Bottom line is simple people, really bloody simple: You don't get out of this League without a 25-goal scoring striker and we don't have one.
In 97/98 we had Mendonca, in 99/00 we had Hunt and in 11/12 we had BWP - these are the players who turn drawers into wins and losses into draws.
Without that player you are going to drop too many points and very, very few midfielders are ever going to score 25 goals in a season unless their name is Frank Lampard.
This is simply not true. Boltons top scorers last year had a grand total of 9 goals each. We are too over reliant on Josh to play the striker role agreed and for me we are going to be to reliant on goals from our midfield but to say a 25 goal striker is compulsory is incorrect.
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
Amos: not overstretched and he's clearly improved with games Solly: one blunder but adequate Bauer: good Sarr: I'm not sure this is the same bloke, or 2 years away from roly's toxic pantomime got him the coaching he needed, his physical presence is a plus too in Charlton's otherwise lightweight squad DaSilva: player of the season contender already Kashi: his Charlton future needs to be secured pronto Reeves: clearly out of position and certainly no improvement over Clarke Forster-Caskey: quietly does what he does Holmes: lots of running up blind alleys and variable end product Fosu-Henry: see Holmes Magennis: zero service, he can't fashion goals when they never get him the ball, a tireless nuisance to Oxford's defenders
Gobby continues to favour Holmes with the 'no.10' role while lumbering Clarke/Reeves with a job they're less equipped for. Holmes is no worse in the middle than the other 2 but he's vastly superior to them out wide, ergo we're not as good as we could be with the available squad. It's idiotic but entirely to be expected from our barely one dimensional manager/head coach/whatever. Magennis is strong, stoic, reliable and there is no direct replacement for him in the squad but for gobby to expect him to play every minute of every game is equally idiotic, when Josh breaks down and is unavailable for the inevitable 6 to 8 weeks, gobby will carry a share of the blame, mostly cos he's too thick and dogmatic to ever vary "the plan" for the benefit of the squad as a whole.
Bizarre that of the starters last night, more when signed when Luzon/Driesen was in charge of recruitment (Bauer, Sarr, Kashi) then when Slade was in charge (Holmes, Magennis)
So the split on Sarr seems to be between those who think he's likely to screw up and concede a silly goal, and those who think he's at least league above us. To me his physical presence and general ability should make him first choice.
Konsa right back, Bauer and/or Pearce, and Dasilva makes for a very decent defence.
Keep Holmes and Fosu out wide, JFK plus Reeves or Clarke in midfield.
Plus Magennis.
That should be a decent enough side for the playoffs.
but not the top two which is what we should be aiming for
Is this the kind of match we should be winning , if we are to have any chance of automatic promotion? I'd say yes but then again Fleetwood away and Rotherham away were similar sorts of matches which we won so the odd draw in these matches is accepable. Whats pleasing is we have not be ran over in away game all season.
Bottom line is simple people, really bloody simple: You don't get out of this League without a 25-goal scoring striker and we don't have one.
In 97/98 we had Mendonca, in 99/00 we had Hunt and in 11/12 we had BWP - these are the players who turn drawers into wins and losses into draws.
Without that player you are going to drop too many points and very, very few midfielders are ever going to score 25 goals in a season unless their name is Frank Lampard.
This is simply not true. Boltons top scorers last year had a grand total of 9 goals each. We are too over reliant on Josh to play the striker role agreed and for me we are going to be to reliant on goals from our midfield but to say a 25 goal striker is compulsory is incorrect.
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
And where are they now.........bottom of the Championship - whereas Sheff U, who went up convincingly & had Billy Sharpe knocking in the goals, are in the top 6.
Really silly for people to complain about Big Josh. Anyone who has seen him play will know that he is player who you need ever worry about when it comes to putting in a shift. When you have a solitary player in a central position up front it becomes rather easier for 2 centre backs and a goalkeeper to narrow down the options so that it becomes harder to take the chances that present themselves. Far too often the other attacking players forget that in the current formation they need to get into a central position and are pushed out wide - and because of the lack of personnel/playing forwards as wingers we are unable to change the formation so as to play with 2 strikers. Which ever genius sent out Hanlon and Umerah deserves to be run into by Big Josh.
Thought Sarr played well yesterday. Everything that looked like could turn into a mistake he recovered, it wasn’t his thought other players around him put him under pressure with crap passes or stupid mistakes.
Thought Sarr played well yesterday. Everything that looked like could turn into a mistake he recovered, it wasn’t his thought other players around him put him under pressure with crap passes or stupid mistakes.
Can I also point out that Sarr got an assist. His clearing header went 30 yards to Fosu who tucked home.
I thought Sarr played well overall, although he did miss a very good chance in the first half. He is going to make a mistake at the back, but it may not matter given the level of the opposition.
I thought Sarr played well overall, although he did miss a very good chance in the first half. He is going to make a mistake at the back, but it may not matter given the level of the opposition.
I think Sarr is still at a stage in his Charlton career where any small mistake will be pounced on by some fans
If it had been Sarr who made the header that led to Oxford's equaliser, rather than Solly, I imagine the reaction here would have been much stronger
Karl Robinson plans to rest Charlton striker Josh Magennis
Charlton boss Karl Robinson is planning to rest star striker Josh Magennis.
Magennis has not been substituted in his 14 games for the Addicks and Northern Ireland this season.
He faces a gruelling two-legged World Cup play-off against Switzerland next month.
Robinson says Magennis will get a week off to recharge his batteries - but the Charlton boss would not reveal when.
He told News Shopper: “We’ve pencilled in another big break for the team where Josh will get six days [off] going into a certain game.
“He’ll go away on the Saturday night, get his feet up, and he’ll come back on the Friday and sit on the bench on the Saturday. And that will be him getting a massive rest.
“He’ll come back a different character.”
Magennis and Joe Dodoo are Charlton’s only senior strikers.
But Dodoo is yet to start for the Addicks since joining on loan from Rangers on transfer deadline day.
Robinson has told Magennis when he’ll be rested, which could give Dodoo or Billy Clarke the opportunity to play as the number nine.
The Liverpudlian added: “This [planning] is all part of a manager that can be at a club for a longer period, not three or four weeks.
“But you can plan this and the players know when their break and rest is coming and when they have to hit certain fitness levels.
“Josh will get it [the break] but he won’t burnout. He’s a beast, a machine. He knows when his break will be.”
The trouble is KR has instilled a win mentality in us now and unlike the last few seasons, we expect to win every game (except the few fans that do not)
Don't think Grant will ever make it, easy chance at the end to clinch all 3 points but didn't even hit the target.
Seemed to me as if he snatched at it - sign of anxiety and lack of confidence. Needs a goal, whether it's a stunner, bobble or fluke.
Shame really. There's a player in there - but until he lifts his head and gets his composure back, he's going to struggle.
No 1st team goals for over 2 years is shocking. He's someone who really needs a good loan spell, the lack of emergency loans has really hurt him, as he's someone you'd want to send out for 3 months, but with a recall option which isn't allowed any more
Does anyone else have an opinion about the warm up routines?
From the marks thread.
Amos: 8 Two excellent saves and improved distribution - bar one nightmare at the end. Solly: 8 did what he had to well - distribution improved as the game went on Bauer: 7 No dramas but slightly disappointing distribution from the back Sarr: 9 Outstanding and given little help by those around him. Everyone was passing it to him leaving him with a lot to do. Oxford game plan meant they didnt always bother challenging and often went for the subsequent pass. DaSilva: 6 Disappointing for me, poor positional sense and reluctant to take on his opposite number Kashi: 7 A good influence Reeves: 5 Who? Forster-Caskey: 7 Holmes: 8 passed out a lot of advice and always looked threatening Fosu-Henry: 6 a couple of runs, occupied defenders and a goal should see him get a higher score, but from the warm up where he was going through the motions till he went off I was so disappointed. Shirked tackles, did far too little in defence, on several occasions stood in the middle of three oppo players as they passed around him and was exploited time and again by Oxford. Magennis: 8 worked hard
Clarke - why didnt he come on earlier? - looked hungry and got stuck in.
Warm up coaches - 4. If three or 4 players arent taking it seriously, speak to them, gee them up - dont let them take the piss. Shoddy.
Bottom line is simple people, really bloody simple: You don't get out of this League without a 25-goal scoring striker and we don't have one.
In 97/98 we had Mendonca, in 99/00 we had Hunt and in 11/12 we had BWP - these are the players who turn drawers into wins and losses into draws.
Without that player you are going to drop too many points and very, very few midfielders are ever going to score 25 goals in a season unless their name is Frank Lampard.
This is simply not true. Boltons top scorers last year had a grand total of 9 goals each. We are too over reliant on Josh to play the striker role agreed and for me we are going to be to reliant on goals from our midfield but to say a 25 goal striker is compulsory is incorrect.
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
And where are they now.........bottom of the Championship - whereas Sheff U, who went up convincingly & had Billy Sharpe knocking in the goals, are in the top 6.
I think the point is getting out of League One and not what happens when you get into the Championship as the quality between the leagues is completely different. These two clubs are not a good comparison as Bolton are still in turmoil and Sheff Utd are well run.
Bottom line is simple people, really bloody simple: You don't get out of this League without a 25-goal scoring striker and we don't have one.
In 97/98 we had Mendonca, in 99/00 we had Hunt and in 11/12 we had BWP - these are the players who turn drawers into wins and losses into draws.
Without that player you are going to drop too many points and very, very few midfielders are ever going to score 25 goals in a season unless their name is Frank Lampard.
This is simply not true. Boltons top scorers last year had a grand total of 9 goals each. We are too over reliant on Josh to play the striker role agreed and for me we are going to be to reliant on goals from our midfield but to say a 25 goal striker is compulsory is incorrect.
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
And where are they now.........bottom of the Championship - whereas Sheff U, who went up convincingly & had Billy Sharpe knocking in the goals, are in the top 6.
I think the point is getting out of League One and not what happens when you get into the Championship as the quality between the leagues is completely different. These two clubs are not a good comparison as Bolton are still in turmoil and Sheff Utd are well run.
Aren't Bolton still subject to a transfer embargo?
A good Lifer declared proudly on this forum last week: “Technically, we are the best team in the whole division.” It's a lovely idea – but had he seen Wigan beat us 3-0 at The Valley the week before?
Wigan's instant control, the pass-and-move, running to receive, quick and easy. The fluency, knowing intuitively three passes ahead. The glorious weighted ball pushed ten yards up the channel to a willing runner in our box. Who swivels and nudges it on to the striker.
Who shoots: flashing against the bar. Christ, that was close!
We started brightly against Doncaster Rovers. Yet, there was a stoppage after ten minutes. All of our players trooped off for water: like orphaned children abandoned in a desert. “What do I do now, boss?”
And all fell flat. Nothing.
Half-time. We in the Covered End are battered by the tannoy, assaulted by chainsaw guitars and a fat guy shouting about The Crossbar Challenge. As if we are recalicrant children. Meanwhile, ten yards away, our goalkeeper coach warms up Phillips, apparently oblivious that Amos has just shanked three easy clearances to Row Z.
We troop out in the second half and are immediately over-run. Against Donny Rovers. We have no guts or strength. Our midfield retreats to the defence. Desperate clearances to no-man's-land. Donny attack again.
We get bogged down in a morass – our midfield players are simply incapable of stamping any authority on the game. Lateral passes go astray, hospital balls slammed back and forth. Kashi, Forster-Caskey, Konsa: none of them cross the half-way line. Lee Bowyer did, seizing possession from defence, loping forward, bypassing all, and scoring.
After an hour, we in the Covered End look at each other: what in heaven's name are they doing?
Then the charge: a solitary man released from jail. Running for the border, pursued by guards. The whole Valley is sweeping him on. As he approaches the box, you can see the cogs whirring: shall I shoot now? Or an extra step to deceive the keeper? Or pass to my team-mate, lumbering five yards behind! In that tiny fraction of a second, we have lost.
Oooh it's a corner. Which is carefully considered. Then fluffed to the first defender; the next one is wildly over-hit. The third – ball bobbles around in the box – our men are buskers, desperate men. Any minute now, something will happen. Clarke, seven yards out and unchallenged, hammers it in to the stands.
Holmes and Magennis are our best players – neither from the Charlton academy, note. Each with guts and fire. Holmes sparks Fosu to get forward, quickly. Magennis wins every ball in the air – then sprints over to the corner flag, muscles away the defender, hammers in a low cross...
We draw at Oxford! Look again at the way Wigan walked all over us, 3-0. Will we go up this season, gentlemen? With another superb striker – two up front – Yes, of course.
Bottom line is simple people, really bloody simple: You don't get out of this League without a 25-goal scoring striker and we don't have one.
In 97/98 we had Mendonca, in 99/00 we had Hunt and in 11/12 we had BWP - these are the players who turn drawers into wins and losses into draws.
Without that player you are going to drop too many points and very, very few midfielders are ever going to score 25 goals in a season unless their name is Frank Lampard.
This is simply not true. Boltons top scorers last year had a grand total of 9 goals each. We are too over reliant on Josh to play the striker role agreed and for me we are going to be to reliant on goals from our midfield but to say a 25 goal striker is compulsory is incorrect.
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
Bolton did however concede a ludicrously low number of goals. They conceded the lowest in the league with 36. When that happens you can get away with not having a genius goalscorer because the old goal will win you the game if you're not letting any in. For reference, Bolton only scored 8 goals more than us, but conceded 17 fewer. That's huge. They had the second highest goal difference (32) after the champions despite scoring the 5th most goals. Our goal difference was 7.
So you're right when you say a 25 goal a season striker isn't compulsory, but to compensate you need a watertight defence. Ours is not. Our goal difference is 5 at the moment, while Wigan's is 18 and Shrewsbury's is 14. As good as our individual defenders might be, our defence is leaky and we've only kept three clean sheets this season. It's more likely than not that the opposition will score so we really do need that prolific striker to bail us out. Alternatively we could tighten up our defence at which point the goals we get from Magennis, Holmes, Fosu, Clarke and Forster-Caskey would see us through. I don't quite see that happening any time soon though so a more likely scenario is we bring in someone to turn the seesaw matches into wins.
Basically you need one or the other if you're going to make a rel fist of going up. Alternatively you could be like us in 2011/12, where we had both a prolific striker and a bastardy defence; we conceded 36, scored 82, had a goal difference of 46 and got a record number of points. There's always that.
Comments
It does not matter who scores the goals as long as we grab them and quite frankly it does not look like scoring goals is going to be any sort of problem this year.
Solly: one blunder but adequate
Bauer: good
Sarr: I'm not sure this is the same bloke, or 2 years away from roly's toxic pantomime got him the coaching he needed, his physical presence is a plus too in Charlton's otherwise lightweight squad
DaSilva: player of the season contender already
Kashi: his Charlton future needs to be secured pronto
Reeves: clearly out of position and certainly no improvement over Clarke
Forster-Caskey: quietly does what he does
Holmes: lots of running up blind alleys and variable end product
Fosu-Henry: see Holmes
Magennis: zero service, he can't fashion goals when they never get him the ball, a tireless nuisance to Oxford's defenders
Gobby continues to favour Holmes with the 'no.10' role while lumbering Clarke/Reeves with a job they're less equipped for. Holmes is no worse in the middle than the other 2 but he's vastly superior to them out wide, ergo we're not as good as we could be with the available squad. It's idiotic but entirely to be expected from our barely one dimensional manager/head coach/whatever. Magennis is strong, stoic, reliable and there is no direct replacement for him in the squad but for gobby to expect him to play every minute of every game is equally idiotic, when Josh breaks down and is unavailable for the inevitable 6 to 8 weeks, gobby will carry a share of the blame, mostly cos he's too thick and dogmatic to ever vary "the plan" for the benefit of the squad as a whole.
Whats pleasing is we have not be ran over in away game all season.
If it had been Sarr who made the header that led to Oxford's equaliser, rather than Solly, I imagine the reaction here would have been much stronger
Started with a couple of pints of Guiness in the bowling alley bar, followed by £15 all you can eat Chinese.
Enjoyable game which on balance I think we let slip 2 points, Sollys headed clearance was awful, schoolboy error.
Sarr did well but he does leave you thinking there's a huge cock up coming any minute.
We just don't seem to be able to kill off games early, could easily have been 3 or 4 up before they scored.
Don't think Grant will ever make it, easy chance at the end to clinch all 3 points but didn't even hit the target.
Charlton boss Karl Robinson is planning to rest star striker Josh Magennis.
Magennis has not been substituted in his 14 games for the Addicks and Northern Ireland this season.
He faces a gruelling two-legged World Cup play-off against Switzerland next month.
Robinson says Magennis will get a week off to recharge his batteries - but the Charlton boss would not reveal when.
He told News Shopper: “We’ve pencilled in another big break for the team where Josh will get six days [off] going into a certain game.
“He’ll go away on the Saturday night, get his feet up, and he’ll come back on the Friday and sit on the bench on the Saturday. And that will be him getting a massive rest.
“He’ll come back a different character.”
Magennis and Joe Dodoo are Charlton’s only senior strikers.
But Dodoo is yet to start for the Addicks since joining on loan from Rangers on transfer deadline day.
Robinson has told Magennis when he’ll be rested, which could give Dodoo or Billy Clarke the opportunity to play as the number nine.
The Liverpudlian added: “This [planning] is all part of a manager that can be at a club for a longer period, not three or four weeks.
“But you can plan this and the players know when their break and rest is coming and when they have to hit certain fitness levels.
“Josh will get it [the break] but he won’t burnout. He’s a beast, a machine. He knows when his break will be.”
Needs a goal, whether it's a stunner, bobble or fluke.
Shame really. There's a player in there - but until he lifts his head and gets his composure back, he's going to struggle.
From the marks thread.
Amos: 8 Two excellent saves and improved distribution - bar one nightmare at the end.
Solly: 8 did what he had to well - distribution improved as the game went on
Bauer: 7 No dramas but slightly disappointing distribution from the back
Sarr: 9 Outstanding and given little help by those around him. Everyone was passing it to him leaving him with a lot to do. Oxford game plan meant they didnt always bother challenging and often went for the subsequent pass.
DaSilva: 6 Disappointing for me, poor positional sense and reluctant to take on his opposite number
Kashi: 7 A good influence
Reeves: 5 Who?
Forster-Caskey: 7
Holmes: 8 passed out a lot of advice and always looked threatening
Fosu-Henry: 6 a couple of runs, occupied defenders and a goal should see him get a higher score, but from the warm up where he was going through the motions till he went off I was so disappointed. Shirked tackles, did far too little in defence, on several occasions stood in the middle of three oppo players as they passed around him and was exploited time and again by Oxford.
Magennis: 8 worked hard
Clarke - why didnt he come on earlier? - looked hungry and got stuck in.
Warm up coaches - 4. If three or 4 players arent taking it seriously, speak to them, gee them up - dont let them take the piss. Shoddy.
Downside - refused to serve it in a glass, only plastic!
Wigan's instant control, the pass-and-move, running to receive, quick and easy. The fluency, knowing intuitively three passes ahead. The glorious weighted ball pushed ten yards up the channel to a willing runner in our box. Who swivels and nudges it on to the striker.
Who shoots: flashing against the bar. Christ, that was close!
We started brightly against Doncaster Rovers. Yet, there was a stoppage after ten minutes. All of our players trooped off for water: like orphaned children abandoned in a desert. “What do I do now, boss?”
And all fell flat. Nothing.
Half-time. We in the Covered End are battered by the tannoy, assaulted by chainsaw guitars and a fat guy shouting about The Crossbar Challenge. As if we are recalicrant children. Meanwhile, ten yards away, our goalkeeper coach warms up Phillips, apparently oblivious that Amos has just shanked three easy clearances to Row Z.
We troop out in the second half and are immediately over-run. Against Donny Rovers. We have no guts or strength. Our midfield retreats to the defence. Desperate clearances to no-man's-land. Donny attack again.
We get bogged down in a morass – our midfield players are simply incapable of stamping any authority on the game. Lateral passes go astray, hospital balls slammed back and forth. Kashi, Forster-Caskey, Konsa: none of them cross the half-way line. Lee Bowyer did, seizing possession from defence, loping forward, bypassing all, and scoring.
After an hour, we in the Covered End look at each other: what in heaven's name are they doing?
Then the charge: a solitary man released from jail. Running for the border, pursued by guards. The whole Valley is sweeping him on. As he approaches the box, you can see the cogs whirring: shall I shoot now? Or an extra step to deceive the keeper? Or pass to my team-mate, lumbering five yards behind! In that tiny fraction of a second, we have lost.
Oooh it's a corner. Which is carefully considered. Then fluffed to the first defender; the next one is wildly over-hit. The third – ball bobbles around in the box – our men are buskers, desperate men. Any minute now, something will happen. Clarke, seven yards out and unchallenged, hammers it in to the stands.
Holmes and Magennis are our best players – neither from the Charlton academy, note. Each with guts and fire. Holmes sparks Fosu to get forward, quickly. Magennis wins every ball in the air – then sprints over to the corner flag, muscles away the defender, hammers in a low cross...
We draw at Oxford! Look again at the way Wigan walked all over us, 3-0. Will we go up this season, gentlemen? With another superb striker – two up front – Yes, of course.
So you're right when you say a 25 goal a season striker isn't compulsory, but to compensate you need a watertight defence. Ours is not. Our goal difference is 5 at the moment, while Wigan's is 18 and Shrewsbury's is 14. As good as our individual defenders might be, our defence is leaky and we've only kept three clean sheets this season. It's more likely than not that the opposition will score so we really do need that prolific striker to bail us out. Alternatively we could tighten up our defence at which point the goals we get from Magennis, Holmes, Fosu, Clarke and Forster-Caskey would see us through. I don't quite see that happening any time soon though so a more likely scenario is we bring in someone to turn the seesaw matches into wins.
Basically you need one or the other if you're going to make a rel fist of going up. Alternatively you could be like us in 2011/12, where we had both a prolific striker and a bastardy defence; we conceded 36, scored 82, had a goal difference of 46 and got a record number of points. There's always that.