A New Season Beckons

With our quest for Championship promotion beginning in just under three weeks time, there is much debate about how the campaign will turn out. There have been frequent departures from The Valley but little in the way of arrivals.

Messrs Bent and Iwelumo have followed Sankofa, Gibbs, Powell, Monteiro, Smith (and hopefully Faye) out of the exit door and as yet only former Eagle Mark Hudson and Cardiff reject Stuart Fleetwood have seen fit to don the new Charlton shirt.

Rumours are rife with Matthew Etherington - who Pardew seemed to bring the best out of at West Ham, Krisztián Tímár - the Plymouth defender culpable for destroying the knees of Svetoslav Todorov and Izale McLeod - and Bolton's Icelandic hitman Heidar Helguson all linked.

The first two are possible, rather than probable, but with the plethora of strikers already on the books (despite Bent and Iwelumo leaving) the Helguson story seems a little wide of the mark, even though AP has a penchant for acquiring forwards.

If we can obtain a couple of defenders, even with the likley loss of Bougherra and possibly Fortune to Preston, that area seems solid. Hudson looks strong and hopefully Youga, Semedo, Basey and Moutaouakil can come of age.

One midfielder may also suffice if Zheng cames back from smoggy Beijing reinvigorated, Shelvey, Wright and Racon step up to the plate and Ambrose, Thomas and Sam become more consistent (we can only dream). The arrival of an experienced 'keeper to support Weaver and Elliot would not come as a shock either.