Transfers Finally Come Good: Away From Charlton

Iain Dowie's ill fated Charlton reign began with a large transfer flurry. This included big money players including the largely ineffectual Amdy Faye and the solid if not spectacular Soulymane Diawara. Both players, now away from the Valley appear to have impressed.

Richard Murray once labeled Soulymane Diawara as 'the most expensive defender you've never heard of'. He generally played well for the Addicks, but not quite as well as a 3.7 million price tag would suggest.

After off loading the big Senegal defender and his equally big wages to Bordeaux, he apparently became (according to ESPN: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=663176&sec=europe&cc=5901) a 'lynch-pin defender' and this summer earned himself a move to French League 1 Runners Up and Champions League Qualifiers Olympic Marseilles.

Did Souleymane look like, or even threaten to become, a Champions League class defender with us? Incidentally, did Madjid Bougherra, who is touted for a big money move away from Rangers. (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11788_5469660,00.html)

Amdy Faye, who post-relegation (the Premiership one, that is) we couldn't off-load quick enough - due to his wages presumably - is being tracked by Premier League new-comers Wolves. He didn't look as bereft of Premier League quality at Newcastle nor, evidently, at Stoke; why did he struggle at Charlton? (I presume we have no sell-on fee in place.)

Obviously, as a League One club now this is a moot point, but did we simply become a stepping-stone club once the 'hungry' players of the Curbishley era departed/retired. Kinsella, Brown, Robinson, Kiely, Rufus et. al. gave their all, some of the later additions were happy making up numbers in the Premiership with the corresponding wage scale.

And now we are in League One.