I also think Cousins needs a kick up the arse. Agreed he is playing 'out of position' even though he's been known to play at RB before but he has been so poor in recent weeks.
In my humble opinion that's crap. Cousins was the one player I expected to be rested. He runs his nuts off every game and needed a rest. He should be playing in CM and that's one criticism I can justifiably aim at Bob.
From the Supporters Trust perspective we would welcome this kind of meeting and have from the outset been actively encouraging the new ownership to do more on this - though I am not sure why it should be just for the VIPs (although I do understand the technical point, not sure he attended last time?)
I wrote a fairly clinical piece on the transfer window for the Trust website called Peeters progress last week I attempted to describe the progress so far and what might be done next.
Unfortunately for many of us fans football is about far more than that, and I totally understand and share the frustration of other fans. Of course the transfer window may still tell us all we need to know.
From a personal point of view I have to admit with the opposition, the weather, the injuries but most importantly the thinness of squad this year it meant that i had very little inclination to attend the Cup match, nor indeed the Boxing day game. Something that just wouldn't have happened before now. We are part of an experiment and the fans have not been taken along on the journey.
yes he runs his nuts off but his overall footballing performance has been poor for months. People on here keep using the 'he's playing out of position'card but as a pro player it shouldn't affect him as much as it is. I'm talking about simple stuff. When he has a good game, he's good but like so many of our young 'stars' those good games don't come as regularly as they should do.
yes he runs his nuts off but his overall footballing performance has been poor for months. People on here keep using the 'he's playing out of position'card but as a pro player it shouldn't affect him as much as it is. I'm talking about simple stuff. When he has a good game, he's good but like so many of our young 'stars' those good games don't come as regularly as they should do.
As I pointed out in another thread, he is not only playing in an unfamiliar role but he has a limited LB behind him. The failure to have an overlap as he comes inside, severely limits his options.
"We are part of an experiment and the fans have not been taken along on the journey"
That's the whole point of an experiment, you don't know exactly what might happen if you mix together certain ingredients together. No fun in repeating a failed experiment that everyone else has done before, hoping that it might just work if you repeat it often enough.
The important point is how the experiment ends up, the frustrating part is watching and waiting and hoping for a successful outcome. Problem is keeping the fans sticking around to watch the boring bits when we are really more interested in seeing fizzles and bubbles, whereas the chemistry master is only interested in showing the final outcome he predicted/hoped for.
Managers and chairmen constantly experiment, it's part of the game, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, and mostly we didn't know an experiment was underway. So cut RD some slack, it's just an experiment we happen to know is underway, where we think we know what the ingredients are supposed to be, and some of them look a bit dangerous.
Negative, (apart from only being a part time chemistry master) and why some fans are turning off, is not quite being open about how along the experiment is expected to last so he is the only one who knows when the experiment has ended and what success looks like.
Which is why I agree it might be a "bumpy ride" and some fans easily get travel sickness. Just fasten your seatbelts and take some Kwells.
"We are part of an experiment and the fans have not been taken along on the journey"
That's the whole point of an experiment, you don't know exactly what might happen if you mix together certain ingredients together. No fun in repeating a failed experiment that everyone else has done before, hoping that it might just work if you repeat it often enough.
The important point is how the experiment ends up, the frustrating part is watching and waiting and hoping for a successful outcome. Problem is keeping the fans sticking around to watch the boring bits when we are really more interested in seeing fizzles and bubbles, whereas the chemistry master is only interested in showing the final outcome he predicted/hoped for.
Managers and chairmen constantly experiment, it's part of the game, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, and mostly we didn't know an experiment was underway. So cut RD some slack, it's just an experiment we happen to know is underway, where we think we know what the ingredients are supposed to be, and some of them look a bit dangerous.
Negative, (apart from only being a part time chemistry master) and why some fans are turning off, is not quite being open about how along the experiment is expected to last so he is the only one who knows when the experiment has ended and what success looks like.
Which is why I agree it might be a "bumpy ride" and some fans easily get travel sickness. Just fasten your seatbelts and take some Kwells.
I finding it a worry that my shattered glass look on life keeps coming true. When i said Blackburn would declare after 80 minutes, little did i know so would we, and the last 10 mins would just be a practice match.
Interesting comment by SBSam- I said to the guy sitting next to me, around 10 minutes from time "I wish I'd known I was paying to watch an 'attack v. defence' practice session!"
From a personal point of view I have to admit with the opposition, the weather, the injuries but most importantly the thinness of squad this year it meant that i had very little inclination to attend the Cup match, nor indeed the Boxing day game.
What's inclination got to do with it ? I support Charlton. If they play at home I'll be there. If they play away, I'm quite likely to be there. If it was down to inclination ................. Man up ! :-)
From a personal point of view I have to admit with the opposition, the weather, the injuries but most importantly the thinness of squad this year it meant that i had very little inclination to attend the Cup match, nor indeed the Boxing day game.
What's inclination got to do with it ? I support Charlton. If they play at home I'll be there. If they play away, I'm quite likely to be there. If it was down to inclination ................. Man up ! :-)
Well done for not adding 'If you don't like it go and support Chelsea' like some other bloke keeps doing on a different thread.
"We are part of an experiment and the fans have not been taken along on the journey"
That's the whole point of an experiment, you don't know exactly what might happen if you mix together certain ingredients together. No fun in repeating a failed experiment that everyone else has done before, hoping that it might just work if you repeat it often enough.
The important point is how the experiment ends up, the frustrating part is watching and waiting and hoping for a successful outcome. Problem is keeping the fans sticking around to watch the boring bits when we are really more interested in seeing fizzles and bubbles, whereas the chemistry master is only interested in showing the final outcome he predicted/hoped for.
Managers and chairmen constantly experiment, it's part of the game, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, and mostly we didn't know an experiment was underway. So cut RD some slack, it's just an experiment we happen to know is underway, where we think we know what the ingredients are supposed to be, and some of them look a bit dangerous.
Negative, (apart from only being a part time chemistry master) and why some fans are turning off, is not quite being open about how along the experiment is expected to last so he is the only one who knows when the experiment has ended and what success looks like.
Which is why I agree it might be a "bumpy ride" and some fans easily get travel sickness. Just fasten your seatbelts and take some Kwells.
What, in your opinion, is the final outcome the chemistry master predicts or hopes for?
Some of us would at least like to know that much.
Think he's keeping his options open. Wherever we end up that isn't relegation can be portrayed as the objective or a step forward in an unfinished experiment. Final outcome must be to win the big prize, otherwise why buy a lottery ticket, why do we need to be told the bleeding obvious. He's on a hiding to nothing if he tries to say when promotion will be. It takes a whole year to conduct an experiment in getting promoted, perhaps two or three. As long as it's not a complete disaster, we have not lost anything by experimenting and RD is not so stupid as to lose his money for the hell of following a failing experiment.
January is not the time to make big moves in rebuilding a squad, might be the time to gamble if promotion was a realistic possibility, so don't expect any major moves beyond keeping us safe this season.
The pace at which the results of the experiment reveal themselves will determine actions and how long the experiment is likely to continue. So expecting concrete information on what is going to happen, and when, is unrealistic. All we can do is judge progress and probe for answers, but not getting responses that will hold RD to ransom, as if the experiment really was a science, is the frustration we will have to live with ("bumpy ride").
What's the alternative, no experimenting with an alternative, just the regularly failing strategy of pi**ing money in the transfer window trying to buy success that keeps the fans deliriously happy until it all falls apart.
I have a confession to make. A couple of weeks ago, I checked Charlton's odds for relegation and Betfair offered 20-1. I was about to put £100 on but a feeling of guilt stopped me. We are now 10-1 on Betfair having drawn with Cardiff, lost at Ipswich and lost in a game that doesn't affect relegation. The bookies are no fools.
I had qualms about the much lauded TBH and Bikey combination at the back, but in the early season the facts proved me wrong - the goals against column was first class. My concern was based on the fact that I didn't expect them to be fit for the season and they would be red carded a couple of times. I've been proved wrong on that, but something doesn't seem right at the back now. Bikey seems to be more exposed, arguably due to the problems at full back. Goals are being conceded regularly and, in a team that is certain to score few, this is bad news.
My biggest worry is that if the defence continues to leak 1 or 2 at home and 2 or 3 away, we will be in trouble. The team was built on solid defence at the start of the season with Vetokele looking lively up front. The alternative in this division seems to be having a team that works hard, is compact, physical, has few weaknesses and can nick a goal or two. In other words, nothing special, but enough. I worry that with the lack of depth in the squad, we are going to struggle as injuries, suspensions and players losing form start to bite. I hope I am wrong. A win next win is going to be important, particularly as I don't like the look of the next three away games at Wolves, Watford and Boro.
Seems as though you're saying that our current team falls between the 2 stools for success in the Championship and I have to agree that this is the case.
The question is, which area will RD agree to strengthen during January, if either.
I posted yesterday that I believed the time was ripe for a statement of intent from our owner.
I stand by that and also my request that Katrien & Bob, who are ever present at matches, impress on RD the need to strengthen in light of the worrying recent results. Airman replied that he felt Katrien is only a mouthpiece for her boss and that she has no/little influence over who comes in or goes out ( Hopefully I haven't misquoted AB or I'll be for it !)
If that's the case, what role does Karel Freye have in this and, bearing in mind he was at a recent game, would his views have any effect on RD's decisions ? Surely SOMEONE has to present a strong case on behalf of our manager and, although our views may be completely disregarded, our supporters ?
We have a Fans' Forum meeting on Thursday 15th January and I have requested that the matter of the annual VIP meeting with manager/owner/CEO be put on the agenda. This has taken place in the New Year for the past 4 seasons that the scheme has run and I believe this may be our best opportunity for questions to be asked....whether they are answered satisfactorily, is another matter but we can only hope. I'd like to think that Roland himself would grace us with his presence, especially if a new VIP scheme is in the pipeline but that remains to be seen. I'll definitely be highlighting this request at said meeting.
Thoughts, anyone ?
You arrange the meeting and I'll ask the questions :-)
Craig Parrett is the FF member who represents the VIPs. Since my post, this morning I received the agenda for said meeting on 15th, and am given to understand that he had pre-empted my request to add this item. So, it will be discussed.
Whether/when/where it takes place will hopefully be clarified then and once the minutes are agreed by Katrien, the result will be common knowledge and all VIP members will be emailed by Craig.
But I believe that ALL members present on that evening will agree that RD's presence at the annual meeting would be more than welcome.
Elfsborg- Just to clarify, the FF meeting is on 15th January and no date has been set as yet for the aforementioned VIP gathering.
Aha, okay thanks.
Hope the eventual VIP evening meets with everyone's satisfaction.
our midfield was abject - JBG apart. buyens and jackson just cant be played together they're so bloody slow even david dunn was mugging em off and hes 35. I'm glad buyens suspended now that means cousins will play central as that is where he has played his best football for us this season IMO . HE LOOKED TOTALLY disintersted int hsi game. as for wilson
simon church dear oh dear how this bloke plays internatinal football ill never know.
our midfield was abject - JBG apart. buyens and jackson just cant be played together they're so bloody slow even david dunn was mugging em off and hes 35. I'm glad buyens suspended now that means cousins will play central as that is where he has played his best football for us this season IMO . HE LOOKED TOTALLY disintersted int hsi game. as for wilson simon church dear oh dear how this bloke plays internatinal football ill never know.
Comments
That's the whole point of an experiment, you don't know exactly what might happen if you mix together certain ingredients together. No fun in repeating a failed experiment that everyone else has done before, hoping that it might just work if you repeat it often enough.
The important point is how the experiment ends up, the frustrating part is watching and waiting and hoping for a successful outcome. Problem is keeping the fans sticking around to watch the boring bits when we are really more interested in seeing fizzles and bubbles, whereas the chemistry master is only interested in showing the final outcome he predicted/hoped for.
Managers and chairmen constantly experiment, it's part of the game, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, and mostly we didn't know an experiment was underway. So cut RD some slack, it's just an experiment we happen to know is underway, where we think we know what the ingredients are supposed to be, and some of them look a bit dangerous.
Negative, (apart from only being a part time chemistry master) and why some fans are turning off, is not quite being open about how along the experiment is expected to last so he is the only one who knows when the experiment has ended and what success looks like.
Which is why I agree it might be a "bumpy ride" and some fans easily get travel sickness. Just fasten your seatbelts and take some Kwells.
What, in your opinion, is the final outcome the chemistry master predicts or hopes for?
Some of us would at least like to know that much.
When i said Blackburn would declare after 80 minutes, little did i know so would we, and the last 10 mins would just be a practice match.
I support Charlton. If they play at home I'll be there. If they play away, I'm quite likely to be there.
If it was down to inclination .................
Man up ! :-)
January is not the time to make big moves in rebuilding a squad, might be the time to gamble if promotion was a realistic possibility, so don't expect any major moves beyond keeping us safe this season.
The pace at which the results of the experiment reveal themselves will determine actions and how long the experiment is likely to continue. So expecting concrete information on what is going to happen, and when, is unrealistic. All we can do is judge progress and probe for answers, but not getting responses that will hold RD to ransom, as if the experiment really was a science, is the frustration we will have to live with ("bumpy ride").
What's the alternative, no experimenting with an alternative, just the regularly failing strategy of pi**ing money in the transfer window trying to buy success that keeps the fans deliriously happy until it all falls apart.
Hope the eventual VIP evening meets with everyone's satisfaction.
simon church dear oh dear how this bloke plays internatinal football ill never know.
Jack Munns Munns;
He's only 5'1";
He's better than David Dunne;
Jack Munns Munns.
and we all know the tune.