The summer has been an underwhelming one for Charlton fans.

Roland Duchatelet and his team had at the very least four months to plan a squad capable of withstanding a League One campaign.

However, we’re just three days away from the Bury opener with only 11 fit senior players.

The likes of Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Nick Pope were flogged off for reasonable prices.

However, Jordan Cousins’ rumoured £1.5m transfer fee is an insult to fans and staff at the club as in a few years’ time, he’ll be worth five times that amount.

But anyway, the lack of incomings, after a good start with Football League-proven, experienced pros in Nicky Ajose, Lee Novak and Ricky Holmes, has left fans worried.

Now, the last time I told fans not to worry, we ended up getting relegated.

If Russell Slade gets his five/six players in before the end of the transfer window (didn't he previously say he wanted them in before the Bury game?) then fine, good - better late than never.

But, if he doesn’t land his targets, I’ll still be cautiously optimistic.

We now, six head coaches/managers later into the Duchatelet era, have a British manager who knows the league inside out.

I spoke to Slade’s former chairman, Barry Hearn, just after he was appointed in June, and he couldn't stop praising him.

All the players have done the same, and I can’t remember hearing players talk about Slade the way they have with previous Duchatelet-employed bosses.

He’s got something about him and everyone seems to have taken to him so quickly.

Slade has experience of working his magic with small squads, just look at his previous clubs.

News Shopper:

Leyton Orient - they had one of the smallest budgets in League One - Slade took them to within a penalty kick of the Championship.

Cardiff - they were relegated from the Premier League and he spent the majority of his first campaign cutting the wage bill - the Welsh side just missed out on the play-offs last season.

It’s his ability to work with small squads, coming so close to success, which makes me think it will be third time lucky for him at Charlton.

This shouldn’t, and most likely won’t, distract fans from the fact that we’re clearly so behind from where we should be in terms of personnel.

The protests against Duchatelet will continue - and whether it’s pre, during or post game, it’ll be something that won’t affect Slade.

League One is a depressing league, so Russell, quite simply: Please get us out of it.

My prediction: 2nd

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