Mike's (Valley) Meanderings

BACK FROM THE VOID

2012-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-12-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

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

2011-10-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

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).

Sheffield United : Resilence: and a Touch of Class

2011-10-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this game demonstrated some of the weaknesses and, ultimately, the strengths of this new CAFC side.
For those who had laboured up a congested and "incident" afflicted M1 the game and the sunshine eventually provided a real reward, not the least 3 points. The Blades ground has also come on a lot and ranks alongside the Valley as one of the better venues.
The lengthy drive and jams on the M1 must have raised a few doubts for our Canadian (please note not American!) fan Bob Miller and his wife Rosemary as they sat in slow crawling traffic up the M1 after a 7am start in Blackheath. A pint of Marstons and a Stake and Ale pie cholesterol blockbuster in the peaks may have restored spirits before the game but this was tempered by an anti climax of a first half.
The first half seemed like a bit of a rerun of MKDONS, with the home side putting together all the good moves and football and coming really close on two occasions to opening the breach, but for some desperate goal line clearances.
We seemed overwhelmed by the pressure and could not really put together a decent move for long periods, though Morrison had a good chance to score but hit wide. The midfield did not get going and was largely anonymous. Hayes was putting in an effort but getting little up front, Wagsaffe was trying hard but being as frustrating as he can be at times.
On the really bright side, Hamer had an excellent game making some great saves, coming out when required and generally showing us that this young keeper is grabbing the great opportunity we have given him with both hands.
At the back, I thought that Wiggins had his most impressive game to date (and removed much of the doubt many have had about him). Solly was poor in the first half in his distribution but he gave more than most in terms of telling tackle as and timely interceptions and stuck to his task admirably.
I said to Bob, honestly and not just as a 'cheer him up' throw away comment that our best was probably to come, especially if we brought on Kermorgant sooner than later.
After my enthusiasm for him in my last post, he did not let me down. On he ran as an inspired (but obvious) substitution) to nod bravely and firmly into the net from a corner with his first touch (much in the same style as at MKDONS). He then went on to exhibit the same control, laying off and grit in 50/50 tackles that he did in the first game. They say that he is not fit yet and that is why he is not in the initial eleven. I go along with the strategy for away games, but I would like to see him on from KO at home games and let him run himself out to be replaced by Hayes later on if necessary. That's certainly a way to help him get match fit and to maybe insure we go ahead in games rather than run the risk of falling behind.
A great result which rewarded the real core of Valley faithfuls at the game (Dr Kish et all). They were great in numbers and voice and the fact that they did not need constant repetitive drumming to demonstrate that said it all for me.
Many were monitoring Preston's surprising demise at Orient which made it all the better (but perhaps overlooking perhaps MKDONS' and Sheffield Wednesday's continuing march).
So, the challenge now is to keep it up to Xmas and not waste it in the New Year, as we have been apt to do in the past.
After such a performance, it was interesting to see CP get the players together for 3-4 minutes animated talk in the centre of the pitch at full time; oh to have been a fly on the wall during that!

Could be THE telling signing

2011-09-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

A great performance, though limited to a late substitution, from our new French striker.
He looked class as soon as he came on. Not only did the Frenchman hold the ball up well, he got two great headers in straight away, threaded a sublime through ball and even showed some real old fashioned muscle and shoulder; like a centre forward of old.
He looks like being a real snip and will become a favourite with the fans if he keeps it up. One is tempted to say; "what's the catch'? how come we have managed to secure him? For the time being, I'll credit CP with the coup.
Otherwise, the again was of two halves; MKD dominated the first half when were really poor, like many performance last season. They could have been 3 or 4 goals up by the interval with Hollands showing all the signs of sleepless nights on the domestic front, Stephens reverting to his anonymous role and Wagsatffe succeeding again in not being able to cross the ball.
We sharpened up in the second half and harried their midfield to greater effect. We had a couple of concerted pressure period, during which our new striker scored a great goal and came close with two other efforts.However, even then we did not look the class act of recent games, probably due to the fact that MKD looked like a side who will stay the course and be there amongst us at the end of the season.
With the skills of Green to provide pin point crosses, the new striker can yet be the hero of the season. However, there is a need to work out how to cover Solly when he is providing an attacking force, as that is not a quality that Green seems to possess, other than giving unnecessary free kicks away in dangerous positions.
Once again. some of our headed clearances were not deep enough in the first half but the back four otherwise held up reasonably well though Solly had a shaky first half.

Our new goalkeeper made a number of good saves, in particular one in the second half from a long range shot that he saw very late . He seems to be proving himself as a sound replacement and shot stopper, and a probable improvement on Elliot and with his height he also provides a real force in cutting out crosses.
Pity that Preston are hitting form as a draw was a good result (with us even let off the hook to an extent)which would have meant that a draw at Sheff United would see us retain top spot. However, Preston are at home so things may be different.
We are hoping that our Canadian visitors (Bob Miller and his wife) a regular CAFCPICKS contributor, will bring us some Maple Leaf luck at United

Just Testing

2011-09-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

In haste, I left out some player comments in my last post that should be resolved (did you spot the dliberate errors!!!??).
As per my pre-season Aldershot post I was really impressed with Ruben Bover Isquierdo. I had omitted him as he had only figured in the Reading game and whilst he had a fair game he did not stand oput as much as he did at Aldershot. However, I still see him as a great find and his less impressive appearance against Reading seemed to me to be because he was playing wide on the left and I saw him as a central midfielder. I may be right, but have not seen enough of him yet. However, this real find must certainly figure in our team building plans but I'm not surfer whether he will break through this season or not: it would be good if he does Davisson at Woking. He again must be one for the future but he may not have enough to make his mark this seaosn but I hope he continues to develop.
I omitted Jackson, (how could I doi that) probably because for him he had a relatively anonymous game against Sheff' Wed. However, he is a more experienced pro than most and I'm sure he will continue to be a force in midfield. If there is a problem it's positioning as he plays well down the left but we cannot expect him to be a flying winger as he does not have the speed (the same applies to left back where a fast winger will catch him out). Perhaps a more central role would be more effective, but it's a getting a little crowded in midfield with all this talent, but a few yellow cards and (hopefully not) can a least be covered by what seems to be a promising band of players. Whether they will be permitted to play the passing game that CP and the crowd seem to want now that opposing teams have cottoned on to how we ant to play remains to be seen.
And what happened to Honore who impressed briefly at Woking. I thought he looked useful but I do not know whether we have given him a chance to hang around to further assess or not?
Yet to see Leon Cort but just seeing him in a warm up before the game last night was impressive enough in respect of his physical attributes. Looked like solid muscle to me, in the same style as Mambo. Perhaps with his experience at higher levels, he is the man who may remove any doubts I have about our central back four pairing?

Time to Ponder

2011-09-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

I have stood back from posting of late as others have provided excellent asessments and time has been tight (and it was good to have the opportunity to assess these new players over a longer sequence of games). Here are a few views to date:

Defence:
Hamer: not sure as yet: not doing too bad a job. Sullivan should not be forgotten and should challenge for a spot. (Pity Randolph is not still around);
Solly: still a reasonably solid player and developing; but others’ fears about sides identifying him as a weak link in the air seem to be materialising.
Hughes: not the answer to challenge for full back; lacks speed. Seems to be a general purpose utility man cover. Francis should be challenging. I assume that we want to move him on (transfer or loan) because he is too expensive (rather than any falling out with the management??). Pity, he could add something to the side based on recent form;
Wiggins: skilful player / footballer but distribution patchy, and too lightweight. Will be found out once the pitches get heavier, and against better sides than we have played to date.
Evina; good acquisition but prob. has more attacking virtues than defensive capabilities (like Wiggins), one for the future.
Middle of Back Four: Still not sure about current pairing; Taylor and Morrison don’t clear the ball properly or are dominant in the air. Who is the better of the two?; any slips to date seem to have come from Morrison.
We are wrong to set aside Mambo for the future alone; he could be bloodied sooner than later.
Doherty: though statuesque on the ground, is certainly more dominant in the air (both in defence and at corners, where our new pairing have not threatened).

Midfield:
Hollands: key player; aggressive / combative but also has vision. Will turn in the more consistent performances in terms of breaking up attacks and creative play;
Stephens: highly talented creative player, but on the evidence of the Sheff Wed game may be bludgeoned out of games by hard tackling midfielders who have been briefed to snub him out as a major threat. Remains a key player but do not expect continuous runs of good form;
Green: should be a key player leaving Wagstaff, who still cannot deliver consistently a final ball or cross, to fulfil a “super sub” role of some sort;
Pritchard: could be a real find, a Keith Jones look-alike in appearance and style.
Alonso: have not seen; cannot comment; Harriott; an interesting one for the future, but may not make it this year?

Upfront:
Is Benson staying? odds seem on him moving, though if Green delivers he could yet surprise a few if he stays with just what he can do. Assuming he does go out on loan:
Hayes: I was lukewarm pre-season but came around to him over recent games but was ineffective last night. Most frustratingly of all, fits into the mould of strikers we have had over the years who, even if they have height, cannot get their feet off the ground to win headers or at least challenge for the ball (even though he did score the other week from a close range header). Apart from good runs at Scunthorpe has never been a prolific goal scorer.
Euell: another who makes limited effort to get off the ground (albeit he also scored from a close range header) and spends too much time backing into the opposition (as he did when he last played for us). I have a feeling he could fulfil a role slightly behind the front two, but others doubt whether he has the legs for it. Should not be relied upon as an alternative target man.
BWP; an undoubted scorer, if we can keep him fit. I have questioned to what extent he can contribute if the rest of the team is not playing well and he is not scoring (maybe that needs yet to be fully tested). However, I have revised my view as he has improved in his running, distribution and laying off. A vital payer, but dangerous to pin all hopes on him alone.
Conclusions: We have not yet been that tested, more difficult fixtures are in the pipeline (Sheff’ United, Hartlepool, Rochdale and Stevenage away in the short term) when the credentials of our defence and forward line in particular will be tested.
We need a good quality striker in on loan (can one be found?),;Francis restored and another full back, perhaps a more conventional tough tackling variety (in the mode of Young, Bonds, Warman, Brown of old or CP himslef).
Of course anything else the management can come up with without rocking the boat and team morale would be gladly accepted.

Satisfactory Start / Decent Foundation

2011-08-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

It was just that. A generally competent start to the season with some reasonable football at times and considerable effort by all in the side.
Punctuated by an excellent goal from Stephens following a good sequence of passing with Chris Solly on a good overlap and a cool cross,
Stephens was the surprise package. He had sprayed the ball around in the pre-season games I watched but was guilty of wasting the ball at times. On this occasion he did not really set a foot wrong, apart from a stupendous shot across goal trying to crown his imperious performance with glory with a ’goal of the season’ screamer volley, when something simpler was the order of the day. However, he can be forgiven (on this occasion) as he brought a breath of fresh air to the midfield and was easily the best player on the pitch. He still reminds me of Curbs in his appearance and movement, though potentially a better player.
I have voiced criticism of Waggy in the past but he was much more effective today. A few misplaced passes when he momentarily lost the plot as usual but, in general, a hard working effective performance, including some good defensive covering and an excellent volley after being set up by Stephens.
Wiggins’ game picked up after a nervous start that seemed to be the result of constant barracking from the Bournemouth contingent. Solly was caught out a few times in the air but otherwise snapped away at the opposition throughout the game in a way that must really irritate them but was good for us. However, it was obvious that they were playing ball out to his wing constantly to test his height shortcomings and after Francis good form in the pre-season games it’s difficult to see who has the strongest claim for right back (discounting all the uncertainty about Francis’ position at the club)..
Morrison and Taylor performed generally well, but I still have doubts about total reliance on them in the months ahead. Especially on the ground against fast ball-playing forward. We had that problem with Lierra and Doherty but on balance I think we will need Doherty (now that Daily has gone) to bring some solidity and experience, even though he is also suspect on the ground. I have yet to make my mind up who is the better of the two.
Apart from Stephens and Wagstaffe, Hollands had a steady reliable game. However, my initial thoughts that he is a little too one paced seemed to be borne out, though I am still hoping he will add a cutting edge over 10 yards to his game as he gets fitter. To an extent I had envisaged that he and Bover were going to be the starlets in midfield so Stephens’ emergence and Hollands’ slowish non-dominant start was a bit of a surprise. But, if Stephens can turn the same heat on regularly then, as my mate Keith said, Holland can perform a role as an effective foil.
Jackson did not stand out but had a steady game and did not really put a foot wrong, and I’m sure he will go open to have better games as the weeks pass.
BWP tried hard to get into the game but only really managed to have an impact towards the end with a rasping 25 yard shot that was just wide, and a determined run towards goal out of nothing that won us the penalty. Without those two contributions he was relatively anonymous but that is his game and if he can score or win us a goal a game then he will continue to be a valuable match winner for us.
I had been disappointed with Hayes’ input to the pre-season games that I saw, but I saw an improvement today. Not a stunning game, but he showed he had a decent touch at times and a couple of neat passing movements nearly came off. However, he has got to get stuck in a bit more in the air on the long clearances and hold the ball up more consistently. The feeling is that we still need another option in the same moulld which we do not seem to have at the moment, though I liked the look of our French centre forward at Woking, but probably too early for him yet.
So, a satisfactory start but no reason to sit on our laurels. There will be better teams with faster and bigger forwards to play over the coming months and though the scoreline was impressive, any watching opposition rep's would not have been scared out of their skins from this performance.
However, it's a good foundation for the team and CP which will be tested at the “top of the table clash” next week at Notts County.
Pritchard, Benson and Doherty had short cameo appearances, and the former showed a few nice touches (and was a dead ringer for Keith Jones).
Will be interesting to see how CP juggles the selection with Green and Waggy no doubt feeling they deserve a chance. I would go for Green with the option of deploying Waggy for 20 minutes at the end anywhere in midfield if desperate measures are called upon to score, or hold on!
One word for Bournemouth. Given what a small club they are and their known financial constraints you have to give it to them for doing so well last season. Also, given the outflow of their players (including our own raids) they still played some good footba and looked a fair side, albeit with no punch upfront. There was certainly nothing to suggest that their star forward whom we are supposed to be trailing was worth anything near the rumoured £1M asking price. However, I wish this game little club the best, though I think they will struggle this season.
Hartlepool might emulate Bournemouth this season as the little club who ‘done well’!
( I see that Racon could only manage the sibs bench for Millwall today)

“Start Me Up”: not “The Last Time”

2011-08-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

We all hope that the right Rolling Stones number for this season will be “Start Me Up”: we don’t want it to be “The Last Time” for Chris Powell’s promotion experiences.

Chris Powell had his share of the promotion glory in the Year 2000, as shown in this picture of our heroes of the 1999/2000 season. 91 points, 12 consecutive league wins after Boxing Day and a centre forward (Andy Hunt) who netted 3 hat tricks and 24 league goals. The picture also shows solid stalwarts with a physical presence like Steve Brown goal scoring opportunists like Clive Mendonca and Shaun Newton.
Optimism is the name of the game at the moment amongst the CAFC faithful; just look at CAFCPICKS for what is being predicted. (Of course, only ‘The Funder” has gone not only for an undefeated season but all wins!! (Courtesy of poetic licence on the part of the Editor!).
I fancy a successful outcome, though the magnitude of achieving should not underestimated. However, I would not be totally surprised to see a slow start whilst out new set of players synchronise. We may need a comparable Boxing Day + run this season and the hope is that the first part of the season is reasonable enough to avoid untold pressure on CP’s shoulders.
The strength of the side seems to be in midfield where, unlike last season, we have a vast array of choice. The players available include the quality of Hollands, Stephens, Green & Jackson and, possibly Alonso, for starters. I hope that the opportunity arises for Ruben Bover to impress, as he looks like one of the most exciting midfield talents we have had for a few years.
Upfront, BWP should have the instincts if fit, to emulate Andy Hunt. However, whether or not we have the right supporting act in Hayes, Benson remains to be seen and the general feeling is we need another experienced foil, who can also score goals himself. There is a hint that we may be recruiting another Pole, Rasiak, (hopefully a little more effective than Abbot, though he may have been underrated). The most likely addition may be Jason Euell. I was not that great a fan first time around but my feeling having seen him briefly at Woking is that he is still fit and up for it, and he could be a surprise package, not least to opposing defences.
I am still uneasy to rely on Morrison and Taylor alongside each other at the back and unless we have a suitable addition (Hughes??) my feeling is that we are going to see Doherty (or even Dailly??) play an important role.
It's good to see Mambo hanging on in there and surely he will come through in the medium term, and can a fellow CAFCPICKER be right when he said another youth back four player was alongside him at Carshalton and was even bigger!
Difficult to predict what is going on in respect of a goalkeeper, though all the signs are that Elliot may move on. If that happens, we have seen too little of Hamer to say he should get the nod, but Sullivan to me seems a reasonable replacement. However, as a colleague said, he needs to play a good game as well as talk one.
At the end of the day, a solid goalkeeper who can not only save but come out for crosses and instil confidence in our new defence is critical: let’s hope the club get it right. We didn’t when we let Elliots competitor go to Scotland, who is apparently now being courted by other leading clubs.
Oh for a “Successful Dawn of Honest Endeavour” with greater emphasis on commitment, skill and courage than coloured designer plastic boots: would be nice to think austerity may rule those out.
It's almost time: "Onwards We Go, Boldly Going, (we hope), into the Unknown, or where our Year 2000 team went before us".
Lest hope the start is better than I expect, so the CAFCPICKS can cross the Atlantic in September with untold optimism and expectation and leave his lumberjacking behind him.

2011-07-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

Well, these away friendly games are becoming a nice sojourn.
No generous bacon rolls at Woking, but a pleasant walk through the park, a civilised bar, no queuing and a decent pint, fair priced 'London Pride' to boot.
These games are also provide an interesting glimpse of some of the new acquired players and the up and coming youngsters.
I’ll spare you from the detailed Aldershot analysis and focus on some of the lasting highlights /impressions:

Francis: Had a good solid game, few errors, good in the air and actually got in the majority of any decent crosses that were going around. A renaissance?- Prob. Not if you read the various rumours about his imminent departure. However, with seemingly just Solly ensconced in the right back slot, a return to form would provide a good backup option (or on this form, genuine competition);
Mambo: Not startling, but good, solid performance against a useful forward with no panics. Coming on well, the club should continue to nurture his talent with good coaching and management;
Stephens: Busy midfielder, sprayed the ball around well, reminded me very much in his general gait and style of a playing Curbs. Not sure whether he will be the initial first choice (with Jackson and Hollands competing) but he will be knocking on the door;
Davisson: Do not know much about this lad, but in the first half he was busy, prepared to take on players and used the ball well with some excellent passing. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see him.
Once again, reminded me of one of our early stalwarts who I saw in my early days for a couple of seasons; Fred Lucas. I was pretty ecstatic about our young Spanish player Ruben Bover Isquierdo at Woking; I reckon this kid could also be an excellent find for now or the future;
Honore: Another youngster: do not know much about him either, but he looked sharp, keen, prepared to take on players and get stuck in. Like the look of him, but he was on for a very short time: deserves a longer spell to see if he shines;
Euell: Too little time to make his mark. I was not his greatest fan in his previous spell, however he may have the guile, pro skills and the need (given his reported probnlems off the field|) to make him a major contributor, If he hit form, he could vie for a first team selection rather than just a last sub’ option;
For me, a a disappointment was Hayes who seemed very much in the vein of a Benson look-alike, but slower. He played a little bit like he did not feel comfortable playing for what appeared to be a ‘second 11’.

Cannot make Tuesday night so will be interested in any comments on my own remarks on this and Aldershot, and keen to hear appraisals of Tuesday night.

A First Glimpse

2011-07-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

I finally caught up with taking a look at the new signings last night at Aldershot.
As my CAFCPICKS mate Barry predicted, Aldershot turned out to be a welcoming club with modest, but more than adequate facilities (apart from no light in the gents loo). However, this was partially offset by the cafe’s predicted ability to serve the best bacon roles around, as confirmed by an Old Boys football club mate, Henry Stock, which made his trip worthwhile in itself.
Since moving out to the sticks and spending time regularly down in the south of France, Henry’s visits to see the side have been curtailed. He has a strong pedigree being brought up in the area and his late father being been a fan since the 1930’s, having attended the winning cup final but had little knowledge of the current side.
However, for this game the three of us watched pretty much on the same basis, as I had seen none of the new signings before, and Barry had only sampled them at Welling.
I had had the good fortune to watch the brief snapshot film on Youtube of the Welling game. I picked out a few players from that and had already formed a view that the two Danny’s were ones to watch.
I expected to see two sides in each half but instead of this we had one selected side with a few substitutions in the second half. I gather that some players, such as Alonso, may be being rested after a late finish to their season, though beyond that the selection had the feel of a CP first choice 11 about it.
Armed with a CAFCPICKS Squad status sheet, the immediate task was to recognise and name the players, as a late arrival in our seats meant we missed the PA system and no propgrammes were available.
We expected Aldershot to be a reasonable test of the new squad as they have just one promotion and were keen to impress. They seemed to have an abundance of players, making lost of substitutions during the game and playing a neat passing game, but with little punch up front (though this was mirrored by the visitors).
Anyhow, this is my initial take on the new ensemble, to be possibly further refined at Woking on Saturday.

Defence:

Elliot performed reasonably satisfactorily. Their goal was well struck but there were some who felt that he could have got close to it.
Solly had his usual sound, workmanlike performance. I was impressed with Wiggins who seemed solid in all respects (which was good as I felt that, budget permitting, Bessoine performed well last season and would have been a good signing).
The two central defenders (Taylor and Morrison) were fairly sound but were not really threatened to any extent, though on the occasions they were, there seemed a degree of panic clearances. It was good to see that they were both big lads and good in the air. I was a little surprised to find that they seemed to be football playing centre backs, prepared to take the ball out of defence and pass it (which may be good or bad!).
I came away with a strong feeling that the defence would look more solid with either a Doherty or a Dailly alongside one of them to hold the fort when the better sides take us by the throat. Without that I fear that the back four middle will not be as strong as that I had anticipated which is a slight disappointment.

Midfield

I came expecting to see Hollands impress and dominate. By his standards he probably had a quiet game but he does look like one who will be a key player in both his tackling and distribution and enthusiasm. He laid on a great through ball for BWP in the second half. He looked slightly one pace, and that may be his limitations but I think he will get away with that, and may in fact look sharper as the season proceeds.
Jackson had a fair game and looks more of a seasoned, experienced pro than many of the other new fledglings, a quality that will be good to have around. There does seem a bit of a problem of just where he is best suited, whether it is as a wide midfielder or positioned more upfront as a more outright winger, though whilst he does a good job there he might lack the speed to be permanently positioned out there..
Green had a couple of sizzling shots which did not take me by surprise based on previous reports, it was just a case of waiting for them. He looked a sound player (a bit of the Colin Powell’s about him, and going back further, a shot in the Mike Kenning mould. It looks like he has a degree of trying to do too much at times with his head down (a touch of the Kyel Reid’s, but only a touch which I think that time, and coaching will resolve). All in all a very promising addition, though I was slightly disappointed by his crossing of the ball.
To me the revelation was Ruben Bover Isquierdo (who I hope was out number 18 player on show). I had not seen him before but he looked young, desperate to run his socks off and impress, not afraid to go into a tackle and a good passer of the ball. He also had a blistering shot well blocked in the second half. He was substituted late in the second half, and I feel that was really a recognition of the fact that he never stopped running and was pretty exhausted as a result. He looks to be potentially out best signing if he is coached well and nurtured by CP and colleagues over the coming months. A kind of improvbed, more effective Racon. A real find.
Freddie Warner came on and performed well but had too short a time to impress. Wagstaff came on for the final minutes, looked very fit and showed a lot of energy but not much else in the time available.

Forwards

BPW had a hard working game to little avail. He was presented with few opportunities though did look sharp on the rare occasion they materialised. Of course that his is game, and we can only hope that out midfield can set him up with the requisite number of chances this season. When the side is playing well he will make a major contribution but if we go through a bad patch he will be become anonymous.
Benson toiled for the whole game (as did all the side who seemed to sweat as much as you had heard they had in the heat of Spain, there was no lack of effort). He took a well taken headed goal that may add to this confidence. However, on this evidence this pairing is not going to set the world alight and it’s plain that we could also do with a powerful, physically strong (dare I say bruiser ) up front with the ability to take on players, wield a shot and lay the ball off. Trouble is that every club wants one of those. From reports, I gather that our other forward signings don’t’ match up to that requirement and there is little time to resolve that even if there is a will to do so.

Finale
So, in the end it was to an extent a reassuring experience to watch a side with a fair degree of talent on show, bags of enthusiasm but potentially a little short at the back and worryingly ineffective upfront. We manmaged few shots on goal, and of course with that missed penaly, should have come away in defeat.
It would be good to retrun after the Woking game with increased expectations.
At the moment it ooks like a play off challenge unless we have an inspired signing up front.

Crowborough on the Button (Revealed!)

2011-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

FRIENDLY ADVICE FROM THE CAFCPICKS EDITOR INFORMED ME MY LAST POST WAS REAL CLOAK AND DAGGER STUFF: I.E. Black font revealed nothing to the casual onloooker.
Text now revealed for all to see!
On 'CAFCPICKS', Crowborough Addick (a regular inputter of astute stuff) refined the title of my last post, " New Dawn".
His hope is that that this season's changes to our resources and less mercenary empahasis within the squad will preface a season that is a " A Dawn of Honest Endeavour".
Nice thought, Crow', perhaps that should be this season's motto?

A New Dawn: and some learning of names to do

2011-07-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

I couldn't make the Welling game, but thanks to he/she who submitted a really useful video Youtube summary of the game.

I have been quietly absorbing, and trying to keep up, with the close seasons merry go round.
I decided to keep my postings back until I had anything substantive to add to the host of useful summer posts for the other Blogs. However, this posting breaks that rule, as I have yet to see the new influx and am not able to add any thought, let alone recognise most of them. However, you can be sure I'll add my thoughts to the simmering pot in weeks to come (post Aldershot).
Leaving aside all speculation about the 'Funder' and his/ her/ or their motivations, the end product has been impressive in terms of transfer expenditure (not forgetting the £1M so far from Jenkinson) and number and range of signings. I have suggested several times in the build up to the close season that we may have a rerun of Lennie Lawrences' successful close season, promotion inducing transfer activity some years ago. However, this season's haul has far surpassed that and the challenge now is to weld the best pick of the signings into a cohesive winning side ASAP.
It was quite a challenge to Lennie, but Chris Powell has a mountain to climb.
Judging by the various reports and the brief glimpse on YOUTUBE it doesn't look to be out of the question. Indeed, many other clubs are reported to be looking with great envy at our current situation.
It's still going to be far from easy to get out of this division but at least we have some new found momentum behind us and enough interest to generate some good early gates, the challenge being to then keep them.
A considerable challenge will be for the 'floating' fans to keep their expectations on a realistic level and keep with the side whenever a hiccup occurs (as it inevitably will!).

Close Season Stimulous

2011-05-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have previously conveyed my views on thoughts about players contracts and renewals.

Not that much has been set in concrete as yet.

Of what I have picked up, I am pleased about Mambo(and it looks like he will get a chance to back my faith), disappointed about Anyinsah whom I felt was a good player but perhaps a safety first policy in respect of his injury problems is justified?
Reid I am not sorry to see go, and my previous post suggested others whom I would not lose sleep if they left. I'll be sorry if Dailly leaves as I think he still has a role to play, and alongside Mambo might have been interesting.
Unlike my old mate Keith, I would be happy to see Samedo stay but there seem to be strong rumblings to the contrary. I am less concerned about Racon though I think he could perform a role, hopefully not alongside McCormack. Indeed, I still am far from certain that Stewart is the answer and hope that CP can come up with someone else, though a fit Jackson would help out a lot.
Finally, I have to say I was disappointed to learn that Drinking During the Game has 15 years on the right side of me. I had already found that Chicago Addick has a good few years to the benefit against me. At least there is Major Ken on CAFCPICKS who is of similar vintage,
I cannot boast a new Samsung like DDTG either.
My GP read the riot act on my weight following a surge in blood pressure (prob. heightened by attendance at the Valley last season. Nevertheless, I have been on a strict diet and have lost a stone and have a least seen the BP react positively to that (and all the associated pain).
My reward for a month of a Spartan diet is to 'celebrate' with my bespoke Steak, wine and mushroom pie, as per pic, which was extracted from the freezer. That and a bottle or red wine or a genuine Czech Budweiser may just bring me back to normality, and help me get over Blackpool's plight.

Final Game Typifies Season

2011-05-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

A pretty dull draw and difficult to prise many positives from this game.
Perhaps the biggest positive was that a surprising proportion of the fans stayed to clap (not quite a strong as "applaud") the side on a 'lap of honour' and I detected no booing or disrespectful chants.
Much of the 'applause' was probably a "goodbye courtesy gesture" to some for the team's performance this year. We managed a few more efforts on goal than usual hitting the crossbar a couple of times (to their one similar effort), Bessone's effort was a real piledriver and crowned a reasonably solid game for him. Once again the opposition were nothing to shout about; though their fans put on a good show in their fancy dress in the Jimmy Seed stand, and at London Bridge.
Harriot managed a full game and whilst he was not utterly convincing and had an average game he did show a lot of promise from such a young player, with a welcome tendency to try and beat his man and shoot (even though he failed to beat his man fairly regularly). He looks like persevering with and may be one for the future.
Even his detractors were prepared to say that Samedo had his best game for a very long time, getting stuck in as usual and spraying a lot of long passes to good effect: was he trying to impress someone?
Stuart was neat and tidy but not a lot more than that. No doubt, he would look better in a better side on a winning streak but whether we can pin too much on his shoulders to achieve that is in doubt; certainly not if a much inflated deal is required.Liera was give a chance to show what he could do and had a fair game spraying a lot of good ball around like Samedo. However, though strong in the air there were times when he looked to be in trouble on the ground with his pace which is why he has detractors and may not secure a contract.Jon Fortune seemed to do himself quite a serious injury after falling badly. It did not look like the kind of injury that would would overcome by a combination of the wet sponge and acupuncture. Therefore, if he is to be out of action for a while, one assumes that this will not help his case for a contract; whether it might help Liera is another matter.
Racon was demoted to the bench and given very little chance to impress following a late substitution for Harriot. You get the feeling that CP has made up his mind and that this may have been a cameo farewell performance.
I was more impressed today with BWP. He has an undoubted scoring pedigree but I have doubted his overall application and ability to control the long balls and bring others into play. Today, he impressed on all fronts and looked the part on all fronts; now we need an effective midfield and convincing wingers to open up the defences next season. I still have little confidence in Wagstaff's ability to do that; he is certainly not a winger or attacking midfielder/winger and if the club is convinced in his ability and intend to play him regularly then they must find out his best position: I cannot offer any clues.
I had hopes for Benson when he first signed but like Wagstaff he simply drifts out of the game and goes hiding. On top of that he always wants to lay the ball off and the thought of turning and taking on the opposition never seems to occur to him and his total lack of dominance in the air just about completes a sorry picture at the moment. I woul;d be the first to admit that he has received little decent service this season but he does not seem to be the kind of player to shrug that off and make it happen himself.
We have had a terrible run after CP's initial run, for which luck played a fair part.
He must now grasp the challenge and very quickly get on to building a side by bringing several good players ASAP, and not leave team building so late that a bad start is on the cards though players' lack of familiarity with their teammates. This is going to depend on good scouting, player assessment and of course the courage and ability of the board to find the resources top invest in the squad. In these troubled times that will not be easy.
Unless we can do all of this and make it click quickly (like Lennie Lawrence did to assure promotion to the old Division 1) then we could be struggling to keep in touch as early as October. If that is the case CP may also find himself under pressure that will be difficult to keep at bay

All on the Last Game (plus thoughts on next season)

2011-05-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

As my previous post suggested, it has gone to the wire as to which 'London' club finishes in the lowest position this season (excluding D & G and Barnet; relative newcomers to 'Greater London').

Huddersfield have Brentford at home and to avoid the ignominy of finishing bottom I suppose we should be shouting for them. However, by common consent it would be better to see Southampton gain automatic promotion and Huddersfield win the play-offs to get them both out of the division for next year.

Southampton are obviously the better side, but both have money to invest next season which could dwarf our own resources (?).

We still have the task of beating Hartlepool at the Valley (no small feat at present).

Looking ahead: if rumours are to believed, we will not see Liera next season. I was not a great fan due to his frailty on the ground but he is domineering in the air and has put his heart into going 100% (and wishing to stay at the Valley). I wish him well and feel confident he will get fixed up somewhere (and probably come back to haunt us by scoring from a corner).

Stories persist about both Racon and Samedo leaving. I will be sorry to see both leave (especially Samedo who gives 100%) , as although they have underperformed, the presence of another gutsy midfielder along side them (a La Bailey) would have brought the best out of them.

We still need a player of that sort, but I do not see him around at present. Parrett is a promising but lightweight option, and I have seen little to convince me that Stuart can fulfil that role, despite adulations from others around the web. Always like to be proven wrong but……

Unlike other,I feel that Dailly can be an important skipper and providing we have adequate cover for when he is unavailable he can remain important (but it is liely that will not come from Liera and probably Fortune

It’s kind of nice over the last few games that it’s been possible to relax and not remain glued to results to see if we can survive. Let’s hope for better next season!

Lost Opportunity- Little Improvement in Key Areas

2011-04-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

An opportunity to defeat a misfiring Huddersfield side was lost for the usual reasons of lack of creativity, ineffective wing play and little ability to beat a man.
Reid came on and was totally ineffective, though it has to be said it was late in the game and he got very few passes. However, this may have been his last chance to impress, and he didn't.
Many have expressed hope that Stewart is the Messiah. I have yet to witness anything that suggests that's the case. Sure he likes to make a lot of noise but otherwise he contributed little. Perhaps it was lack of match fitness, but whether he can do it at this level after failing to do do it at a higher level (a La Martin) remains in question.. However, unless substantial funds become available, he may be the best that we can afford, which does not auger well.
The goalkeeper looks a potential valuable find, my suspicion is he was unsighted for yesterday's goal.
Wagstaffe had a better second half, but he had to after the first. Racon was poor today, but his chances are not enhanced by playing him out of position on the wide left.
BWP did not do a lot (unless he scores he adds precious little); however, he seems to be trying hard to improve his first touch and distribution. However, he had one moment of near magic; perhaps that's all he needs to add value.
Where we start building for next year is a real challenge. Some want a complete clear out, but this is unrealistic. The optimum solution would be 4-5 good players with something to prove (as per Lennie Lawrence) who are prepared to put in some elbow grease and cast off the coloured plastic boots.
As to who remains? Most have highly different views. I have suggested my own preferences previously, though I guess I will probably refine those by the end of the season. No doubt so will others.
If we give CP the benefit of the doubt, we could attribute the poor run to experimentation and using the games to assess existing players. Alternatively, if he really was trying to get a winning side together then he has failed and you could take the view that Parkinson would probably have ground out a significant number of extra points over the same games.
It will be interesting to find out how the senior directors view the outcome of the season and CP's tenure.

The Run-In

2011-04-11T02:19:00.000-07:00

I knew there could be some reason for excitement in the run-in apart from guessing who wins the annual prizes at CAFCPICKS.
The race that we should try to win is the one to avoid being London’s bottom club in the Football League.
If, quite rightly, you eliminate the outer fringe location teams that were never historically part of London (I.E. Barnet, D & R, Southend, and even Gillingham from deepest Kent) then we have a real risk this season of finishing bottom. The prize always used to be won regularly by others, including Millwall.
The challenge is to move above Brentford and Leyton Orient.
Years ago it would have been shameful to consider that we could finish below both of these teams.
The outstanding fixtures are as follows (thanks to Dick Shepherd):

Brentford:
15:00 Rochdale v Brentford
15:00 Brentford v Colchester United
15:00 Notts County v Brentford
15:00 Brentford v Southampton
15:00 Huddersfield Town v Brentford

Leyton Orient:
19:45 Leyton Orient v Carlisle United
15:00 Exeter City v Leyton Orient
15:00 Leyton Orient v Peterborough United
15:00 Carlisle United v Leyton Orient
15:00 Leyton Orient v Tranmere Rovers
15:00 Plymouth Argyle v Leyton Orient

“Heroes”:
15:00 Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield Town
15:00 Bristol Rovers v Charlton Athletic
15:00 Charlton Athletic v Rochdale
15:00 Walsall v Charlton Athletic
15:00 Charlton Athletic v Hartlepool United

What’s the betting?
There is a fair chance that we will avoid the ignominy of bottom place by pipping Brentford on goal difference, though it would be nice to think it will not depend on that.

Phew! - 3 points (after a few breaks) relieve the pressure

2011-04-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the 3 points are likely to have laid to rest the prospect of a last minute relegation battle and a tense away game at Walsall even though it was achieved with a fair share of luck with BWP's goal, the solidity of our woodwork and a disallowed 'goal'.

Nevertheless, a victory was deserved after a solid second half performance.
Regrettably, Wagstaffe lost his way again in the first half though he but picked up somewhat in the second half. You can understand how Ecclestone, and even Reid must get very frustrated in being let out. Perhaps, Powell does not see them figuring next season and is persevering with home grown resources, though I think Wagstaffe does not merit a place in the side at the moment. He is not a winger (rarely beats his man) and his crossing is poor. Other than his supposed athleticism, it is difficult to pinpoint his perceived current contribution to the side. Perhaps, Powell can see he can develop further with perseverance?
Racon was the only one who could beat his man in the first half and look to create something; after the break added two great shots that were deflected wide. It was good to see Samedo crown a good display with a rare goal and the emotional response that followed: I'm sure it was largely relief but I feel that this man really wants to play for the club. Bessone has added a footballing dimension at the back, and hopefully can ensure us in the coming weeks that he can stay injury free.
The new boys played well (Parrett after a shaky first half). Stewart looked to have the talent to fulfil his earlier career promise and provide that missing link in midfield. With Jackson due to return selection will be an interesting exercise in the remaining games.
Benson did not cause much of a threat but it was encouraging to see his 100% commitment.
The imperious Dailly and Liera could provide the core backbone at the back, perhaps with Doherty being on hand to cover. However, Liera returned to his old ways of making crucial errors that could have lost us the game so I am not 100% confident he can command a regular place next season. I still have faith in Mambo coming through though others shed doubt because he does not seem to have shone in loan spells and they question why he has not yet come through (??).
Whether the future is bright seems to depend on whether Powell can find a middle road between his apparent commitment to a passing game, without the necessary talent to fully deliver, and adopting a more direct game which this division demands (plus the availability of some funds to bring new talent in, though we should not assume megabucks are in store).

Food For Thought: from A previous Diabolical Season

2011-03-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

The point gained with a fair stroke of luck at Bournemouth may prove crucial in the run-in, providing we can secure a few more points beforehand. Given the fixture list, the remaining home games are key to our survival in this division, starting with the home game against Leyton Orient which I feel has now become a crucial fixture. They have been on a good run but we need to raise our game as against Southampton and get a vital 3 point as I cannot see points easy to come by in the remaining away fixtures and the home games against Rochdale and Hartlepool.
In any 'normal' season those teams should provide adequate cannon fodder to secure our future. However, this is no 'normal'season and the collapse in recent games has been as bad and frustrating as many of our New Year collapses in recent years. As we all know, being a CAFC supporter can be a roller coaster experience, the likes of which no other supporters seemed to be 'blooded' on.
If history is to be avoided, we need to win the next two home games as I can recall a nail biting night sitting by the radio in May1964 when we needed to win at Walsall in the last game of the season to avoid relegation.
We were only in with a chance in the final game because the late Cliff Durandt had fired in an 89th minute winner to beat Southampton at home in the penultimate game. I remember seeing him fire in the long rage shot that was going over until it inexplicably dipped at the last minute.
It was a most uncharacteristic performance for CAFC in that the reports stated that we went out there on raw meat and immediately set about delivering crunching tackles, much in the style of Harry Cripps' Millwall sides. By the eight minute Walsall were reduced to 10 men with another hobbling along without making much of a contribution.A winning goal from Mike Kenning in the 63rd minute kept us up and sent Walsall down.
I hope we do not require the same outcome away to Walsall this season. In those days, we had players like Kenning (a bit of a softie but with a thunderbolt shot) and those with true grit such as Sewell, Hewie, Tocknell, Lucas, Kenning and Kinsey: not sure where they are now.
Keith Peacock was also I the side and gine the thought may have crossed his mind about the Walsall fixture.

I would not place bets on many 100% tackles other than from a minority of our current players or managing a draw at Walsall without an uncharacterstic 'superhuman' performance; let’s hope we secure the required points beforehand as my blood pressure is unlikely to hold out as well as if did in 1964 second time around!.

The Run-In

2011-03-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

Like many, but unfortunately not all, existing season ticket holders, I will be buying one for next season before April 4.
Michael Slater assures us in his most recent letter that all the management and directors are aware that the side needs strengthening and that 'significant investment' will be made in due course to achieve that.
A reasonable point is made that the club wished to avoid 'panic buying' in January. Certainly, inflated fees and contractual demands are to the fore at that time. However, many will nevertheless rue that fact that more was not done (assuming sufficient money may have been available, and it's possible that it wasn't) to make a push for promotion.
Michael Slater has said that "It is not a viable business in this division". That again raises the question he was not asked at the recent Valley Q/A love-in when those who attended gave the presenters an easy time : I.E. how long will the current board provide funds to support the club if we do not win promotion to the Championship?
Until I looked at the fixture list the other night I was confident that at least we can safely wrap up a mid table position and focus close season on next year's campaign. I am now far from sure as I cannot see where the next win is coming from (hope they prove me wrong tonight).
We have to see a major improvement with all the club and its players charged with getting a run together to secure the required points. Recent quotations attributed to those at the top (rightly or wrongly) that most players will not be offered contracts next season is hardly likely to evoke the "Dunkirk Spirit" from the squad in the remaining games.
If "It is not a viable business in this division", then what would the Board plan in the event of relegation, God Forbid!
(Incidently, I ommitted Bessone from my last post: the jury must be out on him. He looked promising but I expressed concerns before he came about his fitness and injury record which have not be neagted since he came. Quite apart from his merits on the park, a realistic assessment of his fitness is rquired before any decisions can be made).

Tinkering or Major Surgery?

2011-03-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

With all hopes of progress gone for this season (and with a few wins hopefully we will not drop further down the leagues) the time is approaching when plans for next season need to be made. Some may think it's a little early to go on this tack, but here goes nevertheless. Hopefully, it's already well under way within the club.
Certain players are on longer term contracts (e.g. Francis, Doherty and McCormack). They could sit time out unless the club and they feel sufficiently strongly that they should move on. Of these, Francis and McCormack are the most currently vilified by the fans.
Doherty has his critics but at this level has not done badly. Francis has had a terrible run but did not make a bad start at the club so maybe he is capable of returning to form, though some have lost their patience. I have lost my patience with McCormack and hope he moves on.
Summarising my, on the spur of the moment, frustrated thoughts; RED (keep), BLUE (best to move on); GREEN Undecided
Keeper:
Elliot: injury prone and has had an inconsistent season with his handling and crosses. His poor form has had a chain reaction in a lack of confidence in the back four. He’s a 100% CAFC lad and has not cost us any major fee so he can perform a task for us, but probably as a squad / reserve keep for the immediate future.
Worner: really trying hard and was not bad at all in the last home game but does not seem to have the stature to hold down a place
Back Four:
Jenkinson: It’s early days, but he seems great prospect. But Arsenal's interest rumour are true then they or someone else “may do a Shelvey” on us: I would like to think we can hold on to him for a couple of seasons before cashing in if that becomes unavoidable;
Solly: I worry about his lack of height but he has yet to let us down. Home grown and a prospect for the future; either to fight it out for a right back spot, or perhaps to switch to left back where he has not performed badly w
Dailly: unlike others, I feel he has another season in him, if he wants it; he may do better elsewhere;
Mambo: one for the future; I hope he gets a chance;
Fortune: great respect for his past endeavours in the shirt, but he just seems to have lost his fitness and I cannot see him recovering;
Fry: has served us well but surely he will return to West Ham (especially if they drop) or command a fee elsewhere;
Doherty: Not sure whether we need him for cover when the going gets tough. undecided, but may depend on contractual situation;
Francis: Undecided;
Liera: currently our in form back four man and eager to stay. Great in the air but frail on the ground. On balance, he deserves to stay providing he has a side kick with some speed (Mambo?);
Youga: the best of the bunch if he is fit, and a key loss this season. Would like to think he can return but for most of the season I have assumed he will not. If he's fit, no doubt that he should stay;Midfield:
Jackson: Has done well, on occasions our only attacking option;
Racon: an enigma; has the skill but seems to have lost the art of applying it. When his contract ends he may have unrealistically high demands;
Samedo: Has his detractors (Keith!) and has no creative capability or firepower. But if only we could find the elusive creative midfielder could perform a a needed ‘holding’ role;
Wagstaff: an athlete with limited football capabilities; young and has very prospect of a career, but probably not at CAFC as he does not have the capability to beat a man or provide the required creativity;
Reid: Has played some great games (especially when away) coming on late as a sub. But his crossing is poor and when he has played a full game has disappointed;
Stavinrue: too small, if the club can afford to wait for him to develop fine, if not he would be best to move on;
Forwards:
BWP: Assumed to be on a good contract and therefore will command a place, assuming his leg holds out. Largely ineffective with little contribution if we cannot provide ‘poacher’ opportunities near the goal, which depends on sorting out the wingers and midfield. (I would have spent the money on a good midfielder and kept Sodje if we could had not been able to finance two significant signings). Must contribute more when the chances are not forthcoming;
Benson: Disappointing; I had hopes but it has not worked out; not sure about contract situation;
Anyinsah: providing he can steer clear of injury has been an asset who I think could improve further with a big man alongside him;
Ecclestone and Nouble are loanees and may not be available. Leaving them aside, that sums up to:
Retain: 10
Move on: 6
Not sure: 5

If 50% , say 3, of the "Not sures" were to move we would retain 12, and move out 9.
Not sure how realistic that is in terms of being able to find adequate replacements and mould a cohesive unit close season to make a realistic challenge?
Perhaps Nouble might be available and if he were I think like Anyisah he could improve and maybe become a Leaburn type figure. But if West Ham drop then they may decide he could perform a role there.
I am discounting the young hopefuls coming through as I have not seen enough of them. However, Tumar does not seem physically ready and I’m not certain he will make it, though it would be good if he does.
There are grounds to regret moving on Randolph, Spring and Akpo Sodje, and Grant Basey seems to have got fit and is doing well with Peterborough who may be promoted (last laugh for him).
I wonder whether Lisbie could do us a turn next season???!!!!.
A vital additional factor to take into account is the need for some continuity. If we have a major exodus close season then we will start the season with a team which will probably take 2 months to gel and find ourselves on the back foot straight away.
Lennie Lawrence had the ideal solution when he made five magnificent buys that took us back to the top division: Shirtliff, Reid, Pearson, Pender and Shipley. All were players not carrying a big reputation and fee. That’s a credit to Lennie; it’s a pity he went over to the Palace as I’m sure he could perform a Peacock type role for us (“Been there and done it!”).
Given that promotion has been missed and no doubt our finances will be struggling again next year, there is a need for messrs Slater and co to be prepared to dig into their pockets as Richard Murray and colleagues did to keep us afloat. I hope we can be confident of that.

Poor Performance: But when your'e down

2011-03-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

After a bright start, once again the side gradually descended into another poor performance. Having said that, as is always the case when you are up against it the run of the ball just does not go for you: with a crossbar and and goal line clearance stifling our progress.

Once again the biggest shortcoming remains in midfield. If we has bolstered it some time ago with a good quality creative midfielder then Samedo and Racon could have performed a role, though there is little mileage in Wagstaffe and certainly not McCormack, who after yesterday's game I have added "cannot tackle" to his dubious credentials.

Committing to the purchase of BLP without sorting out a good midfield player was misguided. A "poacher" will not score goals unless you have a creative midfield and wingers who can beat a man and put in a decent cross, neither of which we have. Therefore, BLP is unlikely to make a worthwhile contribution, as has been the case. Unless we can provide him with the opportunity to score from close range then he may become a luxury passenger we cannot afford to play: as all our players must make a positive contribution.

Nouble may make a decent contribution once fit (dare one say in the Leaburn mould), though a return to fitness for Anyinsah (and Jackson) is more important right now.

I am have been a long term fan of Solly but am unsure as to whether he will be exposed in defending due to his lack of height. However, with Jenkinson we have the option of perhaps trying them both out in the same side as full backs (assuming Jenkinson's injury is not serious), especially if Fry is likely to return to West Ham (?).

Fortune has made a major contribution over the years and is repported to be an excellent guy aroiund the team. However, it's obvious he seems unable to return to his fitness levels and speed of past years so Mambo should be given the chance to continue his education in the remaining first team matches if Dailly's injury means an absence for a few games or if he can be brought on as a late substitute.

Have not done the calculations to determine whether we should be realstically worried about a relegation fight, though I guess that some of the experimentations (e.g. Jenkinson, Solly & Mambo) might have to be delayed until we are certain of our safety.

Slide Accelerates: Mid Table Fight Looks On

2011-03-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

We are now fast becoming at best a mid table team, and even worse unless we strike some form.
Leyton Orient have now moved above us on their limited resources. I suggested previously that getting rid of Matt Spring may have been a mistake (laughed at by some). He was a talented player, passed the ball around well and was not afraid to get stuck in. He did not fit into the task we set him at the Valley, which may say more for our coaching, selection ands style than his potential.

He has since blossomed at the O's, and that includes dominating the midfield when he returned to the Valley with them.
I have been awaiting in vain the collapse of MK Dons that has not happened. They are now probably not reachable by us and with their catchment area and super ground potential they could be one for the future.
The other sides in the top 6 are all striding away and I wouldn't fancy any of them in a play-off heat scenario, let alone a Wembley final.
It looks like it is all back to the drawing board at the end of the season for what will be a real challenge next year as we are likely to start off with a new side unfamiliar with each other and prob. comprising a similar bunch to many of those at present, unless there really is some money behind the current owners.
At least we have the likes of Mambo, Jenkinson, Solly and a few other youngsters coming through and I would not write off Dailly for another season.
I'm not sure if I really want Palace to come down to join us as even against their current side I would not fancy stealing many points off them.
What Chris Powell makes of it at the moment is anyone's guess. Quite apart from his own capabilities he must have now fallen in on the paucity of the current squad. Eddie Howe prob. did also, (as maybe Billy Davies did before him?)

What a Horrible Team

2011-03-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

I negelected to express the following in my last post, though I notice they have been echoed elsewhere.
Tranmere were a disgrace, from the management and coaching staff through to the team.
Within the first couple of minutes they were wasting time with feigned injuries and protests, with their goalkeeper leaving enough time for a massage between each goalkick and their manager and coaching staff kicking balls onto the pitch to further delay play.
Charlton were poor, but Tranmere's tactics ensured that the entertainment level reached the pits.
An abolsute disgrace, I hope they go down and don't come back.

Backwards Motion Continues

2011-03-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

It may have been a point after 4 defeats but it was a dire game.
Efforts were made early on to play a passing game, but you have to have the players with the skills to do it. We obviously do not.
If a 'passing game' means playing 3-4 balls across the back four to gain 10 yards, and then 3-4 more to go around in a circle, followed by a pass back to Elliot then we have the credentials.
The players were scared to make a reasonable long pass early on (prob. due to current fixation to play a passing game) and only resorted to it in desperation when all else failed and by that time a decent long pass was not on the agenda.
Liera, who had a good game, made some searching passes, and Jenkinson and Dailly were the only players to successfully take on the opposition on a one to one basis, oh for wingers that we had in the past who could beat their man and put in a decent cross.
McCormack was awful, he did not have the confidence to make more than one pass that went forward during the whole game.
Wright Phillips is far too lightweight and if his goal scoring dries up he will contribute little or nothing.

Backwards We Go

2011-03-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

Last night's game warrants little constructive or positive posting.
It was pretty rank. Only Dailly, Doherty (before he went off) and Jenkinson deserve any merit.
CJ look a real prospect; perhaps in him (Mambo and Solly) the future looks more rosy, but not for a while.
This game really plunged the depths, made worse by the poor turn out (about which the official crowd figures seemed over optimistic).
Not worth analysing individual performances other than to say that Ecclestone and Wright Phillips looked extremelyy lightweight and too easily pushed off the ball. Anyinsah may have made a difference; who knows whether Benson would have as he only had about 10 -15 minutes to make any impression.
Elliot gifted one of the goals and is lacking confidence but there is no solid alternative at present and immediate dropping to the bench could effect his confidence still further.
As CP said at the recent Valley evening, there will definitely be lows (or words to that effect) and it's come sooner that he expected though in truth the side have been less than impressive even when the results were going our way.
The play-offs look in doubt, and the current powder puff side would not be best suited to them anyway given the quality of the other sides up there.
Unless CP has some masterstrokes up his sleeve, a continued poor run could see us dicing with relegation.

Worthwhile Ashford Excursion

2011-02-25T03:14:00.000-08:00

One of our immediate circle of staunch life long CAFC fans pulled out the stops to go and see our youth side at Ashford last week. I was pleased to learn that, like me, he was especially impressed by young Mambo.
Pete was also impressed by how likeable and sincere Chris Powell came across, like all who meet him, and his attendance at this game to add his support and survey the emerging talent.
His young grandson, Alex, has been to the Valley on a number of occasions and has yet to see them lose (I wish I could say the same). Chris was suitably in awe of this and hoped to see him there as many times as possible in the future! (If we get to the play-off final and tickets are in short supply we trust that Chris will get one to Alex post haste!!!)

Staunch Evertonians Display Valley Pride at City Addicks

2011-02-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Another great night at City Addicks saw Eddie Youds and Garry Nelson added some great entertainment to the insight they provided about their proud careers in the game and their obvious affection and respect for their time at the Valley. Eddie seems to have migrated to the South, along with is Liverpudlian humour, and is here to stay in the long term other than any interludes to further his career.
I am not quite sure where Gary's dovotion to Everton comes from, given his Essex birth, but they seemed to be equally strong in their affection for the 'toffees'.
David White, like Richard Murray and Martin Simons, is an excellent master of events, adds great value and is rightly respected for being a solid servant to the club during its recent troubled years.
Gary’s eloquence and humour came as no surprise following previous appearances. He has been a success in various guises in football since his Valley career including his spell as a successful author. It nevertheless came as a surprise to me just how successful his books have been when he gave an indication of the number that have been sold (For the record, I have both Gary). Unfortunately, it seems that he may not be hammering his laptop to produce another though I think he underestimates just how much further material and stories he has in his archives that would provide a great read.
I had not had the luck to have heard Eddie Youds before. After this performance, which the audience lapped up, he is likely to be back by popular demand. He was an uncompromising but fair back four player who had a little more skill on the ball to add to his imposing strength and stature than he cares to admit. Had he not been troubled by his recurring knee injuries he would have stayed at the top of his game for several more years.
I suspect that Gary Nelson would have thrived in the modern game as the style of non-contact refereeing will increasingly eliminate the crunching tackles he experienced over the years. Eddie would have had to have changed his game to have kept on the right side of the current brand of wimpish referees, but the game would have been poorer for it.
I am not sure what line of work Eddie has been in in recent years but it seems he may well return to the game in the near future. In the fullness of time, CAFC would do far worse than find a niche for both these guys, something that Eddie in particular said he would savour.
All three obviously had a considerable respect for Curb’s management skills which certainly enhanced my own perception of the man, though I was interested that my own impression, and that of many of the fans, that Curbs was too cautious and negative in his latter seasons after they left seemed to be echoed.

Anti-Climax & Lost Opportunity

2011-02-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

As I feared, there was a degree of predictable anti-climax about today's outcome, which was in line with many poor performances over the years when we have had a 'big occassion' and a big opportunity.
The club (and supporters) had made a great effort in promoting the game. I have not seen the official crowd stats, but we felt it looked like we may have managed a 24,500 gate which was excellent.
However, a real test is going to be how many return after this display and result. Though Chris P was fairly positive in his post match summary, I think heart of hearts he knew he was pulling the paper over the cracks.
Yes, we hit the woodwork twice, yes their goalkeeper made some decent saves.
However, we never really got going and once again the midfield was poorly wanting.
In my last post, I questioned how McCormack was getting the nod over Racon. I had great expectations for McCormack at the beginning of the season but he has not lived up to it, unless this is just a combination of bad form and poor definition of the role he is supposed to carry out.
Whatever, it mystified me further still to see that Chris P maintained faith in him yet again.
Samedo does his 'holding"/tackling/hassling role reasonably well but has zilch confidence going forward (demonstrated by his appalling shot when he had an opportunity late on).
McCormack seems to fulfill a role that is all running, but not too any great effect. His distribution is not that good and his tackling poor (even though he seems to go down a lot in the process).
Racon may (I've no way of knowing) be a prickly character to deal with but he is our only current midfielder who has a creative streak in him. Sure bnough, when he came on the game plan changed and he provided some incisive passes and a couple of great runs. I am not saying his is the total answer (but unless we bring someone new in to support the midfield his is our sensible option.
Summarising the rest of the game,
Jenkinson (once again) had an encouraging game;
Dailly and Doherty looked solid in the middle and it was a great pity that the former blotted his copybook with a bad error to give away the decisive goal;
Fry: he had an off game in terms of distribution and positioning, but had little support at times (in particular for their first goal): I cannot figure whether it was Jackson or Ecclestone who was wanting in the respect; (Bassone looked an good alternative in this position but I still harbour fears tht we will not see that much of him with sporadic appeaances in between knocks).
Jackson: generally provided a threat and was unlucky with a fine shot just wide;
Abbot: did not show the form as per the last home game, and was not a lot better than his early season appearances;
Ecclestone: missed a coule of crucial opportunities in the first half but otherwise toiled away well, if somewhat predictably;
Wright-Phillips: did his job to get on the score sheet, but was not in the game enough; seemed a lonely figure out on the wing. Will the current 3 forward front line work with the current selected players? I was also a little concerned that his head went down to an extent when we were up against it, and his running off the ball with it. He looked a bit frustrated out there today.
We are missing Anyinsah who was showing a lot of promise. Not sure where Benson will fit at the moment in unless he takes precedence over Ecclestone which seems unlikely.
There is a positive glimmer: we are still in a good psoition, but the 2 Southampton games are looking increasingly crunch games, which is not good as they seem to be a far better side than us.

More Issues for "The Cup in the Oven"

2011-02-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

In a previous post I postulated on the various implications of selecting Qatar for the World Cup.

A new potential issue has now emerged following the recent turbulence in the Middle East. Formula 1 Racing (already enmeshed in various unproven bribery scandals) is now getting edgy about staging the next Grand Prix there. This is coming down from the top, I.E. Ecclestone (not Nathan but Berni in this instance).

He is fearful of his Grand Prix providing the ideal worldwide PR platform for protesters.

Well, in case FIFA should not be listening, the World Cup would provide a far greater platform for such events.

It may l be that such problems as emerging in Qatar are way behind us before the tournament, but who knows? The population of Qatar seem tobe pretty football crazy and that might save the day even if politically there remained a problem. Of course, this is all in addition to issues relating to a revised timing of the tournament, the question of climatic conditions within the stadium and in training areas, crowd control and accommodation and even drink!

Perhaps, FIFA ought to have a good risks management 'Plan B'; just in case!

Had to Happen: (and Midfield Still Needs Sorting)

2011-02-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

The honeymoon could not go on for ever. Unfortunately, we fell over on a trip to the cold north where we traditionally do not fair well. I had this down as a defeat on CAFCPICKS at the beginning of the season, and I would not have changed that, even if I could have. Unfortunately, until we get a side who can confidently travel to the coldest northern venues and get 3 points, we will find life difficult. Fortunately, only Oldham (very difficult), Rochdale (and perhaps Walsall) remain in that category.
We have not improved that much, especially in the midfield. We have been riding our luck without a significant increase in creativity and the other results did not even punish us to nay extent the other night, though it is bad news to lose our game in hand advantage over Southampton which will make those games even greater cliffhangers.
In Ecclestone (especially playing wide), Wright Phillips and Aynyinsah (and who knows, even Abbot and Benson) we have a potent force if we can provide a decent supply.
It is mystifying me at the moment how Chris Powell continues to play McCormack instead of Racon. Racon has not been consistent this year, but can provide a degree of creativity.I would like to know if he is suffering from a knock as he did not even make the bench against Hartlepool. If he is fully fit then I will begin to think that the club are in two minds about offering him a good contract (from his point of view) or even suspect that Powell and him are not on the same wavelength. It would be a pity if this kind of thing impacted on selection as one felt it crept into play under Curbs.
I gather that Benson is injured, hence him being left out but I did wonder initially whether he had been reprimanded for anything in his Evening Standard article.
With the prospect of a sizable gate against Exeter, let's hope we do not lose the opportunity by delivering an anti-climax as we have doe over the years in big games, or games of other significance.

Sunny Day: Time for a Real Meander!

2011-02-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

England this time of the year can be a bit like I imagine Scandinavia is; a lot of grey cloud and no sign of sunlight. This can get depressing and result in a pessimistic outlook on all subjects mind, including trying to adopt a cheerful outlook for the rest of the season..

However, today was a crisp, clear and sunny day from start to end. It prompted me to get off my backside, get away from the PC and go for an hours walk across the fields near home.

This was especially beneficial as yesterday encompassed some unsuccessful Internet purchasing for my wife when her debit card failed at the bank verification stage several times. After continued lack of success, you begin to think of tearing your hair out, feeling that somehow you may just have cocked it up.

Well, early today the bank discovered that they had my wife’s DOB wrong on her master customer record which therefore failed to match the transaction details.

So, all along it was their fault; and it had cost me several £’s sterling on their 0845 help numbers to determine it.. Still, another solved client problem will help their customer services reach this year’s target and maybe lay the foundations for its Director to earn his 6 figure end of year bonus!Anyhow, I was in the right frame to take a relaxing walk across some good typical countryside.

En route I saw a couple of horses flat out; having a really peaceful time.

I got to thinking that it would be great if last weekend’s well fought win at Yeovil and the splendid 4-4 draw between Peterborough and Southampton meant that our own side has been able to relax temporarily to fully absorb the results, and then get ready to fully recharge on the training ground to tear apart (again) Peterborough this Saturday.I think we can do that, but it’s going to be a long slog and we are going to need all the luck/run of the ball to continue to clock up the results thereafter.

A win against Peterborough would set us up for a series of winnable games (apart from a tough one at Hartlepool) leading up to an important game at MK Dons where we are likely to need a point (I am still awaiting an MK Dons total collapse that does not seem to come).

A fully recharged side must conjure up at a gallop a decent run for the crunch Southampton game.

However, unless we improve the creative quality in midfield (by an ‘emergency loan’ our back four are going to be hard pressed to survive the blitzkrieg they will encounter from Southampton, (prob. the best side in the division).

Southampton also have some ‘iffy’ games of their own before they meet us (Hartlepool, Colchester and Bournemouth away):

It would be good if they slipped up and began to stutter a little before we meet them.

After the home game against Southampton, we still have to face them away and also challenging away games at Bournemouth and Oldham, not to mention what could be a cliff hanger against Huddersfield at home.

If we are to stand a chance we must stack up the points as our goal difference is pathetic right now.

The composition of the top 6-8 sides is beginning to look sensible. I thought Oldham looked a good strong side at the Valley and they are coming good, and could well be a dark horse.

Hopefully, we can knock the stuffing out of Peterborough, which leaves Brighton, who already seems to be almost there, Huddersfield and Southampton.

Fire them up Chris!

Gratefully Received 3 Points: Despite Riding our Luck

2011-02-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

Another game where we certainly rode our luck. The goal appeared to be a good one but the ref lost his concentration and blew up before he put it away with the now well publicised change of decision influenced by the fourth official (bless his cotton socks).
Francis had a much better game, especially his runs down the wing and crossing, which just about compensated for his otherwise wayward distribution.
Anyinsah had another good game and seems to be a better bet than Benson right now.
Wright Phillips was certainly 100% enthusistic but did not do much of note until, he put an excellent goal away (but that's what he;s there for).
Wagstaffe was virtually anonymous apart from making the goal which seems to be what he is there for, but I am still not convinced it fully makes up for his general lack of involvement. .
The midfield contribution was pretty poor from a creative standpoint (so what's new).
McCormack seems to be playing oput of position and Racon would have been a far better bet in my opinion. I am beginning to think that he may be in danger of being out of favour, but it seems early days in Chris Pwell's reign for that to be the case?
Contrary to various derogatory rumours following his loan move, Bassone had a more than satisfactory, cultured game, especially going forward, though he was not put under pressure defensively. Worryingly, he went of early after an injury; one hopes this is not a recurrence of problems he had at Leeds. I thought he looked a bit like a more sophisticated Phil Warman going forward (what a complement!).
It would be good to see Ecclestone given more than a 10 minute run at the opposition, but not because he is putting the pressure on with petulant tantrums (as has been reported), and which may present Chris Powell with a short term issue to resolve.

"Rudolf" Probably On His Way

2011-01-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

It's reported that our very own Rudolf Nureyev (Akpo Sodje), so christened after his magnificent pirouette to secure a penalty in his star substitution a while ago, may be on his way. This is due to the sudden influx of new forwards, who all look promising.
Obviously, from a financial standpoint there is then a need to adjust the current squad numbers.
Pavel Abbot looked promising when he first appeared (physically bigger and stronger than others and seemingly keen). However, this proved a false dawn and he has not been a success and it would be better for him and CAFC if he moved on.
In respect of Sodje, his first appearance in the monsoon, soaked conditions experienced by the team (and us!!) at Yeovil was a total contrast: he came on late as a sub; and a glorious goal to boot.
I felt that he should have been given a better opportunity to prove himself (though in fairness the chance to do this has been hampered by his injuries).
Until Benson has had a fair run and proven his own pedigree (and the same goes for our new recruits) Sodje may have challenged. It appears he will now not get that opportunity and I fear that wherever he goes he will join the long list of former players who stick one in against us; probably in a vital promotion fixture.

Thanks for Your Interest

2011-01-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

It's good that my modest posts get some interest from some overseas visitors.
I guess they are largely UK ex pats, but maybe the name, reputation and history of our great club travels well and attracts others.
Anyway.hope to maintain the interest of all English speaking visitors over the next year and others:
Obrigado pelo seu interesse Brasil; Tak for din interesse Danmark; Merci pour votre intérêt France; Gracias por su interés de España; شكرا لاهتمامك كوريا
Oh, and thanks for the interest you Shielas
A belated Happy New Year to you all. With our new player acquisitions so far, and hopefully more to come, it's looking a lot more promising that it did a month ago so let's hope we get some success to reward Chris Powell's efforts, not forgetting the efforts of Parkinson for the players he has brought in.
On and forward!!

An Eye Opener for Chris

2011-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Great welcome; great win for Chris and a great 3 points.

Problem was it was almost a lucky 3 points. The number of shots on goal were as sparse as usual (and certainly in the first half Argyle looked more threatening) and the dearth of midfield creativity was there for all (and especially Chris) to see. Racon had his moments but there was little else of anything effective in a creative context. Acquisition of a combative created midfielder is essential: I'm none too sure that Jason Ewell would meet that need.

Francis' crossing was dreadful (and yet we still give him most of the free kicks) and Reid was just as hopeless when he came on.
Who does the training (and is there any done on crossing?: Christ these are highly paid professional footballers.
Otherwise at the back, Matt Fry will be missed for both his effort and all round defensive play and breaks forward. and Dailly had an imposing game. Doherty was all effort and had a reasonable game but is still not quite the ideal partner. Last season I would have said Fortune was the natural choice but he seems to have lost that half a yard in pace and I'm not certain it is not too late to get it back. I would till like to see Mambo given the chance.

Wagstaffe did little of significance for the first 60 minutes but in the latter third of the game knicked a goal and then made some good runs and neat passing; is it a confidence thing with him?

Upfront, I thought that Anyinsah showed great effort and skill, most of all he can hold his own physically and is not that easy to knock off the ball. The new boy Eccelstone looked lively and was really the only one who seemed willing to take the opposition on and try to beat them; dreadful but true. And the first time he did it it resulted in a fine goal, albeit aided a little by a deflection.I would like to see him start the game alongside Anyinsah and keep Benson on the bench to bring on later, rather then the other way around.

Given the performance in the first half the team were cheered on more for Chris Powell rather then for their own capabilities. However, there was a moderate improvement in the second half and most of all they kept at it, and Chris Powell prob. deserves some brownie points for that. We remain in contact (though games in hand are far from bankers).
Keep it up Chris

Nat Lofthouse: Great Player and Man (somewhat maligned)

2011-01-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

There have been some great BLOG posts about our Chris this week and whilst I will prob. not resist the temptation of adding a few of my own, there is plenty to get on along with in the meantime.

Therefore, as in the case of Bobby Smith a while ago, I would like to add a few words about the passing of Nat Lofthouse.
Nat was a centre forward that no one relished marking. He was as tough as old boots and the heavy leather ball he regularly stuffed into the opposition's net.
He was a great physical player (like Bobby Smith) both on the ground and in the air but also had great skill. For all of his hard man qualities he had the reputation of being a down to earth, straight gentleman.
He was a great servant of Bolton, his only club, as a player, coach, manager and President and proud to be a one club man; and he was also a formidable England centre forward and played in some historical games.
Unlike Bobby, whom I saw many times in games over the years, Nat was a little before my time. He retired at the end of my first season at the Valley in 1958.
However, he did play in the first live Cup Final I watched on the TV in 1958 against Man United.
It was the first final after the Munich Air Crash and Man United understandably had the nation's sympathy going into the final.
That meant that Nat was ultimately vilified for having the audacity to charge United's goalkeeper Harry Gregg into the net or their second goal. Of course, shoulder to shoulder charging was fair game in those days (before the fast developing non-contact game we have today).
However, many felt that he had charged Gregg in the back, not the shoulder, as he was knocked into the back of the net with the ball. Given the emotional nature of the day, everywhere apart from Bolton seemed to make him the prime anti-hero of the day. I have read that he subsequently said he had fouled Gregg. However, Nat was only guilty of being a 100% man the like of which most clubs, including our own, would savour, and was merely doing his job for his paltry maximum wage pay.
What is a shame is that many of my generation had that tainted view of Nat and some do to today, which is totally unjust as he was such a great player and servant of the game.
He will be sadly missed in the game and especially at Bolton.

One Down: How many to go?

2011-01-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

Don't blame Howe for declining our bid (at least he had the sense to discard the palace offer as well).
He seems comfortably settled on the south coast and is young enough to bide his time for the big opportunity (the current high profile PR certainly won't hurt his case).
Quite apart from obviously having his terms improved with the Robins, he may also have an element of the old fashioned about him: loyalty! Good luck to him, but not at our expense.
One hopes that he was not in any way disenchanted with what he has heard and seen at the Valley of the club, the owners, the general set-up and terms. There was something that Billy Davies did not like about the old regime and one hopes that this will not be a problem in respect of the new set up in ongoing recruitment.
The general feeling amongst supporters to date was that the new owners had a man lined up before being so bold and decisive to drop Parkinson and his team. If that was the case (and Howe was the intended) then the wider options may not as yet have been assessed or sounded out to any extent, and could therefore take some time).
Of course, there have also been rumours about longer lists of candidates and if that has always been the case perhaps things were not that advanced before Parks went: who knows.
What is apparent is that we have missed out on getting an extremely high calibre young manager who could have grown with us. Others who might be available amongst the lower leagues and some of the old hackneyed names that are bounded about at these times of managers who are full of wind and have not scored elsewhere seem somehow much less exciting at this stage. I have that general feeling about the likes of Coleman (and include Wise in that category). I don;t think we are in the league for one of the chewing gum, available ex Premier League managers like Allardyce (and one must remember his sterling service for Millwall!).
Similarly, the prospect of the ex Peterborough manager does not excite me.
Obviously, Poyet would be a coup which most would go along with, but surely this is a massive bridge too far? He is milking his current success and promotion and a new ground with the vast potential around Brighton to increase support is surely more to his liking, even if we could afford him?
I am not an enthusiastic exponent of the 'bring back Curb's brigade'. I felt that his cautious brand of football towards the end of his time with us (and a few questionable signings) are not what we need and do not excite. However, given the potential paucity of choice and Curb's fast running out prospects to make a return to management, maybe "cometh the hour, cometh the man" may yet apply. He certainly knows his way around the Valley.

Signs Point To Howe

2011-01-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Unless there is a major diversionary process under way by the owners, then it looks like Bournemouth's Howe may be our man.
It appears that he has (sensibly) turned down Palace, unless it was just because we were offering more money?
The Bournemouth Chairman s reported to be meeting him tonight and I note that it was reported he was at Spurs yesterday. If Slater and co' met up with Redknapp after the game it's likely that he would have given him a good reference from his days at both Bournemouth and Spurs.
Howe seems to me to be a fair bet to do as good a job as anyone.
He knows this level of football and what it requires, he is young and ambitious with a good reputation, and his record over the last couple of years is impeccable, albeit at one club. At the moment, he is one of the top young coaches available.
My feeling is that we are unlikely to be able to attract top wrung League One players and the same may apply to good value for money Euro imports, though I saw this as a potential opportunity in a previous post and maybe that is not out of the question..
I reckon that he would have as good a knowledge as anyone at trying to pick the cream of available players from our division that we could afford, and if there really are any players willing to drop down from Division One (the danger being they might be over the top and too costly) then there must be adequate knowledge of these somewhere within the club, including the supposed knowledge of Jimenez.
It'll be interesting if it transpires and I feel sure he will get the support of the fans if appointed.

Deservedly Proud Day For Peacock

2011-01-10T04:26:00.000-08:00

I recall seeing Keith Peacock make his debut at the Valley and become a first team regular when he just 17 years. He also came to coach at our school with David Stocks which was a rare event for us.
He has been an excellent and loyal servant for the club though in fairness he never quite fulfilled the great promise he had as a player he had back then; it seemed at the time he would mature into a world beater.
However, no one has ever doubted where his heart was and it must have been a very proud day for him yesterday and it was great to see the reception he was given.
It was also interesting to see how he spent time with the players and appeared to be consoling McCormack after the game and Fry at half time when both seemed concerned about his injury following the collision with Elliot.
In summary, the side put in a good first half performance and showed a marked improvement in their passing. Racon had a good game but (like Reid) still manages to lose the ball at critical moments that could cost us the game). Once again we were not sharp enough in front of goal and shot shy; had they not been the case we may have taken in a half time lead.
The game was lost in 15-20 minutes in the second half when we gave away some sloppy goals ( Elliot should have got nearer the first goal, and the defence fell aprt for the other two). In fairness Spurs could probably have slotted in another 3 without much effort, but at the same time, Fry had a 30 yard shot brilliantly saved by their keeper, Sodje forced a great save when perhaps he should have done better, and Doherty came close at the end with a good header.
Modric's substitution changed the game as he ruled everything. However, as usual the defence fell back to our penalty area and afforded him so much time and space that a player with his talent could not fail to impress. I think by that time we were just pretty knackered; had he been present in the first half he may have had a more uncomfortable time with Samedo snapping at his heels.
It never ceases to amaze me the fickleness of the fans at these big clubs.I often go through Finsbury Park en route home after a Valley game and if Arsenal have not won convincingly you hear no end of groans and moans on the platform from their 'fans'.
At Spurs, the crowd was totally silent for most of the game, especially when we were holding our own. As we all know, we have experienced the same at Old Trafford.
Our fans did us proud (apart from some of the pathetic chanting from some of our younger brigade).
As "Hungry Ted" has said our incessant booing of Defoe probably just stoked up his enthusiasm to stick a couple past us, as he always does.
So, after Keith's moment of pride we now await a new manager. I hope it is not the decsison that a vast majority of the CAFC faithful do not want and which, if it happens, will mean that the new ownership will have a lot of repair work to do, and a severe damage limitation exercise it it doesn't work out.

Thanks for the Lifeline: The Jury Awaits the Outcome

2011-01-05T03:15:00.000-08:00

We are initially grateful for the new investment team to take the reigns and enable the club to be commercially viably in the short term.
If Wise is appointed, the assurance by Slater that he was not part of the deal would be a bit like an insurance policy that has got a lot of small print that had to be studied. (I.E. We saoid he was not part of the buy-out deal, but we never said he was not the favoured new manager).
I'm not sure to what extent the new ownership want to carry the committed support with them. If they do then decisions on team management are going to be important.
Equally, can they assure the support that there will be there long term commitment to the club and the Valley; are they prepared to push their property development credentials to the background.
If they do not have the ability to resist longer term development temptations then we may be entering a dangerous period for the club.

Baptism of Fire

2011-01-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

The new owners no doubt felt a little uncomfortable about their new baby at Colchester, despite the late rally. However, the display against Swindon must have negated any New Year festivities and demonstrated the task that they have taken on.
We know CAFC can play better than tonight's dismal performance but of late they have only really done it against Peterborough. Even when we have got the required results of late we have been rated second best by neutrals.
Tonight was so poor that it must be virtually impossible for them to have envisaged a game plan that involved acquiring some players for key positions (subject to the budget), as in general they were all bad. In my mind, Jackson was the exception as he looked the only one capable of going at the opposition but because he was shunted back to left back it was well nigh impossible for him to demonstrate that.
Given our form and lack of competitiveness over the last couple of months then it really is a miracle that we sit where we do in the league. Without an improvement in the squad with 2-3 key players it's difficult to see how any manager could have done better.
However, even with a reasonable budget available what kind of players are we going to be able to attract?
My guess is that most decent Championship players (and Hoolahan would be one of my favourites) would not want to drop a division and especially to us, let alone the fact that we may not be able to pay their wages.
Therefore, we are back to getting old pros at the end of their careers (no thanks) or chancing a few youngsters from the Championship, our division or lower who have yet to make it. Obviously, that would be a very chancy affair.
Is it possible that our new 'mate' Jimenez could find a couple of bargains on the continent within the EEC with no work permit problems? (for all his detractors, a bargain like Kishishev). Unless we have lashings of money to throw around maybe that is the only way (assuming such players are available during the January period. Can;t really imagine Bailey coming back on loan (and many may not fancy him anyway) or even Shelvey unless Liverpool paid 75 % of his wages (a tall order?!).
Who would anybody else like to see (and think we would have a chance of signing?).

That' it for Xmas Eve (?): To be Resumed

2010-12-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Like others I have been keeping a periodic eye on the news towards the end of the day. Unless something unforeseen happens, then it looks like those concerned will take a Xmas break to chew it all over, and then focus on the final outstanding points.
I shall be continuing with the Czech Budweiser Budvar for the immediate future and hope to catch up with news at the Southampton game.
I cannot add to the speculation, but I have voiced to others on many occasions that I would prefer if Wise was not a part of it or if he is, that Varney and co have a strong lead!
Promotion is the key target which can potentially sort out some of the short term revenue problems.
On the wider front, it's interesting to note just how well both Leeds and Norwich are doing in the quest for a double whammy of promotion (i.e. to emulate CAFC's feat of the 1930's). Our target should be one of continuous improvement as the various motivational management games postulate; i.e. promotion this year, and a challenge next year in the same vein. This year continues to be tough, especially if form is not regained quickly over the Xmas period.
I have never been a Leeds fan. I can recall feeling distinctly unsafe whilst attending some games, especially those vital play-offs some years ago. Even way after that game, the Leeds fans were in threatening mood returning to London down the M.1. The volume of traffic around 11PM-midnight was amazing and periodically stationery. It seemed that every other car was a maddened Leeds supporter.
In these days of expensive seats and prawn cocktails (a La MUFC), their support seems a little less threatening, though no one should underestimate their passion.
They have done really well and are to be congratulated;. They have a feet on the ground manager and a good squad.. Lloyd Sam has made not that great a contribution and I suspect if they go up will be surplus to requirements. Would we want him back? Not me, he flatters to deceive like Martin and given time I think Martin may be the greater of the two, if we can hang on to him.
Happy Christmas Folks

Another Blank: and not just on the pitch

2010-12-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

I could not make the game, committed to a rousing carol singing event in Central London. I certainly made the right decision.
Given the fixture implication of getting through along with the dire weather warnings I guess on balance it is best we have kept up our Cup record.
From what I have read, I was very encouraged about Jenkinson at right back, (about the only encouragement other then the return of Dailly. is it just possible that he might be selected over Francis for the next game?. Francis has had about 2 reasonable games since joining us and is in the middle of a bad run at present; he needs a rest to recharge, and compose himself.
I was dismayed to hear on several BLOGS of the behaviour of a small element of the crowd, but like some others not surprised. I have seen it gradually coming, not just this season but over several seasons.
The small element who partake in some of the chanting and nutty behaviour just spoil a good day out for the majority. I’m no prude and general ‘football’ language does not offend, but some of this stuff is so pathetic and unfunny it just makes you sad that the reputation of our supporters is on the slide.
Some years back, (at Villa to be precise) the majority of our fans were berated by a small line of our own ‘fans’ behind them; they has specifically got behind them, for not singing.
It was a wet, cold day and our side did little to justify a cheer (which they got ) let alone a song. On that occasion I emailed a club “official”, who was there amongst us, (still in post), and did not even get a reply.
There are some of us who like to cheer and shout but not partake in aimless singing which rarely demonstrates any genuine excitement. Indeed you can see that many of those who “sing” are not even watching the game. On one tense occasion they were chanting to the opposing fans whilst ignoring an opposing corner right in front of them.
It comes to somehting when you have to carefully select where you posotion yourself at away games, just to stay clear of some of the rabble.

Dreadful Non-Event: Takeover Related Factors?

2010-12-13T03:19:00.000-08:00

We were dreadful in all departments against Walsall. Our side just did not turn up. There’s not an awful lot more to be said but here’s a few observations:
No inventiveness in midfield and no punch upfront.
The overall perfromance was so poor that inevitably some of the weakenesses of some players, e.g. Samedo do be creative, stood out like sore thumbs.
Subs did not help. Reid made no impact and he focuses on impressing a small element of the crowd with his ball skills and not the overall team objective. His error was at the root of their goal. Martin had a run at them but flattered to deceive again for the short time he was on and looked frustrated at all around him.
Once Walsall scored the only real positive you can identify were some stupendous, last gasp defending by Doherty and others that prevented another 4 goal rout.
The tactic of substituting Fry (who did not play badly) for Reid and moving Jackson to full back again backfired badly. Jackson was our most likely first half threat and removing him was counter productive, and he is not as effective at full back as Fry.
I could not figure out whether the team was still shell shocked from their drubbing at Luton. Or, is the side unsettled about the takeover and any internal rumours?
Is it just a coincidence that their form has dipped following release of the news about the take-over? Do some players fell at risk and it's affecting their game?
If this could be the case then a ‘clear the air’ initiative is urgent
Hartlepool will not be easy and a home defeat against Southampton would pitch us back down the table with everything to do to get back to where we are.
A good position after the Xmas period is essential.

2026 Front Runner

2010-12-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

Insiders are predicting further shock decisions from FIFA for 2026.
Current front runner is Antarctica, which is seen to provide a major challenge to extend the influence of the game and the impetus for infrastructure development.
A sole senior FIFA official was spotted carrying out some reconnaisance visits:

Extension of existing hotel arrangements are being considered:

And the local side has been undergoing extensive bonding sessions:

Cautious Optimism

2010-12-03T03:16:00.000-08:00

I have no illusions of being a person with a good understanding of financial and corporate issues. My knowledge extends little further than IT strategies and depreciating personal investment portfolios.
However, the news from the club regardiing the planned takeover is still uplifting.
As others have noted, caution least is required about the ‘Xmas present’ news until we learn more about it and, most importantly, what group is behind Peter Varney.
Nevertheless, given Richard Murray’s (and his colleagues’) incredible support and dedication for the club in recent seasons you would have to be a real cynical pessimist to anticipate the club going into the wrong hands to a bunch of deviant financiers who had their eyes on exploiting whatever “assets” come as part of the deal. He has held on stoically for a long time, reducing his level of wealth considerably, in discarding some previous potential bids as being unfavourable to the club.
The club owes him and enormous debt in terms of his financial commitment, effort, time, and probable sleepness nights that it has cost him. I hope that any final deal brings him some piece of mind and, most importantly, it finds an important and responsible place for him in any new structure.
It bodes well that it is fronted by Peter Varney who has undoubted credentials as a CAFC fan and has anm excellent reputation within the football world. It seems unlikely that he would have been duped by dubious financial backers. I would not have had the same confidence with Dennis Wise.
However, let’s not get too carried away by thoughts of some mega-bucks treasure trove being available for a transfer kitty in January. A modest implant of funds to cover investment of additional players in key positions and the retention of other squad players would be a major leap forward given the otherwise reliance on sales or loans to cover any team building.
There has been speculation of Curbs coming back into the fold. If money permitted him to take on some form of Football Directorship that he could undertake productively without interfering or stunting the role of Parks then fine, though this may be a tall demand. Otherwise, it would be a real kick in the teeth for a manager who has done well to get us where we are and make the club more attractive to potential bidders.

Qatar: a stroll in the sand

2010-12-03T03:07:00.000-08:00

What a sad joke the selection of Qatar is for the future of football.

After sterile walking pace games in various hot and humid climates in recent World Cup tournaments (with FIFA efforts to spice it up by unpredicateble plastc footballs) it goes to a country that has temperatures around 45 degrees or more at the time it will be staged.

Let’s forget about infrastructure, crowd, and training problems and focus on the football. Solar powered power is projected to drive air conditioning that will maintain temperatures at 27 degrees. ( probably wildly optimistic). For those still reluctant to commit fully to Celsius, that’s around 80F.
The South African tournament was characterised in the main by its walking pace, passing from side to side of the pitch and back to goal, and extreme caution displayed by all sides, occasionally sparked into life by the Germans. No wonder the broader non-‘soccer’ devotees in the States find it difficult to get enthused about the game.
The Qatar tournament will do little to enhance the quality and attractiveness of football other than to those in the Middle East who will rise to it in patriotic fervour.

Happy Birthday Phil

2010-12-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

I hope Park's has a great birthday and a moment for brief relaxation.

He seems an amiable chap but I have been unable to find a smiling photograph of him, he obviously takes his responsibilities seriously unlike some who have gone before him. I guess with the way the weather is up north he may be able to look forward to a break over the weekend (let's hope for all concerned that if the conditions are that bad that the game is called off early enough to permit that. Nothing worse than a god forsaken trip up the M6 to find it is called off at the last moment).

This BLOG has been consistent in supporting Park's on the premise that he could overcome the hic-cup we had in form prior to the recent run. I suggested that he needed a fair amount of time to get specific good results and / or performances after the team had performed badly after the Brighton game. He did just that and we have marched ahead to get amongst the main contenders.

He has not got everything right but there are not many managers who had to face the rapid shedding of resources close season and the urgent rebuilding with such scarce resources.

The jury remains out on some player acquisitions and only time will tell whether they can dispell current doubts. However, the team he has assembled, warts and all, is getting results and showing an apparent personal commitment to him.

With the forthcoming schedule and complications die to the weather, it's crucial we keep players fit and do not incur unnecessary bookings (unless as is the current vogue, they are 'tactical'!

So, I am hoping we do not pick up silly bookings for dissent along the way.

Have a good one Park's.

Few positives emerge

2010-11-28T04:07:00.000-08:00

A dire brass monkeys afternoon at the Valley with lots of negatives and very few positives.
Let’s take the positives first:
Jackson: one of the few players to perform well, made intelligent runs, scored a good goal an d badly let down by the team not passing too him, and Reid ignoring him (and others) when in good goal scoring positions;
Anyinsah: Did well until he tired;
We are still in the Cup!
The overpowering negatives:
Not enough stuff to warm up the freezing dedicated
Francis: His distribution reached an all time low; he really seemed to be colour blind for much of the game. After coming out of a bad patch his last couple of games have seen him sink into the mire again;
Fortune: I am a Fortune fan and felt he should have been alongside Dailly for a number of our recent games. However, at one point he showed an appalling lack of speed that shed great light on all the stories that abounded about him having to get match fit. Until he can get up to speed, Doherty should return.
Lierra: tried really hard and generally had a fair game but still prone to serious mistakes and being given the run around on the ground. Like to think it is lack of first team outings but that may be too generous;
Racon: Did not stamp his authority on non-league opposition and drifted out of the game;
McCormack: Looked forward to seeing what he could do, but after a bright start faded badly;
Wagstaff: anonymous for most of the game, couldn’t beat his man or put in a decent cross;
Reid: Tries, and is player who can turn a game when in the right frame of mind. Not this time, after a good run to cross the ball for the first goal, infuriated mostly (especially in the second half) by either not looking up or blatantly going for the glory himself and not passing to others in goal scoring chances. The epitome of the schoolboy trying to impress with the message “pass to me and I’ll go through on my own”.
Have said it before, if he had done that too many times to "Killer" Hales he would have placed one on him!
Benson: I have been a fan until now. Everyone is allowed a stinker, let’s hope this Tricky banana skin: potential humiliation at Kenilworth Road unless we pull our socks up;
Elliot: He made several good stops but was nowhere near saving a first half shot that hit the post and did n ot make even an effort to stop their second goal.
Over the years Iit has never ceased to amaze me how goalkeepers can get caught 5 yards off their line and l.eae themselves wide open for the looping shot. The old escuse of narrowing the angles (especially when the threat is from 25 yards) has always seemed lame one.
If by a miracle, we get through, it's potentially Stevenage or Dover in the next round!

Performance fails to keep feet (etc.) warm in East Stand

2010-11-24T04:41:00.000-08:00

A cold uninspiring night at the Valley saw a point gained rather than lost, even though their keeper made two great saves from Sodje and McCormack in the closing minutes.
The side did not get their passing game going to any effect, not helped at all by the poor distribution from the full backs and the lack of running into empty spaces by the midfield and forwards.
Samedo did his usual spoiling game effectively. Though Racon probably just about won man of the match, the overall lack or creativeness led Parks to sacrifice Samedo’s combative skills to introduce some flair.
Martin did not stop running and cannot be faulted in that respect. However, though his early efforts promised a lot as the game wore on he reverted to failed attempted flicks rather than the simple straightforward option. He increasingly tried for glory ignoring others in better positions, epitomised by his miss in the last few minutes when Benson appeared to be free in the area. We need his inventiveness but he needs to get the balance right.
Jackson saw little of the ball in the first half when it was being constantly directed to Wagstaff who was generally ineffective. Given Jackson is in such good form this seemed a great waste.
McCormack performed promisingly when he came on and was thwarted by a great save from their keeper. With potentially heavy grounds overdue and ongoing injuries and suspensions he may have an important role to play. He is obviously capable of fulfilling the midfield dynamo role, I’m not sure how much of an attacking force he can be.
Sodje was all effort with limited skill but made a positive difference in being a constant thorn to the Rover's defence. He provides a good option as a late sub’ to turn a game. There were no Rudolf Nureyev pirouettes to win the elusive penalty (pity we could have done with one in this game).
As Major Ken of CAFCPICKS tried to resist the damp cold of the East Stand (which Canada had not prepared him for) he rightly remarked that Benson appeared a half a yard too slow on the night. We missed Anyinsah who seems able to bring the best out in Benson.
The Southampton Boxing Day game is building up, thogh there are a few hgames to win before then. Let's hope it is not the usual anti-climax for us.

Team Spirit and (Our Rudolf) Win the Day

2010-11-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

The feeling in the Rose O Denmark was that we would return to form and sweep the West Country Worzills aside. Crowborough Addick was more guarded suspecting a banana skin might be on the horizon.
Apart from some notable exceptions, there are no easy games or free meal ticket in this division.
Even that thrilling victory at Leyton obscured the good football that Orient displayed and we have struggled against other ‘lowly’ teams like Exeter.
There are some notably poor exceptions, e.g. Dagehenham and Redbridge (a comment which will probably go and rebound on me at the next away game there) and by all accounts Swindon at the away game.
Loftier sides like Oldham and Huddersfield gave us a real run for the money.
I don'tgo along with the view that it's a poor division, I reckon things have just evened out and the general standard is not that bad.
Yeovil demonstrated that again with a slick passing game that opened up a good chances early on. We were fortunate to take and retain a lead for most of the game. Had one of their forwards just smashed the ball (like Jackson does commendably from the spot) instead of flashily and limply trying place a short range shot (like too may modern players do) that allowed Elliot to save well, we would have been in more trouble.
We triumphed largely as a result of the great team spirit and 100% commitment that now exists in the side rather than any great footballing display. Over the years, this has not been the case even during good spells.
This presumably is largely engendered by Parks and the coaching staff, but my bet is that some of the leaders on the park, such as the unfortunate Dailly, have a great deal lot to do with it. He was given no benefit of the doubt by a referee who showed numerous errors of judgement.
Picking out players that caught my eye:
Martin showed a great work rate and some good touches but (like Sam) still has to grasp the ability to more regularly deliver on the final ball.
Benson looked good again up front but was hampered by a poor service.
Racon continued his resurgence and scored a peach of a goal
Samedo was generally effective in his negative kind of way, but wouldn't it be great if he had the confidence to exploit situations where he should go forward, overall it was not one of his better performances.
Reid did OK, but his displays over 90 minutes are a pointer to why Parks seems to favour using him as a 'super sub'. I am now beginning to see him in the same light, but would call him on earlier than Parks has done in the past to give him a fair crack.
Fry had a solid display.
Dailly, once again, had a commanding game before leaving the pitch.
Doherty; I'm not a great fan, but am pleased that he has turned in so many good solid performances of late, especially in the air. He was more uncertain yesterday though should not be castigated too strongly for the own goal (just one of those things).
Francis had a really poor run earlier on but seemed to have turned the corner with a couple of good performances, He dipped again yesterday and a fit Solly to contest the position would put us in a better position.
Elliot was generally sound but I had a feeling that maybe he could have got closer to the Yeovil shot that went in hit off the post, though others seem to think had had no chance.
Finally, Sodje's addition the front line added the required spice and 'won' the final penalty that Jackson crashed in with such aplomb. From where we were on the East Terrace (I have not seen the TV film) the defender clearly tugged at his shirt. Whether the linesman was flagging for that or the audacious pirouette that followed I am not too sure.
He followed that up moments later by such an artistic collapse in front of us in the East Stand that he would probably have a good chance of storming though a Covent Garden audition and even being hailed as the new Rudolf Nureyev!

Posh Coshed By Parky's Addicks

2010-11-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

An exciting game started with CAFC pegging the Posh in their half for the first quarter. After such an encouraging start those who have seen it all before feared the worst!
Posh had a few breakaways and Elliot came to the rescue with a diving save.
Wagsaff had clipped the bar before our wildest dreams materialised on 15 minutes of this 'top of the table' clash when a great ball was threaded through to Wagstaff. He was tripped with one man to beat ( a sending off offence?) and Jackson fired one straight down the middle over the hapless keeper.
Already, the die hards anticipated a typical 'backs to the wall' to keep 'em out type of game, but no; just when everyone appealed for a penalty for a trip on Martin (on for the injured Anyinsah) Racon ignored the pleas and thundered it into the roof of the net.
It all happened so quickly that the guy next to me was awaiting a penalty as Posh lined up to kick off after succumbing to Racon’s goal.
Two more goals followed unbelievably quickly and the Moyes terrace was in delirium.
(On a slightly negative point, those at the front of the terrace were pretty pissed off when a large number of our fans careered down the terrace after Martin's second goal. A guy at the station indicated he was concerned that his youngsters were going to get crushed. Pity as standing on the terraces was a welcome change with a great atmosphere, but it’s plain how the mindless are still capable of buggering it up for everyone else).
After Posh's 3 half time changes, they inevitably pressured.
Park's has got to sort out what appears to be a solid defence that conceded its first in 5 games (a penalty). It is not as solid as it seems, and this game was no exception. The opposition had a number of good chances following chaos in our penalty area.
This may in part be due to the fact that Parks’ current tactics appear to take the game to the opposition whether it's home or away, as many of us have been pleading for a while. So, I for one am not going to complain.
Posh clawed back a goal with a well placed free kick that one felt that Elliot could have made a better effort for. He pulled off a number of good saves to counter that but again looked suspect on the crosses.
It was impressive how the players threw themselves into tackles all over the pitch and did not tire, if anything they looked fitter than Posh at the final whistle.
Before Anyinsah went off Parks seemed to have fielded what definitely seems to be our best 11, other than perhaps not picking Fortune, but Doherty again had a good game.
Parks secured the required results against Carlisle and Sheffield Wednesday, followed them up with an excellent run in games at Swindon, Barnet, Southend and now achieved a fine result at Peterborough.
The team appears fully committed to the cause and they seem to be really playing for the manager, so full marks to Parks.
Samedo got an unnecessary booking for time-wasting in the last 5 minutes. I see CAFCPICKS speculates that this may have been planned, which seems to make sense. Martin picked up yet another for mouthing; he needs to get this aspect f his game in order, though he was certainly fired up to a frenzy at Posh in Gascoine style.
With the results going the way they did, we have an excellent chance with two home games to come to cement ourselves in the top six and, most importantly, get into a good position come Xmas.
It’s too early to rejoice but it’s great that Parks seems to have turned the corner and vindicated those who had the patience to give him a fair crack of the whip rather than call for his premature departure.
Well done Park’s and the team.

Brazil (and Others)

2010-11-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

It's interesting, and not just an exercise of egotism, to delve into the 'audience' statistics sitting behind your blog.
It reveals interest (or at least random'hits') from unlikely places such as Iraq, Korea,Czech Republic and Russia.
Places like Slovenia and snowier nearer spots on the continent may reflect our fellow supporters trying to stay in contact whilst on the piss (I mean piste), rather than my own visit out there back in the summer.
Other postings from far flung places may reflect lonely ex pats on long contracts abroad with their companies or the Government, British Council etc.
Some sources of interest sometimes let the imagination rip. In particular, my modest Blog seems to attract a regular and reasonable level of interest from Brazil.
Is this just a love of the beautiful game and all things Brit by that great footballing nation?
Does it reflect a fanatical interest in the British game that even manages to drop down to Division 1?
This may be the case, but I like to think it may also reflect memories from some in South America that may still be alive of CAFC's trip there many years ago (involving old prop' planes, dodgy coaches and probably cheap hotels for our former underpaid heroes).
I must look up that trip in the archives and determine to what extent we did the rounds in Brazil.
Meanwhile, it would be good if any of you out there in far flung parts of the globe can let us know the origin of your interests in our great club.
Please keep up your interest, great things may yet happen this season for Charlton Athletic!!

Patience and Faith is a Virtue

2010-11-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, my last post reaffirmed my belief that Park's had deserved time to pull things together with the squad that he has, and reported that the last two games had done nothing to harm his credentials. I advocated patience with the team and Parks and (at the moment) and this seems to have been vindicated.We had some early luck (plus some great defending) but did not manage to achieve the totally commanding type of performance I would have liked.

We toughed out the early Swindon pressure and gradually took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half and, with a bit of luck, would have got a couple more had it not been for goal line clearances.
Our front two runners further cemented their new partnership and both got on the score sheet , with Jackson popping up yet again (which is encouraging as, apart from his previous couple of goals, he had that blinding shot well saved by Weaver in the last home game).

Good to see that Parks was able to keep his full side on the pitch without bringing on substitutes so he could let them absorb the "highs" of the result and the travelling fans' adulation.
Well done the team, and well done Parks for the overall performance and for holding your nerve.

Rumours of Parky's Demise are Premature

2010-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

I have always veered on the side of caution on Parky's credentials. He has done well with a generally indifferent squad and little money and his efforts to get replacements in at reasonable prices have not been bad.
I said he needed to get the team to perform in the last 2 games and that a good performance at Carlisle (preferably at least a point or a great fighting performance even if no result) and a spirited win against Sheffield Wednesday would go a long way to answer critics.
Well the team did it, so though he has not won the battle he has certainly improved his position.
It was not all hunky dory today.
I felt he should have selected Fortune but am prepared to say that Doherty turned in a good performance.
A great performance in the first half was thwarted by some plain bad luck and some inspiring goalkeeping from Nicky Weaver in keeping out a couple of blistering shots and more.
However, it seemed that either we dropped into the trap of taking our foot of the gas in the second half to let Sheffield Wednesday threaten and almost steal a point (or more) or we were just plain knackered?
As usual, we laid back too far and worse of all we did not keep tight on their forwards giving them the opportunity to run at us, and with Clinton Morrison they had someone who can do that quite effectively.
Parks had previously admonished the team for doing just this so I can only hope it was a combination of us being knackered and the opposition stepping up the pace. If Park's instructed the team to lay off in the second half then in my view he would lose a lot of kudos. However, I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
In view of my celebratory drink in Greenwich and meal at London Bridge I am late to the post and have therefore had the opportunity to view other Blog posts.
"Blackheath Addicted" doesn't say much I can disagree with in his excellent player assessment.
The only points I have to add are:
Elliot: good game, but still feel uneasy when high crosses are put in;
Francis: Best game for the club to date;
Doherty: I was hoping that Fortune would play, but after some iffy performances Doherty had a good game;
Fry: good game; got stuck in. I'm still not sure what his best position is; he lacks authority in the middle of the back four, but seems to lack a turn of speed at left back;
Dailly: Can’t fault him; a players’ player, and a great captain;
Jackson: toiled away and held onto the ball well, unlucky to catch Weaver at his best;
Semedo: Good strong tackling holding game; if only he had more confidence to go forward or get something out of threatening positions he finds himself in. He has the skills, but does not have the bottle at the moment;
Racon: Seemed transformed to his best of last season; as Blackheath said, he as even tackling well. Is it fatherhood?! Good news as I thought he was at the beginning of an unstoppable decline in form;
Wagstaff: All enthusiasm and a good goal, but he still does not do enough otherwise and makes some bad errors when we are threatening, as noted by “Blackheath Addicted”;
Anyinsah: we may have found the man to play alongside Benson and bring out the best in him;
Benson: excellent with his distribution, heading and effort today. Looks a better player alongside Anyinsah. He certainly didn't miss the chance which opened up following Martin's wizardry at the end; it was a great effort just getting there and coming so close;
It really annoyed me how some entries on the web had him written off before he had had time to make an impact, and before the rest of the team had provided him with a reasonable number of opportunities to test his credentials.
Like the elements who want to hang draw and quarter Parks, I hope they too have to eat their words.
Martin: Made a positive impact with his skills almost setti9ng up a goal to seal it for us;
Good job we got these points; Swindon will be difficult but maybe not as difficult as last year. Peterborough will be a stern test.
I'm setting aside the two cup games for now; both could be real banana skins.
After our pre-season fixture, Barnet have little respect for us and with that slope a real potential banana skin.
Let’s get behind the team and give Parks some praise (and lay off him for the time being).

Benson Barks to give a lifeline to Parks

2010-10-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well this was the result that Parks needed to keep his survival hopes alive.
On the positive side the team ultimately did not give up on the game and Benson began to justify the faith in the management in their relentless pursuit of his signature.
Although the final fight back demonstrated the spirit that we have been calling for, the side once gain demonstrated to the feint hearted amongst us that a lead of at least 3-0. is required to give us any confidence of holding on.
The selection was in line with Parks’ warnings about changes. Martin was conspicuous by his absence and Wagstaffe somehow clung on to his place and responded by setting up Benson for one of his goals.
Did Doherty do enough to be selected ahead of Fortune; I think not after his shaky game against Brighton. Did he retain his place due to his aerial strengths alone? Maybe he did to combat the Cumbrian’s anticipated assault, but Fortune is no slouch himself in the air.
I suspect the jury is still out with Richard Murray but a win against Sheffield Wednesday ( which needs to be convincing in terms of spirit, fight and superiority) would place us back in the frame towards the right end of the table and do no harm to Parks’ own position.
Given this result and despite the fragility of it, an away win at Carlisle should not be sniffed at and all those who played their part should be congratulated.

Why not Join the Speculation?

2010-10-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

My last posting included the following:
"The question right now is whether something has gone terminally wrong, or if it's a blot on the landscape that some rigorous training and bonding sessions can remedy before the next string of crucial games that will shape the season".
I still veer on the side of giving the management the Carlisle and Sheff' Wednesday games to turn it around, in terms of performance and results and I hope they can do it.
I look with interest at the various names put forward for coaching (some good 100 per centre names put forward) and for management which includes the interesting option of Lennie Lawrence, who can claim to have done it before.
Curbs for me would be too cautious.
I wonder if Murray has pondered a second of two on the possibility of Steve Coppell resurrecting his career in South London? He says he has packed it in, but might we present the right kind of club and challenge, at the right time, and have the right kind of chairman?
How's about that for a wild card? (A little mischievous perhaps?
(No doubt some will think it's good for a laugh!)

14/08/10 "Committed Addicks Past the Test"

2010-10-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

That was my post after the Orient game.
The question right now is whether something has gone terminally wrong, or if it's a blot on the landscape that some rigorous training and bonding sessions can remedy before the next string of crucial games that will shape the season.
Its likely that for all the reasons previously stated and understood by most fans (inc. financial implications) Parks and his team will get that opportunity to put things right whilst we remain in some touch with the 6th spot, at least.
We all need to briefly stand back, pause, let the dust settle and take stock after the last game.
I won't be influenced unduly by the more voiciferous rantings of the crowd in the immediate short term, as I can clearly recall their loud gushers of praise for "Super Alan Pardew" before he fleeced us by his own rantings and inability to accept responsibility for the shambles he left in terms of the team, the morale and worst of all some of the players he acquired and left us with on fat contracts that the club could ill afford.

Desparate Stuff

2010-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Difficult to find any positives from this. Parks prob. selected the best side he could with resources available.
After Dailly had done well at right back last week he went for safety by playing him there again to try to counter the threat from Brighton's left wing.
Whether Doherty should have started after a flaky game last week is not so certain, but with Lierra also plagued with errors and uncertainty of late it was a difficult choice.
However, unless Fortune took a knock, it is difficult to fathom out why Parks decided to take off Fortune instead of Doherty after the latter had committed several errors, one of which resulted in a goal.
Brighton played a good passing game (that bordered on the dull at times in the first half, with the number of sideways and back passes). Charlton had three reasonable efforts, a Martin blockbuster just tipped over, a good header from Abbot (after we managed to get in one decent cross (from Martin) and a blocked Benson shot.
Other than that we did not threaten and Brighton began to turn their possession into total superiority.
While Brighton’s first two goals were largely down to errors, they always looked as if they were coming as Brighton had several chances arising from a mixture of some good passing movements but equally from some lax, lay-off marking.
We came out with no real new ideas in the second half and unlike recent games where we have turned up the quality of our game and the pressure, on this occasion we just descended further into gross mediocrity.
Elliot made a couple of good saves but looked uncertain on several occasions and whilst LuaLua fired a blinder in for their third goal, it was a long range effort and Elliot was nowhere near it (though from our position on the East Stand it was difficult to see if it swerved wildly).
In midfield, Racon was too lightweight, Samedo is solid but does not have the flair whilst upfront Benson and Abbot again had poor service but Abbot in particular just does not seem to have the right first touch while Martin again flattered to deceive.
Once again we seemed reliant on Reid to beat his man and make chances, but he was as guilty as anyone of a succession of poor final crosses when we actually got forwards into the box. With him seemingly suffering a bad knock the portents for the next couple of games are not good.
In fact, with 2 difficult away fixtures and a home game against Sheffield Wednesday (who seem to be hitting form) a mid table position looks the best we can hope for at the moment and a relegation scramble is beginning to look a distinct possibility.
Parks has done a reasonable job in putting together a side on next to no budget. However, they are at best a mid table team at the moment and there is increasing doubt as to whether he can mould this side together to play with the required commitment, passion and spirit to move us ahead, especially when the chips are down.
What Murray thinks at the moment is anyone’s guess.
If he senses that we are losing touch with the promotion hopefuls over the next 2-3 games and the team is not playing with the required craft and spirit he may just think that a change at the helm is required. Given the apparent state of the finances the commercial implications of a change would be another big gamble that, if it backfired, would move us further down the path to disaster.

Youga: A Major Blow

2010-10-14T04:27:00.000-07:00

Our concern for Kelly Youga has been made on this and CAFCPICKS site for many months.
The latest news, and previous lack of news, had heightened our fears and now the regrettable bombshell has dropped.
His attacking play and crossing had given the side a different dimension in the past when we had totally ineffective wingers. His contribution was key to past successful runs and will now be sorely missed.
Indeed, the fans who sit immediately around me in the East stand felt that his return to fitness might just have been the additional key we need to turn the season around.
We wish him well in his fight for fitness. He should take some encouragement from Corey Gibbs.
The club (Curbs) signed Gibbs when he already had a record of a serious knee problem. He never made an appearance during the two years he was on contract due to the debilitating nature of the injury.
However, after returning to the USA MSL league with Colorado Rapids he moved on to New England Revolution where he is now, making 10 appearances for them last season and only being troubled by a groin injury, the knee and the knee apparently not holding him back.
Here's hoping that Kelly has some luck.
I am not sure how long his contract extends for but it is hoped that he will return to fitness and either see his contract out or get it extended through merit (in time for promotion?)

Bent gets the Scent but Beanpole Sees Green Light

2010-10-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well Benty appears to have lost out to some over zealous training and tackling at Wembley during their ‘keep the ball’ session.
So we are now landed with the beanpole for another taste of looping crosses and playing to his strengths. To be fair to him he has notched up goals for England but does it do our national game’s reputation that much fielding a player with such physical attributes being his main claim to fame?.
I would prefer both Bent and Davies (who should not have been overlooked for so long) as being capable of adding better all round skills and a touch of style and excitement to our game. Surely we want a team to exude style that we can be proud of?
Of greater concern is figuring out why players succumb so often to significant injuries during training or on match days.
One factor is that players seem over trained in order to get maximum power and speed. As a result, their bodies are tuned to so highly that the slightest contact, stretch or over enthusiasm can pull a muscle, ligament or tendon here there or anywhere.
In years past, we never had the same profusion of hamstring pulls or medial ligament problems, nor incidents where players get injured during game warming up and have to be substituted before KO.
The ridiculous emphasis on style of boots being worn by our players doesn't help. Trendy coloured plastic styles designed with an emphasis on speed & comfort afford little ankle protection which had previously helped to avoid foot and ankle injuries. You would prob. not have got Derek Hales or Chopper Harris wearing them (or the unfortunates who had to play against them).
Finally, why do they get involved in such antics during training before a ‘big; game at Wembley? My guess is its because the players (who seem to have the power) like a ‘keep the ball’ fun game together with the need for the coaching staff feel to ensure they are sharp having missed their weekend games due to the break.
They would prob. be better off keeping sharp by fulfilling the weekend fixtures and taking a chance on injuries, then taking things easier before the mid week game with some less arduous training?

Benson ends the Tension again

2010-10-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Not highly crafted blistering shots but crucial poacher goals for Benson.
If he can slot in a few to remember over the season that will be a added bonus but if he regularly demonstrates a poacher's talent to put away goals like his last three nobody will feel short changed.
I was impressed by his persistence. In partcular the first goal at Plymouth which had a bit of Mendonca, Hales and Matt Tee's bravery all rolled into it.
Reid "terrorised" the defence again and Martin had a good spell on the wing (apart from another booking) and as previously stated, these can provide an effective twin winh attacking force even at the expense of Wagstaffe's goalscoring run.
It was good to see Dailly back even if he was forced to take on the captain's responsibility by filling in for Francis. The injury to Solly has exposed us at right back to an injury to Francis (or a run of poor form as in the last few games).
Doherty redeemed himself (to be fair may still be suffering from post flu symptons) with that headed cross for Benson after a shaky game. However, Fortune and Dailly promise to be our best back four selection option.
Regrettably it was still a game of two totally different halves which I bemoaned in my last post, and this still needs to be sorted but credit to Parks for at least cranking up the performance after half time.
Here's hoping for two halves of 90 minutes committted effort against Brighton (and the odd penalty decision like that down on the Sussex coast yesterday!)

Selection: getting there; now the tactics!

2010-10-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

After much opinion around the web, including my own, we seem to be nearing the side that many feel we need with Reid starting the game (and actually staying on for 90 mins), Fortune partnering Dailly (with the stead Doherty an excellent choice if injuries and yellow cards beckon), and Lierra there to draft in especially if we face 6ft 4 inches battering rams.
At MK Dons, Reid as usual was the key to opening up the defence and at least he had 90 mins to try.
Decisions have to be reached on midfield creativity and who to play up front. My own view is that Martin would be best employed as a sub to liven up the side if required unless a brave decision is taken to play him instead of Wagstaffe given the latter’s goal scoring to date. However, my view is that that does not make up for his general lack of contribution and Martin should be given the opportunity to be a second winger alongside Reid .
Benson and Abbot deserve a run and if we select Martin and Reid on the flanks they might get a decent service.
Even if we eventually get the selection right, we must sort out the tactics.
I cannot agree more with 'Drinking During the Game' more regarding our tactics. A number of us have been saying for a couple of seasons that we cannot understand why we start (away games in particular) in such a low key, negative way. In so many games, out of desperation at going one goal behind we bombard the opposition and sometimes get the required one of two goals (as per Swindon last season) or alternatively it comes as too little too late.
With the right team and tactics we may have a chance of getting a run of good results (which will be a real challenge given the imminent threatening fixtures).

So, once the selection is sorted, let's go at the opposition from the first minute.
Better going one or two up, even if we are to mistakenly try to hold on to it, than going one to two down. It may be better for the nerves of the travelling support!

Duane: For those who remember!

2010-10-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

A slight digression; for a change!
Saw rock guitar legend Duane Eddy at a packed Royal Festival Hall, London on Saturday night.
Just flown in from the States from Nashville which has seen monsoon conditions, floods and many deaths (inexplicably not reported here) and is reported to have lost 30 of his guitars that were in 'safe storage' in Nashville.On top of that he had a diabolical cold to combat.
In spite of all that, the 72 year old gave a great professional performance, provided an encore and was generous in his thanks to his UK fans.

Reminded me of the '60's when Duane's "Because They’re Young" and " Ballad of Palladin" echoed around the Valley as I walked around the Sam Bartram end on my way to taking up my position on the East Terrace.

Our side needs to demonstrate Duane type spirit against Brighton which is already a crunch game.

Continuation of the Same

2010-10-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

I do not idolise Reid but it seems plain to see that he is one of our few players who can take on the opposition and give them the fright of their life.
Once again, he was on the bench and only brought into play in the second half whereupon he did enough to make a late goal for Wagstaffe and encourage a late rally.
I am still unsure as to whether he is carrying an injury that causes Parks not to select him at the outset. My view is that if he is fit enough to come on late in the game and cause problems, then why not select him at the start.
There are so many games that we have played away from home over the last couple of seasons where we have defended furiously going 1 or 2 nill down only to come back to dominate the last 20 minutes and either draw level or finish up losing by the odd goal.
Reid has been instrumental of late in supporting the fight back so why don’t we start the games with an objective of taking it to the opposition and getting a goal in front rather than have to persistently fight back, often against inferior opposition.
Francis defensive frailities exposed us for one of their goals but without Solly and Youga to challenge we have no options.
I have expressed fears about Youga's fitness in the past. When Parks was recently describing progress on the injuries front, Youga was conspicuous by his absense. I hope this is not a really bad sign?
Getting it right seems to be a combination of instilling the right attitude and belief into the team, the right tactics and the right team selection. Parks has got to juggle these so we get it right or it is going to be a long painful season and he is going to be under increasing pressure.

Reid feeds Benson to end the Tension

2010-09-29T00:24:00.000-07:00

It was another poor yawning night of football at the Valley but this time it was the right result to lift the gloom.
Parks made the moves that a number of us had been suggesting: Fortune in, Fry at left back and Jackson to midfield.
In general, there were positive results, though Jackson will need more time to fit into a midfield role.
Once again we created in an inadequate number of chances though Sam the man nearly got onto a good through ball (thwarted by his lack of goalscoring panache) but almost amended with a tremendous shot that was too close to the keeper.
Once again, unless he really is seriously nursing an injury, Parks left it almost too late to replace the ineffectual Wagstaff with Reid. I am one of the believers that feel Reid needs more than about 15-20 minutes to make his mark. Whenever he comes on he gives us the width, ability to beat a man and, more importantly, the ability to get a good cross in. We were woeful in that respect with only Jackson provbidiong some good crosses while Martin, Francis and Wagsatff showed their defficiences to some embarassment.
I had said prevoiously that Besnon had every right to complain the Parks about the lack of opportunity he was being given by the pauslack of decent balls to test his scoring instincts out.
Again, he ran and ran to little avail; and paucity of decent passes, until Reid fashioned a great low cross which he cheerfully put away to open his account.
Could this be the turning point?. If we could scaramble a draw or more at Brentford the Brighton game is now nicely set up.

One more like this and it's looking bleak!

2010-09-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

After a good start with a crashing shot from Martin against the bar following a good run, we proceeded to tear D & R apart only to miss around 4 good chances. Benson was not at fault on any of these, and it looked promising as were playing the ball from the back and for once making chances; however it has to be said that D & R looked poor. Liera scored easily from a corner against a suspect looking defence and it looked promising. But once again, we failed miserably to capitalise on our superiority only to then give away a dodgy penalty just before half time.
The second half disintegrated into desperation with long ball stuff and some nervous defending from Liera. Much as I admire his enthusiasm and commitment, if he misses or loses a tackle against a reasonably fast forward he is done for as he has no turn of speed. This happened a couple of times and we were lucky to get away with it.
Reid came on after the ineffectual Wagstaffe was substituted belatedly. I'm afraid he was anonymous again but in mitigation he is a right footed player on the left wing (we have done that a few times over recent years) so was never able to go around the full back apart form cutting inside (which is far too predictable). He also decided to cut in right and fire a shot that was saved when a more spontaneous left footed shot would prob. have had their keeper in trouble. Reid eventually went off limping; has he been carrying an injury for some time? If not I cannot see why he is brought on so late as he generally causes opposition defences trouble once he comes on.
At the end of a poor second half devoid of any quality football, Parks gambled on bringing Fry at left back to release Jackson to move up after Reid went off injured. It paid off with a neat headed Jackson goal into extra time.
Just prior to that we were adopting our usual desperate hanging on game and resorting to long balls for the two front runners to chase; and, as usual, making a weak opposition look good.
Their play down the right had been threatening throughout the second half and our reserve keeper saved our bacon on a couple of times though he made you lose a heart beat every time they punted one over in the air.
The substitution then backfired badly when Fry, playing at left back, was turned inside out and the resultant cross enabled a last minute equaliser.
We have just about kept touch, but if our season is to be decided by form and results in this and the next MK Dons home game then without a convincing 3 points against the Dons it is looking bleak.
(One trailing thought, I watched the last 25 minutes of the Man City V Chelsea game on the screen behind the East Stand. Much of the play was sideways or backwards and if I were served up this every week as top quality "Premiership" stuff I would seriously question the ludicrous admission prices: the Germans as usual are showing us the way on this).

RIP - Bobby Smith : Spurs & England

2010-09-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

I read with interest and admiration the articles praising Bobby Smith after his sad death yesterday.

I watched Bobby on TV during his Spurs and England days but he was in the Spurs team in the away FA Cup game January 961 when we lost 3-2 (I remember it as a thrilling game with my hero Sam Lawrie keeping us in the game just after half time). Unusually, he did not score against us.
His record spoke for itself; 208 goals in 317 games.

Like Puskas, he appeared to be a portly figure, but that was deceptive as he was solid (prob. from his days down the pit) and had a genuine turn of speed. As my knowledge of his play is confined primarily to the TV, I will leave Spurs fans to dissect his career, performances and skills.

He epitomised the old fashioned bustling centre forward: one who knew where the back of the net was (like our own Eddie Firmani, Stuart Leary and Derek ‘Killer’ Hales) the former two of who were around at the same time.

Bobby was the son of a miner and I suspect (but don’t know) he prob. liked a pint, like ‘Killer’ (as it’s rumoured!). Like ‘Killer’ (and perhaps less like Eddie and Stuart), he took little nonsense from defenders and made them pay for any indiscretions. As the Daily Telegraph reports: “Smith recalled a conversation he had had with Spurs manager Bill Nicholson prior to Spurs' 5-1 win in the 1963 European Cup Winners Final against Atletico Madrid: "Bill Nick told me that their centre-half would come up and hit me hard the first time. And he did. The second time he tried it, I elbowed him in the gut. The ref came up to me and said 'Well done!'"

Those were the days: when referees invigilated more in the mould of a rugby official, letting the game proceed without incessant interruptions and treating players as grown men rather than the over protected, overpaid prima donnas of today’s game with their coloured plastic boots.
Thanks Bobby for gracing our game and providing so much entertainment.

Lest We Forget

2010-09-20T03:29:00.000-07:00

Lennie Lawrence will be a welcome visitor next week on the anniversary of that 'Last Game' at the Valley. Here are a few pics I took on that day inc. one of the "4 Unjust Men" as I called them on the day (for those who can remember the TV programme bearing a similar name), a Nicky Johns goal kick and the famous East Terrace with its 30,000 plus capacity.
In retrospect, they prob. saved the club and enabled it with the efforts of Roger Alwen, the other directors, the Valley Party and others to ultimately return to the Valley and enable Richard Murray and the board to embark upon the stadium development that has given us a stadium to be proud of.
I was talking to an Arsenal supporter yesterday (I'm not proud) who had only been to the Valley years ago once but marvelled at the old East Terrace recalling that the ground was the only real natural ampitheatre in the league and was the biggest in the football league (with a 75,031 ground record, plus those who broke in for free on the day, and an even bigger capacity for the '70's 'Who' concert).
A lot of water (much undrinkable) has passed under the bridge since then but (like 'Chicago Addick' facing the current hurricane in the Atlantic) us South Londoners are made of stern stuff and certainly masochistic!
We have not returned to the heights of recent years and still await that 40,000 capacity ground which could result from that success but we will hang on in there and cross our fingers that things progress both on and off the pitch.

Apprentice Steps In

2010-09-17T04:02:00.000-07:00

Darren took this call but unfortunately it was not from CAFC to extend his contract.

If rumours are to be believed his exit to Motherwell was primarily because he wanted a 2 year contract that the club were unwilling to come up with. Perhaps, wages came into it but I have not picked up anything on that, but who knows.

He performed magnificently in the run-in to the play-offs and it seemed that some reward may have come his way but that was not to be.

We have signed Luke Daniels who looks a good prospect with previous England Under 19 caps. However, he has no first team experience other than Tranmere and Shrewsbury when he was 20 and 21 years. So it's a tall order to now step into the fray in our vitial promotion push.

However, we all wish him well and like others before him perhaps this loan will offer him a breakthrough in his fortunes. I notice that he was unlucky enough to have had one loan spell cancelled in the past following a back injury: so let's hope he keeps clear of the Charlton goalkeeper injury jinx during his stay with us.

Coincidently, he had a brief loan spell at Motherwell before Darren Randolph joined them.

No PR is Bad PR

2010-09-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

As ACD reported the comedy "Albert Memorial" on the box last night culminated in David Jason burying their old war mate in Germany with a CAFC flag draped over the coffin.

He also made an earlier ref to CAFC in the programme.

I recall that Jason also made a ref to CAFC in his "Trotter" days in "Only Fools and Horses". Trotter was based in Peckham, more adjacent to the dreaded 'New Den' foes, so to mention CAFC was indeed generous.

Not sure whether Jason has any affiliation to the club but we are grateful for the mention.

I passed on details of this BLOG to one of my contacts who after looking at it sent me an email which included the following.

" I know someone else who is a Charlton fan - he told me that when they were in the premiership they were really good value as you got to see all the big names from Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal etc at far less than anywhere else but that otherwise it is a bit of a rollercoaster ride! Looking at your blog I think it is aimed very much at those in the "know". I have no idea what CAFCPICKS means and have to admit that that initially I thought it might be about Chelsea until I saw a reference to Charlton but I'm not a football fan".

Quite a reasonable resume?!!

3 Points To Savour (even though)

2010-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

There are some good summaries courtesy of "Forever Charlton"; here's some additional thoughts, apart from the fact that we got 3 points by the skin of our teeth and prob. undeservedly.
I don't totally agree with others about Matt Fry. I thought he looked unconvincing in the air and found the power of Hughes a real handful (though most others prob. would have as well).
Liera must be feeling pretty fed up; yes he paid the price for his error at Exeter, but he was a hero at Orient and prob. would have dealt with Hughes better in my view who missed two sitters (even if one was marginally off-side) as well as the penalty and was a constant thorn in the side. Fortune got a good reception and was a candidate for inclusion, assuming he is fully fit.
The bad news was that the midfield was equally as dire creatively as it has been in other games. Much has been made of McCormack and Samedo being too similar, but the other options that remain are none too convincing creatively.
Racon added something but was nowhere near his form of old. Maybe Jackson (if/when Youga returns) and perhaps Fry might spice things up.
Martin looked classy but, like Reid, also has to deliver more and shut up mouthing the referee as he already has too many unnecessary yellow cards.
Benson toiled away and had some good touches in the air. He looked fully match fit and no more tired than Abbot who should have been the one replaced by Sodje. Taking him off looked to be a potential demotivator to me.
One major grouse: why cannot referees demonstrate something near consistency.
Every free kick within range of the goal should be paced out for 10 yards. He refreshingly did this for one free kick then when it mattered most, when we had a free kick on the edge of the area, totally chickened out. Had he pushed their line back to inside the goal area where they should have been a goal may have been on the cards, if we could have kept the ball it below the bar!! Subsequently, he reverted to pacing out the yards again: why not every time!!!
Benson had every right to remonstrate to Park's after the game on the lines of :
"You told me when you signed me that someone would pass to me and maybe even offer me the odd opportunity to score"

Good Cover & Encouraging Injury News

2010-09-10T02:25:00.000-07:00

Really bad luck for Dailly, and a tragedy for the first team, to lose him for up to 4 weeks. He seems the kind of guy (like 'sweaty' Stuart Balmer) who would soldier on in pain and blood given the option. However, the nature of the injury makes those less inclined to wince at the mere thought.
For once, the club seem to have a good level of cover over the next few games.
Doherty is proving more reliable than I anticipated, Liera is forever willing and solid in the air (but has always been prone to serious errors);' the same can be said of Fortune (though he made mistakes less frequently and is generally solid); let's hope he really can get fit.
I have always praised Mambo's potential and maybe he may yet get a real short term opportunity.
With Fry potentially able to fill in, a major disaster seems to have been averted. Well done Parks for some good work behind the scenes.
The above looks rosey, I just hope tomorrow vindicates this view!
The most encouraging news relates to Youga. He now at last seems to be now genuinely on the mend (if we are to believe current reports). I've expressed many times my previous fears about the prospect of a career threatening injury and it would be great if he is on the road to a full recovery. His attacking flair contributed more than most.
A return for Youga at left back could threaten Jackson's position but maybe Jackson could provide the missing creative link we need in midfield?

Poker Patience Rewarded

2010-08-31T01:50:00.000-07:00

Well done Murray & Parks in staying the course to the 23rd hour.
D & R were playing a chancy game themselves in holding out for the best deal but so were we, though maybe Murray & Parks knew that D &G wanted the money as much as we wanted the man.
On paper Benson sounds like a the kind of player we need. A reasoable goalscoring record at a lower club & division and something to prove and capaitalise upon in the twilight of his career. Let's hope he can come somewhere close to emulating Mendonca.
Though he has some height I am a little concerned about a suggestion that he is lightweight; it would be good if that concern is unfounded.
Do not have a view on Anyinsah but the recruitiment of another winger is interesting (especially if you consider that Martin might be better suited to playing on the flank regardless of his own preference).
The Fortune deal is a good one providing we get some reward and he is not sent out on loan only to return for a protracted period on the bench.
Fortune may have provided the option to recoup some money for Liera in the transfer market to fund other signings. However, it seems that this will not occur and in any case though Doherty has been solid I felt that Liera was unlucky to be dropped after the Orient game.
It seems Mambo may go out on loan when Fortune returns; my plea is that this promising youngster is not sidelined and forgotten.

The Parasites (and Shelvey)

2010-08-20T02:17:00.000-07:00

Sooner we get these agent parasites out of the game the better, even if Parky and Millwall seem satisfied at the fees paid last season.
Good old Pards has relentlessly piled on the transfers, loans (and fees) for our rich mates down at Soton. If we cannot get the buggers out then at least trim their fees.
Of course, it is difficult for common sense to prevail when the top Premiership clubs and their paymasters condone the situation and continue to stoke up the fees.
They may just be doing that all the way to the grave. No doubt the Liverpool saga will continue and eventually be settled but I bet there are a few wobbly knees there at the moment.
Whilst on that subject, with the change of management and the pressure on the new manager for results, what is the likelihood of Shelvey being given much of an opportunity in the near future,
I hope he is, but is it possible that he will be farmed out on loan to some lowly Premiership club. If he finishes up at Wigan, apart from the money, he may begin to regret things.

Committed Addicks Pass the Test

2010-08-14T03:46:00.001-07:00

Cannot add much to the other excellent blog reports and am peering through a haze of contentment after a late night return up the Peterborough line last night.
The 100% commitment on the night was great in the face of another 10 man trial. The true grit and 50/50 challenges were evident (apart from a few notable exceptions but let's not be a damp squib). At last a performance on the box that may sour some on to watching us again and even paying some money at the turnstiles.
Though the squad is undeniably thin, my initial panic about forthcoming games that struck after Dailly was sent off was quelled by the solid performances of Lierra and Doherty and the knowledge that Mambo is there in the background to stake his claim.
Francis could maybe fulfill a role in the centre back position, though his marking on the night was a bit suspect. Martin and Abbot ran their socks off and McCormack impressed me again, I think he will a more than adequate replacemeent for Bailley apart from maybe being a regular goalscorer, though he has made a good start.
I was sceptical about Wagstaffe and still veer in that direction though after a relatively anonymous start you have to hand it to him for his goal and work to set up Solly. Maybe this will add to his confidence and spur him on to more consistent performances.
Apart from his duff corners, Spring had a cultured game and never stopped running. As others have noted, his grey locks have mysteriously disappeared and he looked even slimmer and never stopped running. I felt he was underrated and his record st CAFC was as much to do with lack of opportunity and the role he was given rather than lack of ability. It looked as if he was on good mutual terms with all the CAF team and coaching staff at the end.

Learning Curve Pain

2010-08-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

A tactically selected team with youth / reserve players ahead of the Orient game provided a predictable result, even if the manner of throwing away a 3 goal league left a bitter taste.
However, Abbot and Martin are off the mark and several young players have been blooded in a fiery cup encounter.
It's part of an early learning curve and one best got out of the way in an insignificant cup match.
The opportunity was taken to assess the likes of Stavrinou (prob. like Tuna needs more time), Racon (who should have been motivated after smarting for not being selected on Saturday), Smart and Martin who looks like a regular selection once fit.
Had we been thumped 0-4, I would be a worried person today but this game and the result should be viewed as a training exercise with some distinct positives.
A decent draw or win at Orient will assign it to the long forgotten.
However, a better result will be highly desitable, if unlikely, in the FA Cup)
(Pretty dispicable admission, especially after the histrionics by the Bournemouth player, that Samedo's foul was not that bad).

A Lennie Lawrence type Occasion

2010-08-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

As Parks and Breaker said, this was certainly a fresh start.
After some trepidation at seeing a totally changed line-up, it was in the end a quite an exhilarating performance which added considerable interest among us watching pundits in the East Stand, once we could recognise who was who.
The occasion reminded me of a previous opening game when Lennie Lawrence presented us with Shipley, Pender, Pearson, and (Mark) Reid and we went on to win promotion to the old First Division. Well just maybe?!
The crowd (though maybe overstated by missing season ticket holders) stood up well with the covered end and East stand looking almost up to capacity.
Parks and his talent spotters have come up with what looks to be a real set of good value acquisitions. My general view for what its worth:
Defence:
Elliot: solid and not afraid today to come out and pick balls out of the air, not always his strength;
Solly: Got stuck in and provided a solid performance;
Doherty; seemed a little suspect at time, but not a bad debut;
Dailly: usual impeccable self, leads by example;
Jackson; a really good buy with a sweet left foot; maybe exposed by lack of speed at left back, but left side of midfield beckons;
Midfield and Upfront:
Wagstaff: average, did not look up to it today; hoping it’s a one-off aberration;
Samedo: generally fairly quiet and competent, bad luck on sending off; looked harsh;
McCormack: 100% effort, looked to be one of our best acquisitions. Apart from his goal scoring credentials, will fill in well for Bailey;
Reid: great ball skills and always a potential match winner. Howevber, can be frustrating when he tries to overdo it (a la Sam). Our group have fears that if he continues to ignore Abbnoot when in good striking positions we may have another Hales / Flanagan show!!
Abbott: not that effective on the day and jury out; but perhaps overkeen to make his mark. Looks to hav e good ball skills and not afraid to get into the action. Lacked a decent service from the wings, especially Reid who does follow the adage “pass to me and I’ll go through on my own”!)
Sodge: Known limitations but took his goal well and seemed to be more up for it, we need him to be sharp enough to score the kind of goal he got at Yeovil
Subs:
Racon: Looked good when he came on, but gave the impression of being p****d off at the end for not being picked. Did he have a niggling injury or was it tactical. His inclusion over Wagstaff would have added some creativity;
Martin: Looked determined to make his mark, perhaps lightweight but looks really skilful and might just have the creativity we are looking for to set up Abbot.
Looking at the number of clubs he has played for after his early promise at Man United, CAFC could just be his saviour;
Francis: A late sub but looked an absolute powerhouse. He looked like (and appeared to have the same qualities as Herman Hreiðarsson, a real “Herminator 2!.
Though Solly played so well he is going to get serious competition from this giant.
So; we seem to be well set up for having a go at the division, especially if we can supplement the front line over the next couple of weeks.
A final bright light on the horizon was the anti-climax at Southampton which provided some balance for the disappointment of Samedo’s departure.

Moving in Right Direction: but still work to do

2010-08-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

Park's signings look sound given the financial situation. I have not been able to view them as yet and am reliant on others for assessments.
General view seems to be that the new midfielders look up to doing a job, but creativity is deependent on Racon. At the beginning of last season I would have thought fine, but his stuttering form from mid-season suggest we need another signing, but this seems unlikely.
Abbot looks a good acquisition for his experience and cunning (Chicago compares him to a fit Todderov)and Reid is an excellent buy based on last season's form and his outing at Watford.
Park's has been trying to augment his talents with another signing to support Abbot as though Tuna will come good he needs time to mature and develop phisically. There seem to be a few irons in the fire so lets hope we get the right one!
I anticipated Doherty being a sound addition though reports from Watford suggest he was prone to error and lacked match fitness. Mambo will come good (a great prospect) and I feel that he can get there sooner than perhaps the club thinks.
For all his detractors, a back four which included Fortune (if he were signed) plus Dailly, Mambo, and Liera would have provided a more than adequate central back four. If Liera were sold to obtain much needed revenue then the signing of Doherty makes more sense.
I feel confident that Parks will find a goalkeeper though I noted that my nephew was impressed with our young reserve keeper at Bedford.
Finally, good luck to Grant Basey. The decision to release him was said to be solely based on hois wages, though I feel the club though impressed with his his overall talent noted several important lapses in concentration and his lack of speed to cover left back (though he preferred playing centre back). Lets hope Youga has recovered and quickly comes into contention.
What is unfortunate is that the club's financial position prevented it from offering a contract that would have enabled it to recoup some transfer money at a later stage, and balance the books further in respect of Valley Gold investment.

5- 19

2010-07-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

CAFCPICKS "Squad Status" tab provides a timely reminder of the scale of the close season's shake-up (so far!) : 5 players into the club: 19 out.
"Reduced expections" is likely to be the phrase of the moment and given those statistics that should be no surprise. If Parks manages to make a run at the play-offs then it would stand him in great credit, and be a nigh miracle: but all us season ticket holders will be clinging on to such hope as the season unfolds.
Let's hope the final statistics ramp up to about 9-19 and that a quality experienced striker and a young sidekick with potential is included in the figures.
Meanwhile the dedicated CAFCPICKS UK and overseas 'predictors' have a deadline of August 1st for their final season's predictions and will be hoping that something is firmed up quickly to help finalise some realistic submissions.

Catching Up & Hoping

2010-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Have just returned from Slovenia. Fortunately did not have to take any ribbing about the World Cup which we came close to ballsing up against Slovenia. For a country with just over 2 million population one cannot help admire their feat in the tournament and ponder upon the pausity of our own prima donnas once again.
Still catching up on our slow progress on signings.
Obviously, the key signings that will make or break us will be whoever we manage to bolster our strike force with. Sodje provides an option but he is obviously not the answer. The signing of Reid is a welcome addition.
I have hopes for Tuna and Wagstaff but the latter has much to prove, and I remain of the opinion that Tuna looks useful but is for the medium term.
The squad brekdown on CAFCPICKS provides a good quick visual appreciation of where we stand. I am unable to cast a view on Johnnie Jackson but must assume that he will be a useful addition in view of Park's reported long term interest. (Any opionons /views on this player would make good reading). Jackson seems to be a good squad signing and is particularly relevant given the liklihood of Basey departing.
I have expressed serious concern on CAFCPICKS that we may have seen the last of Kelly Youga due to his serious injury. Hopefully, the latest news about his return will prove me wrong as he was a key player at the beginning of last season and was missed badly. Indeed, his return could be the best news of all, bar a proven goalscorer.
The back four is shaping up, though I am not aware how solid Doherty is these days; a lot of water has passed under the bridge since his Spurs days but he is only 30 and has been pretty solid over the years.
Losing Richardson was a serious blow and, though I feel sorry for him, his inury provides a nice present for SAP (hopefully it is not serious).
Christian Dailly's signing is great news (and why shouldn't he be captain).
Once again, I really hope that we do not put Mambo out on any kind of loan that would prevent his early recall; he is a great prospect and not far off first team potential.
So, that leaves a need to get 'keeper cover and that elusive striker!! Here's hoping.

Forget Pundits: Bloggers’ Common Sense Required

2010-06-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have just listened to so called specialist pundits’ reasons for the dismal result and England’s recent performances. They are inventing new ones to supplement the old "no break in January" and "tired players" hackneyed arguments.
The primary reason is staring us in the face. The Premier league imports and fields most of it teams from players from abroad (Arsenal being the prime example) and gives our youngsters little opportunity. Until that changes, the standard of the national team won't either.
The day of reckoning may be near. If world loses its fascination with the Premiership and SKY’s hard-nosed businessman reduce or eliminate their television sponsorship a rapid period of adjustment and pain for clubs and their prima donnas will rapidly follow. Most will be glad they took the money when available.
I generally have time for Graham Taylor, but now he is saying our kids must be skills orientated (fair enough) and never play in an 11 a side game until they are 14 years of age, so they are not branded into specific positions too early.
In my youth, we played in 11 a side teams on a Saturday against other primary schools when we were 10-11 years of age (after learning the skills in a tarmac playground with a tennis ball). It was that generation that last won the World Cup.
Taylor also postulated about the problems these young kids would face due to the size of the pitch. My recollection is that most of our pitches were cut down and not full size pitches for competitive games.
In addition to the Premiership problem, our kids are most often not interested in playing on Saturdays and would prefer computer games or a weekend job. Even if they did show interest, their teachers seem are increasingly unprepared to turn out to officiate. I would put money on these problems not being a major factor on the continent.

We can only hope

2010-06-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

Let's hope the East Stand is as free of the dreaded Vuvuzela as it was at the "Last game at the Valley" prior to Selhurst Park.

A Good Deal for Bailey!

2010-06-25T03:03:00.000-07:00

The reported £1.4M sale of Nicky Bailey looks like a good deal to me. The size of the fee in the current climate surpasses what most anticipated. There is a suggestion that this could be "an initial" fee with top up amounts possibly forthcoming, maybe based on appearances or 'boro's performance next season.
Pity we are not able to bag the whole fee though, given Southend's recent equally perilous situation, maybe their share of the fee should not be begrudged (especially as we prob. got him on the cheap from there in the first place).
I have mixed feelings about Bailey, who bore a striking resemblance to our old Millwall import Dave Mehmet.
He was without doubt a combative little player, in the same mode as Strachan but less skill. Though he scored some impressive important goals last season, he also lost us several with either sloppy passing or writhing on the floor complaining about being fouled when he should have been on his feet defending.
I think his reputation for this put referees increasingly on their guard for his tantrums before games even started to his and our disadvantage. This can result in such players not being awarded obvious, genuine fouls and being given no benefit of the doubt.
However, I wish him well and with the right attitude he could do really well at 'boro and may well go on to prove his worth in the Premiership.
I just hope that the fees we received for Shelvy and now Bailey gives us some breathing space.

FIFA Tinkering

2010-06-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

I expressed reservations about this bloody ball before the tournament. This new example of Anglo German, FIFA induced technology has as much to answer for ruining the tournament to date as those blessed horns blown by a new generation of not too knowlegable fans.
Though most of the players are much maligned on the quality served up so far, I cannot believe that so many full time pros are blasting crosses to the other touchline and shots 20 feet over the bar (a La Bailey).
This incessant tinkering by FIFA to try to find a ball that will result in more goals and popularise the game for the armchair viewers has further ruined the tournament. Various parties are trying to get away with saying it is all due to the thinness and general air characterstics and atmosphere: balderdash!
If promoted, we must resist 'moving with the times' and not be coerced into adopting this ball.
I sometimes wonder whether a good old fashioned leather ball would improve the game!!

The Dreaded Vuvuzela

2010-06-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

My understanding is that indivudal clubs can determine the policy on letting vuvuzelas into the ground next season.
LET'S BAN THEM NOW: NO NANCYING ABOUT!!

When men were men! (& the South Africans)

2010-06-17T01:49:00.000-07:00

Reading our "Man from Queensland's" '60's thoughts (via Dr Kish) spurred a few memories of my own. When Dave Hickson came to the Valley with Everton, he was one of the most agressive and feared centre forwards in football with a record second to none. Willie Duff carried a little surplus weight but was not a big man, Hickson at least matched him physically and was prob. bigger. When Will Duff took 'umbrage to Hickson's antics in a heated cup match there was no messing. He flung full blooded right hook to Hickson's chin who fell like a bean poll, rather in the way Cassisus Clay did to our 'enery. None of these nose to nose or 'handbags at dawn' stuff. He knew what he was going to do, did it and marched straight off the field. In referring to John Hewie and other South Africans, I remember what great service they gave the club. I missed their introduction (before my time) but saw Hewie, Stuart Leary, Brian Tocknell, Peter Firmani and brother Eddie on his return. We seemed to have a monopoly on S Africans. Why we did not continue to milk this source I will never know. We did get one more South African, the late Cliff Durandt, a podgy left winger from Wolves. He fought unsuccessfully against his weight problem and I can remember an article in the national press indicating that his 13 cups of tea a day was the root of the problem, unlike some of our later better known players who consumed an equivalent number of pints of a different type of liquid. However, Cliff is remembered for his last ditch, freak goal in the last game of the season at the Valley (half cross/half shot) that Second Division survival. I presume our rich source of S Africans dried up as the game became of less attraction to white South Africans who moved towards Rugby leaving Black South Africans to take up the mantle for their national game. The modern squad may have been outclased by Uruguay but one wonders whether the club could yet find a new rich vein of players from that country. .

Not Just a dodgy Keeper or the Beach Ball

2010-06-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

If England have to rely on Carragher then his total embarrassing lack of speed will finish us.
Picking King was a mistake, how can you pick a guy whose legs swell up after every game.
It was suggested that this time it was a groin strain; while others suggest it might yet be the same old leg swelling. Surely the chances of getting a groin strain or some other trivial yet short-term incapacitating injury must be heightened if the guy cannot participate in run of the mill training for days on end.
Picking both King and Carragher look almost as big an error as not picking Adams and Parker.
At least we showed some attacking flair against the Yanks but what a poor miss by Heskey (irrespective of his otherwise fair performance).
I get annoyed with the pundits praising the contributions of Lennon and Wright Philips: yes they showed a turn of speed but (just like Charlton's wingers) seem incapable of putting in a good cross. As a pundit said, how can you select two wingers who have not played that many first team games and cannot cross with their left foot when they are expected to take over on the left wing (echoes of Jerome Thomas!¬).

It's Bending time

2010-06-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

Looks like the World Cup could degenerate into a farce according to detailed reports on the new (British invented) football.
FIFA have tampered with the game to try to make it yet an even more popular game, catering for the armchair supporters who cannnot hold any concentration for more than 5 minutes without a high scoring game. A rivetting low scoring game with umpteen goalmouth incidents is not for your average US hamburger gobling, chattering baseball fan.
Seems like the new ball is even more like a beachball and will bend at the slightest provocation.
Pros have taken intended curling free kicks and the ball has started out as planned and then without any reason curled back the following way leaving keepers totally bemused.
Apart from this, the main critism is that it seems to have the taken yet more skill out of the game.
Back in the 60's it was Ferenc Puskas who first curled (the old fashioned) ball, that no one else could. With successive introductions of lighter and more plastic based balls anyone has been able to curl a ball, though some better then others. One wonders what Puskas would have been able to do?
As far as I am aware there is no plan to introduce it into the English game; if they do will we ever find a forward to get in on target?!

2010-06-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

"WHO STOLE ALL THE (BESPOKE) PIES?"

Back Four Candidate?

2010-05-31T12:20:00.001-07:00

Wonder if Palace wish to part with McCarthy to reduce the wage bill given their current predicament.
They would prob. like a transfer fee, but will anyone really want to pay anything significant, (even though the Palarse web site puts him at only 27 years (which I find surprising!)?
I was a never wild about McCarthy but with Sodge gone and Liera with us, if Dailly stays (keep fingers crossed) he may find the prospect of playing alongside McCarthy less daunting than the other options.
However, even without a fee I suspect McCarthy would cherish a nice fat signing-on fee, which I assume we could not provide?

Substance Rather than Style

2010-05-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

The ex pat Dubai member of the CAFCPICKS 'Management Team' wondered how many of the Blackpool side had pink (red or green) iridescent boots adorning their pampered feet during their triumphs when he joined the chorus of approval and congratulations for their side.
He praised their use of scant resources implying it was a real 'belt and braces' / 'back to the wall' season with the management side and team really getting down to brass tacks and cutting out the flash crap!
Our success next year must be based on both players and culture that is commensurate with Blackpool's success. It's great we have a top class training ground and a flash team coach but success will be built on players who give 100% to the cause, get stuck in week after week taking the good with the bad without creating havoc and tensions on the training pitch if they are not selected.
Those kind of players may not be the most talented but they are professional and give there all.
In recent years, players like Gary Nelson was a good journeyman pro, not without talent but someone who exploited the talent he had to the maximum by sheer hard graft.
When Lennie Lawrence took us back to the top division there were other players like that in his side (e.g. Pender, Pearson, Melrose, Thompson,and Shipley) and before that players like Phil Warman and Peter Reeves.
You could go on but they are the kind of player (plus a goal scorer) that we need.
Going way back, when we were in desparate need of top quality strikers we were fortunate enough to see the likes of Firmani come back from Italy, and some may even recall the short term bargain basement acquisition of Cliff Holton. He was at the end of his career and probably the wrong side of 30 but he knew where the goal was and never flinched from a 50/50 ball no matter who the defender was. He was also built like a centre forward: height, weight and solid muscle: no lightweight as in more recent years.
So as our man from Dubai said, Blackpool did it their way and how many of their players had pink (red or green ) iridescent shining boots in the process.
Let's take off the cosmetic coatings and get back to basics to get out of this division with players who are not over pampered but see an opportunity to get to the top and put the required effort and commitment to make it happen.

Romance wins in the end!

2010-05-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

As today's play-off game had approached, like a vast majority of fans (other than those from the Premier League) I was fully behind Blackpool hoping for a fairy tale ending.
There was a degree of sadism at the prospect of the 'big' clubs going there in the depth of winter with the wind and rain lashing in from the Irish Sea on a quagmire of a pitch and getting their 5 star Yves St Lauren track suits mud splattered in the car park.
However, once I had learnt of the rumoured £250K transfer windfall from a Cardiff win, I am afraid to say that my heart took back seat and I switched my allegiances to Cardiff with the prospect of bolstering our bank account.
Well, it's transpired that the result is yet another significant setback for us this season.
Yet, once I put the financial implications behind me, I have to say how really pleased I am for Blackpool.
Half of the town showed up and enjoyed an exciting open game (in true Charlton Wembley play-off style). Let's hope a proportion of them turn up to boost Blackpool's dismal gates.
The 'Stan Matthews' Cup Final was even before my time but naturally I've seen all the film clips and romance of the occassion, and subsequently seen many a good player emerge after an apprenticeship at Blackpool. Indeed, though not in the same class as some players of old, Hoolahan has done a good job at Norwich and I made several entries on CAFCPICKs in previous seasons on the merit of buying him (when we had some money). I still beleive he would have provided the creative element we have missed.
So good luck to Blackpoool; may they confound the sceptics by staying up more then one season, and take a few scalps in the process.

2010-05-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

Oh well, the first news confirms the departures of Leon McKenzie (has not played, total waste of money), Matt Spring (if we could have negotiated a decent contract, I would have kept him to stand in for Bailey when/if he leaves: should have been given more of a chance), Chris Dickson (big fee gamble, but total waste), Dean Sinclair (did not make the grade) and Jack Clark (cannot comment).