'Energy, leadership, character...' Expert insight on what Greg Docherty would bring to Preston North End

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it's haunting Charlton Athletic after deciding to terminate Greg Docherty's contract in the summer.

"A number of Charlton fans have been pining for him in recent weeks," Louis Mendez, Charlton reporter for BBC Radio London, tells The Post.

In fact, since it was announced that Docherty had left the club he was captain of by mutual consent on September 2, Charlton have not won a game, losing four out of nine and conceding 16 goals.

Docherty hadn't played in the opening three wins, but it appears they are feeling his absence now the going is tough.

"With hindsight, definitely," Rick Everitt, who has been writing about Charlton for four decades and covers the club for the News Shopper in SE London, said when asked if Charlton should have kept him.

"I think he would have been in the team now if he had stayed."

Charlton's loss looks like it could soon be Preston North End's gain.

Greg Docherty is training with Preston North End

Graham Alexander has been exploring which free agents are available in the market to bolster his squad amid several injuries, with battling midfielder Docherty being identified as the leading candidate.

The 30-year-old has been training at Euxton this week and has impressed the manager, especially with how he's fitted into the group and his high fitness levels after being without a club for nearly two months.

“He's been a captain. He's been a promotion winner, he's got a voice, he's got experience. He's still got hunger," Alexander said in his press conference this week, and Docherty will continue to train with the squad for a few more days before a final decision is made.

The manager added: “But the way he's competed this week, he looks like a proper competitor as well.

“I think any good player that we can add to the squad is worth it for us. So we'll see how the rest of the week progresses, but we've been really impressed with him so far.”

With Charlton now struggling, just why did they allow their captain, who is so well regarded and loved by fans, to depart?

Charlton reason for releasing Greg Docherty is now backfiring

As Charlton boss Nathan Jones said when Docherty left The Valley: "We want to evolve, we want to improve on every level, and it meant that Doc’s game time was probably going to be more limited."

The Addicks made big additions in midfield in the summer transfer window which, with squads limited to 25, forced Docherty out of contention, only playing in a Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur this season.

"There was no room for him in the 25-man squad," Everitt says. "Which will have been a key consideration, as Jones could hardly have left out his most recent signings."

Yet, Icarus may have flown too close to the sun as Jones' evolution has gone in the opposite direction.

Mendez, who also hosts the Charlton Live Pod, says: "The transformation has failed and now the Addicks look horribly open in the middle of the park.

"It also doesn’t help that the midfielders brought in by Charlton have largely gone missing - metaphorically in Nathaniel Chalaobah’s (injured) and Oliver Skipp’s (underperforming) cases - and literally in Timothy Ouma’s (failed to return from international duty and hasn’t been seen since!)"

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So what player would Preston be getting if they decided to sign Docherty? One that seems to have a lot of the attributes Alexander likes to see.

Mendez says his top qualities are: "His energy, his leadership and his character.

"Docherty’s best performances in a Charlton shirt came in the sort of game where the Addicks would be up against it."

Preston are going to be 'up against it' a lot this season, so he would be well-suited to the current predicament.

"His ability to get about the pitch to hustle and disrupt opposition players seemed endless," Mendez adds, which is exactly what Preston did in their fantastic performance against West Brom.

Docherty's personality and approach to the game comes very highly praised as well.

Everitt says: "Greg is a good character who always works hard on the pitch. He was club captain for two seasons, which tells its own story, especially as there was an obvious alternative in central defender Lloyd Jones.

"It was clear he had the respect of everyone at the club. Fans were sad to see him go, even if they understood why."

Mendez agrees: "He represented the team well as a captain during his time at The Valley - speaking well in media interviews.

“I also admired his character when he needed to react to setbacks. Charlton were in a bit of a rut midway through the season in which they’d eventually win promotion to the Championship, with Docherty dropping in and out of the side.

“But he fought hard to win his place back and ended the campaign lifting silverware at Wembley Stadium."

Preston are in deep trouble, with just five points and a single win after 12 games, but Docherty appears to be a player you want in the trenches.

"Certainly," Mendez said when asked if he is a handy player in a relegation scrap. "[He's] someone who will fight for every ball and help to drag the side through games when needed.

"Addicks fans won’t forget how he battled through injury in the 2-1 win over Hull City as they finally secured their Championship status in the penultimate game of last season."

Everitt adds: "He will give everything to the cause, and he also has that experience from last season, when Charlton found it tough to get over the line."

Greg Docherty's weaknesses as a player

If Alexander could build his perfect player, a lot of Docherty's attributes would be added to the pot. However, as Charlton's decision to move him on with a year remaining on his contract attests, there is weaknesses to his game, especially in possession.

"He’s not the most creative midfielder," Everitt says. "There are question marks about whether he is quite Championship quality."

"He’s not the best with the ball at his feet," Mendez explains. "Charlton sorely lacked an ability to progress the ball through the midfield last season and Docherty was sometimes guilty of losing possession with a poor first touch or a misplaced pass."

Yet, Preston aren't really in the habit of moving the ball through midfield. They had their best xG and highest number of shots yet under Alexander against West Brom, despite having the second lowest amount of possession across his four games, through aggressive pressing and quick transitions.

With Leo Leroy, Alfie Devine, Andy Moran and Brad Potts all capable passers, Docherty's technical shortfalls shouldn't matter too much, whereas his physical and leadership capabilities could be a huge boost.

The biggest question is, would he be a good signing for Preston? Mendez reckons so.

"Yes," he says. "If the side need an injection of energy in the middle of the park, he will be the man to do that and his personal standards with regards to training and hard work should help drive standards across the squad."