I agree with Stig regarding JBG. He came to life at Rotherham but was back to his disinterested worst on Saturday.
What's worse ? A player out of his depth who tries his best, or a talented player who can't be bothered. At the moment we have too many of both.
Because someone makes little contribution on the football pitch are they someone who cant be bothered or are they someone who is being marked out of the game? - He always makes himself available yet the moment he gets the ball the opposition rush out to close him down!!
I don't think any of them go out to play bad, and if you are seen as the playmaker (eg JBG) you will get extra attention from the opposition. My gripe with him is that if he gets closed down early on then he doesn't seem to force himself into games, it's like if his personal plan A doesn't work then that's it. We know from last year he can do better but this year he's been poor.
Not often you can say they could have put 11 outfield players and no keeper and potentially got a better result.
Riga cant work miracles but you would have hoped for more than that. The main issue is that our signings once again are dog shit and our board too incompetent to fix it.
Board is responsible for the signings. Their incompetence is writ large!
I listened to Charlton Live today. Very good it was too. Some reflections.
Morgan Fox may not be the greatest left back in the world but has been exposed by not having a decent fast left wing / midfield that prevents the opposition left back from pushing forward and over loading him with their left midfield. Morgan Fox was good at left back as he was able to concentrate on defensive duties & Bulot was quick and kept the opposition right back on their toes.
Bergdich is not enough of a threat, better would be Harriotts, who works hard and tracks back well - with Lookman on as sub later on. So as bad as Fox appears to be playing, supporters could consider cutting him some slack, as any left back would struggle with what is going on the left wing in front of him.
Jackson is one of the vital leaders in the team on the pitch but has not got the legs for 442. This means playing as part of a 3 man midfield or if it is a 442 then coming on later in the half. At present, 3 in midfield is the way as it will prevent the centre of midfield being overrun.
Charlton have a chance with a fit Vetekele on the pitch, and struggle without him. That was the problem on Saturday. There was no threat in the team. Without pace on the wings, Makienok is going to struggle. I have lost patience with Reza. He's league one standard and will be back to Holland at the end of the season. A bit of pace at right wing would really help. Sanago needs to get up to speed damn quick or a decent cover is needed for Vetekele immediately.
Riga lost quite a few games last time, but needs to get a grip quickly as there are still some winnable games ahead. That means avoiding tactical errors and careful construction of the team.
I listened to Charlton Live today. Very good it was too. Some reflections.
Morgan Fox may not be the greatest left back in the world but has been exposed by not having a decent fast left wing / midfield that prevents the opposition left back from pushing forward and over loading him with their left midfield. Morgan Fox was good at left back as he was able to concentrate on defensive duties & Bulot was quick and kept the opposition right back on their toes.
Bergdich is not enough of a threat, better would be Harriotts, who works hard and tracks back well - with Lookman on as sub later on. So as bad as Fox appears to be playing, supporters could consider cutting him some slack, as any left back would struggle with what is going on the left wing in front of him.
Jackson is one of the vital leaders in the team on the pitch but has not got the legs for 442. This means playing as part of a 3 man midfield or if it is a 442 then coming on later in the half. At present, 3 in midfield is the way as it will prevent the centre of midfield being overrun.
Charlton have a chance with a fit Vetekele on the pitch, and struggle without him. That was the problem on Saturday. There was no threat in the team. Without pace on the wings, Makienok is going to struggle. I have lost patience with Reza. He's league one standard and will be back to Belgium at the end of the season. A bit of pace at right wing would really help. Sanago needs to get up to speed damn quick or a decent cover is needed for Vetekele immediately.
Riga lost quite a few games last time, but needs to get a grip quickly as there are still some winnable games ahead. That means avoiding tactical errors and careful construction of the team.
Good summary. Breaking down teams who nick a goal then sit back and hit us on the counter attack, has been a long term problem for us. Without a Claus Jenson or a Di Canio in midfield to pick out defence splitting passes, it is almost impossible to break through, like trying to win a boxing match without gloves on. We do not have a midfield capable of pushing forward enough to pressurise and induce mistakes. Withough a creative midfielder we need to rely either on speed out wide, or the hope that we can grab a goal from a set piece or a long range shot. This is why I believe it will be easier to pick up points against teams that play attacking football and who are more vulnerable to us counter attacking them. Away from the Valley most teams attack us anyway, so it then becomes a case of whether our defence can hold up, as it did fortunately against Rotherham, sadly it didn't at Brighton. Riga somehow needs to make us play like an away team at the Valley in situations like last Saturday. As for Fox, when I saw him at the start of the season in live internet games, he looked a very good player who had progressed greatly from last season. However when I saw him play over the Xmas period, he looked a shadow of that player. It's something we have seen numerous times at the Valley, a decent player suddenly turns hopeless and it's not down to lack of ability, it's down to the fact that his confidence is shot to pieces, some might say his lack of mental strength. That is very common in young players and we need to hope that the same thing doesn't happen again to Harriott, because if it does, our chances of staying up will be greatly diminished. I think that Harriott still has a big role to play in our season.
Agree about trying to get something out of Harriot - he has goals in him, and we need those badly.
Having listened to all of the commentary here on Morgan Fox, you can't help feeling that the best option would be to get in an experienced championship left back on loan until the end of the season.
If Fox's confidence has gone, and THD is deemed too young, then not getting somebody in now could be fatal.
Having listened to all of the commentary here on Morgan Fox, you can't help feeling that the best option would be to get in an experienced championship left back on loan until the end of the season.
I am quite sure that Katrien is using her extensive football contacts to find someone for this role. However, they may well be from Belgium. With no Championship experience. And probably not close to being match fit. But come April they will be raring to go.
I listened to Charlton Live today. Very good it was too. Some reflections.
Morgan Fox may not be the greatest left back in the world but has been exposed by not having a decent fast left wing / midfield that prevents the opposition left back from pushing forward and over loading him with their left midfield. Morgan Fox was good at left back as he was able to concentrate on defensive duties & Bulot was quick and kept the opposition right back on their toes.
Bergdich is not enough of a threat, better would be Harriotts, who works hard and tracks back well - with Lookman on as sub later on. So as bad as Fox appears to be playing, supporters could consider cutting him some slack, as any left back would struggle with what is going on the left wing in front of him.
Jackson is one of the vital leaders in the team on the pitch but has not got the legs for 442. This means playing as part of a 3 man midfield or if it is a 442 then coming on later in the half. At present, 3 in midfield is the way as it will prevent the centre of midfield being overrun.
Charlton have a chance with a fit Vetekele on the pitch, and struggle without him. That was the problem on Saturday. There was no threat in the team. Without pace on the wings, Makienok is going to struggle. I have lost patience with Reza. He's league one standard and will be back to Belgium at the end of the season. A bit of pace at right wing would really help. Sanago needs to get up to speed damn quick or a decent cover is needed for Vetekele immediately.
Riga lost quite a few games last time, but needs to get a grip quickly as there are still some winnable games ahead. That means avoiding tactical errors and careful construction of the team.
Very well observed post! Totally agree with everthing which was said which is rare for me. Yes a fit Igor is essential for the team set up and without him we will be relegated unless a loanee is as good and has a similar attributes (unlikely I fear on present aquisitions).
I agree with Stig regarding JBG. He came to life at Rotherham but was back to his disinterested worst on Saturday.
What's worse ? A player out of his depth who tries his best, or a talented player who can't be bothered. At the moment we have too many of both.
Because someone makes little contribution on the football pitch are they someone who cant be bothered or are they someone who is being marked out of the game? - He always makes himself available yet the moment he gets the ball the opposition rush out to close him down!!
I don't think any of them go out to play bad, and if you are seen as the playmaker (eg JBG) you will get extra attention from the opposition. My gripe with him is that if he gets closed down early on then he doesn't seem to force himself into games, it's like if his personal plan A doesn't work then that's it. We know from last year he can do better but this year he's been poor.
Wow, imagine how bad the could be if they actually tried...
Currently, it is the worst of both worlds at left midfield. Its not Bergdich's fault & I am not digging him out but Bergdich does not have the pace and positional skill of a natural winger. This results in the opposition to be able to get forward at will to support their right midfield without too much worry.
In addition, I don't think that Bergdich has the positional discipline at left midfield to hold position sufficiently to support Fox. It is not a surprise as he was bought as a left back. Currently he appears to be a slightly quicker version of Lawrie Wilson (when he was having not such a good game). Away teams just have to wait until Bergdich's concentration goes and is caught out of position and Fox is over loaded with runners.
Playing at Bergdich at left back may be a viable option, and he may be better at that but would struggle at left back similarly without the position at left midfield being sorted. You would need to be careful, who you paired Bergdich with.
The virtue of Harriott is that in the last game, I saw him play (against Blackburn) he is quite diligent in tracking back. He also does carry some threat as an attacking left midfield to at least make the right back think that he has to be a bit more careful to get forward. Harriott job should be to protect Fox and try to pin the right back down. For that he has to be positionally very disciplined.
Fox as a left back plays better with a very quick left wing as evidenced by the decent partnership he had with Bulot as he can concentrate on defending and the opposition right back has to hold position more, and Fox can choose when to go forward.
I am not saying Fox is perfect but I am trying to set his performances in the context of the overall squad. I hope that he can recover his confidence and that the crowd can see what's going on with the team, so as not to get on his back.
Not getting Bulot / or a decent left midfield at the start of the season is the real issue. Fox is collateral damage for the lack of appropriate strengthening and not bringing in players that complement the players already at the club.
In any case, the team and squad is what it is. Options are limited. It may be worth giving Holmes Dennis a try. Holmes Dennis has more speed to get forward, it may be best to try him with Harriott, as the right back would definitely then have to think about defending, rather than pushing forward. Fox does not have the same natural speed as Holmes Dennis and Harriott is not as quick as Bulot or a natural left wing. So Harriott does need to play alongside a quicker left back to successfully get at the opposition right back.
I thought booing fox off was a new low for us personally - i think he is ok as a defender but too limited to join in the attacking play, particularly at home - bergditch's pace is his asset so not sure this can be blamed - his ability, yes. We need vetokole back, and fox and bergditch replaced as a minimum to stand any chance against Cardiff - god do we need some attacking threat in midfield - but we knew that months ago didn't we?
I am pretty sure when Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel from 1508 to 1512, that a past relative of some that post on Charlton Life, would be pointing out to him he missed a bit.
What's pedantic about getting someone's name right?
Well, a post on the state of things and suggestion on improvements in the team or things generally can easily get sidetracked and reduced to arguing about spelling and grammar.
So Harriott in for Bergdich alongside a left back with some pace.
I listened to Charlton Live today. Very good it was too. Some reflections.
Morgan Fox may not be the greatest left back in the world but has been exposed by not having a decent fast left wing / midfield that prevents the opposition left back from pushing forward and over loading him with their left midfield. Morgan Fox was good at left back as he was able to concentrate on defensive duties & Bulot was quick and kept the opposition right back on their toes.
Bergdich is not enough of a threat, better would be Harriotts, who works hard and tracks back well - with Lookman on as sub later on. So as bad as Fox appears to be playing, supporters could consider cutting him some slack, as any left back would struggle with what is going on the left wing in front of him.
Jackson is one of the vital leaders in the team on the pitch but has not got the legs for 442. This means playing as part of a 3 man midfield or if it is a 442 then coming on later in the half. At present, 3 in midfield is the way as it will prevent the centre of midfield being overrun.
Charlton have a chance with a fit Vetekele on the pitch, and struggle without him. That was the problem on Saturday. There was no threat in the team. Without pace on the wings, Makienok is going to struggle. I have lost patience with Reza. He's league one standard and will be back to Holland at the end of the season. A bit of pace at right wing would really help. Sanago needs to get up to speed damn quick or a decent cover is needed for Vetekele immediately.
Riga lost quite a few games last time, but needs to get a grip quickly as there are still some winnable games ahead. That means avoiding tactical errors and careful construction of the team.
Currently, it is the worst of both worlds at left midfield. Its not Bergdich's fault & I am not digging him out but Bergdich does not have the pace and positional skill of a natural winger. This results in the opposition to be able to get forward at will to support their right midfield without too much worry.
In addition, I don't think that Bergdich has the positional discipline at left midfield to hold position sufficiently to support Fox. It is not a surprise as he was bought as a left back. Currently he appears to be a slightly quicker version of Lawrie Wilson (when he was having not such a good game). Away teams just have to wait until Bergdich's concentration goes and is caught out of position and Fox is over loaded with runners.
Playing at Bergdich at left back may be a viable option, and he may be better at that but would struggle at left back similarly without the position at left midfield being sorted. You would need to be careful, who you paired Bergdich with.
The virtue of Harriott is that in the last game, I saw him play (against Blackburn) he is quite diligent in tracking back. He also does carry some threat as an attacking left midfield to at least make the right back think that he has to be a bit more careful to get forward. Harriott job should be to protect Fox and try to pin the right back down. For that he has to be positionally very disciplined.
Fox as a left back plays better with a very quick left wing as evidenced by the decent partnership he had with Bulot as he can concentrate on defending and the opposition right back has to hold position more, and Fox can choose when to go forward.
I am not saying Fox is perfect but I am trying to set his performances in the context of the overall squad. I hope that he can recover his confidence and that the crowd can see what's going on with the team, so as not to get on his back.
Not getting Bulot / or a decent left midfield at the start of the season is the real issue. Fox is collateral damage for the lack of appropriate strengthening and not bringing in players that complement the players already at the club.
In any case, the team and squad is what it is. Options are limited. It may be worth giving Holmes Dennis a try. Holmes Dennis has more speed to get forward, it may be best to try him with Harriott, as the right back would definitely then have to think about defending, rather than pushing forward. Fox does not have the same natural speed as Holmes Dennis and Harriott is not as quick as Bulot or a natural left wing. So Harriott does need to play alongside a quicker left back to successfully get at the opposition right back.
Another excellent post vff. I think it was when it became clear that Bulot would not be signed that I first regretted buying my season ticket. After all the mistakes on and off the field this did more to persuade me that RD was leading us to the lower reaches of this division and now I think very likely the next one down after his antics in the recent transfer window.
Currently, it is the worst of both worlds at left midfield. Its not Bergdich's fault & I am not digging him out but Bergdich does not have the pace and positional skill of a natural winger. This results in the opposition to be able to get forward at will to support their right midfield without too much worry.
In addition, I don't think that Bergdich has the positional discipline at left midfield to hold position sufficiently to support Fox. It is not a surprise as he was bought as a left back. Currently he appears to be a slightly quicker version of Lawrie Wilson (when he was having not such a good game). Away teams just have to wait until Bergdich's concentration goes and is caught out of position and Fox is over loaded with runners.
Playing at Bergdich at left back may be a viable option, and he may be better at that but would struggle at left back similarly without the position at left midfield being sorted. You would need to be careful, who you paired Bergdich with.
The virtue of Harriott is that in the last game, I saw him play (against Blackburn) he is quite diligent in tracking back. He also does carry some threat as an attacking left midfield to at least make the right back think that he has to be a bit more careful to get forward. Harriott job should be to protect Fox and try to pin the right back down. For that he has to be positionally very disciplined.
Fox as a left back plays better with a very quick left wing as evidenced by the decent partnership he had with Bulot as he can concentrate on defending and the opposition right back has to hold position more, and Fox can choose when to go forward.
I am not saying Fox is perfect but I am trying to set his performances in the context of the overall squad. I hope that he can recover his confidence and that the crowd can see what's going on with the team, so as not to get on his back.
Not getting Bulot / or a decent left midfield at the start of the season is the real issue. Fox is collateral damage for the lack of appropriate strengthening and not bringing in players that complement the players already at the club.
In any case, the team and squad is what it is. Options are limited. It may be worth giving Holmes Dennis a try. Holmes Dennis has more speed to get forward, it may be best to try him with Harriott, as the right back would definitely then have to think about defending, rather than pushing forward. Fox does not have the same natural speed as Holmes Dennis and Harriott is not as quick as Bulot or a natural left wing. So Harriott does need to play alongside a quicker left back to successfully get at the opposition right back.
Another excellent post vff. I think it was when it became clear that Bulot would not be signed that I first regretted buying my season ticket. After all the mistakes on and off the field this did more to persuade me that RD was leading us to the lower reaches of this division and now I think very likely the next one down after his antics in the recent transfer window.
Yes, plus starting the season with only one decent centre half at the club, when you need four.
Diarra is a midfielder. Sarr isn't good enough and Lennon was at Gillingham.
Comments
Morgan Fox may not be the greatest left back in the world but has been exposed by not having a decent fast left wing / midfield that prevents the opposition left back from pushing forward and over loading him with their left midfield. Morgan Fox was good at left back as he was able to concentrate on defensive duties & Bulot was quick and kept the opposition right back on their toes.
Bergdich is not enough of a threat, better would be Harriotts, who works hard and tracks back well - with Lookman on as sub later on. So as bad as Fox appears to be playing, supporters could consider cutting him some slack, as any left back would struggle with what is going on the left wing in front of him.
Jackson is one of the vital leaders in the team on the pitch but has not got the legs for 442. This means playing as part of a 3 man midfield or if it is a 442 then coming on later in the half. At present, 3 in midfield is the way as it will prevent the centre of midfield being overrun.
Charlton have a chance with a fit Vetekele on the pitch, and struggle without him. That was the problem on Saturday. There was no threat in the team. Without pace on the wings, Makienok is going to struggle. I have lost patience with Reza. He's league one standard and will be back to Holland at the end of the season. A bit of pace at right wing would really help. Sanago needs to get up to speed damn quick or a decent cover is needed for Vetekele immediately.
Riga lost quite a few games last time, but needs to get a grip quickly as there are still some winnable games ahead. That means avoiding tactical errors and careful construction of the team.
As for Fox, when I saw him at the start of the season in live internet games, he looked a very good player who had progressed greatly from last season. However when I saw him play over the Xmas period, he looked a shadow of that player. It's something we have seen numerous times at the Valley, a decent player suddenly turns hopeless and it's not down to lack of ability, it's down to the fact that his confidence is shot to pieces, some might say his lack of mental strength. That is very common in young players and we need to hope that the same thing doesn't happen again to Harriott, because if it does, our chances of staying up will be greatly diminished. I think that Harriott still has a big role to play in our season.
Having listened to all of the commentary here on Morgan Fox, you can't help feeling that the best option would be to get in an experienced championship left back on loan until the end of the season.
If Fox's confidence has gone, and THD is deemed too young, then not getting somebody in now could be fatal.
Yes a fit Igor is essential for the team set up and without him we will be relegated unless a loanee is as good and has a similar attributes (unlikely I fear on present aquisitions).
In addition, I don't think that Bergdich has the positional discipline at left midfield to hold position sufficiently to support Fox. It is not a surprise as he was bought as a left back. Currently he appears to be a slightly quicker version of Lawrie Wilson (when he was having not such a good game). Away teams just have to wait until Bergdich's concentration goes and is caught out of position and Fox is over loaded with runners.
Playing at Bergdich at left back may be a viable option, and he may be better at that but would struggle at left back similarly without the position at left midfield being sorted. You would need to be careful, who you paired Bergdich with.
The virtue of Harriott is that in the last game, I saw him play (against Blackburn) he is quite diligent in tracking back. He also does carry some threat as an attacking left midfield to at least make the right back think that he has to be a bit more careful to get forward. Harriott job should be to protect Fox and try to pin the right back down. For that he has to be positionally very disciplined.
Fox as a left back plays better with a very quick left wing as evidenced by the decent partnership he had with Bulot as he can concentrate on defending and the opposition right back has to hold position more, and Fox can choose when to go forward.
I am not saying Fox is perfect but I am trying to set his performances in the context of the overall squad. I hope that he can recover his confidence and that the crowd can see what's going on with the team, so as not to get on his back.
Not getting Bulot / or a decent left midfield at the start of the season is the real issue. Fox is collateral damage for the lack of appropriate strengthening and not bringing in players that complement the players already at the club.
In any case, the team and squad is what it is. Options are limited. It may be worth giving Holmes Dennis a try.
Holmes Dennis has more speed to get forward, it may be best to try him with Harriott, as the right back would definitely then have to think about defending, rather than pushing forward. Fox does not have the same natural speed as Holmes Dennis and Harriott is not as quick as Bulot or a natural left wing. So Harriott does need to play alongside a quicker left back to successfully get at the opposition right back.
So Harriott in for Bergdich alongside a left back with some pace.
Another excellent post vff. I think it was when it became clear that Bulot would not be signed that I first regretted buying my season ticket. After all the mistakes on and off the field this did more to persuade me that RD was leading us to the lower reaches of this division and now I think very likely the next one down after his antics in the recent transfer window.
Diarra is a midfielder. Sarr isn't good enough and Lennon was at Gillingham.