We definately deserved something from this game....there was nothing between the two sides.
Weavers disasterous slip on a by then greasy surface....(there was very fine misty drizzle shortly before) cost us dear. His feet just went from under him...I don't think I've ever quite seen a slip like it...and naturaly enough Phillips was 'Johnny on the Spot' to nod it agonisingly over the now upright but ill positioned Weaver.Just bad luck guys, in truth he can't be blamed.
A few moments earlier we hit the post and failed to go 1-3 up.....it just wasn't to be. Tried our damndest to get level and another day and with just the slightest piece of luck we would have...I know many of you are going to say ..."Where have we heard this before!".....but on this occassion it's perefectly true.....we deserved at least a draw.
Our second goal was a beauty...a superb move by several members of the team ending in a blistering rising shot...that goal alone was deserving of a better result.
A pretty good performance...a good game... and one that in fairness, should have ended all square...had we equalised, City could have had no complaints.
No one had a poor game...their first goal came out of the blue it was their first shot and he threaded it between keeper and far post with amazing accuracy.
Shit I'm pizzed off....... we deserved a point guys......and that's the truth!
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Bottom line ...... we didn't get the result, but if we carry on playing well it's got to happen.
Just got back from the game and have to say that was a lot better than what I'd braced myself for based on the doom and gloom I've been reading while away.
We went away to one of the best sides in the division and really deserved at least a draw and tbh, at 2-1 looked to have the game firmly under control and in fact looked likely to add to our lead early in the second. Then Weaver made a right hash of two of the very few things he had to do up until that point and it all changed and we were rocking a bit for a period. We came back into at the end though and looked mildly threatening again without exactly tearing Birmingham open, but they did have 10 men behind the ball and showed very little attacking intent once down to ten men. We did struggle a bit with defending set pieces at times though.
Weaver: 3 - Had very little to do and made a mess of that. Maybe a bit unlucky with the slip for the second goal but really shouldn't have palmed the shot out into danger again that lead to the third. They weren't the only things he flapped at this afternoon either making a bit of a mess at several other shots and crosses.
Yassin: 7 - Got forward well and generally defended pretty well against Mcfadden, who is quality at this level. Caught in possesion a couple of times and done a little bit easily on one occasion otherwise might have had higher score. Good assist for our first, one of the best team goals we've scored for ages.
Hudson: 7 - Looks solid if unspectacular - my kind of defender. Better than McCarthy on that showing.
Primus: 7 - Kept Bent very quiet (maybe not so hard) and won most things in the air. A little slow perhaps but only really caught out once.
Youga: 5 - Solid and decent performance for 80 minutes with 10 mad minutes at around an hour in when we might have conceded two goals because of sloppy mistakes on his part. Would've been a 6 or 7 if not for that.
Sam: 7 - Bit in and out but linked well with Yass and those two looked our best threat. Bit unlucky his acute shot hit the post and bounced out rather than in.
Bailey: 7 - Soild performance and neat and tidy. Got a few shots in late on and played a good and well timed pass to realeas Yassin for our first goal.
Holland: 5 - Worked hard as always but I'm struggling to remember anything he did to really influence play today. Should've been subbed for Shelvey much earlier imo.
Semedo: 8 - I think this kid is our best player at the moment and was a pivitol figure for my money with lots of economical but intelligent passes. Best technique of all our midfielders too. Couldn't understand why he was subbed and not Holland.
Bouazza: 6 - Decent first half and great finish to a flowing break away. Dissappeared towards the end of the game. Over hit nearly all his crosses.
Gray: 6 - Took his goal very well and that was his only real chance. Worked pretty hard although didn't chase down quite as hard as he could've on a couple of occasions. Maybe could've attacked a couple of crosses with a bit more determination but held ball up well when the service was right (which was rarely) and sprayed a couple of nice passes out to wings. Often fouled by Jaidi with no protection from ref.
Toddy: 6 - Did his best to influence things but Birmingham defended fairly stoutly. Still has best touch of all the strikers at the club, on one occasion playing a very good through ball on the turn that Gray failed to read.
Varney: 5 - maybe a harsh score given his lack of time on the field. Got one shot away which he snatched at a bit after a nice 1-2 with Gray. Thought his head dropped immediately and he didn't really get involved after that.
Shelvey - not on long enough to influence, should've been on earlier.
Pards: 7 - We looked organised and well drilled today if still a little short on imagination at times. Can't be held responsible for Weaver's cock ups. Could and probably should've brought Varney and Shelvey on a bit earlier.
To the lads singing "Super Alan Pardew" when we were 2-1 up...... enjoy your comedowns!!
This has to be right. I was castigating Pards for seeminly failing to motivate the team after the Barnsley debacle but since then the team have put in two quality performances without any luck. Sure we've conceded too many but two, maybe three of the goals have been due to slips. You've got to believe that results will start to come if Pards can continue to get them playing.
who ?
I think you weren't there?
The slip he made was just that...it can happen to anyone anytime any place...we've all slipped or tripped over without quite realising why....it was his turn on Saturday...these things happen to all of us...not just on a football pitch.
As for their winner, I'm not certain you can actually 'blame him' you see dozens of saves like that during the course of a season, some are picked up by an attacker and some are cleared by a defender...that's the way it goes.
He had a fairly reasonable game...the two goal incidents were 'fateful' rather than actual out and out mistakes IMHO.
Keepers do tend to get a lot of unwarented criticsm, simply because the slightest thing that goes wrong can be very very costly and somewhat out of proportion to others.If only he'd have done this or if only he'd done that....for their third did he really have a lot of options other than to save the original shot in the way he did...I need to see it on TV to really decide.It certainly fell perfectly for them I know that much.....another time it could have been cleared.
A lot of shots he should be hanging onto he parries, and when he has no choice he should be parrying them wide of danager - out for a corner if needs be but he regularly just pushes them back into the centre of goal and leaves it to chance if a defender or attacker wins the race to the loose ball. There were other examples, one he should have tipped over the bar he punched clear - he got away with it because no one was lingering on the edge of the box otherwise he was stranded and another header he just pat-a-caked back into the centre of the penalty area and was lucky it fell to a defender and not a forward. Flapped at a couple of crosses as well and has generally bad decision making for me often choosing to stay at home when he should come and visa versa and when he does come he punches many he could be catching.
It might seem harsh to some but I think there are big flaws in his game and although he has good games some weeks he costs us as many points as he saves us imo.
Read my explanation Razil. I'm sorry to dissappoint the staunch anti-pards crowd but there really was little ammunition for your cause yesterday. Like I say, we looked as well drilled and organised as I've seen us since Curbs was in charge and you really can't hold Pards responsible for Weaver's mistakes, they really were just two of those things. He could have made his changes a bit earlier but that's not to say that we weren't bossing the game without the changes because we were on top. But Pards has earned a 7 imo for getting us organised and motivated, he can do little more than that until he can add players to the squad.
As for the point about Gray, I saw nothing to suggest he can't play lone striker yesterday, he had a decent game and took an opportunist chance with aplomb (sp?). It's not his fault if too many balls were over his head instead of to feet or chest and that the ref allowed him to be constantly fouled. When the service was right he held the ball up well and brought others into the game. Improving the service to him is something that they need to work on in training this week though.
The point about 10 men is a silly one too, imo. Had Blues gone down to 10 men when we were 2-1 up (like they should have done) then I'm sure we would have held on to win because we were on top, but coming from behind to beat 10 men is nowhere near as easy as people make out. Even the pathetic Addicks under the laugably poor stewardship of Alan Pardew managed to remain unbeaten with 10 men on about 5 occasions last season ;-). Blues piled everyone behind the ball and we couldn't find a way through - that's just football sometimes. It's all the harder to swallow coming off the back of this seasons form but I'd really encourage people to try and keep an open mind until at least after the Sheff U game. If you then feel we're back to the same poor performances then fine, but until then you'll have to take my word for it that yesterday was a pretty good performance.
I try to keep an open mind, and really hope he can turn it around.
R
Sounds like a witch hunt going on here re Weaver...you've already said you don't like him...well I do....and now you're starting to tear the fella apart.
Keep it up mate...it will do you a power of good if nothing else.I haven't noticed him parry shots more than the average keeper......indeed I think he does it far less than some I've seen, where are you getting all this from?????????
He can't make saves correctly...parry's the ball too much...makes wrong decisions re crosses...anything else you'd like to pick up on FFS!!! You're ripping the fella apart here....that just aint on.
Ever thought of applying for the goal keeping coaches job at Sparrows Lane Exiled....I think you might know more than they do...or think you do should I say.
How many games do you actually get to to have drawn these profound conclusions...my bet is not that many!
I think that Exiled Addick makes some good points. Shame that you can't make equally good arguments to the contrary. 'Witch hunt' - do you actually know what this is?
Do I know what a witch hunt is...well I saw an old Hammer film on the telly a few years backwith Oliver Reed in it if that helps?
I don't need to answer your question about matches attended but just for the record I live in the West Midlands and have attended around 10 homes games and 5 - 10 away games a season since 1990 when I turned 8 years old although I've been attending the odd game here and there since I was 3. In 98/99 I purchased a season ticket because having watched years of dross I wanted to guarantee I was going to get to every game I could during our time in the limelight. I held that season ticket up until this season when I did not renew because I was going to be spending the first 3 months of the season out of the country, first on business and then on Holiday, but up until then the only home games I've missed since having a season ticket are midweek games that mean I have to take time off work to attend because of the travelling time/distance involved. I still try to attend 2-3 of these a season though using a days leave on each occassion, whilst doing my best to get to 5+ away games a season despite the increasing expense of the 300 mile round trip to LOndon every other week. I'll freely admit that Yesterday was my first game of the season but I was only back in the country last Saturday evening so it was my first chance.
That aside, and I acknowledge Weaver has been getting better reviews than last season, I've been critical of elements of his technique for a long time and I saw evidence of the same problems yesterday. Thats my opinion and I'm entitled to it as much as you are entitled to your high opinion of him, but do me a favour and don't get all holier-than-thou with me like you know me personally, I want every Addick to succeed in a Charlton shirt and support them accordingly even Marcus Bent who I thought was an absolute scum-bag.
By the way..... it's you who's writing reames of stuff about him and dicecting every little detail..... not me.
In the matches I've seen recently, I though Weaver could do better with a few he let in. But, his past form has shown he's a class keeper. Not long ago, he put on a fine display for Man City, and he was solid and on occasion spectacular last season. Goalkeeper is certainly not an area of the team that I feel needs immediate attention given our predicament and resources, and I don't think that any of our reserves are that close to knocking him out of his spot as top keeper.
Will he be better than what we've already got?
;o)
But your only argument is that 'I haven't noticed him parry shots more than the average keeper......indeed I think he does it far less than some I've seen'
The rest of what you said was to slag off EA.
Who are these 'some I've seen.' Can you name some keepers you've seen recently who you think are worse and why?
The point is that was the 1st game you've seen this season. So Weaver was unlucky he slipped and also has got to work on not parrying out the ball. But christ he's about the only player we have who could possibly keep his place in The Prem. He's probably our best/ most consistent player so leave him alone!
You can't seriously think Weaver is our best player? Better then Semedo or Hudson?
This is absurd - in place of who exactly? Which Premiership team could you ever even suppose might be half interested in signing him and giving him a run in the first team. They'd have to be mad.