I never understand the vitriol towards a player for doing exactly what’s best for him and his family’s future security. Why should Fraser cut and run ? If I was him I’d do exactly what he’s doing. Sit it out and see if the club offer to pay a good percentage of his salary, pay him off or a combination of either. He’s a professional footballer selling his talent to the highest bidder. He’s not a Charlton fan, he’s an employee. It would be great for both parties if it gets satisfactorily resolved but if not I don’t see either club or player at fault.
I haven't seen any vitriol but I think I can help explain it... Here's my list of footballing priorities:
1) Charlton ... (Then everything else) ... 4247) Scott Fraser
As you can see, he's quite low down. Yes, I can see the situation from his side, but should I care? Should I care that he make an extra 2-3k while doing nothing to earn it? Because I don't. I care a lot more that he goes and we bring in a quality player with his salary. Because that could be the difference between getting out of this league or staying in it.
Had he been a good player for us, I think I'd have a lot more sympathy.
I very much doubt that Scott Fraser or Scott Frasers wife and children care very much what your priorities are.
I’m sure they all prefer living in Greenwich to Dundee
Have you seen Dundee? It's a beautiful city. I know we all like to pretend the whole of Scotland is urban wasteland populated with angry alcoholics but just take a look. I can well understand why someone would want to move from a 3 bed flat in touristy Greenwich to a very large house in Dundee with change left over.
I used to live very near Dundee. Some of the surrounding area is lovely . Dundee itself is not .
OK I bow to local knowledge - but I would ask how long it is since you lived there? I think there has been a fair amount of regeneration...
A few years but I have a lot of friends that still live there . The city centre is , by all accounts , not nice . As I say, Fife is lovely .
How many city centres around the UK would you actually class as 'nice' though? There can't be many.
For squad balance having a left footed option in midfield is useful
He isn't good enough and needs to be shipped out, not fitted in. Watson had a poor season but can be fitted into the squad.
The one who strikes me as being talented and quick enough to move into midfield or even up front is Thierry Small - wouldn’t be the first time that a former Southampton full back has moved to play elsewhere.
There was a bit when Small joined about how his loan at Port Vale didn't work, with one of the reasons being he was played up front.
"Small joined Port Vale on a season-long loan. What happened at the League One side was largely forgettable. Niggling injuries and a perpetual feeling the side — with manager Darrell Clarke a pragmatist and not in unison with Southampton’s style of play — did not suit his development meant performing well was always going to be an uphill task.
There was unhappiness from Small’s side that he was being used up front after coming on as a substitute. The reasoning given for the positional change was that his physicality and powerful left foot would be favourable in higher, more threatening positions."
Thought we had moved on from the square pegs in round holes situations, like Pratley and Clare in central defence, with better/more focused recruitment.
For me I’m most worried about the depth in our midfield. Just feels we are a little light there if we get a couple of injuries or suspensions.
Lots of successful League 1 teams manage with a smaller squad - they do so by having a consistent shape and style of play around which it is easier to switch players around since they understand what they are meant to be doing. Watching the Portsmouth game I got the feeling that Jones gets this and has got the message through to his players. Watching League 1 football rather too much for my liking I feel this is usually more of a key to success than buying/selling key players.
Hmm, if Coventry gets injured we only really have Taylor who can fill his position who is still really an unknown quantity for us, or potentially Zach Mitchell at a push which is a big ask.
Otherwise there is Eden, but he seems out of favour and on the move on list.
If say Coventry and Docherty get injured we then all of a sudden have a midfield of Taylor, Anderson and Berry and no other natural midfielders unless you count Fraser, and Eden.
Aneke has played 10 before, but he won’t have the legs to play Jones pressing game, and I don’t see any of our other strikers being able to play in the midfield - likewise with defence.
Considering how important that midfield and winning the ball high up the pitch is for Jones I don’t see who we are switching around to cover injuries, suspensions or just players needing a rest in the middle of the park that keeps us competitive.
There is also the option of playing Edwards or Small in midfield. I imagine REG could do a job there as well.
Small has never played in central midfield. REG has played 11 of 130 games and Edwards has played 5 of 221 games in midfield, and whilst they are options at a pinch I really would not expect a ‘promotion winning team’ not to be going down the ‘square pegs in round holes’ route.
I’d feel much more confident next season if we got rid of Eden and Fraser and brought in one more quality midfielder.
To get to that scenario, we are talking about having 2 or 3 midfielders injured. Any team with that number of absentees would have to mix and match a bit.
We definitely need another CM, somebody who can play a bit higher up the pitch and chip in with a few goals, even if he’s a reserve.
Golfaddick gets a fair bit of stick on here regarding his opinion of all things Charlton.
But tbf the last 3 seasons have been total shit resulting in our lowest league position for 98 years.
He has been far more correct in what he says than some of the more optimistic posters on here .
Jeez 45 likes for this. A broken clock is correct twice a day…
The thing about being negative is that you “win” either way. If the team is sh*t, at least you can say you were right - if the team turns out to be decent you can tell everyone you’re happy you were wrong.
100% correct. It's the chickenshit option. We know those on here that regularly do that but the 'Golf' guy has made it an art form.
For me I’m most worried about the depth in our midfield. Just feels we are a little light there if we get a couple of injuries or suspensions.
Lots of successful League 1 teams manage with a smaller squad - they do so by having a consistent shape and style of play around which it is easier to switch players around since they understand what they are meant to be doing. Watching the Portsmouth game I got the feeling that Jones gets this and has got the message through to his players. Watching League 1 football rather too much for my liking I feel this is usually more of a key to success than buying/selling key players.
Hmm, if Coventry gets injured we only really have Taylor who can fill his position who is still really an unknown quantity for us, or potentially Zach Mitchell at a push which is a big ask.
Otherwise there is Eden, but he seems out of favour and on the move on list.
If say Coventry and Docherty get injured we then all of a sudden have a midfield of Taylor, Anderson and Berry and no other natural midfielders unless you count Fraser, and Eden.
Aneke has played 10 before, but he won’t have the legs to play Jones pressing game, and I don’t see any of our other strikers being able to play in the midfield - likewise with defence.
Considering how important that midfield and winning the ball high up the pitch is for Jones I don’t see who we are switching around to cover injuries, suspensions or just players needing a rest in the middle of the park that keeps us competitive.
There is also the option of playing Edwards or Small in midfield. I imagine REG could do a job there as well.
Small has never played in central midfield. REG has played 11 of 130 games and Edwards has played 5 of 221 games in midfield, and whilst they are options at a pinch I really would not expect a ‘promotion winning team’ not to be going down the ‘square pegs in round holes’ route.
I’d feel much more confident next season if we got rid of Eden and Fraser and brought in one more quality midfielder.
To get to that scenario, we are talking about having 2 or 3 midfielders injured. Any team with that number of absentees would have to mix and match a bit.
I’m not just talking about injuries though. Suspensions, as well as players needing a rest because of playing Saturday/Tuesday’s. Thats relatively common across a league one season.
Currently if we are missing Godden and Leaburn, we still have Gas, TC - with options off the bench in Aneke, and Kanu - and maybe even Hylton.
At the back if Jones and A Mitchell were unavailable, we have REG, and Z Mitchell and most likely Potts. Plus Ramsey and Edwards have played in the CB positions if we need to mix and match.
If we have Docherty and Anderson unavailable. We can bring in Taylor, but unless Edun and Fraser are all of sudden fancied or transformed as players who do we have to mix and match into that box to box midfield role?
3 in 3 out sounds fair, could be more outs but I'm not sure if I'd count youngsters from the U21s going on loan to National League clubs as first team outs.
Agree if we could get Asiimwe a local L2 loan that would be absolutely ideal , I think he'll flourish with regular games.
So GK, CB and CAM in. Shame we've got too many strikers with the additional option of using TC to go for Joe Taylor on loan - looks like he'll be at Huddersfield.
With Leaburn and Aneke being two of our 6 strikers we really haven't got too many forwards/ strikers.
Most games 4 strikers will get on; two at a time. Plus the option of Kanu and Campbell giving width for plan B if the wing backs aren't working. No team other than Man City under Pep can only have a plan A.
Which is “Buy success”. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I thought I’d try and do a bit of sleuthing on his website, to see if he was ‘on tour’ with his goalkeeping football school (no success).
Ended up to see he’s got his own AB1 clothing range, quite impressive, goalies gloves etc
Also has a range of compression based layer shorts, no idea what they do, but might get a pair, and look like, was it Larry out of cameo, the 80’s band, ‘powered by goalkeepers’ , I like that phrase…
I won’t be heartbroken if this one doesn’t happen.
Don't want him, I don't think his heart would be in it!
This won't happen as Red henry revealed when the rumour first surfaced 😀
Must admit I am surprised he is willing to come to us as first choice. I guess he still wants to earn money and can't get a number 2 gig in the prem...
Oh well. I'm not too fussed about Begovic in particular but we must be down to our 4th/5th choice goalkeeper now. May be better to stick with Mannion & AMB and revisit in Jan.
Something we will never know, but intrigued to know how much he was holding out for. Presumably he's been on decent wages in past, surprised he/his agent thought he could still get paid a lot when dropping to league one.
Oh well. I'm not too fussed about Begovic in particular but we must be down to our 4th/5th choice goalkeeper now. May be better to stick with Mannion & AMB and revisit in Jan.
Depends how confident Jones is with one of those being number one for half the season.
Not many old goalies playing regular football these days . It’s much easier to sit on a bench and take the money than spend your last few years making errors- not much to gain as a keeper . The days of the likes of Kiely playing until 40 are over
I think Mannion is good enough to start the season to be honest. Not too bothered, no point throwing the wage structure out the window and pissing off the squad. Onto the next.
Comments
"Small joined Port Vale on a season-long loan. What happened at the League One side was largely forgettable. Niggling injuries and a perpetual feeling the side — with manager Darrell Clarke a pragmatist and not in unison with Southampton’s style of play — did not suit his development meant performing well was always going to be an uphill task.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3997280/2023/07/07/thierry-small-southampton-transfer/
Thought we had moved on from the square pegs in round holes situations, like Pratley and Clare in central defence, with better/more focused recruitment.
Currently if we are missing Godden and Leaburn, we still have Gas, TC - with options off the bench in Aneke, and Kanu - and maybe even Hylton.
At the back if Jones and A Mitchell were unavailable, we have REG, and Z Mitchell and most likely Potts. Plus Ramsey and Edwards have played in the CB positions if we need to mix and match.
If we have Docherty and Anderson unavailable. We can bring in Taylor, but unless Edun and Fraser are all of sudden fancied or transformed as players who do we have to mix and match into that box to box midfield role?
This won't happen as Red henry revealed when the rumour first surfaced 😀
...Would have been done and dusted by now if it was...🤷♂️
Whatever plan B is that is?
I would imagine we go for a loan keeper now, plenty of decent ones out there.