Jones upbeat about Karlan Grant signing

The signing of Karlan Grant has not been greeted with universal enthusiasm by Charlton supporters who seem not to realise that Nathan Jones has to work within a tight budget.

Karlan has been on my radar since he was 15,” Jones told Richard Cawley. “I was aware of Karlan when I coached here with the U21s. I really took an interest in him.

“I spoke to Harty (Paul Hart, then academy boss) about him and he said: ‘This kid has got it all - he can be a bit special’. He has proved that. He went through the Charlton age groups quickly and got into the first team.”

“He got a move and did fantastically well. At that point the financial side really helped Charlton. Since he has moved on, and his career has developed, Charlton have continued to benefit (from future transfers).”

The sanguine supremo added: ‘You look at midfield and I’d like to bring another midfield player that gives us real control in a game. But you’ve seen the emergence of Alan Mwamba, which is wonderful. How you saw him play today (against Gillingham), he has been like that every single day in training. So that gives us an option.’

 

Charlton to beat drop

With their usual positive outlook some Charlton fans are proclaiming that we are already relegated before a ball is kicked.   However, last season Four Four Two magazine said we would be relegated.  This year they are forecasting survival in 21st place.

FFT's verdict is: 'Solid defensive foundations plus a capacity for surprising one-off results thanks to an underdog spirit after Nathan Jones could be enough io beat the drop - but a touch more open play creativity is needed.'

Fan Natasha Everitt forecasts a 17th place finish 'which is fine by me.  Rome wasn't built in a day.'

Everitt says that the main change she would make at the club is to stop signing injury prone players.  The opposition player she'd like at The Valley is Swansea's Chilean keeper Lawrence Vigouroux.   Let's hope he's not like the Chilean player I saw playing for Catholica in Santiago who when he scored the only goal of the game took his shirt off to reveal a tattoo of Christ on the cross covering his back.

She hopes that 19-year old Micah Mbick will recover from his injury to offer a fantastic attacking option.

Will the prodigal return?

Nathan Jones has confirmed to Richard Cawley that Charlton are interested in free agent Karlan Grant who is a free agent after being let go by the Baggies.  I understand that he has now signed a two year contract.

He made 80 appearances for Charlton between 2014 and 2019 and scored 16 goals, but this included tow loan periods.  He then went to Huddersfield Town.

The conversation followed the 1-0 victory by Charlton at Gillinbgam.

Rickster mees Burnham

Charlton fanzine editor Rick Everitt has posted a picture of himself with incoming prime minister Andy Burnham at Gravesend town pier {?]   The Rickster had already been invited to No.10 by Keir Starmer.

Everitt told Burnham that he hoped to see Burnham at The Valley before long supporting Everton.  He also reminded him of the needs of Thanet where he is Labour leader of the council.  Not all areas of deprivation are 'oop North.

I don't want to rain on Everitt's parade, but the Spectator magazine looks as if it is getting ready to renew its campaign against the 'Charltification' of football.

It will be recalled that Spectator columnist Lord Young of Action fulminated against Everitt last season and  the QPR blogger invited the fanzine editor for a confrontation on Margate beach last October.

The idea of two folically challenged gents in their early 60s engaging in handbags at six paces was as bizarre a stunt as one would now find in Clacton and the noble lord returned to London in high dudgeon.

After Millwall supporter Rod Liddle's attack on Charlton, Lord Young (the son of Lord Young of Dartington) has been sounding off about football again in this week's issue, but I am still trying to make sense of what he is saying, although much of it is about QPR.

There are rumours that Young is planning to make a return trip to Margate, this time accompanied by QPR supporting minor celebrities Louis Theroux and Giles Coren.

The Varney 'memoirs' and Duchatelet

The latest instalment of Peter Varney's conversations with Richard Cawley on his Substack page cover Duchatelet and his guitar playing successor.  Needless to say, Varney has little time for either of them.

I have asked Richard Cawley if these interviews can be aggregated in some way as they give a fascinating 'behind the scenes' look at Charlton's recent travails.

Varney doesn't suffer fools gladly and I felt the rough edge of his tongue when I put friendship with an Addick before good judgement.   Nevertheless, he is a very shrewd and experienced individual and a genuine Addick.

Rick Everitt and Varney worked closely together on the excellent Rickshaw project  among others and Varney uses Everitt as corroboration at one point in his remarks.  Nevertheless, it has been alleged that they had the occasional  vigorous exchange of views when working together.

Duchatelet seems to have formed the view with Varney was a 'bad' person and refused to engage with him in relation to attempts to buy the club from serious bidders.  The barmy Belgian's excessive valuations of the stadium and the training ground also discouraged prospective buyers.

Apparently Duchatelet took exception to a £25k consultancy fee Varney had received from Jiminez for some hard work on his behalf.   Varney initially got nothing, but Her Indoors rightly insisted that he should be paid for his labours.

As for Sandgaard, Varney makes it clear what he thinks of his lack of realism.

Greg Docherty rumours

Unconfirmed reports are suggesting that Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City are interested in Charlton captain Greg Docherty.

He has one year left on his Charlton contract.

It's not coming home

I didn't buy into all the 'It's coming home' hype, but I did hope we would make it to the final.  Supporting Charlton should inoculate me against football disappointment, but it doesn't work like that.

I was 19 when we won the World Cup, watching it at home on a black and white television.   I didn't fully appreciate at the time as I was about to embark on my first trip abroad, travelling around Northern Europe by boat and night train, ending up in Finland which has always been a special place for me.

I don't want to add much to what the armchair managers are saying, other than saying that I don't think we have enough world class players.   The referee should have done something about the early fouls by Argentine players.   However, this is not the Premier League and, having been to both Argentina and Chile more than once, the game there is more physical.

My wife has just told me that she saw Argentina beat Spain 2-1 in the group matches in 1966, having been given free tickets to Villa Park by her oil company employers.

Given that my daughter and partner, one granddaughter and my great-granddaughter live in Spain, I shall feel justified in supporting them on Sunday.