This was the text message from Joe the Saint after Charlton lost 2-3 at home to Wolves at The Valley, conceding a last gasp goal after they had equalised in time added on. Sky described the game as 'brilliant' and neutrals on the train home from Charlton thought they had got their money's worth.
However, for Charlton fans it was the effective end to a very disappointing season. As so often this season, sloppy defending cost us the points. We did score two good goals and we upped our game in the second half. We were playing the ball on the ground more, although passes were still going astray.
So what now for what the Financial Times described yesterday as one of the three 'big' clubs in the Championship? Someone said in the gents afterwards that it was a merciful end and even with a strengthened side we would not have survived in the Premiership. But it is difficult to see any of the teams who might go up surviving either and the stats are against them as Colin Cameron demonstrated in yesterday's programme. The gap between the two leagues is widening.
Unfortunately, many fans will not renew their season tickets next season, further depriving the club of much needed resources. I will renew mine, but I may not make the long trek from Warwickshire so often unless the quality of the play improves. The board have decided not to go down the route of outside investment and I am not sure that it is available. It is most likely to come from China, but present political tensions militate against that (although there may be some news on sponsorship for next season soon).
If I want to see guys hoofing the ball around, I can drive ten minutes to the New Windmill Ground. And they invariably win (as their did yesterday 2-0 against Bishop's Cleeve). Indeed, seeing former Coventry City first team player Ben Mackey juggle the ball past three players and then turn the ball in the box to hit in a sizzling shot matches what is available at The Valley.
We need to get back to basics: playing as a team, keeping the ball on the ground, passing accurately, showing some pace, chasing near hopeless causes. This is a team that lacks confidence and it is up to 'Super' Alan Pardew to restore it. To the 'Pards out' crowd, I would say we can't afford to pay him off and there is no ideal replacement who would be prepared to come to Charlton.
Getting off the train, some Americans confidently asserted that 'Wolverhampton were not strong in the offense.' I wish that were true. Charlton started the game in a very lacklustre fashion. Wolves won an early corner, but it ended in a goal kick. Thomas and Lita tried to combine on a couple of occasions, but there was no end product.
Ambrose lost the ball. Nothing new there then. Lita put in a not particularly challenging header which was caught by Hennessey in the Wolves goal. An Ambrose effort went wide, but I thought there was a deflection and there should have been a corner. Given later failings it is worth noting that Paddy McCarthy provided good defensive work at the expense of a throw in.
Then Wolves burst down the wing with great pace, put in an excellent cross to allegedly overweight Sylvan Ebanks-Blake who made no mistake in firing the ball in the net. Once again Charlton were 0-1 down at home and we have only come back from such a deficit once this season to win (against Sheffield Wednesday).
Ambrose lost the ball again, but then a great run by the midfielder won Charlton a free kick in a promising position. This led to a Charlton corner, it was collected on the other side of the goal by Thomas to play it back in, there was a flick on and Greg Halford was on hand to score a classic centre forward's goal and make it 1-1.
Danger loomed again when Wolves hit the post and Weaver was caught out of his goal. But somehow Wolves managed to put the ball wide.
Half time: Addicks 1, Wolves 1
Thomas put in a good ball to Holland, but the Charlton captain dithered and lost the opportunity. Thomas won a free kick and Halford's effort went off the bar with the help of the keeper. The resultant Charlton corner was played out. Jerome Thomas put in a good tackle to halt a Wolves attack. Zheng Zhi turned provider for Lita, leading to a Charlton corner.
Iwelumo gave a good ball to Lita and he put a cross right across the front of the Wolves goal but there was no one there to connect with it. Lita had a golden chance when he was one on one with the keeper but put the ball straight at him.
Zheng Zhi went on a good run down the centre of the pitch. Further good work produced a Charlton corner. The fading Thomas was pulled off in favour of Lee Cook. A Wolves corner led to a Charlton free kick. Wolves pulled off historic figure Michael Gray, who had been having quite a good game, and brought on Darren Gibson.
There was some trouble off the ball and both Neil Collins and Semedo received a yellow card from referee Stroud. Then Collins fouled again and was warned by the referee. Lee Cook put in a sizzling shot from way out which was only just wide. Charlton won a corner, but Cook's disappointing effort was caught by the keeper.
Iwelumo was fouled yet again and the referee having found his cards gave a yellow card at last to charm merchant Lee Craddock. Hard man Lee Cook received a yellow for a foul. Wolves pulled off Jarvis and brought on out of favour bench warmer Freddy Eastwood for whom a loan deal to Coventry fell through at the last minute.
Paddy McCarthy was outwitted down the wing and Ebanke-Blake outmanoeuvred the stretched Charlton defence and the ball went in off the post to make it 1-2. It was a brilliant move and possibly the best goal I have seen at The Valley this season. Semedo was taken off and replaced by Luke Varney in the last throw of the dice by Pardew.
Luke Varney put in a decent shot and Hennessey nearly spilled the ball. Ebanke-Blake was withdrawn and replaced by Kevin Kyle. An effort by Luke Varney went wide. Four minutes were added on. Lita forged through and made it 2-2 and they thought it was all over. But Wolves kept up the pressure with two corners and Henry scored to make it 2-3.
The Burnley chairman was prescient when he contacted me recently to say how much he liked what I had written about his club. Charlton look like the new Burnley: a mid-table Championship club unlikely to be promoted or relegated. For those who like to read off results from recent form and predict relegation next season, football isn't like that.
Pards does have a record of getting teams up in their second season down and at least clubs next season won't treat their match against us as a cup final against a 'Premiership' club. It's ironic that we used to grumble about Curbs making us a mid-table Premiership club. At least when we were last mid-table in the second division, we had hope of better things (which came sooner than we hoped). Not any more.
Match analysis
Normally bouncy springer spaniel and match analyst Monty Martin was unusually subdued after the game. But he perked up when he awarded the Silver Bone to Greg Halford. The much criticised player took his goal well and in the second half he put in a searing shot from distance which the Wolves keeper had to push over the bar. At the end of the game, he sunk to the ground with his head in his hands, showing his commitment to the cause. Wolves had three shots on target and they all went in, but I would not particularly blame Weaver as he was let down by his defence. Thatcher had a solid game at left back. Many fans favour McCarthy as Player of the Year on the grounds that he is the most improved player, but there was little sign of it yesterday. He was at fault for the second goal. Sodje was at fault for the third and decisive goal. I have been something of an advocate of Semedo but I thought he had a poor game. He is too inclined to foul when he gets caught out and I think yesterday was his eigth yellow card of the season. Holland looked as dejected yesterday at the end of the game as he did after the away game at Burnley. Once again he was committed, workmanlike and showed a few nice touches. But he is not going to get us out of the Championship. Ambrose did show some energy and pace, but his contribution is too up and down. Thomas was lively in the first half, but showed signs of fading. In the train going to the game I heard some Americans describe him as an 'exciting player'. I suppose that is one way of putting it. I thought that some of the flick ons by Iwelumo worked quite well, but he is too inclined to invite fouls or to foul himself. Lita got booked for his goal celebration, but it showed what it meant to him and it is an important psychological hurdle overcome. Unfortunately it has come too late in the season for us. I thought that when Zheng Zhi came on he contributed to the lifting of Charlton's game. If he decides he does not want to stay at a mid-table Championship club next season - and who could blame him - we shall miss him. Forgotten figure Cook looked quite lively but his contribution was mixed to say the least. Varney got an enthusiastic reception from the Addickted when he warmed up at half time, but he was not on the pitch long enough to make a difference.
Hiss of the Match This was awarded by Juneau the Soccer Cat to Wolves charm merchant Jody Craddock. It was interesting that the programme reminded us of how Kevin Muskrat ended the career of Matty Holmes.
Crowd rating The boo boys started half way through the second half. I can understand their frustration, but the crowd is turned very easily and I am not sure that it helps. However, the crowd got behind the team when they lifted their performance in the second half. 6/10
4 comments:
I agree with your comments re a replacement for AP, who is there? And it took him 2 seasons to get the Hamsters back up. But I can't remember a more depressing run of games since before Lennie Lawrence.
We lost the game in the first half, AP seems to suggest the crowd didn't help, well it doesn't help seeing an unbalanced side playing badly (again). Ambrose is not a winger and is most effective sitting in the middle as an attacking midfielder. Most of our attacking play was through Thomas who on occassions had three players on him at anyone time (I thought he did well). Once Amborse was off we did stretch them & finally in the second half Iwelumo and Lita clicked and looked a threat. AP needs to look at the balance of the side. I still like Semedo, he was the busiest player making himself avaiable throughout the game and breaking up a number of their attacks, if he could improve his distribution he will be another Parker. Depressed but hoping for better!
Don't agree with you folks!
At the seasons end Pardew should do the honourable thing and resign. He failed to keep us in the Prem. (true that was a difficult task) He's failed to get us into the top two of the Championship, and we won't make the play-offs, that's failure!
Who should take over? On other blogs i've suggested Chris Powell. This has met with derision on the premise 'he has no experience' However it should be remembered Alan Curbishley had no experience when he took over, and look where he got us!
If you still don't like that suggestion. What about Sam Allardyce? Now there's a bloke to shake up our incompetent rabble!
I don't think that Chris has his coaching badges yet. In the longer run, I would like to see some permutation of Mark Robson/Kinsella/Powell. I don't think we could afford Allerdyce or he would want to come.
There were three moments of quality yesterday - and they were the Wolves goals. For a club like us who have allegedly spent more on purchases and wages than most others I sort of expected the quality to come from us this season.
Iwelumo or Gray alongside Ewan Bankes? Says a lot doesn't it.
Cook's intro was interesting. The set pieces he took were threatening - you couldn't say that Ambrose's could you?
The point I'm making is that is that there have been so few quality moments for us this season. It looks like we are joining the ranks of Coventry, Palarse, Ipswich etc - we used to be in the Premier League but we ain't going there again for a long while.
Pembury Addick
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