Meltdown
Charlton Life and Twitter have best been avoided this week, let alone the Facebook page as Charlton fans have been besides themselves over the lack of transfer activity this month. Throw last night’s Championship scores into the mix and we’ve had almost total meltdown today.
Truth is January is a tortuous month to sign players in the window and very little business will be done until the closing days.
Today at least it came out in public that we have made a bid Bristol Rovers striker Jonson Clarke-Harris. Possibly Tom Lockyer helping out behind the scenes there. Of course plenty of Addicks think that Clarke-Harris is a replacement for Lyle Taylor, which would be a Michael Gliksten move let along a Roland Duchatelet one.
The club do expect bids for Taylor, although one suitor, Bristol City appear at the front of the line for Nahki Wells.
There’s also rumour that Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty is on his way down from Scotland to sign on loan tomorrow. No news on Marcus Maddison for whom Peterborough have agreed a fee with three clubs, including Charlton.
Other players in the mix apparently are young strikers Troy Parrot from Spurs and Adam Idah from Norwich. Watford’s exciting young midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru another mentioned, but they can’t all sign on loan. As Steve Gallen once said for every player that signs they also have to have a b, c, d, e, f, g and h back-up plan.
The next two days will not be for the lighthearted.
Chicago Addick 
Charlton Life, Charlton Live and Charlton Pass teams the latter basically the same individuals get do one and they condone vicious live & personal attacks live on matchday broadcast.
The pathetically block people who have a differing view full stop
As for signing probably get one in 10 minutes before the deadline and no one would have heard from him
Maddison due to sign with another club this morning! Things look bleak and I’m never down on anything. Should have gone to Peterborough and bid for both Maddison and Toney.
I must confess to be extremely disappointed at the lack of signings by CAFC. Our record of last minute deadline signings in the last few years has been poor, Kayal, Hamed and Oztumer have been disappointing. I was baffled that with our injury situation we allowed the Fulham fixture to be played last week. An extra week may have allowed vital players to gain fitness. Luton and Wigan have gained a significant advantage by winning their games this week. Our position is worse than it was at the beginning of January and thereby makes us a less attractive proposition for a potential signing. Saturday’s game against Barnsley is vital and even if we do recruit, the new players will have little chance to train with the squad. ESI’s words are looking very empty I’m afraid the honeymoon is over!!!
The good news is that Sam Field is apparently back to full fitness and therefore should play some part in the Barnsley. But we have a number of six pointers coming up and how we do in the next six/seven matches will determine whether we are involved in a relegation battle or not, at least with Field, Chuks, Taylor and others returning we are getting back to a full squad.
The lack of transfer activity is worrying but looking around the leagues and especially the Championship there hasn’t been that much going on – I’m sure fans of most clubs will be tearing their hair out at a lack of movement, so it isn’t just us. There are a couple of things at our end that might be delaying things – Bow likes to get a certain sort of player in who fits into the team and he won’t do a P*rd*w and sign players on a hunch. Also we have to operate within FFP rules, we might have deep pocketed owners but there’s a limit to what they can spend and I wonder how much room is in the budget from the first half of the season. Hopefully though Taylor will stay and if we can limp through to the end of the season and avoid relegation then we can restructure the squad properly. History tends to suggest that players acquired in the January window represent poor value.