Accrington Away

Tomorrow ( or perhaps it was today ) we make the long trip up to Accrington in what, in respect of our play-off hopes, is a must win.

There's much to admire about Accrington from the way it is run by their excellent owner, Andy Holt, to Bumble ( David Lloyd ) one of their famous fans. Their achievements have been quite remarkable.

Stanley have scored 11 goals in their last 4 games with the last two games being 3-3 draws. Clearly they carry a threat up front whilst being prone to conceding a few themselves.

For our part, the Plymouth game aside, we haven't scored as many goals as we would like or perhaps deserve. That allied to our tendency to concede sloppy and/or late goals has been our undoing in numerous games this season.

On Tuesday we were slow to respond and make changes against a Crewe side who acquitted themselves very well. Tomorrow we need to set up better and adjust more rapidly if things aren't going our way.

Whilst I appreciate the success we've had of late with our starting formation I don't believe we oughtn't to change to 4-4-2.

Further to that I can't see a problem with starting with both Aneke and Stockley. I appreciate that they are similar players but I don't think many defences would relish the challenge they offer.

Why Aneke, like Shinnie, hasn't played more is a mystery to me. Chuks has been great this season and  converts a high percentage of chances in addition to offering good hold up play. He is our best striker and needs to start or play a much bigger part

I note that Adkins spoke about Shinnie not playing due to the success of the current squad and competition for places. All well and good if you're winning games buy we've lost and drawn the last two and Shinnie is more than equal to most of our midfield. I find it baffling especially given the two games a week situation and the need ( one assumes ) to rotate the squad.

Hopefully, they will get their chance tomorrow in what promises to be a very tough game. Stanley may be out of the play-off running but they aren't rolling over for anyone as their game against Sunderland on Tuesday demonstrates.

A result similar to that of our last away game would do very nicely but let's be honest any kind of a win will do. It's essential if we are to prolong our season. 

The fixture planner have again given us a final game at home to the potential Champions ( Nice how that happens so often! ) and it would be nice if we had something riding on it!

I don't think it matters this season where you finish as there is no advantage in playing the second leg at home, certainly not for us! Added to that we are quite capable of both beating and losing to any team in this league!

Fingers crossed for the 3 points tomorrow and who cares about the performance.

Come On You Reds!

A Real Test

Games don't come much tougher than tomorrow's trip to the Stadium of Light. However, it's a challenge we should welcome and this season we have tended to play poorly against teams lower in the league.

Sunderland's indifferent start to the season has given way to a long unbeaten run and more solid performances following the arrival of Lee Johnson.

Aiden McGeady has returned to the fold and formed a formidable partnership with Wyke and has provided him with plenty of assists!

We will need to be really solid defensively and also to take whatever chances come our way especially from set pieces.

I suspect that Adkins will want to stick with the starting eleven that secured the 3 points on Good Friday. Certainly it's hard to argue against keeping the same back four in front of Amos. Matthews and Purrington for me remain the best full back pairing and it'd be harsh on Pearce to drop him.

I didn't rate Gilbey last week as much as the manager did and would prefer to see Shinnie in his place.

I'm still puzzled by the omission of our best player, Aneke, week after week. I appreciate what Stockley does, however, it's nothing that Chuks can't do. In addition, I see no reason why the can't play together, something we've rarely seen this season.

Given that we've finally ended trying to play out from the back so much Aneke offers another option from goal kicks.

Stockley has shown what his physicality brings to our team and Aneke offers that too and the pair of them will scare League One defences.

Adkins has had the luxury of more than a week to work with the whole squad ahead of the game. He has one more week ahead of Ipswich before we return to two games a week on the final leg of the season.

The new manager will certainly need to make use of the whole squad in the last few weeks. He will be praying that he won't have to call upon his skills from his previous incarnation as a physio! It's fair to say that we're long overdue some luck with injuries.

A draw tomorrow wouldn't be disastrous in terms of our play-off hopes but a defeat would make it damn sight harder to achieve that goal.

Come On You Reds!

 

  

First Win For Adkins

 A much changed Charlton side took all 3 points in yesterday's early kick off as the new manager put his stamp on the team. 

A new role for Maatsen paid early dividends and the loanee had a stonking game. A constant threat up front and put in a decent defensive shift that Lee Bowyer would have very much approved of.

It took a while for us to settle down but once we did we looked a threat going forward. Sadly, that dissipated in a rather lacklustre second half. However, it mattered little as our final run of games are all about the result.

There were plenty of decent performances notably Inniss, Forster-Caskey, Stockley, Maatsen, Pratley to name a few.

For me our best full back combination is Matthews and Purrington and I was pleased to see them in the back four.

I understand that playing two strikers yesterday wasn't the way perhaps that Adkins wanted to set up. However, I still fail to understand how Aneke can't be starting games. A change of manager hasn't changed that and it remains a mystery to me.

Defensively, one heart-stopping moment aside, we looked quite comfortable. Inniss was immense and his display just served to underline how much he's been missed.

It was good to see that we are not messing around at the back from goal kicks. Kicking out long it so much the safer option.

Early days but the manager seems to have had a positive impact and we'll take 1-0 wins to season's end!

The run in sees us pit our wits against high flying teams. It will be tough but these are the sort of games it seems we're more capable of getting ourselves up for and that is no more typified than in this season.

Sunderland are flying at present with McGeady in superb form and recently delivered a hat-trick of assists for Wyke. He will need to be closely marked.

Let's hope Adkins gets the lads fired up for the challenge.

 

  

New Beginnings

The Adkins era starts in earnest tomorrow as we take on Wimbledon as we return to Plough Lane.

Clearly, one can’t draw any real conclusions from tomorrow’s performance and result. Following the game we have a two week break which will serve Adkins well. It affords him the opportunity to work with players and get across his ideas and style of play.

It is very much another must win game although it won’t be easy of course. This season more than most we have struggled to beat teams in the bottom third of the league.

In addition, the Dons are fighting for League One survival as we enter the final straight so to speak.

For our part in this final few games we really need to have a rich harvest of points especially given the games in hand that those around us have.

When we return to action on Good Friday it will be a truer reflection of our position as the other teams catch up.

A couple of weeks ago we would have totally written off our play-off chances but following more consistent results from us and more inconsistent one from those around us, it remains a possibility.

It will be interesting to see how we set up tomorrow. Adkins may have let Jackson choose the team or at least be swayed by his opinions.

I’d like to see Chuks return to the starting line up in place of Stockley. So often he has to come on when we’re chasing the game. It’s a real waste and we don’t use him to our best advantage.

I’m puzzled as to Purrington’s continued absence. He ought to come straight back into the team.

Millar of late, hasn’t looked the same player that started his spell with us so well. DJ probably deserves a start ahead of him.

Those three changes aside (given Matthews injury) I’d go for how we set up on Tuesday.

Pigott has hit a bit of a goal drought of late but of course it’d be no surprise if he scores against us again tomorrow.

The win is probably more important than it’s manner. It’ll keep us in the play-off hunt. The management team can then focus on work on the training ground, addressing any injuries and start some work on contract negotiations.

The break gives a chance to refresh and re-focus minds on the run in. Our final league fixtures are all tough games but with those sides playing catch up there’s no reason to think we oughtn’t win them.

It would be fantastic if not remarkable, if we ended the season with another Wembley final.

Come On You Reds!

A Missed Opportunity

Nigel Adkins it is then. He was far from the top of my list but he’s here now and deserves a chance and full support. Let’s see how he goes. I’m quite happy to eat humble pie if he proves successful.

All that aside, I do feel we’ve missed an opportunity with Jacko. He has all the credentials and attributes to be a good manager and especially so at this level and at our club.

He’s widely respected at Charlton and beyond and he seemingly has a good relationship with everyone connected with the club.

Jacko’s career has been spent almost entirely at Championship and League One level. It is further reason why I think he’s qualified to do the job.

Some people believe he’s not ready yet. I believe he is and he has more experience than both Bowyer and Nathan Jones, who’ve done ok.

All that aside you never really know until you give someone a go.

It’s clearly good that Jacko’s staying at the club. It would have been criminal to lose him as well as Bowyer. My joy at that is tempered by the fact that he is ambitious and won’t want to be an assistant for too much longer.

It won’t be long before a club comes a calling and he goes. I’m sure we’d all love to see him manage Charlton.

Good luck to Adkins but will we live to regret not giving Johnnie a go now? Time will tell……..

#GiveittoJohnnie!

 If Johnnie gets the gig full time, then on first evidence things aren’t going to be dull!

Aside from starting with Chuks instead of Stockley, I couldn’t fault his starting eleven (assuming Purrington is injured?).

Quite why Aneke isn’t starting games still is a mystery. This is probably the most injury-free season he’s ever had and perversely, maybe the least he’s played!

Anyway, that’s probably being a bit too picky. Following the usual defensive howlers at home, we eventually settled into the game.

All credit to Shinnie for making something out of nothing to pull one back. A great piece of skill to create and score that.

JFC had clearly been listening to Steve Brown as to where to send his free kick. Again,  good technique to score that.

Rovers dominated the opening period and as has been observed, could easily have been 3 or 4 nil up.

Maatsen had no need to make the challenge he did that led to their penalty. He had no real chance to get the ball. The young man needs to learn and at the other end of the pitch too, where a couple of times he hindered Millar’s runs.

Until we see the Rovers second from behind the goal we’ll never truly know why Amos so spectacularly failed to deal with Upson’s shot. As they said on Valley Pass, it must have swerved an awful lot.

Having levelled things up before half-time even the most cynical of Charlton fans would have felt we would go on to win.

So it came to be of course, as we dominated the second period although one did wonder if we would get our reward for it.

Jacko just about got the subs right. Millar was fairly lacklustre and seemingly tiring and DJ immediately introduced more pace and had a pretty good cameo.

Chuks did what you’d expect him to and created havoc against a tiring Rovers defence. I think we can credit him and not the post, for the assist for Washington’s goal.

Connor has a great game and his tireless running and movement caused problems all night for the Gas.

Matches like last night’s aren’t good for my nerves but if this is a taste of what it’ll be like with Jacko in charge, then more please! 

At the end of the game I couldn't help but think of Ketts (Dr Kish) and how he'd have loved that Jacko was in charge and got a result like that. Johnnie was his favourite player and he'd have been proud and chuffed to witness that.

None of us knows Thomas’s thinking and just how prepared he’d be to take a chance on a rookie. I’d like to think that he’d give Johnnie serious consideration.

All managers have to start somewhere. He knows the staff, players, fans, the club and it’s history better than most. He’s spent almost his entire career in the 2^nd and 3^rd tiers.

Jackson is a man manager who can get the best out of players. He was never given to histrionics as a player and captain. He just led by example and quietly inspired others. I'm sure he'd been the same as manager.

Johnnie comes across as unassuming which is a good quality but I hope when he next talks to Thomas he states his credentials and expresses his desire to the job full time.

If I were Thomas I’d at least give him to season’s end. We’ve had a little insight into what we might expect and I’d like to see more!  

The End Of An Era

 Really saddened to see Lee Bowyer leave the club. He can do so with his head held high.

He delivered us promotion and that fantastic day at Wembley and so nearly kept us in the Championship against all the odds. If he hadn’t been betrayed by those who refused to play on after the hiatus for the virus then clearly he would have succeeded in that regard.

Bowyer was almost a broken man at the end of last season. Made of strong stuff he came back at the start of this one and again performed miracles against the backdrop of the ongoing disastrous ownership now allied to a pandemic, great!

Bowyer showed incredible loyalty to us throughout his time as manager. Sadly, not all fans felt they it ought to be reciprocated.

As I’ve said for a while this is no season to judge any manager. How does one prepare for situations like this?

In Lee’s case so many players left after last season, we were under a transfer embargo and then had a salary cap thrown in to boot!

The club’s very existence was under threat too but hey ho, let’s not cut the man too much slack because we got a new owner and the expectation of instant success isn’t too much is it?

I won't forget everything he’s done and wish him well in the future.

As good a prospect as our club is for most managers I don’t expect us to attract the big name managers that some are touting around.

That aside I think we ought to give the job to Johnnie. He has great man management skills aside from a vast amount of experience mostly gained in this league and the one above.

Jackson is an intelligent man who always talks sense. He also loves the club; in fact he lives and breathes it.

Jacko has a great connection with the fans too of course. He’s a man who you’d be proud to have as our manager and is a fantastic role model.

I know some will say he lacks experience but he has been assistant for a long time now. That aside, he has greater experience than Nathan Jones did when he got the Luton job and Nathan's done pretty well.

Give it to Jacko!