A Nouble art

A bit of Charlton action today which I might just be the fillip we desperately need.

I have heard good things from my Hammer-supporting mates about 19-year old Lewisham born striker Frank Nouble (right).  He has signed on loan for an initial month and he’s a regular in the England U19 set up and is perhaps the target man we have craved for a long while.

Also 19 is Dean Parrett and a fellow England U19 regular. Spurs fans on Charlton Life talk highly of him: “He’s got a good engine, very strong and can pass the ball very well.” Sounds good but will Powell stick him in? I hope so.

With the addition of the young Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and with Matt Fry, Bessone and Eccleston, not all six can be in the matchday squad. Fry is due to return soon, and I think he will if Bessone can get fit but in the meantime Powell has said that the Argentinian will miss out tomorrow.

Powell needs to be adventurous tomorrow and shake up the team selection. Blood some youngsters, stick in a couple of the loans to prove themselves, take a gamble, breathe some life into The Valley and start the game like our lives depend on it. I would find starting places for Eccleston, Nouble, Parrett, Jenkinson and Solly with Harriot keeping his place on the bench.

The other intriguing, but yet unannounced move is Jeff Vetere returning to the club as Director of Football. The ex-technical director at Real Madrid and current Aston Villa Chief Scout would be a very interesting appointment. A friend of Jiminez, Curbs and Varney and said to have encyclopaedic world football knowledge. Maybe not a sign of immediate action by the owners, but rather I would see Vetere’s appointment (if true) as another brick in the foundations to build something special again. Well, come on you’ve got to keep the faith.