Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lightning Strikes Twice in Same Place Shock Horror!
Charlton Athletic 2 Cardiff City 2It is just so frustrating when exactly the same thing happens twice, especially when you would hope to learn from previous experiences…Such, Charlton threw away another two-goal home game lead, conceding the equaliser in injury time once more. Hence the boo’s as the team left the pitch. It’s not that we played badly, but the frustration of fans certainly boiled over at that point, especially as you could see that it would happen from the sidelines, and yet the management failed to do anything to prevent it.
Going into the game with the same team that started on Saturday, Charlton started the game under quite intense pressure from Cardiff. As suggested, they were the team that needed the result, and who apparently wanted to win more. Always first to the ball, Cardiff closed down the Addicks midfield, and simply gave Zheng Zhi, Therry Racon, and Jonjo Shelvey no time on the ball. The wide players also found it hard to get involved, and Cardiff had plenty of possession in that opening twenty minutes. Then Charlton, bouyed in the knowledge that they had defended the high balls up to ex-Addick Jay Bothroyd well, and dealt with the second balls bouncing around too, started to find more space. Racon started to get his pass off; ZiZi had time to look up; Shelvey made runs and was given the ball; and Lloyd Sam finally got some service and weaved his way down the line a few times.
This better play actually paid off, too! Sam’s long cross getting to the far post where Shelvey (left, celebrating) stole in and poked home just after the half hour mark. It was Charlton’s first real effort on goal, and made Rob Elliott’s two first half saves – one from a Chopra break and good shot before Charlton scored, and another from Ledley which he turned onto the bar to keep Charlton in front – all the more important.At half-time, you knew that Cardiff would up their game, and it was always going to be a case of if Charlton could hang on. To their credit, Charlton continued to play quite well as the second half progressed; the visitors continued to bombard the Charlton box with high balls, hoping to seize on any knock-downs. Any Addicks attacks became less frequent, as Shelvey dropped deeper in an effort to find the ball, and Deon Burton became over-powered by the Cardiff centre backs. Bothroyd did get the ball in the net, but the linesman correctly flagged for a high boot, which had deflected the ball past Elliott initially.
Tresor Kandol, now well again after illness ruled him out on Saturday, came on for the tiring Burton to see if he could hold the ball any better. He did OK, but generally struggled to hold the ball long enough for team-mates to arrive, such was the depths to which Charlton had retreated.
With ten minutes remaining, Charlton did get some relief, and a rare corner was won on the left. Shelvey, who by now was playing on the right with ZiZi pushed farther forward after Matt Spring had come on for Sam, swung the ball over, and the weak clearance fell between two Cardiff players for Nicky Bailey to smash home on the half volley (top pic, and left).Two nil, and under ten minutes left – surely Charlton could hang on now? Almost immediately, Burke broke free from midfield and hit a rasping drive into the corner of Eliott’s net to bring the scores closer. Now it was nail-biting time. Cardiff threw everything forward, sacrificing a centre back, and lumping it up as quickly as they could. They were helped by the concession of many free kicks as desperate red shirted players sought to stop the surging forward runs of the visitors – ZiZi, Danny Butterfield, and Bailey all received cautions – which merely increased the pressure on the home defence.
It did seem that the team had no idea how to relief the pressure that would eventually tell; should a second forward be introduced so that Charlton’s attacks bore more threat and took more time, or should Parky bring on another defence minded player, and hope to ride out the siege?
Matt Holland came on, and that was the end of any attacking Charlton might do for the day; it was now backs to the wall and hope to survive.
Three minutes of injury time were indicated, and deep into that added period, another corner was conceded, and this one was flicked on to the back post. Whereas Charlton had dealt with second ball fairly well most of the match, this time, Hungarian centre half Gyepes was allowed to control and turn – less than eight yards from goal! – and fire into the corner past Elliott. It was heart wrenching.
With a minute still to go, Cardiff settled for a point, surprisingly, and another centre back came on to balance the team once more. Then came the final whistle, and the boo’s.
Just a thought on the Cardiff support (about 1600 or so), or vocal lack of - why do some visiting teams so abjectly fail to sing for their own team and only try to rile the home fans? The Blues supporters did not once sing for Cardiff, but only told Addicks fans what they already know - we are gong down; we aren't very good; and our stadium is too big for us... The only light relief from this was when a call for the cleaner went out twice and this was followed by "Where's the cleaner gone" and "You're getting sacked in the morning"...Sad.
Charlton actually played quite well for periods in this game, and the midfield certainly made their mark and showed yet another side with Premiership ambitions how ordinary they could be made to look. If only some pressure could have been relieved then maybe the Addicks defence could have survived? This is an area that has hurt Charlton all season (Burnley, Derby, Blackpool, and now Cardiff to name but four…) and the number of points squandered in the last few minutes of matches is scandalous. The coaching staff must look at themselves to blame for this continuing problem, even though six games without defeat is pretty good.
Two more matches to go, and still Charlton’s search for a winning style goes on.
Charlton actually played quite well for periods in this game, and the midfield certainly made their mark and showed yet another side with Premiership ambitions how ordinary they could be made to look. If only some pressure could have been relieved then maybe the Addicks defence could have survived? This is an area that has hurt Charlton all season (Burnley, Derby, Blackpool, and now Cardiff to name but four…) and the number of points squandered in the last few minutes of matches is scandalous. The coaching staff must look at themselves to blame for this continuing problem, even though six games without defeat is pretty good.Two more matches to go, and still Charlton’s search for a winning style goes on.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
After the Lord Mayor's Show
Now that the season is over, from a positional sense anyway, Charlton can at least relax a little, and put their minds to performing in these last three matches to the best of their ability. Whether that brings any results, or even an improvement in performance, we shall have to wait and see.The last gasp equaliser on Saturday that confirmed relegation, and finishing bottom of the Championship, will have hurt, but it merely confirmed what we the fans, plus the players and management, have known for weeks – we have not been good enough over the last eight months. Therefore, those players who have played significant parts in a season of under-performing will do well to up their game a little if they wish to be part of the Addicks attempt to bounce back next season or, more likely for a few, if they wish to play at Championship level or above for other teams. What football club manager is going to buy a player who has failed miserably at a certain level and play him in his own team at that same level? And don’t forget, we have been paying pretty decent salaries to those failures too! They may not be so lucky in their next employ…
Phil Parkinson has the job of finishing the season off at The Valley, and his tenure does look like it will see him looking to the future, even if he is not in charge for much longer. Various reviews are planned, and with that of the playing staff has to be one of the management team; Richard Murray said at the Club’s AGM that Parky’s career in management will be judged by his efforts in the second half of this season, and that may well be the case. He may stay on, or he may be asked to leave, or he may even feel that he should go for his own benefit – we shall see.
What is clear is that Parky is doing what he should with respect to bringing on Charlton's younger players who may have important roles to play at the club next season and beyond; it was great to see Tamer Tuna make his debut on Saturday, even if he didn’t have much chance to shine while on the pitch. Tonight, I expect it to be another youngster – Chris Solly – who gets the first team shirt, and if it isn’t as a starter, then he must be given enough game time for it to count.
Rob Elliott should carry on in goal – as the only Charlton custodian to have a contract for next season, other options are limited. What would be the point of playing either Nicky Weaver (who will not be offered a new contract) or Darren Randolph (who will be) ahead of the club’s undoubted number one ‘keeper?
With Solly brought in at right back (in place of loanee Darren Butterfield), the rest of the defence is likely to remain the same as has become usual – Mark Hudson and Darren Ward in the centre, with Kelly Youga at left back. I suppose there is a chance that Grant Basey (or even new professional Jack Clark?) will be given a run out in place of Youga, but somehow I doubt it.
The midfield has a very settled look about it, which is to the detriment of Matthew Spring; Spring has been on the matchday squad edge ever since making way for Zheng Zhi, and could have got a run out from the subs bench on Saturday, but didn’t. If he is to start tonight, it could be in place of ZiZi (whose awful pass started the rot on Saturday), or Therry Racon, but I do think that he may just have to wait for his chance once more. With limited options on the wings, Lloyd Sam should continue his improved form, and Nicky Bailey will put in another performance from a wider position than he would like.
That leaves the attacking options, which is possibly where Parky will need to use his skills in order to get the right personnel on the pitch. Tresor Kandol is usually the preferred pick, but he was ill on Saturday, and Deon Burton, starting in his place, scored his first for Charlton from open play. Chris Dickson, meanwhile, was not even on the bench, with Tuna preferred. Does Parky bring back Kandol, and if he does, who drops off the subs bench for Burton? If Scott Wagstaff isn’t a sub, then wide options (should Sam have one of his less impressive games…) are very limited, as Darren Ambrose is injured. Jonjo Shelvey is certain to start alongside, or just behind, whoever plays, so this will be an interesting pick.
Here’s my guess at the starting eleven and subs that Parky will pick –
Rob Elliott
Chris Solly
Mark Hudson
Darren Ward
Kelly Youga
Therry Racon
Zheng Zhi
Nicky Bailey
Lloyd Sam
Jonjo Shelvey
Tresor Kandol
Subs from Randolph, Weaver, Butterfield, Holland, Moutaouakil, Basey, Spring, Wagstaff, Tuna, Dickson, Burton, Todorov.
Cardiff come to The Valley with everything still to play for; it is very unlikely that they can now gain automatic promotion to the Premiership, unless Preston stuff Birmingham on Saturday and the Brummies bottle it on Sunday week, but a win tonight, and maybe even a draw, will confirm that they are play-off bound. They also have a matter of bouncing back after suffering a complete thrashing at Preston on Saturday – 6-0! They are normally a decent, solid, outfit, so that result was a bit of a surprise, and I’m sure any defensive frailties will be dealt with quickly. They have dangerous forwards – Chopra, Johnson, Ledley, McCormack, and ex-Addick Jay Bothroyd - but injury concerns in defence. They are also set for changes after Saturday’s result it seems?
Pedro45 wants Charlton to finish the season strongly, but I do feel that Cardiff may want and need the result more than the Addicks tonight; I therefore predict a 2-0 defeat. I hope I’m wrong, and that the Welshman play as if they think just turning up will be enough to get a result (as they did on Saturday apparently).
My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Nicky Bailey. Playing wide on the left obviously doesn’t suit combative Bailey, but he is playing for his team and doing what is asked. He is doing OK, and has the ability to beat the full back and get crosses in; with more bodies now making it into the penalty area when the ball arrives, Bailey’s delivery is a key element to Charlton’s scoring efforts now. He also hasn’t lost his own goal-scoring knack, and with buckets more goals than the next highest Addicks scorer this season, another couple in the remaining three games would be nice!Come on you Reds!
Labels: Cardiff, Charlton, Nicky Bailey
Friday, February 06, 2009
Brrrrrr....
I suppose that it is some relief that Charlton's weekend game against Cardiff has been postponed due to the state of The Valley pitch, according to Andy D’Urso. One of the Premiership’s least liked referee’s (especially by Roy Keane) deemed the surface unplayable this lunchtime, while all around, the snow was melting. He seemed unduly worried about the melting snow freezing tonight in the forecast sub-zero temperatures. If this cancellation has anything to do with the weather in South Wales, or conditions on the motorways between the Severn River and South London, I will be appalled, as Charlton were made to do the opposite journey on Monday in very similar weather conditions. This could be another case of the “gods” conspiring against the Addicks…
However, bearing in mind the current injury situation – with Mark Hudson still doubtful, Zheng Zhi only just returning to training, and Jose Semedo still a month away from playing again at least – this postponement is no bad thing for the club. I think an effort will be made to have the game re-scheduled within three weeks (which was always the line with Premiership matches that were called off…), but it is not always so easy to fit games in during that period in the Championship, especially as Cardiff are still in the FA Cup (after their 4th round replay was postponed in midweek versus Arsenal). Suffice to say that Charlton will probably be keen to put the game back to as late in the season as they can in an effort to play the match when they have some decent form (if that is ever going to be possible again?)… The club are saying that the game will be fitted in later in the season, but no specific dates have yet been mentioned.
With this game being called off, Charlton have to wait until next Saturday for a match (provided that the snow and ice has disappeared by then…), and that is the very winnable (fingers crossed) one against an average Plymouth Argyle team that was nearly beaten at Home Park earlier in the season.
However, bearing in mind the current injury situation – with Mark Hudson still doubtful, Zheng Zhi only just returning to training, and Jose Semedo still a month away from playing again at least – this postponement is no bad thing for the club. I think an effort will be made to have the game re-scheduled within three weeks (which was always the line with Premiership matches that were called off…), but it is not always so easy to fit games in during that period in the Championship, especially as Cardiff are still in the FA Cup (after their 4th round replay was postponed in midweek versus Arsenal). Suffice to say that Charlton will probably be keen to put the game back to as late in the season as they can in an effort to play the match when they have some decent form (if that is ever going to be possible again?)… The club are saying that the game will be fitted in later in the season, but no specific dates have yet been mentioned.
With this game being called off, Charlton have to wait until next Saturday for a match (provided that the snow and ice has disappeared by then…), and that is the very winnable (fingers crossed) one against an average Plymouth Argyle team that was nearly beaten at Home Park earlier in the season.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Same Old Same Old…
Cardiff City 2 Charlton Athletic 0Potential new investment or not, this was the same Charlton picked by the same manager getting the same sort of result.
I don’t actually think we should take much stock from the fact that two Addicks defenders were sent off – we were losing with eleven men, ten men, and nine men. However many were on the pitch in red shirts, they tried hard, and did create chances; Hameur Bouazza seemed to come closest to scoring on a number of occasions, although sometimes he apparently chose to shoot when he had better placed colleagues…Matt Holland also shot just wide early on and Luke Varney also went close right at the end.
Pardew started the game with two changes from the Ipswich game – as expected, Holland came in for the injured Zheng Zhi, and Andy Gray also played up front swapping places with Todorov in a 4-4-2 formation. It was all Charlton in the first fifteen minutes, but then Cardiff scored from almost their first attack – typical Charlton! Weaver couldn’t hold a shot and the rebound was netted by McCormack.
From then, Addicks heads dropped and it was a relief to get to half time just one behind. Pards made a switch in defence at the interval bringing on Semedo (top pic) for Crainie (just as he had done in the last match), but this time, the effect was entirely different. Just five minutes into the second period, our Portugueser pulled back ex-Addick Jay Bothroyd and although the linesman appeared to signal a penalty, the ref gave a foul on the edge of the box, and chose to send Jose for an early bath. To compound the misery, McCormack scored his second of the match from the free kick, firing low through the wall.
Not much later, sipper Mark Hudson (left) was booked for a foul, then almost immediately booked again, once more Bothroyd the victim. Down to 9 men, it was desperate stuff as Pardew juggled his players to find someone who could defend. Andy Gray played at the back for a few minutes, a position he hasn’t found himself in for quite a few years, and then Grant Basey came on to relieve him. Lloyd Sam also came on right at the end for Ambrose. Cardiff cruised.
I suppose that with two players sent off, it is no surprise that we lost this match; you certainly feel sorry for Weaver, Bailey, Holland, and Varney who seem to play their hearts out in every match only to be let down by others. The worry now is the effect that the suspensions have on Tuesday nights home game against Bristol City. If Crainie is injured, Basey and Moutaouakil will almost certainly start (they may even if Crainie is fit!), and Kelly Youga looks like he’ll finally get another game in the middle of defence alongside Primus.
There is no way that the potential takeover by Zabeel will have effected today’s score, but the sooner it is completed (provided you don’t believe The Sun who think that it is better to pay £200m for a team low in the Premiership) the better for all concerned.
Join the revolution!
Pardew started the game with two changes from the Ipswich game – as expected, Holland came in for the injured Zheng Zhi, and Andy Gray also played up front swapping places with Todorov in a 4-4-2 formation. It was all Charlton in the first fifteen minutes, but then Cardiff scored from almost their first attack – typical Charlton! Weaver couldn’t hold a shot and the rebound was netted by McCormack.
From then, Addicks heads dropped and it was a relief to get to half time just one behind. Pards made a switch in defence at the interval bringing on Semedo (top pic) for Crainie (just as he had done in the last match), but this time, the effect was entirely different. Just five minutes into the second period, our Portugueser pulled back ex-Addick Jay Bothroyd and although the linesman appeared to signal a penalty, the ref gave a foul on the edge of the box, and chose to send Jose for an early bath. To compound the misery, McCormack scored his second of the match from the free kick, firing low through the wall.
Not much later, sipper Mark Hudson (left) was booked for a foul, then almost immediately booked again, once more Bothroyd the victim. Down to 9 men, it was desperate stuff as Pardew juggled his players to find someone who could defend. Andy Gray played at the back for a few minutes, a position he hasn’t found himself in for quite a few years, and then Grant Basey came on to relieve him. Lloyd Sam also came on right at the end for Ambrose. Cardiff cruised.I suppose that with two players sent off, it is no surprise that we lost this match; you certainly feel sorry for Weaver, Bailey, Holland, and Varney who seem to play their hearts out in every match only to be let down by others. The worry now is the effect that the suspensions have on Tuesday nights home game against Bristol City. If Crainie is injured, Basey and Moutaouakil will almost certainly start (they may even if Crainie is fit!), and Kelly Youga looks like he’ll finally get another game in the middle of defence alongside Primus.
There is no way that the potential takeover by Zabeel will have effected today’s score, but the sooner it is completed (provided you don’t believe The Sun who think that it is better to pay £200m for a team low in the Premiership) the better for all concerned.
Join the revolution!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Back to The Future!
We are very excited, but no, it still isn’t definite; due diligence does take time. We fans (and shareholders) must be patient. But it’s really difficult in the "I want it and I want it now" life most of us live...but that’s the way of the City (not Citeh!).It’s also funny that, as I own quite a few shares, I inwardly feel that I am about to become a millionaire, but actually that isn’t the case. Maybe it is just the excitement of a major financial injection to the club I love; I equal Charlton to a lot of my friends, and therefore what happens to Charlton (good or bad) happens and affects my life deeply too. But I’m not the only one - it probably means just as much to you too?
Anyway, Charlton have over 63 million shares in issue, plus a £15m bond issue that forms most of the company debt. If Zabeel Investments do offer around £50m for the club - lock, stock, and JonJo Shelvey - then the shares will be bought with around £35m of the offer sum; that works out at about 55p a share. OK, the printed share value is 50p each, and the sales price when last quoted on the stock market was between 22 and 28p a share I seem to remember, so it’s not surprising that the major shareholders on the board are willing to recommend acceptance of the offer. I must admit if the offer is anywhere near 50p a share, then I will wholehearted support the acceptance (I do anyway...) and will probably sell most of my holding. I say most of because it would be nice to keep hold of a few shares; maybe one, or 10, or 100? Just for old-times sake; just to say I’m still a shareholder... you know.
After what most of us thought would be a couple of quiet weeks during the international break, our minds can at last return, mainly, to the football. Forget Zabeel; forget Dubai. We have to concentrate on Ninian Park and Cardiff on Saturday!
So what can we expect? Well, a tough game on paper. Last year we may have completed a double over the Welsh team, but this year they are a much tougher side, and haven’t lost many times so far this season. Dave Jones is doing a decent job, but they aren't really setting the world on fire, even though they sit two points and a lot of places better off than the Addicks.
Alan Pardew (and who knows what he is thinking at the moment?) will have a few options to consider, mainly in formation and also filling the midfield. He does also know that a win takes us above them and onto the fringe of the play off places.
His goalkeeper will be Nicky Weaver, and also certain to play (barring injury) are Luke Varney, plus Mark Hudson, Linvoy Primus, and Matt Holland. But that’s about it - nobody else is certain!
At the back, Jose Semedo’s explosive performance in the last match may be enough to oust Martin Crainie at right back; Crainie failed to make it onto the pitch during either England Under-21 game recently, so he may be either slightly crocked or well rested. Similarly, Kelly Youga was far from inspiring against Ipswich and Grant Basey, who sat on the opposite bench to Crainie in those two U-21 matches, is also pushing for a place. Of course, the other alternative is for Semedo to play at left back...?
Who will play alongside Matt Holland in midfield now? Holland himself would not have been a shoe-in (he was only sub versus Ipswich) but he must be considered thus now, as Nicky Bailey lasted just ten minutes in the last match due to a hamstring strain, and he is not sure to have recovered, while Zheng Zhi has had a foot operation and is out for at least two months. With Josh Wright still out on loan, and JonJo Shelvey only available for this game before he jets off to play for England’s Under 17’s, options suddenly got thinner. This may mean that both Lloyd Sam and Hameur Bouazza get to start, or maybe Varney will be asked to play wide (while we are level at least) with Andy Gray leading the line? There is then the option of playing Darren Ambrose in the “hole” to support Gray (or Varney) or out wide. Or we could go 4-1-2-2-1 (my choice)!?! The variables are quite immense for a team that could be considered settled just a few weeks ago.
This is my guess at who the tinker-man will start with in Welsh Wales on Saturday –
Nicky Weaver
Martin Crainie
Mark Hudson
Linvoy Primus
Kelly Youga
Jose Semedo
Matt Holland
Nicky Bailey
Darren Ambrose
Hameur Bouazza
Luke Varney
Subs from Elliott, Moutaouakil, Basey, Shelvey, Sam, Gray, Todorov, Dickson.
At least Cardiff will also be short of their best player, as Joe Ledley is injured, and this year we don’t have to worry about JFH...just Jay Bothroyd instead!
Pedro45 is not too confident I have to admit about this game; too many minds may have been focussed elsewhere in the last week, and I think we may well slip to a 2-0 defeat. Basically, until we are bought, until we do have funds available, until we do buy some better players, we are still the same team, managed by the same guy, and therefore still susceptible to the same sort of indifferent results; Ipswich may have been a win, but did we turn many corners? We will see...
My one-to-watch in this match should be the English guys in the directors box; I guess if they are smiling then we might be too in the near future, but realistically it will be Luke Varney. We all know that Varney works his socks off in every game – you cannot fault his effort or heart. What we would really like to see though is more goals from him, especially when he is leading the line rather than running the channels or working out wide. He is capable of delivering – we have seen that in spurts over the last 15 months; what we want though is consistency, deadly finishing, and that great celebration slide more often. Come on Luke – you are good enough; believe your own press!This match is the first of four games in eleven days for the Addicks. While the result from this one match may not have a bearing on how Charlton fare come next May, the combined points tally from the four fixtures may well do...If we can get between seven and ten points from these games, we will be well placed to march on and rise higher up the table if and when funds become available in the transfer window. We just need to make sure that the players want to get us there.
Oh, and just so everyone knows, Second Division and Proud does not recognise this weekends game as it concerns Charlton and a non-English club; you will see his league table shows the old fashioned 22 clubs, and none of the results reflect games against the Swans or Bluebirds. I’m not sure how he will explain Charlton not getting into the play off should we finish at least eighth but behind them two...we'll just have to do better than that then!
Up the Addicks!
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Labels: Cardiff, Charlton, Luke Varney
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Cool for CATS!
Cardiff City 0 Charlton Athletic 2While I was enjoying myself watching Squeeze in Hammersmith last night, Charlton were helping themselves to a fourth consecutive away win in the Championship, easily beating Cardiff at Ninian Park.
I was kept up to date with the score by my wife and a friend and I was tempted to shout out and let Mr Tillbrook know how his local team were doing, but I’m sure he had his own text alerts coming through loud and clear as he sang away on stage.
“0-1 Holland 34 mins” was the first piece of good news I had – Matty volleying in after a corner was cleared to him on the edge of the box. Later “0-2 Reid (Pen) 79” - after Ambrose was upended in the box and Cap’n Reidy stroked home the spot kick - suggested that all three points were homeward bound to SE7 and the Charlton Athletic Travelling Supporters (CATS) would be happy.
A fine win it seems and the switch back to 4-5-1 seems to have worked well with Ambrose and Sam out wide supporting Iwelumo.
The win gives Charlton 34 points, meaning that we only need another 16 points (from 26 games) to be theoretically safe from relegation.
Now if Pards can get the formation and personnel right on Saturday, the Valley fans will be as happy as most of those who sang along with Squeeze at the Apollo last night.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover…
A cheerful start to a preview that doesn’t really know where to go; such is the apathy that consecutive home defeats have brought on. I’m not goingt to the game, and I won’t even be listening on the radio, as I’m going to watch Squeeze at Hammersmith instead. If we had won recently, I may have turned down the chance of a spare ticket, but it might be too painful, and I haven’t seen Squeeze play live for 20 years or more.It wasn’t just the fact that Charlton lost; it was more how we lost that peeved me last week. The heart seemed to be ripped out of the team by more committed, intelligent opposition, and that should just not be the case when playing Charlton.
Tonight, we have the chance of redemption once more. Saturday should and maybe could have seen the Addicks back on track, but it didn’t. Cardiff away looked a lot harder on paper at the start of the season than it does now, but it may still prove to be too much for us.
So what should Alan Pardew do? The first thing he should do is ignore all those who are starting to question his management; a few weeks ago, he was iconic. Now he is lambasted. It’s the expectation you see…
Next, he really needs to make up his mind quickly about his best eleven. We can probably see who the best players are, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they make up the best team. I think a switch back to 4-5-1 is imperative tonight (as is 4-4-2 at home!), with two wide players supporting Iwelumo, and a midfield solidity.
Nicky Weaver may have been unwell on Saturday morning, but I bet he felt sicker later that day. He really hasn’t been tested much shot-wise recently, yet has conceded six times. As another blogger so rightly said, the goals were from two penalties, three free kicks, and a break-away. Sadly, Andy Reid’s volley was our only reply. There really isn’t a case for dropping Weaver, as he hasn’t made any mistakes recently, bar having an AWOL defence in front of him!
That missing defence is where we could see change, but how should Pards look at events? Sodje played poorly on Saturday, but he hasn’t made the errors that Bougherra did previously. Maybe it’s time for Sodje and Bougherra to be given a go together, as the other options of keeping Fortune plus one have been exhausted. Mills or Moutaouakil? Danny every time for me, but then I didn’t see much of our French full back early in the season, and if Mills continues to be stupid (giving away needless penalties and arguing with officials which will inevitably lead to a red card) then maybe he should be rested? What is it about left backs and injuries? Gibbs, Thatcher, Powell, Basey – who hates you? Chrissy is now back in possession of the shirt, but we know he doesn’t handle many games in a week well at his age (38), and hopefully he will be OK for tonight and Saturday. If not, maybe Mills will be switched across.
The midfield also needs shaking up - there is simply too much standing still waiting for the ball. They need to be confident in possession, and pass and move for team-mates. Semedo was unlucky to be left out on Saturday, but maybe could have done with the rest, and I would bring him back tonight. Matt Holland played well, so I would keep him in, but both Zheng Zhi and Andy Reid look exhausted. I would rest one, but which one? Pards loves ZiZi, but Reidy is the captain. Tough call…
That leaves three places left, or two if you concede that Chris Iwelumo is a must have option up front. If they are fit, I would play both Lloyd Sam and Jerome Thomas. However, I am not sure Pards will do that and I think Darren Ambrose will start, alongside Luke Varney, with Varney being asked to play wide right, with Ambie on the left. This at least leaves options for a switch to 4-4-2 at any time without making substitutions.
This is the side I expect Pards to start with –
Nicky Weaver
Danny Mills
Chris Powell
Sam Sodje
Jonathan Fortune
Jose Semedo
Matt Holland
Andy Reid
Darren Ambrose
Luke Varney
Chris Iwelumo
Subs from Randolph, Moutaouakil, Bougherra, Racon, Zheng, Sam, Thomas, McLeod.
Being so inconsistent – three defeats, followed by four wins, followed by two defeats – is unbearable. Pardew must feel the same way! Knowing that two home victories would have seen Charlton sit proudly on top of the league must be galling to him. As it is, we are still only five points behind the joint leaders and well placed with a squad that should be able to compete until May.
My one-to-watch tonight is going to be Matt Holland. Matty is the team skipper really, even though Reidy has the armband. He needs to show that big level of commitment that we are used to and push this young team onwards; he is quite capable of doing that and we know he will run and run.
Pedro45’s body may be in Hammersmith, but his mind will be in Cardiff up until 9.30 or so. I really hope that a result can be gained, and I’m plumping for a 1-1 draw. At least a single point will end our run of defeats at two, and allow the team to feel something has been won. It will be tough, as Cardiff have been on a good run since Charlton beat them a few weeks back (gosh that seems like a long time ago). They may also be without their “superstars” Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, which may help.
I’m tempted to run into a paragraph of Squeeze song titles, telling how difficult tonight may be, but will not apart from to say that I hope we are not “Up the Junction” at the end of the game.
Up the Addicks.
Labels: Cardiff, Charlton, Matt Holland
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Wham, Bam, thank you Sam!
Charlton Athletic 3 Cardiff City 0Three more points for Charlton in a good win over an average Cardiff team, and a good week incorporating three wins and three clean sheets.
Two goals in first half injury time - from Sam Sodje and Chris Iwelumo - set up the victory, and a third from Zheng Zhi ten minutes from time made sure the points were homeward bound.
As expected, Jose Semedo came back into the side after suspension in place of Therry Racon, and Alan Pardew opted to try the 4-5-1 line up at home.
The first chance fell to Iwelumo very early on, but he just failed to convert a Reid cross. As the game settled, Cardiff created a number of opportunities but failed to get much on target. Hasselbaink drew a save out of Weaver following a free kick routine, and other chances went wide, mainly after some horrific defending from the Addicks. On several occasions, routine clearances were either missed, or failed to clear the penalty area, and Charlton could have easily been behind at this stage. In addition, one penalty shout was turned down by the otherwise excellent referee, where if the teams had been reversed, all mayhem would have ensued so blatant did it look.
Alan Pardew changed the formation midway through the half, switching ZiZi up front to play almost alongside Iwelumo. This opened the game up more and gave Andy Reid more time and space to work his magic. Mills and Basey got forward at every opportunity, but most shots seemed to go high and or wide. ZiZi did have the ball in the net following a great move down the left, but the goal was disallowed for pushing by big Chris.
At two nil up, Charlton went in much the happier team, although I did feel a little sorry for the away side (but not too much!), as they could have been in front with luck on their side.
Iwelumo then missed a right foot volley after being set up by Reid very early in the second half, and Charlton settled back into a counter attack formation, and soaked up the pressure. Hasselbaink headed wide, but little else troubled Weaver.
It was really a case of if Charlton's defence would hold, or we would would see a return to the silly season that categorised the August games, and then if the Addicks wanted to build on the win and score more goals. Ambrose came on for the hard working Lloyd Sam, and soon after a free kick on the left proved the undoing of Cardiff once more.
From my one-off seat in the upper north (I swapped with a friend so he could bring his boy; picture taken well before kick off), it was a great opportunity to see if the free kick ploy whinged about by opposition managers really was used, and if it worked; and the answer is yes! Basically, the player you see who stands in a blatant offside position prior to the free kick being taken (in this case, Jerome Thomas) has a very important job to do - he blocks off the marker of the intended target.As Reiddy whipped the ball in, Thomas retreated and gave the nearest nudge to the defender (travelling in the opposite direction) just in front of ZiZi, allowing the ball to get to him to head home. It could be very difficult for a referee to give a foul, as the contact was minimal, but it certainly prevented the defender from getting clear run, and allowed Charlton to score the third. Thomas timed his retreat perfectly, and at no stage was looking at the ball, just the defender he needed to "take out".
One up for Pards on this, as I'd never noticed it before I had a great view ten minutes from the end yesterday!
ZiZi does seem to love scoring at this end of the Valley, and he celebrated enthusiastically - his black eye obviously didn't stop him seeing the ball and heading it in!
McLeod and Varney came on for cameo roles as the clock ticked down, and Thomas could have scored a fourth too, in the last few minutes, following great solo run, but he was nudged aside just as he chose to shoot.
Overall, the whole team played well - Weaver was commanding; Mills and Basey were solid; Sodje excellent at winning headers; Reid imperious; Thomas and Sam skillful and elusive; and Iwelumo and Zheng full of running.
The win takes Charlton back up to second place, eight points behind Watford. The management now have a couple of weeks to clear up the injuries and get the whole squad fit, and hopefully this international break will not result in three consecutive losses as the last one did. The team head to Deepdale in two weeks to take on Preston, and the fit-again Matt Holland and Chris Powell will further strengthen the squad, as the hard push before Xmas begins in earnest.
I'll be at Deepdale, as it is one ground I have not seen Charlton play at before - it will be number 83 on my list of league teams I've seen the Addicks play away. Hopefully, we'll get another win and clean sheet.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
More Birds on the Block
It's been a pretty good week to be a Charlton fan, following a week when it wasn't a very nice feeling at all! Two wins, both courtesy of late, late, goals by Chris Iwelumo (left), have brightened up each Addicks smile and taken Charlton back up to near the top of the Championship table. Of course, a third win in a week would be great, and as Cardiff come to The Valley each Addick will be expecting three more points, and a continuance of the resurgence.
There does seem to be a profligacy of bird mascots in this division - The Owls, Eagles, Canaries and Robins have been beaten, now it's time for the Bluebirds! The Throstles are yet to come...
Cardiff will be hoping that their aged forward line are ready to do the business; both Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - he with the knack of scoring against his old teams - and Robbie Fowler - he with the knack of scoring against anyone - will be dangerous if some of Charlton's previous defensive frailty is to the fore again. Prior to his spell with Charlton last season, Hasselbaink scored against the Addicks for Middlesboro and Chelsea, and also won a game winning penalty at Stamford Bridge one year. Fowler has also scored plenty against Charlton in the past for Liverpool. Even more dangerous is when and where teams concentrate on these two, and forget about the other nine players from the Welsh side; they have a good scoring record from midfield, and (apparently more than one-time Addick target) Darren Purse also heads the odd goal too.
Charlton though will be hoping to put in a better home performance than we have seen for some time. It's true that the home support has been quiet recently, and was almost anonymous during the early kick-off against QPR which resulted in a second consecutive home defeat. Hopefully, the two great results at Southampton and Bristol and a 3pm kick off will bring the vocal element back and the team will respond with the early goal which will settle everyone down.
The team, barring any unknown injuries, pretty much picks itself, with the only changes likely to be Jose Semedo returning after suspension in place of Therry Racon, and the possibility of Luke Varney starting instead of Lloyd Sam. Bearing in mind the defence has kept two clean sheets, I doubt any changes are expected there, although if Chris Powell is nearing fitness, he will come back in for Basey. The Sam/Varney conundrum is dependant on whether Alan Pardew wants to remain with the 4-5-1 formation he started both recent away games with, or switch back to 4-4-2 as this is obviously his preferred starting line up.
I think that Varney has done enough to warrant a start, and it seems he has regained his confidence following a great run and cross to set up Iwelumo at St Marys, and a strong second half at Ashton Gate. This will be tough on Lloyd Sam, but he will probably get some game time whether we are winning or losing come the hour mark.
This is who I think Pards will pick -
Nicky Weaver
Danny Mills
Sam Sodje
Danny Mills
Sam Sodje
Jonathan Fortune
Grant Basey
Jose Semedo
Zheng Zhi
Andy Reid
Jerome Thomas
Luke Varney
Grant Basey
Jose Semedo
Zheng Zhi
Andy Reid
Jerome Thomas
Luke Varney
Chris Iwelumo
Subs – Randolph, Bougherra, Racon, Ambrose, Sam, McLeod.
Subs – Randolph, Bougherra, Racon, Ambrose, Sam, McLeod.
My one-to-watch this game is going to be Jerome Thomas. I could have gone for Big Chris (aiming for a very unlikely hat-trick!) but that was too obvious, and Reid and ZiZi plus Mills are too consistent to pick out every game, so I've gone for JT, who still has something to prove. Strangely, I did think I saw him on Monday evening as this man walked past me heading toward Jack Barclay's Bentley showroom near Vauxhall; it may have been Jerome (who does have a Bentley to his name...), but I couldn't be sure... What I do know is that JT needs to come up with the goods on a more consistent basis; he has bundles of skill, good pace, and a not bad workrate. What we need is to see all of this on a regular basis. It is no good him thinking that he is the most skillfull player in the Championship, he has got to show that week in and week out! Not only must he be able to beat players, but he must cross accurately (the benefit of this shown by our last two goals!) and score goals himself when he gets chances. Pedro45's score prediction needs to be an Addicks loss in order for a home win; I am convinced that whatever I predict will never come true! But sooner or later I will get a result right (much as Killer eventually did with his predictions last season), so I am going to pray and hope for a third Addicks win in a week and a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory.
This is yet another important game for Charlton; to go four games without a home win will bring doubt back to the club, and we do not want that lurking in the back of our minds as we head toward Xmas. Other teams are starting to get hit by injury (WBA with Phillips for instance) and suspension and the strength in depth that Alan Pardew has built should stand Charlton in good stead well into the new year (especially with Sinclair, Wright, and Dickson doing well out on loan and ready to come back at any stage, plus Holland, Powell, Thatcher, Gibbs etc soon to return from injury).
A win gets us closer to the top, and that can only be a good thing!
Come on you reds!
Labels: Cardiff, Charlton, Jerome Thomas
