Monday 27 January 2014

D-Day at the Keepmoat

Chris Powell takes his beleaguered squad to Doncaster tomorrow for a six-pointer that promises to be hard-fought. After two away cup wins inside a week we should be up for the fight and the point that would lift us clear of Millwall and Doncaster or the three we need to climb above them and Sheffield Wednesday. Rising above Wednesday two days after drawing them in the Cup would set down a nice marker ahead of our visit. However, with the January window closing on Friday at midnight, there could yet be some significant activity that has a profound affect on the fortunes of Charlton Athletic Football Club.

News this afternoon that Eddie Howe has put in a bid for Yann Kermorgant will not be welcomed by the Charlton faithful. AFCB will be aware that Celtic have been circling and it could well be that Yann's own agent is looking for a move that would cement his future beyond June. My immediate reaction was to laugh the Cherries off but there is little smoke without fire and Bournemouth paid £2.5m for Tokelo Rantie in the Summer, so they are not short on ambition and look to be reasonably well adjusted to life as a Championship club.

How Charlton respond to this could be significant. Kermorgant is unlikely to re-sign without the security of knowing he will be playing for Chris Powell and I suspect he may not be alone here. Ergo, if Powell's contract isn't renewed before Friday, there is every chance Yann may decide to take an offer to move. If that happens our goal-scoring problem is exacerbated. Noises again, too, that we will be loaned Standard Liege reserve Iranian striker Reza Ghoochannejhad. I don't wish to be derogatory about a player I haven't seen, but I sincerely hope that no-one is deluding themselves that we would be in anything other than a poorer position if that were to happen. 

On the other hand, if M Duchatelet manages to repel the current suitors and bring in 'Gucci,' then I will acknowledge that we are better off, even if it wasn't the sort of striker signing I envisaged a month ago. If he sorts out Powell and Kermogant's contract extensions, I will be even happier and so may most of the others awaiting some job security...

5 comments:

  1. CA - they are getting progressively less qualified to play for us. This bloke has managed 17 first team appearances in four years and nearly three times as many playing for representative French national sides. A right-back - maybe Solly's on his way and this is the replacement?

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  2. I see Dr Kish is reporting Charlton interest in Leicester's Chris Wood. That is a signing that I would class as a proven Championship striker and one to get the adrenaline running.

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  3. Be nice to have him score the winner against Millwall.
    That would impress the natives.
    Just remembered, we don't beat Millwall, do we?
    Tony

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  4. This could be a very telling few days indeed. Given the contractural mess, I can't see any other manager doing as well as CP has done so far, surely, if RD thought that CP was the man for the job, then the priority would have been to secure his future.

    IMO, I think Yann will go, if CP stays, then I still believe that we will be OK, if he goes. then the spectre of League one will be tightening the noose around the clubs neck.

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Go on, you know you want to....