Swindon Town are set to further bolster midfield options with the signing of Alan McCormack. The 27 year old Irishman has left Charlton Athletic by mutual consent and had his ear bent by a persuasive Paolo Di Canio, convincing the former Southend United player to step down to League Two, at least for one season.

To continue the recent theme of inviting supporters of their former clubs to comment on our new signings, today it’s the turn of Charlton Athletic blog Deepest Darkest with a view on McCormack, revealing why he won’t be missed at The Valley.

Does Alan have any particular strengths or weaknesses in his technical ability or mentality

Nobody could ever doubt his work ethic, and he never stopped running, but in my opinion he was a technically limited player. Occasionally an incisive through pass would be forthcoming, but they were few and far between.

His most glaring weakness though was that he would frequently give the ball away in a dangerous position, immediately putting the defence under pressure.

Alan joined Charlton on a two year contract last summer after being released by Southend. What were your initial expectations of him and why didn’t he make the grade at The Valley?

I had very little expectation of him to be honest. He joined us from Southend who had just been relegated, and to me his signing was indicative of the poor financial position Charlton were in at the start of the 2010/11 season. I could appreciate his work rate, and he does not hide when things get difficult, but the reality is that he did not show sufficient evidence that he could cope in the third division. He just wasn’t good enough.

Was Alan involved in any memorable games during his short stay in south east London?

None that I can think of, although to be fair, Charlton had very few memorable games last season. Even the 5-1 demolition of Peterborough only saw him come on as a substitute after we were 4-1 up.

Is a move into League Two and to Swindon the right move for him?

I genuinely hope he succeeds for Swindon. I believe the fourth division is probably the right level for him on the evidence of last season. I understand from those who have met him that he knows he did not have a good season last time out, so let’s hope he comes out fired up, and ready to prove a point, and that you guys get the benefit of that.

How will Alan be remembered at The Valley?

In all honesty, I doubt he will be remembered.

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This view hardly fills you with confidence, however like us Charlton had an awful season and ultimately Alan suffered as a result.

Perhaps League Two will suit him more and allow Alan to regain lost confidence, as at Southend he proved himself in League One and has 32 Championship games under his belt.

Judging by the options available our midfield has both quality and depth. Given Risser has been handed the captain’s armband, Jonathan Smith’s excellent pre-season form and both Ferry and Timlin with further central midfield experience, McCormack has a lot to do in the next fortnight to secure a starting spot.

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You can follow the Deepest Darkest blog via Twitter @DeepestDarkest1

* Header picture from Skysports.com