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What do we want? What do we need? What will we get?

edited April 2022 in Rumours
I thought it might be a good idea to coalesce the various chats relating to our first team squad, who needs to stay, be replaced, who needs to come in etc. After a grim season, and having oscillated between feeling the need for a few tweaks, to binning off the whole squad, I think I've landed somewhere near the middle.

Objectively I think we might be in a slightly better position than last season, in terms of growing the quality of the squad. The three main problems we had last season, IMO, were that we did not replace key players that were going out of contract, the quality of loans was poor and we had a number of players (Gunter, Watson) still contracted who were nowhere near the required quality to be active squad players.

This year we have a couple of things going for us. Firstly, the players going out of contract are the 'right' players. Aside from maybe Washington & JFC, if all of the OOC players are released it wouldn't harm the quality of the squad. Our best players in the current squad are still under contract for at least the next season. Aside from Charlie Kirk, the players left under contract have a logical role in our formation, and the players that aren't good enough for a promotion-chasing first XI are probably good enough to be bench/squad options (and we have Aneke who is happy to be, and probably the best, supersub attacker in Lg1). Secondly, we have a real batch of quality youngsters graduating from the U18s to U23s (as evidenced by their recent performance in the U23s). So in terms of squad depth, we will have Deji, Ness, Henry, Kanu and other U18s who can step in as 3rd options for each position, some of which have had good experiences of men's football this season.

So in terms of squad depth we should have a leaner squad, with better quality in depth. What we have to get right is the permanent signings and the loans. Last season, in general, the permanent signings were actually decent (Dobson, Clare, Lavelle, Fraser, CBT.) If we don't have the ability to bring in top-quality loans, I would much rather bring in young prospects permanently. I reckon we need top quality in the following positions: CB, LCB, RWB, RCM, ST and backup for RCB, LWB, CDM, LCM, ST (if Washington goes). Smart, flexible squad options are key: it would be great to have a left-footed version of Clare, someone who can cover both LCB and LWB (and CM in Clare's case). 

The big question is obviously, will we get what we need? I'm still not convinced that we will have all our ducks in a row, unfortunately, despite having a lot of time to be preparing. We also need a pre-season schedule in place, which we did not last year. I'm hoping all these things will be close to being finalised, but I just don't feel it. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong!

What do you all think? What do we need? Who can we get? Who needs to go? Where are we heading?
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Comments

  • Let all out of contract players go except Washington & JFC.

    Bring in a striker, two centre backs, a centre mid and 2 wing backs.

    Anything else would be a bonus.
  • Better players.
    Better coaching.
    More wins.
  • What do we want?  Maggie out!

    When do we want it?  Actually, we got it about twenty years ago.
  • 'coalesce' & 'oscillated' - this is Charlton Life you know not Countdown.
  • edited April 2022
    Personally, for what it's worth:

    New keeper (though suspect we'll be stuck with MacGillivray
    AMB (Maybe as first choice I'd MacGillivray stays).

    New, Lavelle, New
    Clare, Elerewe, New (or Famewo)

    Dobson
    New

    New(/CBT), New, Fraser, CBT(/New)
    DJ, Morgan, JFC, New

    Stockley, New
    New, Washington
    Aneke supersub!

    Ideally 6 New starters, as well as 4 others, 5 potentially to cover midfield given JFC's injury issues. 

    Big ask but it's what we need IMHO, and I'd rather it being done as the cleanest sweep we can rather than the easier option of hanging onto Purrington, Inniss etc.

    Would mean getting rid of Henderson, Gunter, Matthews, Pearce, Inniss, Purrington, Souare, selling Gilbey, MacGillivray ideally, and not bothering singing the loanees at all (maybe Famewo, but not completely convinced).

    I've probably missed someone.
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  • What do we want?  Procrastination.
    When do we want it?  I dunno, some time next week maybe?
  • Cafc43v3r said:
    This is what I would like to see, in this order. 

    New 3 year contracts for Clare, Dobson and JFC and 2 for Washington now.  Not in June. 

    Sign 5 players early, either bosman's or for a fee that are 23-28 no long term injury issues.  2 center backs, at least one left footed, a specialist wing back, not really bothered on which side, a box to box midfielder and a striker.  I want all 5 to have "goals in their locker" and one of them to be the new team captain.  All on 3 year contracts. 

    Then go through every player who is either out of contract or entering their final year and identify what role they have, if any, in the system we are going to use next season and plan B. Ask are they good enough and do they have the right attitude?  Then re-sign, release or transfer list as appropriate.

    I want all that done by the end of June. 

    Then use loans, frees, small fees and our u23s (that are ready) to fill any gaps.

    What will happen is we will drag the OOC players negotiations on to about mid June, miss out on some targets and end up panicking again.

    I haven't mentioned the keep.  I would give AMB preseason and the first few games to prove himself and bring in a loan if he he isn't. 
    He's only gone and nailed it !!

    Problem is it wont happen.......but we can dream.



  • edited April 2022
    In and around the first team I'd say something like:
    GK
    New, MacGillivray, M.Brewer (to replace Henderson)

    RWB
    New, New

    RCB
    Clare, Lavelle, Elerewe

    CB
    New, New, Inniss

    LCB
    New, Famewo, New

    CDM
    Dobson, F.Caskey

    CM
    Fraser, New, New, Morgan

    CF
    Stockley, Washington, Aneke, New

    (Loan Morgan, Kanu, Adigun, Leaburn, Henry out if they're not going to get many first team games)
  • edited April 2022
    What do we want ? 
    A new manager 
    A new squad 
    New fans(!) 
    What will we get? 
    Jacko til  November.
    5 loannees and a free.
    The usual woke snowflakes who think the valley is a library and being extra sensitive to everyone's endless needs and doing it as quietly as possible is the sign of a REAL FAN ! 

    (I think watching the 1940s  FACUP win on YouTube the other day seeing that enormous crowd of passionate (definitely not woke) Addicks has me hoping for a revival)..
    Jeez. The brainwashing is very strong in this one. 
  • 'coalesce' & 'oscillated' - this is Charlton Life you know not Countdown.
    I used up all my four letter words over the course of this season... 😬
  • edited April 2022
    There are three big questions which are going to impact on what we do I suspect. 1) Will Burnley sell Pope? 2) Will Liverpool sell Gomez? and 3) will we be able to get our money back for Kirk? The third is the only one that we have a say in but the first two are the biggies.  The spaces we fill have to be top notch signings for the level, not speculative punts. We don't need a crazy amount, but they also need to be the types who stay injury free generally.

    What we may be able to do is get the heads up on 1 and 2 before it happens or is is about to happen which might mean we can do business before the prices go up.
  • - New full backs, 2 new centre backs, a midfielder in the mould of Aribo and a forward.  That’s 6 new players.  Not sure the make up of these 6, ie loans/permanents.  This is what I think we need

    - I would like to see the club be bold and release Pearce, Purrington and Matthews

    - What we’ll probably get is more of ‘Gilbs’ pointing, and Aneke managing about 12 games next season 
  • Dazzler21 said:
    In and around the first team I'd say something like:
    GK
    New, MacGillivray, M.Brewer (to replace Henderson)

    RWB
    New, New

    RCB
    Clare, Lavelle, Elerewe

    CB
    New, New, Inniss

    LCB
    New, Famewo, New

    CDM
    Dobson, F.Caskey

    CM
    Fraser, New, New, Morgan

    CF
    Stockley, Washington, Aneke, New

    (Loan Morgan, Kanu, Adigun, Leaburn, Henry out if they're not going to get many first team games)
    No LWB?
  • Cafc43v3r said:
    This is what I would like to see, in this order. 

    New 3 year contracts for Clare, Dobson and JFC and 2 for Washington now.  Not in June. 

    Sign 5 players early, either bosman's or for a fee that are 23-28 no long term injury issues.  2 center backs, at least one left footed, a specialist wing back, not really bothered on which side, a box to box midfielder and a striker.  I want all 5 to have "goals in their locker" and one of them to be the new team captain.  All on 3 year contracts. 

    Then go through every player who is either out of contract or entering their final year and identify what role they have, if any, in the system we are going to use next season and plan B. Ask are they good enough and do they have the right attitude?  Then re-sign, release or transfer list as appropriate.

    I want all that done by the end of June. 

    Then use loans, frees, small fees and our u23s (that are ready) to fill any gaps.

    What will happen is we will drag the OOC players negotiations on to about mid June, miss out on some targets and end up panicking again.

    I haven't mentioned the keep.  I would give AMB preseason and the first few games to prove himself and bring in a loan if he he isn't. 
    No way in the world would I give JFC a three year deal. 
  • A complete reset 
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  • Fraser and the mysterious knee injury throws a bit of a "last summer JFC spanner in the recruitment works". If, IF it's something that could become an ongoing issue then we'll have to think about replacing his role in the side already, on reputation he should be a definite starter and chief playmaker, if he isn't going to be able to make it through the majority of the season then we're back to the Albie Morgan, Charltons number 10 experience (yes, yes he got two assists I know) 

    We need to be sure on the fitness of some of our current starters and plan for them being out just much as replacing the out of contract's/ loans and adding the already needed quality to push on. Ultimately, we need some of our current lot of starters to become the backup's and plus the additional. 

    McGillivray/ Harness
    Clare, Lavelle, New / New/ New (Probably Inniss cos community stuff)
    CBT / Purrington*
    New/ DJ
    Dobson/ JFC*
    Fraser/ Morgan
    New/ Gilbey
    Stockley/ Aneke
    New/ Washington*


    Give the last place to another midfielder, JFC, Gilbey and possibly now, Fraser, have all missed large periods of a season recently and could continue to do so, maybe even drop off one of the CB's  promoting Deji full time and take 2 extra midfielders.

    Retain Purrington and Washington, bring in 6 good quality starters and we might get a little bit closer to the play offs next season (might) 


  • edited April 2022
    If the ambition is similar to the SCP 2011-12 approach we need to assemble a squad that is both capable of getting us out of this division and making a decent fist of the championship. In that case then we pretty much need rid of the entire squad. The likes of Stockley, Washington etc might with the appropriate midfield support have a chance at getting us up but they won’t cut the mustard in the championship. They’ve failed there before. 

    More realistically, the aim will be to get us out of this league and then worry about what happens next. In that case, the above pair plus Dobbo, CBT, Clare, Lavelle, Deji, JFC, Aneke and Fraser gives us a basis for redevelopment of the squad over the summer. The rest can be cleared out. I’m not having Matthews anywhere near the place and dear Ben P can go with our thanks and good wishes. Albie can go on loan/be third choice and if we can get any money for the likes of Gilbey, Kirk etc then they can move on. The loans can all go. 

    I worry about the goalkeeping position. I’m not a MacGillivray fan at all. Nor am I particularly convinced by what I have seen of AMB in Scotland. Whatever the case, AMB is not going to come back from loan to be second choice so he will either displace MacG or he will go. Unless we get a fee for MacG I suspect we are stuck with him. There is a scenario where both go and we either have to sign a keeper  or run with Harness. An unwanted distraction and potential diversion of funds that need to be spent elsewhere. 

    I also worry about our “yoof”. Many are saying that there are half a dozen ready to step up. I don’t see it. Deji I think will have a full role to play next season but Barker’s flame has gone out, Dempsey, Clayden Henry and Co who are out on loan are doing relatively well but are they really ready for a full season of big boy footie?  Davison is doing well but we are aware of his limitations already. Kanu I’ve not seen but can he be any more ready for a step up than Burstow was?  I’d really love three or four to break in to the team and rip up the league but I wouldn’t be putting my house on it. 

    We need to do significant business and do it quickly. We need about six proven healthy signings to go straight into the first team. We all know what positions need to be filled and others have set out the detail in previous posts. These players need to be signed by June and have a preseason to gel. Then we need three or four loans of the Cullen and Bielik calibre to give us options in every position. 

    Do I think this will happen?  No of course not. We will renew three or four of the out of contract payers. We will faff about in the market and get a couple of marquee signings in august. We will be relying on the same old same old with a few of the kids. 

    And to the coaching. Let me be clear. I would love love love love Jacko to “do an SCP”. But I worry. I worry about rigidity of tactics. I worry about the assembly of a distinctly lower league coaching and back up team. This is a very large overhaul and it needs a strong, serious and experienced team to pull it off. As I say, I’m right behind them but I worry. 

    One last thing. Whatever else happens with transfers etc. even if we are left with the sort of squad that we would rather not have. Can we please please please pretty please just try to play some entertaining football instead of this turgid shyte. 

    Over to you Thomas.  Good luck with it.  
  • What do we want? Get the relegated Clarke-Harris in the door ASAP. 

    What will we get? Davison back from Swindon! 
    You really think that Peterborough will sell us Clarke-Harris?
  • What do we want ? 
    A new manager 
    A new squad 
    New fans(!) 
    What will we get? 
    Jacko til  November.
    5 loannees and a free.
    The usual woke snowflakes who think the valley is a library and being extra sensitive to everyone's endless needs and doing it as quietly as possible is the sign of a REAL FAN ! 

    (I think watching the 1940s  FACUP win on YouTube the other day seeing that enormous crowd of passionate (definitely not woke) Addicks has me hoping for a revival)..
    Woke means anti racist.
    We need more woke.
  • seth plum said:
    What do we want ? 
    A new manager 
    A new squad 
    New fans(!) 
    What will we get? 
    Jacko til  November.
    5 loannees and a free.
    The usual woke snowflakes who think the valley is a library and being extra sensitive to everyone's endless needs and doing it as quietly as possible is the sign of a REAL FAN ! 

    (I think watching the 1940s  FACUP win on YouTube the other day seeing that enormous crowd of passionate (definitely not woke) Addicks has me hoping for a revival)..
    Woke means anti racist.
    We need more woke.
    SNOWFLAKE!
  • Cafc43v3r said:
    This is what I would like to see, in this order. 

    New 3 year contracts for Clare, Dobson and JFC and 2 for Washington now.  Not in June. 

    Sign 5 players early, either bosman's or for a fee that are 23-28 no long term injury issues.  2 center backs, at least one left footed, a specialist wing back, not really bothered on which side, a box to box midfielder and a striker.  I want all 5 to have "goals in their locker" and one of them to be the new team captain.  All on 3 year contracts. 

    Then go through every player who is either out of contract or entering their final year and identify what role they have, if any, in the system we are going to use next season and plan B. Ask are they good enough and do they have the right attitude?  Then re-sign, release or transfer list as appropriate.

    I want all that done by the end of June. 

    Then use loans, frees, small fees and our u23s (that are ready) to fill any gaps.

    What will happen is we will drag the OOC players negotiations on to about mid June, miss out on some targets and end up panicking again.

    I haven't mentioned the keep.  I would give AMB preseason and the first few games to prove himself and bring in a loan if he he isn't. 
    No way in the world would I give JFC a three year deal. 
    Good job it's not up to us then.... 
  • edited April 2022


    This team right here except swap CBT for DJ as I couldn’t find CBT on the site. 

    Bench: AMB, Fraser, Purrington, Clare, JFC, Washington, Deji, Aneke, Gilbey, Morgan, Kirk. 

    Obviously I wouldn’t be sure on the bench on match days but I am finding it hard to find space for Fraser, I think this team would walk the league tbh. We would certainly have the money for it, just depends on if we could beat the competition to any of those players, all frees bar Camara. 




  • If we can keep them I am hopeful that we will see meaningful contributions from 2-4 out of AMB, Elerwre, Henry, Ness, Gavin, Anderson, Kanu and Leaburn.

    I assume Ladapo, Adigun and Reilly are a touch too young but don't really know.

    2-3 of these coming through and really establishing themselves could make all the difference.
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