More Like It!

 A solid performance defensively from the whole team saw The Addicks leave MK with all 3 points.

Of late, only against the Posh have we scored first and unlike that game we went on to win. There was an absence of the basic defensive errors that have seen us gift goals to the opposition.

It was a more disciplined and cohesive display from Charlton who were happy to allow MK the lion’s share of possession whilst limiting them to few clear cut chances.

From the off, and throughout, the boys in red pressed MK not allowing them much time or freedom on the ball. Central to this was Pratley’s marking of Fraser who was so closely attended to that he carried none of the threat he did in the reverse fixture.

Pratley’s tireless performance epitomised that of all Addicks. There were several examples of closing down and notable interceptions with Millar’s defending late on at the far post a superb case in point.

If one had to be critical then one would have to say that we ought to have done better with the excellent chances we created in the first half. As I said in my previous post, in and around the box we need to improve our decision making and to be more clinical.

Millar had a great game and he has certainly given us a greater attacking threat that has been missing since Doughty’s injury. His direct running and crossing is affording us more scoring opportunities.

Another player who added to our attacking capability is Shinnie. How much have we missed him of late? It’s so good to have him back in the side.

Stockley put in a fine all round display that augers well for the remainder of the season.

We now face a run of Saturday games that isn’t affected by midweek fixtures. A full week’s preparation and the chance to field a settled side now presents itself.

That should give rise to us putting a decent run together whilst others in and around us play catch up on their games in hand.

Until the return of Famewo and Inniss I think Gunter and Deji have done enough to retain their central pairing.

I’d like to see Aneke and Schwartz start on Saturday against Portsmouth and for the foreseeable.

Hopefully stability and confidence have returned to the team and we can now start to at least cement a top 6 place if not threaten the top two places.

Here’s hoping!

Time To Kick Start Our Season

Charlton have always liked to do things the hard way. Most of the time that tends to be matters off the pitch. Of late, it has very much been in respect of matters on the pitch.

Back in the autumn, we went on a great run and didn’t concede a goal in 6 consecutive games. Subsequently, we have kept a clean sheet twice in 16 games.

In those games on occasions we have conceded two or more goals. No wonder we’ve only collected 3 points from 4 of those 16 games.

For the most part we have conceded first and then had to battle to try and get something from the matches.

Saturday was no different of course with two individual errors accounting for the first goal and whilst a bit unlucky with a deflection, a failure to track a run helped Swindon with the second.

It’s been a familiar sequence of events that I’m sure has most Addicks pulling out what remains of their hair!

At one time we looked devoid of ideas all over the pitch and after 30 minutes of one game, ( I can’t recall exactly which one now ) so insipid was our performance, that I was close to giving up and closing down the laptop!

Thankfully, the addition of some new recruits, allied to the return from injury of a couple of players, has meant that, of late, we have carried more purpose and threat.

Sadly, as mentioned, those defensive errors remain although we are creating more chances. The only issue outstanding is that we need to take a greater majority of them!

The need to be more clinical is greater than ever if we’re to seriously mount a challenge at the top. Time is running out and an automatic place will prove out of reach if we don’t go on a run soon.

It’s not just our strikers who are to blame for the poor goals to chances ratio. Our midfielders have been guilty of poor finishing or decision making in and around the box.

Often players have shot when they should have passed or vice versa!

The condensed fixture list and sudden postponements haven’t helped and suspensions along with injuries play their part too.

We do seem to have had more than our usual return of red cards. In addition, we’ve seen a few 5 yellow cards suspensions with Watson leading the way early on of course!

On a positive note, things seem to have settled a bit and at just past the halfway mark in terms of games we now pretty much know who should be in our starting eleven.

Bowyer hasn’t always picked the best side or squad and it has cost us a couple of times. However, I’m sure he now has a pretty clear idea of who is going to getting us to the promised land!

After the MK game tonight we will have a break ( Covid permitting ) from the relentless run of Saturday – Tuesday games. This ought to allow the manager to choose a more settled and consistent side as well as having the full week to prepare for each game.

This is the one advantage we will have over other teams in and around us as they play their games in hand. Surely, that will take its toll on them.

The return of Famewo and Inniss will be a real boost to help shore things up at the back as well as carrying an additional threat at corners and set pieces.

The time to start that good run is tomorrow and to do so, we must be more clinical and make better decisions where it really matters!

Come On You Reds!

     

Getting Back On Track

The Addicks will want to put the memory of Friday night to bed asap. The re-arranged game v Rochdale tonight gives them an early opportunity to do just that.

It was an improvement from the performance against Hull but we were secondbest for most of the evening. Quite why the wheels have come off the Charlton bus so spectacularly is probably down to a number of factors.

Firstly, there are the injuries to Innis and Famewo. Neither is a short term one and their absence is a clear reason to lack of clean sheets of late.

Secondly, there has probably been too much rotation within the team. Added to that we have seen players playing out of position. One understands the thinking behind that but the combined effect of it has only served to disrupt the team.

It was a telling stat on Friday that we have made more changes in personnel than any other team.

I’m yet to be convinced that not starting Aneke is a wise move. Yes, he has scored goals off the bench, that’s obvious. However, when he comes on we are invariably chasing the game.

He needs a run in where he is starting games. It was clear on Friday that nothing was sticking up front and up against a physical ( not dirty ) team we had no physical presence ourselves.

The midfield looks unbalanced and is in desperate need of one of Pratley or Watson to play there. My preference is for Pratley as he shades it for me over Watson. However, with one suspended and one injured it’s academic at present.

The handling of some of players is something of a mystery. One or two have been openly criticised and yet when they respond they don’t start the next game. This is particularly true of Maddison and Williams.

Maddison is clearly a player of some talent and he’d start every time for me. He needs a run in the team and poses more of a threat than most. His ability form set pieces and shooting from long range is second to none in our team.

Maddison is clearly a player who needs careful handling and it won’t help when he sees other players starting ahead of have not exactly been pulling up any trees!

Added to all of the above and Bowyer has seemingly not set the team up right a few times now. The disappointment of this is magnified as we’ve had two or three weeks now with no midweek game to interrupt training sessions. A clear run at prepping for the weekend match.

Finally, Bowyer has taken to very publicly criticising the players. On Friday virtually no one escaped unscathed. To go as far as to say he didn’t care about a player being injured wasn’t right. I’m sure it was a heat of the moment thing but I don’t think you can do that.

Lee has played under some great managers who have clearly had a bearing on his approach to management. He ought to take time to reflect on how some of them would have reacted to some of the games of late.

I can’t recall Bobby Robson, for example, exploding too many times post-match. Only once can I think of an occasion; when we beat Newcastle on a Sunday and he was fuming that they were about to go La Manga for a break. Bobby didn’t think they deserved it!

Lee has high standards and has played at the highest level of the game. Sadly, few players at our club will match that ability, however determined or driven they are. It’s fair enough to demand 100% but try as they might, many will not achieve a consistent level of performance.

That’s in no way an attempt to excuse some poor performances that we’ve seen from a few players this season more that Lee needs to adjust his expectations a tad.

Bowyer deserves more time and patience from some of our fans. He’s certainly earned it from his achievements to date and incredible loyalty in the face of adversity. Now he has decent backing from Thomas and we too should mirror that.

We still have a good squad and Bowyer along with Gallen can be trusted to get the right players in to complete the jigsaw. Once that’s done he just needs to be clear and consistent on team selection and how he deals with the players.

It will take time to right the neglect and wrongs of the Duchatelet era. All the pieces are starting to be put into place. Overall, if we end up in a play-off place I think we can consider it a job well one.

To achieve that we need to get back to winning ways and a win tomorrow over Rochdale would be a very welcome step in the right direction.

Come On You Reds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plymouth Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!

 A bit late in the day but an emergency visit to the vet’s for one of cats delayed me not to mention set me back nearly £200! However, I’m pleased to say that she’s not as bad as I feared and hopefully, some medication will put her right.

I wanted to wish all Addicks everywhere a happy and peaceful Christmas! Clearly it’s not how we wanted or expected it to be but we all need to try and make the most of it.

Despite no visitors this year, she who must be obeyed has insisted on the same level of cleaning and tidying as if the additional 6 guests we were to have were still coming!

Oh well, a bit of housework has no doubt helped me to burn a few calories that mean I won’t too bad when I tuck into festive food and drink!

Boxing Day sees Plymouth, Bowyer’s first opposition as manager, arrive in SE7. The same outcome from that game would go down very well.

As much as Chuks has done well coming off the bench we really need to see him start. We oughtn’t to be bringing him on when we need to be chasing games. I firmly believe we could have put a couple of games to bed early on if he had.

Williams needs to play some part and how he had no involvement in the Swindon game is mystery to me. To the same extent Deji should have got on and hopefully he can return to the starting eleven for this game. 

Gilbey hasn’t reached the heights he did prior to injury and doesn’t deserve to start.

Argyle started very well but there results of late have not been good. They aren’t scoring many either and so overall we ought to get a comfortable win. However, as we know they won’t roll over and there are no easy games even overlooking our poor results against struggling teams.

Being a stickler for tradition I shall be watching the game in Christmas jumper and Santa hat!

Best wishes and good luck to everyone for the Range Rover draw.

Merry Christmas to one and all! 

Come On You Reds!

Q&AFC Wimbledon

 Apologies for the title which is a nod to Answer Samsh, the final round of House Of Games.

The Addicks return to action tomorrow having had the luxury of a week off since they last played. Given the recent run of results it was a much needed breather and a chance to take stock of everything. 

This condensed season has no club any favours but that, allied to the factors affecting the start of our season, have probably impacted on our club more than most. 

This is especially true of league one clubs where we are one of only a few that are affected by call ups for international games (the majority of which are totally irrelevant of course). 

The seemingly relentless slog of two of games a week has left little time to work with the team and individual players. As ever, injuries have been a factor and I know all teams get them but we know the majority are never short term ones for us! The new physio will have plenty to get their teeth into. 

Having to play without a recognised centre half for so long has been easy and the knock on effects to the whole team have been clear to see. 

Everyone is frustrated by recent form particularly coming as it does on the back of such a great run of results that naturally raised expectations. 

Obviously, we have had to rotate players but maybe to an extent we’ve rotated too much and I think we’d benefit from a more settled side and starting eleven. 

Hopefully, following the break we will see a team that has been reinvigorated. Watching on the revamped Valley Pass should be more of a pleasure. The whole package looks a much improved offering and I’m pleased to see that Terry and Greg remain in situ. 

I’m sure they will appreciate the additional cameras and the opportunity to look at replays aside from not being cut off mid-sentence! 

Whilst improvements to Valley Pass may not be viewed as a priority, it is an indication of the attention to detail and an indicator of addressing issues under the Sangaard era. 

Last night’s Q&A with our new owner was a great watch. Thomas handled all questions in a professional and passionate manner. His answers clearly demonstrated that he’s a man who is clear on what needs to be done and how to go about it. 

Thomas showed detailed knowledge of all areas of the club and it became obvious that his time invested in it is a tad over 2%! 

It’s often said that running a football club isn’t like any other business. That’s true of course but doesn’t mean that it should be divorced from the more sensible methods of doing so. 

Failure to invest, plan for the future and sustainability would be disastrous (don’t we just know it!). Thankfully, it’s clear from last night that our Danish owner is dealing with the fundamental areas that have been neglected for so long. 

That allied to him being so accessible and open to fans is superb and gives us all cause for optimism. 

Bowyer has called for patience in respect of tomorrow’s game and the same needs to be levelled at the club. Sangaard is putting all the building blocks in place for a bright and promising future. It won’t happen overnight but will surely happen given things that Thomas has done in his short tenure to date. 

On the pitch I hope that Maddison is fit enough to start tomorrow. I feel he can be a massive player for us and have such a massive impact on games. His ability from free kicks and long range shots alone gives him an edge. 

I’d like to see Maatsen and Matthews start too with one of Pratley or Watson in the CDM role. 

Up front I’d go for Aneke and Bogle with Chuks just behind his strike partner. 

Hopefully, Williams will feature at some stage. We lack a bit of creativity and attacking intent and he certainly gives us that. 

Whatever the side that Lee puts out, let’s pray for a return to winning ways tomorrow! 

Come On You Reds !

Over and Out!

 As expected Lee Bowyer rang the changes for the first round FA Cup match v Plymouth. A first start for Maddison with Barker, Levitt, Aneke, Williams, JFC and Maynard-Brewer all returning.

The manager rightly took the opportunity to get some minutes into players like Maddison. It'd be great to have him up to speed and to add to the quality and competition for places. Despite a seemingly good start Marcus failed to impress Bowyer too much with the gaffer demanding more effort from him in his post-match comments.

Maddison was in good company as Bowyer didn't have too much praise for the majority of the team. 

Lee Bowyer clearly isn't too fussed about us progressing in the FA Cup saying that we aren't going to win it. Clearly he's correct and in any other year I might like to see us go for it a bit more. However, as of next week we'll be two games behind and the possibility of further postponements due to the virus we don't need further fixture congestion.

As it is any team progressing to the latter stages of the competition will continue to play in empty stadiums. No doubt The FA will insist on the semis and the final be played at an empty Wembley should the crowd situation no change. An utter nonsense of course.

The Charlton boss is absolutely spot on with his comments re the ludicrous Papa Johns trophy. A meaningless competition that shouldn't be played in the most normal of seasons let alone this one. 

Fans voted with their feet in previous seasons when they could attend and surely only a handful of fans will purchase Valley Pass for this Tuesday's game.

We have a break form league action that allows the injured hopefully get themselves ready the return of the league. It's pretty relentless and we will need all players available.

Hopefully, we can re-arrange one of the Ipswich or Rochdale games for Saturday 28th November.

Not being able to go to games is so frustrating and now we find ourselves with no league game until Saturday 21st November when we travel to play the odious Steve Evans Gillingham. I'm sure Lee will be looking forward to seeing his old mate again! 

 

Through The Wind and The Rain!

The Addicks notched up their third win in a row at Sixfields on Saturday and their fourth clean successive clean sheet. Whilst goals win you games not conceding any goes a long towards it.

Living in Milton Keynes I did toy with the idea of travelling up to watch from the hill but the weather forecast ended such thoughts!

Thus it was settling down on the sofa and watching on Valley Pass. Not being able to see your team playing live is horrible. What pleasure and enjoyment the average Premiership fan and by definition “ armchair fan “ gets is beyond me. At least we get the benefit of the superb commentary team to soften the blow.

The conditions were awful and there were flashbacks to Yeovil away and I think some fans have only just dried out from that!

Seemingly Charlton had already put their clocks back an hour as they never really started playing until the second half.

There was little threat from our boys in the first 45 minutes. The action of note came from the Cobblers who forced a splendid double save from Amos. Charlton’s number one had another excellent game including a lovely kick out to set up our second goal.

The Cobblers set up to be difficult to break down and allied that to persistent and niggly fouls.

Half time saw the introduction of Darren Pratley from the bench as he replaced the largely ineffective Levitt. The United loanee has room for improvement and has yet to adjust to life in league one.

Pratley lifted the whole team and despite playing into the strong wind we looked infinitely better.

When we did take the lead it was Pratley who managed to lash home Inniss’s header from a JFC corner.

Charlton should have doubled the lead when that man Inniss nodded another ball back towards goal and Smyth. Shades of “ Smyth must score “ sadly with the same outcome, he didn’t!

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long for the second. The impressive Amos caught well under pressure and quickly released Doughty with a lovely flat kick out of his hands. Young Alfie knew what it was all about as he opted to run with the ball rather than dribble. 

His positive first touch afforded him the time and space ultimately to get to the bye-line and deliver a menacing cross the was turned into his own net by a Northampton player.

We saw out the rest of the game with relatively little trouble aside from an injury to Doughty that is hopefully a minor one.

Not a great game but another clean sheet, another 3 points and a game when Ben Watson didn’t get a yellow card ( yes I know he didn't set foot on the pitch ) ! What’s not to like!