Charlton in failed bid shocker

Smiling is back at Sparrows Lane. After Karel Fraeye failed to crack a smile on anyone’s face Jose Riga has brought it back to SE7, and we hope that continues tomorrow in another 6-pointer at home to Bristol City.

The Addicks were busy before the transfer deadline making two loan signings, two players very different, both French and apparently the head coaches choice. Both Yaya Sanogo and Rod Fanni (photo) are not expected to feature tomorrow with Riga insisting that both newbies get up to speed. Sanogo hasn’t played 90 first team minutes this season and Fanni’s last played for Gianfranco Zola’s Al-Arabi in October.

With Tony Watt, Joe Pigott, Karlene Ahearne-Grant each out on loan, Rhys Williams back at Middlesbrough and Franck Moussa, Piotr Parzyszek and Ricardo Vaz Te both released from their contracts, there is a suggestion that Riga may still be pushing Duchatelet for some additional funds to bring in a midfielder.

One other new boy at the club this week is South Korean Jae Heon Kim, who is on trial. He is a 19-year old midfielder previously at Portsmouth.

What is worth mentioning is once again in a window rumours got circulated about big money buys. There has been a pattern of these over the last few window’s from Max Gradel to Andy Delort to James Henry and this time around there were reasonably solid speculation that we had a bid for Bolton’s Liam Feeney turned down and more disbelieving is a £2m offer for Rotherham’s Jonson Clarke-Harris. You may remember him as the player that blasted high over the bar from the spot last Saturday. Yann Kermorgant was another player that we were said to have approached, but to no avail.

Is it a little bit of a coincidence that we always seem to be in the market for these British based players? They never come, mostly because we tend to low ball an offer, and then never return with an improved or realistic one. The January window has followed those previously, Teixeira aside, with players being signed on short term contracts, which means they are off the books in June. I hope that Sanogo and Fanni help us during the next three months, and that Sanogo in particular provides the same impact as Alex Song and Francis Coquelin did, but the strategy is flawed.

Flawed like the signing of Polish Pete, or Vaz Te. Sanoga and Fanni will be gone in June, but El-Hadji Ba and Roger Johnson will still be here. It makes sense to no one except Roland Duchatelet.

Anyway I am sure the players will get plenty of backing tomorrow but the protests will go on unabated. 5pm behind the west stand and look out for the CARD announcement tomorrow for further protest action.

Finally I am rather excited about seeing my name in tomorrow’s Voice of The Valley. I have written an article on Karel Fraeye, the before the during and the after, and the during again. Please buy a copy, it will be a great issue and the VOTV is on sale Saturday around the ground from 1pm.