Brazil (and Others)

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

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

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

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?

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"

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

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.