Jan 22
With a hop, skip and a jump and a dodgy hamstring Alfie Doughty has hot-wheeled it to the Potteries. Wrap up warm Alfie.
Good luck to him and I hope his injury doesn’t hamper his one real attribute, his pace. It’s a crying shame that young players these days can just about make a season before their heads are turned and can’t wait to get out of the door.
I have been a bit of an apostle for young players being loaned back to us after we’d flogged them in the past…. have we ever done that by the way?
It seems that Thomas and Steve Gallen have been negotiating hard with clubs over Alfie Doughty to a) get the best instant price b) the most attractive sell-on fee and c) allow him to see out the season with us after he regains fitness.
And good riddance. I’m getting pissed off with these young kids being schooled and nurtured by the club, get given an opportunity, play 20 odd games and want off.
No respect to sign a contract to give the club and it’s coaches that invested a lot of time and money to educate you, something back. You were literally playing in Solihull 14 months ago. No thanks or foresight. You’re not even fit son.
The salary cap is an annoyance isn’t it. The first time since our promotion from League One under the spiffs have we got a few bob to spend and we can’t spend it.
January transfer window activity is notoriously hard, even before the current EFL restriction and in the wider context of what the pandemic has brought, but I do foresee Thomas pushing through a fair bit of January turnover.
Devastating news for Alfie. A torn hamstring and surgery will mean the 20-year old will be out until well into the new year. Gutted for the young man and I wish him a speedy recovery.
For a 20-year old who was playing for Bromley a year ago, Alfie has made himself pretty irreplaceable down that left hand side for us.
I am sure he will be looked after by the club and he has the character to come back fighting fit, but following on from all of the transfer speculation it shows how fragile a footballer’s career can be. It would be a boost for all of us if Messrs Sandgaard and Gallen sit down with him during his rehabilitation and offer him a new contract.
Player of the Year despite our league position for me wasn’t an easy pick this year. Darren Pratley or Josh Cullen would have been worthy winners and Adam Matthews may have been an outside pick, but no one played as many games, was as consistent as Dillon Phillips, who fully deserved to win the 2019/20 Player of the Year award.
Since the middle of last season Phillips has been the proud owner of the number one jersey of the club he has been at since he was 8-years old. Let’s really hope he will be twisting and shouting tomorrow night.
The make-up of next season’s squad is as fluid as ever. Not knowing what division we’ll be in or who own’s the Addicks are just two major variables.
It does seem that the tireless work of Steve Gallen continues though as following the news a few weeks back that Albie Morgan and Josh Davison had signed new deals, Alfie Doughty has been offered an extension too.
Tonight was a free hit. Brentford have been rolling over teams and for my pound, deserve promotion. Yet to be ahead for more than an hour and lose to a penalty and what looked an own goal to me is pretty sickening. The facts of the matter are though Brentford are a very impressive side and we were becoming more and more under the cosh before they won their penalty.
Bow made several changes, perhaps with an eye to Saturday, but it was good to see Jonny Williams back, and I thought he, Sam Field, Jake Forster-Caskey and Alfie Doughty all played admirably.
Good news on a Friday morning that Alfie Doughty and the club have triggered an option to extend his contract until next summer. So, that is one less for the managerial team to worry about, although that’s wont stop clubs sniffing in the summer. Doughty has been a regular around the first team since November.
So proud of that Charlton team tonight, six 20 or under players featuring. They took the game to Swansea on their own patch and dominated the 2nd half. Not one hid, and they moved the ball well and chased every lost cause.
Davison, Dempsey, Morgan, Vennings, Doughty and not forgetting Conor Gallagher were a credit. Again, thank you for your hard work and expertise Steve Avory.
Who said Santa’s work was done? A much welcomed three points won at a crackling Valley with Macauley Bonne and Alfie Doughty leading the plaudits. We conceded two again, and defensively we still have many things to work on, but that fighting spirit was there in bundles to give us all a big Boxing Day grin.
If a week ago a 2-2 draw felt like a loss, then yesterday’s felt like victory. It was a roller coaster game to watch for the close to 3,000 Addicks and for 20 first half minutes most of them would’ve wished they were Christmas shopping.
Defensively we were all over the shop. Rangers scored early after Sarr sliced a clearance directly into the path of Cameron. After that it could and should have been at least two or three more. Dillon Phillips kept us in it, and one save when Bermudian Nahki Wells was through on goal with only another QPR anywhere near him was beyond belief.
Today at The Valley was about a lot more than a game of football and a result. It was a day long awaited by Addicks everywhere as the oppressive Duchatelet era appears to be close to an end. Proposed new chairman Matt Southall was in the crowd and spent time with fans before and after the game. We have seen other supposed saviours soak up applause with scarves around their necks, but Southall looked more assured and happily didn’t feel the need to wear a red and white scarf.
An ankle injury sustained in the game at home to Cardiff will keep Josh Cullen out for two months, possibly three, after a scan discovered damaged ligaments.
Cullen is pretty robust despite often leading the tackling stats during games, but did miss 10 weeks last season when he dislocated his shoulder. His injury is another huge blow to our already decimated squad.
It was a good, open game for the Sky cameras, but we can’t afford to give away two-goal leads, but in the end we have to be pleased to take a point and after their second I was happy to see us go for it and try to get the winner.
We started slowly but took the lead with our first real attack. Gallagher showing great awareness and desire to continue his run into the box and slot home after Leko missed a pass from Bonne, who deserved the assist.
We relaxed after and got the passing game going as the Covered End turned the volume up.
Chicago Addick 