At the beginning of the summer, I spoke about how important recruitment would be for Charlton and how Katrien Meire and Roland Duchatelet could still get it right. We are here now, just three days away from the start of the season.
So, how have they done?
We have signed Billy Clarke, Tariqe Fosu, Mark Marshall, Jay Dasilva, Ben Amos and look set to tie up deals for Ben Reeves and two more players. We have given long-term contacts to Ricky Holmes and Jason Pearce, who were two of the club’s most influential players in a bad team last year. Also, we have moved on two of the highest earners at the club in Jorge Teixeira and Cristian Ceballos, which has freed up some much-needed funds.
Charlton signed Ben Amos from Bolton on a season-long loan | Picture: Benjamin Peters Photography
My reaction to this summer – BRAVO, Katrien - not only has she listened to the manager and the team about the type of players that Karl Robinson has requested but she’s delivered and done this under the shadow of criticism from previous seasons after admitting mistakes.
There are signs that Katrien could now be the type of person this club needs to go forward this season. My personal message is ignore the hate – you have proven many people wrong by giving Robinson the players he desperately needs.
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This squad is good enough for promotion - nothing more to say there - all we can do now is be the 12th man! The fans must give that extra motivation the team needs to get back to where this club deserves to be. There will be certain fans, who will always complain about the Belgian regime because of previous mistakes. And it’s been said before but it means something now: They seem to finally have learned from past mistakes.
Charlton boss Karl Robinson | Picture: Benjamin Peters Photography
Robinson has talked about having a clean slate with his players, and after this summer, maybe it’s time for certain fans to do the same with Katrien and Roland. Stop complaining on Twitter when you get a chance to tweet something negative and get behind the team.
And in nine months’ time, let the corks pop and the bubbly flow. I can see us finishing 3rd and going up through the play-offs.
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