Just been watching....

colthe3rd

Diawara play for Bordeaux, can't help but feel he would have been immense in the championship. Reads the game very well and not affraid to get stuck in. From all accounts has been very good this season and I think that he has been an underated part of why we didn't have a very good season, everyone mentions Reidy and to an extenet Toddy but just look at who we replaced Soully with, Paddy McCarthy. Massive blow that has gone somewhat unnoticed

BlackForestReds

I agree, but he didn't want to play in the Championship and perhaps didn't want to play for Charlton either. Had he stayed, against his will, would he have played near his potential? I doubt it...

Ormiston_Addick

Diawara? Oh, yes, he's the bloke who let TWO goal kicks soar over his head in the 3-2 debacle at Wigan.....also seem to remember in him giving away more free kicks around our box than any other centre-half I've seen play for us. Terrible buy at the money he cost and would have been terrible in the Champs where he would have struggled with the constant aerial stuff.

Ledge

let's be honest here colt he is playing in a league about as good as scotland's now - lyon just won 7th title on the trot - so don't go overboard - he wasn't that good

colthe3rd

I'm not saying he's that good, saying that if he stayed he would have been very good in the champ and pointing out who we replaced him with, McCarthy or Diawara (in terms of ability) is a no brainer. I disagree with the comment about how good Ligue 1 is, true Lyon have dominated recently but their teams are starting to compete a lot better in the champions league and the top players from that league end up at some of Europe's biggest clubs

Ormiston_Addick

[cite]Posted By: colthe3rd[/cite]I'm not saying he's that good, saying that if he stayed he would have been very good in the champ and pointing out who we replaced him with, McCarthy or Diawara (in terms of ability) is a no brainer. I disagree with the comment about how good Ligue 1 is, true Lyon have dominated recently but their teams are starting to compete a lot better in the champions league and the top players from that league end up at some of Europe's biggest clubs

Does he have more ability than McCarthy? Yes. Desire and commitment? No.
Diawara was dropped by Pardew toward the end of the Prem season and he went with Herman/Elk at the back because poor old Souley could not handle the aerial stuff and gave away far too many free kicks with clumsy challenges.
He was on Premiership wages and the club did well to get what they did for him before his value plummeted further by a disastrous season in the Champs.
Centre-halves in the CCC need to come from the old school and the continental style of defending does not work as well at the lower level as it does in the Premiership where most of the players are foreigners too and understand that style of defence better.

nth_london_addick

i liked him i felt he needed a steady eddie next to him but in some games he was superb others just shocking

colthe3rd

[quote][cite]Posted By: Ormiston Addick
Centre-halves in the CCC need to come from the old school and the continental style of defending does not work as well at the lower level as it does in the Premiership where most of the players are foreigners too and understand that style of defence better.[/quote]

I suppose Bougherra doesn't count in that continental style of defending?

Carter

Diawarra took a while to settle to say the least, I agree he is a decent centre half but centre halves don't win you games (unless you have one with skyhookis like Shittu who is unbeatable in the air) normally. Keep you in them yes but win them no. Think of the amount of constant high balls that we have had to deal with this season and I just cannot see how Diawara would of improved us defensively.

Besides he didn't want to stay. Bye Sillyman

Ormiston_Addick

I suppose Bougherra doesn't count in that continental style of defending?[/quote]

Erm, I don't know if you noticed but we finished 11th? Charlton conceded 58 goals in 46 league games, and had the FIFTEENTH WORST defence in the division, even Sheffield Wednesday and relegated Leicester conceded fewer goals than our Bougherra inspired defence.
Of course you can't put all the blame for our defensive problems on Bougherra but you can hardly say that he is a top defender at this level either, can you? He is a good footballer but is not an English style defender which is what you need at this level.
My point was that the most effective defenders at this level have been the likes of Darren Moore (promoted with WBA twice and Derby last year) and Shittu who are absolute beasts, no skill whatsoever but a ton of guts and aggression and unbeatable in the air which means their teams don't concede many from set-plays or from crosses which are the main two ways teams score goals in this league.
Of course, Shittu and Moore are hopeless in the Premiership where their lack of class is exposed but you don't need to keep them once you get promoted.