Joe Wollacott signing raises question over MacGillivray
Interesting new signing today. Once again Thomas and the black box analytics team have raided Swindon Town and signed the 25-year old Ghana international goalkeeper Joe Wollacott on a three-year deal.
Wollacott is still young for a goalkeeper but prior to one season at Swindon had spent his whole career in non-league after coming through the Bristol City academy.
His form at Swindon did get him noticed by the Ghanian national team for whom he has played 6 times in 2022, and I’d think there is a pretty good chance he will get taken to Qatar.
Wollacott is an interesting signing in more ways than one. He had just the one-year deal at Swindon. His saves stats were pretty decent, yet Swindon let more goals in than any other team in the top 10 in L2 – one less than Charlton a level higher.
A three-year contract is a big commitment and it instantly raises a question mark over the future of Craig MacGillivray. Ashley Maynard-Brewer and Nathan Harness will also join MacGillivray and Wollacott in a goalkeeper heavy squad in Spain next week..
Garner and of course Thomas, often, have talked about a system of playing out from the back. MacGillivray has never looked comfortable with the ball at his feet, and believe me I suspect we are in for many heart in the mouth tippy-tappy moments next season, but if Wollacott honed his close control and fifty metre passes at Truro City, Gloucester City, Forest Green Rovers and Swindon, then fair play, I’ll buckle up for the ride.
Welcome to Charlton Joe.
Chicago Addick 
For obvious reasons, l hope l am wrong; but l think this will all go pear shaped very quickly. We have signed a manager and 3 personnel from the same team, all of whom have next to no experience at this level. If Garner was any good, how come they did not get promoted; just because they lost on pens is no excuse; they come to CAFC talking a lot, but can they walk the walk?
I firmly believe Garner will suffer the same fate as those before him, and that he will be gone by the end of the year. TS pays the bills, but that is about all. He and his son are playing a game of chess with our club; they pretend to have the interest of CAFC at heart, but they have about as much experience as Garner and 3 others from Swindon. Wages apart, TS has not spent a penny on the team, and yet we are literally weeks away from the start of the new season.
Genuine fans must surely be seriously concerned about the future of our once proud club. If the current fall from grace is not arrested, we will become a clone for Watford, changing managers every few months; hence no stability; does that scenario remind you of anyone?
Goalkeepers, like centre backs evolve a bit later in their careers so I’m not too bothered by his lack of experience prior to last season.
However Craig M, AMB and now Joe Wollacott is one first team keeper too many, either someone is going out on loan or we are going to trade on one of MacGillivray or AMB.
It’s hard to know what to make of AMB because of his lack of first team opportunities and Craig MacGillivray looked ok, he was a good shot stopper and last line of defence and he has the physical attributes etc but his ball at feet game I suspect is not what Ben Garner wants and if that’s how he wants the team to play then he looks the odd one out. If we can get some cash for him then good.
Assuming Joe Wollacott gets into Ghana’s WC squad we’ll be missing him for around 6 weeks/two months in mid-season.
I hope you’ve recovered from Covid CA…
A Fantastic Goalkeeper at Pompey, and a great shop stopper!
Craig is very much a Footballer, and can play the formation of passing out from the back, you only, have to look at his youth days at Leeds United Accademy, when he started off as a Right Winger, to see that he was quck, and a great crosser of the ball!