Courtesy of Henry Irving
Tuesday 8 March is known Shrove Tuesday in some parts of the Christian tradition. It is the last day before a long period of abstinence and reflection known as Lent.
If Charlton can’t get a win at MK Dons this Shrove Tuesday then expect plenty of “reflection” on a season ended and a good proportion of finger pointing and blame allocating as any hopes of even the play-offs recede into the distance. We will be looking forward to considerably more than 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness of League one.
Any unity or collective patience that the arrival of Chris Powell and the new board were meant to have brought has now departed. We face a desperate chase to close the seven point gap on 6th place Franchise FC. Three games in hand mean that is mathematically more than doable but the side has been unconvincing in 2011.
The already small squad is shrinking by the game and replacements seem to be hard to find. It appears Elliot has had a long term hip problem, which has now flared up so Worner seems sure to start. Conor Gough or Brandon Hall could be pipped for the subs bench by keeper coach Ben Roberts if Powell is unwilling to risk such inexperienced players.
Francis’s error for the Tranmere goal might open the door for a return for Chris Solly but otherwise it is likely to be as you were at the back.
With Jackson still not ready to return according to Powell’s post match press conference the midfield also picks itself. Racon’s 2nd half performance does open up the possibility of leading scorer Jackson taking McCormack’s place in the centre but not as soon as this game.
Whenever this team has been on a good run this season Smokin’ Joe Anyinsah has been in the side and his power and pace have been missed. If fit he is likely to take Benson’s place.
MK Dons are on form with only one defeat (v Orient) in the last ten. They have just beaten Rochdale 4 – 1 and Brighton 1 – 0 so will be full of confidence. They too will be more than aware that victory will open clear water between us and them. But at home they do draw a lot of games and Charlton still, despite Hartlepool and Notts Country, boast one of the division’s best away records. MK are unlikely to sit back in numbers as Tranmere and others have so there should be more room for our players. That also means that Dailly and Llera will be put under a great deal more pressure than on Saturday.
Shrove Tuesday in now more commonly known in these secular times as Pancake Day. I predict a 2 – 2 draw to leave Charlton feeling flat.
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Comments
I'm going to this one, and expect another disappointment, and maybe one shot on goal if we are lucky.
2-0 defeat.
but i love SCP so bizarrely not as painful as i thought it would be
this is a must not lose game
but i fear our merry band of pub folk aren't up to it atm booooooooo
hopefully the once again enforced departure of the undroppable drop a ball elliot will lead to a turn around in fortunes as it did last season but that was because we had the impressive randolph to step in , who knows what worner will be like but after nearly 100 appearances for the first team i'm not seeing the hoped for improvement in robbie that i would have expected
more woe for the addicks and their travelling hordes
Jenkinson, Wagstaff and Llera to put in sterling performances again tomorrow night. But if we're to get even a point , it needs a few others to show stronger battling qualities than they have done of late.
If Semedo and Racon play well then we'll get a result. Everyone knows the stakes of winning and losing tomorrow so we'll wait and see.
I'm not going, but will be listening, as said we've seemed to have lost our impressive away record although saying that Hartlepool are strong at home and against County we missed a penalty and could have been 3 up at half time with the chances we had. Just need to go out tomorrow and do the simple things right and then results will start to come back.
Hoping Ayinsah will be back he really does seem to be made of glass. I don't even know what he's injured this time.
Hopefully we'll continue our 100% record against MK. A win would make things seem alot brighter, then we can get some loans in. If things are going wrong Powell does need to make changes earlier not wait until 80 minutes to bring on Reid and Ecclestone. Still worry about our ability to only play one half of football.
Carlisle was the worst I have felt after a game so it was important we did not lose to Tranny. SCP is right in that we stopped the rot .
MKD are similar to Peterborough and a win pulls us closer again .
There is still a long way to go although I accept a defeat tomorrow would be difficult ( but not impossible ) to come back from . Remember Wham stayed up after we thrased them at the Valley four years ago.
I agree with Henry about Anyinsah , but think the man we really missed over the last week was Jackson . He gives our team a good left sided balance and makes the midfield look more solid , on Saturday Jenkinson did not have an outlet going forward and we could not attack effectively on the left . Kyle Reid needs to start .
Powell also spoke in his post match comments that Bessone might be available again .
Heart is telling me though this can be a real, defining, stand-up-and-be-counted away game, with us doing to them what Exeter and Carlisle did to us. Ignore who is manager completely, the reality and severity of the situation should be sending alarm signals to every player that starts this game and mentally it needs to be approached as a cup final.
Have our players got that bit of balls about them ? As a squad, i really am not sure, and so far Powelly has been able to get that reaction.
Defeat here will not make the play-offs impossible, but it will most certainly make it become more unlikely and will be the ultimate hammer blow after such a dismal few weeks.
There has to be a turning point at some stage though. At this point of the season 4 years ago, a week after being stuffed 4-0 by us West ham were 11 points from safety with 9 games to go. They looked doomed, but one decent result proved a catalyst.
We need to get that decent result, and if it is this one, then a similar reaction could follow.
Sadly if i was a betting man, i'd be going with my head not my heart at this moment in time. We look too disjointed, and lacking in match winners for my liking.
If Chris Powell thinks we have "stopped the rot" by scraping a 1-1 at home to Tranmere his expectations are obviously a lot lower than I expected, after three straight defeats my idea of "stopping the rot" would have been nothing less than a convincing win and 3 points against Tranmere.
Considering the run of games we have coming up i.e. Southampton (twice), Bournemouth, Huddersfield, Rochdale and Orient mid table obscurity is looming on the horizon for the rest of the season then we re-build and go again next season.
If the performance resembles the last two home games minimum 3 goal defeat.
Prove me wrong please!!!!!!
An in form side are capable of putting 3 or 4 past us at the moment.
Start looking up the route to Preston and Chesterfield by 10.00 tomorrrow.
Agree, think we will get hammered.
Bit early to be looking up Preston & Chesterfield, the way we're going we could be relegated yet.
This bloke is selling a ticket for £10
They are going very well, we have a handful of key players injured and this could be messy
2-0
Waggy and Eccleston.
However I have finally made my mind up - away win!!
I know we lost up at Hartlepool to start this poor run and at Meadow Lane; but the loss to Notts County was due to a fluke goal scored on a piss poor pitch and of course a missed pen by BWP.
However the fact is that we seem to play better away from home (not difficult to be honest) and against teams in the top half of the league (god knows why).
Therefore taking all the above into account I'm gonna stick my neck out and go for an away win either 1-0 or 2-1 and this will help to build momentum for the next two Saturday's and a couple of London derby's, both of them winable and sets us up nicely for the home game against the saints in 14 days time.
Next 4 games I think we can get 9 or 10 points, and I am unanimous in my decision!!!!