Trying to make this sound as good as I can...
Good start, nice movement and crisp passing. Dennis looking dangerous as he often does away from home. Piggybank got a great chance, one on one with the keeper, missed the target with a feeble effort.
Midfield worked hard but after 10-15 mins you could see the real danger from Villa - the right flank. Herman playing left back after 3 games out and clearly struggling a little for fitness and no left midfielder didnt help the situation. Game goes on, Villa try to get the ball to our left at every opportunity. Charlton fans along the side (700 at a guess) begin to politely question why the manager has not reacted to the situation by covering the left side. Dowie does nothing. Villa break, the ball comes over to the left side, HH is beaten for pace, 1-0.
Second half much of the same. We have good possession but no end product. Faye does a lot of donkey work, Hughes looks for the killer pass (unlucky at times, dire in others), Holland, err? Romm and Bent look lively together, good movement and unlucky at times. Same cant be said of Piggybank who spends most of the hour or so that he was on rolling his eyes/shrugging his shoulders/shouting at his team mates/falling over and generally showing a disgraceful attitude and body language (ok so I never have liked him).
Look over to the bench, Ambrose and Bent looking to come on. We all presume for the anonymous Holland and Hasselbaink. Start to get optimistic, then bang, ball through the middle, El Kak doesnt react and Villa are 2-0 up.
Heads visibly drop, the away support look fed up and the game is over.
Marcus Bent makes a bit of a difference when he comes on but all too little to late.
At the end, Marcus Bent is the only player that I could see that came over and applauded the away support.
Only Faye, Fortune, Rommedahl and the Bents can honestly say they deserved their money this week. Hasseilbank MUST be dropped next week. We cannot afford to carry a luxury player like him any more.
Does anyone agree that Darren Bent looks so much better on his own in an attacking 4-5-1 with Romm and JT (soon) giving support on the flanks? I would bring Kish in for Holland and Reid (if fit) for Hughes with Ambrose on the left and Romm on the right. Kish and Faye will hopefully protect the back four.
Think I'll be having a few beers to numb the pain on Saturday.
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