Sunday, March 08, 2009
Uno Dos Tres
Charlton Athletic 2 Watford 3I don’t want to write to much about this further home defeat, as it would be (very) easy to be extremely critical of the team, manager, and board. Suffice to say that after leading at half-time, the side played a very average second half and capitulated once more.
If you ignore the first ten minutes, and the last five of the first half, Charlton actually played some decent football for half an hour. After starting very slowly, with Tresor Kandol, Lloyd Sam and Deon Burton returning to the starting line up, the Addicks settled and started to play well. It was then a surprise that Watford scored – a long punt from the keeper, helped on to the wing, and a short ball inside left Cowie an easy finish. For the first time in a while though, Charlton got back on terms quite quickly; Kandol finishing well after two defenders tackled themselves. Sure, it wasn’t a goal that Charlton created, but it was the first by a forward this year!
Burton then headed narrowly wide after a good cross from Sam, and then a corner was headed in by Kandol for his second of the match. His celebratory leaps, and somersaults (top pic) were fun; it’s just a pity we don’t see them that often!
Toward half time, hopes were high but Watford then came close to scoring, with Rob Elliott making a good save. I suppose the game changed for Watford when Smith went off injured, and bean-Pole (sorry) Rasiak came on toward the end of the half. With the half time break to explain the changed tactics, I think Charlton simply could not cope with two tall attackers in the second period. It was the worst I have seen Mark Hudson and Darren Ward play together, and both looked very uncomfortable throughout.
Rasiak was able to chest a ball down early in the half and swing his shot away past the un-moved Elliott, with the marking Youga a not-close-enough spectator, and from there, it was very one sided.
The winner came when Hudson failed to cut out a ball and the Hungary, sorry, hungry, Priskin chipped the ball over Elliott ten minutes from time.
Zheng Zhi did come on for the last 25 minutes, and it was good to see him back, but the rest were pretty poor.
The main problem as far as I could see, was that the defence is not "connected" to the midfield, and the midfield does not "connect" to the strikers - it's simple I suppose...
Danny Butterfield is no Graeme Murty; Youga had a nightmare all match, and didn’t seem to want to be there; the centre backs were awful; Nicky Bailey and Matt Spring were quiet, and Therry Racon and Sam only had fleeting moments of good play. Burton tried, as he always does, but his miss was crucial in the context of the match, and Kandol played for himself once he had the two goals in the bag and tried desperately hard for a hat-trick goal. Svetislav Todorov got a twenty minute run out (for Burton), but he was completely anonymous during his time on the pitch (I doubt he even broke sweat!).
It was very poor and the crowd knew what would happen well before the end; there wasn’t much anger, or abuse, just acceptance that we would lose, as the players knew too. We really are going down without a wimper it seems.
We now move on to two tough away games, if any single game is any tougher than others for Charlton. We probably won’t win, and it could be that if the side play as they did against Watford, we may get a real thumping.
Role on the cricket season…
Friday, March 06, 2009
Drop In Pressure
So if we presume that Tuesday’s result almost certainly relegated Charlton this season, the pressure should be off, right? Well, let’s hope so, because part two of this weeks must-win games is upon us.Watford come to The Valley and they are not exactly clear of the dreaded drop zone themselves. Sitting on 39 points, they too will have hopes of reaching fifty points this season, but will that be enough? Each week, the expected "safe" total seems to rise – just a couple of weeks ago, this blog predicted that 47 or 48 points might be enough, but since then, it seems that all the teams in the bottom half of the table have started to win! Now, even 52 or 53 points is being talked about as possible relegation candidates.
Charlton, of course, would need a minor miracle (or actually a major one!) to reach that points total.
Phil Parkinson (above) also has a few issues to resolve, especially after Doncaster outplayed the Addicks on Tuesday night. The main problems resolve around Jonjo Shelvey, and Tresor Kandol. With 17-year old Shelvey, it seems that Parky doesn’t quite think that he is up to the task of playing in a four-man midfield, and he prefers to relinquish him of that responsibility and see him pushed more forward just behind a front-man. With Kandol having family problems recently, that has worked out in terms of team selection, but not tactics. I think that Shelvey may be asked to drop to the bench, for this game, with Kandol coming back in to play with Chris Dickson. Dickson tried manfully to lead the line on his own in the last two games, and he was far from a failure, but his play was generally poor on Tuesday, and he will relish a true frontline partner once more.
Barring injuries, of which none were apparent in midweek, the defence will probably stay the same, and the midfield possibly too; here, the return to reserve team duty of Zheng Zhi could see him make the bench, or even possibly the starting line up (to play for up to an hour), with Matt Spring the obvious choice to step aside.
This is the side I think Parky will pick –
Rob Elliott
Danny Butterfield
Darren Ward
Mark Hudson
Kelly Youga
Tom Soares
Therry Racon
Zheng Zhi
Nicky Bailey
Tresor Kandol
Chris Dickson
Subs from Randolph, Weaver. Moutaouakil, Holland, Basey, Spring, Shelvey, Wright, Ambrose, Sam, Fleetwood, Todorov.
The sad thing is that if Charlton do play well enough to win this game, then hopes may be raised; this would not be good as all and sundry have to now admit that Charlton are going down to Tier Three in May. I do still hope that the team play to win though, and that any results from now to the end of the season at least are used for a bearing of where we will need to be next year.
Pedro45 thinks this may be a very close game, with few goals; Watford, from what I have seen, seem to like to play a counter-attacking game. That may not suit against a Charlton team who usually have much less possession than the opposition. I am going to plump for a 1-0 home defeat, though I sincerely hope that the return of ZiZi (either to the team or as sub) will inspire us to a victory of some sorts.
My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Chris Dickson. Pilloried after the Doncaster game, he needs to bounce back and show that it was a blip, and not a reflection of his future form. Nobody minds strikers who shoot on sight (Killer was the best example of that…), but you have to temper that instinct with knowing who is around you, and if they are better placed. If you have a player free alongside you, then a pass is better than any old whack on goal from 25 yards. Too many times on Tuesday, Dicko (and Shelvey) seemed to just shoot because they could see the goal posts when a slight delay and knowledge of what else might be on would have been a better choice. It didn't help that all the shots from distance were poor, wide, or scuffed.
I really just hope that Charlton play well in this game, whatever the score; we - the fans – have been shorn of a really decent display since August, and it’s about time we saw one. The pressure is off to a large extent, but it would be so much better to go down free of mind and winning than with despondency and countless additional defeats.
Come on you reds!
Pedro45 thinks this may be a very close game, with few goals; Watford, from what I have seen, seem to like to play a counter-attacking game. That may not suit against a Charlton team who usually have much less possession than the opposition. I am going to plump for a 1-0 home defeat, though I sincerely hope that the return of ZiZi (either to the team or as sub) will inspire us to a victory of some sorts.
My one-to-watch in this match is going to be Chris Dickson. Pilloried after the Doncaster game, he needs to bounce back and show that it was a blip, and not a reflection of his future form. Nobody minds strikers who shoot on sight (Killer was the best example of that…), but you have to temper that instinct with knowing who is around you, and if they are better placed. If you have a player free alongside you, then a pass is better than any old whack on goal from 25 yards. Too many times on Tuesday, Dicko (and Shelvey) seemed to just shoot because they could see the goal posts when a slight delay and knowledge of what else might be on would have been a better choice. It didn't help that all the shots from distance were poor, wide, or scuffed.I really just hope that Charlton play well in this game, whatever the score; we - the fans – have been shorn of a really decent display since August, and it’s about time we saw one. The pressure is off to a large extent, but it would be so much better to go down free of mind and winning than with despondency and countless additional defeats.
Come on you reds!
Labels: Charlton, Chris Dickson, Watford
Monday, August 18, 2008
Ooops! He did it again...
Watford 1 Charlton Athletic 0
Sadly, the text that came through as I waited to board my plane at Miami Airport told me we had lost this game, and that Kelly Youga had been sent off in the first half.
That’s three pretty poor performances from the Addicks while I’ve been away, even if the first game did produce a win, and I’m glad I haven’t seen those games.
It does seem from the reports - oh it is nice to be able to get online once more, even if work restrictions make accessing blog sites impossible - that 10-man Charlton at least tried to pick up the game after half-time. It just annoys me that they get themselves into these positions, and need a jolt (like the sending off) to seem to want to play to their ability.
Nicky Bailey and Hameur Bouazza both made their full league debuts for Charlton, though the winger was removed at half time as Pardew re-jigged his one-short side. Bailey appears to have had a reasonable debut, and put in a couple of shots it seems, but the man-of-the-match seems to have been Nicky Weaver who kept the score reasonable when it could have been much worse.
At least the team have a week to get their knocks and niggles rested, though Therry Racon may be out for longer if he has broken a bone in his foot as is thought. Thankfully we have Shelvey, Wright and Holland to cover this position, and even Semedo can move forward now that Moutaouakil is no longer suspended.
Pardew has admitted that we must get a centre back to cover Hudson and Fortune, and that the money to pay for this may come from the sale of Zheng Zhi. I just hope that we get a reasonable price for ZiZi as he is worth more than the £2m that West Brom are thought to have offered. The market will decide I guess…
The other obvious fact to emerge from this early part of the season is that Charlton really do have quite severe financial problems, and that the off-loading of players has been really necessary in order to balance the financial deficit of running the club (£5m from last year…) and the weekly player salary.
While we are all grateful that Marcus Bent and Amdy Faye have now left SE7, and few will be that sorry to see Jerome Thomas go out on loan, other sales (Bougherra to Rangers, Iwelumo to Wolves, and Zheng Zhi to whoever) are tough to take. Steve Waggott has to manage the salary bill, but with some 15,000 season ticket sales (which is more than Reading!), plus good walk-ups it seems from the initial league match, fans may have hoped that some “decent” players could have been salvaged. The overall player salary would appear to be enormously lower than at the same stage last year, especially when you consider that Chris Powell, Ben Thatcher, Osei Sankofa, and others have also moved on.
The financial problems do seem to have affected some of the players - Luke Varney and Andy Gray, to name but two, would have had high hopes of starting this season in the Premiership, but now it seems that the best that can be hoped for this year is mid-table Championship security, and that is by no means assured.
Maybe if ZiZi is sold then the club can at least splash a bit of the incoming cash and give the players, and the fans, plus manager Pardew, a lift from a new signing that is obviously required at this stage. And if the club cannot afford the transfer fee needed, then maybe another loan signing (or two) will appease the fans?
Anyway, I’m back now and at least I’ll get to see the boys play on Saturday…another home league win and the despondency will quickly dissipate!
Sadly, the text that came through as I waited to board my plane at Miami Airport told me we had lost this game, and that Kelly Youga had been sent off in the first half.
That’s three pretty poor performances from the Addicks while I’ve been away, even if the first game did produce a win, and I’m glad I haven’t seen those games.
It does seem from the reports - oh it is nice to be able to get online once more, even if work restrictions make accessing blog sites impossible - that 10-man Charlton at least tried to pick up the game after half-time. It just annoys me that they get themselves into these positions, and need a jolt (like the sending off) to seem to want to play to their ability.
Nicky Bailey and Hameur Bouazza both made their full league debuts for Charlton, though the winger was removed at half time as Pardew re-jigged his one-short side. Bailey appears to have had a reasonable debut, and put in a couple of shots it seems, but the man-of-the-match seems to have been Nicky Weaver who kept the score reasonable when it could have been much worse.
At least the team have a week to get their knocks and niggles rested, though Therry Racon may be out for longer if he has broken a bone in his foot as is thought. Thankfully we have Shelvey, Wright and Holland to cover this position, and even Semedo can move forward now that Moutaouakil is no longer suspended.
Pardew has admitted that we must get a centre back to cover Hudson and Fortune, and that the money to pay for this may come from the sale of Zheng Zhi. I just hope that we get a reasonable price for ZiZi as he is worth more than the £2m that West Brom are thought to have offered. The market will decide I guess…
The other obvious fact to emerge from this early part of the season is that Charlton really do have quite severe financial problems, and that the off-loading of players has been really necessary in order to balance the financial deficit of running the club (£5m from last year…) and the weekly player salary.
While we are all grateful that Marcus Bent and Amdy Faye have now left SE7, and few will be that sorry to see Jerome Thomas go out on loan, other sales (Bougherra to Rangers, Iwelumo to Wolves, and Zheng Zhi to whoever) are tough to take. Steve Waggott has to manage the salary bill, but with some 15,000 season ticket sales (which is more than Reading!), plus good walk-ups it seems from the initial league match, fans may have hoped that some “decent” players could have been salvaged. The overall player salary would appear to be enormously lower than at the same stage last year, especially when you consider that Chris Powell, Ben Thatcher, Osei Sankofa, and others have also moved on.
The financial problems do seem to have affected some of the players - Luke Varney and Andy Gray, to name but two, would have had high hopes of starting this season in the Premiership, but now it seems that the best that can be hoped for this year is mid-table Championship security, and that is by no means assured.
Maybe if ZiZi is sold then the club can at least splash a bit of the incoming cash and give the players, and the fans, plus manager Pardew, a lift from a new signing that is obviously required at this stage. And if the club cannot afford the transfer fee needed, then maybe another loan signing (or two) will appease the fans?
Anyway, I’m back now and at least I’ll get to see the boys play on Saturday…another home league win and the despondency will quickly dissipate!
Friday, August 15, 2008
All Change Please...
Blimey...a few days offline sunning myself on the Keys and all hell breaks loose on the Pardew transfer front.
Out go Thomas's Jerome and Aswad, joining Pompey and Barnet respectively on loan; out for good - thank god - finally, has gone Amdy Faye to Stoke (where Tony Pulis really should be knowing better...); Stuart Fleetwood and Dean Sinclair have been allowed to gain loan experience at Cheltenham; and one coming in the right direction is midfielder Nicky Bailey from Sarfend, where he apparently didn't want to play any more. All this should considerably improve the weekly salary situation, even if the overall shortfall in cash may still need homeward bound from the Olympics Zheng Zhi to be sold in the next couple of weeks.
All this after an abject midweek cup exit to Yeovil which I failed miserably to keep secret from my Somerset born wife for very long - even out here.
Next up, tomorrow, is a league game at Watford. It is a long, long time since Charlton beat the Hornets, which is strange when you think about it. Watford have been a bit of a yo-yo team over recent years, but Charlotn have failed to win any of the recent match-ups.
Presuming he is still fit, Nicky Weaver should be in goal, with Rob Elliott as bench back up. The defence is likely to be the same as played against Swansea last weekend, provided that Hudson and Fortune have recovered enough from recent knocks; Semedo and Youga - the eventual midweek centre back pairing - should play at full back, unless Moutaouakil is free from suspension this week (I'm not sure if he is?). If Moots is able to play, then that would allow one of the full backs to cover the central positions if necessary.
Bailey should start in midfield, though where is unclear. Will Therry Racon and JonJo Shelvey be given another run or will one be rested for Bailey? Bouazza - playing against his former club - seems a straight replacement for Jerome Thomas, with Lloyd Sam the likely winger on the opposite flank. Luke Varney and Andy Gray will play upfront it seems.
This is the line up I expect Pards to start with -
Nicky Weaver
Jose Semedo
Mark Hudson
Jon Fortune
Kelly Youga
Lloyd Sam
Therry Racon
Nicky Bailey
Hameur Bouazza
Luke Varney
Andy Gray
Subs from Elliott, Moutaouakil, Basey, Holland, Shelvey, Wright, Wagstaff, Dickson.
My one to watch has to be new signing Bailey; already being linked by his surname to another former Addick midfielder, which is grossly unfair in my opinion, it will be good to see him settle down early and play the kind of football that has earned him high praise in Essex circles.
Pedro45 is still out of the country, and will only fly back once the game at Vicarage Road is over; hopefully happy texts that I am able to comprehend prpoerly will keep me up to date with the score. I'm thinking though that my vacation will return a win, a loss and draw, and I'm therefore plumping for a 1-1 draw tomorrow to keep the Addicks in the top half ofthe table.
Up the Addicks!
Out go Thomas's Jerome and Aswad, joining Pompey and Barnet respectively on loan; out for good - thank god - finally, has gone Amdy Faye to Stoke (where Tony Pulis really should be knowing better...); Stuart Fleetwood and Dean Sinclair have been allowed to gain loan experience at Cheltenham; and one coming in the right direction is midfielder Nicky Bailey from Sarfend, where he apparently didn't want to play any more. All this should considerably improve the weekly salary situation, even if the overall shortfall in cash may still need homeward bound from the Olympics Zheng Zhi to be sold in the next couple of weeks.
All this after an abject midweek cup exit to Yeovil which I failed miserably to keep secret from my Somerset born wife for very long - even out here.
Next up, tomorrow, is a league game at Watford. It is a long, long time since Charlton beat the Hornets, which is strange when you think about it. Watford have been a bit of a yo-yo team over recent years, but Charlotn have failed to win any of the recent match-ups.
Presuming he is still fit, Nicky Weaver should be in goal, with Rob Elliott as bench back up. The defence is likely to be the same as played against Swansea last weekend, provided that Hudson and Fortune have recovered enough from recent knocks; Semedo and Youga - the eventual midweek centre back pairing - should play at full back, unless Moutaouakil is free from suspension this week (I'm not sure if he is?). If Moots is able to play, then that would allow one of the full backs to cover the central positions if necessary.
Bailey should start in midfield, though where is unclear. Will Therry Racon and JonJo Shelvey be given another run or will one be rested for Bailey? Bouazza - playing against his former club - seems a straight replacement for Jerome Thomas, with Lloyd Sam the likely winger on the opposite flank. Luke Varney and Andy Gray will play upfront it seems.
This is the line up I expect Pards to start with -
Nicky Weaver
Jose Semedo
Mark Hudson
Jon Fortune
Kelly Youga
Lloyd Sam
Therry Racon
Nicky Bailey
Hameur Bouazza
Luke Varney
Andy Gray
Subs from Elliott, Moutaouakil, Basey, Holland, Shelvey, Wright, Wagstaff, Dickson.
My one to watch has to be new signing Bailey; already being linked by his surname to another former Addick midfielder, which is grossly unfair in my opinion, it will be good to see him settle down early and play the kind of football that has earned him high praise in Essex circles.
Pedro45 is still out of the country, and will only fly back once the game at Vicarage Road is over; hopefully happy texts that I am able to comprehend prpoerly will keep me up to date with the score. I'm thinking though that my vacation will return a win, a loss and draw, and I'm therefore plumping for a 1-1 draw tomorrow to keep the Addicks in the top half ofthe table.
Up the Addicks!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Draws to a Close
Charlton Athletic 2 Watford 2A combination of a wife returning from holiday; a mother being ill in hospital, and me being inundated with work have delayed a report on this top of the table clash. Sadly, with a 2-goal lead at half-time, Charlton could not hang on as they conceded two goals in 80 mad seconds.
Charlton had taken the lead after 15 minutes when a great move involving Lloyd Sam and Andy Gray led to Darren Ambrose stroking home the initial goal from eight yards. Twenty five minutes later, another flowing move involving Sam and Greg Halford saw the latter’s low cross turned into his own net by ex-Addick Danny Shittu (left). I was quite pleased at that time (modest understatement) as I had forecast that he might score!
Although McAnuff hit the post in injury time, the Addicks had been so dominant that everyone in the near sell-out crowd at half time was convinced that Charlton would be right back in the mix at the top of the table. Sadly, ten minutes later, that dream was in tatters.
First, half time sub O’Toole, only able to play due to his midweek sending off being rescinded, slid in between the centre backs to bring the game alive. It looked offside on the day, though TV replays suggest it wasn’t.
From the kick off, Watford won the ball back and won a corner after McCarthy cleared behind. It was swung in to the edge of the six yard box, and Shittu climbed above Jonathan Fortune to power a header home. The fact that Fortune did not leave the ground, almost certainly due to Shittu’s hands being placed firmly down on both his shoulders seemed irrelevant to the referee and the equalising goal stood. I was quite upset at that time (modest understatement) as I had forecast that he might score!
A complete contrast to the first half, it was now the visitors who dominated the match. Substitutes Jerome Thomas and Lee Cook (for Sam and Ambrose) made little difference, and neither did Chris Iwelumo who came on for Gray.
It is fair to say that this was a disappointing result for Charlton, but not the end of their league hopes; they certainly showed that when they play well, they can beat any team in this division(Watford were top prior to the weekends fixtures). The pain is down to the inconsistency that has pervaded the whole season so far, either from game to game, or within one single match as per this weekend. This is what Alan Pardew need to work on in the lead up to the next three, very, important matches.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
What is the Difference between a Hornet and a Bee?
A couple of divisions I guess?Watford visit the Valley on Saturday in a must-win home game for Charlton. Although in the context of a whole season, one game does not matter too much, this one match is crucial because a loss will put Charlton ten points behind their top-of-the-table opponents, and therefore, realistically, unable to overhaul them before the end of the season. A win, however, would put Charlton right back in the automatic promotion mix, and set up the final fourteen games of a very inconsistent season.
The glumness that pervaded the clubs fans after the midweek draw at Hillsborough – Charlton’s first goalless draw of the season - must be dismissed, and Addicks fans must turn up for this match as they did the last home game. That, quite simply, means being noisy, supportive, loud, and passionate. We did it for the last London derby, and although it is arguable if Watford is in London, we must do the same again. Luke Varney admitted before last Friday’s game that the crowd noise was a key factor in the performance, and a repeat, with a full contingent of home fans expected, is paramount.
So who will Alan Pardew be wanting to select for this vital game? Well, he does not seem to have a full squad to choose from, as a few minor injuries are starting to creep into the squad.
In goal, we can expect to see Nicky Weaver keep his place, especially after Darren Randolph joined Bury on a month’s loan late last week. Weaver has been on top form recently, and made three very good saves in Yorkshire on Tuesday to keep a clean sheet. Let’s hope he can do so again.
The defence had to change in the match against Wednesday, as Madjid Bougherra succumbed to a foot injury from the previous game. He was replaced by the formidable Jon Fortune, and big Jon, if selected, will be key here in using his height to win the battle against the towering Henderson. Alongside side him, we can expect to see Greg Halford continue at right back after two reasonable games, his first for the club. Paddy McCarthy will play in the centre where he is becoming rock-like with massive performances in every game. Paddy has always given 100%, even when he was making error-strewn appearances early in the season, but now he has cut out the mistakes, he has a good chance of featuring in the player of the season awards. Kelly Youga will no doubt continue at left back, with his 5-booking suspension not taking effect until next week. He should be fresh enough after leaving the pitch before half time on Tuesday night.
In midfield, Matt Holland and Zheng Zhi continue to plough on in the central positions. They both run miles in every match, and you cannot fault either for effort. Holland was unlucky to hit the post on Tuesday, and ZiZi missed a chance late on too; both will be hoping for better finishing and I do fancy our Chinaman to score in this match. Out wide, the two places will be taken by a couple from the four wing men that Pards has to chose from. Lloyd Sam and Darren Ambrose are incumbent, but neither has been setting games alight over recent matches. That could give a chance to one or both of Jerome Thomas, apparently now back in training after injury and illness, and/or Lee Cook, also now fit, who could feature against his former club.
Of the forwards, only Luke Varney has been playing what could be described as well. Two goals in his last home game and a disallowed goal from midweek should be enough to keep him in the team, even if Pardew wants a larger overall presence in the side to combat Watford’s long ball game. That decision may influence who starts alongside Varney, though with Andy Gray and Chris Iwelumo both goalless for over two months, it is a close call. Gray hasn’t really done much wrong, but could do with a goal to boost his confidence, while Iwelumo is in much the same boat. Gray is more mobile while big Chris is better in the air – tough call this for Pards…
This is the side I think Alan Pardew will pick –
Nicky Weaver
Greg Halford
Jonathan Fortune
Paddy McCarthy
Kelly Youga
Zheng Zhi
Matt Holland
Darren Ambrose
Jerome Thomas
Andy Gray
Luke Varney
Subs from – Elliott, Moutaouakil, Sodje, Bougherra, Powell, Basey, Racon, Semedo, Sam, Cook, Iwelumo, McLeod.
Watford themselves have the best away record in division, with ten wins so far; they will be looking for legs eleven, and the chance to remove a big rival for a promotion place. If they can get rid of Charlton, then realistically, they can discount any other teams below them too, and that means they will be confident of finishing in the top four places in the league. Although Charlton had the better of the game a month ago at Vicarage Road, the Hornets will be boosted by the return from international duty of ex-Addick Danny Shittu (oh no, not another ex-player to score against us?), and by their other two recent defensive signings. They will also have O’Toole available after his midweek sending off was rescinded.
My one to watch in this key match will come from the heart of the team. The defence will need to play very well, and the attack will need to create and score goals, but the engine room is where this game could be won on the pitch. Zheng Zhi is due a big game, and I believe that he might just have it here. The skipper, alongside him, has done huge amounts of running, but Zizi is the classiest player in the squad, if not the division. In recent times, the couple of days rest he has had since his last game will seem like a between-season break, such has been the frequency of games he has played over the last few months. I’m banking on him having a stormer, and being the man to really fire up the Red Army.Pedro45 is not going to sit on the fence this week – in my head, I think it will be a (1-1) draw, but this is one match that I will rule with my heart, and I’m going to predict a 1-0 win. Anything other than a victory is unthinkable to Addicks fans, so let me start the rallying call that should crescendo as the players take to the field. We can win. We must win. We will win.
Now go out and do it!
Come on you reds!
Labels: Charlton, Watford, Zheng Zhi
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Ambrose Wins a Point
Watford 1 Charlton Athletic 1A point won, but as Alan Pardew conceded afterwards, it was a game that Charlton could easily have taken all three points from.
Apart from the first fifteen minutes or so, when a first minute header flashed just wide and Francis shot over from close range, Watford were outplayed, controlled, and made to look distinctly second best by a resurgent Charlton team.
The Addicks, on the other hand, had several good chances to score, but sadly almost all were off target - Lloyd Sam twice went very close; Darren Ambrose shot wide once in the first half and had a good shot saved in the second; and Zheng Zhi could have won it at the death when a short free kick was played across to him but he stroked wide from eight yards.
Charlton's equalising goal, a good shot on target in appalling conditions but one which should have been saved, was messed up by the Watford goalie and Darren Ambrose celebrated (above). In the fifteen minutes that remained, either team could have won it, but it was not to be.
Pards started the game by dropping Izale McLeod and Jerome Thomas, both of whom may be on the move in this transfer window, and bringing back into the starting line up Chris Iwelumo, and welcoming new signing Andy Gray with a place on the bench.
The game was a complete contrast in styles, with Watford hoofing the ball forward to man-mountain Henderson, and looking to feed off any scraps. Charlton played the ball to feet and tried to pass the ball across the saturated outfield. After the home teams initial success, the Addicks settled, and started to play some good stuff. The full backs got forward at every opportunity, with Yassin Moutaouakil making at least three surging runs down the right flank. Sadly his crossing was not good in this game, and nothing came of the opportunities. Matt Holland and Zheng Zhi played holding roles in midfield, but linked well when given the chance. Ambrose was key, and Sam seemed to be playing a bit more inside than he usually does, and his first half opportunity came from a flick on in the inside left position, somewhere he isn't normally found. That flashed just wide.
Just before half-time, Davenport collapsed after being landed on my his teammate Henderson, and was stetchered off. It was obviously a quite serious neck injury so chants of "let him die" were not very sensible when attributed to visiting supporters. Nobody wants to see bad injuries in sport, and Davenport did get good appause from most Charlton fans as he left the field.
Early in the second half, Watford took the lead when the ball broke to Ellington and "the Duke" slotted home past Weaver.
Charlton thundered back, and kept trying to score as the rain swept in, but nothing seemed to be falling their way (apart from that rain). Gray (left) came on for his debut in place of Iwelumo, and all of a sudden, we had a centre forward who was mobile, could hold the ball, and play his fellow forwards in. Gray doesn't have the same physical presence as Big Chris, but he could be a very good signing all the same.In my preview of the Charlton vs Burnley game, I said this of our new signing - "Andy Gray has been around for a few years now, and continues to be a 12 to 15-goal a season Championship player. He’ll never make it in the Premiership, but he needs to be respected in this league." If he can continue to score as he did for Burneley, then we have a genuine threat up front to go with our undoubted midfield talent and we could get close to the top of the division.
Another key player could be Chris Dickson, and he came on toward the end too, and looked lively. He had another great chance to score, when through with just Lee to beat, but delayed and fluffed the effort of rounding him.
Altogether though, an excellent game, a good effort, and some fine support from travelling fans. According to a friend who watched on TV, we make more noise on our travels than we do at home games.
We now have ten days before the next fixture - a massive home game versus massive Stoke! - and this is a time for Pards to do some serious training and team-work, plus play the transfer window game and see if we can improve the squad in order to get higher up the league.
Labels: Charlton, Darren Ambrose, Watford
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Returning the Sting
With cup action over for another year, Charlton return to the mundane Championship fare this weekend with an away game at Vicarage Road against Watford.The Hornets have slumped over recent weeks, and when you consider that not so long ago they were eight points clear at the top of the league, their fall down to third place a few weeks later is considerable. Home fans hopes will not have been helped by today’s news that they are to sell their leading scorer – Marlon King – to Fulham, but at least they get Collins John in return till the end of the season.
Charlton, for their part, or on a virtual high: If we take the Jose Mourinho attitude that a defeat on penalties is not really a defeat at all, then Charlton have actually only lost one game since before Xmas. Sure, there is a whole bunch of draws in that run, and just one victory, but positives must come to the fore! The whole attitude about the club is quite buoyant at the moment – the youth team smashed six on Wednesday night to progress in the FA Youth Cup; million pound plus bids are being offered (and rejected) for a proven Championship goal scorer; and most of the team are fit and healthy (barring the long term injured, and even they are all progressing well it seems).
Best of all though, is that Alan Pardew seems to have stumbled on a decent formation after the five-month bedding in period we had from the start of the season. Out now for three matches has gone the one up front option, and in has come the pace and rawness of two attacking full backs to compliment the pacy young strikers.
After the 120 minutes plus penalties of midweek, it remains to be seen if the 14 players who made it onto the pitch in the cup defeat (sorry, I mean draw…) are all fit enough to play on Saturday, but hopefully that will be the case. If so, will Pards stick with his new found team, or will he “tinker”.
In goal, Nicky Weaver’s heroics couldn’t save enough penalties, but he has saved his place for probably the whole rest of the season, if it was ever in doubt. Weaver made one fantastic save on Tuesday night, and is really starting to look like the very good keeper he promised to be all those years ago. We need him to win points for the club, and just now he is good enough to do that.
The two new full back incumbents – Yassin Moutaouakil and Kelly Youga – should retain their places, even though other options are available. Youga has been like a new signing since his return from a loan spell at Scunthorpe, and I think everyone from the management to the fans has been surprised with how well he has played and fitted in. If the Iron had offered a couple of hundred thousand for him just before Xmas we might have bitten their hands off, but not now!
The central defence pairing of Paddy McCarthy and Madjid Bougherra has improved, and while they do not always look like controlling the opposition forwards, they seem to have cut out those silly mistakes which gifted goals to the other team (he says, touching lots of wood!). With Jon Fortune fit and ready to step in, and Sam Sodje now available after suspension (though a hand injury may keep him out at the weekend – what is it with Charlton centre backs and glass? Caton, Fish, Sodje…), we now have cover and solidity available.
The midfield is pretty consistent, and Matt Holland and Zheng Zhi are starting to control games, and look and play like the experienced couple of internationals that they are. While Holland may be slower these days (hence the stupid number of bookings he has received this season), he still covers a huge distance in each match. ZiZi just gets better, and he’ll be looking to score more goals in the final third of the season, and cement his place at the top of the goal scoring charts.
Out wide, you could really pick any two from Lloyd Sam, Darren Ambrose, and Jerome Thomas. Sam is the under-rated player in the team, as he works extremely hard and holds the ball well when in possession. Sometimes I think he tries too hard, and a goal would help his confidence enormously, but he performs a key role on the wide right hand side. Ambrose has the talent, but sometimes his persona doesn’t show him to be working very hard. You rarely see him sprint, yet he covers plenty of ground, and he does get into the box on numerous occasions and snaffle chances when he can. He also had a hand in all four of Charlton’s goals last weekend, so I think he’ll be in the team on Saturday. Thomas is that enigma; some much skill, so little aptitude for hard work. Sure, he gets back to help out his full back, but the lazy gait doesn’t help, and he does waste too much ball, either by cutting back onto his right foot, or by trying the impossible. He also missed a sitter last weekend!
Presuming Pards goes with 4-4-2 again, the question is whether he will stick with Luke Varney and Izale McLeod, who provide oodles of pace, or if Chris’s Iwelumo and Dickson have done enough recently to force their way into the team. Varney has played well in the last couple of games, and his channel running has created openings for himself and for others. McLeod has also run his heart out, but a lack of composure when shooting, coupled with not much luck and some good saves, have prevented him scoring recently. Iwelumo created one goal on Tuesday and is a handful when playing to his potential. Maybe the semi-rest he’s had since the New Year will do him good and he’ll start to score himself once more. Dickson celebrated his first FA Cup and first Charlton first team goal on Tuesday (top pic), and could have won the game all by himself in extra time, but he didn’t. He is still very raw, but with enormous potential; I just hope that expectation and/or being rushed doesn’t hurt him, as it will hurt the team too.
This is the side I think Pards will send out to take on Watford –
Nicky Weaver
Yassin Moutaouakil
Paddy McCarthy
Madjid Bougherra
Kelly Youga
Lloyd Sam
Matt Holland
Zheng Zhi
Darren Ambrose
Luke Varney
Izale McLeod
Subs from: Randolph, Basey, Fortune, Semedo, Thomas, Dickson, Iwelumo.
The game pits third place Watford at home against fifth place Charlton, and as such, it should be close. Pedro45’s score prediction will ratify that precept, and I’m going for a 1-1 draw. However, bearing in mind the recent form both clubs have shown, it is certainly not beyond the Addicks to come away with a clear win. Watford may be lifted by the successful Bangura deportation appeal, but it is unclear if he will be playing, as he has not been in the side over recent matches.
My one-to-watch in this match is the only “new” signing we have so far this transfer window – welcome back Kelly Youga. Kelly has been in good form in his three matches for the club so far, and we will need another decent display from him on Saturday if we are to get anything from this important match. It is strange to think that he was sent off twice for Scunthorpe prior to Xmas, as he hasn’t even given away many fouls since slotting into the troubled left back slot on the first Saturday of the new year.Games on TV don’t tend to sit well with The Valley faithful, and I couldn’t risk my cable not working so will be at the game early on Saturday evening. Similar to the Preston away game, a good turn out could be going home happy; Vicarage Road has certainly been a happy hunting ground in years gone by, and hopefully this weekend will see another pleasant journey back from Hertfordshire.
Up the Addicks!
Labels: Charlton, Kelly Youga, Watford
Friday, October 19, 2007
Password to Promotion
Have you ever, as I have, noticed that whatever password you have on your work computer lends itself to bad luck?As you need to change the secret letters every couple of months or so, I have had quite a few different passwords, ranging from places I’ve been to on holiday through to favourite footballer or cricketers, that sort of thing.
But it does seem that whatever password I have falls from grace; either while I have it or soon after I have had to change it.
For instance, some of the cricketers I have had – Atherton, Gatting, Flintoff, Strauss, Harmison, Hoggard – they all seem to lose form or get injured as soon as I glorify them on my keyboard! It’s the same with footballers: Parker, DiCanio, Rommedahl, and Curbishley, all heroes of their day, but all got injured very soon or left Charlton under a cloud.
Then there are the holiday places – I won’t list them, but you can guess that a riot, terrorist attack, political upheaval, or some unexpected outrageous weather or natural disaster will befall the area I have just been to as soon as I commit their name to password memory.
And I better not mention Blunkett, Blair or Mandelson!
You can all thus be happy that after a number of years of typing in some of my favourite things, I am now going to start with some of my least favourite, starting with Watford! I know I shouldn’t really be telling anyone my password, but I’m guessing and hoping that you won’t be having access to my work PC!
Why Watford – well it’s easy; they are the only team above Charlton in the league, and therefore a danger. I am confidently predicting that they start to suffer a downturn from this weekend, with defeats, player unrest, hooliganism, managerial casualties, and boardroom strife all beckoning due to my new password. This, hopefully, will leave the way free for Charlton to climb above them over the next few weeks and take their place at the top of the Championship!
If any other club threatens our boys, I’ll simply make them my next password…
Up the Addicks!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Late, Late Show
Watford 2 Charlton Athletic 2
It is horrible when you are overseas and cannot watch your team play on a Saturday afternoon; no TV stations in Thailand (or anywhere it seems) carried this match live, so I had to make do with watching the Arsenal vs Reading game (kick off 10pm l;ocal time) and looking out for the score updates (courtesy of Tiger Beer!) that flashed up at the base of the screen every time a goal went in somewhere, and the overall updates of every game twice in each half.
As the Ashburton Grove game got underway, I was otherwise involved in setting up chargers to power up all those gadgets that one deems necessary these days, and also with trying to catch a rather massive red/brown cockroach which had found its way into the downstairs of our pavillion. This took a little bit of time, and coupled with me reading the local newspaper, the first Tiger update after 25 minutes took me a little by surprise. As always with the non-big clubs, the Charlton score took a while to filter through - Liverpool and Man Utd (the early kick off) came first, then the Fulham, Man City, and Newcastle scores. Then up came Watford 2 Charlton 0. Oh dear. A goal conceded after 15 minutes, then another after 21 minutes. Still, plenty oif time to fight back hopefully. At half time, ESPN are quite good, and show the goals from all the Premiership games that kick off at 3pm in England. Again, last up were Watford's two goals.
Two short crosses, not dealt with, and though Carson made a fabulous save before the first goal, he was helpless to stop either resulting shot. There was El Karkouri, Sankofa, Young, Song, and a couple of other players, but no news on the starting eleven.
Spirits wer not lifted by Wigan winning at Man City, and then early in the second half when the Tiger beer goal flash said Sheffield United took the lead against Everton.
Finally, as the Arsenal machine started to hit the right gears, a decent scoreline - Everton equalising. Soon after Luke Young brought Charlton back into contention in the 67th minute. Come on lads; you can do it.
The Tiger beer score flashes kept coming but brought no further joy. As the Arsenal game finished with 4 extra minutes added, the programme ended just before midnight and the adverts came. No news yet of any final scores...
The next ESPN programme is luckily called Final Score, but unlike the BBC version, it does not start with a results round up, but the studio panel look at highlights and digest each game in turn. Of course, big clubs always come first, so I had to sit through the Liverpool game highlights, then Fulham, then Arsenal (again!), then Man City, before finally, at a very late Thai hour, the host announced that the best had been kept till last - did this mean hope for Addicks fans?
The two first half Watford goals were screened again (hopeless defending...); then apparent Charlton captain Luke Young (who doesn't get many goals we were told) poked in after a delicious through ball from Song. What next - would fial score flash up? No, another Charlton attack. Yippee! The ball goes to Rommedahl (no doubt on as a sub) and his cross is nodded home by Ambrose. Yes! This time, final score 2-2 does come up. I turn off and go to bed - how many did you lose by the wife asked? We didn't I said. Night night!
It is horrible when you are overseas and cannot watch your team play on a Saturday afternoon; no TV stations in Thailand (or anywhere it seems) carried this match live, so I had to make do with watching the Arsenal vs Reading game (kick off 10pm l;ocal time) and looking out for the score updates (courtesy of Tiger Beer!) that flashed up at the base of the screen every time a goal went in somewhere, and the overall updates of every game twice in each half.
As the Ashburton Grove game got underway, I was otherwise involved in setting up chargers to power up all those gadgets that one deems necessary these days, and also with trying to catch a rather massive red/brown cockroach which had found its way into the downstairs of our pavillion. This took a little bit of time, and coupled with me reading the local newspaper, the first Tiger update after 25 minutes took me a little by surprise. As always with the non-big clubs, the Charlton score took a while to filter through - Liverpool and Man Utd (the early kick off) came first, then the Fulham, Man City, and Newcastle scores. Then up came Watford 2 Charlton 0. Oh dear. A goal conceded after 15 minutes, then another after 21 minutes. Still, plenty oif time to fight back hopefully. At half time, ESPN are quite good, and show the goals from all the Premiership games that kick off at 3pm in England. Again, last up were Watford's two goals.
Two short crosses, not dealt with, and though Carson made a fabulous save before the first goal, he was helpless to stop either resulting shot. There was El Karkouri, Sankofa, Young, Song, and a couple of other players, but no news on the starting eleven.
Spirits wer not lifted by Wigan winning at Man City, and then early in the second half when the Tiger beer goal flash said Sheffield United took the lead against Everton.
Finally, as the Arsenal machine started to hit the right gears, a decent scoreline - Everton equalising. Soon after Luke Young brought Charlton back into contention in the 67th minute. Come on lads; you can do it.
The Tiger beer score flashes kept coming but brought no further joy. As the Arsenal game finished with 4 extra minutes added, the programme ended just before midnight and the adverts came. No news yet of any final scores...
The next ESPN programme is luckily called Final Score, but unlike the BBC version, it does not start with a results round up, but the studio panel look at highlights and digest each game in turn. Of course, big clubs always come first, so I had to sit through the Liverpool game highlights, then Fulham, then Arsenal (again!), then Man City, before finally, at a very late Thai hour, the host announced that the best had been kept till last - did this mean hope for Addicks fans?
The two first half Watford goals were screened again (hopeless defending...); then apparent Charlton captain Luke Young (who doesn't get many goals we were told) poked in after a delicious through ball from Song. What next - would fial score flash up? No, another Charlton attack. Yippee! The ball goes to Rommedahl (no doubt on as a sub) and his cross is nodded home by Ambrose. Yes! This time, final score 2-2 does come up. I turn off and go to bed - how many did you lose by the wife asked? We didn't I said. Night night!
Labels: Charlton, Premiership, Thailand, Tiger Beer, Watford
Friday, March 02, 2007
No TV at the Vicarage
Another Saturday kick off; another crucial game - this week it's Watford who the Addicks need to beat. As the official website put it, this game is the latest most important game of the season. A win is crucial, yet again, if Charlton are to put pressure on the teams above them and have any realistic chance of surviving in the Premiership this season.
Last weeks romp over West Ham is but a distant memory (albeit a very nice one!), and with Wigan also winning, the gap between safety and despair is still six points. A win away at Vicarage Road on Saturday would really make people sit up and take note though, especially those that are hovering around the thirty point mark and not playing very well (Man City; Fulham; Sheffield United).
This is the side I expect Alan Pardew to put out -
Scott Carson
Osei Sankofa
Talal El Karkouri
Jonathan Fortune
Luke Young
Alexandre Song
Matt H0lland
Darren Ambrose
Jerome Thomas
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Darren Bent
Subs from Randolph, any other fit defender we have (if any), Faye, Kishishev, Zhi, Reid, Lisbie, Rommedahl.
Strange, but after all the January trasfer window signings, plus the return of injured players, and the recall of loanees, we are still terribly short on guys who can come into the team and play.
Last weeks injuries (Thatcher) and suspensions (Diawara), coupled with longer term knocks to Hreidersson and Bougherra, have given the defence a very thin look. Unless Young plays left back, the only other option is Ashton - not what you want for a must win game like this. At least Jon Furtune (recalled from loan at Stoke) is fit and ready to step into the middle.
With Marcus Bent injured last week, and likely to be out for three weeks with a hamstring strain, Jimmy Floyd needs to keep up the good play we saw during his hour on the pitch versus the Hammers. The only other option would be to play Reid for big Benty, and switch to 4-5-1, but I doubt Pards will do this early in the game. I also doubt Pardew will want to change his formation, and play narrower (with maybe Zhi starting for one of the wide men), as this would reduce the attacking influence and maybe lose out on the confidence gained for last weeks positive play.
My one-to-watch (if I could see the match...) is going to be Darren Bent. Dazza came back with a bang last week, and needs to carry on with his goalscoring heroics for the next ten matches too. I wouldn't be surprised to see JFH on the score sheet too.
Pedro45 has to be confident about this game - although I hope the team are not too confident as Charlton sides have had several come-uppances over recent years when expected to win easily. I predict a 2-0 scoreline, as long as the team are sensible, control the match throughout, and don't get worried if things are not going well after half an hour. A point will be better than none, but every opportunity for the win must be sought.
I'm going to have to bite nails for this game, as it isn't being shown on TV in Thailand (or anywhere in the world it seems...). Thanks to Bangkok Addict for letting me know my worst fears on this were correct. I'll be watching some other meaningless Premiership game on ESPN, or, more accurately, the scrolling bar across the bottom that carries score updates, hoping to see Darren Bent named as the person who hits the back of the net first in this game.
Come on you reds!
Last weeks romp over West Ham is but a distant memory (albeit a very nice one!), and with Wigan also winning, the gap between safety and despair is still six points. A win away at Vicarage Road on Saturday would really make people sit up and take note though, especially those that are hovering around the thirty point mark and not playing very well (Man City; Fulham; Sheffield United).
This is the side I expect Alan Pardew to put out -
Scott Carson
Osei Sankofa
Talal El Karkouri
Jonathan Fortune
Luke Young
Alexandre Song
Matt H0lland
Darren Ambrose
Jerome Thomas
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Darren Bent
Subs from Randolph, any other fit defender we have (if any), Faye, Kishishev, Zhi, Reid, Lisbie, Rommedahl.
Strange, but after all the January trasfer window signings, plus the return of injured players, and the recall of loanees, we are still terribly short on guys who can come into the team and play.
Last weeks injuries (Thatcher) and suspensions (Diawara), coupled with longer term knocks to Hreidersson and Bougherra, have given the defence a very thin look. Unless Young plays left back, the only other option is Ashton - not what you want for a must win game like this. At least Jon Furtune (recalled from loan at Stoke) is fit and ready to step into the middle.
With Marcus Bent injured last week, and likely to be out for three weeks with a hamstring strain, Jimmy Floyd needs to keep up the good play we saw during his hour on the pitch versus the Hammers. The only other option would be to play Reid for big Benty, and switch to 4-5-1, but I doubt Pards will do this early in the game. I also doubt Pardew will want to change his formation, and play narrower (with maybe Zhi starting for one of the wide men), as this would reduce the attacking influence and maybe lose out on the confidence gained for last weeks positive play.
My one-to-watch (if I could see the match...) is going to be Darren Bent. Dazza came back with a bang last week, and needs to carry on with his goalscoring heroics for the next ten matches too. I wouldn't be surprised to see JFH on the score sheet too.
Pedro45 has to be confident about this game - although I hope the team are not too confident as Charlton sides have had several come-uppances over recent years when expected to win easily. I predict a 2-0 scoreline, as long as the team are sensible, control the match throughout, and don't get worried if things are not going well after half an hour. A point will be better than none, but every opportunity for the win must be sought.
I'm going to have to bite nails for this game, as it isn't being shown on TV in Thailand (or anywhere in the world it seems...). Thanks to Bangkok Addict for letting me know my worst fears on this were correct. I'll be watching some other meaningless Premiership game on ESPN, or, more accurately, the scrolling bar across the bottom that carries score updates, hoping to see Darren Bent named as the person who hits the back of the net first in this game.
Come on you reds!
Labels: Charlton, Premiership, Watford
