My Dad once described Steve Brown as "having the turning circle of the Ark Royal". If we are turning things around, it seems to happening at a similar pace, and we're going to need to go some once we have to achieve a respectable finish by the looks of things.
Hard to think of a way to describe Pearce when in possession - I'm just waiting for him to fall over or make yet another backpass to our keeper.
Excellent performance in the end apart from a shaky 10 mins first half ..we got ourselves back into the game and second half deserved three points … the old men Pearce and Watson outstanding .. MOM was Matthews who had his hands full but was excellent today …
I wondered if holding Blackett-Taylor back was a deliberate ploy so he could terrorise a knackered defender rather than a fresh one. If that was the case though I'd like to have seen him get at least half an hour, not ten minutes.
Generally, there was just enough in that performance to give some hope we can improve. There are though 3 or 4 players in that team that seem like they've reached the end of their useful playing careers (at least at this level).
Team is desperately low on confidence, I hope that twice coming from behind can help boost that. I've got concerns about Adkins happy clappy approach though. That's fine when everything is going well, but clearly it isn't.
Thought the crowd was really good in the second half. Which is a contrast to the first. I timed the first boo at 9 minutes. To be fair, there was a lot of dithery shit going on at the time with Soare and Pearce, but 9 minutes, really? It's as if some fans would like nothing more than to destroy their own players. As for chanting "we're fucking shit", we'll I'm sorry but that's fucking shit.
It’s our defensive midfield which continues to let us down as we get carved open too easily. At least we didn’t lose (who wants to say that?) but all of this goes so against all of our expectations before the season began. I really thought we were going to go for promotion. Anyway the jury is still out regarding Adkins.Perhaps it does just need more time to get the players to play together and as a team. I don’t think Stockley should be starting.
Excellent performance in the end apart from a shaky 10 mins first half ..we got ourselves back into the game and second half deserved three points … the old men Pearce and Watson outstanding .. MOM was Matthews who had his hands full but was excellent today …
Never in my entire life have i seen someone see a game of football the way you do.
Better result than most games this season but the same issues.
- opposition press us and we’re uncomfortable passing out from the back
- we don’t know how or can’t press the opposition effectively
- the balance of our central midfield still isn’t right
- when we go long Stockley is easily dealt with. When he wins the ball or a set piece it rarely leads to anything
- our corners and free kicks weren’t good enough, other than the goal they didn’t cause any problems
- all of the above and the constant changes in the starting 11 and with formations continues to suggest Adkins isn’t developing a style of play
On the positives
- we have several exciting attacking midfielders/wingers, Leko, Lee and CBT deserving to start with hopefully more to come from Kirk and DJ at some point this season
- Davison may surprise us this season, he’s more mobile than Stockley and that improves us, we’re less predictable. Teams know what Stockley can and can’t do, and being an old fashioned target man he doesn’t have the pace to play another way
Despite plenty of options I hope we’re looking at central midfield for January. Too many players appear to be young and inconsistent or older and lacking legs and possibly hunger.
Need to improve RB too. To go up you need a good base of players who will make the step up, neither Matthews or Gunter will do that. Left back isn’t much better but Souare may need time to build up his fitness and Purrington is a bit more solid.
Have to look at LCB as well, Pearce shouldn’t be more than cover while I’m not convinced about Famewo in a team looking to play from the back. To progress we need to be capable of that even if we’re not a pure possession team.
Today’s result isn’t enough even if it’s an improvement. It keeps NA in his job but I can’t see him being the manager to take us up. He’s now desperately trying to find a magic formula to get results. By now we should have clear signs of a style of play even if we’re not quite getting the results.
On paper the stats show a similar number of shots, but most of ours were ones a keeper should be saving rather than quality chances.
Portsmouth will be disappointed not to win that and looked much more comfortable in possession. I can’t see Adkins getting us playing with that confidence and belief on the ball, or press as effectively. This isn’t a budget issue, we’ve spent plenty on fees for this level and our loans likely aren’t cheap. Everyone seems to pass and press better than us whether we’re playing Pompey or Cheltenham. I’m at the point where I have no problem missing a game if I have the chance to do something else.
As always on the money. Completely pissed off with this season
Thought we nicked 2 points from Pompey today, I'm sure they're furious.
Once again we seem to be devoid of energy in the middle, Watson really has had his day and should be relegated to bit part player. Perhaps time to try Clare and Dobson again.
There is a scintilla of hope though. We have decent players within the squad, just need someone to organise them - someone like a manager.
Better result than most games this season but the same issues.
- opposition press us and we’re uncomfortable passing out from the back
- we don’t know how or can’t press the opposition effectively
- the balance of our central midfield still isn’t right
- when we go long Stockley is easily dealt with. When he wins the ball or a set piece it rarely leads to anything
- our corners and free kicks weren’t good enough, other than the goal they didn’t cause any problems
- all of the above and the constant changes in the starting 11 and with formations continues to suggest Adkins isn’t developing a style of play
On the positives
- we have several exciting attacking midfielders/wingers, Leko, Lee and CBT deserving to start with hopefully more to come from Kirk and DJ at some point this season
- Davison may surprise us this season, he’s more mobile than Stockley and that improves us, we’re less predictable. Teams know what Stockley can and can’t do, and being an old fashioned target man he doesn’t have the pace to play another way
Despite plenty of options I hope we’re looking at central midfield for January. Too many players appear to be young and inconsistent or older and lacking legs and possibly hunger.
Need to improve RB too. To go up you need a good base of players who will make the step up, neither Matthews or Gunter will do that. Left back isn’t much better but Souare may need time to build up his fitness and Purrington is a bit more solid.
Have to look at LCB as well, Pearce shouldn’t be more than cover while I’m not convinced about Famewo in a team looking to play from the back. To progress we need to be capable of that even if we’re not a pure possession team.
Today’s result isn’t enough even if it’s an improvement. It keeps NA in his job but I can’t see him being the manager to take us up. He’s now desperately trying to find a magic formula to get results. By now we should have clear signs of a style of play even if we’re not quite getting the results.
On paper the stats show a similar number of shots, but most of ours were ones a keeper should be saving rather than quality chances.
Portsmouth will be disappointed not to win that and looked much more comfortable in possession. I can’t see Adkins getting us playing with that confidence and belief on the ball, or press as effectively. This isn’t a budget issue, we’ve spent plenty on fees for this level and our loans likely aren’t cheap. Everyone seems to pass and press better than us whether we’re playing Pompey or Cheltenham. I’m at the point where I have no problem missing a game if I have the chance to do something else.
We're maxed out on squad numbers as it is, with JFC not included. No way we will bring in a 3rd RB or another left sided CB, such changes won't happen until next summer
A bit farcical when 2 of the players we've spent decent (for L1) money on can't get in the side. As Curbs said on Charlton TV earlier, we now have 2 sides, which sounds great but isn't if you end up with 22 average players instead of 16 good ones and 6 backup players
I was more hoping we’d be able to move some of them on but I agree it’s unlikely and will likely mean waiting until the summer. Most likely way we’ll bring some in is probably if a loanee picks up a long term injury or isn’t working out we send them back and sign a replacement.
Excellent performance in the end apart from a shaky 10 mins first half ..we got ourselves back into the game and second half deserved three points … the old men Pearce and Watson outstanding .. MOM was Matthews who had his hands full but was excellent today …
You're not the real Colin, the real Colin would've blamed everything on the ref
He did! True to form he gave him 2 in the players marks thread and Matthews a 9 for man of the match, so no question of mistaken identity here 🤣.
Fucking play Blackett-Taylor from the start & dont have Watson near the team again. Clare looked excellent coming forward & at least he knows how to finish.
Off now to do tea & then to watch Europe capitulate even further in the Ryder Cup
Thought we nicked 2 points from Pompey today, I'm sure they're furious.
Once again we seem to be devoid of energy in the middle, Watson really has had his day and should be relegated to bit part player. Perhaps time to try Clare and Dobson again.
There is a scintilla of hope though. We have decent players within the squad, just need someone to organise them - someone like a manager.
I think a good manager could sort the formation out and work out the best 11.
Should have lost, Pompey missed 2 or 3 sitters and should have been out of sight before we got a look-in. Trouble is the draw might have bought Adkins more time, we will probably draw on Tuesday too.
What are people's thoughts on Watson? He just seems to be taking up a space in the side for me
But whose space? Everyone else we've played in that midfield ticking-the-ball-over role has been worse than him. I know he's not ideal but who's better? (FREE JAMES VENNINGS yes I know lol)
If Marquis had been any type of a striker we would have been 3 adrift at half time, Pearce couldn't control a bag of cement. CBT should have been brought on at 70mins and seen if he could play the ball to Stockleys feet, however pleased for Davison and his goal. Clare's goal was well taken, BUT Adkins out .... JJ/Euell... New Curbs and Gritt.
"The players" are more than capable of getting a result against Portsmouth and probably the majority of this shite league, as individuals that is,.. the problem starts when they are put together on the pitch, and that switches the problem to Nige,JJ and Jason, and work on the training pitch, because when it comes to the match itself, we have no clear plan who the opposition is or how to play them. What is the golden rule,...do your homework prior to the match, not during it ffs..
Matthews had a good game. He was not at fault for first goal. No cover from Leko. Matthews had two players, he could not commit to either as the pass would be to the other player. stockley never going to score 20+ but then no one else is.
Matthews had a good game. He was not at fault for first goal. No cover from Leko. Matthews had two players, he could not commit to either as the pass would be to the other player. stockley never going to score 20+ but then no one else is.
I’m with SELR, we never deserved to win could have been 0-3 at HT.
Equally it could’ve been 1-1 at HT without a couple of their keepers saves. Did Pompey deserve their half time lead? On balance, yes they did.
By full time, a draw was the right result.
If Portsmouth didn't have Marquis up front they would have won 3-1.
Ok but they did and Marquis is bad. If we had Cristiano Ronaldo up front we’d probably be top of the league.
Pompey are bad, we are bad. They had chances, we had chances. A draw was fair. I think to say we should’ve won is crazy but equally would’ve been an unfair result had we lost.
Pompey fans I was talking to after the game seemed to think they’d be below us at the end of the season, not that they were predicting we be that high up the table.
Comments
The potential is there but not, IMHO being realised.
Pleased for Clare, think he got too quickly blamed and written off after the poor team start.
CBT everything you need in a winger. Did anyone see how he reacted to Davison's goal. Told he didn't celebrate?
Arter disappointed, Souare improving, Lee and Gilbey give us legs.
At least coming from behind (behave) shows some spirit
Still not good enough to win a game and who knows what the XI or XVIII will be on Tuesday.
Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating
Generally, there was just enough in that performance to give some hope we can improve. There are though 3 or 4 players in that team that seem like they've reached the end of their useful playing careers (at least at this level).
Team is desperately low on confidence, I hope that twice coming from behind can help boost that. I've got concerns about Adkins happy clappy approach though. That's fine when everything is going well, but clearly it isn't.
Thought the crowd was really good in the second half. Which is a contrast to the first. I timed the first boo at 9 minutes. To be fair, there was a lot of dithery shit going on at the time with Soare and Pearce, but 9 minutes, really? It's as if some fans would like nothing more than to destroy their own players. As for chanting "we're fucking shit", we'll I'm sorry but that's fucking shit.
Once again we seem to be devoid of energy in the middle, Watson really has had his day and should be relegated to bit part player. Perhaps time to try Clare and Dobson again.
There is a scintilla of hope though. We have decent players within the squad, just need someone to organise them - someone like a manager.
Fucking play Blackett-Taylor from the start & dont have Watson near the team again. Clare looked excellent coming forward & at least he knows how to finish.
Off now to do tea & then to watch Europe capitulate even further in the Ryder Cup
CBT should have been brought on at 70mins and seen if he could play the ball to Stockleys feet, however pleased for Davison and his goal. Clare's goal was well taken, BUT Adkins out .... JJ/Euell... New Curbs and Gritt.
What is the golden rule,...do your homework prior to the match, not during it ffs..
stockley never going to score 20+ but then no one else is.
Pompey are bad, we are bad. They had chances, we had chances. A draw was fair. I think to say we should’ve won is crazy but equally would’ve been an unfair result had we lost.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/nigel-adkins-explains-how-change-of-shape-helped-charlton-recover-from-early-setback-against-portsmouth/