You can't knock 3 wins without conceeding and I'm not about to. Would we have done as well under Parky ? No one knows the answer to that, but I suspect not quite as well.
So why are we possibly doing better ?
1. We have BWP who has scored twice and "looks" a goalscorer / bit of quality at this level.
2. Plymouth & Yeovil didn't really offer much of an attacking threat (mind you nor did Walsall ).
3. We've had a bit of luck ie the ref blowing up against Colchester and thereby preventing their goal.
4. We have gone back to the old Curbs tactic of putting a man on each post, when defending corners. This has saved 2 goals (Colchester last minute & Yeovil).
NB I did strongly suggest this to Parky as a good idea ( but he didn't listen)
5.The Valley crowd have been more patient for Powell and this has had a positive effect around the stadium.
6. The team do look a bit more composed & less inclined to start hoofing it too early.
7.Before we all get too carried away Parky won the 1st 6 last season.
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Long may his luck continue.
He needs to do those talks before the game starts obviously!
So far so good. Less fear and less pressure but the performances are not radically different.
BWP is obviously a big factor as is a fit Anyinsah. Don't underestimate just how vital Smokin' Joe is to this side. Eccleston is another positive.
Wins bread confidence so we go into the next game on a high knowing that we beat them 5 - 1 at their place.
Chrissy Powell's Red and White Army
I'm not whinging ( well maybe i am ) i'm delighted with 3 clean sheets , let alone 3 consec wins , but how do we create ' a winning mentality' amongst the players this to me is crucial with the players.
P'boro away scoring record is very poor
12 League Away Games :
W: 3
D : 2
L : 7
For :15
Against : 23
= 2-1 win for Charlton?
dalglish lost to blackpool and to man yoo
powelly is leading the way of the new managers
However the attitude of both players and (home) crowd appears better which, hopefully, can only augur good for the remaining 20 matches.
We certainly appear to be trying to play to feet more which is good and I agree with Henry re the importance of Smokin' Joe.
They have far more chance if they come to frustrate and counter-attack but although they are a very dangerous team, the aren't one that plays sensible football
5-1 away defeat
4-2 home win (after being two goals down)
0-3 away win
5-2 home win (after being two goals down)
2-3 home defeat
5-4 home win
0-3 home defeat
1-5 home defeat
4-1 away defeat
4-1 home win
4-0 home win
5-3 home win
4-4 home draw
high risk high reward football
Can't go too much on their past performace's as you have to take into account that like us, they've had a change of manager.
Powell has achieved this with a little luck -in all honesty - but we had 2 home games that with anybody else in charge the crowd would have started to turn on the players and instead under Powell, they continued with their support. I firmly believe this created the environment to get the wins.
I have always maintained that our squad is pretty decent for the level but that teams set up to stop us and that maybe it isn't that hard to do, the way we play. But if I was an opposing manager- my instructions would be- a) Work as hard as it's possible and then some b) Double up in our defensive third and prevent Charlton getting width. As we are not Arsenal, the type of game we try to play doesn't always get you past these tactics and deprived of space for an out ball, players rush their passes and desperation sets in which softens up for the counter punch. When you have to make the running, what you need is a goal scorer who can take advantage of the chances that might come and pace up front to make defenders less comfortable.
I remember despairing up to recently when Anyinsah was injured at how few options we had up front where the addition of Ecclestone and BWP has totally changed matters. Anyinsah is now less of a key player for us which is good. Had we not signed BWP, we may have had 4 less points from our last 2 so from not having a goalscorer- Powell is spoilt for options and Ecclestone is looking close to breaking into the starting 11.
Basically, the conditions had to be created to turn us into realistic candidates for promotion and the revamping of the attack and the introduction of a Legend (who certainly knows his stuff), seem to have been inspired thinking by the board.
But they have it in them to fight back - those 2 games they were losing 2-3 in the first - and 0-2 and 2-4 in the second game.
Don't underestimate them, they've every chance of finishing in a playoff position.
It will be interesting to see how he combats Peterborough's 4-3-1-2 system on Saturday. Southampton struggled to contain Boyd & Mackail-Smith on Saturday and conceded 4 goals. If we can contain them, we should capitalise on their defensive weaknesses. But it might need a change of system to enable us to pick up Boyd in the free role behind the front 2. A good early test for him & the coaching staff.
It will take 5/6 matches for CP to work out where the real weaknesses in the team are, and what we need to strenghten or improve upon. If we continue winning while he considers where to adjust and whether to add a couple of loan players, it will be a big bonus.
Alongside tightening up the defence/midfield and signing a proven striker.
Other than BWP (and to a lesser extent Eccles, who may well have been Parky's signing, in effect).
remember this is Parky's regular side. But Powelly has seemed to inject that bit of belief.
But he didn't have the same crowd support. That has made a big difference. All we need now is a creative central midfielder.
Yea, I thought bringing on two strikers (for the the two strikers on the pitch) was a strange move when we were 1-0 up and under the cosh (I would have thought a 4-5-1 would have been better with eccelston up front alone chasing things down would be the way to go...but we won, so cant complain).
Posh will be Powells toughest test to date, as on their day they can be unstoppable....
I think it will be important that we contain their attacking players and that we dont just go all out attack, as that could spell disaster...
And we've tonked them 5 -1 already this season. Whatever happened to Lee Martin?