Whilst we won 3-0 I still think there's quite a fair way to go.
Pros: Holmes looks like a brilliant player. Bags of pace, skill and effort, really puts himself about for a small lad. A player who I think may actually prove an even more valuable asset in this league however is Magennis; absolute tank up top. Wins virtually everything in the air and also puts a lot of effort in, closing down players and creating openings. Rudd looked solid in goal despite having little to do save-wise. Lookman in his cameo too was absolute class.
However, I am still very worried by our midfield situation. Crofts looks solid; didn't give the ball away much and made some good tackles. Foley put himself about too but just doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with the ball at his feet. We are really lacking some creativity in that midfield, and it really seems to be harming Ajose, who mostly had to feed off knock downs and was generally muscled out the game. Needs to be getting ball in to feet from the midfield so he can run at defenders; that's where he's going to cause problems as he looks good on the ball, just a tad lightweight. Next game would drop Foley for Lookman and have Jackson and Crofts in the centre if nobody new comes in.
A solid win against a pretty poor Shrewsbury side. Plenty of encouraging signs but still some way to go if we're to mount a serious promotion push.
Gonna remove the Millwall related posts in a min, no more please. No offence Millwallfan, but this a thread about a Charlton game which most of us don't want taking off piste needlessly
Fair enough. Will be back on nearer our game in October. A busy period for me coming up so got to give t'interweb a break for a bit. Adios
A very comfortable win, effectively secured in an excellent first half hour, which left Shrewsbury shell-shocked. The whole team were much sharper but the game was ignited by an electrifying performance from Ricky Holmes.
The second half was predictably much lower key and it was such a shame that Ajose couldn't put away a pretty easy chance late on to put the icing on the cake. He needs a goal and hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.
Holmes was tremendous and there were very strong performances from Magennis and Konsa. We were solid in central midfield and Slade has said that he is looking to add a player or two in that area, which we will need to mount a serious challenge.
We did sit deeper in the second half but the bottom line was that the opposition posed no serious threat to our goal and we saw the game out comfortably. Shrewsbury played some neat stuff in midfield but were very shaky at the back and their shooting was probably the worst I have seen for a long time.
A confidence boosting win for Russell Slade an the players and this team should get better with more games. We need to hold on to Lookman in order to reduce the creative burden on Holmes and strengthen in the middle of the park. If we can do that, we'll have a chance.
Homes MOM but Magennis ran him close . Dissapointed we didn't try and kick on in the second half. Looked very sloppy at times. But a wins a win. Looking forward to Walsall on Saturday now
Thought the constant pressing by Foley and Crofts was very impressive - allowed Holmes the freedom to get on the ball:
None of that on here thanks. I thought it was decided during pre-season that they were slow, lack energy and should be squad players at best.
It is worth some fans taking their attention away from the ball and focusing on how much running they get through. If we can somehow find a 4-2-1-3 formation with them holding could be very interesting.
a night to remember for being possibly a seminal moment when things started to click and where the team started to gel and where the crowd could get optimistic about the season. holmes jackson, ezri, josh solly, all superb. What a great evening and it looks good for walsall
Good win, but felt the Scoreline flattered us a bit! A great strike, a dubious handball scrap and then a corner goal that you couldn't do again in 50 more atttempts Solid enough at the back, with midfield fluid but nothing really upfront in terms of goals- really can't see ajose getting more than 7/8 goals this season! Magennis looks a good signing!
Slightly annoyed at the speed that the fans are all over the players and Russell Slade - especially over the last few years history , and considering none of the managers under this regime got the same treatment albeit with better results!
Think a lot of teams could surprise this season - given the results seen tonight!
There's just something about an experienced English manager that just makes the fans more likely to accept him quicker. When the others came in, most of us knew little to nothing about them. The majority of fans knew about Slade and were more familiar with him, therefore it's proabably easier for them to accept him rather than the likes of Peeters or Luzon. Just a suggestion
Thought the constant pressing by Foley and Crofts was very impressive - allowed Holmes the freedom to get on the ball:
None of that on here thanks. I thought it was decided during pre-season that they were slow, lack energy and should be squad players at best.
It is worth some fans taking their attention away from the ball and focusing on how much running they get through. If we can somehow find a 4-2-1-3 formation with them holding could be very interesting.
Would like to see a front 3 of lookman magennis ajose with holmes sitting in the hole behind magennis and two more defensive minded midfielders behind holmes
Holmes was top notch. Magennis and crofts both had good games. Very good cameo from lookman. Disappointed with foley on the ball who would often miscontrol or pass poorly, good enough to be a squad player but not a starter imo
Best Foley moment was when he gave it away really badly, in a sort of 'people will give him 4 in Player Ratings' way, then immediately charged back and won it, putting him back to a 6
Good win, but felt the Scoreline flattered us a bit! A great strike, a dubious handball scrap and then a corner goal that you couldn't do again in 50 more atttempts Solid enough at the back, with midfield fluid but nothing really upfront in terms of goals- really can't see ajose getting more than 7/8 goals this season! Magennis looks a good signing!
Slightly annoyed at the speed that the fans are all over the players and Russell Slade - especially over the last few years history , and considering none of the managers under this regime got the same treatment albeit with better results!
Think a lot of teams could surprise this season - given the results seen tonight!
There's just something about an experienced English manager that just makes the fans more likely to accept him quicker. When the others came in, most of us knew little to nothing about them. The majority of fans knew about Slade and were more familiar with him, therefore it's proabably easier for them to accept him rather than the likes of Peeters or Luzon. Just a suggestion
Think that sounds most likely! Probably thankful to have a manager we've heard of!
Highlights perhaps how disillusioned I actually am I suppose
Best Foley moment was when he gave it away really badly, in a sort of 'people will give him 4 in Player Ratings' way, then immediately charged back and won it, putting him back to a 6
I wasn't saying anything about his defensive capabilities, I said he is poor on the ball. Foley performed his defensive duties very well tonight. That doesn't mean he didn't give it away and a move broke down even if he won it back after. He kept giving it away throughout the match.
Played as a team who are starting to gel. Holmes was terrific and seeing his individual goal - is what we go for! Magennis solid up front and Konsa another great game - deserves his place. Midfield pairing playing well together. Lookman didn't have much time but the few times he got on the ball showed his technical ability and his natural class. Stung the keeper's hands and it was a shame Ajose couldn't get the spill. Enjoyable evening.
This kid is going to be class and we'll be lucky to hold on to him. Good on the ball and puts in some great well timed tackles he just needs 'toughening up' but that will come with time, he's only 18 for Gawd's sake. Thought Shrews played some neat football and I'm still not convinced that our midfield will stop better teams from pressurising our back four into errors. Shrews could have scored a couple but to be fair we could and should have been 5 up at half time.
Wow that was better. Magennis and Konsa were stand out and I thought Ajose looked decent. Crofts also put his foot in. But Ricky Holmes....amazing. Skill, determination, style. John Robinson with a bit more attackingflair. Love him already.
- Shrewsbury were pretty shite so I'm taking this result with a pinch of salt. - We still looked like we were finding out who the other players were, so to speak - understandable given Magennis et al have been around less than a week; Konsa has only just broken into the setup, etc etc - Rudd did well mentally certainly to make one save all game and otherwise keep alert. Assured presence between the sticks; decent communicator. - Solly had nothing to do really. What he did, he did well. - Pearce, a couple slips, a couple good things, never REALLY under much pressure. Looks quite immobile which is worrying if he's up against a quick, agile, supple front man. Not quite part of a cohesive setup yet. - Konsa much the same, one less slip but wow he looks composed; athletic; and technically adequate. One definite big misplaced pass but yeah. - Fox disappointed me a little today in all honesty - not that he did much THAT bad, but a few misjudgements here and there. Basically had nothing to do though as with all the back five. - Foley was poor. 5 months is about right, and hopefully Kashi and Diarra are back in that time. His vision is entirely backward; technically isn't great; offers no presence or work rate. - Crofts. So he will always frustrate me as this is his level at best (given he's 32), and it's not really imaginative enough. He can put in a decent tackle. Very much a water carrier. - Jacko looked miles better today than against Bury, as he was in the centre. And, because we're down a league. Got the goal. He's a beautiful man, and I hope the memories can stay rosy... Couple of good things, a couple of bad things, but looked better than either Crofts or Foley by a ways. - Ricky Holmes! We're gonna love him. Two goals, one immense one pretty damn good, countless yards dribbled, good technique, and incredibly hard work in attack AND defence. Nothing really to fault. - Magennis was immensely likeable. Won flick ons! Was decent on the ball and showed a turn of pace, too - hopefully him and Nick will click. - Ajose, then. He needs to prove himself to me re scoring, in that he has not scored yet. When that happens, I reckon he could bang them in like a machine. But otherwise he looked a little starved. Some good ideas but not quite the execution. Maybe should've scored second half.
We have a long way to go, and some learning to do, but tonight was quietly encouraging.
Good win, but felt the Scoreline flattered us a bit! A great strike, a dubious handball scrap and then a corner goal that you couldn't do again in 50 more atttempts Solid enough at the back, with midfield fluid but nothing really upfront in terms of goals- really can't see ajose getting more than 7/8 goals this season! Magennis looks a good signing!
Slightly annoyed at the speed that the fans are all over the players and Russell Slade - especially over the last few years history , and considering none of the managers under this regime got the same treatment albeit with better results!
Think a lot of teams could surprise this season - given the results seen tonight!
There's just something about an experienced English manager that just makes the fans more likely to accept him quicker. When the others came in, most of us knew little to nothing about them. The majority of fans knew about Slade and were more familiar with him, therefore it's proabably easier for them to accept him rather than the likes of Peeters or Luzon. Just a suggestion
Maybe so, but I recall the initial reaction to Peeters being quite similar. I think we just like our managers to have less hair than ourselves.
Wow that was better. Magennis and Konsa were stand out and I thought Ajose looked decent. Crofts also put his foot in. But Ricky Holmes....amazing. Skill, determination, style. John Robinson with a bit more attackingflair. Love him already.
Can't make my mind up whether he's more like Killer in his focus on going for goal or more like Robinson in never giving up. I suspect he's more a combination of the two of them. He's great to watch
Slightly annoyed at the speed that the fans are all over the players and Russell Slade - especially over the last few years history , and considering none of the managers under this regime got the same treatment albeit with better results!
Think a lot of teams could surprise this season - given the results seen tonight!
There's just something about an experienced English manager that just makes the fans more likely to accept him quicker. When the others came in, most of us knew little to nothing about them. The majority of fans knew about Slade and were more familiar with him, therefore it's proabably easier for them to accept him rather than the likes of Peeters or Luzon. Just a suggestion
Think that sounds most likely! Probably thankful to have a manager we've heard of!
Highlights perhaps how disillusioned I actually am I suppose
we've been asking for an english manager and players - now we have them we want to get behind them and see it work - hopefully more will ditch the boycott once they realise the strategy change is for real. Not saying we don't still want rid of RD but its in all our interests for the team to do well - we can enjoy the football and RD more likely to sell if we get promoted - the weird experiment is over so hopefully people start believing that and get back down there
Comments
Pros: Holmes looks like a brilliant player. Bags of pace, skill and effort, really puts himself about for a small lad. A player who I think may actually prove an even more valuable asset in this league however is Magennis; absolute tank up top. Wins virtually everything in the air and also puts a lot of effort in, closing down players and creating openings. Rudd looked solid in goal despite having little to do save-wise. Lookman in his cameo too was absolute class.
However, I am still very worried by our midfield situation. Crofts looks solid; didn't give the ball away much and made some good tackles. Foley put himself about too but just doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with the ball at his feet. We are really lacking some creativity in that midfield, and it really seems to be harming Ajose, who mostly had to feed off knock downs and was generally muscled out the game. Needs to be getting ball in to feet from the midfield so he can run at defenders; that's where he's going to cause problems as he looks good on the ball, just a tad lightweight. Next game would drop Foley for Lookman and have Jackson and Crofts in the centre if nobody new comes in.
A solid win against a pretty poor Shrewsbury side. Plenty of encouraging signs but still some way to go if we're to mount a serious promotion push.
A busy period for me coming up so got to give t'interweb a break for a bit. Adios
The second half was predictably much lower key and it was such a shame that Ajose couldn't put away a pretty easy chance late on to put the icing on the cake. He needs a goal and hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.
Holmes was tremendous and there were very strong performances from Magennis and Konsa. We were solid in central midfield and Slade has said that he is looking to add a player or two in that area, which we will need to mount a serious challenge.
We did sit deeper in the second half but the bottom line was that the opposition posed no serious threat to our goal and we saw the game out comfortably. Shrewsbury played some neat stuff in midfield but were very shaky at the back and their shooting was probably the worst I have seen for a long time.
A confidence boosting win for Russell Slade an the players and this team should get better with more games. We need to hold on to Lookman in order to reduce the creative burden on Holmes and strengthen in the middle of the park. If we can do that, we'll have a chance.
Great win guys - well done.
Love Jacko to bits.
Disappointed we didn't build on 3-0 and as a team we have plenty of effort but little flair.
Think we could get torn apart by a decent side.
Probably thankful to have a manager we've heard of!
Highlights perhaps how disillusioned I actually am I suppose
But Ricky Holmes....amazing.
Skill, determination, style. John Robinson with a bit more attackingflair.
Love him already.
- Shrewsbury were pretty shite so I'm taking this result with a pinch of salt.
- We still looked like we were finding out who the other players were, so to speak - understandable given Magennis et al have been around less than a week; Konsa has only just broken into the setup, etc etc
- Rudd did well mentally certainly to make one save all game and otherwise keep alert. Assured presence between the sticks; decent communicator.
- Solly had nothing to do really. What he did, he did well.
- Pearce, a couple slips, a couple good things, never REALLY under much pressure. Looks quite immobile which is worrying if he's up against a quick, agile, supple front man. Not quite part of a cohesive setup yet.
- Konsa much the same, one less slip but wow he looks composed; athletic; and technically adequate. One definite big misplaced pass but yeah.
- Fox disappointed me a little today in all honesty - not that he did much THAT bad, but a few misjudgements here and there. Basically had nothing to do though as with all the back five.
- Foley was poor. 5 months is about right, and hopefully Kashi and Diarra are back in that time. His vision is entirely backward; technically isn't great; offers no presence or work rate.
- Crofts. So he will always frustrate me as this is his level at best (given he's 32), and it's not really imaginative enough. He can put in a decent tackle. Very much a water carrier.
- Jacko looked miles better today than against Bury, as he was in the centre. And, because we're down a league. Got the goal. He's a beautiful man, and I hope the memories can stay rosy... Couple of good things, a couple of bad things, but looked better than either Crofts or Foley by a ways.
- Ricky Holmes! We're gonna love him. Two goals, one immense one pretty damn good, countless yards dribbled, good technique, and incredibly hard work in attack AND defence. Nothing really to fault.
- Magennis was immensely likeable. Won flick ons! Was decent on the ball and showed a turn of pace, too - hopefully him and Nick will click.
- Ajose, then. He needs to prove himself to me re scoring, in that he has not scored yet. When that happens, I reckon he could bang them in like a machine. But otherwise he looked a little starved. Some good ideas but not quite the execution. Maybe should've scored second half.
We have a long way to go, and some learning to do, but tonight was quietly encouraging.
Slightly annoyed at the speed that the fans are all over the players and Russell Slade - especially over the last few years history , and considering none of the managers under this regime got the same treatment albeit with better results!
Think a lot of teams could surprise this season - given the results seen tonight!
There's just something about an experienced English manager that just makes the fans more likely to accept him quicker. When the others came in, most of us knew little to nothing about them. The majority of fans knew about Slade and were more familiar with him, therefore it's proabably easier for them to accept him rather than the likes of Peeters or Luzon. Just a suggestion
Think that sounds most likely!
Probably thankful to have a manager we've heard of!
Highlights perhaps how disillusioned I actually am I suppose
we've been asking for an english manager and players - now we have them we want to get behind them and see it work - hopefully more will ditch the boycott once they realise the strategy change is for real. Not saying we don't still want rid of RD but its in all our interests for the team to do well - we can enjoy the football and RD more likely to sell if we get promoted - the weird experiment is over so hopefully people start believing that and get back down there