We have little or no creativity in midfield - Pratley can't perform this role.
Agree with this, I am sure he could play a certain role and do ok. But asking him to be a bit creative and push forward is not his role.
Bowyer's game plan went out of the window yesterday and Pratley was asked to support the strikers, a role he simply can't do. Having said that, Pratley should be no more then a squad player.
Agree with much of this.
Pratley was brought in to be the hard man in midfield, bringing experience, height, strength, strong running and ball winning - to what was often last season a pretty footballing but not physically strong enough midfield.
Are there players here with better qualities on the ball? Of course, but Pratley provides different attrubutes and another element to bring to the team. In that respect he's useful to have in the squad.
And again, like most players, he needs players around him that can compliment his game and their's too. That's how they bring the best out of each other.
A bit like Marshall, IMO he doesn't seem to have a natural place in Bowyer's current diamond formation. That's probably quite a big contributary factor in how people percieve his form.
I think the question would be who do you play in midfield when the only other fit midfielders are all u23
This. Our midfield cries out for experience at times and Pratley gives us that. Also our midfield gets bullied far too easily so Pratley helps out there. Would Pratley be in our 1st eleven when everyone is fit ? Of course not. But with the amount of players missing at the moment it is what it is.
Thought Pratley started the season well but he has been injured for about 2 months and just coming back. Give him some time to get back to full fitness, he also scored the other day. He's nowhere near as bad as some make out, but I guess we need a scapegoat after a couple of bad results ;-)
Pratley will be better off trying to extend his career at centre back where he done fairly well in that position a couple months back.
However, we already have too many players playing out of position, Dijksteel, Solly, Bielik etc. It would be pointless having another player out of their most natural of positions.
You should have looked at pipping Pompey to the loan of Ben Thompson.
Granted, Kenny was in prime position but he'd have been exactly what you needed this season.
Knew a lot about his age group inside and outside of academy at the time, could have picked about 15 from the age of eleven who could have gone on to be a pro. Ben came in off the radar from Dartford and pipped a few boys who had been there or thereabouts to his pro contract at Millwall.
He was outstanding for pompey against us as I watched his individual game with a side interest.
Last couple of games I have watched and yesterday that I listened to, Bowyer seemed to be having oratley way further forward than I would have thought normal. I thought he was DFM or CB at a push. To see him playing top of the diamond real surprise.
Last couple of games I have watched and yesterday that I listened to, Bowyer seemed to be having oratley way further forward than I would have thought normal. I thought he was DFM or CB at a push. To see him playing top of the diamond real surprise.
That may also because Pratley often makes good forward runs off the ball ..... if our attack breaks down, another player should cover him with Pratley remaining in the more forward position, until a break in play when he drops back to his own position. It keeps the team shape.
Of all our players this season who could be described as 'regulars' in the starting XI (starting more than half our number of league games so far) Darren Pratley has the lowest win percentage by some margin. Of the 13 league games where Pratley has started, Charlton have won only 4 - that's only 31%. We lost 6 of those 13 games (46%).
Every other Charlton player who has started 12 league games or more (Solly, Taylor, Aribo, Pearce, Grant, Steer, Bielik, Bauer, Sarr, Reeves) have win rates of 50% or more. The team's league win rate as a whole is 52% (13/25) None of those players have a defeat rate higher than 35% either. The team's defeat rate is 32% (8/25)
Aside from those on the fringes of the squad, the only other Charlton player with relatively poor win & defeat rates is Tarique Fosu. Charlton have won just 4 of the 10 league games which he has started (40%) and lost 4 of those 10 (40% again of course).
Darren Pratley hopes his experience of two successful promotion campaigns will play a part in getting Charlton over the line when it comes to the play-offs.
Thought it was a very good move starting with Pratley. Him and Cullen was the ones who calmed everyone down and got on the ball and got us back in the game on Sunday.
Scored the vital ET goal in second leg v Donny and was instrumental in getting us back into the game at Wembley after the howler.
Unsung hero.
Most definitely. Was actually my MOTM because of both his calming influence to those around him but also his usual blood and thunder approach ruffling the black cat's feathers. Also does a lot behind the scenes at the club apparently.
I wonder if we might see him again next year in some capacity - just noticed he has signed a 2 year deal so we will see him again!
Scored the vital ET goal in second leg v Donny and was instrumental in getting us back into the game at Wembley after the howler.
Unsung hero.
Most definitely. Was actually my MOTM because of both his calming influence to those around him but also his usual blood and thunder approach ruffling the black cat's feathers. Also does a lot behind the scenes at the club apparently.
I wonder if we might see him again next year in some capacity
Scored the vital ET goal in second leg v Donny and was instrumental in getting us back into the game at Wembley after the howler.
Unsung hero.
Most definitely. Was actually my MOTM because of both his calming influence to those around him but also his usual blood and thunder approach ruffling the black cat's feathers. Also does a lot behind the scenes at the club apparently.
I wonder if we might see him again next year in some capacity - just noticed he has signed a 2 year deal so we will see him again!
When the opposition have Cattermole and Leadbitter in their midfield you have to match up with someone similar to do the dirty work. And as Solly and Pearce were on the bench, we needed that experience out there too.
I get the feeling that his fitness improved during the season too. At the start of the season he seemed half a yard off, and was getting loads of bookings for late tackles, but later in the season he seemed much more up to speed
Thought it was a very good move starting with Pratley. Him and Cullen was the ones who calmed everyone down and got on the ball and got us back in the game on Sunday.
As I said, I didn't mind him starting. It meant that (barring Lapslie) the only substitutions we could make in midfield were attacking ones - and so it proved.
My stand out player of the play offs for us he was the one who held us for that shakey 25 minute period at Wembley when Sunderland tried ( pathetically as it turned out ) to go for our jugular after the og howler . i think half the team were stunned , he just went about his business letting Sunderland players know they were still in a game , snapping at them . When the fella started pissing about juggling the ball when we had a free kick , wallop shoulder barge and gets the ball back not forgetting the goal and desire against Donny when everyone’s head had dropped don’t fuck about with DP he can do damage at either end ;-)
Comments
Pratley was brought in to be the hard man in midfield, bringing experience, height, strength, strong running and ball winning - to what was often last season a pretty footballing but not physically strong enough midfield.
Are there players here with better qualities on the ball? Of course, but Pratley provides different attrubutes and another element to bring to the team.
In that respect he's useful to have in the squad.
And again, like most players, he needs players around him that can compliment his game and their's too.
That's how they bring the best out of each other.
A bit like Marshall, IMO he doesn't seem to have a natural place in Bowyer's current diamond formation.
That's probably quite a big contributary factor in how people percieve his form.
And, no, he wouldn't be anywhere near the starting line up for me but we got fuck all else and we ain't exactly Man City are we.
Our midfield cries out for experience at times and Pratley gives us that.
Also our midfield gets bullied far too easily so Pratley helps out there.
Would Pratley be in our 1st eleven when everyone is fit ? Of course not.
But with the amount of players missing at the moment it is what it is.
Granted, Kenny was in prime position but he'd have been exactly what you needed this season.
However, we already have too many players playing out of position, Dijksteel, Solly, Bielik etc. It would be pointless having another player out of their most natural of positions.
He was outstanding for pompey against us as I watched his individual game with a side interest.
Every other Charlton player who has started 12 league games or more (Solly, Taylor, Aribo, Pearce, Grant, Steer, Bielik, Bauer, Sarr, Reeves) have win rates of 50% or more.
The team's league win rate as a whole is 52% (13/25)
None of those players have a defeat rate higher than 35% either. The team's defeat rate is 32% (8/25)
Aside from those on the fringes of the squad, the only other Charlton player with relatively poor win & defeat rates is Tarique Fosu.
Charlton have won just 4 of the 10 league games which he has started (40%) and lost 4 of those 10 (40% again of course).
Darren Pratley hopes his experience of two successful promotion campaigns will play a part in getting Charlton over the line when it comes to the play-offs.
Unsung hero.
Bloke has been involved in a Play-Off Final before and knows how to win those type of matches
I wonder if we might see him again next year in some capacity - just noticed he has signed a 2 year deal so we will see him again!
I get the feeling that his fitness improved during the season too. At the start of the season he seemed half a yard off, and was getting loads of bookings for late tackles, but later in the season he seemed much more up to speed
If he's involved in any major capacity in the Championship, we are relegated. Get your coaching badges!
Pratley was the difference against Doncaster, scored the goal that took us to pens and kept Sunderland at bay for large chunks of the final.
he was the one who held us for that shakey 25 minute period at Wembley when Sunderland tried ( pathetically as it turned out ) to go for our jugular after the og howler .
i think half the team were stunned , he just went about his business letting Sunderland players know they were still in a game , snapping at them .
When the fella started pissing about juggling the ball when we had a free kick , wallop shoulder barge and gets the ball back not forgetting the goal and desire against Donny when everyone’s head had dropped
don’t fuck about with DP he can do damage at either end ;-)