Labouring To Victory

Charlton transfer target Samir Carruthers seen here enjoying a  day at the races !

Finally, a win but how awful was that ! There has been some dire football at The Valley this season but that really takes the biscuit !

Forget all the injuries and talk of not bringing anyone in, that we struggled so badly to beat a really poor team in Oldham speaks volumes.

How the Latics would love most of our players. They were best summed up as “ an honest team “ by someone I spoke to at half time. Indeed they were and let’s be honest at the end they deserved something from the game.

I particularly felt for their No.10 who seemingly won every header and played really well. Rather like the Gills No.9 it’d be great to have him in our team. I do wonder if Magennis ever studies what these players do.

That Robinson couldn’t organise our team to do better than this tells you all you need to know about his ability as manager. Yet again he watched and did nothing as Oldham camped in our half during the second period.

How on earth did Marshall stay on ? He was truly awful. How did he keep his place in the side anyway ? Robinson later described him as hard working ! I’d say runs around a bit to no great effect !

Marshall is like another Robinson recruit in Reeves who has also done diddly squat to date. On this evidence perhaps it’s just as well if the manager isn’t allowed to recruit more players !

Again KAG didn’t start and that’s a mystery. Kashi was so deep he almost behind Amos at times. It was so painful to watch at times as Kashi just slowed down the play even more and his passing over a distance of more than @ 10 metres was woeful.

We just sat back in the second half and invited pressure. Robinson acknowledged it after the game ( who told him I wonder !! ) but yet did nothing about it ! Why didn’t he pass on a message or get someone on ( Jackson maybe ) to get them to do things differently.

We were so lucky to get the 3 points we really were.

As for Robinson moaning, well, give me strength. He knew full well what he was getting into coming to us and up to now has been gushing in his praise of the owner and CEO. Crying to the fans now doesn’t cut it I’m afraid.

Chris Powell had to suffer much worse yet he just got on with it. You didn’t see him moaning in public. The manager is well rewarded and if he doesn’t like it he can always walk. He won’t of course because he won’t want to lose out financially and he knows he’ll not get a better job than this.

Surely none of us expected that Roly would be putting his hand in his pocket now ? He didn’t in the past when he had a scintilla of interest in the club so it’s not going to happen now is it ?

It was quite revealing that Robinson referenced his interest in Carruthers. The general feeling is that he would only be coming to us if long term Sheffield United target Holmes was going the other way. A great way to unsettle Holmes who isn’t playing anywhere near his best anyway.

Aside from all that we don’t need Carruthers although at least he won’t be able to distract the lads by taking them off to the races eh !

The remaining January games all look relatively easy but given the way we're playing at present then it’s hard to see us getting much from them. If we are to do so then it’ll take a massive turn around.

In the meantime, tomorrow night we face Oxford in the Check-a-Trade trophy. Realistically this represents our best chance of any success this season. On that basis we might as well put out our strongest available side. 

Quite what Robinson will do remains anyone's guess as always. If have little faith in him managing to sensibly direct the game to a win whatever he team he selects. 

In the meantime we can only sit back and hope this takeover is concluded soon. However, the more January disappears the less likely it is that anything will happen before the summer. A far from ideal scenario.