Didn't notice Racon wasn't there until you mentioned it. Wouldn't be surprised if he left. Would mean we'd need to get a CM in or a left back so Jackson won't have to cover there.
Would like Racon to stay but I know there's been rumours he could be off. More important to keep Semedo imo. If he does go surely the figure of signings will go back up to seven unless we're looking at some kind of swap deal.
Hope to see us sign Bauza and a few others this week but I guess we'll just have to be patient.
Speaking after the match, boss Parkinson said: "I was pleased with our performance, and it was a good work-out for us.
"I think we moved up a level in terms of our fitness; most of the lads who started played 60 or 75 minutes, and the ones who didn't will do so against Bedford in midweek.
"Kettering are a decent side, and the whole squad did well. The senior players did what they had to do and I was pleased with youngsters who came on as well.
"Christian completed 45 minutes and Kyel came on for the last 25, and it's just a case of easing them in and planning everything out at this stage of the season. All of the substitutions were pre-planned and we got through the match without any injuries, which is good to see.
"Overall, it was just a good all-round team display."
Match report has a bit more detail now including some quotes from Parky.
Henry....Cousins didnt play? Anyway here are my ratings for the lads today.
Elliott - 5 Simply because he had absolutely nothing to do all day. Solly - 6 I do see Solly as our weak link, he did get beaten a few times by their left winger and he just looks so small, Jenkinson and Mambo both played very well at right back when they came on, which gives Parky something to think about. Dailly - 9 Once again proving how well he reads a game, fitness is top notch as well. Doc - 8 Basically the same as Dailly, Im very pleased to have these 2 in our squad. Jackson - 8 Clear for everyone to see he is a class above, how he dropped down to league 2 I do not know. Wagstaff - 7 Worked very hard, fearless running at defenders and put in a great ball for Sodjes goal. Semedo - 9 Standard Jose McCormack - 8 Very impressed with this lad, works very hard, always in the right positions and looks to spread play very quickly!Very good addition from Parky. Mulley -7 Struggled to get going but got better and better as the game goes on, I would like to see him signed up personally. Bauza - 8 Very Impressive, works hard, drops in to the hole, great first touch and links up play extremely well. Parky please sign this lad. Sodje - 7 Good header and set up but really doesnt cut it for me, now some of the big boys left I think he thinks hes top dog when he really isnt.
Jenkinson - Very Impressed with this lad at both right and left back, looked very comfortable. Llera - Played well Fortune - Would love to see Forts back at Charlton Mambo - Was the most impressive youngster, can definitely see Yads playing a part this season. (would actually start him ahead of Solly) Stav - Impressive display, gets the ball down, looks to play, good player. Popo - Didnt see too much but this lad is ultra quick and the ball just seemed to stick to his feet. Reid - So glad to have Reidy back, everyone knows the quality this lad brings to the table. Davisson - Couldnt believe how small he was, but looks a very good prospect for the future, wasnt afraid to get stuck in and showed good glimpses. Tuna - Even though was being marked by their absolute tanker at the back, wasnt afraid to give him a shove either, always looked for the ball, and took his goal very well.
Overall very good performance, alot more confident about the up and coming season now than I was a few weeks ago. All down to Parky, top bloke.
OS says Cousins played a part but I am 110% sure he didnt play today.
[cite]Posted By: cafc_se7[/cite]Elliott - 5 Simply because he had absolutely nothing to do all day.
That's a strange judgement.
Elliot kept a clean sheet, co-ordinated with his defence well, commanded his box and evidently made no mistakes.
Apart from not having to make 'World Class wondersaves', what could he have done better for you to give him the mark his apparently relatively faultless performance deserved.....?
Not meaning to dig you out, mate ....... I found all your other player assessments interesting.
Much appreciated.
Well as it was a pre season friendly you could quite clearly hear instructions between the players and to be honest Elliott didnt communicate with Doc and Dailly that much at all. Thats no dig at Elliott, thats simply because those 2 are so experienced they know exactly whats going on around them. Maybe 5 was a bit low, but I could have given him one and it still wouldnt have looked bad because he simply didnt touch the ball at all apart from kicking (which was ironically poor). To give Elliott a 7 or 8 just for doing nothing wrong because he couldnt do nothing wrong, i feel would be an insult to the players I did give 7s and 8s who actually played very well. I understand your point though mate, the bottom line is however, things certainly look on the up, Parky is putting together a very good squad here, and I feel with Bauza plus a cheeky punt on an out and out goalscorer along with a second keeper, were looking very good!
I agree with cafcse7's ratings , I too thought Jenkinson and Mambo did well at Right Back
There was one player who I didn't hear when he came on wearing number 14, was that Cousins ?
I am assuming the other trialists have departed , I liked the idea of Esajas as back up for Reid and maybe as an impact sub . I guess such luxuries are now beyond us
Thoroughly enjoyed my first sight of CAFC this season even though the 6 mile round trip was a nightmare! Three things impressed me 1) the starting 11 were playing in their correct positions, 2) we retained our shape, it was good to see Semedo and McCormack switching 3) we were prepared to keep posession and not go long ball. Bouza was particulalry good on the eye, dropping off and finding space, Mambo... a potential star in the making. Impressed too by Doherty, never his biggest fan when at Norwich/Spurs but obviously a good footballer and highly rated by his league 1 peeers last year. My only concern like a great many is how we will keep Semedo, I can only hope that his wages at CAFC are suitably inflated from Championship days to frighten off our league 1 rivals and a great many in the league above. Looking forward to Bedford on Wednesday, their web site suggests it is our first team but I understand it will be a CAFC XI anyway to see Mambo and Popo again will be good
It was an enjoyable performance to watch. Well in control after a slow-ish start. Totally dominated from second half KO and could have had a few more if we'd really gone for it.
I won't mark players as it was a friendly but.
Elliott - Nothing to do. One catch from a corner and some back passes to kick out which he did well
Doc and Dailly - Very solid, threw themselves at shots and won it in the air. Class above Kettering.
Jackson - defended and got forward well. neat passing
Solly - Linked up well with Waggy. Had to work hard with their winger but did enough.
Waggy - got pushed off the ball a bit but ran at them and got off some good shots.
Semedo and McCormack. Very strong. Jose was jose, McCormack got forward a bit more and tried to pass and move. Impressed.
Bauza - Class, goal and most stuff came thru' him. Plays a lot with back to goal but tidy feet.
Akpo - started slowly and having robbed the defender to go 1 on 1 would liked to have seen him, as a forward, put the ball away rather than, unselfishly, lay it off to Bauza. Picked up after that and gave them all sorts of problems. Is he the answer? Maybe not on his own but as part of a group of four forwards perhaps.
Mulley - not sure. hard worker, has some skill but maybe a little light and slow to make a decision. I might be being too harsh and I certainly think he has something and is worth persevering with.
Llera and Fortune - had little to do. Llera's goal from a free kick took a deflection but they all count.
Reid, looking a little rusty, understandably, but linked well and made the last goal.
So many other kids it's hard to comment but Mambo seems to have stepped up. Looked comfortable on the ball, strong as you would expect but played well at RB and got forward.
Liked Popo too. not big yet but nice touch and was positive.
Cousins (fairly sure it was him) looked assured considering he must have been the youngest player on the pitch.
Gough didnt play but he is taller than Robbie. Gangly but looks to have some upper body strength too.
Only a friendly and only Kettering (who were decent but outplayed) but that didn't stop people screaming relegation after the AFC wimbledon result.
Most pleasing was the passing football we played. yes, we all know we need more pieces for the jigsaw (I think Parky may even have mentioned it once or twice himself) but the picture is started to take shape and is looking good.
[cite]Posted By: cafc_se7[/cite]I understand your point though mate, the bottom line is however, things certainly look on the up, Parky is putting together a very good squad here,
Thanks for getting back to me and putting your point across - fair enough.
Must agree with you that Parky is making a brilliant effort the way he's bringing in the right players and building a side with balance. A few more to come no doubt - but could be the making of a very good season, despite our misgivings a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks for the comments. Can anyone comment specifically on our new CB pairing please and how they gelled? For me, it could go either way. They are similar players but should just have enough complimentary skills to form a unit. Ok sure no pace, but which teams have (i) a striker with the speed and intelligence and (ii) a midfield to find the gaps and therefore expose them? Glad there is no beckford/Snodgrass combo this season! I see the doc going first ball and daily mopping up. No way we can play a high line next season though. Thoughts?
Come to think of it, Cousins definitely didnt play a part. Jenkinson came on and played right back for the first part of the second half, then once Mambo was brought on Jenkinson moved to left back and Mambo went right back. In the mean time, Semedo and McCormack were in the middle of midfield and were replaced by Stav and another young lad who definitely wasnt Cousins.
[cite]Posted By: cafc_se7[/cite]Come to think of it, Cousins definitely didnt play a part. Jenkinson came on and played right back for the first part of the second half, then once Mambo was brought on Jenkinson moved to left back and Mambo went right back. In the mean time, Semedo and McCormack were in the middle of midfield and were replaced by Stav and another young lad who definitely wasnt Cousins.
Stav, Davidson and one other came on. The OS said that was Cousins. I don't know what Cousins looks like so you may well be right.
Not sure who that could be, possibly Freddie Warren but don't think he's that tall.
Bradley Jordan maybe? Might explain it as there could be confusion over their names. He's a central midfielder and I think has blond hair (only seen him briefly as a sub on TV in the Victory Shield last season).
The Poppies slipped to a second successive friendly defeat as a strong Charlton Athletic side claimed a comfortable win at the Elgood’s Arena.
But manager Lee Harper wasn't helped by the absence of a few key players.
Iyseden Christie and Ashley Westwood missed the game through injury while Moses Ashikodi continues his comeback from knee surgery.
Jean-Paul Marna was also missing, meaning Lee Harper could only name four substitutes while trialists Alex Dyer and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu started the game.
The first half was low-key with John Dempster heading an early effort wide for Kettering but it was Charlton who opened the scoring on 32 minutes.
An uncharacteristic error by Ian Roper gifted the ball to Akpo Sodje and he drew Nathan Abbey in before squaring to Guilem Bauza who fired into the empty net.
James Dance had a deflected shot saved by Rob Elliot but Sodje almost made it 2-0 when he raced away but Abbey was equal to his shot as he expertly palmed the ball away.
And the Addicks striker headed another effort wide before the break when Abbey missed a cross from the left by Scott Wagstaff.
Charlton started the second half strongly and Bauza fired a shot just wide before they doubled their lead as Sodje headed home Wagstaff’s cross.
Abbey saved well from a Bauza header shortly afterwards as the Poppies struggled to get out of their own half.
A free-kick from Andre Boucaud, which was deflected wide, sparked Kettering’s best spell as they put the pressure on with a number of corners.
Marcus Kelly burst through with a good run and squared for Brett Solkhon but Charlton managed to clear their lines before the midfielder could shoot.
The visitors grabbed their third with 11 minutes to go when Miguel Llera’s free-kick took a wicked deflected and left Abbey wrong-footed.
Abbey made another fine stop from Alex Stavrinou before the end but Charlton did add a fourth late on when Tamer Tuna scored from closed range.
Comments
Injured - or about to be signed for £3m by Liverpool?
Would like Racon to stay but I know there's been rumours he could be off. More important to keep Semedo imo. If he does go surely the figure of signings will go back up to seven unless we're looking at some kind of swap deal.
Hope to see us sign Bauza and a few others this week but I guess we'll just have to be patient.
Match report has a bit more detail now including some quotes from Parky.
Injured - or about to be signed for £3m by Liverpool?[/quote]
I thought Henry said he saw him there before the start - on his mobile.
He was there but didn't play.
If Liverpool wanted to put up 3 million for him, I think it would be worth considering.
Shame it was Alex Rae.
Seeing Charlton win and play well is always good albeit a friendy.
Impressed by the kids esp popo and cousins.
It is only a pointer but it is positive.
Anyway here are my ratings for the lads today.
Elliott - 5 Simply because he had absolutely nothing to do all day.
Solly - 6 I do see Solly as our weak link, he did get beaten a few times by their left winger and he just looks so small, Jenkinson and Mambo both played very well at right back when they came on, which gives Parky something to think about.
Dailly - 9 Once again proving how well he reads a game, fitness is top notch as well.
Doc - 8 Basically the same as Dailly, Im very pleased to have these 2 in our squad.
Jackson - 8 Clear for everyone to see he is a class above, how he dropped down to league 2 I do not know.
Wagstaff - 7 Worked very hard, fearless running at defenders and put in a great ball for Sodjes goal.
Semedo - 9 Standard Jose
McCormack - 8 Very impressed with this lad, works very hard, always in the right positions and looks to spread play very quickly!Very good addition from Parky.
Mulley -7 Struggled to get going but got better and better as the game goes on, I would like to see him signed up personally.
Bauza - 8 Very Impressive, works hard, drops in to the hole, great first touch and links up play extremely well. Parky please sign this lad.
Sodje - 7 Good header and set up but really doesnt cut it for me, now some of the big boys left I think he thinks hes top dog when he really isnt.
Jenkinson - Very Impressed with this lad at both right and left back, looked very comfortable.
Llera - Played well
Fortune - Would love to see Forts back at Charlton
Mambo - Was the most impressive youngster, can definitely see Yads playing a part this season. (would actually start him ahead of Solly)
Stav - Impressive display, gets the ball down, looks to play, good player.
Popo - Didnt see too much but this lad is ultra quick and the ball just seemed to stick to his feet.
Reid - So glad to have Reidy back, everyone knows the quality this lad brings to the table.
Davisson - Couldnt believe how small he was, but looks a very good prospect for the future, wasnt afraid to get stuck in and showed good glimpses.
Tuna - Even though was being marked by their absolute tanker at the back, wasnt afraid to give him a shove either, always looked for the ball, and took his goal very well.
Overall very good performance, alot more confident about the up and coming season now than I was a few weeks ago. All down to Parky, top bloke.
OS says Cousins played a part but I am 110% sure he didnt play today.
That's a strange judgement.
Elliot kept a clean sheet, co-ordinated with his defence well, commanded his box and evidently made no mistakes.
Apart from not having to make 'World Class wondersaves', what could he have done better for you to give him the mark his apparently relatively faultless performance deserved.....?
Not meaning to dig you out, mate ....... I found all your other player assessments interesting.
Much appreciated.
There was one player who I didn't hear when he came on wearing number 14, was that Cousins ?
I am assuming the other trialists have departed , I liked the idea of Esajas as back up for Reid and maybe as an impact sub . I guess such luxuries are now beyond us
love it..
Here we go..
It was an enjoyable performance to watch. Well in control after a slow-ish start. Totally dominated from second half KO and could have had a few more if we'd really gone for it.
I won't mark players as it was a friendly but.
Elliott - Nothing to do. One catch from a corner and some back passes to kick out which he did well
Doc and Dailly - Very solid, threw themselves at shots and won it in the air. Class above Kettering.
Jackson - defended and got forward well. neat passing
Solly - Linked up well with Waggy. Had to work hard with their winger but did enough.
Waggy - got pushed off the ball a bit but ran at them and got off some good shots.
Semedo and McCormack. Very strong. Jose was jose, McCormack got forward a bit more and tried to pass and move. Impressed.
Bauza - Class, goal and most stuff came thru' him. Plays a lot with back to goal but tidy feet.
Akpo - started slowly and having robbed the defender to go 1 on 1 would liked to have seen him, as a forward, put the ball away rather than, unselfishly, lay it off to Bauza. Picked up after that and gave them all sorts of problems. Is he the answer? Maybe not on his own but as part of a group of four forwards perhaps.
Mulley - not sure. hard worker, has some skill but maybe a little light and slow to make a decision. I might be being too harsh and I certainly think he has something and is worth persevering with.
Llera and Fortune - had little to do. Llera's goal from a free kick took a deflection but they all count.
Reid, looking a little rusty, understandably, but linked well and made the last goal.
So many other kids it's hard to comment but Mambo seems to have stepped up. Looked comfortable on the ball, strong as you would expect but played well at RB and got forward.
Liked Popo too. not big yet but nice touch and was positive.
Cousins (fairly sure it was him) looked assured considering he must have been the youngest player on the pitch.
Gough didnt play but he is taller than Robbie. Gangly but looks to have some upper body strength too.
Only a friendly and only Kettering (who were decent but outplayed) but that didn't stop people screaming relegation after the AFC wimbledon result.
Most pleasing was the passing football we played. yes, we all know we need more pieces for the jigsaw (I think Parky may even have mentioned it once or twice himself) but the picture is started to take shape and is looking good.
Thanks for getting back to me and putting your point across - fair enough.
Must agree with you that Parky is making a brilliant effort the way he's bringing in the right players and building a side with balance. A few more to come no doubt - but could be the making of a very good season, despite our misgivings a couple of weeks ago.
Can anyone comment specifically on our new CB pairing please and how they gelled? For me, it could go either way. They are similar players but should just have enough complimentary skills to form a unit. Ok sure no pace, but which teams have (i) a striker with the speed and intelligence and (ii) a midfield to find the gaps and therefore expose them? Glad there is no beckford/Snodgrass combo this season!
I see the doc going first ball and daily mopping up. No way we can play a high line next season though. Thoughts?
Stav, Davidson and one other came on. The OS said that was Cousins. I don't know what Cousins looks like so you may well be right.
Cafc- SE7, you were right.
Bloody useless OS.
Tall-ish white guy with blond/mousey hair cut short. played CM
Bradley Jordan maybe? Might explain it as there could be confusion over their names. He's a central midfielder and I think has blond hair (only seen him briefly as a sub on TV in the Victory Shield last season).
Poppies 0 Charlton Athletic 4
The Poppies slipped to a second successive friendly defeat as a strong Charlton Athletic side claimed a comfortable win at the Elgood’s Arena.
But manager Lee Harper wasn't helped by the absence of a few key players.
Iyseden Christie and Ashley Westwood missed the game through injury while Moses Ashikodi continues his comeback from knee surgery.
Jean-Paul Marna was also missing, meaning Lee Harper could only name four substitutes while trialists Alex Dyer and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu started the game.
The first half was low-key with John Dempster heading an early effort wide for Kettering but it was Charlton who opened the scoring on 32 minutes.
An uncharacteristic error by Ian Roper gifted the ball to Akpo Sodje and he drew Nathan Abbey in before squaring to Guilem Bauza who fired into the empty net.
James Dance had a deflected shot saved by Rob Elliot but Sodje almost made it 2-0 when he raced away but Abbey was equal to his shot as he expertly palmed the ball away.
And the Addicks striker headed another effort wide before the break when Abbey missed a cross from the left by Scott Wagstaff.
Charlton started the second half strongly and Bauza fired a shot just wide before they doubled their lead as Sodje headed home Wagstaff’s cross.
Abbey saved well from a Bauza header shortly afterwards as the Poppies struggled to get out of their own half.
A free-kick from Andre Boucaud, which was deflected wide, sparked Kettering’s best spell as they put the pressure on with a number of corners.
Marcus Kelly burst through with a good run and squared for Brett Solkhon but Charlton managed to clear their lines before the midfielder could shoot.
The visitors grabbed their third with 11 minutes to go when Miguel Llera’s free-kick took a wicked deflected and left Abbey wrong-footed.
Abbey made another fine stop from Alex Stavrinou before the end but Charlton did add a fourth late on when Tamer Tuna scored from closed range.
Poppies: Abbey, Graham (sub Taylor, h-t), Dempster, Roper, Davis (sub Pryor, 86 mins), Noubissie (sub Wrack, 59 mins), Dyer, Boucaud, Kelly, Dance, Ndumbu-Nsungu (sub Solkhon, h-t).
Attendance: 725 (away fans 116).