BACK FROM THE VOID

Been a bit lazy of late and I've been happy to read the enlightening comments on other Blogs, but I thought I would post my own brief update supplement them.

It's been a momentous time with the two Sheffield games standing out and the United home fixture being momentous. My thoughts going into the Walsall away game was that the forthcoming sequence of games though not quite as important to the future well being of the club, they were beginning to look as important as that Leeds play-off game.

Well, few would have predicted the tremendous run of results that we have achieved (especially the two Sheffield games (the latter breaking a tremendous SU winning streak); all credit to the side and Chris Powell for holding their nerve. A draw at Exeter and 3 points against Walsall would set up us nicely. As a fellow season ticket holder said, a win in each of our remaining home games would probably see us on our way into the Championship.

Apart from the recent glory, and the right for us all to bask in it, it seems to me that a number of things seem to have emerged.

Wright Phillips looks like he badly needs a break of a couple of game at least; the edge has gone off his game and his head seems to be down. However, Hayes is no longer seen as a back-up and may possibly be on his way, and it seems that Haynes is being earmarked to fill in (and possibly challenge him for a place). However, it's early days for Haynes and he looks more like a winger to me; so that it looks like we are short of another striker, as Clark may not be ready.

We could play with just Kermit up front (he has been magnificent) but that might imply that we revert to a having a couple of fast wingers proving a constant stream of crosses. At the moment we do not have that supply (Green has been disappointing) and the left side would be dependent upon Wiggins. Maybe Haynes could provide this supply, but if we relied on this approach the style would have to change and we might become one dimensional and predictable.

Wiggins has continued to be a class act and Solly's efforts are bringing about continuous improvement to his game.

Morrison has been a rock, but I am still not certain about Taylor, and maybe because he is not fully fit I am not that confident about Cort. Doherty is likely to be on his way, but I reckon it is slightly premature as he could provide a good backup option.

Hamer has had a number of good games under his belt but has looked a bit shakey of late and Sullivan looked very nervous at Fulham. I hope thet Hamer's lapses have been molmentary as otherewise thois may be an area that may need early attention.   

The midfield has been covering a lot of ground and putting in a 100 % effort.  Hollands is playing well but though he has an all round game he is more of a stopper; Pritchard looks a real find from the lower ranks (and could earn us a lot of money in the future after a good CAFC career). Russell has been a good acquisition for cover but once again creativity is not his strong point (and by the way I think he was very unlucky to be sent off).

However, it still lacks that incisive creativity that it looked like Stephens could provide in his early games, and may yet do (let's hope so).

That leaves question marks on Wagstaffe ( a good sub to bring on if the game is running away from us or Solly needs the kind of support that Green does not provide; but will he want to perform that role add infinitely: I suspect not, and CP will give him a chance to make it elsewhere. Though a good runner and tackler he does not have the crossing capability for a winger and I suspect he would be better employed in the centre of the pitch as a foil to a striker.

Hughes is incredibly keen and has covered well in midfield but is prone to the odd near catastrophic mistake, and does not seem to have the requisite attributes to cover us for right back (which I was I thought he was acquired for), so he may also move though Russell's absence will make it a difficult time for that to happen.

Cannot comment on Alonso, I have yet to see him and he must join the ranks of other players in the past who failed to make any impact after much hype. I'm not clear as to what is happening to Bovvo; he looked to have talent but requires time and I am not sure if the club will give him that; same applies to Mambo who I have got a lot of time for (is he just out on loan or has he disappeared??).

Another encouraging thing is that we used to loose games like SW and SU and at the moment CP and the boys are not letting that happen, even if as against SU we seemed to lack some of the overall quality that we have come to expect from a table topping side. That has been a great change and long may it endure!

OPPORTUNITY LOST: And a few cracks.

Oldham put on a decent performance to ultimately frustrate the Addicks from getting what would have prob. been a justifiable 3 points. However, for all their effective hard work and late efforts, Oldham (who also played well last season) took the shine off their performance with some very boring time wasting.
The home side suffered from Kermit's head injury which meant he had to go off to get it bandaged up to (apparently)  stop it bleeding. The initial gargantuan bandage did not do the trick for long so he was sidelined a second time for another layer; much more and he would have begun to look like the invisible man (and there were a few comments going around about him being mummified!). It's reasonable to attribute his somewhat lack lustre display to these problems. Certainly, the side missed his overall effectiveness badly though he cannot be faulted for 200% effort.
Unfortunately it coincided with another off day for BWP. He was off colour last week at Walsall and it was the same story today plus a couple of missed opportunities, though one of them was not as bad as it looked, the goalkeeper doing well to just get a hand to the ball  and it rebound it off his legs for a goal kick. He looks like he could do with a spell off, but we have got no other strong option.
Elsewhere, Wiggins had another skillful  pulsating game, Hollands toiled away reliably again in midfield and apart from his goal Russell had a fair game. However, the midfield badly lacks the calming influence of Jackson and the creativeness of Stephen (when he was at his best). Hogan Ephraim had a reasonable game but does nor exactly set the place alight (maybe he is not yet fully fit).
Green continues to flatter to deceive and make the loyal pull their hair out. He is supposed to be in there to create chances and provide a regular supply of good crosses. He is not doing this at all at the moment. And he's too casual when in spitting distance of the opposition when they attack. This casualness and apparent laziness plus Solly's positioning played a major part on Oldhams goal when our right side was taken apart with some neat passing. On that occasion, the ball was fired away for the equaliser with confidence; had that confidence been shown a little earlier in a similar position we could have been embarrassed.
I find it difficult to see how Green is keeping his place, surely it is not just on the basis of the possibility he might eventually fire in a good shot, or because he can throw the ball some distance.
Mpost could see that problems were emerging from down their left wing midway through the second half, and it's disappointing that CP did not make one substitution to try to address this.
With only Jason Euell on the bench other than Wagstaffe, we had no real attacking options and certainly would have been in more trouble had Kermit retired early. However, a Hughes or even a Pritchard on with about 25 minutes to go might have plugged some of the holes down the right hand side. 
Other than that, Hamer did not really have a shot to save and Morrison and Taylor performed well in defence but their distribution was not great today, far too many hoofed clearances.
If Hayes and Hughes seem to be out of favour then some constructive surgery needs to be done in January.
We have a worrying sequence of fixtures coming up, including the two Sheffields and Brentofrd, and Orient will be no stroll. Some bad results in thse games will provide a New Year's present of unneeded pressure.

JOB DONE: But Little Panache

This was always likely to be tough, and the 3 points represent mission accomplished, especially as all the other contenders came up trumps.
However, it was not convincing against a hard working, physical but mid table side. I overheard someone say that 'you won't get them tougher then thatg': well I reckon we probably will, at the end of the day they were a hard side but only really mid table.
We were well let off in the first half when our defence was split wide open only for a well placed shot to rebound out off a post. Then towards the end of the first half Brentford missed a sitter of a header that should have gone in but skirted around the left hand post.
In the end BWP came to the rescue with a typical poacher's goal, latching on to a good cross along the ground from Green faster than any of the defenders.
You cannot take anything away from the effort of the side today in securing the points. However, there was little craft on show and,. like against Wycombe and Sheffield United we could easily have come out with nothing are being broadly played off the park in the first half of each game.
As my fellow season ticket holder said, it was unconvincing for a side in our lofty position but they must be doing something right to continue getting the results. I agree, though in those three games alone we have also been happy to take the luck (or the "run of the ball") whichever way you look at it.
Don't get me wrong,  I'll gladly accept and congratulate the side if they get another 3 points (or even 1)  against Huddersfield. However, having said that it really would be great and be more satisfying to come away from a game having comprehensively outplayed the opposition with a bit of style.
At the end of this game,  it seemed to me that only Hamer, Morrision and to an extent BWP came out with flying colours or ven stood out above the crowd. The latter should have picked up another goal which went wide but generally persevered well throughout the game, with little support.
Jan C had another game like Wycombe where astonishingly he won few balls in the air (was that because he was playing good back four players? or did he just have a slightly off game). Irrespective of that, he gave 100% and more and was on the end of some pretty rough treatment throughout the game.
Whether our performance was badly impacted by the pitch was not good. It seemed to me to have been watered heavily and suggest that we do not like such a surface, so let's hope it's not repeated too many times.
Our first half performances in all three of these great victories suggests to me that if we play a really good side (if there is one) we may be taken apart. Let's hope that is not Huddersfield.
If ever there was an incentive to get out of this division it is Brentford and Stevenage. They seem like nice little friendly clubs (Brentford not the force thet were 40-50 years ago) but the grounds are depressingly small, scruffy and bordering on the unsafe in the case of Brentford (I wonder if Health and Safety get around there much?)

Caution Yes: But Let's Not Go Over The Top!

I trust that CP will think long and hard before picking too weak a side.I'm in favour of resting key players, though not to the extent that we risk an embarrassing defeat in front of the TV audiences.
You can bet your life that Halifax are up for it, and that there will be small, if any, reference in the commentary to our weakened side if Halifax take the game by the scruff of the neck. An embarrassing defeat would certainly set the cause back, plus any prospect of progressing further to a mouth watering 3rd round tie that could be good for morale and the bank balance.
That having been said, the game provides the opportunity to test Alonso: is he eventually going to be a serious contender for a place; if not then why did we sign him?
I would also give Evine a chance, but perhaps not at left back, he appears to have more attacking than defending skills.
I am not too sure that a pairing of Benson and Hayes will bother a side even at this level.
If we are taking along Jan C for part of a game I would favour starting with our strongest line up available on the day and making substitutions when, hopefully, we have built up a lead and some breathing space.
I can never understand adopting the opposite strategy and having to stage a desperate last 20 minutes to comeback from a potential defeat having given the other side the momentum due to a weakened selection. Jan C put the fear up most defences with his strength and Ariel power; let's have it for the first 60 minutes and give a substitute forward at least a half hour in the second half run-in.  At that point, we could also give Bover some rein to test him out in the most suitable position.

ANOTHER TEST PASSED: But 'Continuous Improvement' still required

A good professional performance in front of, once again, a really impressive away set of fans (and it was good to bump into Ketts yet again!).
For those who went by car, it must have mitigated the frustration of getting out of the home side’s car park. I managed to get a local street spot but they were limited and only possible due to my very early arrival, which made it a long day.
After failing the test against little Stevenage, (with a few more to come) the side put on an impressive display to get the three points (though not without some late, all too typical, jitters). I cannot work out what the answer is to this problem, can it bee that the side are either not fit enough, or over trained and just plain knackered in the last 20 minutes?
It's should also be pointed out that the total number of shots on target at the end of the game bore no resemblance to the early domination.
The two front men are displaying potency in front of goal and are getting better at reading each other’s game. Unlike the last few games where Jan K won, unbelievably, almost every ball in the air, he surprisingly scored pretty lowly in this respect this time around. I guess that he played a really excellent man marker on this occasion. However, that did not mar another pretty good display. For a big man (he may not be that tall but he is certainly solid, which is what we need) he is pretty mobile. Staying on for 90 minutes will do his fitness no harm. A great overhead effort hat hit the bar was tidied up neatly by BWP slotting it home. He then added a superbly taken goal from an exquisite through ball from Hollands, who otherwise had a solid but forgettable game.
If there is one failing with the current side, as noted by one of the comments on CAFCPICKS, we do not seem to have anyone other than Wiggins who can genuinely round a defender with a burst of speed or trickery.
Green does not seem to be able to do this and all too often tries the spectacular instead of the obvious. Wagstaffes' less complicated approach seems more effective when he gets the opportunity, though he too can often not beat a defender and when he does his final ball / cross cannot be relied upon.
Maybe Stephens can return to form when he is next selected. He seemed capable of beating a man in his initial games but lost it just prior to his recent absence: perhaps the stress of his partner imminently giving birth was too much for him: let’s hope that was the reason.
Hughes was fairly steady, running around like a fitness freak, picking up the stray balls and breaking down the oppositions moves. However, he is prone to a serious lapse of concentration and often takes the easy option to clear a ball up field or to the wings instead of thinking and playing a more constructive pass. However, he has picked up since his calamitous Paint Trophy game and has begun to justify some of CP’s faith, if only as a utility squad man.
The back fours had a good game: and if one wanted to nit pick, Morrison and especially Taylor do not seem to clear the ball well enough but they are gradually becoming a strong partnership. Morrison performed one amazing goal line tackle the like I have not seen before, and which is impossible to describe unless you were there. The nearest I can recall for its uniqueness was when Paul Went many years ago trapped the ball intentionally with his arse, and on another occasion took Derek Possee 5 yards off the pitch with a perfectly fair but highly robust challenge that would probably have gotten a booking in the modern game.
Solly was Solly, pretty dependable in his defensive role but still needs to improve his distribution.
Wiggins continues to impress and looks like one of our best acquisitions after a slow start in the initial games.
BWP is on a great run which will continue to attract attention around the game.
However, I gather his contract is up next summer (2012). One of the reasons we managed to secure him was that we were prepared to take a risk on his apparently suspect leg injuries/ weaknesses. Our backroom staff seem to be doing an excellent job on this to to keep him in optimum fitness and form.
Come January and thereafter, we may be victim to an increasing circle of vultures in the shape of other higher clubs looking for a proven goal scorer. Having the name WP adds to any publicity surrounding his goalscoring exploits. The club’s resolve to keep him may be tested at some stage in the New Year, and maybe even as early as January?).
It could be ironic that the very same fitness concerns that we took a calculated gamble on, may be a factor that helps us to keep him, but certainly the offer of a good new contract and a personal genuine commitment from the player to the club would not hurt either (though I am not sure whether the latter is a charactersitic of today's game).

Had to Happen: But it was the Manner of defeat

We got out of jail from two very poor first halves at MKDONS and Sheffield United and were nearly found out at home against Tranmere. Added to that the Paint Trophy debacle against Brentford, and we are not exactly in a rich vein of form.

In view of that, I feared the worse for this banana skin of a game as per my last post, and though we lost to an unlucky deflected shot, the manner in which we played and surrendered the ball and the midfield was the worse thing about the defeat.
The signs have been there to see, the midfield misfiring with Stephens and Hollands not dominating as they had in earlier games, and the opposition sussing out our style of play and closing us down.
It’s all very well playing it on the ground, as many fans demand, but you have got to have players who can command the game doing that naturally; and can beat a man.
Once again, we had few examples of anyone (inc. down both flanks) taking the ball around a man. Passing persistently square and finishing off with a hopeful punt is predictable now to most opposing sides, who have clearly being doing their homework before the games.
Stevenage did not dominate as physically as I had anticipated, but they probably had the upper hand for most of the game other than the usual last 10-15 minutes pressure that kicks in regularly out of desperation when we have gone behind on occasions.
Stevenage scored a freakish deflected goal but on balance probably deserved it, though our ineptitude on the day made them look better than they are.
Added to our lack lustre performance was the eccentric selection at the back with Solly dropped, Cort in the middle and Morrison switching to right full back.
Hughes did a lot of timed running in the pre-game warm up. My nephew speculated that it may have been a fitness test and when he failed it they selected Morrison at full back. Not sure about that, but it 's one explanation. I had speculated that Cort was in to defend in the air against their big forwards, and Solly was out because of a poorish game in the last home match and because CP was concerned he would be up against some classy, or big, opposing player.
In the event, Stevenage did not seem to have much talent going down the left and Morrison was not tested that much. Most of their attacking flair came from a deep right sided midfielder. Probably just as well, as many would have been criticising Powell for playing a centre half at right back (as he did with Mambo when Francis went off at home). The fact that our right back options are Francis (currently out of favour) and Hughes (who does not give great confidence and had a poor last home game) puts onto doubt the strength of the squad ion key positions.
CP took too long to try and change things around in the second half, taking off Green (another poor game) and bringing on Wagstaffe very late in the second half.
Others criticised bringing on Evina late on, as he is considered to be a left full back.
I was more in sympathy, as he has speed and can beat a man, and could have been usefully deployed down the left flank instead of Stephens, largely anonymous, or even Jackson who was once again out of the game for too much of the time.
It’s easy to be critical of Yann Kermorgant and BWP. The former won many balls in the air again, but others do not seem to read that so they are largely wasted. BWP came close a couple of times near the end (but did not do a much else). However, the patchy midfield performance and Green’s duff game did not provide either of them with a decent ball at their feet for long periods.
This poor performance was against a side who won the Conference a few seasons back with virtually the same team fielded today, bar two useful additional signings the club has made. That kind of puts this lacklustre performance into context.
The other results today went broadly for us, and I guess a draw between the two Sheffields tomorrow would be just about right.
We need to sort out the defence and get some creative attacking imagination back into the side ASAP, in order to avoid a gradual decline, as has been commonplace in previous seasons after such a good start,
(This disappointing display was once again soured for many by the selfish standing of a small minority. One half of the stand was seated for most of the game and made a hell of a lot of noise. The small minority made others stand after they had spent their hard earnt cash on a seat that they wanted. Sorry, but there are many loyal fans who have no need to 'stand up if you love CAFC'. They have demonstrated that over good and bad seasons over many seasons.
There was no such problem at Sheffield United, from a crowd really up for it,  and without the need for a repetitive drum roll!). 

A DIFFERENT (Threatening) TEST ON THE HORIZON

This week sees an away game just 7 miles from where I have lived for the last 20 + years, a game I always saw as a  potential banbana skin.  It's now my closest league game.
Stevenage's march up the tables has propelled them above Luton and Barnet (and who knows, maybe one day above Watford).

I have only been to the ground a couple of times, one was a best forgotten frozen, brass monkeys New Year's game seated in their tiny draft stand. The ground has seen some considerable improvement since then and some expansion. However, it will be a new type of test with an atmosphere more in common with Welling than Sheffield United.
The crowd will be within breathing distance of the players with no doubt a rich mixture of barracking and abuse straight into their ears. However, there is a real possibility that CAFC fans will mitigate this as they may outnumber the home side's fans if there are available tickets on the day: but I’m not encouraging that, just stating the obvious.
I’m told there is a local fair in Stevenage this week and the field used for football parking opposite the ground may either be unavailable or pretty packed. The station is a 15-20 minute walk and may be the best bet, as it’s only about a half hour up from Kings Cross.
Stevenage have had a good start, not least their thrashing of Samedo's Sheffield Wednesday (to add to Newcastle's scalp in a previous cup game a few seasons back). A mid table position looks a possibility (a few weeks back, a real challenge for the play offs looked on).
Their style is said to be non-compromising and I fully expect them to have been briefed that "the posers from London don't like it 'up 'em". Nobody does: but I hope they come with the right attitude to overcome it.  
I suspect they will throw everything at us, rather like at MKDons and Sheffield United in the first half, but in a more physical and bruising way. We withstood (just!!) the onslaught in those 2 games but this may be a sterner test.
We need to keep calm and not be provoked, we do not want any unnecessary bookings or red cards. Hollands is a “100 per center” but needs to stand back if got at, and Wagstaffe’s petulance needs to be reigned in.
The real test will be for our two central defenders who must withstand any storm and be sure to really clear the box with powerful headers.
I was dismayed to hear that we were considering loaning Doherty out to Luton. He was not my favourite player last season but has played well both pre season and ion the games I have seen him appear in (though I gather he had a bit of a stinker ion the cup). Nevertheless, much as Mambo has real prospects, it would leave leaves us pretty thin if it were only him and Cort (whose heading was abysmal when he came on as a sub’ when I saw him).
It could be a really tough game. I would settle for a draw to keep our unbeaten record. Given my mediocre performance in CAFCPICKS this season maybe we’ll just breeze it 3-1! (hope so).