The other problem is our lack of a left sided player. Solly drives forward, especially as wing back and he opens so much space. Cousins never made a forward pass all night on the left.
Agree with this. Cousins is a decent central midfielder but looks out of place wide left. And, especially so in a 3-5-2 line up. Unlike Chris Solly, who is excellent defensively and very useful offensively, Jordan just isn't strong enough in either aspect of the role. Wiggins could carry it off, but we have no-one else who can do that at present. THD may be able to as he progresses.
I've just gone back and looked at the previous posts on this thread after writing my post above. I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that we created chances and just couldn't put them away, or that we had a couple of one on ones that we missed. I think it must have been very deluded commentary that they were listening to. I only remember one real effort the whole game that came anywhere near a goal and that was JJ's header that was about a foot over the bar.
This was easy for Ipswich. They never needed to get out of 2nd gear.
Chances or opportunities that I can remember were;
Ball flashed across goal after 2 mins George sliding and the keeper saving when he should of stayed on his feet. George completely messing up the 3 on 2 Near post flick from corner that went straight across goal JJ header that went tamely over the bar JBG near post shot that keeper pushed over
That's as good as it got I think. We never really had many clear cut chances at all.
Late on didn't Bikey put a good header across the box from a decent JBG delivery which Igor failed to get enough on with his head to trouble the keeper?
I left at 87 mins so missed that!!
You must have been one of those the commentators said were drifting away towards the end and I felt for you guys having made the trip the way the game panned out. We don't create too many, if only we had taken one of those chances and away to a strong team at the top of the league it's a must if you want something from such a game.
we lost with 57% possession, at the beginning of the season we were doing well with less possession and people were moaning, I would rather have less possession and more wins
Thats odd, coz at half-time we only had 35 per cent for first half - so that means we must have had 79 per cent in second ?!
Been saying for quote a while that have been looking at points above relegation and not points below playoffs. At moment feels like in free fall slightly hidden by draws.
We need players RD, what are you going to do? you have already missed the boat once with the loan window now is the time to back the club, and with players of the managers choosing not yours.
Maybe Bournemouth will be promoted by March, and Kermy is surplus to requirements for the Prem and we can sign him on a freebie !! Hang on, can i get the pigs ready for March ?
Taking into consideration our small squad and injuries, I am baffled by Peeters' decisions to further weaken our options by fielding players "out of position". Cousins' form has worsened by playing left wingback when we all know his best position is central midfield. Gomez, who appears to only have a right foot is now playing (poorly) at left back! Wilson, a competent full back, now not considered good enough to do anything other than warm the bench! It's obvious to me that Solly could temporarily cover at left back with Wilson or Gomez going to right back. Peeters may well be pressurised by Duchatelet into fielding youngsters asap. We know the owner's philosophy is to get them in the "shop window" early in their contracts so as to increase their selling potential/transfer worth. But someone has to use common sense and realise that playing youngsters out of position will only harm their confidence, decrease their transfer worth - and give us less chance of winning a game.
Bob does have a slightly redeeming quality in that he genuinely seems to encourage the young players. He's often seen hugging them, and singles them out for praise. That's good for motivation, but it doesn't transform them into "total footballers" who can play well in any position.
I've just gone back and looked at the previous posts on this thread after writing my post above. I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that we created chances and just couldn't put them away, or that we had a couple of one on ones that we missed. I think it must have been very deluded commentary that they were listening to. I only remember one real effort the whole game that came anywhere near a goal and that was JJ's header that was about a foot over the bar.
This was easy for Ipswich. They never needed to get out of 2nd gear.
Chances or opportunities that I can remember were;
Ball flashed across goal after 2 mins George sliding and the keeper saving when he should of stayed on his feet. George completely messing up the 3 on 2 Near post flick from corner that went straight across goal JJ header that went tamely over the bar JBG near post shot that keeper pushed over
That's as good as it got I think. We never really had many clear cut chances at all.
Late on didn't Bikey put a good header across the box from a decent JBG delivery which Igor failed to get enough on with his head to trouble the keeper?
We also had one cleared off the line in the first half - think it was from JBG
Goals are the problem, no doubt. The stats are impressive away against a quality team that will go up. We do now seem to have some fight and belief (Cardiff should have been beaten with 10 men) and although I cannot attend any matches I follow commentaries wherever I can and we do not seem to just roll over and die anymore. Three nil was flattering to Ipswich, we were on the front foot pushing up field for the last 25 minutes and inevitably get hit on the counter. This is the foundations of a good team for next season I think and no, we won't go down. Millwall to be replaced next season by Palarse
Posts from Purdis and Fanny sum the performance up perfectly for me. Would love to have McGoldrick in our side. Best player on the pitch who could have had a hat trick. We play some lovely football in spells without really looking like creating chances or scoring which is a worry. JBG continued his 2nd half performance from the Cardiff game into last nights game. A quality player. Just need a couple more like him in the attacking third. Time will tell if Roland comes up with the funds for these players
Just in, watched Eastenders ( who DID kill Lucy ???) and starting reading people's thoughts on the match.
Reached as far as purdis' post and totally agree with his comments.
We started with more aggression and attacking moves than I believe I've seen all season and what a nice change it made ! Our passing on the whole was slick and our forward movement was a sight to behold !
Unfortunately, Town are a better set up team than us at this moment in time & Big Mick has them playing with confidence, strength & as a unit. And of course, they have several players who can score goals for fun and are making a habit of it recently.
All of the above plus the fact that, sadly we have players who cannot score goals for toffee, meant we were ripe for the taking. And, I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match.....
For me, a positive to be taken was our decision to attack from the off and can only hope that this continues ad infintum especially as our defence has been pretty solid thus far. Not sure why the back four was tinkered with during the game though & wonder what the commentators made of the change...
The negatives were the number of corners conceded, the number of goals conceded( which I feel wasn't a true reflection of our performance) and, no surprise our lack of options/personnel with the required skills in & around the opposition's box.
But there's no denying that Ipswich are a force to be reckoned with this season, believe me.
Just as there's no denying that we need another proven striker. George failed miserably tonight IMO which is disappointing and Igor could not shake off his marker, albeit that few balls were played to his feet.
We are not the fourth worse team in the Championship and the aim must be to finish outside the relegation places....tell us something we don't already know, Fan ! Time will tell whether the squad will be strengthened in January - if not, I feel we do have the players & the manager to ensure we remain in this league. We need to win our home games from now on - end of and that's why we, the supporters must try to stay positive and get behind the lads. Anyone at The Valley last Saturday will testify that we were the 12th ( or in that case, the 11th) man/woman. The support at Ipswich was brilliant until the 3rd goal went in so well done to all who travelled & made some noise.
If a strong team is put out on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how we approach the game from the start....lessons must have been learnt from the disastrous start at Ewood Park. A win is a win, whether it be in the Cup or for the 3 points on offer and the confidence gained from a job well done could be the springboard to the rest of our season.
So, let's put tonight behind us, trust that Big Bob will work on the weaknesses he saw and come out fighting on Saturday.
And that's not just the team.......
Keep the faith.
Good post. I think CAFC were forced to play football as Ipswich are so strong in the air as you pointed out. We had 57% possession which was a real positive and we played the ball around nicely and often quickly which again is a positive.
Ipswich defended in numbers and recovered as a team and in depth when losing possession.
The first two goals were avoidable and the second was very fortunate - the rub of the green for Ipswich on this occasion.
When we went more three at the back near the end we left ourselves wide open to their long ball/direct game.
This was actually a better Charlton performance than I expected and it will have shown Bob a few things. Firstly, you need strength - physical players, to get out of this division. Look at Stoke when they went up, look at Watford and now look at Ipswich. We have strength in defence in Bikey & Ben Haim. We don!t have it up front - George was eaten alive last night and that put more pressure on Igor and by 65 mins he was knackered.
Against lesser teams we will have enough to win games by playing football. Igor & George were up against Mick McCarthy's carefully chosen centre backs last night and they really are very, very good - there won't be many games more where they'll come up against that quality.
So, Bob now knows that he needs a decent striker so his decision on Watt will have now been made certain - whether there are others in the pipeline, time will tell.
Secondly, I concede, we probably do need a couple of Championship journeymen like Ipswich have got, who know the ropes and all the tricks at this level - question is who and are they available? Hopefully the scouting team are on with this and Bob has his budget/funding already in place from RD.
As for the defensive changes last night. We lost Onyemi to a hamstring injury before the game. Gomez was having a mare at left back so Bob swapped him to RB where he was a lot better. We went more 3 at the back near the end along with the players' heads had dropped.
The difference between the two teams, imho, was only when going forward - Murphy and McGoldrick big, physical lads - good in the air, good on the floor and can cope with strong defenders.
Yes, it was very disappointing to lose 3-0. No, it should not be the end of the world - this Charlton team is decent - just needs tweaking (for some reason I nearly wrote 'needs twerking"!').
Let's hope Big Bob has things in place for early January recruitment.
"Bob's decision" ... "Let's hope Bob has things in place?" Surely If we've learnt anything it's that Bob doesn't make the decisions. He has "an input" as KM put it.
It matters, because ordinarily you would judge a manager in part on his signings. In this case - and last January - you can't. You have to attribute them to the owner. As, obviously, with the appointment of Peeters over Riga. If Bob ends up a failure it's RD's mess as much as his own.
I wouldn't sack Peeters because instability and a replacement are a bigger risk than leaving him in post and he hasn't had the tools to do a better job. It all hinges now on the quality of what (Watt) comes in. Happy to wait and see as we might be pleasantly surprised.
Hopefully we will get a few wins early in 2015 and the possibility of relegation will be removed, but the lesson for Roland is that running a competitive squad in this division is more expensive than he would like to imagine and not paying has consequences. Everyone else in the Championship isn't as stupid as he seems to think.
Point taken. Now I can see why Tony Pulis is allegedly digging his heels in about player purchasing before he commits to WBA. Certainly, as a Manager, you'd know what sort of player you are looking for so would need to have major input - guess I'm a bit out of date as to football politics!
I don't believe for one minute thst RD believes others in the Championship are stupid. Sure he has his agenda and budgets and tries to stick to them like any business?
Rumour has it we have a transfer lined up already, just waiting for transfer window to open... excellent if true, however was on twitter and didn't say who so maybe not excellent.
Ipswich very direct but McCarthy has got a good blend of physical strength, height and Murphy & McGoldrick up front to do the damage.
We started with more aggression and attacking moves than I believe I've seen all season and what a nice change it made ! Our passing on the whole was slick and our forward movement was a sight to behold !
Unfortunately, Town are a better set up team than us at this moment in time & Big Mick has them playing with confidence, strength & as a unit. And of course, they have several players who can score goals for fun and are making a habit of it recently.
All of the above plus the fact that, sadly we have players who cannot score goals for toffee, meant we were ripe for the taking. And, I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match.....
Keep the faith.
Fanny, your posts are always good for morale! Do you (wo)man any phone lines tonight by any chance? Constructively written but may I comment on your emboldened points?
"Ipswich very direct" - I think this is a bit of a misnomer because their manager is McCarthy. I think Charlton tried to be more direct last night, hence your point about not winning any headers. Ipswich were slick and quick at times last night and out passed us.
"We started with more agression and attacking moves......." Totally agree, but the remaining 80 minutes of monotony kind of nullifies that observation. it was really encouraging to start with (yes, for a whole ten minutes) but then we reverted to type. What's so frustrating is that we show in glimpses what we can do.
"I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match" Correct - So why keep lumping it to Vetokele? Pointless also just lumping it to Tucadean as he's always on the floor! Out of interest, what would you score him for his dives? I thought the first (for which he didn't get booked) had far more technical merit than the second!
Oh how we see the games differently!!
Happy New Year Fanny. And absolutely keep the faith.
Ipswich very direct but McCarthy has got a good blend of physical strength, height and Murphy & McGoldrick up front to do the damage.
We started with more aggression and attacking moves than I believe I've seen all season and what a nice change it made ! Our passing on the whole was slick and our forward movement was a sight to behold !
Unfortunately, Town are a better set up team than us at this moment in time & Big Mick has them playing with confidence, strength & as a unit. And of course, they have several players who can score goals for fun and are making a habit of it recently.
All of the above plus the fact that, sadly we have players who cannot score goals for toffee, meant we were ripe for the taking. And, I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match.....
Keep the faith.
Fanny, your posts are always good for morale! Do you (wo)man any phone lines tonight by any chance? Constructively written but may I comment on your emboldened points?
"Ipswich very direct" - I think this is a bit of a misnomer because their manager is McCarthy. I think Charlton tried to be more direct last night, hence your point about not winning any headers. Ipswich were slick and quick at times last night and out passed us.
"We started with more agression and attacking moves......." Totally agree, but the remaining 80 minutes of monotony kind of nullifies that observation. it was really encouraging to start with (yes, for a whole ten minutes) but then we reverted to type. What's so frustrating is that we show in glimpses what we can do.
"I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match" Correct - So why keep lumping it to Vetokele? Pointless also just lumping it to Tucadean as he's always on the floor! Out of interest, what would you score him for his dives? I thought the first (for which he didn't get booked) had far more technical merit than the second!
Oh how we see the games differently!!
Happy New Year Fanny. And absolutely keep the faith
Ipswich have the luxury of being able to play both football and also long ball/direct when needed. Their front men are good in the air and on the deck. When CAFC played long last night the Town defenders dealt with almost everything like bread and butter.
To be fair to Igor, he gets up high for a little fella!
Point taken. Now I can see why Tony Pulis is allegedly digging his heels in about player purchasing before he commits to WBA. Certainly, as a Manager, you'd know what sort of player you are looking for so would need to have major input - guess I'm a bit out of date as to football politics!
I don't believe for one minute thst RD believes others in the Championship are stupid. Sure he has his agenda and budgets and tries to stick to them like any business?
He seems to believe that he can run a cheaper squad and achieve whatever it is he wants (promotion?) by utilising his network to get better value than they can. My view is if there was a simply way to compete while spending significantly less then others would have identified it already, and to think there is involves a certain level of arrogance. Reality is now biting. His budget may well be unrealistic, the business will underperform his expectations and therefore he will have to increase his investment or fail. But he does have the capacity to do that, so let's see.
we lost with 57% possession, at the beginning of the season we were doing well with less possession and people were moaning, I would rather have less possession and more wins
Thats odd, coz at half-time we only had 35 per cent for first half - so that means we must have had 79 per cent in second ?!
According to my newspaper we had 42% of the possession, which sounds more believable.
"but thats football and you cant do anything about it" Bob Peeters said this 3 times in his post match interview.Does he believe this or is he sending a message to RD that he desperately needs reinforcements a]who can head a ball so we can defend set pieces and b]who can score goals.
Point taken. Now I can see why Tony Pulis is allegedly digging his heels in about player purchasing before he commits to WBA. Certainly, as a Manager, you'd know what sort of player you are looking for so would need to have major input - guess I'm a bit out of date as to football politics!
I don't believe for one minute thst RD believes others in the Championship are stupid. Sure he has his agenda and budgets and tries to stick to them like any business?
He seems to believe that he can run a cheaper squad and achieve whatever it is he wants (promotion?) by utilising his network to get better value than they can. My view is if there was a simply way to compete while spending significantly less then others would have identified it already, and to think there is involves a certain level of arrogance. Reality is now biting. His budget may well be unrealistic, the business will underperform his expectations and therefore he will have to increase his investment or fail. But he does have the capacity to do that, so let's see.
In life for me actions speak louder than words.
Let us see what happens in January, Tony Watt aside.
When we were getting results our defence was strong and well organised. We were able, against a poor Cardiff team, to go to three at the back and go on the offensive, with only 10 men and a goal down. It was good to watch and we got some reward.
Against a much stronger and better Ipswich, a gung-ho approach was not going to work. This said, from what now has emerged, BP's plans were greatly diminished by the late injury to Onyewu, whose presence would have greatly reduced the Ipswich airial superiority, especially at corners.
Put this one behind us, not too many teams are as strong as Ipswich.
I thought we had more of the possession last night, simply because of passing it across the back. I'd say 57% is about right. There's no way we only had 35% first half, so not sure where The President got that stat from.
surprised we havnt heard from piggy as they are above us now.
One swallow doesn't make a summer (although it can provide a pleasant evening) as two wins in a row doesn't make a season. Wendies have had a poor season performance wise as their fans will tell you. As the leagues lowest scorers it tells a tale similar to ours. If you can't score you can't win and like us they have far too many draws to have any kind of confidence, regardless of how few actual losses are on the board. Wins are the lifeblood of surviving the trap door. Their blip of positive form will likely subside as will their support for manager and owner alike. At present success for us as fans seems to have been measured by how much stress we experience from looking at the league table.
Is RD going to stick or twist, either way it could cost him a lot of money. The joys of owning a football club must be few and far between.
Recent results show that despite the early season promise, there is still a lot of work to do at CAFC and not too much time left this season in which to do it. The top teams in the division, Ipswich, Bournemouth, Derby, Middlesbrough, have all taken time and considerable amounts of cash for team building to get where they are now. Patience is a virtue, and god knows addicks fans have had years to develop and endure buddah like levels of hope and expectancy. There again we are not alone. Many fans at most clubs have unrealistic expectations. However, with the current squad, we have gone as far as we can. Early season promise from the likes of Cousins, Gomez, Vetokele, Tucudean and even from the vastly experienced new additions, has evaporated perhaps through tiredness, lack of inspiration, loss of commitment, carrying minor injuries for too long, we will never really know. What IS obvious to me and hundreds of others on here is that WE NEED AN INFLUX OF FRESH PLAYERS with fresh legs and fresh ideas to get the party swinging once more. Not a wholesale job lot, just three or four experienced men to bring us back to where we were earlier in the season. Question is, will this wish be fulfilled ? I hope that Peeters has not got too exasperated or down in the dumps and that his inexperience at handling hard times is not transmitting to the players. What we all need now is faith, hope and charity .. oh yes .. and some new blood and bodies coming into the playing staff.
Comments
December 30
'' just waiting for reinforcements to come in, and i'm sure Bob is expecting some new faces in this window''.
He might be expecting to get some, but will he be allowed to?
Only doom and gloom left in my honest opinion. I think even Brighton will stretch us now!
We need players RD, what are you going to do? you have already missed the boat once with the loan window now is the time to back the club, and with players of the managers choosing not yours.
Hang on, can i get the pigs ready for March ?
Bob does have a slightly redeeming quality in that he genuinely seems to encourage the young players. He's often seen hugging them, and singles them out for praise. That's good for motivation, but it doesn't transform them into "total footballers" who can play well in any position.
Reinforcements required.
This is the foundations of a good team for next season I think and no, we won't go down. Millwall to be replaced next season by Palarse
THIS !
Just in, watched Eastenders ( who DID kill Lucy ???) and starting reading people's thoughts on the match.
Reached as far as purdis' post and totally agree with his comments.
We started with more aggression and attacking moves than I believe I've seen all season and what a nice change it made ! Our passing on the whole was slick and our forward movement was a sight to behold !
Unfortunately, Town are a better set up team than us at this moment in time & Big Mick has them playing with confidence, strength & as a unit. And of course, they have several players who can score goals for fun and are making a habit of it recently.
All of the above plus the fact that, sadly we have players who cannot score goals for toffee, meant we were ripe for the taking. And, I don't believe we won any balls in the air all match.....
For me, a positive to be taken was our decision to attack from the off and can only hope that this continues ad infintum especially as our defence has been pretty solid thus far. Not sure why the back four was tinkered with during the game though & wonder what the commentators made of the change...
The negatives were the number of corners conceded, the number of goals conceded( which I feel wasn't a true reflection of our performance) and, no surprise our lack of options/personnel with the required skills in & around the opposition's box.
But there's no denying that Ipswich are a force to be reckoned with this season, believe me.
Just as there's no denying that we need another proven striker. George failed miserably tonight IMO which is disappointing and Igor could not shake off his marker, albeit that few balls were played to his feet.
We are not the fourth worse team in the Championship and the aim must be to finish outside the relegation places....tell us something we don't already know, Fan ! Time will tell whether the squad will be strengthened in January - if not, I feel we do have the players & the manager to ensure we remain in this league. We need to win our home games from now on - end of and that's why we, the supporters must try to stay positive and get behind the lads. Anyone at The Valley last Saturday will testify that we were the 12th ( or in that case, the 11th) man/woman. The support at Ipswich was brilliant until the 3rd goal went in so well done to all who travelled & made some noise.
If a strong team is put out on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how we approach the game from the start....lessons must have been learnt from the disastrous start at Ewood Park. A win is a win, whether it be in the Cup or for the 3 points on offer and the confidence gained from a job well done could be the springboard to the rest of our season.
So, let's put tonight behind us, trust that Big Bob will work on the weaknesses he saw and come out fighting on Saturday.
And that's not just the team.......
Keep the faith.
Good post.
I think CAFC were forced to play football as Ipswich are so strong in the air as you pointed out. We had 57% possession which was a real positive and we played the ball around nicely and often quickly which again is a positive.
Ipswich defended in numbers and recovered as a team and in depth when losing possession.
The first two goals were avoidable and the second was very fortunate - the rub of the green for Ipswich on this occasion.
When we went more three at the back near the end we left ourselves wide open to their long ball/direct game.
This was actually a better Charlton performance than I expected and it will have shown Bob a few things.
Firstly, you need strength - physical players, to get out of this division.
Look at Stoke when they went up, look at Watford and now look at Ipswich.
We have strength in defence in Bikey & Ben Haim.
We don!t have it up front - George was eaten alive last night and that put more pressure on Igor and by 65 mins he was knackered.
Against lesser teams we will have enough to win games by playing football.
Igor & George were up against Mick McCarthy's carefully chosen centre backs last night and they really are very, very good - there won't be many games more where they'll come up against that quality.
So, Bob now knows that he needs a decent striker so his decision on Watt will have now been made certain - whether there are others in the pipeline, time will tell.
Secondly, I concede, we probably do need a couple of Championship journeymen like Ipswich have got, who know the ropes and all the tricks at this level - question is who and are they available? Hopefully the scouting team are on with this and Bob has his budget/funding already in place from RD.
As for the defensive changes last night.
We lost Onyemi to a hamstring injury before the game.
Gomez was having a mare at left back so Bob swapped him to RB where he was a lot better.
We went more 3 at the back near the end along with the players' heads had dropped.
The difference between the two teams, imho, was only when going forward - Murphy and McGoldrick big, physical lads - good in the air, good on the floor and can cope with strong defenders.
Yes, it was very disappointing to lose 3-0.
No, it should not be the end of the world - this Charlton team is decent - just needs tweaking (for some reason I nearly wrote 'needs twerking"!').
Let's hope Big Bob has things in place for early January recruitment.
"Bob's decision" ... "Let's hope Bob has things in place?" Surely If we've learnt anything it's that Bob doesn't make the decisions. He has "an input" as KM put it.
It matters, because ordinarily you would judge a manager in part on his signings. In this case - and last January - you can't. You have to attribute them to the owner. As, obviously, with the appointment of Peeters over Riga. If Bob ends up a failure it's RD's mess as much as his own.
I wouldn't sack Peeters because instability and a replacement are a bigger risk than leaving him in post and he hasn't had the tools to do a better job. It all hinges now on the quality of what (Watt) comes in. Happy to wait and see as we might be pleasantly surprised.
Hopefully we will get a few wins early in 2015 and the possibility of relegation will be removed, but the lesson for Roland is that running a competitive squad in this division is more expensive than he would like to imagine and not paying has consequences. Everyone else in the Championship isn't as stupid as he seems to think.
Point taken.
Now I can see why Tony Pulis is allegedly digging his heels in about player purchasing before he commits to WBA.
Certainly, as a Manager, you'd know what sort of player you are looking for so would need to have major input - guess I'm a bit out of date as to football politics!
I don't believe for one minute thst RD believes others in the Championship are stupid.
Sure he has his agenda and budgets and tries to stick to them like any business?
Who knows what we'll do?
When CAFC played long last night the Town defenders dealt with almost everything like bread and butter.
To be fair to Igor, he gets up high for a little fella!
Let us see what happens in January, Tony Watt aside.
You can have 99 % posession but if you don't score and the opposition does in there 1% u have still lost
Against a much stronger and better Ipswich, a gung-ho approach was not going to work. This said, from what now has emerged, BP's plans were greatly diminished by the late injury to Onyewu, whose presence would have greatly reduced the Ipswich airial superiority, especially at corners.
Put this one behind us, not too many teams are as strong as Ipswich.
Is RD going to stick or twist, either way it could cost him a lot of money. The joys of owning a football club must be few and far between.
The top teams in the division, Ipswich, Bournemouth, Derby, Middlesbrough, have all taken time and considerable amounts of cash for team building to get where they are now. Patience is a virtue, and god knows addicks fans have had years to develop and endure buddah like levels of hope and expectancy. There again we are not alone. Many fans at most clubs have unrealistic expectations.
However, with the current squad, we have gone as far as we can. Early season promise from the likes of Cousins, Gomez, Vetokele, Tucudean and even from the vastly experienced new additions, has evaporated perhaps through tiredness, lack of inspiration, loss of commitment, carrying minor injuries for too long, we will never really know.
What IS obvious to me and hundreds of others on here is that WE NEED AN INFLUX OF FRESH PLAYERS with fresh legs and fresh ideas to get the party swinging once more. Not a wholesale job lot, just three or four experienced men to bring us back to where we were earlier in the season. Question is, will this wish be fulfilled ?
I hope that Peeters has not got too exasperated or down in the dumps and that his inexperience at handling hard times is not transmitting to the players. What we all need now is faith, hope and charity .. oh yes .. and some new blood and bodies coming into the playing staff.