Problem is we started the season well and have them gone on to be poor against teams at the bottom. You'd all be singing from a different song sheet if it was the other way around! But anyway I couldn't give a shit it's half 5 and I'm already pissed by the pool in Lanzarote so I'll leave you lot to mope on here for a couple of weeks.
Bookmark this and remind me at the end of the season if you like. Just needs a couple of good results. The ones we stuffed up were the home games, and they weren't without their share of bad luck. When Makienok, Ceballos and (lol) Reza come back, we'll see what we're really made of.
Banging on about failed experiments and something rotten at the heart of Charlton is myopic in the extreme.
Bookmark this and remind me at the end of the season if you like. Just needs a couple of good results. The ones we stuffed up were the home games, and they weren't without their share of bad luck. When Makienok, Ceballos and (lol) Reza come back, we'll see what we're really made of.
Banging on about failed experiments and something rotten at the heart of Charlton is myopic in the extreme.
I would have said the same thing in September, especially after the Fulham game. We're poor, the rest of the division has improved year-on-year for the last five years, and is especially good this year, but we probably won't go down.
There are a lot of things that are predictable, having Alou, Igor, and Jacko missing big chunks due to injury as all three are injury prone (Alou has been throughout his career). Going on history, Tony Watt is a live wire and has ended up falling out with people wherever he's been.
Other things, like losing Bauer and Kashi, two players brought in to really be our spine, have been rubbish luck. CC breaking his foot and then maybe having it amputated (bless him I hope he's alright wherever he is). Hendo losing form (though given his injury record having more cover would have been clever)
But then there are so many decisions that have been awful from those in charge. Bringing in a manager for 14 games who was so clearly out of his depth. Starting the season with three CBs, one of whom turned 34 during the season and is injury prone, and the other two brand new to the league. Starting with one senior right back. Starting with three senior strikers, one of whom was coming off an injury hit pre-season preceded by an injury hit season, and an 18 year old. A complete inability to bring in decent replacements until the END of January and February.
Honestly, I have no idea how good Riga is as a coach. He's certainly improved some players and the team, but there are still huge questions surrounding fitness. Some of those question around players we brought in, but others who have been with us all year. It sounds like Ba still isn't fit. There are other players who must be knackered from playing almost all of the season (Cousin, JBG, Mak). Fitness is done in preseason, anyone in football will tell you that. Riga has basically had to make a team over six weeks while playing matches. We shouldn't be surprised that half our players look dreadful and that performances seem like they're in pre-season, because essentially, that's where this team is.
This is a result of complete mismanagement, or even lack of management (so many of the above could be improved with a director of football ensuring continuity of operations across different coaching regimes) that not many of us thought was possible from this lot.
I would have said the same thing in September, especially after the Fulham game. We're poor, the rest of the division has improved year-on-year for the last five years, and is especially good this year, but we probably won't go down.
There are a lot of things that are predictable, having Alou, Igor, and Jacko missing big chunks due to injury as all three are injury prone (Alou has been throughout his career). Going on history, Tony Watt is a live wire and has ended up falling out with people wherever he's been.
Other things, like losing Bauer and Kashi, two players brought in to really be our spine, have been rubbish luck. CC breaking his foot and then maybe having it amputated (bless him I hope he's alright wherever he is). Hendo losing form (though given his injury record having more cover would have been clever)
But then there are so many decisions that have been awful from those in charge. Bringing in a manager for 14 games who was so clearly out of his depth. Starting the season with three CBs, one of whom turned 34 during the season and is injury prone, and the other two brand new to the league. Starting with one senior right back. Starting with three senior strikers, one of whom was coming off an injury hit pre-season preceded by an injury hit season, and an 18 year old. A complete inability to bring in decent replacements until the END of January and February.
Honestly, I have no idea how good Riga is as a coach. He's certainly improved some players and the team, but there are still huge questions surrounding fitness. Some of those question around players we brought in, but others who have been with us all year. It sounds like Ba still isn't fit. There are other players who must be knackered from playing almost all of the season (Cousin, JBG, Mak). Fitness is done in preseason, anyone in football will tell you that. Riga has basically had to make a team over six weeks while playing matches. We shouldn't be surprised that half our players look dreadful and that performances seem like they're in pre-season, because essentially, that's where this team is.
This is a result of complete mismanagement, or even lack of management (so many of the above could be improved with a director of football ensuring continuity of operations across different coaching regimes) that not many of us thought was possible from this lot.
But he hasn't SD, his record over his first 10 matches absolutely exactly equals that of Fraeye's first 10 & also Luzon's first 10 this season - 9 points.
He got very lucky the first time round and has been found out again for what he is - a third rate network stooge - am counting down the days 'til he goes and takes his special love for Charlton (LOL) with him!!!
But he hasn't SD, his record over his first 10 matches absolutely exactly equals that of Fraeye's first 10 & also Luzon's first 10 this season - 9 points.
He got very lucky the first time round and has been found out again for what he is - a third rate network stooge - am counting down the days 'til he goes and takes his special love for Charlton (LOL) with him!!!
Again put my bias up first, I have to go on what I hear, read, and see in highlights, but I'd say Cousins, Mak, Fox, Bergdich have all improved under him.
I'll back off the other point, "and the team," I think there have been some bright spots (Rotherham, Blackburn first half(?), Fulham first half, Reading second half, Brentford), but I'm really speculating here and most importantly, it's clear that collectively, it's not enough. But my point was I'm not convinced we know the whole story of the horror show he inherited. Heads were down, there was zero confidence, but I'm also wondering if the core of this team, in pre-season, or thereafter, were not conditioned well enough to last the whole season. I think back to a lot of Harry Redknapp's teams fading in March because they didn't do much fitness work. That's it, that's all I'm wondering.
Bookmark this and remind me at the end of the season if you like. Just needs a couple of good results. The ones we stuffed up were the home games, and they weren't without their share of bad luck. When Makienok, Ceballos and (lol) Reza come back, we'll see what we're really made of.
Banging on about failed experiments and something rotten at the heart of Charlton is myopic in the extreme.
Comments
There are a lot of things that are predictable, having Alou, Igor, and Jacko missing big chunks due to injury as all three are injury prone (Alou has been throughout his career). Going on history, Tony Watt is a live wire and has ended up falling out with people wherever he's been.
Other things, like losing Bauer and Kashi, two players brought in to really be our spine, have been rubbish luck. CC breaking his foot and then maybe having it amputated (bless him I hope he's alright wherever he is). Hendo losing form (though given his injury record having more cover would have been clever)
But then there are so many decisions that have been awful from those in charge. Bringing in a manager for 14 games who was so clearly out of his depth. Starting the season with three CBs, one of whom turned 34 during the season and is injury prone, and the other two brand new to the league. Starting with one senior right back. Starting with three senior strikers, one of whom was coming off an injury hit pre-season preceded by an injury hit season, and an 18 year old. A complete inability to bring in decent replacements until the END of January and February.
Honestly, I have no idea how good Riga is as a coach. He's certainly improved some players and the team, but there are still huge questions surrounding fitness. Some of those question around players we brought in, but others who have been with us all year. It sounds like Ba still isn't fit. There are other players who must be knackered from playing almost all of the season (Cousin, JBG, Mak). Fitness is done in preseason, anyone in football will tell you that. Riga has basically had to make a team over six weeks while playing matches. We shouldn't be surprised that half our players look dreadful and that performances seem like they're in pre-season, because essentially, that's where this team is.
This is a result of complete mismanagement, or even lack of management (so many of the above could be improved with a director of football ensuring continuity of operations across different coaching regimes) that not many of us thought was possible from this lot.
He got very lucky the first time round and has been found out again for what he is - a third rate network stooge - am counting down the days 'til he goes and takes his special love for Charlton (LOL) with him!!!
I'll back off the other point, "and the team," I think there have been some bright spots (Rotherham, Blackburn first half(?), Fulham first half, Reading second half, Brentford), but I'm really speculating here and most importantly, it's clear that collectively, it's not enough. But my point was I'm not convinced we know the whole story of the horror show he inherited. Heads were down, there was zero confidence, but I'm also wondering if the core of this team, in pre-season, or thereafter, were not conditioned well enough to last the whole season. I think back to a lot of Harry Redknapp's teams fading in March because they didn't do much fitness work. That's it, that's all I'm wondering.
Come back in August/September, slag off our team as the worst in living memory, and predict relegation by March. That'll do the trick
I posted the point on the associated thread here of course but I had been censored at the time for not crawling up the right arses.