Rumours Rumours - Summer 2021 edition (Deadline Day from p814)

He comes from Lincolnshire
He fecking hates Millwall
Jorge Grant

Henry Irving said:

He comes from Lincolnshire
He fecking hates Millwall
Jorge Grant

Whoh oh oh

Jorge Grant
Whoh oh oh

If he is a goalscorer, can we sing the Lincolnshire Poacher song, who remembers that?

EugenesAxe said:

Thought the Welsh were meant to be naturally good singers!!!

Nah thats just a rumour  

Joe Morrell wants a regular first team gig rather than bench warming at Luton.

Starts for Wales today. 

Grant - ed access

Charlton43 said:

Charlton have got a grant 

Lord, Grant me patience.

RedJohn said:

ignore previous, sorry.

Oh that’s alright.....it was nothing really.☺️

addick1956 said:

Scoham said:

addick1956 said:

Scoham said:

addick1956 said:

Scoham said:

Cafc43v3r said:

Scoham said:

Covered_End_Lad said:

Scoham said:

Covered_End_Lad said:

RonnieMoore said:

TellyTubby said:

Not many rumours I take it? 

Jorge Grant 

No chance

Why not?

At least 3 Championship clubs are in talks with Lincoln.

If true then it seems very unlikely but I still wouldn’t completely rule anything out.

Are they offering regular first team football? How many will go on to agree a fee? How many rumours are agent talk to get the possible deal?

Gallen has spoken before about keeping multiple plates spilling - you may be working away on several deals for one position in your squad. Grant might not be the main target for any of those clubs, interest and talks can end at any time for various reasons.

As mentioned above Wiggins is a great example, presumably he turned down Watford as he wasn’t guaranteed playing time.

Given we’ll be looking at good young players I wouldn’t be surprised to see some come in who were linked with clubs higher up (not necessarily Grant). Not every player will get their ideal move and not every rumour has truth in it - wasn’t that long ago we signed Yassin Moutaouakil, the France u21 captain linked with Barcelona.

I am not sure how much faith I have in this idea we are looking at "young players".  I think there is a big difference between old players and young players, if you know what I mean.

Watson, Pratley and arguably Gunter and Pearce are old players.  I would say Morgan and DJ are young.  We have a big talent gap between last year's U18s and Morgan, for multiple reasons, and that needs addressing as well. 

But of the 8-10 1st team players we currently need I wouldn't expect many, or any, to be both permanent signings and say under 23.  Maybe one or two?

I would expect 5 or 6 players of a similar age to Gilbey, Washington, Stockley, Inniss etc in the 25-28 type range.   We need to be younger than last season but that doesn't necessarily mean 8 players u23. 

I agree, we know we’re looking to lower the average age of the squad, younger rather than young would be a better description. I really meant players up to their mid 20s who could grow with the club over 2/3 years rather than a rigid cut off point of say u23.

Having a look Grant is already 26 but I’d include him in that bracket (just about), he’s a player on the up who could be doing well in the Championship over the next few years.

The obsession with age is strange really. 

Italy fielded a side whose back line was a edge age 32ish and whose midfield  was mostly in the later 20's.

One player even had the name immobile! Yet they over ran an average  younger Turkish side. 

There’s no obsession, Steve Gallen has said himself they’re going to lower the average age. It’s about building a squad with more than a season in mind and reversing what we did last season, where we had several players 30+ which resulted in a team lacking a bit of energy and pace. They’re important for the way Adkins wants to play with a high press.

Precisely like the older higher energy quicker paced Italian side. Given that it of it leaves out a decent older player it would be an obsession in age .

You’re comparing an international team with top tier players to L1. It’s one extreme example, it’s like saying Barcelona of around a decade ago is proof lower league clubs signing target men is an obsession when they could find their own Messi.

You don’t get many 30+ players with quality, pace and energy dropping down to that level.

I’m not saying we can’t sign any older players or that older players can’t be part of a successful side. If the right player comes along I don’t see age stopping us from signing them either.

We will though have a younger squad than last season and I expect us to do better given we have a full window with no salary cap limiting us.

  The comparison was about age where an loser team beat a younger team.
That applies to any level of competition 

Had you said long term an older team is less likely  to stay together I would agree. I am sure there are quick players over 30 in League 1 whose experience would be useful. Then again they don't  need to be quick if they have other skills. 

I agree it can apply to any level, there's no rule that younger teams always win, but the point is we didn't have the balance right last season. We relied too much on 30+ players (Pratley, Watson, Pearce, Shinnie and Gunter), when several of them started we usually lacked pace and energy.

It's not that we need to replace all of them, we're just more likely to improve if we don't have so many of them in a team together. Watson for example can contribute but he needs the right type of players around him. Playing him alongside Pratley, Shinnie and in front of Pearce and Gunter left him more exposed as they couldn't cover his lack of pace. Had he played in the 18/19 side he'd have looked a much better player sitting behind Cullen and Aribo who were mobile and comfortable on the ball.

The issue is nothing more than improving the balance of the team and squad. Gallen agrees and given we had one of the oldest squads in the league so do most other clubs in our division. Nothing against older players, there are plenty of examples of experienced players coming in and improving us.

Cafc43v3r said:

cabbles said:

I saw that Chelsea midfielder who was on loan at Luton got released.  Brown I think.  Bit above our station maybe?  

Is he or is it izzy....boom boom

Loads of talent, just hasn't happened for him, for what ever reason.  Has he just ended up in a rubbish team every year? 

Good age, good position (ie we need a couple) don't think he is above our station because the championship clubs with money probably wouldn't want him. 

Had a few injury struggles didnt he? 

Henry Irving said:

eastterrace6168 said:

golfaddick said:

Henry Irving said:

FAVADDICK said:

The clubs being used again by certain players. Then you get this rubbish that they want to all stay !!! NO!! they want to play us off and fall back on us if no one else wants them, there just trying to keep us sweet. Just get rid of them and start again with players that actually want to be here !!!

So unrealistic.

They are professional footballers, it's their livelihood.  Of course they look around to see what else is on offer and compare that with our offer.

Just as players at other clubs last season are looking at what we've offered and are deciding whether to stay with the other club or join us. 

If they join is it because they "want to be here" and they are fulfilling their life's ambition of playing for Charlton in league 1 or because we made the best offer?  I think we all know the answer.

They are not fans, it's a job to them.  Yes, once they have signed I expect them to show loyalty and commitment to the club and team and they have and will but let's not get high and mighty about this when other players who have been let go are described by fans demanding loyalty as "deadwood", "shit", "not good enough" etc etc. 

This is why there is no point Adkins or anyone else at the club trying to explain to some fans what is happening.

WIOTOS

Could do the same as the club does with the season tickets - an early bird contract. Sign at the  time of the released/retained list is produced = £x pw. Sign before 30th June = £y pw. sign after pre-season starts = £z pw.........reducing as time elapses.  

Its hardly new in any new job that you are given a time in which you sign the contact/offer or the company looks elsewhere. Imagine YOUR employment. How long do you think YOUR employer/new employer would wait whilst you mulled over the different job offers you had. 2 weeks I reckon before the offer was rescinded & the company went back to their 2nd choice. Slightly different in football but still the premise applies that you can't keep employers hanging on indefinitely. If they hadn't signed by the time their contract ends on 30th June then we move on. Time to get hard with them - time for them to shit or get off the pot.

Opening paragraph is open to a titter golfie, but I must say I agree with the bulk of your post, whist not dismissing Henry's post regarding their right to shop around, there has to be a cut off point where the club must move on if the answer is no, to enable time and choice to be well mulled over for any replacements required, the whole process has to be two way, and therefore just make some decisions someone or as you say do the other.

Let's use Amos as an example.

He's not said he doesn't want to come back (not publicly anyway) but he hasn't signed.

The club could sign Charlie Savetheball, who's contract expired at Northernmilltown FC, tomorrow and Fred Gloves, an upcoming young keeper from Depressingcostalresort AFC on Sunday and suddenly we have two keepers and AMB goes out on loan.

When Amos rings up on Monday saying "Gaffer, I'll take the deal" Nige can say "Unemployment is brilliant, whatever you do today, and it won't be signing for Charlton, keep a smile on your face, Ben"

We'd don't need to say and we shouldn't say, until Charlie and Fred are announced on some electronic communication channel run by Charlton Athletic, that the door is closed to Amos as there is no benefit to us.  

Gallen might hint at other keepers, we might leak stories about Charlie and Fred being on our radar to encourage Ben but deadlines are just that. After them the deal is dead and we've killed it.

With a name like that, we’ve just got to sign Fred Gloves, I wonder if he’s a distant relative of Gary Goals?