i think the indication was that there will be a bit of R&R over the next couple of days and then back into the hard graft, i cant see this team dropping the intesity level, i think Powell has got it spot on with the prep
I thought a number of players looked shot in the second half. Pritchard, Jackson, Hollands, Green all looked knackered. Yann was blowing as well. Understandable when you read what Jackson was saying.
The next 4 fixtures are against so called lesser sides and I suspect we might see some rotation.
I defended Hamer yesterday, but having seen it again on the FLS it looked a monumental cock up. He had a stinker yesterday but still kept a clean sheet - says alot about our defence and the threat Sheff Utd posed.
Great win. My observations : I think our team is crying out for Stephens, creativity is just not flowing. Green didn't have a great game their left back had him in his pocket no crosses that I remember, although got some good shots off - but were too true and straight. I think with Stephens back in the team, we will do what we do best and keep the ball on the ground as we do have the players to do this, as per first 10 games of the season. I think Pritchard has come in and done a great job, and shown energy and enthusiasm, but don't think he can place a defence splitting pass which BWP craves....this is where Stephens steps up IMO
p.s. great Solly challenge at the far post against Cresswell which seemed destined to find the back of net.
I think Hamer is having a massive confidence issue at the moment, which began with the first goal at Yeovil, continued at Orient with a strange decision and then yesterday. We won so alls good but something the management need to keep a eye on and try to rectify in training.
Sheff Utd had more of the possession and played some tidy football but had only a couple of real chances throughout the game. We were ugly in our football resorting to booting it out of defense; at times it looked a bit like 3 goals and in over at the park.....but without a goal. Overall on clear cut chances on goal we had the edge And as for the winning goal...it had premiership class written all over it (and better than his goal against the Wendies). And that's the type of goal that separates two teams at the top of the table. WE have that winning mantra about us and I don't care if our football at times lacks finesss as we have only one aim this season to get out of this fucking aweful league and I gratefully recieved 3 points. Good luck to Sheff Utd and hope they win second place.
Powell has absolute faith in our defensive ability and that's not just talking about the back four, but the entire team from Yann and BWP back. The second half was similar to the Huddersfield game, we sat in and looked to break. It's not the best for our blood pressure but it's effective and, although the last five were nerve wracking, I never felt overly worried and thought they lacked ideas going forward but that was more a sign of our quality when we haven't got the ball. We're a proper team and it really is ours to lose now.
Thought the ref was okay in the first but terrible in the second half. Although I didn't think Russell should have gone, what really got my back up was the bookings he dished out for time wasting-why should a winning team have to rush set pieces? They were taking just as long as us-cresswell scoring after being called off side and their goalkeeper swapping sides on goal kicks spring to mind yet Hamer and Solly (?) were carded without warning within what seemed like a few seconds. It's ridiculous and really makes my blood boil. You could see it coming though because he had a word with Jackson within a couple of minutes of the second half starting and he'd literally kicked the ball about a yard from where it was supposed to be.
Anyway, doesn't matter now, supporting Charlton is great again and my credit card/family pot is in for a battering over the next few months with the games coming thick and fast.
@rothko that is exactly the way to play it. Just hard work, that is what BWP is doing and in the end it will reap rewards. BWP aint scoring but his work rate is top notch.
Heard from a decent source yesterday that Waggys confidence is shot to pieces. Now Danny Green had that shot yesterday that their keeper only saved because he was standing in the way, so Danny did have some prescence. We (all?) know Waggy will give you everything, and is no bottler, and will help Solly out too...in addition an oppo manager said a few weeks ago that Waggy would get into any other team in this league, also Waggy was so very unlucky at Orient. I would like to think that we as a club, and we as supporters, could rally round Waggy and help the lad through this sticky patch, he is undervalued in some quarters and I think that is a crying shame.
Unfortunately we can't play 15 players and some are going to be left out. That's life.
For what it's worth, I think Danny has been the least impressive of the team over the past few games (but by no means 'bad'). I called the substitution after about 50 mins, so obvious.
Got a feeling Scott will play again at some stage this season and having met him a few times, he'll come in all guns blazing and be absolutely fine.
Hamer is young for a keeper, like people have said, they need to work with him in training, and we have to keep the faith, we can't hope for anything better than him, and he can develop. At least he wants to be boss of the box. I'm sorry to say that when I saw Sullivan at Orient, he wasn't coming at all, and at one point Morrison gave him a right mouthful. Look at it this way...was Rob Elliot really so much better? Really?
Waggy will get back in i am sure and he will show everyone what he has to offer, first time in his addicks career where he is fighting for that spot he needs to dig deep and look inside himself to find the real footballer within unfortunately
It is always difficult to know what tactic to employ in a big game when you are 1-0 up at half time. Although Blades had probably too much possession 2nd half, their movement was not as effective - Quinn was a lot quieter and that's because Powelly has shown the lads another way to stop the opposition - mix it up - get in their faces and break up their play. It wasn't particularly pretty but it worked - and they only had 1 shot on goal (and they clipped the bar late on with what looked like a cross). We were behind the goal in the North when Hamer dropped the ball into his own net and it was definitely a foul - absolutely no doubt but when you see Alan Lee's goal for Huddersfield last night you realise it might have been different! Well done Charlton, well done Chris Powell and well done the fans for getting behind the team so well again (I was at Fulham and that was also awsome). Well done Sheff Utd, too, a very good side at this level.
Super Clive Mendonca: Great win. My observations : I think our team is crying out for Stephens, creativity is just not flowing.
I agree. We have been battling and brave and solid recently but when Stevens comes back we will see more of the stylish football of which this team is capable,
Agree that if he is ready the Stephens should be put back in. Think he could just be the fulcrum in our midfield that provides the composure we seem to be a little short of right now.
I wasn't at the game yesterday but from the TV its hard to see any contact on Hamer from the corner. However saying that, it is not a great angle and none of the United players really appealed, so it probably was a foul. Overall for Hamer, seems like a very good shot stopper and commander of the defence, if a bit dodgy when it comes to catching
I was impressed by The Blades midfield but the team didn't make use of their possession. Thought Hamer was flaky but it didn't matter because our back 4 were solid. Green could have put us out of sight but at the end of the day another solid team effort. Oh the anticipation for our next game. COYR's
Stephens to come in next weekend to give Hollands, Pritchard or Jackson a break, I reckon. Could see Hughes and Wagstaff come back into the fold too.
Just as long as we don't shuffle the back five, I'm confident of three points next weekend. The defence is the one area you shouldn't be switching around without good reason.
Is it any coinicidence that BWP's goals have dried up since Stephens went out of the team? Maybe it is but he is the one who slides those balls through that BWP loves to run onto.
I think the most satisfying aspect of the past of the past 2 weeks has been the evidence of a real development of the team performance. As CP regularly states this team/squad is a work progress. In the early part of the season many commented (particularly opposition fans) we could not maintain our success because other teams would simply negate our passing style of football. Well we have developed our game and learned how to win ugly. We should never forget opposition managers are going to do everything to shut us down. Some are very good at it yet even when they have succeeded we have still found a way to win. That is a very good place to be.
Haynes looks a useful addition. Need a ball player in the middle though, someone to run the game. Though perhaps Stephens will do this when he's match fit. Their midfield outplayed us yesterday - though our defence is better than any attack in the league. This is why we will go up.
Sheff Utd are the best team to have pitched up at The Valley this season and we still beat them. Was worried at times that we let them have too much possession and too many corners. But, all's well that ends well and the team battled hard for a result.
I think their goal was disallowed more for the foul on Taylor than anything else. Their guy backed into him pushing him behind the goal-line so that he could do nothing.
Fantastic free kick from JJ, unstoppable. What I really liked though was that we had him lining up on one side of the ball and Yann the other side. Their keeper had no way of knowing which way the ball was going. I can't remember the last time we had one free kick taker, let alone two, that are as good as this pair.
Comments
The next 4 fixtures are against so called lesser sides and I suspect we might see some rotation.
I defended Hamer yesterday, but having seen it again on the FLS it looked a monumental cock up. He had a stinker yesterday but still kept a clean sheet - says alot about our defence and the threat Sheff Utd posed.
I think Pritchard has come in and done a great job, and shown energy and enthusiasm, but don't think he can place a defence splitting pass which BWP craves....this is where Stephens steps up IMO
p.s. great Solly challenge at the far post against Cresswell which seemed destined to find the back of net.
Ben Roberts will work him hard this week on handling
Thought the ref was okay in the first but terrible in the second half. Although I didn't think Russell should have gone, what really got my back up was the bookings he dished out for time wasting-why should a winning team have to rush set pieces? They were taking just as long as us-cresswell scoring after being called off side and their goalkeeper swapping sides on goal kicks spring to mind yet Hamer and Solly (?) were carded without warning within what seemed like a few seconds. It's ridiculous and really makes my blood boil. You could see it coming though because he had a word with Jackson within a couple of minutes of the second half starting and he'd literally kicked the ball about a yard from where it was supposed to be.
Anyway, doesn't matter now, supporting Charlton is great again and my credit card/family pot is in for a battering over the next few months with the games coming thick and fast.
I would like to think that we as a club, and we as supporters, could rally round Waggy and help the lad through this sticky patch, he is undervalued in some quarters and I think that is a crying shame.
For what it's worth, I think Danny has been the least impressive of the team over the past few games (but by no means 'bad'). I called the substitution after about 50 mins, so obvious.
Got a feeling Scott will play again at some stage this season and having met him a few times, he'll come in all guns blazing and be absolutely fine.
Although Blades had probably too much possession 2nd half, their movement was not as effective - Quinn was a lot quieter and that's because Powelly has shown the lads another way to stop the opposition - mix it up - get in their faces and break up their play. It wasn't particularly pretty but it worked - and they only had 1 shot on goal (and they clipped the bar late on with what looked like a cross).
We were behind the goal in the North when Hamer dropped the ball into his own net and it was definitely a foul - absolutely no doubt but when you see Alan Lee's goal for Huddersfield last night you realise it might have been different!
Well done Charlton, well done Chris Powell and well done the fans for getting behind the team so well again (I was at Fulham and that was also awsome). Well done Sheff Utd, too, a very good side at this level.
I agree. We have been battling and brave and solid recently but when Stevens comes back we will see more of the stylish football of which this team is capable,
Just as long as we don't shuffle the back five, I'm confident of three points next weekend. The defence is the one area you shouldn't be switching around without good reason.
Need a ball player in the middle though, someone to run the game. Though perhaps Stephens will do this when he's match fit. Their midfield outplayed us yesterday - though our defence is better than any attack in the league.
This is why we will go up.
I think their goal was disallowed more for the foul on Taylor than anything else. Their guy backed into him pushing him behind the goal-line so that he could do nothing.
Fantastic free kick from JJ, unstoppable. What I really liked though was that we had him lining up on one side of the ball and Yann the other side. Their keeper had no way of knowing which way the ball was going. I can't remember the last time we had one free kick taker, let alone two, that are as good as this pair.