the £250,000 a year we offered him at Ipswich?