Not surprised by this sudden dip in form over the last couple of weeks, we've seen it even within individual games that we are going to be quite a hot/cold team this season. We are trying to play an attacking, possession based game. Tough to do at this level, and it is low percentage but high reward when it comes off. The Oldham game is a great example, for 20 minutes we were sensationally good, then under the cosh, then firmly on top and then hanging on again at the end. If we'd won one, lost one, won one, lost one, etc since the start of the season we'd be about where we are and everyone would be saying and okayish start but need to find some consistency to push on.
The way we started was never going to last, but because we were so hot for the first half a dozen games, the expectation bar got set too high too fast and no people are talking lie the sky is falling in.
For the "Plan A" to work, we need to be right at it, any dip below that and we will look blunt, but when it is working we look very good - as entertaining to watch as I can ever remember us being. We needed to be better to guarantee a win on Saturday, but we were nowhere near as bad as some have made out and better than vs Wigan and Gills. Talk that we've already blown any chance of automatic promotion is definitely premature, but it was never really on the cards anyway. As plenty have said, the squad contains talent, but lacks options and flexibility
Our decent starts in recent seasons have fizzled out very rapidly and I'm sure this season will be no different - the blind optimism of some of our fans amazes me.
In the Duchatelet era, this has only really happened once when Bob Peeters was in charge. Even then, in terms of games (and points) won this is comfortably our best start under Roland and his cronies - our record after 9 league games for this and the the previous 3 full seasons which we've been Belgian owned:
And anyway, I'm not being blindly optimistic, I'm just saying this is how its going to be under Robinson, unless he has a change of heart and decides to mix it up tactically or is allowed to spend big in January (and neither seem likely). Teams know exactly how we will try and play and will have a plan to stop it. Sometimes, they'll be very successful (see vs Wigan) and we'll look way off what it required. Some weeks they will be partially successful and we won't be quite on it and we'll look short on ideas (see Saturday vs Bury or Gills the week before or Plymouth away). Other weeks we'll be more 'at it' and find a way around it despite some resistance e.g vs Southend and Oldham. And some weeks we'll be just too good and they won't be able to stop us, e.g. Northampton. If we are to go up we'll need it to be the latter two categories more weeks than the former two. I'm not convinced that we have the options on the bench to change it up or rest players as much as may be needed for us to win games throughout the whole season, but I'm am happy to see us trying to impose ourselves on the opposition for the first time in years and attempting to win games by playing genuine good football and scoring goals.
The determination of some of fans to be miserable all the time amazes me.
I've got a bit bored of our football under RD's ownership surprisingly. How low should our expectations be given the dross we've had to endure?
I don't think the football this season has been particularly impressive - we had an easy set of opening fixtures and in the first game against decent opposition we were shocking. The last two games against Gillingham and Bury were also poor.
Our football looks very predictable and once the opposition close us down we run out of ideas. I don't see a lot of progress this season..
Without Holmes against Bury we seemed to have little or no attacking threat.
With all due respect Hoof, I've been reading you posts going back to the days of 606 and CAFCBabes, and you've always been a miserable sod, even when we were in the premier league you were usually grumbling about something.
If you can't see any progress vs last season, when we have 50% more points than at the same time, you aren't looking very hard.
You're obviously not a proper Charlton fan if you're happy watching us play football. With all due respect to you most Charlton fans spend their time moaning and if you want to go around trying to be optimistic that's your problem.
You're easily pleased....
That's the funniest thing I've ever read on the forum. I actually can't tell if it's tongue in cheek?
Not surprised by this sudden dip in form over the last couple of weeks, we've seen it even within individual games that we are going to be quite a hot/cold team this season. We are trying to play an attacking, possession based game. Tough to do at this level, and it is low percentage but high reward when it comes off. The Oldham game is a great example, for 20 minutes we were sensationally good, then under the cosh, then firmly on top and then hanging on again at the end. If we'd won one, lost one, won one, lost one, etc since the start of the season we'd be about where we are and everyone would be saying and okayish start but need to find some consistency to push on.
The way we started was never going to last, but because we were so hot for the first half a dozen games, the expectation bar got set too high too fast and no people are talking lie the sky is falling in.
For the "Plan A" to work, we need to be right at it, any dip below that and we will look blunt, but when it is working we look very good - as entertaining to watch as I can ever remember us being. We needed to be better to guarantee a win on Saturday, but we were nowhere near as bad as some have made out and better than vs Wigan and Gills. Talk that we've already blown any chance of automatic promotion is definitely premature, but it was never really on the cards anyway. As plenty have said, the squad contains talent, but lacks options and flexibility
Our decent starts in recent seasons have fizzled out very rapidly and I'm sure this season will be no different - the blind optimism of some of our fans amazes me.
In the Duchatelet era, this has only really happened once when Bob Peeters was in charge. Even then, in terms of games (and points) won this is comfortably our best start under Roland and his cronies - our record after 9 league games for this and the the previous 3 full seasons which we've been Belgian owned:
And anyway, I'm not being blindly optimistic, I'm just saying this is how its going to be under Robinson, unless he has a change of heart and decides to mix it up tactically or is allowed to spend big in January (and neither seem likely). Teams know exactly how we will try and play and will have a plan to stop it. Sometimes, they'll be very successful (see vs Wigan) and we'll look way off what it required. Some weeks they will be partially successful and we won't be quite on it and we'll look short on ideas (see Saturday vs Bury or Gills the week before or Plymouth away). Other weeks we'll be more 'at it' and find a way around it despite some resistance e.g vs Southend and Oldham. And some weeks we'll be just too good and they won't be able to stop us, e.g. Northampton. If we are to go up we'll need it to be the latter two categories more weeks than the former two. I'm not convinced that we have the options on the bench to change it up or rest players as much as may be needed for us to win games throughout the whole season, but I'm am happy to see us trying to impose ourselves on the opposition for the first time in years and attempting to win games by playing genuine good football and scoring goals.
The determination of some of fans to be miserable all the time amazes me.
I've got a bit bored of our football under RD's ownership surprisingly. How low should our expectations be given the dross we've had to endure?
I don't think the football this season has been particularly impressive - we had an easy set of opening fixtures and in the first game against decent opposition we were shocking. The last two games against Gillingham and Bury were also poor.
Our football looks very predictable and once the opposition close us down we run out of ideas. I don't see a lot of progress this season..
Without Holmes against Bury we seemed to have little or no attacking threat.
With all due respect Hoof, I've been reading you posts going back to the days of 606 and CAFCBabes, and you've always been a miserable sod, even when we were in the premier league you were usually grumbling about something.
If you can't see any progress vs last season, when we have 50% more points than at the same time, you aren't looking very hard.
You're obviously not a proper Charlton fan if you're happy watching us play football. With all due respect to you most Charlton fans spend their time moaning and if you want to go around trying to be optimistic that's your problem.
You're easily pleased....
That's the funniest thing I've ever read on the forum. I actually can't tell if it's tongue in cheek?
It is meant as a joke. One of the things I enjoy most about going to the Valley is the moaning - can't be doing with all this optimism.
If I'd wanted a happy life I wouldn't support Charlton!
My mate dragged me to the Emirates in the Fabregas days. We were sitting behind a couple of fans who kept moaning about him (Fabregas, not my mate), despite the fact that he scored a goal and set up two others (Fabregas, not my mate) and played brilliantly. We still say 'You're rubbish Fabregas!" every time we see each other.
My mate dragged me to the Emirates in the Fabregas days. We were sitting behind a couple of fans who kept moaning about him (Fabregas, not my mate), despite the fact that he scored a goal and set up two others (Fabregas, not my mate) and played brilliantly. We still say 'You're rubbish Fabregas!" every time we see each other.
I think many of us were expecting the team to move on. At the start of the season I feared we didn't have enough goals in us, but then there was hope that goals might not be an issue. I think we have talented players but most of them are not quite talented enough to overcome the tactics of less talented teams. Even Wigan employed spoiling bullying tactics against us.
It is no good complaining about the tactics of other teams, that is football and we have to be able to deal with it. I do think Holmes deserves better protection and frustration around having lumps kicked out of him have surely contributed to his bookings - often born of frustration.
It is up to Robinson to find answers, but he is a bit limited in what he can do as like with other seasons, when you start scratching beneath the surface, there isn't the options you need. We have lost points at Plymouth and Gillingham for certain, where somebody who can put the ball in the net would have fixed it. We are a League One side so these players are not always available, but if you want to go up, there are some things you can do.
There are players outside of this country - even Scotland (Magennis came from there) who would have been worth a punt. One issue that might not be the owner's fault is when you play the formation we do - and you are a striker, you have to oust Magennis to play. That might not be so attractive to the type of striker you wish to attract. I firmly believe that we atre now in a position if Magennis gets an injury, we can say goodbye to any chance of promotion. That can't be the way to set out on a campaign if you care about getting promotion.
But if you don't care, why should supporters care about watching you?
In terms of this season - we have to pray that Holmes and Magennis stay fit and the players we have need to find a way to impose their game on other teams and counter the stopping tactics. How successfully we do this will be the key to our season. Teams also have tactics to isolate Magennis and we have to identify counter tactics to nullify this.
Another hope is that teams pay us less respect. That could play into our hands!
My mate dragged me to the Emirates in the Fabregas days. We were sitting behind a couple of fans who kept moaning about him (Fabregas, not my mate), despite the fact that he scored a goal and set up two others (Fabregas, not my mate) and played brilliantly. We still say 'You're rubbish Fabregas!" every time we see each other.
We do indeed need to pray that Magennis and Holmes stay fit, although we'd be extremely fortunate if they both stayed injury free all season, especially given the amount of physical punishment they take and the hard yards they put in.
I see that Benteke out is for a minimum of 6 weeks with ligament damage. According to the 'Evening (Sub) Standard', it "leaves Palace without a recognised forward" and they may look to sign a free agent. Bakary Sako (a winger who's hardly played) may start up front at Old Trafford on Saturday. I know that we complain about leaving it to the last minute to try and get Godden and Doyle, but Palace have - happily - left themselves horribly exposed. Reading that rather cheered me up.
Not looking good for old Roy but let's hope we don't find ourselves in a similar position with Josh.
Comments
If I'd wanted a happy life I wouldn't support Charlton!
Mustn't grumble!!!
We still say 'You're rubbish Fabregas!" every time we see each other.
It is no good complaining about the tactics of other teams, that is football and we have to be able to deal with it. I do think Holmes deserves better protection and frustration around having lumps kicked out of him have surely contributed to his bookings - often born of frustration.
It is up to Robinson to find answers, but he is a bit limited in what he can do as like with other seasons, when you start scratching beneath the surface, there isn't the options you need. We have lost points at Plymouth and Gillingham for certain, where somebody who can put the ball in the net would have fixed it. We are a League One side so these players are not always available, but if you want to go up, there are some things you can do.
There are players outside of this country - even Scotland (Magennis came from there) who would have been worth a punt. One issue that might not be the owner's fault is when you play the formation we do - and you are a striker, you have to oust Magennis to play. That might not be so attractive to the type of striker you wish to attract. I firmly believe that we atre now in a position if Magennis gets an injury, we can say goodbye to any chance of promotion. That can't be the way to set out on a campaign if you care about getting promotion.
But if you don't care, why should supporters care about watching you?
In terms of this season - we have to pray that Holmes and Magennis stay fit and the players we have need to find a way to impose their game on other teams and counter the stopping tactics. How successfully we do this will be the key to our season. Teams also have tactics to isolate Magennis and we have to identify counter tactics to nullify this.
Another hope is that teams pay us less respect. That could play into our hands!
I see that Benteke out is for a minimum of 6 weeks with ligament damage. According to the 'Evening (Sub) Standard', it "leaves Palace without a recognised forward" and they may look to sign a free agent. Bakary Sako (a winger who's hardly played) may start up front at Old Trafford on Saturday. I know that we complain about leaving it to the last minute to try and get Godden and Doyle, but Palace have - happily - left themselves horribly exposed. Reading that rather cheered me up.
Not looking good for old Roy but let's hope we don't find ourselves in a similar position with Josh.