From watching the highlights, our defending was atrocious for Bristol Rovers' first goal. I don't particularly blame Pearce for the mistake, as the ball should have been won back before Pearce needed to be involved. Bauer should have won the first ball, and failing that, Djiksteel can have no excuse for not winning his header. Disgraceful IMO. Pearce will be lumped with the blame, but Bauer and Djiksteel are just as culpable.
That is a really, really weird use of the word 'disgraceful'. Take a nap.
Thought we were really poor in the first half, goal out of nothing from Reeves who was mom for me.
First time I’d seen Lewis Page play, who I thought was excellent.
Stephys body language before he came on was a bit languid and lackluster, maybe he’s always like that?
After the first half , happy to take a point, we have to be at it each game if we want to stay in the top 6, would be an amazing achievement if we did.
Roll on Wimbledon Tuesday night, can we get Bowyer on the pitch!
The midfield diamond worked well for us against Northampton and Rotherham but not so much yesterday. I thought they had done their homework well on us, pressing us high on the flanks from the off and exposing the lack of cover out wide. Page coped better with this than Dijksteel and it was his failure to win the header that lead to Pearce's weak header for their goal. For those calling for a 20 goal a season striker, we do have one in Nikki Ajose and he very nearly got on the scoresheet but for an excellent save from their keeper. Reeves was good yet again, though I thought his goal was deflected off a defender not that you can see that on the highlights.
I don't get to many games as I live in Devon and run a Saturday morning youth side, but games on a Firday, Monday and a mad dash up the M5 yesterday meant I've got to watch three games in a row for the first time since I had a season ticket in the early noughties.
We definitely looked a bit leggy yesterday in comparison with last weekend and that could have been down to the pitch. It seemed to me that the grass was far too long, almost rugby length, which is ironic as Bristol dont play at the Mem any more. With another game on Tuesday I hope that Lee rings the changes and rests a few players. I'm also hoping he shows some tactical flexibility. I feel the upturn since hes taken charge is as much about the change in formation taking teams by surprise as it is about the freedom hes given the players and now that surprise factor is gone. We are in danger of becoming equally formulaic with 442 diamond as we were under Robinsons 4231. Mixing it up a bit, even using 4231 away from home wouldn't be a bad shout.
Right back is also an issue in this formation. I'm a big fan of Dijksteel, he was outstanding in the cup v Exeter earlier in the season and faultless v Northampton but it was evident on yesterdays showing that he's not got the confidence to beat his man in a 1 on 1 and with a diamond its vital that your full backs get forward and provide width. The difficult question though is who to put in instead as I think Konsa is similar.
Considering that Scunthorpe & Pompey both failed to win games that were on paper easier than our game at Bristol Rovers who had slim Play-Off chances themselves before Saturday, I don't think a point there is at all a bad result. It keeps us in the top 6 with a game in hand over most of the teams around us, and things very much still in our own hands. 10 points from the last 6 games should get us there, starting hopefully with 3 at Wimbledon mid-week.
The midfield diamond worked well for us against Northampton and Rotherham but not so much yesterday. I thought they had done their homework well on us, pressing us high on the flanks from the off and exposing the lack of cover out wide. Page coped better with this than Dijksteel and it was his failure to win the header that lead to Pearce's weak header for their goal. For those calling for a 20 goal a season striker, we do have one in Nikki Ajose and he very nearly got on the scoresheet but for an excellent save from their keeper. Reeves was good yet again, though I thought his goal was deflected off a defender not that you can see that on the highlights.
I don't get to many games as I live in Devon and run a Saturday morning youth side, but games on a Firday, Monday and a mad dash up the M5 yesterday meant I've got to watch three games in a row for the first time since I had a season ticket in the early noughties.
We definitely looked a bit leggy yesterday in comparison with last weekend and that could have been down to the pitch. It seemed to me that the grass was far too long, almost rugby length, which is ironic as Bristol dont play at the Mem any more. With another game on Tuesday I hope that Lee rings the changes and rests a few players. I'm also hoping he shows some tactical flexibility. I feel the upturn since hes taken charge is as much about the change in formation taking teams by surprise as it is about the freedom hes given the players and now that surprise factor is gone. We are in danger of becoming equally formulaic with 442 diamond as we were under Robinsons 4231. Mixing it up a bit, even using 4231 away from home wouldn't be a bad shout.
Right back is also an issue in this formation. I'm a big fan of Dijksteel, he was outstanding in the cup v Exeter earlier in the season and faultless v Northampton but it was evident on yesterdays showing that he's not got the confidence to beat his man in a 1 on 1 and with a diamond its vital that your full backs get forward and provide width. The difficult question though is who to put in instead as I think Konsa is similar.
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Mixed bag of views on here. At the game in the front row directly behind the goal net so that rather strange perspective may have swayed my perception. Also took along nephew and wife who had barely been to a match before.
Actually thought it was a pretty decent match - both teams up for it and not that many poor passes, hoof ball, despite the pitch. They had done their homework on us and gave us little time and space throughout whole match. They also had a real livewire in their goal scorer and MoM, Kyle Bennett, the lad with the top knot.
Their keeper made a couple of tremendous saves from Ajose first half and Reeves second half. We didn't look particularly sharp in the box. Zyro had a quiet game and I expected Josh to get a longer run out. So did he, I think, noticeable that he headed straight off at the end down the tunnel.
They made three much earlier subs whereas we left ours too late to make a difference. As said above, Mavididi was ineffective and changed our shape by playing very wide- would rather Marshall in that case. Robin or Powell would have been caned for such subs but we are still in Bow honeymoon land.
Overall, though, a good point and generally enjoyable afternoon.
Yes, I was looking at the bench and expecting changes to me made. Not knowing how long there was to go (the tannoy was pretty awful for the away terrace) I hadn't realised that Josh came on so late until the final whistle a couple of minutes later
I'm been slightly concerned with Bowyer's subs in the last 2 matches, with in both matches Mavididi coming on around the 65 minute mark for Ajose and being far less effective, and Josh coming on late
Mavididi needs the minutes to get back up to speed, so I can see why he's been given fairly long sub outings. It took Fosu a number of games to start looking at his best and it looks like Mav needs time too but if he does get going, it will be worth it because like Fosu, he's a match winner.
win the two games this week and for me we are in the playoffs other teams have to play each other, next week Rotherham go to a title chasing Wigan whilst Plymouth and Portsmouth play each other atleast one of those is going to drop points hopefully all 3. This week is the big one 2 wins and I feel we are there.
What the hell does he know, right? Just cos he got lucky for a few games, with injuries to the right players etc, and Robinson’s glorious tactics finally sinking in.
He’ll be dreaming of drawing matches soon.
I really hope the players wont read this. Could destroy morale.....
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
No good winning all these corners if we can't do a thing with them.
Felt that the goal we conceded was very poor, well and truly gifted them. Fair play for Reeves getting us back in it.
Like many others I'm slightly disappointed at that result, was one of the more 'winnable' games on paper and a few results went our way, could have made a bit of a gap. Have to beat Wimbledon on Tuesday cause every game looks very hard now, apart from Scunthorpe who I'm expecting us to beat based on form. On to the next one
....because we only arrived home at 7.30pm following a horrendous rail journey back from Bath where we stayed overnight.
Wadhurst to Bath on Saturday morning ( despite our train being cancelled from Paddington ) - 3.5 hours
Bath Spa via Swindon today - 6 hours.
I promise NEVER AGAIN to titter when reading some of the "OTT" comments on the SE Rail thread. Honest !
I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by yesterday's performance although the rest of our gang felt it was a very respectable point gained. My expectations have clearly been elevated to ridiculously dizzy heights following 3 victories in a row...but I don't believe I'm alone.
That vital spark we've ignited since Robbo's departure appeared to have been doused somewhat yesterday afternoon - possibly by the murky drizzle that accompanied the game. Despite the best efforts of Reevesey ( who continues to impress Hard Hearted Hannah here), JFC & our latest captain, a stalwart indeed at the back, one of the main ingredients in the mix was sadly missing in action....
Not difficult to identify who.
Fingers, arms and legs crossed ( especially for the ladies making the trip on Tuesday night!) that his absence proves to be a short lived one as I believe his fitness could be the difference between making the POs and a disappointing end to our season.
6 weeks or so ago, we would have been pleased with the latest showing from the lads but Fanny craves more.....
I heard several murmurs in the away end echoing the thought that we should be satisfied with 4 points from the Rovers & AFCW matches, so I guess we are still on track. Whether Bow will twist or stick with his starting eleven remains to be seen but I should like to see Mavididi starting the next game, swapping his place on the bench with Kaikai. For me, the former deserves a start rather than the role of a possible game changer when he is finally introduced. His body language seems to indicate that he's less than happy to sit out the majority of a match but that's only my opinion.
So, the Final countdown continues, the pressure mounts, the finger nails disappear.
What the hell does he know, right? Just cos he got lucky for a few games, with injuries to the right players etc, and Robinson’s glorious tactics finally sinking in.
He’ll be dreaming of drawing matches soon.
I really hope the players wont read this. Could destroy morale.....
....because we only arrived home at 6.30pm following a horrendous rail journey back from Bath where we stayed overnight.
Wadhurst to Bath on Saturday morning ( despite our train being cancelled from Paddington ) - 3.5 hours
Bath Spa via Swindon today - 6 hours.
I promise NEVER AGAIN to titter when reading some of the "OTT" comments on the SE Rail thread. Honest !
I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by yesterday's performance although the rest of our gang felt it was a very respectable point gained. My expectations have clearly been elevated to ridiculously dizzy heights following 3 victories in a row...but I don't believe I'm alone.
That vital spark we've ignited since Robbo's departure appeared to have been doused somewhat yesterday afternoon - possibly by the murky drizzle that accompanied the game. Despite the best efforts of Reevesey ( who continues to impress Hard Hearted Hannah here), JFC & our latest captain, a stalwart indeed at the back, one of the main ingredients in the mix was sadly missing in action....
Not difficult to identify who.
Fingers, arms and legs crossed ( especially for the ladies making the trip on Tuesday night!) that his absence proves to be a short lived one as I believe his fitness could be the difference between making the POs and a disappointing end to our season.
6 weeks or so ago, we would have been pleased with the latest showing from the lads but Fanny craves more.....
I heard several murmurs in the away end echoing the thought that we should be satisfied with 4 points from the Rovers & AFCW matches, so I guess we are still on track. Whether Bow will twist or stick with his starting eleven remains to be seen but I should like to see Mavididi starting the next game, swapping his place on the bench with Kaikai. For me, the former deserves a start rather than the role of a possible game changer when he is finally introduced. His body language seems to indicate that he's less than happy to sit out the majority of a match but that's only my opinion.
So, the Final countdown continues, the pressure mounts, the finger nails disappear.
It's only 4 weeks to the POTY dinner !
Drizzle? Twas a lovely dry day. Were you feeling drips of condensation in the magnificent South Stand?
What the hell does he know, right? Just cos he got lucky for a few games, with injuries to the right players etc, and Robinson’s glorious tactics finally sinking in.
He’ll be dreaming of drawing matches soon.
I really hope the players wont read this. Could destroy morale.....
Just finished watching the game as I was delayed due to a power outage in my home.
Just skimmed some comments, echo what most gave said. Not a great performance but we came away with a point. Bristol made life very difficult for us, picking up from Rotherham in pressing us high up the pitch and always putting pressure on our defenders, and it lead to mistakes.
Jason Pearce made a terrible error for the goal, and almost got caught upfield in the second half getting sucked way out of position trying to win a ball he didn't have a prayer at. And the miss was bad. I've said all along I don't think his place should be assured. He had been better in recent weeks, in part because we've been able to defend deeper and he's definitely good at defending inside his own box. But when we need to chase games and press teams his lack of pace and ability on the ball, not to mention a positional sense that I'd at time ropey, can become a liability. I obviously am not in the dressing room and don't know what he's like as a leader, but in games where we want to press high I think Konsa or Sarr are the better options alongside Bauer. This was the case at the start of the season as well.
Reeves was pure class. Everything good we did came through him. You see why we waited to long for him. His technical ability and positioning are excellent, and he has a great knack for finding little pockets of space. He also had a knack for scoring important and/or difficult goals which we haven't seen much of this season, but his goal was excellent. Up against a packed defense defending in their own box we've really struggled, and the ability to score goals from 18-20 yards out when everyone is behind the ball is so key, and something we've lacked this season. Credit to him, put it through bodies on frame and good things happen.
Thought JFC was very good as per. He had such a lovely ability of taking the ball off the foot of forwards. Ditto Bauer. Kaikai looked much improved, drifted in and out a bit but he does his doggies and from that free floating position its natural that that player will drift in and out.
Beyond that, a lot of players who had off games on the same day. Some of that was down to Bristol making it hard for us. They were good at pressing, and then dropping deep when they didn't win the ball or cause a mistake. Aribo, Page, Dijksteel, Ajose all had off days. We lacked some patience on the ball in the first half especially. We want to try to counter quickly but Ajose had no joy and their center backs dealt with more direct balls well.
This kind of game happens. I take heart in the fact that despite causing our defense problems Bristol didn't have a lot of clear cut chances, and the goal they did score was a gift.
I think we saw a bit of fatigue start to set in potentially, so it will be interesting to see how Bowyer shuffles the pack for Tuesday. Expect DaSilva and Konsa to come in obviously, but also would expect Ajose to drop to the bench as he looked a bit jaded. He has not had a lot of football this season and he's now started four games in a row, so it's to be expected.
Still in the playoffs. Our destiny is still in our own hands. We've dropped points, now we need to go beat a tough Wimbledon side who will sit deep and look to kick lumps out of us.
@Norman_Smith has a theory that the reason Reeves took so long to sign in the summer wasn't because he was messing us about but, knowing Robinson, he didn't want to play under Karl again.
I thought that was my theory. I definitely said it on here a while ago.
I said it one comment before you covered end on the post Rotherham thread.
The midfield diamond worked well for us against Northampton and Rotherham but not so much yesterday. I thought they had done their homework well on us, pressing us high on the flanks from the off and exposing the lack of cover out wide. Page coped better with this than Dijksteel and it was his failure to win the header that lead to Pearce's weak header for their goal. For those calling for a 20 goal a season striker, we do have one in Nikki Ajose and he very nearly got on the scoresheet but for an excellent save from their keeper. Reeves was good yet again, though I thought his goal was deflected off a defender not that you can see that on the highlights.
I don't get to many games as I live in Devon and run a Saturday morning youth side, but games on a Firday, Monday and a mad dash up the M5 yesterday meant I've got to watch three games in a row for the first time since I had a season ticket in the early noughties.
We definitely looked a bit leggy yesterday in comparison with last weekend and that could have been down to the pitch. It seemed to me that the grass was far too long, almost rugby length, which is ironic as Bristol dont play at the Mem any more. With another game on Tuesday I hope that Lee rings the changes and rests a few players. I'm also hoping he shows some tactical flexibility. I feel the upturn since hes taken charge is as much about the change in formation taking teams by surprise as it is about the freedom hes given the players and now that surprise factor is gone. We are in danger of becoming equally formulaic with 442 diamond as we were under Robinsons 4231. Mixing it up a bit, even using 4231 away from home wouldn't be a bad shout.
Right back is also an issue in this formation. I'm a big fan of Dijksteel, he was outstanding in the cup v Exeter earlier in the season and faultless v Northampton but it was evident on yesterdays showing that he's not got the confidence to beat his man in a 1 on 1 and with a diamond its vital that your full backs get forward and provide width. The difficult question though is who to put in instead as I think Konsa is similar.
I know you'll get pelters for suggesting a 4-2-3-1, but I think you've hit on a lot of good points here. As you say with a midfield diamond you really need width coming from fullback and neither Konsa nor Dijksteel provide that. It also makes us vulnerable in wide areas and it showed yesterday. I think Rotherham showed Bristol the way, and we got out of it with some moments of quality against them, but I'm sure Wimbledon will have watched Monday and yesterday's games and will know how to set up.
I think the other thing that made that diamond work was Fosu having that free role. Without him, and with Mav struggling and Kaikai not being too well suited to that role, I think we lack someone who connects midfield and attack. I'd be tempted to go 4-3-3 on Tuesday night with Mav and either Kaikai or Marshall either side of Zyro. I think it will provide more natural width to stretch Wimbledon, especially if they play 3-5-2, and it will also give more cover to the fullbacks. That extra width could give Aribo and Reeves more space to play in, and it's not drastically different from 4-2-3-1, I'd just start Reeves and Aribo deep to give them more freedom and space to run in to.
I think we're still a ways off of being overly tactically rigid. I think yesterday wasn't good but I think it was in part a result of a lot of players having off days. But I think Tuesday is crucial, and the changes Bowyer makes will be really important.
One more thing, to those saying our corners were poor, we had one goal mouth scramble that started with Aribo having one cleared off the line, another Aribo headed just wide, and still another where the ball was worked wide and Kaikai out in a beautiful ball that Pearce headed over from six yards. I wouldn't class them as terrible by any stretch. We should want more, but I think the criticism had been harsh.
The midfield diamond worked well for us against Northampton and Rotherham but not so much yesterday. I thought they had done their homework well on us, pressing us high on the flanks from the off and exposing the lack of cover out wide. Page coped better with this than Dijksteel and it was his failure to win the header that lead to Pearce's weak header for their goal. For those calling for a 20 goal a season striker, we do have one in Nikki Ajose and he very nearly got on the scoresheet but for an excellent save from their keeper. Reeves was good yet again, though I thought his goal was deflected off a defender not that you can see that on the highlights.
I don't get to many games as I live in Devon and run a Saturday morning youth side, but games on a Firday, Monday and a mad dash up the M5 yesterday meant I've got to watch three games in a row for the first time since I had a season ticket in the early noughties.
We definitely looked a bit leggy yesterday in comparison with last weekend and that could have been down to the pitch. It seemed to me that the grass was far too long, almost rugby length, which is ironic as Bristol dont play at the Mem any more. With another game on Tuesday I hope that Lee rings the changes and rests a few players. I'm also hoping he shows some tactical flexibility. I feel the upturn since hes taken charge is as much about the change in formation taking teams by surprise as it is about the freedom hes given the players and now that surprise factor is gone. We are in danger of becoming equally formulaic with 442 diamond as we were under Robinsons 4231. Mixing it up a bit, even using 4231 away from home wouldn't be a bad shout.
Right back is also an issue in this formation. I'm a big fan of Dijksteel, he was outstanding in the cup v Exeter earlier in the season and faultless v Northampton but it was evident on yesterdays showing that he's not got the confidence to beat his man in a 1 on 1 and with a diamond its vital that your full backs get forward and provide width. The difficult question though is who to put in instead as I think Konsa is similar.
It has begun. For real.
The problem under Robinson was always his predictable tactics and line ups rather than the formation 4231 itself.
Lots of teams use 4231 to very good effect when needed, I think back to 2005 when we had Kish and Smertin holding behind Murphy, Thomas, Rommedahl and Bent. The difference is when you're picking the team and tactics games in advance, no wonder you can't get anywhere.
One more thing, to those saying our corners were poor, we had one goal mouth scramble that started with Aribo having one cleared off the line, another Aribo headed just wide, and still another where the ball was worked wide and Kaikai out in a beautiful ball that Pearce headed over from six yards. I wouldn't class them as terrible by any stretch. We should want more, but I think the criticism had been harsh.
11 corners & the best we can do is ONE goalmouth scramble & a header just over. A ball worked out wide does not constitute a decent effort from a corner imo.
when did we last score direct from a corner & how many have we it total this season compared to the number of corners gained. Considering you are talking about getting the ball crossed in from about 35 yards to 6 or 7 players congregated 10 yards in front of goal I would say a conversion rate of less than 1% not just poor but utterly abysmal.
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
No good winning all these corners if we can't do a thing with them.
JFC’s delivery was consistently decent afternoon and one corner was headed just wide by Aribo and another was cleared off the line. Bristol just defended well and statistically very few goals are scored from corners across the whole of football.
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
No good winning all these corners if we can't do a thing with them.
JFC’s delivery was consistently decent afternoon and one corner was headed just wide by Aribo and another was cleared off the line. Bristol just defended well and statistically very few goals are scored from corners across the whole of football.
Whilst I generally agree with this, it would be nice if we could consistently deliver our corners into areas where something might happen instead of into the bollocks of the first man. And on a related point, can somebody explain to me what is the point of short corners
None of JFC's corners had any real pace on them, they beat the first man but were all of the high and loopy variety. When you watch someone like Chris Brunt take them, they come in with pace and dip.
Another issue is that most were from the left, and with him being a left footer, all were thus outswingers, we really need a right footer to deliver inswingers from that side, surely someone else can take them as well?
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
No good winning all these corners if we can't do a thing with them.
JFC’s delivery was consistently decent afternoon and one corner was headed just wide by Aribo and another was cleared off the line. Bristol just defended well and statistically very few goals are scored from corners across the whole of football.
Whilst I generally agree with this, it would be nice if we could consistently deliver our corners into areas where something might happen instead of into the bollocks of the first man. And on a related point, can somebody explain to me what is the point of short corners
The odds of scoring from a corner are so small, statistically your better off just keeping the ball in the attacking 3rd. We all love the giant center halves trundle up but it doesn't produce many goals.
If you watch barca, City etc they look to take short corners and quick free kicks where ever possible.
Wasn't at the game & kept in touch via Soccer Saturday & the CAFC twitter feed from Golfir Jnr.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
No good winning all these corners if we can't do a thing with them.
JFC’s delivery was consistently decent afternoon and one corner was headed just wide by Aribo and another was cleared off the line. Bristol just defended well and statistically very few goals are scored from corners across the whole of football.
Whilst I generally agree with this, it would be nice if we could consistently deliver our corners into areas where something might happen instead of into the bollocks of the first man. And on a related point, can somebody explain to me what is the point of short corners
The odds of scoring from a corner are so small, statistically your better off just keeping the ball in the attacking 3rd. We all love the giant center halves trundle up but it doesn't produce many goals.
If you watch barca, City etc they look to take short corners and quick free kicks where ever possible.
The stats are quite interesting.
Lasts season West Brom scored 15 out of their 41 goals from corners, but still scored from only 1 in 10 of them. A low percentage, but probably still higher than their open play scoring percentage!
Comments
Thought we were really poor in the first half, goal out of nothing from Reeves who was mom for me.
First time I’d seen Lewis Page play, who I thought was excellent.
Stephys body language before he came on was a bit languid and lackluster, maybe he’s always like that?
After the first half , happy to take a point, we have to be at it each game if we want to stay in the top 6, would be an amazing achievement if we did.
Roll on Wimbledon Tuesday night, can we get Bowyer on the pitch!
I don't get to many games as I live in Devon and run a Saturday morning youth side, but games on a Firday, Monday and a mad dash up the M5 yesterday meant I've got to watch three games in a row for the first time since I had a season ticket in the early noughties.
We definitely looked a bit leggy yesterday in comparison with last weekend and that could have been down to the pitch. It seemed to me that the grass was far too long, almost rugby length, which is ironic as Bristol dont play at the Mem any more. With another game on Tuesday I hope that Lee rings the changes and rests a few players. I'm also hoping he shows some tactical flexibility. I feel the upturn since hes taken charge is as much about the change in formation taking teams by surprise as it is about the freedom hes given the players and now that surprise factor is gone. We are in danger of becoming equally formulaic with 442 diamond as we were under Robinsons 4231. Mixing it up a bit, even using 4231 away from home wouldn't be a bad shout.
Right back is also an issue in this formation. I'm a big fan of Dijksteel, he was outstanding in the cup v Exeter earlier in the season and faultless v Northampton but it was evident on yesterdays showing that he's not got the confidence to beat his man in a 1 on 1 and with a diamond its vital that your full backs get forward and provide width. The difficult question though is who to put in instead as I think Konsa is similar.
The main thing I took from this game (and many others I hasten to add) is the lack of goals or meaningful threat from corners. I know this has been mentioned before but the common theme (that we even laughed about towards the end) is the following.....
" Charlton win a corner after attempt by Kaikai is deflected wide..............ball headed clear from (insert opposition name)"
11 corners I believe with what sounded like no real threat from any of them. wtf do they do in training all week ?? Players should be fit enough now so that running or stamina work isn't necessary from day-to-day & so set pieces should be practiced infinitum. We see it time & time again, JFC (or Fosu when playing) deliver weak efforts that do not clear the first defender or land straight with their keeper.
The play-off places could be decided by just one goal - snatching a draw when losing 1-0 at Pompey perhaps, or turning a 1-1 into a 2-1 win (which should perhaps have been the case yesterday)
Does my nut in.
Could destroy morale.....
Like many others I'm slightly disappointed at that result, was one of the more 'winnable' games on paper and a few results went our way, could have made a bit of a gap. Have to beat Wimbledon on Tuesday cause every game looks very hard now, apart from Scunthorpe who I'm expecting us to beat based on form. On to the next one
PWR .....
....because we only arrived home at 7.30pm following a horrendous rail journey back from Bath where we stayed overnight.
Wadhurst to Bath on Saturday morning ( despite our train being cancelled from Paddington ) - 3.5 hours
Bath Spa via Swindon today - 6 hours.
I promise NEVER AGAIN to titter when reading some of the "OTT" comments on the SE Rail thread. Honest !
I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by yesterday's performance although the rest of our gang felt it was a very respectable point gained. My expectations have clearly been elevated to ridiculously dizzy heights following 3 victories in a row...but I don't believe I'm alone.
That vital spark we've ignited since Robbo's departure appeared to have been doused somewhat yesterday afternoon - possibly by the murky drizzle that accompanied the game. Despite the best efforts of Reevesey ( who continues to impress Hard Hearted Hannah here), JFC & our latest captain, a stalwart indeed at the back, one of the main ingredients in the mix was sadly missing in action....
Not difficult to identify who.
Fingers, arms and legs crossed ( especially for the ladies making the trip on Tuesday night!) that his absence proves to be a short lived one as I believe his fitness could be the difference between making the POs and a disappointing end to our season.
6 weeks or so ago, we would have been pleased with the latest showing from the lads but Fanny craves more.....
I heard several murmurs in the away end echoing the thought that we should be satisfied with 4 points from the Rovers & AFCW matches, so I guess we are still on track. Whether Bow will twist or stick with his starting eleven remains to be seen but I should like to see Mavididi starting the next game, swapping his place on the bench with Kaikai. For me, the former deserves a start rather than the role of a possible game changer when he is finally introduced. His body language seems to indicate that he's less than happy to sit out the majority of a match but that's only my opinion.
So, the Final countdown continues, the pressure mounts, the finger nails disappear.
It's only 4 weeks to the POTY dinner !
Twas a lovely dry day.
Were you feeling drips of condensation in the magnificent South Stand?
Just skimmed some comments, echo what most gave said. Not a great performance but we came away with a point. Bristol made life very difficult for us, picking up from Rotherham in pressing us high up the pitch and always putting pressure on our defenders, and it lead to mistakes.
Jason Pearce made a terrible error for the goal, and almost got caught upfield in the second half getting sucked way out of position trying to win a ball he didn't have a prayer at. And the miss was bad. I've said all along I don't think his place should be assured. He had been better in recent weeks, in part because we've been able to defend deeper and he's definitely good at defending inside his own box. But when we need to chase games and press teams his lack of pace and ability on the ball, not to mention a positional sense that I'd at time ropey, can become a liability. I obviously am not in the dressing room and don't know what he's like as a leader, but in games where we want to press high I think Konsa or Sarr are the better options alongside Bauer. This was the case at the start of the season as well.
Reeves was pure class. Everything good we did came through him. You see why we waited to long for him. His technical ability and positioning are excellent, and he has a great knack for finding little pockets of space. He also had a knack for scoring important and/or difficult goals which we haven't seen much of this season, but his goal was excellent. Up against a packed defense defending in their own box we've really struggled, and the ability to score goals from 18-20 yards out when everyone is behind the ball is so key, and something we've lacked this season. Credit to him, put it through bodies on frame and good things happen.
Thought JFC was very good as per. He had such a lovely ability of taking the ball off the foot of forwards. Ditto Bauer. Kaikai looked much improved, drifted in and out a bit but he does his doggies and from that free floating position its natural that that player will drift in and out.
Beyond that, a lot of players who had off games on the same day. Some of that was down to Bristol making it hard for us. They were good at pressing, and then dropping deep when they didn't win the ball or cause a mistake. Aribo, Page, Dijksteel, Ajose all had off days. We lacked some patience on the ball in the first half especially. We want to try to counter quickly but Ajose had no joy and their center backs dealt with more direct balls well.
This kind of game happens. I take heart in the fact that despite causing our defense problems Bristol didn't have a lot of clear cut chances, and the goal they did score was a gift.
I think we saw a bit of fatigue start to set in potentially, so it will be interesting to see how Bowyer shuffles the pack for Tuesday. Expect DaSilva and Konsa to come in obviously, but also would expect Ajose to drop to the bench as he looked a bit jaded. He has not had a lot of football this season and he's now started four games in a row, so it's to be expected.
Still in the playoffs. Our destiny is still in our own hands. We've dropped points, now we need to go beat a tough Wimbledon side who will sit deep and look to kick lumps out of us.
I think the other thing that made that diamond work was Fosu having that free role. Without him, and with Mav struggling and Kaikai not being too well suited to that role, I think we lack someone who connects midfield and attack. I'd be tempted to go 4-3-3 on Tuesday night with Mav and either Kaikai or Marshall either side of Zyro. I think it will provide more natural width to stretch Wimbledon, especially if they play 3-5-2, and it will also give more cover to the fullbacks. That extra width could give Aribo and Reeves more space to play in, and it's not drastically different from 4-2-3-1, I'd just start Reeves and Aribo deep to give them more freedom and space to run in to.
I think we're still a ways off of being overly tactically rigid. I think yesterday wasn't good but I think it was in part a result of a lot of players having off days. But I think Tuesday is crucial, and the changes Bowyer makes will be really important.
Lots of teams use 4231 to very good effect when needed, I think back to 2005 when we had Kish and Smertin holding behind Murphy, Thomas, Rommedahl and Bent. The difference is when you're picking the team and tactics games in advance, no wonder you can't get anywhere.
when did we last score direct from a corner & how many have we it total this season compared to the number of corners gained. Considering you are talking about getting the ball crossed in from about 35 yards to 6 or 7 players congregated 10 yards in front of goal I would say a conversion rate of less than 1% not just poor but utterly abysmal.
And on a related point, can somebody explain to me what is the point of short corners
Another issue is that most were from the left, and with him being a left footer, all were thus outswingers, we really need a right footer to deliver inswingers from that side, surely someone else can take them as well?
If you watch barca, City etc they look to take short corners and quick free kicks where ever possible.
Lasts season West Brom scored 15 out of their 41 goals from corners, but still scored from only 1 in 10 of them. A low percentage, but probably still higher than their open play scoring percentage!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4491802/West-Brom-Premier-League-s-corner-kings.html