Centre back is an interesting one, we don't want to potentially stunt the development of Elerewe etc, but we're one injury to Hector, Ness, Jones (and they've all had recent injuries or injury issues in the past) from Thomas maybe playing 40 odd games.
Thomas seems like a great guy to have around the dressing room and is an ok player, but I really feel like signing him was a mistake and that we needed a better senior left sided centre back option. Hopefully we still get one in
As a third or fourth CB in League One, he should be absolutely fine. Before last year had spent the previous two season in the Championship. He's two footed, quick, mobile, solid on the ball, and can pick a pass.
A left footed CB would be nice, but when you look at the three CBs we signed this summer in Jones, Thomas, and Hector, all look good, look suited to the system, and have experience. Hector, Thomas, Ness, and Deji can all play on the left side with varying degrees of comfort. In short, I think ability outweighs footedness here.
Chris Francis looked very tidy...which is why he ended up at Palace.
Deji and Zach Mitchell as fifth and sixth choice CBs is quite good. Both could be loaned to the National League at points in the season if everyone is fit and there isn't a run of cup games. I could also see either one of them making such a push that they become a regular starter, similar to what Ness did last season (I could also see the player they replace being Ness, as I expect we'll see a bit of regression from him).
All in all, baring a major injury, I think our CB shopping is done.
Centre back is an interesting one, we don't want to potentially stunt the development of Elerewe etc, but we're one injury to Hector, Ness, Jones (and they've all had recent injuries or injury issues in the past) from Thomas maybe playing 40 odd games.
Thomas seems like a great guy to have around the dressing room and is an ok player, but I really feel like signing him was a mistake and that we needed a better senior left sided centre back option. Hopefully we still get one in
As a third or fourth CB in League One, he should be absolutely fine. Before last year had spent the previous two season in the Championship. He's two footed, quick, mobile, solid on the ball, and can pick a pass.
A left footed CB would be nice, but when you look at the three CBs we signed this summer in Jones, Thomas, and Hector, all look good, look suited to the system, and have experience. Hector, Thomas, Ness, and Deji can all play on the left side with varying degrees of comfort. In short, I think ability outweighs footedness here.
Chris Francis looked very tidy...which is why he ended up at Palace.
Deji and Zach Mitchell as fifth and sixth choice CBs is quite good. Both could be loaned to the National League at points in the season if everyone is fit and there isn't a run of cup games. I could also see either one of them making such a push that they become a regular starter, similar to what Ness did last season (I could also see the player they replace being Ness, as I expect we'll see a bit of regression from him).
All in all, baring a major injury, I think our CB shopping is done.
He played two games in the Championship over one season for Reading...
CB, GK, CM - all positions that we probably are no longer actively pursuing RIGHT NOW but still monitoring - should a really good opportunity come up or we lose one of our existing options to injury or sale then we'll not be rejecting that out of hand.
But the priorities will still be up front and cover at FB, maybe more action as prem clubs start deciding on whose going out on loan etc and this boosts that side of the market.
I imagine we'll see some more departures (some "planned" but maybe one or two less so) before any more arrivals.
CB, GK, CM - all positions that we probably are no longer actively pursuing RIGHT NOW but still monitoring - should a really good opportunity come up or we lose one of our existing options to injury or sale then we'll not be rejecting that out of hand.
But the priorities will still be up front and cover at FB, maybe more action as prem clubs start deciding on whose going out on loan etc and this boosts that side of the market.
I imagine we'll see some more departures (some "planned" but maybe one or two less so) before any more arrivals.
We do need that striker though. And really we need him now.
I'm sure even you, me and Golfie agree on that one.
Not ITK at all…but a friend of mine from Perth has said St. Johnstone are interested in Connor McGrandles
Ship em out, get some in!
To be fair, did McGrandles really have a chance to show us what he could do?
I would say yes. Look at Anderson and Asiimwe they’ve shown us straight away what they have. I’ve seen enough minutes for MacGrandles to label him below standard
Kirk in the free role behind May could be very good
Pratley would take one look at him and eat him whole.
Pratley will be doing his legendary man-marking role on Fraser while all the other players dance through the Orient defence
For me, that was the most over exaggerated performance of a Charlton player in recent years. Gives you an idea of the crumbs we’ve had to hold on to
Think some forget Pratley will be 38 years old if he lines up against us next Saturday and he wasn't up to it when he was released instead of Watson 2 years ago now.
CB, GK, CM - all positions that we probably are no longer actively pursuing RIGHT NOW but still monitoring - should a really good opportunity come up or we lose one of our existing options to injury or sale then we'll not be rejecting that out of hand.
But the priorities will still be up front and cover at FB, maybe more action as prem clubs start deciding on whose going out on loan etc and this boosts that side of the market.
I imagine we'll see some more departures (some "planned" but maybe one or two less so) before any more arrivals.
We do need that striker though. And really we need him now.
I'm sure even you, me and Golfie agree on that one.
100%. But every club and agent in Leagues 1&2 (and probably the Championship really) ALSO know that we need a striker and we need him now... and also that new owners are ambitious and keen to make a statement.
Chances are that whoever that striker is we'll probably have ended up paying better than market rate for and probably taken longer than anyone wanted anyway.
Basically (if somewhat paradoxically) it's likely that us needing a striker urgently is actually going to make it harder to do not easier, unless we go really gung-ho and end up with the next "£4mill for Grigg" type deal...
Not ITK at all…but a friend of mine from Perth has said St. Johnstone are interested in Connor McGrandles
Ship em out, get some in!
To be fair, did McGrandles really have a chance to show us what he could do?
I would say yes. Look at Anderson and Asiimwe they’ve shown us straight away what they have. I’ve seen enough minutes for MacGrandles to label him below standard
They’ve shown us in a load of friendlies where mostly the opponents are substandard and mistakes don’t have the same consequences. They look really promising and exciting. But they are not seasoned pros who have forged excellent reputations with other clubs.
I don’t know what the future is for Macgrandles and Charlton but I think it’s fair to say you haven’t seen enough of him to prove he’s ‘substandard’. If it’s deemed he is surplus to requirements then all good. I trust Holden’s judgement.
Centre back is an interesting one, we don't want to potentially stunt the development of Elerewe etc, but we're one injury to Hector, Ness, Jones (and they've all had recent injuries or injury issues in the past) from Thomas maybe playing 40 odd games.
Thomas seems like a great guy to have around the dressing room and is an ok player, but I really feel like signing him was a mistake and that we needed a better senior left sided centre back option. Hopefully we still get one in
As a third or fourth CB in League One, he should be absolutely fine. Before last year had spent the previous two season in the Championship. He's two footed, quick, mobile, solid on the ball, and can pick a pass.
A left footed CB would be nice, but when you look at the three CBs we signed this summer in Jones, Thomas, and Hector, all look good, look suited to the system, and have experience. Hector, Thomas, Ness, and Deji can all play on the left side with varying degrees of comfort. In short, I think ability outweighs footedness here.
Chris Francis looked very tidy...which is why he ended up at Palace.
Deji and Zach Mitchell as fifth and sixth choice CBs is quite good. Both could be loaned to the National League at points in the season if everyone is fit and there isn't a run of cup games. I could also see either one of them making such a push that they become a regular starter, similar to what Ness did last season (I could also see the player they replace being Ness, as I expect we'll see a bit of regression from him).
All in all, baring a major injury, I think our CB shopping is done.
I think a Hector injury would make us look very weak at centre back so I still think signing another and loaning Mitchell would be ideal.
Deji I have high hopes for, I’d rather he played than Thomas and think he could actually be better than Ness as one of the wide centre backs. Ness doesn’t look as comfortable in wide areas. Shame Deji got a knock as I think he had an outside chance of starting vs Orient
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Coburn was the main option that stood out to me when I was looking at who could be available from the championship, didn't know he was currently injured but he fits the bill of what we need pretty perfectly.
The longer Exeter hang on to Nombe the less he is worth. If he's still there in January they'd be lucky to get 200/250k. Nothing next summer. Therefore the value in selling him is this window. If he's still there 2nd Sept I'd be very surprised.
I agree that i doubt he'll be there at the end of the window but you're ignoring his value to Exeter in helping to maintain their league one status.
Someone posted the other day that dropping to league 2 could mean a fall in revenue of around 1m due to sponsorship, season ticket sales, number of away fans attending games etc. So they may weigh up the value of that, against making say 400k in a transfer once they've paid MK Dons their 35%.
Of course there's also the danger that they might keep him and still go down, in which case they're fucked.
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Another alternative is Josh Coburn. Would 100% be a loan for him as he's highly rated at Middlesbrough but he's down the pecking order and they're still looking to bring another striker in...
6 ft 3... Scored 10 in 35 for Bristol Rovers last season...
Could be an option assuming he’s not another Stockley without any pace.
I must admit I don't really know much about Josh Coburn, and haven't got the time to check the Bristol Rovers' forum to see what their fans thought of him. Bristol Rovers want him back on loan again for this season.
Plus his parent club Middlesbro' has just given him a new 4 year contract, so evidently highly rated.
Anyway, take what you will, here's an extract from Wiki:
Loan to Bristol Rovers
On 1 September 2022, Coburn joined EFL League One club Bristol Rovers on loan for the 2022–23 season.[14] Having suffered an injury on the opening day of the season, Coburn would stay with his parent club in the short-term to work on the rehab from this knee injury.[15] On 4 October, Coburn made his debut for the club when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 2–0 EFL Trophy victory over Crystal Palace U21.[16] Coburn made his league debut four days later, scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory over Cambridge United, Rovers' first league win for eight weeks.[17] Coburn impressed during his first ten league appearances for the club, scoring five goals, with manager Joey Barton tipping him to go on to play for England.[18] In December 2022, amid talk of a potential recall, Middlesbrough Head of Football Kieran Scott reiterated the plan was to allow Coburn to stay with Rovers until the end of the season as originally planned.[19] Despite going through a goal drought of over two months, he retained the faith of Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick who challenged him to force himself back into the first-team regularly.[20] On 2 May 2023, he ended his goal drought in the penultimate game of the season in a 2–1 defeat to Shrewsbury Town, his first goal since 7 January and his tenth of the season.[21] At the end of the season, he received the club's Young Player of the Year award and their goal of the season award for his goal in October against Sheffield Wednesday.[22]
Comments
A left footed CB would be nice, but when you look at the three CBs we signed this summer in Jones, Thomas, and Hector, all look good, look suited to the system, and have experience. Hector, Thomas, Ness, and Deji can all play on the left side with varying degrees of comfort. In short, I think ability outweighs footedness here.
Chris Francis looked very tidy...which is why he ended up at Palace.
Deji and Zach Mitchell as fifth and sixth choice CBs is quite good. Both could be loaned to the National League at points in the season if everyone is fit and there isn't a run of cup games. I could also see either one of them making such a push that they become a regular starter, similar to what Ness did last season (I could also see the player they replace being Ness, as I expect we'll see a bit of regression from him).
All in all, baring a major injury, I think our CB shopping is done.
But I do have a lot of shillings.
Nothing like a dead cert.
But the priorities will still be up front and cover at FB, maybe more action as prem clubs start deciding on whose going out on loan etc and this boosts that side of the market.
I imagine we'll see some more departures (some "planned" but maybe one or two less so) before any more arrivals.
I'm sure even you, me and Golfie agree on that one.
Chances are that whoever that striker is we'll probably have ended up paying better than market rate for and probably taken longer than anyone wanted anyway.
Basically (if somewhat paradoxically) it's likely that us needing a striker urgently is actually going to make it harder to do not easier, unless we go really gung-ho and end up with the next "£4mill for Grigg" type deal...
Coburn was the main option that stood out to me when I was looking at who could be available from the championship, didn't know he was currently injured but he fits the bill of what we need pretty perfectly.
Someone posted the other day that dropping to league 2 could mean a fall in revenue of around 1m due to sponsorship, season ticket sales, number of away fans attending games etc. So they may weigh up the value of that, against making say 400k in a transfer once they've paid MK Dons their 35%.
Of course there's also the danger that they might keep him and still go down, in which case they're fucked.
Plus his parent club Middlesbro' has just given him a new 4 year contract, so evidently highly rated.
Anyway, take what you will, here's an extract from Wiki:
Loan to Bristol Rovers
On 1 September 2022, Coburn joined EFL League One club Bristol Rovers on loan for the 2022–23 season.[14] Having suffered an injury on the opening day of the season, Coburn would stay with his parent club in the short-term to work on the rehab from this knee injury.[15] On 4 October, Coburn made his debut for the club when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 2–0 EFL Trophy victory over Crystal Palace U21.[16] Coburn made his league debut four days later, scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory over Cambridge United, Rovers' first league win for eight weeks.[17] Coburn impressed during his first ten league appearances for the club, scoring five goals, with manager Joey Barton tipping him to go on to play for England.[18] In December 2022, amid talk of a potential recall, Middlesbrough Head of Football Kieran Scott reiterated the plan was to allow Coburn to stay with Rovers until the end of the season as originally planned.[19] Despite going through a goal drought of over two months, he retained the faith of Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick who challenged him to force himself back into the first-team regularly.[20] On 2 May 2023, he ended his goal drought in the penultimate game of the season in a 2–1 defeat to Shrewsbury Town, his first goal since 7 January and his tenth of the season.[21] At the end of the season, he received the club's Young Player of the Year award and their goal of the season award for his goal in October against Sheffield Wednesday.[22]