Charlton Athletic Online

Charlton Athletic 0 Leyton Orient 1

It’s difficult to know where to start with this one: Did Charlton simply have an off day or did Orient do a job on the Addicks? Whatever the answer, the supposed curse of the TV cameras struck again and Charlton were beaten at home for the first time since March 2009, over ten months ago.

With an unchanged team coming into the match, I hoped that the Addicks tactics would have been further worked on and that Jonjo Shelvey and the rest of the team would know how they planned to set up. I do find it a little bit amazing that we seem to currently be very easy to nullify, and if Plan A (i.e. Shelvey playing wide left) doesn't see us score then we switch to Plan B after 20 minutes (i.e. Shelvey playing behind the front two) to see if that works any better. I’m not blaming Shelvey for the loss (though he hardly had a great game…), just that he is the obvious example of the (only) change of tactics we have in games.

I suppose we shouldn’t complain too loudly; getting things in perspective, this was only Charlton’s third defeat of the season, and the first since November, but the worrying thing is that it was all so predictable. It is fine and dandy to be winning games based on spirit and commitment (as we did at Wycombe and against Hartlepool), but eventually your luck runs out, and that’s what happened last night.

The opening minutes looked as if Charlton might be OK though; Orient looked nervous and kept giving the ball away, but throughout the match, their defence allowed Charlton forwards to run into offside positions and the slowness of getting the ball forward (especially from midfield) meant the flag was raised way too often for liking. Dave Mooney, making runs down the channels, was the victim in most of these decisions, but in less than half was the problem his and not the passers fault for being too slow getting the ball forward. Slowly, both teams settled, but the home crowd became restless and nervous. It was a pretty dour first half, with few obvious chances to either side. Nicky Bailey had a claim for a penalty turned down, when he appeared to have been held back when trying to get on a loose ball, but that was the only real action of note right up to half-time. Then, just as the additional time board was being shown, Deon Burton burst clear down the left hand channel, beat the covering defender, but dithered in deciding whether to round the ‘keeper or shoot. With other players in better shooting positions, Burton could have passed the ball too, but in the end, his weak effort was cleared and the danger (and Charlton’s best chance of scoring in the half) was passed.

I really hoped that Phil Parkinson might have given the team one almighty rollocking at the break, but that doesn’t seem to be his style; Lloyd Sam was ineffective much of the time, failing to get to the byeline or even get any sort of cross into the box, while Shelvey and Bailey were rarely making any headroads or supporting their forwards in any way shape or form. Too many times the strikers found themselves doing all the work, and receiving no support, with either Burton or Mooney the only player getting into the box when a cross was expected. Orient were marking tightly, but the lack of movement (a perennial Charlton problem…) was playing into their hands big-time.

The second half started much more brightly, with the Addicks almost taking the lead before most spectators had returned to their seats; Sam finally got around the back and pulled the ball back to Shelvey who’s good shot was tipped over by the goalkeeper for a corner. But then, the side retreated and Orient took the lead at much the same time that Hartlepool scored last week (3 minutes into the second half). Some steady play down the right wing allowed a player space to cross to the far post and, with the ball looping over Frazer Richardson, ex-Addick McGleish stooped to head home past Rob Elliot. While the thousand or so Orient fans celebrated as if they had won the cup, the Charlton players were left scratching their collective heads.

Sure, Charlton had a few more chances – Burton headed straight at the goalie; Shelvey shot high and wide; Mooney headed over and then saw his shot squirm past the far post after an excellent move involving Sam once more, but it just wasn't enough. With an hour gone, Parky introduced Scott Wagstaff for Jose Semedo; it was an obvious move (allowing Shelvey to drop back into midfield in an effort to bring more creativity and giving the Addicks more width and pace) but a few in the crowd around me couldn’t understand it and thought Parky had made the wrong move. Sadly, Waggy’s heroics last week couldn’t be repeated (even though he tried very hard)and when he did have a shooting chance the ball ended up nearer the corner flag than the goal.

Orient were looking more and more confident as the game went on, and had a chance to wrap up the match midway through the half after a good passing move, but Mason’s shot hit the inside of the post and was scrambled clear.

In a last ditch effort, Parky brought on Chris Dickson and Leon McKenzie (for Burton and Mooney) but in all honesty, they fared even worse than the incumbent pair, with Dickson in particular looking un-interested and too often being found standing offside at key moments.

It wasn’t even a rousing last few minutes, though Miguel Llera did move up to lead the attack; he even won a few headers but there just didn’t seem to be any purpose and most balls into the danger area were easily cleared by the outstanding Mkandawire and Chorley.

The frustration felt during the whole game finally came to an end after four minutes overtime, and was compounded by bookings for Llera, Elliot, and Grant Basey. Few on the Addicks teamsheet will have felt that they had a decent game, with possibly only Elliot, Basey, Christian Dailly, and maybe Semedo reaching average standards, and with Bailey, Burton, Sam, Llera, Shelvey and Mooney having games they will want to forget. Richardson did well for a while, but did look at fault to me for the only goal.

As for the visitors, they came with a plan, stuck at it, and saw their preparation result in three valuable points.

So where do Charlton go now? As we all know, it is not a case that Parky can change the team around much simply because we do not have the players in order to do so. It may well be that this game is the excuse needed for him to try to raid the loan market, but in order to do that he may need to offload someone first. Sam Sodje will be back in the team on Saturday (especially as Llera’s display showed once more that he is a mistake just waiting to happen at times), but where would we want (or need) any other changes? To me, it is obvious that the problem position is the left side of midfield (as it has been for over 12 months). If we are not prepared to play Wagstaff there (giving us balance), then I can see no other option than to push Bailey back out wide, and bring in Therry Racon, who has had a rest and should relish the chance to go once more. I’m sure Bailey will not want this move to happen, and it will result in a loss of drive from midfield, but barring a left midfielder being brought to the club this week, it is the only way forward as Shelvey isn’t doing enough, and McKenzie and Wagstaff do not seem to have Parky’s support to play there.

It is not all doom and gloom; we are still third in the league table, and we are still close on the tails of the two teams above us (who play tonight). There are still twenty games to go this season, but fans are getting edgy and looking at our tough (on paper) run-in. What we all need to do, including the players, is get back to being confident, playing with the right tactics and personnel, and winning, starting on Saturday.

Labels: Charlton, Leyton Orient

It makes me wonder what would happen if Charlton actually played well in a game? I mean, we’ve had the odd half (MK Dons), or twenty minutes (many) where we have been awesome this season, but that hasn’t actually carried over a complete match yet. If we did play well for 90 minutes then we might actually see Charlton match some of the comprehensive victories that some of our promotion rivals seem to have on a more regular basis. In fact, I wouldn’t even mind a good first 45 minutes if it meant coasting the second half, as long as the victory was clear and we didn’t have to bite out fingernails during added on time for once!

That wish has a chance to come true on Monday night, as Charlton play the middle of three consecutive home matches against teams in the lower half of this league. Hartlepool were beaten 2-1 last Tuesday, in a match that should have been a lot more comfortable for the Addicks than it actually was, and Orient cross the river to visit The Valley tomorrow; then on Saturday, we play the early season whipping boys of Tranmere.

It’s not as if the team is doing badly – you cannot complain too loudly when you have lost just two league games all season and we are now at the back end of January! – but I worry that the spirit and commitment that the team is showing may not be enough to get them through every match this season (as it is in this current unbeaten run...), and at some stage, if we don’t start to play better, then points will be dropped.

So how can Phil Parkinson get the lads playing in a confident, tactically superior, and winning-a-match in an easier way? That’s not an easy question to answer! The personnel cannot be changed much, simply because we don’t have that many bodies available. With Sam Sodje missing the fourth and last game of his ban, and with Kelly Youga still out with his knee injury, the defence is as strong as we can get it. The central midfield of Nicky Bailey and Jose Semedo is also the strongest possible, though it does lack a little creativity. Out wide, Lloyd Sam, to be fair, is still a danger to every other team in this division even when they double up the marking on him. In attack, Deon Burton has been better than anyone expected this season (including to perhaps Deon himself!) and Dave Mooney has run his socks off in every game he has played on loan from Reading, and chipped in with three valuable goals too. The one position that is open for grabs and where nobody has yet said that they want to be a fixture in the side playing there so far is on the left side of midfield.

Charlton started the season with Bailey on the left, but although he did very well there – altering his playing style to suit the position rather than the other way around – it left us with a below-par captain, who has looked much more like his old goal-scoring, hard-tackling, all-action self in the middle of the park. Therry Racon briefly swapped with Bailey, during games and for one whole match, but Racon was apparently quite vocal that this wasn’t where he wanted to play, and he would bide his time waiting to return to central midfield. Jonjo Shelvey was tried there, then dropped, but now is back in the side and when he isn’t playing at the head of a diamond, this is where we are most likely to find him, though he too has struggled to make an impact from this position and had a pretty indifferent game against Hartlepool. Scott Wagstaff played a few games wide left and did quite well in my opinion even though you know he would prefer the right side; I was quite surprised to see him dropped for the Wycombe game, but then again it had been three weeks since the previous Charlton match so that could have been due to a niggle or training ground form? Then there is Leon McKenzie, who has come on a couple of times as substitute and been asked to play in an attacking wide left role, usually when we need a goal. Leon has suffered from injuries in a very stop-start season so far, but could he be the missing link that finally makes this Addicks team click? We will see…

What I do know is that barring any injuries we don’t know about, the Charlton team will be pretty easy for Parky to pick apart from this wide left position.

This is my guess at who Parky will send out to play the O’s in front of the night-Sky cameras on Monday –

Rob Elliot
Frazer Richardson
Christian Dailly
Miguel Llera
Grant Basey
Jose Semedo
Nicky Bailey
Lloyd Sam
Leon McKenzie
Deon Burton
Dave Mooney

Subs from – Randolph, Solly, Omozusi, Mambo, Spring, Wagstaff, Shelvey, Racon, Dickson, Tuna.

Orient will travel through the Blackwall Tunnel hoping to extend their 100% unbeaten record in 2010 which covers the single game they have played this decade, a 2-0 home victory against Yeovil last week. They have been bolstered by the arrival of three new players recently - Nicky Adams (on loan from Leicester), Matthew Briggs (on loan from Fulham) and Frenchman Jonathan Téhoué (Kasımpaşaspor) – and along with veterans Chambers, Thornton, and ex-Addick Scott McGleish, will be confident of getting something from the game. They will be well disciplined, and look to play the game in a tight way tactically, trying to get their strikers in on goal or to win corners from which Mkandawire is dangerous.

Pedro45 thinks that it is just a matter of time before McKenzie gets a starting role, and with options from the bench (Shelvey, Wagstaff), should playing him wide left not work or for when Leon gets tired, then now may be the time to make that switch. Whatever side Parky picks, one of these sides will lose its 100% win record in 2010 and I forecast a comfortable 3-0 victory for Charlton, simply because it is about time we had one!

My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Lloyd Sam. To be fair, Lloyd had a reasonable game last time out against Hartlepool, but too many times the players doubling up on him stop his momentum in its tracks, and he has to look elsewhere for outlets rather than try to get to the bye-line. With Richardson back at full back, the over-lapping options that were missing when he was injured should be back, and I expect Sam to make the most of the space that Richardson creates and provide the ammunition from which Mooney, Bailey and Burton can capitalise. The pressure is mounting on Sam these days, as he is seen as the key player in Charlton’s attack and game plan; if Sam plays well then Charlton play well. It won’t have gone unnoticed that his replacement scored within minutes of coming onto the field last week, and young Wagstaff has more goals this season than Sam does in considerably less time spent on the pitch. Expect a reaction against his former club where he will be desperate to do well…

Sometimes, in years gone by, Charlton have really turned on the style in televised games (think the 4-0 versus Bradford City in 1998, or the Arsenal 4-2 away game…), but sometimes it all goes pear-shaped on TV. I don’t think that this will be one of those occasions and I am confident that Charlton will go joint top of the table following victory in this game and send us all home happy for a change, giving the fingernails a week off!

Come on you Reds!

Labels: Charlton, Leyton Orient, Lloyd Sam

Leyton Orient 1 Charlton Athletic 2

Another good victory at the start of this season, and almost 3,000 Charlton fans went home very happy. Second half goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Deon Burton (celebrating left) made for smiley Addicks and maintained Charlton’s winning streak that sees them sitting nicely in second place in the table.

It’s about twelve years since I’ve been to Brisbane Road (the pre-season friendly where Alexei Michaelichenko played for Charlton), and the ground has changed significantly in this time. Not quite finished, and hence the crane behind one goal, three sides have been transformed into seated terracing and housing in the corners, with quite a few families camped out on their balconies sitting on chairs watching the game. Opposite the one side that has not yet been re-developed (the east stand which housed the Charlton fans) was a funny looking building that had all you would expect of a main stand, but had flat frontage up high with windows, where many more locals stood and watched from – whether this was the back of the snooker club, I do not know? Whatever changes to the infrastructure, the pitch itself looked in magnificent condition, and I’m sure that the attendant Colin Powell was impressed.

Charlton went into the game unchanged for the third successive time in the league; as the game progressed, you did wonder if this was the right move, as Orient started the game much the brighter, and were generally quicker and more positive. The home team closed down the midfield, Charlton’s obvious strength this season, and made sure that Lloyd Sam and Jonjo Shelvey had little time to settle on the ball. Shelvey started the game with a lunging tackle and got a long talking to from the referee, before play continued. Shelvey’s argument was that he played the ball and without malice, but he does need to understand that as a potential "name", he is going to come under very close scrutiny at this level, and officials will think nothing of adding him to their list of dismissed players given the chance. It wasn’t long before Shelvey did find his way into the referee’s book, as a clash when going for a header left an O’s player writhing on the ground, clutching his face, and the resultant yellow card was not a surprise.

Charlton had the best of the early chances, with Bailey and Burton messing up a long Sam cross between them, and Shelvey, always in the thick of things, blasting over when well placed. The home team created very little, and did seem to be happy to control the game by gaining free-kicks and seeing what happened when they had a chance to knock these into danger areas. Sure enough, a move that was going nowhere out on the right wing drew the foul (after several attempts!), and the good delivery was headed in at the near post by Mkandawire. I think that Charlton simply did not have enough bodies to cope with the plethora of six-foot plus attackers, something that needs to be recognised.

The Addicks tried to bounce back, but the final ball always seemed to be wanting, and Therry Racon and Jose Semedo found little in the way of smooth play to work the ball forward. Even the defenders, Fraser Richardson, Miguel Llera and Christian Dailly had little time on the ball, and Nicky Bailey was anonymous out on the left wing. Rob Elliot made a smart save from another free-kick to keep the score down to one at half-time, and the writing was definitely on the wall if the home team could maintain their grip on the game.

With the skies now dark, and the 18 lights from each floodlight pylon taking effect, Charlton started the second period with more intent. I don’t know if Orient decided to sit on what they had, but it was now a very different game. Racon started to run the match, and he was a constant thorn in the O’s side, linking with Sam, who had obviously been told to take on his marker for pace, and Shelvey, who flitted everywhere. Semedo sat back and broke up any counter attacks, and all of a sudden it was pretty much all Charlton. A free-kick was won on the edge of the penalty area, and as everyone waited on Shelvey to take it, up stepped Llera to curl a lovely shot toward the top corner, only for it to be saved acrobatically by the home ‘keeper.

Labels: Charlton, Leyton Orient