Monday, October 27, 2008
Living in a Charlton Tinkerland!
Charlton’s fourth game in 11 days sees the Addicks travel to Suffolk to take on the Ipswich Tractor boys on Tuesday evening. Earlier in October, Charlton beat Jim Magilton’s men 2-1, thanks to a second half own goal, but since then, the World has moved on and we now know much more than we did back then.What is still quite evident is that Alan Pardew (left) is not getting the best from his squad of players - maybe he should open his eyes? We have seen varying degrees of 4-4-2 (versus Burnley), 4-1-4-1 (Forest), 4-5-1 (Doncaster), and even 4-2-3-1 (Bristol City) formations over recent weeks, often appended at half time when things aren’t going quite the way AP expected.
It’s always good to have a squad that is versatile, flexible, and can accommodate various tactics to suit the opposition, but when the team is thrown together without much time to work on how each part of the side integrates, then it is asking for trouble.
Then there are the players: How does Izale McLeod feel this morning? Thrown into an important game after just 90 minutes reserve action since February, hauled off at half time, and all because he was expected to be a world-beater. Of course it wasn’t going to happen for him on Saturday and not many of us would have expected it to.
So why did Alan Pardew see McLeod as the way to restore the goal scoring edge to the Addicks attack? Why not give Chris Dickson a go from the start – at least he was fully fit! Dickson has been fit all season so far, yet apart from the odd ten minutes here and there, when Charlton have been chasing a game, he just hasn’t had a look in. Why did McLeod (left) get a chance in front of him on Saturday?You can actually go through much of the squad – or those who are not seen as special ones, like Ambrose, Hudson, Crainie, etc – and see how badly they have been treated. Yassin Moutaouakil has one bad game and then is out on his ear for two months, even when his replacement (Martin Crainie) is so poor in that position he is getting hauled off at half time (twice). Or Kelly Youga, who on Saturday was the full back on the other side who got an afternoon off so Crainie could play (even worse) at left back. How about Hameur Bouazza, a winger who had more shots in Charlton’s defeats at Cardiff and versus Bristol City than any other player (OK, not many troubled the keeper…) but then gets demoted to the bench while Grant Basey fills his place for a half befor the tactics changed. Matt Holland may be getting a bit old for four games in quick succession, but he seems to be the latest scapegoat, having been initially dropped for Zheng Zhi in the first Ipswich game, and then on Saturday for debutant Josh Wright. Then there’s Jose Semedo, the star of the Valley Ipswich game (in the 45 minutes he got on the pitch), and unlucky not to have played at Cardiff from the off. Suffice to say that his sending off in that game will see him struggling to get into the match day 16 for a while unless injuries hit home - from hero to zero, through "an unlucky red card" (Pardews words...).
At least Andy Gray had an excuse not to play on Saturday (nursing a sick relative), otherwise he was another who could be added to the list of those not expected to be very happy with being left out.
So you see it’s probably not just us fans who are getting a bit annoyed with decisions made by Alan Pardew, but the players are too. Is it just a matter of time before the board start to react and votes of confidence start to dry up? The board can Join the Redvolution now if they want…it's not an exclusive club!
So Charlton march onwards but not yet upwards, struggling to put together not just a good game, but a good half. Sure, twenty-five minutes versus Bristol looked good, and so did parts of the second half on Saturday, but when will Pardew get the right team on the pitch from kick off, playing to the right tactics? How long does it take to get it right?
At Portman Road, Pards can at least continue to have Nicky Weaver in goal; Weaves is doing OK, even if not being too spectacular. I’m one who didn’t think he got a touch to Gudjohnson’s second half shot which crashed back from the cross bar on Saturday, but if he did, then it was a very good save.
Pardew has said that Moutaouakil will play again, and skipper Mark Hudson is also guaranteed a place. Then it starts to get interesting; should Linvoy Primus be played - after he did well in the first Ipswich match – or should his second half replacement on Saturday Crainie be used in his most obvious and best position? And if Crainie plays centrally, does Grant Basey carry on at full back or does Kelly Youga earn a quick recall?
In midfield, Darren Ambrose is sure to start against his old (and possibly future?) club, as is Nicky Bailey if he is fit. Lloyd Sam did enough on Saturday as substitute to keep his place wide right, but does Holland or Wright start centrally? Presuming we play two up front, is Svetislav Todorov fit enough to play from the start, or will he be a substitute again? Can Luke Varney carry on missing gilt-edged chances, or will he be spared, and if he is, will Gray be available or will we see either Dickson or McLeod given a chance?
All of a sudden, from having a relatively settled team, we are now right back in the world that Pards loves – Tinkerland!
This is the team I would play against Ipswich –
Nicky Weaver
Yassin Moutaouakil
Mark Hudson
Martin Crainie
Kelly Youga
Lloyd Sam
Matt Holland
Nicky Bailey
Darren Ambrose
Luke Varney
Andy Gray
Subs from Eliott, Semedo, Primus, Basey, Wright, Bouazza, McLeod, Dickson, Todorov.
The eleven gives Pardew enough option to play 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, with Ambrose wide left in the former, and centrally with Varney on the wing if we have to play tighter. Importantly, it also looks like a decent team on paper! If Gray is not available, I would play Dickson from the start – he cannot do any worse than McLeod did on Saturday! That’s what tactics are Pards, and picking a team to do the required job is part of your responsibility. The bench, if picked correctly, also gives plenty of option to change should the need arise; Todorov was at his best when joining the action later on Saturday, and I would hope that the same will be true again tomorrow.
Ipswich are coming off the back of a good win on Saturday, so will be full of confidence. Kevin Lisbie scored again on Saturday, so he could well start against us in this game (Note to defence – he likes to run across the six-yard box at corners and flick the ball in with his head; please try to defend!). The rest of the Ipswich team are almost equally well known, so we shouldn’t be surprised by anything that they decide to come at us with. What we can do is surprise them with our improvement!
Pedro45 has little faith in Pardew at present, although I do have unerring support for the club. I would love to be more positive and hope for a win, or even a draw, but I cannot see it – my score forecast is a 3-1 defeat. I do think we have a chance to score, but I’m not sure that we have enough heart to prevent them scoring, and once the heads drop, that could be curtains in the search for any points.
My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Nicky Weaver (left). The only hope Charlton have in any game at present is when this man plays a blinder – if the Addicks are to get anything in Suffolk this season, Weaves will need to be at his best – catching crosses, stopping shots, and cajoling the defence into marking and tackling and covering whenever necessary. If he gets injured, we could be in even more serious trouble come the end of November than we are now.It would be so nice if we could turn around and say that last Saturday was the turning point; the catalyst to a better season; the time when we could go no lower; when we started to pick up points; play with purpose, and to tactics and formation that the players understand. I’m easy with 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 Pards, just make your mind up and pick the right team to carry out your plans. If Pardew starts to do that, then at least we can see where he is trying to get us, and not pushing all of the buttons at once just trying anything to get the correct formula.
On Saturday, some predictions were that if we lost the next two games, Pards would be out come Wednesday morning; well, we snatched a point on Saturday, and a result here could keep him in work for a little bit longer. But patience is starting to wear very thin, both on the terraces, at the training ground, and I suspect in the boardroom. It could soon be the time that Richard Murray joins the redvolution…
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Ipswich, Nicky Weaver
Friday, February 29, 2008
Blade Runners!
Charlton go into this weekends away game against Sheffield United no longer looking up the table, but most definitely looking back down over their shoulders. The devastating loss at Bloomfield Road last week may take some time to shrug off, as it almost certainly ended the clubs hopes of an automatic promotion spot. Now, Charlton have to retain and consolidate their play off position, having slipped to sixth place in the Championship after last weekends matches.That will be no easy feat; a number of other clubs have gathered around the fifty point mark (Charlton have 52), and they now will be looking upwards at us having got close to the relative safety that this points total brings with a dozen games to go in the season. So instead of concentrating on the fixtures and results of Stoke, Bristol City, Watford and West Brom, Addicks fans will now be trying to find out how Plymouth, Hull, Ipswich, and Burnley are doing at the weekends.
It’s pretty easy to find out why Charlton have slipped back into the chasing pack – just three wins in the last 15 games is simply not promotion form. During those times, Alan Pardew has dumped the 4-5-1 formation that won away games but failed at home; tried out the runners in McLeod and Varney up front; seen centre forwards Iwelumo and Gray (top pic) fail to score a single goal; found a gem in left back Kelly Youga; brought in three loan players – Greg Halford, Lee Cook and Scott Sinclair; and seen the away form disintegrate while home form has improved.
While we fans understood that it would take time at the beginning of the season for this squad of new players to gel, it is less well understood why the team is not more settled and still trying to gel going into March. Alan Pardew, please let us know?
For the trip to Sheffield United, who Pardew picks is completely unknown, as the signing of another winger in Scott Sinclair (left, from Chelsea) has really upset team planning. Chelsea gave Sinclair options on whom he joined, preferring him to go to a positive club rather than a negative one (Leicester, who are fighting relegation…), but they will be expecting him to play each Charlton game between now and the end of the season. Otherwise, what was the point of him joining Charlton on loan. It is a very different loan singing to that of Halford or Cook, both of whom were on the fringes of their respective squads, and Charlton may well have options to buy both these players if they so wish once their loans are complete. That will not be the case for Sinclair, who is highly regarded, and has been a regular on the bench for the blues this year.So where does Sinclair fit in - it's not as if we are short of wingers is it?
That really does depend what Pardew wants to do, not only in this game, but in the following home games against Bristol City and Preston. He could switch the formation back to a more solid looking 4-5-1 away from home, but that would intimate bringing in Jose Semedo, who hasn’t played much since December, to tighten up the midfield. How would Sinclair fit in then? Would Pards favourite Zheng Zhi be dropped, or played wide? Would in-form Luke Varney play up front on his own or would he be pushed wide? Presuming Darren Ambrose is retained (as he has been one player scoring goals regularly in 2008…), and Sinclair plays wide on one side, who plays on the opposite flank – Ambrose, Varney, Thomas, Cook, or Sam?
And if Pardew maintains the 4-4-2 formation, does this simply mean Ambrose and Sinclair in the wide positions, or does it mean that the versatile Sinclair will play either up front - alongside Gray, Iwelumo, or Varney - or behind them in a 4-5-1 variation?
To me, this signing has really complicated selection…and if it complicates things to me as a supporter, then it probably complicates it for the rest of the playing squad too.
This is a complete guess, but I think that this may be the side that Pardew sends out at Bramall Lane on Saturday –
Nicky Weaver
Greg Halford
Sam Sodje
Paddy McCarthy
Kelly Youga
Jose Semedo
Matt Holland
Zheng Zhi
Darren Ambrose
Scott Sinclair
Luke Varney
Subs from – Elliott, Moutaouakil, Fortune, Basey, Powell, Racon, Sam, Thomas, Cook, Iwelumo, Gray, McLeod
The above side would give a 4-5-1 formation with Sinclair playing wide and ZiZi behind Varney - a variation that did work earlier this sason. It would be full of pace, and able to expose the vast open spaces at Bramall Lane. With a United team tired after 120 minutes of FA Cup football on Teeside on Wednesday, it could exploit a weakness in the opposition.
Charlton’s defence took a physical pummelling last week at Blackpool, and then a verbal one from the manager too; I don’t know if Pards assertion that none of his previous teams had shipped five goals was true, but he certainly didn’t like it! Halford took stick personally, and Grant Basey also came in for criticism (albeit tempered by the fact that he is a teenager…); although Madjid Bougherra is still injured, the central defensive partnership of Fortune and McCarthy could be split after last weekends rout. I therefore expect to see Sam Sodje returned to the starting line up – he only dropped out through suspension followed by injury – and Kelly Youga will also return (after suspension). Out will go the young Basey and Fortune, who has never been a favourite of Pardew when the going gets tough. Halford may retain his place (one last chance?), mainly because his obvious error last week didn’t actually cost Charlton points whereas replacement option Yassin Moutaouakil’s own comical mistake at Scunthorpe did. What Pards will want to see is a reaction, and the right sort, from his defence. Errors equal goals conceded - CUT THEM OUT!
The home team will be loving this – they may be tired both mentally and physically after crashing out of the FA Cup, so will be hoping for an easy ride and a league win at the first time of asking at home for new manager Kevin Blackwell. The obvious danger man is ex-gay icon James Beattie, whose goalscoring has slowed since he was injured before Xmas; he is still probably the best centre forward in this league, so will be a complete handful for whoever plays in defence for the Addicks. Also to be closely watched are Rob Hulse, getting back to fitness after breaking his leg; Gary Speed (who always used to score against Charlton for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton!); and one time target, Michael Tonge. Hopefully they will all be tired or injured after the Boro game?
Pedro45 is so useless at predicting results – every time I think we might win, we get stuffed, and then when I mentally give up hope, we pull something out of the bag. In some ways, I hope that I can predict results correctly, but when I think we will lose 2-0, as I do in this match, I so hope that I am wrong. Scott Sinclair could be a bright new dawn, but will Pardew know where to play him? Maybe we should just play eight defenders, give Scotty the ball on the edge of our area, and let him beat everyone to score – he does that regularly doesn’t he?
My one-to-watch this week has to be Nicky Weaver (left). Now Darren Randolph is getting game time at Bury, Weaver doesn’t have much competition for a starting place – Rob Elliott not really being an option – and a number of the Blackpool goals last week came after Weaver failed to hold on to shots. Of course, he did well to save some of those shots initially, but the key is not putting the ball back into play and danger. The collective defence needs to protect Weaver (which didn’t happen at the Pleasure Beach!), and also deal with anything that does come back into play, so the overall blame is not on his shoulders, but he was a part of the conceding team. Weaver has won points for Charlton this year - none more so than at home against Stoke! – but we continually have to hope that he commands his area, and catches crosses cleanly. He will get plenty of practice this weekend, so I hope he comes through as he will be key to any points won.
The last two weeks have been a bit strange for the SE7 club – throwing away a two goal lead at home to Watford; a mid-season break in Spain, new signings bedding in; the youngsters doing well in the Youth Cup but slipping out heroically in the quarter finals; the directors pledging to cover the clubs financial shortfall; and the first team shipping five at the seaside. Now is the time for the men to stand up, as we desperately need to reverse the soft-touch away-day trend.
Up the Addicks!
Subs from – Elliott, Moutaouakil, Fortune, Basey, Powell, Racon, Sam, Thomas, Cook, Iwelumo, Gray, McLeod
The above side would give a 4-5-1 formation with Sinclair playing wide and ZiZi behind Varney - a variation that did work earlier this sason. It would be full of pace, and able to expose the vast open spaces at Bramall Lane. With a United team tired after 120 minutes of FA Cup football on Teeside on Wednesday, it could exploit a weakness in the opposition.
Charlton’s defence took a physical pummelling last week at Blackpool, and then a verbal one from the manager too; I don’t know if Pards assertion that none of his previous teams had shipped five goals was true, but he certainly didn’t like it! Halford took stick personally, and Grant Basey also came in for criticism (albeit tempered by the fact that he is a teenager…); although Madjid Bougherra is still injured, the central defensive partnership of Fortune and McCarthy could be split after last weekends rout. I therefore expect to see Sam Sodje returned to the starting line up – he only dropped out through suspension followed by injury – and Kelly Youga will also return (after suspension). Out will go the young Basey and Fortune, who has never been a favourite of Pardew when the going gets tough. Halford may retain his place (one last chance?), mainly because his obvious error last week didn’t actually cost Charlton points whereas replacement option Yassin Moutaouakil’s own comical mistake at Scunthorpe did. What Pards will want to see is a reaction, and the right sort, from his defence. Errors equal goals conceded - CUT THEM OUT!
The home team will be loving this – they may be tired both mentally and physically after crashing out of the FA Cup, so will be hoping for an easy ride and a league win at the first time of asking at home for new manager Kevin Blackwell. The obvious danger man is ex-gay icon James Beattie, whose goalscoring has slowed since he was injured before Xmas; he is still probably the best centre forward in this league, so will be a complete handful for whoever plays in defence for the Addicks. Also to be closely watched are Rob Hulse, getting back to fitness after breaking his leg; Gary Speed (who always used to score against Charlton for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton!); and one time target, Michael Tonge. Hopefully they will all be tired or injured after the Boro game?
Pedro45 is so useless at predicting results – every time I think we might win, we get stuffed, and then when I mentally give up hope, we pull something out of the bag. In some ways, I hope that I can predict results correctly, but when I think we will lose 2-0, as I do in this match, I so hope that I am wrong. Scott Sinclair could be a bright new dawn, but will Pardew know where to play him? Maybe we should just play eight defenders, give Scotty the ball on the edge of our area, and let him beat everyone to score – he does that regularly doesn’t he?
My one-to-watch this week has to be Nicky Weaver (left). Now Darren Randolph is getting game time at Bury, Weaver doesn’t have much competition for a starting place – Rob Elliott not really being an option – and a number of the Blackpool goals last week came after Weaver failed to hold on to shots. Of course, he did well to save some of those shots initially, but the key is not putting the ball back into play and danger. The collective defence needs to protect Weaver (which didn’t happen at the Pleasure Beach!), and also deal with anything that does come back into play, so the overall blame is not on his shoulders, but he was a part of the conceding team. Weaver has won points for Charlton this year - none more so than at home against Stoke! – but we continually have to hope that he commands his area, and catches crosses cleanly. He will get plenty of practice this weekend, so I hope he comes through as he will be key to any points won.The last two weeks have been a bit strange for the SE7 club – throwing away a two goal lead at home to Watford; a mid-season break in Spain, new signings bedding in; the youngsters doing well in the Youth Cup but slipping out heroically in the quarter finals; the directors pledging to cover the clubs financial shortfall; and the first team shipping five at the seaside. Now is the time for the men to stand up, as we desperately need to reverse the soft-touch away-day trend.
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Nicky Weaver, Sheffield United
Monday, January 14, 2008
Crown of Thorns
It is probably a shame that the next game Charlton play, after their thumping of Blackpool on Saturday, is an away FA Cup third round replay at The Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion. Any recent lift to the fragile confidence of the players may sadly evaporate if the result goes bad on Tuesday night, as it might when playing the league leaders.
However, it seems fair to expect that Alan Pardew will not be playing his “first” first team, and neither will Baggies manager Tony Mowbray, based on the teams put out for the original tie. Strangely, then, the game could turn out to be a bonus as, should Charlton gain a victory, the confidence will flow throughout not just the starting eleven, but the whole squad.
The same can of course be said of Albion, and their “reserves” are far from a push-over, as the two matches Charlton have played against them so far this season will testify. The leagues top scorer, Kevin Phillips, didn’t even make the bench for The Valley game, and he may get another rest for this match, though the worry is he’ll be a substitute, and available if Charlton do look like springing a surprise. Other regular reserves, Beattie, Bednar, etc, may therefore start the game, with the hope that their power will be enough to give others more recovery time for the weekend. Charlton fans will hope that ex-Addick Dean Kiely is just as busy during this match as he was ten days ago, but a little less successful at keeping out Addicks shots than he was in the first tie.
Alan Pardew, for his part, will want to try to maintain the progress that he has seen in both recent matches, but he will probably tinker in an effort to find the balance between a winning team, and one which gives game time to some of those who have not seen much match action recently.
Jon Fortune may well start this game, after missing out due to injury and suspension during the last month, and Jerome Thomas can also expect to start in my opinion. At left back, the options are now plentiful, and Pards will have to chose between maintaining the “new signing” Kelly Youga, recalling the rested Chris Powell, or giving a start to fit again Grant Basey. Jose Semedo is another who may play from the start, and being callous, getting his fifth caution of the season which will bring a one game suspension may be better off sooner – while the midfield is fit and well – than waiting a week or two when it could impact at a time others (ZiZi for instance) may not be available.
This is the side I think Alan Pardew may send out to maintain Charlton’s cup hopes this season –
Nicky Weaver
Yassin Moutaouakil
Jonathan Fortune
Madjid Bougherra
Grant Basey
Lloyd Sam
Jose Semedo
Zheng Zhi
Jerome Thomas
Chris Iwelumo
Luke Varney
Subs from Randolph, McCarthy, Powell, Youga, Racon, Holland, Ambrose, McLeod, Dickson.
This is a tough game for Charlton, and one which it would not be a surprise at all to lose. On the other hand, if the form shown in the last couple of matches can be carried forward, and if the Baggies have an off-day, then Charlton could quite easily pull off a surprise. If this were to happen, we would need big games from not only the defence, but also from the forwards, and players like Jerome Thomas, who needs a good game if he is to reclaim his league first team starting slot.
Pedro45 is not sure that we can win this one, and I’m going for a 2-0 loss. Of course, I’d love to be wrong, even if it meant a night biting nails listening on the radio during extra time and penalties; Peterborough await the victors, and that fixture will make the winners at The Hawthorns strong favourites to get to the fifth round.
My one-to-watch in this game should probably be everyone’s man of the moment Zheng Zhi, but as everyone will be watching him, I’ll plump for Nicky Weaver. Our Manc will need to be at his best if the Addicks are to get anything but their expenses for the trip home in this game. He hasn’t been busy in the last two games, but can expect plenty of shots firing in at him throughout the 90 minutes (or more). If the defence can remain solid and resolute, and Nicky has a good game, Charlton may just be capable of scoring at the other end, and causing that surprise. I hope so!The winning team will dream of further cup glory, and potential bigger matches on the march to Wembley, an aside from league form; the losing team will just contemplate defeat and tell themselves that they will simply concentrate on the league for the last few months of the season. I like the cup, and I’d like to have that distraction!
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Nicky Weaver, WBA
Friday, September 28, 2007
Sent To Coventry
A week of fluctuating fortunes, with one team losing their unbeaten run and the other pulling off a terrific away win at a major Premiership ground, sees Charlton visit Coventry. How the midweek antics effect this weekends league game at the Ricoh Arena, we will have to wait and see.
Coventry certainly pulled off the biggest League Cup coup of the week when they won at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Their two goals came from the small round Malteser who plays in sky blue, called Michael Mifsud. Young Mifsud has knocked in a few goals for the sky blues this season, and is a dangerous player that Alan Pardew’s charges will have to watch closely.
For the Addicks, it was the opposite League Cup emotion; after going ahead at Luton, a great goal and excellent goalkeeping pegged them back, and the legs were stronger for the home team who ran in two goals in extra time to win 3-1. Luckily, we all know that Pardew made ten changes for the cup game, and that this weekends league team will look very different.
So who will the Charlton boss (above) pick in an attempt to extend the unbeaten League run - Did anyone press for inclusion in the game against the Hatters? Are any of the “first team” in danger of losing their places?
The answers are no and probably not, and the same eleven that played in the home games against Norwich and Leicester will probably take the field on Saturday!
In goal, Nicky Weaver and Darren Randolph will switch places, with Weaver playing and Randolph sitting on the bench.
The defence, after two clean sheets, got into a bit of a mess at times on Tuesday, and maybe some of this is down to Paddy McCarthy’s inclusion. I expect Danny Mills to edge out Yassin Moutaouakil at right back; the hopefully rejuvenated Chris Powell is certain to displace Osei Sankofa at left back; Jon Fortune will come in for McCarthy; and Madjid Bougherra should retain his place despite his colossal error in the lead up to the third goal in midweek. Sam Sodje may be pushing for a starting role, but unless Pards wants to drop Magic, then he’ll have to settle for the bench once more.
The midfield has been bolstered by the availability of Matt Holland, Dean Sinclair, and Therry Racon, but I cannot see any of them getting the nod over Jose Semedo, Zheng Zhi, or Andy Reid, based on Tuesdays form. They are pretty good reserves to have though! Out wide, Lloyd Sam will feel extremely unlucky if he does not retain his place at the expense of Darren Ambrose, who will no doubt be on the bench.
In attack, Luke Varney had another good 50 minutes or so at Luton after his recent ankle injury, and he will come back into the starting eleven alongside Chris Iwelumo. The only other option is to include the more defensive looking Svetislav Todorov, or Izale McLeod; Toddy is playing well but was marked out of the game on Tuesday by ex-Addick Chris Perry, while McLeod missed numerous chances and desperately needs a goal to compliment his reasonable outfield play.
This is the side I expect Alan Pardew to start with at Coventry –
Nicky Weaver
Danny Mills
Madjid Bougherra
Jon Fortune
Chris Powell
Jose Semedo
Zheng Zhi
Andy Reid
Lloyd Sam
Chris Iwelumo
Luke Varney
Subs from – Randolph, Sodje, Moutaouakil, Sankofa, McCarthy, Holland, Sinclair, Racon, Ambrose, Todorov, McLeod, J Thomas.
The only players unlikely to be travelling are youngsters Harry Arter (who made a good debut as a substitute in the cup), and Aswad Thomas, who is pushing hard for a squad place. I do think that Jerome Thomas may have leant his lesson by now, but only Pards can answer that…
Coventry started the season well, and had a couple of thumping wins that took them to the top of the table in the early part of the season; they were exposed in their last home game against at-that-time league leaders Bristol City, and Charlton will be hoping to do the same. With the home team boosted by the Old Trafford win, and urged on by a big-ish crowd, Charlton may do well to weather the early storm though. There is, of course, also a little matter of who the Coventry manager is nowadays, but he is someone who I, as a Charlton fan, wish to forget about as quickly as I can. If I do think of Iain Dowie, it is of him as a loser - when manager of some Croydon-based team that Charlton relegated, and also a loser when spending Murray’s millions this time last year.
My one-to-watch in this game is going to be Nicky Weaver (left); our custodian is in good form (apart from maybe some of his distribution…), and has made crucial saves in recent games. He has not been busy though, and that may change this week, especially early on, as the home side seek to continue their form. Nicky is starting to show us, the fans, how good he really is, and it would be great if he could keep a few more clean sheets over coming weeks.Pedro45’s score forecast is going to be a 2-1 defeat. Having witnessed quite a few (40-odd) seasons of Addicks play, I think that you tend to get a few games when things don’t go quite right, and the odd series of defeats arrive – even when you are a good team in an average division (as we are). Hopefully it will be a short period of reverses, but the fact is we will lose some games during this season, and this, I think, may be one of them. Early in our 1999/2000 Championship season, we had a 4-2 defeat at Ipswich, where we played well, but they got the goals. This may be similar? We will bounce back though; we have to! But then again, what do I know about score forecasting…
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Coventry, Nicky Weaver
