I have to admit, I'm intrigued with the moves that Charlton have made so far in the close season. For me, they spent the last few seasons as one of those anonymous middle-of-the-table teams with no stars and no reason to be excited except the occasional run of good form in the first half of the season. There has been no reason for real, sustained excitement about the squad on the part of anyone but the most loyal, drank-all-of-management's-Kool Aid supporter. This season seems to be a little bit different.
1) Getting Bent - I have to admit that I haven't seen Darren Bent play but the reports on him are promising and one of the biggest problems Charlton have had over the last few years is the lack of a meaningful threat up top that commands the attention of multiple defenders and opens up spaces for the rest of the offense. If Bent can be that guy, then not only is the squad strengthened at striker but Danny Murphey and the rest of the midfielders will be better as well. Could he be the guy that allows Frannie Jeffers the space to do whatever it is he's supposed to be capable of? OK, lets not expect miracles but the potential of 15 goals would be a nice change of pace for a team that hasn't had such a threat in a while.
2) Looming Spector - I love the addition of Jon Spector to the back line. Whether he is playing in the middle of defense or on the left he seems to be a good prospect who will only grow with an extended chance to play in the Premiership. Pair him with Luke Young and you have the core of an up-and-coming defense that can stand the presence of older guys like Hreidarsson who can play the role of specialists on the defense. If Inter Milan loan target Gonzolo Sorondo is added to the mix, the defense would add another young player with potential to grow with first team action.
3) Ambrose-ia - Under-publicized and never given much of a chance in the Newcastle squad, I'm very excited about the notion of him having a better chance of first team football every week. That he'll have an experienced mentor in Danny Murphy can only help him. I expect some solid play from Ambrose this season and three or four goals that contend for goal of the week out of a total of between 7 and 10 if he stays healthy and gets into more than 30 matches.
4) Smertin - Couldn't come up with a clever title for this item but the addition of another quality midfielder who captains his country and has now won a Premiership title can only help Charlton when they get to the second half of the season, lose two games in a row and worry that they're heading for yet another collapse. He's not going to win any beauty contests, but the threesome of Smertin, Murphy and Ambrose gives Charlton quality cover for the center of their midfield.
5) Umm - what about the wings? Dennis Rommedahl was supposed to be the answer to the first issue but he couldn't win a consistent spot in the line-up and looked like a poor man's Gronk - which is not a good thing.
6) Umm, Part Deux - Lee Bowyer??? Why bring a cancer into the middle of a team that a) doesn't have an obvious leader along the lines of a Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira who will keep troublemakers in line; b) seems to perform as more than the sum of its parts - at least at the beginning of each season, not something that you picture Mssr. Bowyer contributing to. If you were going to bring in a cancer from Newcastle, it should have been Robert who at least fills an obvious need.
If all of the acquisitions turn out as planned, Charlton seem to be in position to challenge for 5th or 6th place and a spot in next year's UEFA Cup. Among the competition, Boro have upgraded as have Liverpool but Everton haven't done enough to fortify their squad and all three of those squads will face additional scheduling pressures based on their participation in Europe this year. Tottenham and Aston Villa seem to be Charlton's likely competition for a rise into Europe based on their additions, Bolton have been treading water in the off-season and ManCiteh have probably regressed so far. But really, we should appreciate anything that adds some spice to the battle at the middle of the table. It was a miserable thing to watch this past season.
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