In a move that shouldn't have been a surprise and yet comes as one, Phil Parkinson has added two more to the squad with Mapidima "Bally" Smart and Lee Martin joining on a non-contract basis and season long loan respectively. Both join after Matt Fry was re-loaned from West Ham.
It would be interesting to understand how we can appear to sign a player like Smart off-the-cuff and yet take someone like Guillem Bauza on trial for several months before declining him a contract? I suppose the obvious answer is that we can dispense with Smart at short notice and maybe Bauza wouldn't have been willing to sign without some longevity. Smart is a midfielder and I am guessing he will not feature much this season if the incumbents do what's expected of them. Lee Martin is described as an "attacker" who can play as a striker or as a winger, but he's being released by Ipswich who appear to be a club in decline right now, so I find myself immediately questioning what we're getting here. A quick look on Wikipedia tells you that Martin has never established himself at any club and would appear to be a professional loan player. Six goals from 80-odd appearances over five years also breaches the Trades Description Act for "striker," so I am expecting a few wing cameos for Waggy (right-footer?) when he tires.
Neither go anywhere close to the "special" signing that has been mooted, but perhaps the new faces will add to the new team spirit and provide a bit more competition. If this is the end of the acquisitions (Benson apart maybe), we are still short up front and will struggle to match last years goal ratio, which was itself too low to get us promoted. Perhaps we will be harder to score against this year? Sounds and feels like clutching at straws, but let's see how we go.
Bournemouth look like they have an injury crisis ahead of the game, which bodes well and they have sold "around a thousand" tickets with more expected to pay on the day. The consensus of my fellow Charlton Lifers is that the gate will exceed 15,000. Not sure where that logic comes from? With c 9,000 season tickets, 1500 visitors (generous) and two-three thousand matchday tickets, I can't see us breaching 14,000 and probably closer to 13,000.
Whatever the gate, I'll be there. Come on you Reds!
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