I thought that the midfield was particularly poor in today's defeat to Middlesbrough. As one fan commented, 'they parted like the Red Sea' whenever Middlesbrough attacked. They were not linking up well and hence often the only outlet for the back four was a hopeful ball forward which did not result in anything given that Sordell was disappointing and Kermorgant below par. Hamer was throwing out the ball to the backs, which was a good idea, but then the midfield moved forward, leaving a long ball as the only option. Those who think that Green is the answer may have learnt a lesson.
I didn't see how Middlesbrough could score given that their shooting was so wayward, but our defence was in a state of confusion with Morrison well below his usual best. Their goal was down to woeful defending on our part, starting with the corner which should never have been conceded.
It wasn't a good way for my neighbour in the East Stand, Steve from Petts Wood, to celebrate his 50th birthday but as he said philosophically it's what you expect as a Charlton fan. It's a long old season and we're not relegated yet. Six teams have no points and we are actually not in the bottom three while Millwall are.
A good journey down put me in an optimistic mood and I thought that we started playing competitively, but it didn't last. Boro were building quite well and were able to string a series of passes together which we couldn't. On 20 minutes Dean Whitehead got a yellow card for elbowing Kermorgant. Chris Powell thought it ought to have been a red and he had a case.
Harriott made a good run which won Charlton a corner, one of his few contributions to the game. Just before the break, Boro had a free kick on the 'D' but put it over the bar.
In the second half an early Boro free kick went off the Charlton wall. Kermorgant went down and required treatment after a collision with Sordell. Friend put a dangerous ball across the front of goal, but fortunately no one was able to connect. We then had the goal conceded and I couldn't see us getting back into the game, even with five minutes added on.
The attendance was not announced. It was 14,882 which suggests not much walk up traffic given 10,000 season ticket holders and the number of comps.
Match analysis
Ivy the Terrible has considered the award of the Silver Bone. No one had a great game, but Dorian Dervite didn't do anything wrong and did a lot of things right. Hamer was at fault for the goal and it was really the only save he had to make. Wiggins was below his usual standard. I thought that Solly largely did what was required, but many were more critical. If the team is not playing well, it may be difficult to play to your best standard. However, his distribution was not as good as usual and he allowed Carayol too much space. Morrison was poor by his standards. Jackson did contribute in the first half, but some have argued that he should never have started in the first place. Harriott was energetic, but not very effective and seems to have gone backwards since last season. The free kicks and corners contributed by Green were poor and apart from one shot on goal he didn't contribute very much else. Gower was anonymous for much of the game apart from one burst of skill on the touchline in the second half. Kermorgant should never have had his hair cut, he seems to have lost something, but then it is no good lumping balls up to him. Sordell was energetic, but not able to make much impact. Stephens did look quite classy when he first came on. Church has pace and bothered the reserve goalkeeper when he came on. There is surely a case for starting him. Wilson was marginally better than the players who had been on the pitch before him.
Rescue Cat Reg has given the Hiss of the Match to chairman Martin Slater for a disingenuous statement in the programme.
One well informed fan commented, 'the atmosphere among staff at The Valley is absolutely toxic and I suspect it extends to Sparrows Lane. The club is in a very bad place internally and I wouldn't be surprised if that's affecting what we are seeing on the pitch.'
1 comment:
Rumours abound and morale is seemingly rock bottom. The Riki Leaks 'slae of The Valley, for housing ' and indications that the finances are so poor that player sales are on the cards before the window closes does not indicate a healthy future or a good season.
Post a Comment