Bowyer figured out how to manage him. 20 mins per game is all he can do without breaking down.
Though the problem is when Aneke was brought in this time, the only other fit out and our striker we had was Washington, so we couldn’t really manage his minutes.
And this is why when this rumour first emerged that I mentioned about falling down a slippery slope and that I hoped we had another striker coming in. I know it’s easier said than done, and there might not have been the perfect option out there, but this is where a loan spot should have been used - and not on Nile John in a position where we already had enough options.
I hope lessons are learnt from this in the future.
Bowyer figured out how to manage him. 20 mins per game is all he can do without breaking down.
Though the problem is when Aneke was brought in this time, the only other fit out and our striker we had was Washington, so we couldn’t really manage his minutes.
And this is why when this rumour first emerged that I mentioned about falling down a slippery slope and that I hoped we had another striker coming in. I know it’s easier said than done, and there might not have been the perfect option out there, but this is where a loan spot should have been used - and not on Nile John in a position where we already had enough options.
I hope lessons are learnt from this in the future.
We missed out on Joe Pigot late in the window not sure Ipswich wanted to sell us two players
Chuks was a good signing, just not while Stockley was long-term injured. We really needed to use the Burstow money to bring in a fourth striker, then we could have had Washington, Chuks and another to make sure we were rotating. Leko hasn't played well since before Christmas sadly and is only getting worse and Burstow is useful as a young player to bring on but not to carry a team forward. Next season if everyone was actually fit we could line up with Stockley and (preferrably) a new fast striker, and be able to bring Chuks on to batter tired teams as the game wears on, and/or Washington to stretch them. It's a nice idea but when do we ever have our players fit?
Chuks was a good signing, just not while Stockley was long-term injured. We really needed to use the Burstow money to bring in a fourth striker, then we could have had Washington, Chuks and another to make sure we were rotating. Leko hasn't played well since before Christmas sadly and is only getting worse and Burstow is useful as a young player to bring on but not to carry a team forward. Next season if everyone was actually fit we could line up with Stockley and (preferrably) a new fast striker, and be able to bring Chuks on to batter tired teams as the game wears on, and/or Washington to stretch them. It's a nice idea but when do we ever have our players fit?
I’m also trying to determine if Stockley and Aneke are a partnership that could play together? I don’t have an opinion either way at this stage. Just curious
Chuks was a good signing, just not while Stockley was long-term injured. We really needed to use the Burstow money to bring in a fourth striker, then we could have had Washington, Chuks and another to make sure we were rotating. Leko hasn't played well since before Christmas sadly and is only getting worse and Burstow is useful as a young player to bring on but not to carry a team forward. Next season if everyone was actually fit we could line up with Stockley and (preferrably) a new fast striker, and be able to bring Chuks on to batter tired teams as the game wears on, and/or Washington to stretch them. It's a nice idea but when do we ever have our players fit?
I’m also trying to determine if Stockley and Aneke are a partnership that could play together? I don’t have an opinion either way at this stage. Just curious
I remember a game last season where the ball was played forward in by Gilbey, Aneke chested it down and Stockley smashed it in (roles may have been reversed, the memory is cloudy and they look so similar).
Chuks was a good signing, just not while Stockley was long-term injured. We really needed to use the Burstow money to bring in a fourth striker, then we could have had Washington, Chuks and another to make sure we were rotating. Leko hasn't played well since before Christmas sadly and is only getting worse and Burstow is useful as a young player to bring on but not to carry a team forward. Next season if everyone was actually fit we could line up with Stockley and (preferrably) a new fast striker, and be able to bring Chuks on to batter tired teams as the game wears on, and/or Washington to stretch them. It's a nice idea but when do we ever have our players fit?
I’m also trying to determine if Stockley and Aneke are a partnership that could play together? I don’t have an opinion either way at this stage. Just curious
Potentially, depending on how we set up. The great thing about Aneke is he isn't just a target man. He's massive but he's also a really good dribbler. He can play the hold up role if he's alongside a faster player or he can be more mobile if he's next to Groot. The problem will always be his availability which is why you ideally need 5 strikers if he's going to be one of them
Bowyer figured out how to manage him. 20 mins per game is all he can do without breaking down.
Bowyer is no mug, flog Chucks back to us, free up the wage bill and then bring in Taylor.
Our recruitment team are still pulling their pants back up.
Whatever we think of Taylor given how we left us, I’d kill to have his talent back in the team. He wasn’t just a great forward, he was a talisman as well. When he was out injured the season in the championship, the lift the team got when he came back, got a brace against Luton. What he does so well which none of our forwards can do, is drift out wide, pick the ball up on the wing, put in a proper decent cross because as a forward he knows where he wants the ball, and because he’s drifted out wide, it’s created space for midfielders to make late runs.
How often do you see our current creative/attacking midfielders make late runs into the box. I can’t think of anything Lee, Morgan or Gilbey has got on the end of this season, other than Morgan’s goal the other week against Fleetwood. Both tend to pick up the ball in the middle, or at the start of the final third, with lots of players to beat and you have to be very good to fashion chances that way.
It’s this dynamism and spark which is why I get so riled up when I see people making excuses for these players. That’s the sort of ability that gets you promoted. Nothing less. I think a lot of what we have with this team when we say, they’ll come good with better players around them, is misguided hope. It’s frustrating
Bowyer figured out how to manage him. 20 mins per game is all he can do without breaking down.
Bowyer is no mug, flog Chucks back to us, free up the wage bill and then bring in Taylor.
Our recruitment team are still pulling their pants back up.
Whatever we think of Taylor given how we left us, I’d kill to have his talent back in the team. He wasn’t just a great forward, he was a talisman as well. When he was out injured the season in the championship, the lift the team got when he came back, got a brace against Luton. What he does so well which none of our forwards can do, is drift out wide, pick the ball up on the wing, put in a proper decent cross because as a forward he knows where he wants the ball, and because he’s drifted out wide, it’s created space for midfielders to make late runs.
How often do you see our current creative/attacking midfielders make late runs into the box. I can’t think of anything Lee, Morgan or Gilbey has got on the end of this season, other than Morgan’s goal the other week against Fleetwood. Both tend to pick up the ball in the middle, or at the start of the final third, with lots of players to beat and you have to be very good to fashion chances that way.
It’s this dynamism and spark which is why I get so riled up when I see people making excuses for these players. That’s the sort of ability that gets you promoted. Nothing less. I think a lot of what we have with this team when we say, they’ll come good with better players around them, is misguided hope. It’s frustrating
100% cabbs.
I have said before from watching the highlights on Quest how poor we look compared to others. I watch all the games on the show so this includes all of Leagues One & Two so forget Taylor in the Championship for the moment.
You see lovely flowing moves, forwards pulling defenders away as you have said, midfielders making surging runs and goals from well outside the box, some stunners as well. We do none of this and never have done even with a full side without injuries.
I watch MK Dons playing out from the back last night, some instances it was 15 plus passes and the away fans were giving it the "Ole's" Yet when we play out from the back after 4 or 5 fumbled uninspired passes we give up possession or the ball goes out of play.
The players we have will "not come good" because they are bang average.
Bowyer figured out how to manage him. 20 mins per game is all he can do without breaking down.
Bowyer is no mug, flog Chucks back to us, free up the wage bill and then bring in Taylor.
Our recruitment team are still pulling their pants back up.
Whatever we think of Taylor given how we left us, I’d kill to have his talent back in the team. He wasn’t just a great forward, he was a talisman as well. When he was out injured the season in the championship, the lift the team got when he came back, got a brace against Luton. What he does so well which none of our forwards can do, is drift out wide, pick the ball up on the wing, put in a proper decent cross because as a forward he knows where he wants the ball, and because he’s drifted out wide, it’s created space for midfielders to make late runs.
How often do you see our current creative/attacking midfielders make late runs into the box. I can’t think of anything Lee, Morgan or Gilbey has got on the end of this season, other than Morgan’s goal the other week against Fleetwood. Both tend to pick up the ball in the middle, or at the start of the final third, with lots of players to beat and you have to be very good to fashion chances that way.
It’s this dynamism and spark which is why I get so riled up when I see people making excuses for these players. That’s the sort of ability that gets you promoted. Nothing less. I think a lot of what we have with this team when we say, they’ll come good with better players around them, is misguided hope. It’s frustrating
100% cabbs.
I have said before from watching the highlights on Quest how poor we look compared to others. I watch all the games on the show so this includes all of Leagues One & Two so forget Taylor in the Championship for the moment.
You see lovely flowing moves, forwards pulling defenders away as you have said, midfielders making surging runs and goals from well outside the box, some stunners as well. We do none of this and never have done even with a full side without injuries.
I watch MK Dons playing out from the back last night, some instances it was 15 plus passes and the away fans were giving it the "Ole's" Yet when we play out from the back after 4 or 5 fumbled uninspired passes we give up possession or the ball goes out of play.
The players we have will "not come good" because they are bang average.
It’s totally how I see it. And it’s fueling my exasperation on here. I need to be more respectful that’s it’s all perspective and opinion, I just can’t see how anyone can look at maybe any of the other players bar Dobson, and think, yes, we need them.
MK Dons and Oxford both came with different styles, Oxford much more dynamic and clinical, but MK Dons possession based, crafting chances with short passing. We have to take into consideration having no forwards, but everything we do at the moment looks stale, static and painful. I see zero creativity with Morgan, Lee and Gilbey. What’s their collective goals scored record now I wonder. I think Morgan has 1, Gilbey 2 and Lee 3 or 4. That’s probably with 60 games between them this season.
This has been reported today within JJ`s weekly press conference - "But Jackson added that Chuks Aneke is “still a number of weeks” from a first-team return."
Does anyone know the extent of the injury(ies) keeping Chucks out?
This is such depressing news bearing in mind we desparately need him back to strengthen our depleted attack.
The only way to use Chuks is like Bowyer did; the last 30/20 mins of each game.
Would obviously rather he starts, but physically he's not up to it. Better to have Chuks on the bench ready for that 30 min cameo each game the whole season, rather than using him for 5 full games and him inevitably being out for another 3 months.
I said when we resigned him for £300k it was bad business (don't believe me - look at my earlier comments on this thread!). And lets just say one or two people disagreed.
It now looks very bad business, particularly given his 3.5 year contract.
It would be interesting to know if this current injury was caused by him playing 90 minutes in a couple of games when he first come back. And if it was suspected his body wouldn't be able to cope, why on earth did we do it?
I know there was great need on here to replace Aneke over the summer, and it has been felt a lot over the season.
But always felt we needed to find a second Stockley, rather than replace Aneke
I think either is fine, but only when Stockley is fit.
If Stockley hadn't ben injured and we were bringing Aneke on for 20/30 minutes, it would be fine. With Stockley injured and Aneke having to start, it's no surprise it's gone to pot.
I do think that we have been influenced by what Aneke is capable of doing rather than, historically, he has done and because of one or two good seasons at this level (primarily as a super sub for us). This is his full goal scoring record/appearances, season by season, as a pro:
That's 75 league goals in 11 seasons as a pro from 289 appearances. In the Belgium's Pro League it was 4 goals in 41 appearances and in the Championship it has been 3 in 38 so, from 7 goals in total from 79 appearances at a level higher than League 1, it is safe to say that he might well have not been a roaring success in that division next season even if we had been promoted at the end of this one.
Bowyer couldn't wait to get rid of Aneke and started him for just one of his 18 appearances at Birmingham and as I've said numerous times previously I really could not understand why he signed him for them in the first place. Bowyer was the very person who kept telling us he couldn't start games for us but must have thought that he would still been an impact sub and he was on a "free".
It's not as if we weren't aware of Aneke's issues either though he did, actually, go straight into the starting line up when he came back to us - for the first time in ages. But now he's out again and we are straddled with not being able to rely on not just one of our main two strikers but, probably, one of the highest paid players in the Club who is on a three and a half year contract.
It really does smack a bit like a £300,000 (plus wages) gamble in January to get us into the Play Offs that has, unfortunately, somewhat backfired. Every player has his ceiling and I believe League 1 is his but the hope has to be that he returns next season all guns blazing and that he produces a season similar to his last one with us at this level. It is that issue with having to manage his game time and ensuring that he stays fit that will be the one that will need to be addressed - once again. But those issues also mean that we have to carry that one extra striker. Just in case and of course those injuries impact even further when, as we have now, another one or two are out at the same time.
I hope for his as much as ours that Aneke finds a way of staying available for selection because, if he does, he will, almost certainly, be an asset and not a financial liability. But he remains very much a relatively expensive gamble.
Comments
And this is why when this rumour first emerged that I mentioned about falling down a slippery slope and that I hoped we had another striker coming in. I know it’s easier said than done, and there might not have been the perfect option out there, but this is where a loan spot should have been used - and not on Nile John in a position where we already had enough options.
Sums up the shambles that is CAFC.
He's started 18 league games in the last 2.5 seasons. A 3.5-year deal was madness.
How often do you see our current creative/attacking midfielders make late runs into the box. I can’t think of anything Lee, Morgan or Gilbey has got on the end of this season, other than Morgan’s goal the other week against Fleetwood. Both tend to pick up the ball in the middle, or at the start of the final third, with lots of players to beat and you have to be very good to fashion chances that way.
I have said before from watching the highlights on Quest how poor we look compared to others. I watch all the games on the show so this includes all of Leagues One & Two so forget Taylor in the Championship for the moment.
You see lovely flowing moves, forwards pulling defenders away as you have said, midfielders making surging runs and goals from well outside the box, some stunners as well. We do none of this and never have done even with a full side without injuries.
I watch MK Dons playing out from the back last night, some instances it was 15 plus passes and the away fans were giving it the "Ole's" Yet when we play out from the back after 4 or 5 fumbled uninspired passes we give up possession or the ball goes out of play.
The players we have will "not come good" because they are bang average.
Does anyone know the extent of the injury(ies) keeping Chucks out?
This is such depressing news bearing in mind we desparately need him back to strengthen our depleted attack.
He is a good player - but only when he plays.
Would obviously rather he starts, but physically he's not up to it. Better to have Chuks on the bench ready for that 30 min cameo each game the whole season, rather than using him for 5 full games and him inevitably being out for another 3 months.
It now looks very bad business, particularly given his 3.5 year contract.
It would be interesting to know if this current injury was caused by him playing 90 minutes in a couple of games when he first come back. And if it was suspected his body wouldn't be able to cope, why on earth did we do it?
But always felt we needed to find a second Stockley, rather than replace Aneke
If Stockley hadn't ben injured and we were bringing Aneke on for 20/30 minutes, it would be fine. With Stockley injured and Aneke having to start, it's no surprise it's gone to pot.
1/13 (L1)
6/30 (L1)
14/40 (L1)
2/30 (Belgium)
2/11 (Belgium)
4/15 (L2)
9/31 (L1)
17/38 (L2)
1/20 (Championship)
15/38 (L1)
4/23 (Championship/L1)
That's 75 league goals in 11 seasons as a pro from 289 appearances. In the Belgium's Pro League it was 4 goals in 41 appearances and in the Championship it has been 3 in 38 so, from 7 goals in total from 79 appearances at a level higher than League 1, it is safe to say that he might well have not been a roaring success in that division next season even if we had been promoted at the end of this one.
Bowyer couldn't wait to get rid of Aneke and started him for just one of his 18 appearances at Birmingham and as I've said numerous times previously I really could not understand why he signed him for them in the first place. Bowyer was the very person who kept telling us he couldn't start games for us but must have thought that he would still been an impact sub and he was on a "free".
It's not as if we weren't aware of Aneke's issues either though he did, actually, go straight into the starting line up when he came back to us - for the first time in ages. But now he's out again and we are straddled with not being able to rely on not just one of our main two strikers but, probably, one of the highest paid players in the Club who is on a three and a half year contract.
It really does smack a bit like a £300,000 (plus wages) gamble in January to get us into the Play Offs that has, unfortunately, somewhat backfired. Every player has his ceiling and I believe League 1 is his but the hope has to be that he returns next season all guns blazing and that he produces a season similar to his last one with us at this level. It is that issue with having to manage his game time and ensuring that he stays fit that will be the one that will need to be addressed - once again. But those issues also mean that we have to carry that one extra striker. Just in case and of course those injuries impact even further when, as we have now, another one or two are out at the same time.
I hope for his as much as ours that Aneke finds a way of staying available for selection because, if he does, he will, almost certainly, be an asset and not a financial liability. But he remains very much a relatively expensive gamble.
Now everybody's gone quiet as his injury is more than just a niggle. What a Charlton story.