Rarely can a signing have been
made so under the radar as Scott Wagstaff's arrival at Ashton Gate last week.
Not a hint of a rumour until the day before, and not one of the more
famous names around the leagues, Wagstaff's introduction had many a fan
scrabbling around in their memory banks to work out who he was, where he
played, and in some instances, when they'd seen him play.
Totally overshadowed by the
signing of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and his #WED explosion onto City fans' Twitter
timelines, Wagstaff has been portrayed in the local media as the sort of
industrious wide man we haven't really seen since Michael McIndoe left the club
- not that any of the more recent inhabitants were particularly lazy, but the
balance O'Driscoll is clearly looking for certainly involves all of the
midfield tracking back and being part of the defensive unit - something which
leads me to suggest he'd be one of the least unhappy to see Albert Adomah leave
Ashton Gate, as arguably the most talented player in the side doesn't fit that
particular bill and gives the gaffer a headache he'd probably prefer not to
have.
Whilst some of you will have seen for yourself a little of what Wagstaff can offer, having played 70 minutes of the home friendly against Glasgow Rangers, opposition fan reviews of new
signings are amongst the most popular posts on these pages, so bearing in mind
the low-key nature of 'Waggys' arrival, I thought it best to double up and get
not only a first, but a second opinion.
Dan Webster, who goes by the Twitter moniker of Rambling
Addick and has his own website featuring all things Charlton, "Ramblings of a Football
Fan" is first to offer his views and suggests a slight contradiction
with the above assumption.
"Charlton found
themselves in a bizarre situation at the beginning of the 2012/13 season. After
Chris Powell oversaw a clearout of the playing squad, 22-year old Scott
Wagstaff became the club’s longest serving player.
He was scouted at the age of
eight, represented the club throughout the youth teams, and collected the young
player of the year award in 2008 after Alan Pardew handed him his debut in the
Championship. Most of his appearances were made during the three year period
that Charlton found themselves marooned in League One, and his release came
after a season where he struggled to break into a side whose fortunes
fluctuated, but came good in the final run-in.
Wagstaff is an energetic
right-midfielder, often running for the whole 90 minutes. The effort is
unquestionable, but the lack of opportunities last season reflected the lack of
confidence in his end product. That said, he did score when he made his first
start of the season.
Powell preferred both Lawrie
Wilson and Bradley Pritchard on the right, who were probably more limited
in terms of attacking prowess, but could tuck inside and offer more effective
defensive cover.
A lot would say Wagstaff was
unfairly short of opportunities to show he was a capable player at Championship
level. He’s definitely someone who makes things happen going forward,
with his pace as well as opportunistic positioning in the box, but he needs
(and deserves) a good run of games to give him the confidence to push on.
Hopefully signing for Bristol
City helps him achieve exactly that. A man who deserves success."
Next, Al Gordon returns, a previous
contributor to these pages when he introduced
the Addicks back to the Championship last summer. He offers a similar
viewpoint on Wagstaff, with a gut feel that City have got themselves a decent
player.
I always hoped Scott Wagstaff
would become another Johnny Robinson. Robbo wore his heart on his sleeve,
ran down the wing taking on full backs as he went and crossed a useful ball
into the box. He also chipped in with his fair share of goals from scrappy tap-ins
to thirty yard screamers. The main thing about our Welsh wizard was that he
loved Charlton, was proud to wear the shirt and gave his all every single week.
I suppose in some ways Waggy has fulfilled my expectation.
A lot quieter vocally on the
field than Robinson, his football although similar failed to make quite the
same impact and he moves on having been released by The Addicks when his
contract expired. He has of course ventured West, just like Robinson who left
under similar circumstances and went to your dear friends in the Welsh capital
a decade earlier.
Scott joined Charlton aged
eight and during fifteen years in South London has represented the club at
every level, by far and away our longest servant. He’s witnessed all the lows
as we dropped down the divisions and played his part on the way back up. Bled
into the first team (many believe a little too early) by the dreadful Alan
Pardew, he would develop under Phil Parkinson and then blossom under Chris
Powell becoming a regular in our final two League One seasons.
Last season, our first back in
the Championship, he showed glimpses of what was on offer but a lack of
opportunity and, ultimately, a lack of ability brought the curtain down on his
time at Charlton. There was a three match spell during the last campaign when
Scott returned from a loan spell at Leyton Orient and really gave his all as he
set out to show the boss he was worthy of a gamble.
Heaven knows, the popular
winger had the support of the crowd behind him, you should have seen his face
when he scored against Blackpool at The Valley in January, I’m sure he was
expecting to walk back into the dressing room and be handed a new contract to
sign.
At only twenty three years of
age there is still a lot of good football to come from Waggy, he’s got the
legs, the desire and the will to succeed and will tear into League One defences
with a fury. It may well seem to the uninitiated like a backward step at the
moment but as he progresses as a player he could just have what it takes to
grow hand in hand with a club and still yet become a player of true
Championship quality.
I really hope he not only
succeeds at Bristol City but has a long and prosperous time there. He’s far too
likable and loyal to end up becoming another lower league journeyman."
My sincere thanks to Dan and Al
for the time taken to write up these reviews.
Whether or not Wagstaff becomes
an integral part of the team remains to be seen, but what does seem clear is
that City have signed a solid League One performer who'll work hard for the
team, and hopefully see this as a chance to prove a point.
The Exiled Robin
Follow me on Twitter ---'Like' us on Facebook
http://exiledrobin.blogspot.com
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Only ever saw him once but it is engraved on my memory got the ball inside his own half left 3 players standing as he shot down the touchline seeing no one had kept up with him went into the box and beat the keeper as well now my friend who is an Addick for his sins says that he has stopped attacking the full backs and beating them for speed this he says is the manager who doesn't want him to do that, mind you he also says that he does not look up before hitting crosses into the middle anymore either so there is something there to work on.
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