Strange game where despite there being chances for both sides and the usual CBT direct play it wasn't a good watch, our two goals sum it up perfectly.
First half was as poor as ever but we had chances which probably overshadow the complete lack of quality from both sides. Cambridge looked better than us at times even at simple things which...is a worry. Our almost full strength starting 11 failed to make much of an impression in the first half in what was largely Cambridge reserves, just sums up the whole season really, players, coaching and the powers above need a wake up call throughout the close season as there just isn't anything happening...all just very meh. They edged the first half.
Our game plan and style is, "Give it to Blackett-Taylor"
Second half, we were the better side and two awful gifted goals make it a "solid away win" but, not really.
Gilbey, sigh, can't defend him anymore, Morgan wasn't much better. Stockley will look championship one minute then look like he should be carting people up the Andes at others, 13 league goals in 30 something appearances this season, oddly enough he probably could get to 20 in an injury free season, strange player.
Highlights, CBT as always, Wes Hoolahan strolling through our midfield on his way to pick up his pension like it wasn't there and the absolute piss taking that flooded the match thread which has been the only thing keeping me going through the last games.
10's all round in the players marks for the slayers of Cambridge!
Was at the game - superb noisy support and no lack of effort from the players. CBT dangerous. Despite all the doom and gloom it was a fun night out in Cambridge
Morgan is our scapegoat. I'd rather have him than Gilbey. However, two centre halves, another central midfielder, a goal scoring, quick centre forward, a right wing back minimum to even dream of promotion.
Stockley, Aneke, Washington + 1 can score 50 goals between them next year. That will be enough if we can add 20 goals from all over the park.
And stop shipping 2 goals a game.
Yes Stockley has his downsides but he does (or Aneke) give us a central point to play off.
You would hope JFC, Fraser and Dobson have enough quality to consistently add balance in midfield.
The loans have to be far better than they have been.
The 5 or 6 new signings need to be first choice players. I think the keeper will improve with a more regular back 3 / 4 in front of him.
Every time I watch our match highlights I am reminded of the Keystone cops.
What the hell is Mackeeper playing at? Her looks like someone invited on for the crossbar challenge who forgot to leave the pitch after he missed by 3 metres.
Deserved win. Stockley moans like stink when he doesn't get it on a plate, then sticks it foot wide when he does...
Except the 18 times he hasn’t put it wide. Lots of problems in this squad but Stockley isn’t one of them and demanding quality from the cart horses around him is fine by me.
Dreadful game. Lucky not to be at least 2 down at half time as the usual defensive frailties were on display.
Marginally better second half. Again the only stand out player was CBT. What happens when teams work out how heavily we rely on him and double up?
Lets not big this up too much. Cambridge made a number of changes and at least two of their main men were on the bench and they played their second choice keeper.
Gilbey needs to be taken out of the team for his own good. He seems completely lost at the moment. Stockley is starting to get on my nerves. Spends most of the 90 mins moaning and when he does finally get a chance put on a plate for him he misses.
Still not seeing anything to suggest that this formation will ever "work" or that 80% of this team are anywhere near the levels required for a promotion challenge.
Both goals had huge slices of luck attached and I am pretty sure VAR would have ruled out the second goal as Washington looked offside to me.
Would be nice to get Phil Chappell back involved as he seems really knowledgeable and talks really well.
Why were we lucky not to be two down at half time? Cambridge didn't have a shot on target until the 80 something minute.
in the first half, bt should have done better when through on goal and Pearce was pulled back for his header from the resulting corner. That could have been 0-2 Charlton.
I agree that a large percentage of this squad needs to be moved on and appreciate that this is one of the poorest Charla teams ever. But we won and deserved it, we had the better chances and scored more goals.
Not really, because if BT had scored when through on goal we wouldn’t have had the corner. Could have been 1-0 Charlton.
Btw, good to see Morgan improving in the second half, but he was pretty poor in the first.
Stockley, Aneke, Washington + 1 can score 50 goals between them next year. That will be enough if we can add 20 goals from all over the park.
Deja Vu. This exact same thing was said this time last year......there's even a thread about it. We will have to change the entire midfield if you want 5 or 6 goals from each of them. None of them know where the goal is & none of them even look like shooting given half a chance (apart from CBT).
I'm not holding my breath to see what transfer dealings transpire over the next 3 months.
Morgan is our scapegoat. I'd rather have him than Gilbey. However, two centre halves, another central midfielder, a goal scoring, quick centre forward, a right wing back minimum to even dream of promotion.
Stockley, Aneke, Washington + 1 can score 50 goals between them next year. That will be enough if we can add 20 goals from all over the park.
And stop shipping 2 goals a game.
Yes Stockley has his downsides but he does (or Aneke) give us a central point to play off.
You would hope JFC, Fraser and Dobson have enough quality to consistently add balance in midfield.
The loans have to be far better than they have been.
The 5 or 6 new signings need to be first choice players. I think the keeper will improve with a more regular back 3 / 4 in front of him.
If we can't defend better we won't challenge for anything - we gift too many soft goals. Our midfield doesn't seem great defensively or in attack.
Quit beating around the bush Daz and ask Morgan to move in with you.
I share the FotMob and WhoScored ratings after each game now, not because I agree or disagree with them, but because they offer an unbiased review of our performance.
FWIW I think Albie was over-scored by at least a full mark on each of them this week.
Quit beating around the bush Daz and ask Morgan to move in with you.
I share the FotMob and WhoScored ratings after each game now, not because I agree or disagree with them, but because they offer an unbiased review of our performance.
FWIW I think Albie was over-scored by at least a full mark on each of them this week.
Aren’t they based on stats rather than someone watching the game?
Quit beating around the bush Daz and ask Morgan to move in with you.
I share the FotMob and WhoScored ratings after each game now, not because I agree or disagree with them, but because they offer an unbiased review of our performance.
FWIW I think Albie was over-scored by at least a full mark on each of them this week.
Aren’t they based on stats rather than someone watching the game?
That’s what I was going to say. I find them interesting but never a true appraisal of a player’s performance. It will be purely based on someone tracking the game tapping buttons and then a stats model behind that generating a mark
taken from whoscored
Ratings**
Player ratings are based on each event recorded in the game calculated live automatically using our own algorithms, which comprise of over 200 raw statistics. All events are valued based on a researched perception of the effect on the outcome of the match. Positive events are valued against negative events.
Characters**
Team/Player characters are calculated relative to the league averages for certain team/player statistics. Some statistics are combined, e.g. ‘Stealing the ball', which equates to a combination of tackles and interceptions completed. In terms of player characters, we look at the average figures of the player performances of those who have played in the same positions to calculate strengths, weaknesses and styles.
Quit beating around the bush Daz and ask Morgan to move in with you.
I share the FotMob and WhoScored ratings after each game now, not because I agree or disagree with them, but because they offer an unbiased review of our performance.
FWIW I think Albie was over-scored by at least a full mark on each of them this week.
Aren’t they based on stats rather than someone watching the game?
Yeah, they are just based on things like pass completion, tackle completion, dribble completion, assists, goals, etc.
Mentioned it on the match thread, but what is that dreadful new chant that the drummer and his mates are trying to get going. Non-league wannabe 'ultra' stuff
Mentioned it on the match thread, but what is that dreadful new chant that the drummer and his mates are trying to get going. Non-league wannabe 'ultra' stuff
What was that? I don't recall any new chants last night (certainly nothing caught on)
Watched on the stream and I thought it was a pretty scrappy, low quality and disjointed sort of game. Cambridge played the better football in the first half and had the better and more controlled possession in the final third. They had two very good opportunities early on but put them both just wide. As ever, Blackett-Taylor was our only real threat, with a lot of long balls and a lack of any meaningful combination play in midfield.
Charlton were better in the second half - they could hardly have been worse after the first 45 - and although the two goals were fortunate deflections, we created a few other decent opportunities for Stockley, Washington and Gilbey.
I thought we defended pretty well, with the exception of MacGillivray, who looked shaky throughout, culminating in his extraordinary spillage of a pea roller in the second half. Fortunately, Pearcey - who played well tonight - was on hand to bale our hapless goalie out. I really hope that Maynard-Brewer performs and takes the shirt next season.
We were very poor in midfield in the first half, including, most unusually, Dobbo. He picked up in the second half, as did Morgan, although it was another weak, at time bordering on atrocious, performance from Gilbey, despite a couple of passable efforts on goal towards the end.
The front players were ok and were obviously more threatening when they had some service in the second half, as we began to string some passes together and Blackett-Taylor continued to torment the Cambridge defence.
An uneven performance but a good 3 points on the road. It even holds out the possibility of moving into the top half of the table, although we all know that this side is a long way short of where it needs to be if we are going to mount a credible challenge next season.
We need to offload CM and bring in another first choice keeper . Relying on him and a totally unproven AMB would be madness
Id say AMB has proved with Ross County that he is capable and with respect we are league 1, this is the level where he gets his chance.
Mac has good points there is no doubt but to me, his confidence looks shot and that makes him a liability.
First goal is probably our biggest issue from an attacking threat. Slowed it down and we had almost 5 players in front of the ball being easily marked. Crying out for someone to hold their position on the edge of the box and make the late run (I.e Dobson against Rotherham) and give the option for them. Morgan unnecessarily got in front of the ball which is a youth team like error.
I really hope Famewo is not with us next season - his first instinct is always to slow things down and then pass backwards. It's not really his fault but having Stockley in the team means we are inclined to play boring hoofball. He also moans too much.
A messy end of season game. Phil Chapple read it right at half time that Cambridge might fade due to the numbers of changes in their team.
Both goals were flukes although CBT deserved something from his direct attacking play. Along with Dobson, he is the bright spark of hope to come out of this season. He gave the young right back a torrid time in the first half until Cambridge put a midfielder back to cover the inside and allow the full back to commit. Inexplicably, in the second half, the midfielder pushed forward leaving the full back exposed to CBT's searing pace.
Of course teams are going to work on how to negate CBT and Charlton will need to be canny in ultilising the attacking options he offers. Worryingly Jackson talks about how CBT is developing as a wing back. Well that has worked well with DJ and now he sits on the bench. I would prefer the talk to be about how to make the best use of CBT as a strike weapon.
Having a centre back or midfielder who can play the ball accurately to feet or into space ahead of him might help. A couple of times CBT went one way as the pass went the other. Giving him the ball when it's the obvious pass would be good too (yes I mean you Connor Washington). Allowing him to switch wings during the game to attack a different full back and cross with his right foot should be effective (but, of course is stymied by the system the manager prefers). Getting him to practice his shooting might be an good idea too.
I hope he continues to develop as a real attacking threat for the team. He gets people off their seats and creates a buzz every time he receives the ball. We need players like him because not only do they entertain us, they also give us some grounds for optimism going forward.
First goal is probably our biggest issue from an attacking threat. Slowed it down and we had almost 5 players in front of the ball being easily marked. Crying out for someone to hold their position on the edge of the box and make the late run (I.e Dobson against Rotherham) and give the option for them. Morgan unnecessarily got in front of the ball which is a youth team like error.
Harsh to single out Morgan, when it was his pass that set up CBT, and his run drew at least one defender towards him. And we scored!
Mentioned it on the match thread, but what is that dreadful new chant that the drummer and his mates are trying to get going. Non-league wannabe 'ultra' stuff
What was that? I don't recall any new chants last night (certainly nothing caught on)
woaaaaoooohhh wooooaaaaoooooh wwooooooaaaahhh C A F C woaaaaoooohhh wooooaaaaoooooh wwooooooaaaahhh
Two games on the spin now, but hopefully they'll release through lack of take-up that it's shit
First goal is probably our biggest issue from an attacking threat. Slowed it down and we had almost 5 players in front of the ball being easily marked. Crying out for someone to hold their position on the edge of the box and make the late run (I.e Dobson against Rotherham) and give the option for them. Morgan unnecessarily got in front of the ball which is a youth team like error.
Harsh to single out Morgan, when it was his pass that set up CBT, and his run drew at least one defender towards him. And we scored!
What do you put down to Morgan only scoring 1 goal this season?
I remember a few interviews this season with Gilbey he needed to add more goals to his game. And with JJ saying the same. Gilbs has scored a total of two.
First goal is probably our biggest issue from an attacking threat. Slowed it down and we had almost 5 players in front of the ball being easily marked. Crying out for someone to hold their position on the edge of the box and make the late run (I.e Dobson against Rotherham) and give the option for them. Morgan unnecessarily got in front of the ball which is a youth team like error.
Harsh to single out Morgan, when it was his pass that set up CBT, and his run drew at least one defender towards him. And we scored!
What do you put down to Morgan only scoring 1 goal this season?
I'm taking about that goal. Harsh to single him out for his actions there.
Indeed it was because the penalty box was crowded that there was the deflection of a Cambridge player
First goal is probably our biggest issue from an attacking threat. Slowed it down and we had almost 5 players in front of the ball being easily marked. Crying out for someone to hold their position on the edge of the box and make the late run (I.e Dobson against Rotherham) and give the option for them. Morgan unnecessarily got in front of the ball which is a youth team like error.
Harsh to single out Morgan, when it was his pass that set up CBT, and his run drew at least one defender towards him. And we scored!
What do you put down to Morgan only scoring 1 goal this season?
I'm taking about that goal. Harsh to single him out for his actions there.
Indeed it was because the penalty box was crowded that there was the deflection of a Cambridge player
Agree to disagree on that one. Could criticise Matthews but as a Full back I don’t expect him to understand positioning in the attacking 3rd as well as a midfielder.
Don't think it’s harsh as my criticism was a fair. Morgan still play likes a youth team player. One of the reason we have underachieved this season is due to our midfield not scoring enough goals. That highlight showed perfectly why I do not believe Morgan will score enough goals to play higher than a league 1 club.
They looked much tidier than us in the first half, but as the game went on we looked much more comfortable.
I still can’t see how this lot plus 2 or 3 new additions can mount a promotion challenge but that’s for the summer, who we bring in, and who we release.
An example is the post above re: Washington talking as if he’s going to be here next season. I don’t dislike him, I think he works hard and is okay. However, if it’s him, Stockley, Aneke and one other, imo, the one other needs to be better than all of them.
That’s just my take on it, but I still don’t see enough real quality in this team
This time next year we'll be having the same conversations, I don't see us getting out of this division anytime soon ........... at least not upwards. Stockley as our No. 1 striker & McG as our No. 1goalkeeper are just two reasons why we won't win promotion. I will be very very surprised if we bring in a striker to replace Stockley & I wouldn't be surprised if AWB goes out on loan again in the hope that he blossoms & can be our No. 1 the following season & we'll have a henderson type come in as back up to McG. i.e. somebody not expected to play just there for emergencies.
Hopefully, AMB is our No. 1 next year, McG buggers off, and Harness is our back-up ‘keeper.
I remember a few interviews this season with Gilbey he needed to add more goals to his game. And with JJ saying the same. Gilbs has scored a total of two.
I think he epitomizes why we are so bang average. A player more often than not first on the team sheet, but when you look at his contribution over the season it’s been nothing special
Comments
First half was as poor as ever but we had chances which probably overshadow the complete lack of quality from both sides. Cambridge looked better than us at times even at simple things which...is a worry. Our almost full strength starting 11 failed to make much of an impression in the first half in what was largely Cambridge reserves, just sums up the whole season really, players, coaching and the powers above need a wake up call throughout the close season as there just isn't anything happening...all just very meh. They edged the first half.
Our game plan and style is, "Give it to Blackett-Taylor"
Second half, we were the better side and two awful gifted goals make it a "solid away win" but, not really.
Gilbey, sigh, can't defend him anymore, Morgan wasn't much better. Stockley will look championship one minute then look like he should be carting people up the Andes at others, 13 league goals in 30 something appearances this season, oddly enough he probably could get to 20 in an injury free season, strange player.
Highlights, CBT as always, Wes Hoolahan strolling through our midfield on his way to pick up his pension like it wasn't there and the absolute piss taking that flooded the match thread which has been the only thing keeping me going through the last games.
10's all round in the players marks for the slayers of Cambridge!
Meh
Stockley, Aneke, Washington + 1 can score 50 goals between them next year. That will be enough if we can add 20 goals from all over the park.
And stop shipping 2 goals a game.
Yes Stockley has his downsides but he does (or Aneke) give us a central point to play off.
You would hope JFC, Fraser and Dobson have enough quality to consistently add balance in midfield.
The loans have to be far better than they have been.
The 5 or 6 new signings need to be first choice players. I think the keeper will improve with a more regular back 3 / 4 in front of him.
What the hell is Mackeeper playing at? Her looks like someone invited on for the crossbar challenge who forgot to leave the pitch after he missed by 3 metres.
Really embarrassing.
I'm not holding my breath to see what transfer dealings transpire over the next 3 months.
FWIW I think Albie was over-scored by at least a full mark on each of them this week.
taken from whoscored
Ratings**
Player ratings are based on each event recorded in the game calculated live automatically using our own algorithms, which comprise of over 200 raw statistics. All events are valued based on a researched perception of the effect on the outcome of the match. Positive events are valued against negative events.Characters**
Team/Player characters are calculated relative to the league averages for certain team/player statistics. Some statistics are combined, e.g. ‘Stealing the ball', which equates to a combination of tackles and interceptions completed. In terms of player characters, we look at the average figures of the player performances of those who have played in the same positions to calculate strengths, weaknesses and styles.Mac has good points there is no doubt but to me, his confidence looks shot and that makes him a liability.
Both goals were flukes although CBT deserved something from his direct attacking play. Along with Dobson, he is the bright spark of hope to come out of this season. He gave the young right back a torrid time in the first half until Cambridge put a midfielder back to cover the inside and allow the full back to commit. Inexplicably, in the second half, the midfielder pushed forward leaving the full back exposed to CBT's searing pace.
Of course teams are going to work on how to negate CBT and Charlton will need to be canny in ultilising the attacking options he offers. Worryingly Jackson talks about how CBT is developing as a wing back. Well that has worked well with DJ and now he sits on the bench. I would prefer the talk to be about how to make the best use of CBT as a strike weapon.
Having a centre back or midfielder who can play the ball accurately to feet or into space ahead of him might help. A couple of times CBT went one way as the pass went the other. Giving him the ball when it's the obvious pass would be good too (yes I mean you Connor Washington). Allowing him to switch wings during the game to attack a different full back and cross with his right foot should be effective (but, of course is stymied by the system the manager prefers). Getting him to practice his shooting might be an good idea too.
I hope he continues to develop as a real attacking threat for the team. He gets people off their seats and creates a buzz every time he receives the ball. We need players like him because not only do they entertain us, they also give us some grounds for optimism going forward.
Two games on the spin now, but hopefully they'll release through lack of take-up that it's shit
Indeed it was because the penalty box was crowded that there was the deflection of a Cambridge player