Iain Liddle, Charlton Athletic correspondent
Thursday,
September 8, 2011
5:19 PM
Charlton Athletic manager Chris
Powell has urged his players to stay true to their principles and learn
from the frustrating second-half showing against Sheffield Wednesday.
The
Addicks put on a razor-sharp display in the first half of the game
which was full of energetic pressing, slick passing and an overall work
rate which the visitors struggled to cope with.
However, after
conceding an equalising goal on 53 minutes, their method of attack
became more fractured and as the clock ticked down towards the final
whistle the tendency to hit hopeful long balls forward increased.
With
the majority of teams in League One possessing aerially strong
defences, and as none of Charlton’s quartet of strikers fall into the
archetypal target man mould, Powell has reminded his players that an
eye-catching, attractive style of play will be easier on the eye and
their points tally.
“We started off extremely well. We passed the
ball and played the way we wanted to play and put them on the back
foot,” said Powell, of the draw with Gary Megson’s side.
“I think
we came out and didn’t really play to our strengths in the second
period. We almost stopped playing the way we liked to play.
“We
just got drawn into a little bit of the direct play and we can’t play
that way. I don’t like us playing that way because I want us to keep it
on the ground as much as we can and that’s the style we’ve played so
far.
“I like to be a positive man and we remain unbeaten and we
still add to our points tally. It wasn’t three – and every game I want
three – but we just veered away from what we’re good at. I always feel
if we stick to what we like and what the team likes we’ll get more
results than not.”
He added: “If we start slinging it in the box
from deep or slinging it up there from our defending third that’s not
really our style.
“From the players who are in the team to those
who come off the bench – we’ve got good footballers at this club. I want
them to use the ball and we have been doing that in games. We did it
against Sheffield Wednesday, but we didn’t do it over the sustained
period and we need to do it over a longer period and make better
decisions.
”Against Exeter we’ll look to play our way and the way we like to play.”
With
the emergency loan window having opened today, the Addicks chief also
played down the likelihood of him bringing in any more players in the
immediate future.
“If something comes up which I feel could
benefit us as a group then I would act on it, but I’m not actively
saying I have to bring someone in because the balance of the squad is
very, very good,” he said.
“But, of course, no manager worth his salt would turn down anyone that could improve them.”
Comments
Glad to have it confirmed that the players went against the managers tactics - at least it can be trained out of them!
Long Live CP!
The corner got a lucky deflection and apart from that, Wednesday offered absolutely nothing going forwards. I can't remember any side offering as little in recent years. I frankly thought it was pathetic and doubly sad Sky had televised this.
There is a distinction to be made here.
On Monday we resorted to lumping it down the middle where The Jolly Green Giant mopped everything up.
Continue passing yes, but if we have decent long ball passers, we can still get up the field quickly by feeding the front two or advanced midfield into feet & feeding off them. BWP is good at running into the channels & Hayes would be the main hold up man if you like.
Not a Plan B as such but mixes up the play a bit whilst trying to retain possession.
We saw on Monday that we will get nowhere with lumping the ball.
Hopefully, Powell's/Dyer's substitutions will become more astute to influence the pattern of play.
I think his hands were tied more by the absence of Green and Benson but at the same time CP and the players need to work out how to overcome the tactics Weds used because plenty of other teams will try the same.
Our midfield dropped deeper, causing our front two to become isolated from a passing game - hence the long ball.
And surrendering the initiative to a physically battling Wednesday.
It's so important that we take the game to our opponents. It's what we do best.
But we have to play a higher back line, play tighter together as a team unit - and the midfield can then keep short passing contact with our front players.
Yep and the away club will tend to adopt the aproach of spoiling the home clubs tactics.
This has been a problem with Charlton @ home over the past few years. How many times has the team gone in to it's collective shell after conceding a lead ?
Is it that the players are scared of a booing and braying crowd if they lose?, is it that the players are terrified of a bollocking from the manager if 3 points are dropped?
This current team is talented enough to beat any other side at home, the proof is (paradoxically) in the steely and committed away performances. The second half show against Wednesday was not acceptable, shoulders sagged and heads dropped after the equaliser. No-one looked prepared to take responsibility and the long ball game was absolutely clueless. John Jackson is a good player but seems to be too quiet. We need a skipper who can shout and inspire his teammates and is able to pass on instructions from Powell if such instructions are forthcoming. These problems were evident under Messrs Parkinson and Pardew, we do not need the same virus under a third manager Mr P.
I said before the game that 1 point would not be too bad, as it would only leave us 2 points behind the top 2 and keep the pressure off of us a touch.
It would also mean that Sheff W would not close the gap on us. Perhaps Powell though the same and decided that 1 point would not be the end of the world and would keep Sheff W well below us. A Sheff W victory would have left them hot on our tails.
I wasn't advocating shutting up shop. It's just that I wasn't as confident as most supporters, that we would win. I had a feeling that as Sheff W were a big team which often play the long ball game, then we could perhaps struggle. We often do better against the teams that want to play neat football.
It proved to be like that and all I'm saying is that under the circumstances a draw wasn't "the end of thre world". A defeat would have had them 3 points closer.
I am puzzled by CP's use of subs in the 2 drawn games at home. Against Scunthorpe we were struggling late on in the midfield where they had pushed more bodies and were playing through us on the floor. To my mind the last bloke you wanted on the pitch with that in mind was Doherty. The game previously against Bournemouth where they were desperately pumping high balls in to the box it made sense, but not against Scunny.
Then against Sheff Wed, they were getting hold of the midfield with percentage football and in our faces. CP changing Hayes for Euell was never going to change the pattern of play or enable us to counter their drive in the midfield. Another body in the midfield would have countered their play and likely see us get more of the ball than we were. I think the introduction of Pritchard would have re-energised the midfield and given support to Holland & Stephens late on.
Hughes, although a FB isn't he supposed to be a combative midfielder. That might even have helped stopped Wednesday's midfield kicking a few lumps out of our young lads late in the game.