Tomorrow's referee, Clive Penton, hails from Brighton but as far as I remember he is not a member of the West Sussex branch of CASC. He has been refereeing since 1986 and was a big name in the Isthmian League until finally making it to the national list in 2001.
He has a reputation for sending players off, but three-quarters of them are away players. He is also known for giving penalties when the incident, if any, occurred outside the box. Quite what optical defect that involves I don't know, but Specsavers are online.
You can read an interview with him here: Referee
Monday, 31 December 2007
U's preview
The visit of Colchester United on New Year's Day brings the opportunity to welcome back Kevin Lisbie to The Valley. Admittedly in the U's last match at Blackpool, he only came on in the 67th minute to replace Teddy Sherringham who had been preferred in the starting line up.
I was looking at the excellent best Premiership matches DVD over the holiday break. Rick Everitt and his elves have done an excellent job and it was a tonic to see us playing fluent football and winning matches.
The win over Liverpool including the Lisbie hattrick was one of the games included and his third goal, when he ran from deep inside the Charlton half, was brilliant. But I also noticed that earlier in the game he made misses from a few yards out. It was ever thus.
And it still is. A local newspaper report on one of the U's holiday games states, 'Earlier, fellow striker Kevin Lisbie had spurned a good chance to chalk up his own seventh goal of the campaign. There were just eight minutes on the clock when Lisbie burst onto Luke Guttridge's excellent through ball, only to hook his shot wide of target with just keeper Davis to beat.'
There is a lot of criticism on the lists of Iwelumo in the lone striker role. It is said that he cannot hold up the ball and that it encourages long balls to him (particularly from goal kicks) which he cannot connect with effectively. There is no doubt that Todorov would be better in this kind of role as he can hold the ball up and losing him was one of the blows of the season.
There is actually nothing wrong with a good long ball. Interestingly, after they went behind at Everton, Arsenal switched to a long ball game and very effective it was. But we are not Arsenal.
Iwelumo's critics say that Varney would have scored as many goals as him. Of course, one cannot prove that one way or another. But I have not been that impressed by Varney. He has pace, but does he have accuracy? Remember that a few years ago he was at Level 5 of the non-league. He was certainly better than that and his spell at Crewe helped him to develop. But, as in the case of McLeod, there is still quite a big gap between the Championship and the leagues below it.
Nevertheless, I would give Chris Dickson a chance. Admittedly, last year he was playing at the same level as Leamington (in a less successful side). His record in League 1 for the Gills as excellent, but there is a difference between League 1 and the Championship. Even so, if I was the manager (which fortunately I am not) I would start him in a 4-4-2 with Iwelumo against the U's.
Colchester are not playing well. Geraint Williams, the Colchester manager, has admitted his side have confronted a new low after their abject performance against Blackpool. 'That's as bad as we've been this season,' he said. 'The 2-0 result didn't tell the story of how badly we played.'
I am always very cautious about reading results off the table. Our poor home record will give Colchester some confidence. Nevertheless, I am going for a 2-0 win for the Addicks.
I was looking at the excellent best Premiership matches DVD over the holiday break. Rick Everitt and his elves have done an excellent job and it was a tonic to see us playing fluent football and winning matches.
The win over Liverpool including the Lisbie hattrick was one of the games included and his third goal, when he ran from deep inside the Charlton half, was brilliant. But I also noticed that earlier in the game he made misses from a few yards out. It was ever thus.
And it still is. A local newspaper report on one of the U's holiday games states, 'Earlier, fellow striker Kevin Lisbie had spurned a good chance to chalk up his own seventh goal of the campaign. There were just eight minutes on the clock when Lisbie burst onto Luke Guttridge's excellent through ball, only to hook his shot wide of target with just keeper Davis to beat.'
There is a lot of criticism on the lists of Iwelumo in the lone striker role. It is said that he cannot hold up the ball and that it encourages long balls to him (particularly from goal kicks) which he cannot connect with effectively. There is no doubt that Todorov would be better in this kind of role as he can hold the ball up and losing him was one of the blows of the season.
There is actually nothing wrong with a good long ball. Interestingly, after they went behind at Everton, Arsenal switched to a long ball game and very effective it was. But we are not Arsenal.
Iwelumo's critics say that Varney would have scored as many goals as him. Of course, one cannot prove that one way or another. But I have not been that impressed by Varney. He has pace, but does he have accuracy? Remember that a few years ago he was at Level 5 of the non-league. He was certainly better than that and his spell at Crewe helped him to develop. But, as in the case of McLeod, there is still quite a big gap between the Championship and the leagues below it.
Nevertheless, I would give Chris Dickson a chance. Admittedly, last year he was playing at the same level as Leamington (in a less successful side). His record in League 1 for the Gills as excellent, but there is a difference between League 1 and the Championship. Even so, if I was the manager (which fortunately I am not) I would start him in a 4-4-2 with Iwelumo against the U's.
Colchester are not playing well. Geraint Williams, the Colchester manager, has admitted his side have confronted a new low after their abject performance against Blackpool. 'That's as bad as we've been this season,' he said. 'The 2-0 result didn't tell the story of how badly we played.'
I am always very cautious about reading results off the table. Our poor home record will give Colchester some confidence. Nevertheless, I am going for a 2-0 win for the Addicks.
The year gone by
It's not been a good one for the Addickted. Relegation is never pleasant and it came after a year when we went through two managers before finding the right one. It also came at a time when there has been a further substantial boost in Premiership revenues.
The standard of play in the Championship is far worse than I remember it. There is a great deal of hoofing the ball and a lot of physical play which is not checked most of the time by the referees. If you lose possession in the Premiership, you don't get it back for at least five minutes. There is also a considerable difference in the quality of the defences. One worrying aspect of this is that the less hard core Charlton supporters are unlikely to come back for another season of the same fare, particularly without the lure of a free Premiership season ticket.
Which brings me to the question of the club's finances. Before the first instalment of the Darren Bent money came in, the club was effectively insolvent in the summer. The directors had to dig deep in the pockets to bail it out. We should be very grateful to them. But it is not a solution we can rely on for ever.
Nothing more has been heard about possible takeovers or injections of new capital. It may well be that the only offers that have come forward are not acceptable ones in the sense that are consistent with the kind of club Charlton is and hence have been turned down. If that is the case, I think it is the right decision.
However, if you had a wedge and no allegiance to a particular club, would you invest in Charlton? The money going to the Championship is favouring one club cities with a prosperous hinterland: Coventry, Leicester, Ipswich. Admittedly, there has been no deal at Southampton, but that is partly to do with the board there which includes a number of hangovers from the old regime who still hold substantial shareholdings.
The one exception is Queen's Park Rangers and I must admit that it baffles me. If I wanted to invest in a lesser London club I would choose Charlton over QPR every time. Apart from the fact that we have a stadium rather than a cramped ground based on a shoebox design, we have much more potential, given the housing planned for the Thames Gateway and the hinterland in Kent, criss crossed by Rickshaws. I suspect that the explanation is simply down to personal connections.
Sometimes the Charlton fans and their lack of ambition worry me. Although they grumble about managers, players and tactics, they seem broadly accepting of the club's second rank status. In particular too many of them seem to want the club to be a kind of Crewe, bringing on younger and non-league players.
If we don't go up next year, and we don't get any new investment, the future is bleak. The Championship is littered with ex Premiership clubs now engaged in a struggle to survive financially and to avoid the drop into League 1. Just consider the case of Sheffield Wednesday which we have recently looked at: Owls
My predictions for 2008 are:
1. Charlton make the play offs but are defeated at Wembley by Ipswich.
2. Alan Pardew leaves in the summer and is replaced by Phil Parkinson.
3. Reid, Thomas and Sam are sold in the summer window.
I hope that all three predictions are wrong!
The standard of play in the Championship is far worse than I remember it. There is a great deal of hoofing the ball and a lot of physical play which is not checked most of the time by the referees. If you lose possession in the Premiership, you don't get it back for at least five minutes. There is also a considerable difference in the quality of the defences. One worrying aspect of this is that the less hard core Charlton supporters are unlikely to come back for another season of the same fare, particularly without the lure of a free Premiership season ticket.
Which brings me to the question of the club's finances. Before the first instalment of the Darren Bent money came in, the club was effectively insolvent in the summer. The directors had to dig deep in the pockets to bail it out. We should be very grateful to them. But it is not a solution we can rely on for ever.
Nothing more has been heard about possible takeovers or injections of new capital. It may well be that the only offers that have come forward are not acceptable ones in the sense that are consistent with the kind of club Charlton is and hence have been turned down. If that is the case, I think it is the right decision.
However, if you had a wedge and no allegiance to a particular club, would you invest in Charlton? The money going to the Championship is favouring one club cities with a prosperous hinterland: Coventry, Leicester, Ipswich. Admittedly, there has been no deal at Southampton, but that is partly to do with the board there which includes a number of hangovers from the old regime who still hold substantial shareholdings.
The one exception is Queen's Park Rangers and I must admit that it baffles me. If I wanted to invest in a lesser London club I would choose Charlton over QPR every time. Apart from the fact that we have a stadium rather than a cramped ground based on a shoebox design, we have much more potential, given the housing planned for the Thames Gateway and the hinterland in Kent, criss crossed by Rickshaws. I suspect that the explanation is simply down to personal connections.
Sometimes the Charlton fans and their lack of ambition worry me. Although they grumble about managers, players and tactics, they seem broadly accepting of the club's second rank status. In particular too many of them seem to want the club to be a kind of Crewe, bringing on younger and non-league players.
If we don't go up next year, and we don't get any new investment, the future is bleak. The Championship is littered with ex Premiership clubs now engaged in a struggle to survive financially and to avoid the drop into League 1. Just consider the case of Sheffield Wednesday which we have recently looked at: Owls
My predictions for 2008 are:
1. Charlton make the play offs but are defeated at Wembley by Ipswich.
2. Alan Pardew leaves in the summer and is replaced by Phil Parkinson.
3. Reid, Thomas and Sam are sold in the summer window.
I hope that all three predictions are wrong!
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Posh boss: we won't sell to Addicks
Peterborough are expecting bids from Charlton and Wigan for top scorer and former Grays striker Aaron McLean. However, director of football Barry Fry commented, 'We know there's big interest in Aaron but he will be going nowhere. We aren't hard up and have no need to sell.'
Peterborough have put in an improved £150,000 bid for Rushden and Diamonds 16 goal striker Simon Jackson whom Fry believes can be as big a league player as McLean. But Fry insists that he would be an addition not a replacement.
Based on the McLeod example, I am sceptical of the ability of players to rapidly bridge the gap between League 2 and the Premiership.
Peterborough have put in an improved £150,000 bid for Rushden and Diamonds 16 goal striker Simon Jackson whom Fry believes can be as big a league player as McLean. But Fry insists that he would be an addition not a replacement.
Based on the McLeod example, I am sceptical of the ability of players to rapidly bridge the gap between League 2 and the Premiership.
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Leicester reject secures a point
A 90th minute goal by Leicester reject Paddy McCarthy gave Charlton a share of the points at the Crisp Bowl today after the Foxes had gone ahead with a poorly defended opportunistic goal. For much of the game neither side looked particularly crisp, but rather like two mid-table sides who couldn't get on top of the other and were happy to settle for a goalless draw. All credit to Charlton for battling for the point, but we should be able to beat a side like Leicester and we need to do better than getting three 1-1 draws in a row.
On two minutes Leicester won their first corner but this was cleared. Two Foxes went to ground and there was a long delay while they received treatment. Foxes going to ground became something of a pattern in the match.
A succession of throw ins for both sides was revealing of the quality of the match. Some light relief was provided by the very fat Leicester drummer who was stripped to the waist in the biting wind. Charlton launched their first effective attack, but it ended in a Leicester free kick. Chris Iwelumo received a yellow card for an incident on the wing.
Joe Mattock was withdrawn in favour of Alan Sheehan who was himself substituted later in the match. A Fox went to ground as if shot. Collins John was replaced by Jonathan Hayes.
Luke Varney won the Addicks a corner. Taken by Thomas, it was played out and Matt Holland put in a strong shot from distance that was just wide of the post.
A Chris Powell cross led to another Charlton corner, but this one was unproductive. Chris Iwelumo advanced and was brought down in the area, but it was not a penalty. Magic Bougherra burst down the wing, but ultimately the move led to nothing.
A Leicester cross flashed across the goal and the move ended with the ball in the side netting. A Leicester corner was cleared. Following a foul on Bougherra, Charlton were able to apply some pressure from the free kick but it ended in a goal kick.
A Leicester corner ended in an Addicks free kick. With three minutes added on, Thomas burst forward but had no support. Weaver came out of his goal and was exposed and the ball had to be cleared off the line by a Charlton defender.
Half time: Foxes 0, Addicks 0
The Foxes came out to an extended play of the post horn gallop, but were confronted by some good defending by McCarthy. A Fox went down again. Thomas made a good run and created a chance for Varney but he blasted the ball over the goal.
A Fox went to ground again and this time Leicester were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Weaver made three saves in succession, one with the palm of his hand and two by punching out, keeping Charlton in the game.
Leicester applied some pressure but it was ultimately ineffective. Good defensive work by McCarthy averted a corner and the Addickted burst into a chant of his name. Fortune had picked up a knock and had to be replaced by Mouto2. Leicester won a corner but the ball was punched out by Weaver. Zheng Zhi won the Addicks a corner.
The lino on the far side was flagging for a Charlton free kick in a promising position, but the Addicks kept on playing. A Fox managed to break with the ball, but then dived in front of goal. His appeals for a free kick in a dangerous position were waved away by the referee, but no yellow card was given for simulation.
Weaver spilled the ball from a shot, but Mouto2 retrieved the situation well and charged away down the wing. Varney won Charlton a free kick on the touchline. Sheehan was subbed by Wesolowski. Varney put in a strong shot from the wing but it was repelled by the keeper.
Charlton lost the ball in their half and put themselves under pressure. Weaver did not position himself well for the shot and although he was able to get a hand to it he was not able to stop it going into the back of the net, Clemence celebrating a soft goal.
Hayes administered a trip to stop a quick Charlton response and got a yellow card. Semedo was replaced by Sam. A Charlton corner was unproductive. A Leicester corner was taken short but led to an Addicks free kick.
Zheng Zhi was fouled, another yellow card was awarded, from the free kick there was a scramble in front of goal and McCarthy was named as the scorer. There were quite a few minutes left to play and Charlton looked as if they might score a second, but an effort from Zheng Zhi was wild and wide.
Walking away from the stadium the Foxes around us were bemoaning how poor they were, but we should have hunted them down for three points.
Match analysis
'If you had said a few weeks ago that I would be awarding a Silver Bone to Paddy McCarthy I would have said you were barking' commented match analyst Ivy the Terrible who had made the journey up the M69. It was awarded not just for the goal but for stalwart and intelligent defending throughout the match to a chorus of boos and chants of 'Leicester reject'. 'He never did that for us', grumbled a crestfallen Fox after the game. Weaver was partly to blame for the Foxes goal, but also made a few good saves. Bougherra still gives rise to some doubts and is very fond of hoofing the ball out of defence, although that is better than surrendering possession. Fortune was solid and competent until he was withdrawn because of injury. The Foxes tried to exploit a supposed weakness down their right, but Powell stood firm and was rarely discomfited. Semedo displayed some fluent passing. Holland was as solid as ever and had one good attempt on goal. Thomas was our most effective attacking player, although the final product was lacking. Zhi provided some good passes and tracked back well when he was needed in defence. Varney made some decent attempts to provide crosses and shots, but they were not very effective. Iwelumo was largely marked out of the game, although he did his best to connect with goal kicks. Moutaouakil looked effective on the wing when he came on and provided something of an attacking punch. Sam was presumably brought on to strengthen the attack, but was not very involved.
Hiss of the Match This was given by Juneau the Soccer Cat for the totally inadequate provision of ladies toilets (not to mention litter trays).
Crowd rating: A good turnout by the Addickted and they were in quite good if not very inventive voice. 6/10
On two minutes Leicester won their first corner but this was cleared. Two Foxes went to ground and there was a long delay while they received treatment. Foxes going to ground became something of a pattern in the match.
A succession of throw ins for both sides was revealing of the quality of the match. Some light relief was provided by the very fat Leicester drummer who was stripped to the waist in the biting wind. Charlton launched their first effective attack, but it ended in a Leicester free kick. Chris Iwelumo received a yellow card for an incident on the wing.
Joe Mattock was withdrawn in favour of Alan Sheehan who was himself substituted later in the match. A Fox went to ground as if shot. Collins John was replaced by Jonathan Hayes.
Luke Varney won the Addicks a corner. Taken by Thomas, it was played out and Matt Holland put in a strong shot from distance that was just wide of the post.
A Chris Powell cross led to another Charlton corner, but this one was unproductive. Chris Iwelumo advanced and was brought down in the area, but it was not a penalty. Magic Bougherra burst down the wing, but ultimately the move led to nothing.
A Leicester cross flashed across the goal and the move ended with the ball in the side netting. A Leicester corner was cleared. Following a foul on Bougherra, Charlton were able to apply some pressure from the free kick but it ended in a goal kick.
A Leicester corner ended in an Addicks free kick. With three minutes added on, Thomas burst forward but had no support. Weaver came out of his goal and was exposed and the ball had to be cleared off the line by a Charlton defender.
Half time: Foxes 0, Addicks 0
The Foxes came out to an extended play of the post horn gallop, but were confronted by some good defending by McCarthy. A Fox went down again. Thomas made a good run and created a chance for Varney but he blasted the ball over the goal.
A Fox went to ground again and this time Leicester were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Weaver made three saves in succession, one with the palm of his hand and two by punching out, keeping Charlton in the game.
Leicester applied some pressure but it was ultimately ineffective. Good defensive work by McCarthy averted a corner and the Addickted burst into a chant of his name. Fortune had picked up a knock and had to be replaced by Mouto2. Leicester won a corner but the ball was punched out by Weaver. Zheng Zhi won the Addicks a corner.
The lino on the far side was flagging for a Charlton free kick in a promising position, but the Addicks kept on playing. A Fox managed to break with the ball, but then dived in front of goal. His appeals for a free kick in a dangerous position were waved away by the referee, but no yellow card was given for simulation.
Weaver spilled the ball from a shot, but Mouto2 retrieved the situation well and charged away down the wing. Varney won Charlton a free kick on the touchline. Sheehan was subbed by Wesolowski. Varney put in a strong shot from the wing but it was repelled by the keeper.
Charlton lost the ball in their half and put themselves under pressure. Weaver did not position himself well for the shot and although he was able to get a hand to it he was not able to stop it going into the back of the net, Clemence celebrating a soft goal.
Hayes administered a trip to stop a quick Charlton response and got a yellow card. Semedo was replaced by Sam. A Charlton corner was unproductive. A Leicester corner was taken short but led to an Addicks free kick.
Zheng Zhi was fouled, another yellow card was awarded, from the free kick there was a scramble in front of goal and McCarthy was named as the scorer. There were quite a few minutes left to play and Charlton looked as if they might score a second, but an effort from Zheng Zhi was wild and wide.
Walking away from the stadium the Foxes around us were bemoaning how poor they were, but we should have hunted them down for three points.
Match analysis
'If you had said a few weeks ago that I would be awarding a Silver Bone to Paddy McCarthy I would have said you were barking' commented match analyst Ivy the Terrible who had made the journey up the M69. It was awarded not just for the goal but for stalwart and intelligent defending throughout the match to a chorus of boos and chants of 'Leicester reject'. 'He never did that for us', grumbled a crestfallen Fox after the game. Weaver was partly to blame for the Foxes goal, but also made a few good saves. Bougherra still gives rise to some doubts and is very fond of hoofing the ball out of defence, although that is better than surrendering possession. Fortune was solid and competent until he was withdrawn because of injury. The Foxes tried to exploit a supposed weakness down their right, but Powell stood firm and was rarely discomfited. Semedo displayed some fluent passing. Holland was as solid as ever and had one good attempt on goal. Thomas was our most effective attacking player, although the final product was lacking. Zhi provided some good passes and tracked back well when he was needed in defence. Varney made some decent attempts to provide crosses and shots, but they were not very effective. Iwelumo was largely marked out of the game, although he did his best to connect with goal kicks. Moutaouakil looked effective on the wing when he came on and provided something of an attacking punch. Sam was presumably brought on to strengthen the attack, but was not very involved.
Hiss of the Match This was given by Juneau the Soccer Cat for the totally inadequate provision of ladies toilets (not to mention litter trays).
Crowd rating: A good turnout by the Addickted and they were in quite good if not very inventive voice. 6/10
Friday, 28 December 2007
Foxes preview
Leicester boss Ian Holloway thinks his side are on a roll and heading for the play offs after their win over Ipswich on Boxing Day. In his former incarnation as Pilgrims manager, Holloway defeated Charlton at The Valley earlier in the season and is looking forward to another three points tomorrow at the Crisp Bowl.
He may be being a little hasty. Charlton are often better away than at home. Also, Leicester are poor at scoring from open play, relying heavily on set pieces (although we are often at our weakest at defending from them). However, it has been suggested that the Foxes cannot hit a barn door from five yards.
I expect Pards to stick to a 4-5-1 formation tomorrow. Iwelumo was taken off at Carrow Road to make sure that he is refreshed tomorrow, so he will start. If anyone has to be brought on, I hope it is Dickson and not McLeod.
The midfield pretty much picks itself. Fortune is available again and can slot in to replace Sodje. Basey and Mouto2 are edging their way back to fitness, but if they are used, it will only be on the bench. Magic apparently did a decent job as right back at Norwich while Chris Powell will stay in the left back slot.
We will be making the short trip up the M69 tomorrow. I am forecasting Charlton's third 1-1 draw in a row.
He may be being a little hasty. Charlton are often better away than at home. Also, Leicester are poor at scoring from open play, relying heavily on set pieces (although we are often at our weakest at defending from them). However, it has been suggested that the Foxes cannot hit a barn door from five yards.
I expect Pards to stick to a 4-5-1 formation tomorrow. Iwelumo was taken off at Carrow Road to make sure that he is refreshed tomorrow, so he will start. If anyone has to be brought on, I hope it is Dickson and not McLeod.
The midfield pretty much picks itself. Fortune is available again and can slot in to replace Sodje. Basey and Mouto2 are edging their way back to fitness, but if they are used, it will only be on the bench. Magic apparently did a decent job as right back at Norwich while Chris Powell will stay in the left back slot.
We will be making the short trip up the M69 tomorrow. I am forecasting Charlton's third 1-1 draw in a row.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Bent wants to stay at Wigan
Leading Premiership goal scorer Marcus Bent would like to stay permamently at Wigan if the club can do a deal with Charlton: Bent
I never thought Bent was as much of a carthorse as some people claimed, but like many other players who succeed when they leave (notably Rommedahl) he was never able to do it for us. Even a relatively small sum could help us in the transfer window.
I never thought Bent was as much of a carthorse as some people claimed, but like many other players who succeed when they leave (notably Rommedahl) he was never able to do it for us. Even a relatively small sum could help us in the transfer window.
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