Before the Flood
The risk with writing this preview, we at HMS Preview soon realised, was that it could be washed away by a tsunami of bad water puns but rather than struggle, King Canute style, against the tide we opted to go with flow.
The Opposition.
Donny Leisure Pool, or Rovers as they are sometimes known, have been sinking fast since this gala was originally swum on 24 August. Other than a win v high board Leicester their only victories have come v fellow shallow end paddlers Sheffied Wetsday and, last friday, Yeovil. They finished that swim with only 10 ten fish after South African Furman, scorer of the first goal, was given a second yellow carp.
The bad news is Man Utd loanee Machada is back in the school giving Rovers more snapper than the currently lack-lustre Haddocks but a win for the Lido will take us above Donny on the diving pool ladder.
One to Watch
Richie Wellens controlled the flow of the last game and unless Charlton can get someone to stop him he'll sink us again. Watch out also for the quickly taken cast-ins from the side. These "throw ins" as some call them caught out the Haddocks last time although I don't think anyone has mentioned it on Charlton Lifebelt
The Line Up
The solid run with no goals conceded has come to a deep end with five caught in the net in the last two games. Wood's appearance on the bench at QPR indicates that he is nearly but not yet quite over his fin rot. Ditto Yann the Mann. But desperate times call for desperate measures so expect to see these two back. The takeover by (edited by Lawyers) from (edited by Admin) will NOT be sorted in time for Powell to bring in any more much needed strong swimmers so the line up will most likely be:
Hamerhead Shark
Wilson Morrison Wood Wiggins
Jackson Cousins Stephens Stewart
Kermongant Church
After the Flood
Lido 1 Leisure Pool 1
0
Comments
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
and 2-1, all the voyage of our lives
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea will we be afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our dentures.
God, I do hope I'm wrong.
pritch & dervite out
2-0 yann & stephens, the 2nd coming in stoppage time to huge relief
If Yann is fit to start, I do hope that we go with two up front. I'd also like to see Harriott back in the side.
4-1 to someone
I just hope we rise to the occasion and do the necessary.
Kermorgant/Church is the obvious choice to start up-front and Stephens/ Cousins is our best central midfield partnership. Wood/Morrison has also been our best centre back pairing this season. Wilson & Wiggins are the best full backs at the moment with Solly missing. Which leaves the wide midfield positions to select, for which there is no obvious choice on either side. They are all inconsistent and we can't rely on any of them to give us an 8 out of 10 performance. So who knows who will get the nod?
If CP wants to keep Jacko in the team, he will have to sacrifice the second striker and start 4-4-1-1 again, as Jacko doesn't have the legs to play wide left at this level.
Doncaster looked an average side in the Yeovil game. Wellens pulls the strings in central midfield and Duffy cutting in from left midfield is useful. Other than that, they didn't look anything like the team that turned earlier in the season for the Swimming Gala. 3-1 to Charlton.
No way will Powell pick such an attacking side, so I am going for a 0-0 or 1-1 .. in any case I hope that the referee is going to be strict with any diving that goes on, synchronised or otherwise
we need 4 points at least from our next two home games to keep Comfortablely above.
We can not lose on tuesday Night but the time had come for us to start winning more games.
Losing this game would destroy any confidence and the fans very nervous about our championship status. Not worth thinking about.
This game is massive in my opinion.
2-0 Charlton.
Jacko cant play in a 2 but played key part in wiggins best spell for us knowing when to sit and when to go.
I want to see yann aerial domination along with sordell of the shoulder we haven't seen him play enough with a partner that can hold the ball up.
Hamer
Wilson DD MM RW
BP DS JC JJ
MS YK
Hamer
Wilson/Wood/Morro/Wiggy
Pritch/Stephens/Cousins/Stewart
JJ
Yann
personally don't think Pritch offers anything except effort and I would sacrifice JJ and play :
Hamer
Wilson/Wood/Morro/Wiggy
Stewart/Cousins/Stephens/Harriott
Yann/Church
but hey, what do I know.
narrow defeat, 1-2.
Will CAFC rise to the occasion on a cold November night in front of 12,000?
No. 1-2.
Hopefully the same player who got sent off in the first match can get himself sent off in the second one as well. That would make a great trivia question!
Just 27 comments in the 'post-match views' thread but another 27 pages of bollox in the takeover thread about who was in the directors box and then 15 pages more about what some bloke in the upper north said whose uncle works with a geyser who knows someone whose sister-in-law went out with a bloke at a property company that might be the one buying Charlton because they were standing by the office water-cooler and isn't it a coincidence they were all talking about football....
Confident of a result. 2-1 to Charlton.
Can't we get a free ticket with the original stub?