Charlton were knocked out of the FA Cup by a non-league club for their first time in their history today when they went down 1-0 to Northwich Victoria, the winning goal being scored by a student who came on as a substitute. It is difficult to argue that Northwich did not deserve their win.
The McLeod and Shelvey combo never worked up front and the midfield was below its best, particularly Racon while Semedo was also poor. Brave defending by Dailly and great work by Randolph stopped Northwich scoring in the first half. Charlton never came close. Randolph could probably have stopped the goal if he had kept on coming.
McLeod was lucky not to get red carded for use of the elbow at the start of the first half, fortunately for him the referee had only just put his contact lenses in (incidentally, I think the ref had a good game). We looked a bit livelier when McKenzie and Burton came on, but not by much.
I'm not that bothered about being out of the cup, but the manner of the exit is clearly embarrassing. Whether it will really matter at the end of the season is doubtful. However, in the short run it will trigger off the negativity that is never far below the surface at Charlton. Moaners at least have something to moan about.
I see that the News Shopper is calling it 'the most embarrassing defeat in Charlton's 104 year history': Report . Typical hyperbole and shows a lack of knowledge of the club's history.
11 comments:
I agree with you Wyn. It wasn't that we were beaten but the manner in which we were beaten. With Izale and JJ we looked like toothless tigers. Parkinson is going to have to look at his options. Racon hasn't be at his best for a few games, Sam looked ineffective. I can't recall a more poor performance. But with another cup game next week he can try another variation.
Are you not embarrased by that pathetic shamble Wyn?
I'm not at all bothered by the cup exit either. I genuinely couldn't give a tinkers about the potential of meeting one of the big four in the 3rd round etc.
But this wasn't just a blip, it follows on from two awful performances at Carlise and Gillingham, and a couple of mediocre performances prior to that. Our earlier inablity to create going forward was probably down to Deon's groin and the lack of other forward options, but now the whole midfield is playing badly as well.
This really is starting to feel like previous seasons. When you've had three diabolical seasons on the trot it's very difficult to avoid seeing trends from those painful, most recent experiences.
I'm angry and embarassed.
Pembury Addick
Wynn
I am really sure that it is the poorest team we have had since I started supporting in 1967. The reason that we have never been beaten by non-league opposition before is because ( frankly) we have never been this poor before . Our league position is an illusion and our current form( look at the Racing Post to confirm ) has us in the bottom half of the division.
I will be very surprised if we finish in the play offs. It is difficult not to feel sorry for Richard Murray , but I really think that giving Parky a contract was a mistake before he had proved anything . Where would he have gone anyway ??
There is no strength in the middle of the team , Racon in particularly is a very average player and definitely shirks the physical battle , Semedois OK at the physicals , but actually isn't a very good footballer , JJ apears overrated and none of our strikers ( with a possible excepton of Macenzie) can hit a cow's arse with a banjo.
I am ashamed to be a Charlton fan tonight
I think it's embarrassing. My original forecast for the season was somewhere between mid-table and the play offs and I think that looks feasible. Form tables are also a mirage because they do not count accumulated points. I think fans just to have wake up and realise this is a club with very little money to spare that cannot, for example, afford a much needed proven goal scorer. I also think that Phil Parkinson is a perfectly competent League 1 manager and that is all we can afford. Any other manager would face the same constraints.
... but the manner of the exit is clearly embarrassing... Masterful understatement Wyn! Shameless skiving by everyone other than Dailly & Randolph who then undid all his good work with a moment's lack of commitment. The financial burden of McCleod is nothing compared to the encumbrance of having him turn out on the pitch, players seeing him get selected must wonder what they're involved with. Hopefully he'll get at least a 3 match ban, Parky's hand will be forced and a less undeserving chap will get a chance to depose him permanently. Charlton will be better off never selecting him again and letting him leave when his contract expires. They should all be in for extra training this morning and putting their clearly limited intellects to composing some kind of apology to all of us that actually give a hoot for the club.
Wyn,
The problem as I saw it was that Izale doesn't have the experience or know how to be a lone striker, and JJ needs an experienced striker to play to. Together they don't have the knowledge, experience, skill to make things happen. The midfield players when getting forward didn't seem to know who was going to be where and it led to uncertaintity, wiht aimless crosses and players running out of ideas.
It was an embarassing performance but it just highlights some of the limitations Charlton have shown all year. We started the season playing some fairly good football but nothing as explosive as seven wins on the trot would suggest. Even during the winning run we looked toothless going forward in many matches.
The defence is fairly solid, especially since Sodje has replaced Llera and we have an organised midfield. However, the midfield has the talent and capabilities on the ball to be more than an organised outfit. There should be more invention going forward. The strikers aren't a huge threat but Burton has talent at holding the ball up and whoever he plays alongside would get more opportunities with a better contribtuion from the midfield.
Under Curbs we had organisation, under Dowie and Pardew we were crying out for some stability and organisation and to a large extent that is what Parky has given us. We have a groundbase to move on from here but the next step is to couple our solid looking team with some creativity. Only time will tell if Parky is capable of acheiving this next step. He can fall back on financial constraints but honestly I think there is enough talent in our midfielders of Semedo, Baily, Sam, Racon and JJ to suggest that we should more than compete at League 1 level.
My fear is these players will not stay on next year and then Parky will have real trouble creating a dynamic team using inferior players. I know you have said all year we need to accept that play offs may be best we can go for but this to me is a crucial year for the club and I really feel the players are there to get us up. I've been a fan of Parky to date but he has to show he can take us forward from here.
James O'Brien
Don't think Parky can be described as competent at the moment Wyn.
One striker - McLeod who is totally unsuited to the role at that - against a non-league team?
The injuries to Richardson & Solly necessitated the recruitment for a short term right-back. A player on a month's loan was absolutely the right move. But the base requirement is that the loanee is fit. By Parky's own admittance, Omozusi was not fit when he joined & is frankly an awful player.
We are short of strikers having let Fleetwood & Dickson go out on loan. Now I don't think either of them are great but is Mooney honestly significantly superior to them?
Burton's hernia problem is clearly affecting him now. Wouldn't the sensible thing have been to have the op after the Carlisle game?
I accept that we have little or no money, neither have most teams in this division. Lack of money hasn't stopped Colchester producing a team suited to get out of the division.
The calibre of player we have is vastly superior to the likes of Carlisle, Gillingham, Oldham & Northwich Victoria & yet we have failed to beat any of them.
A Charlton player has not scored an outfield goal since Norwich in September. We have not scored more than twice in the League since August.
We look to be playing without desire or belief & do not have any alternative plan when things go wrong.
What you need in this division is a big focal point up front, as is the case in the Championship. Iwelumo may not have been pretty to watch but he did the job.
Again Parky recognised this & tried to recruit Heidar Helgusson in January. When that fell through he brought in Burton, an entirely different sort of striker.
When he brought in a striker in the summer he went for McKenzie who is not a target man.
If Parky is competent he has a very strange way of showing it at the moment. That we can not afford anyone else I would not argue with but that does not make the present incumbent competent or anything like it.
Would be delighted if he proved me wrong though....
If I am right, we have only lost four league matches in the calendar year which doesn't look like incompetence to me. I wouldn't have started with that line up at Northwich, particularly McLeod, but all managers make mistakes. I haven't seen Omosuzi, but clearly Richardson's injury is a blow as he was one of our best players. With a thin squad, this is starting to hit us. Fleetwood has never, and will never, make the grade and I have never been impressed by Dickson. Boothroyd is a very good manager and is clearly have an impact at Colchester. Were we playing without desire when we defended in the goalmouth scramble at Northwich? Of course we need a focal point up front, but unless we get someone in on a loan for the rest of the season at Christmas, I don't know where such a person is going to come from.
Hope my post did not contribute to you suspending operations Wyn.
Like you, I do not think Parky is greast - he would not be at Charlton if he was - but I was not calling for his head either.
The number of League losses in this calendar year is ten by-the-way, eight in the Championship & two in League One, counterbalanced by eleven wins.
Hurry back.
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