No Turning Of The Page As Yet

This one was meant to mark the turning of a corner, with the incorporation of new players into a different formation, to draw a line under the dire period since late November - one which had effectively put paid to any thoughts of the play-offs – and to point towards better times next season. More prosaically, while a first win in nine games would have been most welcome, at the least we needed to avoid another defeat to avoid a possible material drop down the table and being sucked more clearly into a relegation struggle. Against opponents we had failed to beat at The Valley in December (despite being ahead for around 70 minutes of the game).

We ended up losing badly, in the sense that we were made to look increasingly ordinary and ineffective once we’d gone two down early in the second half. Our obvious frustration boiled over at the end with May’s petulant and nasty scything down of their guy heading towards our goal. As pointed out on Charlton TV, that could easily have seen a red card and him out for three games. Instead of a new start, the game revived old ghosts as we were treated to a re-run of so many we’ve seen this season and last, including conceding a goal that illustrated some of the problems of 3-5-2, more evidence that domination of possession means nothing if most of it amounts to going sideways and back, and the minimised threat down the flanks the system usually results in.

We were hard done by to be behind at the break, which could be attributed to us being denied a pretty clear penalty, a wonderful save by their keeper, our inability to turn half-chances into serious attempts on goal, and their scoring with their only real shot on goal. We were not hard done by at the end of the game, taking account of our lacklustre response to going two down and the comfort with which Burton saw out the game.

In all of this and other accounts, I suspect not enough credit will be given to Burton. When the came to The Valley they had a gameplan and stuck to it – stay in the game, get men behind the ball, deny space. Thanks to a late equaliser they went away with a point as having gone in front we didn’t do enough to finish off the game. This time around Burton had a similar approach but avoided going behind, took their chance when it came, defended by and large very well and the keeper helping them out, then having gone two up slammed the door shut in our faces, to the extent that until a late scuffed Kanu shot then his effort against the bar in stoppage time we really didn’t threaten their goal.

The team showed two changes from the Peterborough starting line-up, with both Campbells missing: one on the bench and one with his loan period ended. Lapado, signed on loan just the day before, leapfrogged Kanu to go straight into the team to play alongside May in a 3-5-2. The defence - still missing the injured Hector and with new arrivals Gillesphey and Edmonds-Green among the subs – was unchanged, with Ness, Jones and Thomas the central three and Edun and Watson(T) wing-backs, while Coventry started in midfield along with Dobson and Bakinson. Asiimwe and Anderson were the two still with us who missed out on a place in the squad.

We began well enough, with early encouragement as a Lapado dummy for May to collect pointed at understanding, while Edun was getting some joy down the left side. A good move involving Dobson, Bakinson, then Edun saw a low ball in for Bakinson, who shot over the bar (the ball probably took a bobble, much else did through the game). And before 10 minutes were up we really should have had a penalty. Great work by Edun ended with him moving along the goalline, only to be bundled over from behind. There was contact, their guy was nowhere near the ball, but the ref just ignored it. Not long after Jones headed over from a good position at a free-kick, then another set piece on the right side after a foul on Dobson saw the ball squared for May to run onto it and hit one on the turn that went over the bar.

Added to the chances was the fact that we had nearly all the ball. Often it was sideways and back, but Burton barely had a kick. Despite being at home, it didn’t bother them, they kept to the plan – and hadn’t gone behind. And sure enough, on 24 minutes they took the lead. Goalkeeper kicks the ball out, their forward beat Ness to the ball to flick it on, and suddenly they have a guy in space down their left heading for our goal. Watson(T) was and remained out of the picture, being around the half-way line. Instead Jones moved out towards their guy. It would, however, be wrong to say he challenged him. Rather he backed off and, as stressed by Curbs in the TV coverage, did nothing to impact what their guy did, always being a couple of yards away from the ball. He was able to cut inside, in a fashion very similar to Peterborough’s second, only this time the curled shot was excellent and perfectly placed rather than taking a deflection on its way in.

That was to say the least a blow, enabling Burton to redouble their efforts at just keeping us away from their goal. We still had chances. Rather out of the blue on the half-hour Thomas collected the ball driving forward and unleashed what would have been a goal of the season contender, the ball arrowing its way to the top corner of the net, only for their keeper to get fingers to it at full stretch to turn it aside for a corner. From that corner we almost equalised with Bakinson’s shot from close range also saved. And just before the break a good move down the left ended with Bakinson curling one just wide of the far post.

The half-time stats showed we had 74% possession and nine shots (three on target) against three (two on target) for them. Them’s the breaks, still half the game to go. But the game changed more decisively just a minute or two into the second half, as a long throw into the box was cleared and our massed defence did what it has done so often this season, all moving out towards the ball. It was lofted back in to the far post where Watson(L) managed to intercept it but only to send it square to one of several of theirs on hand, who scored easily.

And with hindsight there the game ended, for us at least. Not long after their second Lapedo hooked a shot over the bar and we did have another shout for a penalty as Edun seemed to be taken out on the edge of the area (possibly just outside it) but nothing was given. Then a Coventry cross to the far post almost dropped for May to convert but a defender got there first.

With around 20 minutes of normal time left and us clearly flagging, Appleton made a triple change: Fiorini, Kanu and Gillesphey replacing Thomas, Ness and Coventry. That meant a switch to a back four and a sort of 4-3-3. The changes may have been necessary to get fresh legs on, but they really didn’t work, although Kanu was involved in our remaining efforts. A long Edun cross dropped for him but it was a difficult take and he shot into the ground then up. Watson(L) came on for Lapedo and in the nine minutes of stoppage time Kanu’s shot came back off the bar, him having been set up by Bakinson. But the game’s final meaningful action saw Burton break and May chase their guy all the way back, ending with a two-footed lunge which could easily have done their guy damage.

It wasn’t a game to take positives from. Bakinson continued to impress with his support of the attack, Lapedo showed good signs of being able to develop an understanding with May, Gillesphey looked assured when on the pitch (although by then Burton were not looking to pressurise our back line), while Edun might be given MotM for his work down the left side. Fact is the goals Burton scored were soft and once more we’d conceded twice. I’d imagine that Gillesphey and Edmonds-Green will start on Tuesday night against Northampton as the defence looks in need of a revamp. Whether Bakinson, Coventry and Lapedo are able to start another game so quickly remains to be seen, although presumably Appleton will be sticking with 3-5-2 for now. If he does, one practical change I’d make is ensuring we have back-up wingbacks on the bench as the system asks a lot of them.

All you can say is that we went up a place in the second half, having at one stage during the afternoon been in 17th spot. We would have been at least that low had the Port Vale v Wycombe game not been called off. It’s not reached the stage where you say we simply have to beat Northampton on Tuesday night, but it’s not far off, given not least the fixtures coming up in February..

Lessons To Learn, Positives To Take, But An Obvious Downside

With four new signings in the past few days, possibly May returning, was there cause for hope? Any realistic assessment would have been that with those incoming probably needing at least a little time to bed in, against opponents pressing for a top-two spot and on the back of a strong run of form, anything concrete out of the game would be a bonus. And that proved to be the case. We emerged with some lessons learnt, some positives for sure, but the obvious downside of no points and the implications for our chances of avoiding becoming embroiled in an outright battle against relegation.

The team did indeed contain May, but on the other side of the coin no Blackett-Taylor (slight injury was given as the reason but his absence has to increase speculation of a departure). Without CBT the way was open for a change in formation. Appleton went for a three centre-back pairing - but one not containing Hector (who it seems has picked up an injury), with Jones, Ness and Thomas in front of Maynard-Brewer, with Watson(T) and Edun to operate as wingbacks. Dobson was joined by debutant Bakinson in central midfield, with Campbell(C) returning from injury and lining up with Campbell(T) and May in a sort of front three. You could call it a 5-2-3, or a 5-4-1, even a 3-4-3 etc. On the bench Isted was able to return from injury, with his temporary replacement Walker having moved on. Asiimwe was the only obvious defensive replacement (with Elerewe not given a spot), Kanu the only alternative forward (Casey and Mbick not featuring), while for the midfield we would have Anderson, Watson(L), Coventry and Fiorini. Fair to say that reflected that we are still some way short of a balanced squad.

There are two ways to describe the first half: awful or a gameplan that failed to work. I prefer the latter as it was clear early on that Appleton was prioritising congesting key areas in the hope of nullifying their threat. And in some respects that worked. Peterborough were restricted to a few threatening moments, with both sides pressing and space at a premium. However, with our wing-backs pinned back, Campbell(T) having a poor game, getting regularly brushed off the ball, and Campbell(C) doing some good stuff but not in their final third, May remained isolated and we carried no attacking threat. We had zero attempts on goal in the first half. Oh, and the gameplan pretty much went up in smoke as they scored.

There had only been one serious direct threat before the goal, with a cross from their left seemingly on course to be headed home by an unmarked guy only for Maynard-Brewer to manage to palm it away. But before the half-hour another cross in from their left was touched back by a forward to their winger in space. He curled an excellent shot inside the far post. The replays showed that Jones had been tracking the scorer, only for the latter to drop a little deeper as the cross came in and for the former to stay in his position. Simple enough but it made the space and the finish produced the goal.

The only difference the goal made to play was that Peterborough felt even more comfortable with their set-up, content to dominate possession and easily snuff out any threat we might have posed. At the break the stats showed we had 34% possession and no attempts on goal, let alone anything on target. It was apparent to just about everyone that if we carried on as before they would score at least one more and run out comfortable winners. Seems that Appleton agreed as two changes were made at the break, both Campbells being withdrawn for Kanu and Watson(L), marking a switch from 5-2-3/3/4/3 to a more conventional 3-5-2.

Would that all such changes have the result these did, as within a few minutes of the second half – and after we had almost gifted Peterborough a second, Dobson playing a poor pass back under pressure and almost letting them in - we had drawn level with our first attempt on goal. Watson(L) took a chance on the edge of our box, not hoofing clear but holding the ball and passing to Dobson. He looked up and hit a long ball forward into the channel for Kanu to run on to down the left. He got to it and sent in a low cross. For a moment it seemed the chance had gone as their defender intercepted the cross. But he made rather a mess of it and it fell for Bakinson, who had run the length of the pitch. Somehow he managed not to score from close range, but thankfully the ball looped up for May to head in from about a yard, surely the easiest finish even he has ever had.

The game had changed, we now carried a real threat and caused panic in their defence, and through the second period both teams had good chances to score. The surprise was that only one of many chances was converted – and that a shot deflected in.

Not long after our equaliser Peterborough came as close as you can get. A break and they had numbers available. First shot was saved by Maynard-Brewer, the second produced another save, the third came back off the bar, and the fourth was put over the bar. Then a free kick for us resulted in a Thomas header saved low down – and it was clear that with the three centre-backs we did have a height advantage from set pieces. May almost chipped in from range with their keeper having come away from his goal, then some desperate defending as they broke down the right and Dobson failed in his attempt to take the guy out, resulting in some desperate defending to keep them out. Up the other end and Kanu was almost in, eventually getting off a shot that was saved.

The most obvious danger arising from our change of formation was getting caught out down the channels and with a little over 10 minutes of normal time left, just after Coventry had come on for his debut, replacing the understandably tiring Bakinson, we paid the price. The scorer of their first goal was starting to do a fair CBT impression of gathering the ball and cutting inside to open up the space for an attempt on goal. This time the replays showed Watson(L) high up the pitch supporting an attack and when it broke down only ambling back. He never did catch up with their guy. Instead Dobson, ever willing, came across to try to cover, only to end up diverting the guy’s shot into the net. The goal felt as deflatingly soft as Port Vale’s late equaliser.

The chances kept coming. May had a shot well saved, then Watson(L) had an effort palmed away at the last by their keeper; if his shot had been lower it surely would have been a goal. And from another free kick we really should have equalised as we had a free header from close range, only for Ness (I think) to try to square it for someone instead of going for goal.

That header was proved to be our last real opportunity to take a point. Fiorini came on for Dobson and in the final minutes – including seven of stoppage time – we were putting them under pressure. Just couldn’t fashion one more chance to take a point.

The lessons? The first-half formation didn’t work, clear to all. In particular Campbell(T) suffered by having to operate in an area where there was no space to be had. The 3-5-2 set-up, with Kanu full of energy and threat, was a different story. The lesson from their second goal was surely that the wing-backs have to get up and down quickly all the game, while as pointed out by CATV with three centre-backs surely one of them could have been covering for Watson(T)’s absence rather than Dobson.

The positives? Bakinson looked very good, in his use of the ball and ability to get up and down the pitch, especially for our goal. Coventry looked excellent, picking forward passes which pulled them apart. Fiorini looked rather rusty by comparison, but far too early to draw conclusions. He looks like a natural No.10, so how involved he is will depend on the formation we adopt. With another central defender added, the squad is now crying out for the additional centre-forward. Hopefully there will be movement on that front soon.

The obvious downside? Well, by definition it is obvious. We got no points. We are now very much looking down rather than up and at least avoiding defeat next time out away at Burton is if not a necessity then absolutely key. The gap to the bottom four is already down to seven points – and with two of those having a game in hand on us and on reasonable runs. Defeat at Burton and other results could see us slump in the league. There was enough yesterday to have faith that the new players will be hitting the ground running, but next time out Appleton will need to get the starting choices and the system right from the start.

Takes On The Online Fans Meeting

Takes on last night’s Online Fan Meeting? Overall I guess I’m more sympathetic – and cautiously optimistic - than many others regarding the new ownership. And that’s fundamentally for a reason I’ve cited before and which was articulated by Paul Elliott: the owners of our club are not going to make any return on their investment unless and until we are either in the Premiership or within sight of it, and they have no wish to simply write cheques ad infinitum to cover our losses, so there is common purpose with the fanbase. They want what we want, which is not to say they will succeed but something which I’d say has not been the case at least since Duchatelet emerged on the scene.

Also, the importance of the January transfer window has, in my view, shifted greatly since the end of November. Had we entered it on an upward trend and with a realistic shot at the play-offs, I’d be among those howling for quality signings at whatever cost to go for it. That is no longer the case. The window is now about doing what is necessary to avoid a continued slide to the relegation zone. So for me the acid test of the window now is whether we end up avoiding a relegation struggle, not how we might start to shape up for next season. Of course if we were to end up getting relegated – and with two of our key players possibly to leave and already obvious shortages in personnel it is, while almost unthinkable, a possibility we have to acknowledge - they will have screwed up big-time, in which case if I was one of the investors I’d be looking at whether those employed to run the club should or should not be retained.

Assuming we stay up, I think we judge the new regime on what is done during the summer, not before. And quite frankly I wouldn’t blame the owners for shelling out next to nothing this month if short-term patches can be found. We are not going to build a squad to compete next season in this window. I’d guess that if the opportunity arises to buy someone who fits our requirements for both now and next season – most obviously Clarke-Harris – great, the club does all it can realistically to make it happen. But if not then so be it. there is no case to be made for simply spending money. If we bring in a veteran or two on short-term deals or loans, not a problem. Personally I’d be putting in a call to Amiens to ask them how much it would cost us to take Andy Carroll for 12 months (or less), or to Bristol Rovers to see if Marquis might be tempted away. I'm really not joking. 

As for what was actually said, there were not surprisingly no revelations, it wasn’t a forum for breaking news or spilling the beans. It was a PR exercise and one to be built on, taking at face value what Rodwell said about being open to engagement. There was one occasion when I thought it might get interesting, when he was asked about why Appleton is being given the time that Holden was not. I thought Rodwell was able to wriggle out of that one by trying to imply this left them ‘damned if we do, damned if we don’t’ rather than addressing just why it is different now. He did start to suggest that what was going on on the training ground didn’t look good under Holden, but it’s hard to avoid the impression that it’s different now because when they arrived on the scene they were happy to appear decisive, but now repeating the exercise, ditching a man so quickly they chose themselves, would leave them open to ridicule.

There was a hint from Rodwell that ‘matters are underway’ as regards acquiring The Valley and Sparrows Lane, but it was no more than a suggestion that a long-term process may have begun. I think we can rule out any concrete moves while we are in League One.

On the squad front, there was the suggestion of a breakdown of an ideal squad for Charlton, involving eight ‘elite League One players’, eight ‘reliable’ ones, and eight academy graduates. It’s the sort of thing that seldom stands up to serious scrutiny as you can’t categorise players (including loan players) in such a simple fashion, while it also begs certain questions, such as ‘if you have eight elite players are they all in different positions and do they all start, if available? But it's a rule of thumb and what the grid did highlight was that if Dobson and Blackett-Taylor are sold in this window, beyond May we’d be struggling to put any others into that first category (some, like Fraser, could get in there when on song, Aneke when fit - but neither's the case at the moment). The implication would be we need to sign say half a dozen ‘elite’ playes, which is clearly a task for the summer, not now.

On other matters, Rodwell indicated a desire to bring down losses, from £6-7m a season, which is understandable. But he wasn’t really pressed on how this is to be done and whether this might come at the cost of compromises on the player front. I hope it is impressed (if not tattooed) on the new owners that they can forget about reducing losses by raising revenues (other than player sales) as long as we are in the third flight. The immediate priority, when it comes to season ticket prices, is to try to avoid a further decline. To achieve that requires reason to believe that next season will not be more of the same, not the quality of the pies on offer.

Punished Late Again, But It Was Entertaining

What was to be expected from yesterday’s game? Quite frankly heaven only knew, given our dire recent run of results, our opponents’ mixed form of late, and with a squad stretched to its limits and with the January reshaping having only just begun with the arrival of Bakinson and Fiorini on loan and the premature release of Tedic. I’d have said the bottom line was we really needed something from the game, at least a draw, to avoid being sucked further towards the relegation area.

We did at least get that. And with thoughts of closing the gap on those above us really redundant now I actually enjoyed the game, warts and all, even with another late goal resulting in more points surrendered. The two teams had contrasting styles and different strengths, while added to the mix were some heroic goalkeeping (with a costly error or two thrown in), defensive howlers (not especially from us this time, although our failure to close down their guys proved our undoing), one penalty awarded out of three possibles, and final stats which showed we had seven attempts on goal, four of them on target, and scored with three of them, compared with 29, 12 and three respectively for Port Vale. Those figures, plus the fact that our third goal came at a time when there appeared only one team likely to win the game and it wasn’t us, did at least ease the pain of their late – and third of the day – equaliser.

The contrast in styles was epitomised by the two centre-forwards on display. They had a 28-year-old powerhouse in Ikpeazu, a guy who made his professional debut about a decade ago and recently returned from playing in Turkey. He has been around the block as they say and knows what his game is all about. He put in the sort of display we sometimes saw from Aneke and was, to say the least, a handful from start to finish. We had a guy just turned 19, full of promise with his career ahead of him but still learning his trade, one who began this season being loaned out to National League Southend. Asking Kanu to compete for balls in the air and to hold up play for others, against seasoned defenders, a task tailor-made for Ikpeazu, was grossly unfair. He was nevertheless rewarded for his efforts with his second-half goal, one which underlined that he may not yet have the strength but he can make up for it with other attributes. Port Vale were able to feed off Ikpeazu inside and outside the box, while our real threat had to come down the flanks, relying more on moments of individual skill.

The game came too soon for either Bakinson or Fiorini to be included, and too soon also for May to be ready to return. That meant the only change from Oxford was an enforced one, with Campbell(C) added to the injured list. Watson(L) was given the nod to start over Fraser, who stayed on the bench, with Ness added to the squad.

We barely got a touch in the opening minutes and they just looked much bigger than us. But that Port Vale dominance didn’t last and within the first 10 minutes both Campbell(T) and Blackett-Taylor beat their opposite numbers and gave us grounds for optimism. Indeed, as we settled into the game we dominated possession, content to go back and sideways while Port Vale got men behind the ball. We had moments without creating anything clear-cut, but just before the half-hour we did take the lead. A Dobson corner was headed out but Edun managed to turn it back goalwards. Watson(L) rose well to flick the ball on and CBT read the developing situation better than anyone else, having the pace to get to the loose ball first. He shot low and hard and we were ahead.

Not long after we had the game’s first penalty appeal. Ikpeazu won another contest and played the ball out left. The cross came in and their guy met it first time with a shot which looked on target. Hector was close by and the ball hit his outstretched arm. There was no movement of the arm to the ball, no time for that, but it was held out. A VAR review would I think have resulted in a spot kick, it fell into the category at this level of ‘seen them given’.

As half-time approached Port Vale seemed to up their game and from a position of dominance we quickly came under the cosh. They really should have equalised as a cross found their guy with the goal at his mercy, only he scuffed the shot and Maynard-Brewer was able to claw it away, then followed that up by saving a decent shot. And we were unable to see out the half as they found space down their right side and as Anderson stretched to try to close down the cross his arm came out, the ball hit it, and the ref really had little option but to award the penalty. No intent but … The penalty was converted and we almost managed to fall behind as Jones, who was already on a yellow, was caught out, the move ending with a shot over the bar.

At the break there were mixed emotions, seemed like a game which could easily go either way. Port Vale had begun and ended the half strongly – and when they were in the ascendency we had panicked, or at least struggled to keep them at bay. But in between we had been setting the pace, controlling the game, and had scored. The first-half stats said a lot as we had 62% possession and two shots (one on target), against 12 for Port Vale (six on target).

The early second-half exchanges were inconclusive, with Vale winning a number of corners, which in general we coped with well, while we had a decent CBT cut inside and shot, Kanu was almost in but his touch took the ball too wide, and Cambell had a low cross/shot which went just past the post. But before the hour we took the lead again, in a fashion the Vale defence will not want to be reminded of. Blackett-Taylor found himself on the right for once, but his cross went to one of their guys. He opted for a square pass rather than clearance and their guy was challenged by Edun. The ball ran kindly for Kanu, but he made the most of the chance, firing home.

The lead lasted a few minutes. Maynard-Brewer had already made another decent save before their guy laid the ball off on their right side for another to put in the cross. He had the time and space to choose where to put it and dinked one in that was meat and drink to Ikpeazu. He made it his, getting in front of Hector, but his header across goal probably should have been saved, Maynard-Brewer getting an arm in the way of the ball but not managing to keep it out. It was the only blot on his afternoon.

That heralded another spell of Port Vale pressure and the script seemed all too familiar: we get tired, can’t bring on effective replacements, the opposition eventually score a winner. For a while that did look likely. Thomas coming on for Edun seemed indicative of the need for more height in our area. More Port Vale corners, yellow for Dobson, but just when we were fearing the worst we went and scored again, somewhat out of the blue. A CBT cross from the left was headed out but Thomas got to the ball first and managed to divert it back across goal, where it found Campbell, who had taken the chance to move inside. His shot was decent and across their keeper. It really should have been saved, but wasn’t.

With almost 10 minutes of normal time plus stoppage time to go, nobody was feeling confident about holding the lead. But with some desperate defending, a yellow for Watson(L), and despite a Thomas howler we managed to get to the six extra minutes still in front, with Asiimwe having replaced a tired and/or injured Blackett-Taylor, Campbell moving to the left side. That the equaliser did come was not so surprising, but the circumstances were. There seemed little danger as the ball was played forward, just evading Watson(L). But from the edge of the area their guy put in a shot which seemed to curl around Jones and left Maynard-Brewer rooted to the spot.

There was still time for the game’s final penalty appeal, this one for us. The ball was chipped in delightfully and for a moment Dobson looked like scoring. But he ended up trying a backheel, one which resulted in the ball hitting the arm of their guy. Was his arm outstretched? Had he moved it towards the ball? Was hard to tell. I’d say it was on a par with the earlier one by Hector which wasn’t given, so perhaps for once these things did even out over the game. Still would have been very nice for it to have been given. Instead Port Vale’s keeper cleared the ball quickly and it looked as though they were on for a late break, only for the ref to pull back play to book Thomas. We were incensed by being denied a penalty, Port Vale were incensed by play having been stopped, and chaos reigned as the final whistle blew.

I do still view it as a point gained rather than two lost. Perhaps that reflects my thoughts before the game. If we had lost, which for periods of the game looked likely even if we were never behind, that would have started to fray the nerves. We know more changes are coming in January, that before long some of the injured will return. We also know that in terms of the season the objective now is to ‘see how high we can get’ and to prepare for the next campaign. Of course two more points would have been very welcome, we would now be sitting in 11th rather than 13th and be nine rather than seven points above the drop zone. But whereas the points lost through December were season-defining, these two were surely not.

Past The Definition Of Insanity

Thanks (if that’s the right word) to some nifty baggage removal work and the astonishing (if not unique) experience of my partner Suzanne remembering where she parked the car at Lyon airport I was able to catch some of the first half of yesterday’s game on a mobile driving back, then all the second from the luxury of an armchair in front of the TV. Everyone knows what happened – fair bit to like about the first half, which was pretty even and quite entertaining despite their equaliser, before a progressive tailing off through the second half as we ran out of steam and lacked effective replacements, rounded off with the almost inevitable conceding of a second – so just a case of anything to be learnt and where do we take it from here.

We have learnt one thing at least, that the new owners, wherever they may be, are not ready to sack Appleton. If they were presumably he would have gone by now. It wasn’t a performance which absolutely demanded a change, even given the context of our recent results. He said the players had given him all they could and that sounded credible. When we heard that both May and Tedic had been added to the unavailable list we feared the worst, while of course hoping for one of those little football miracles. The things I’d quibble about are relatively minor and probably wouldn’t have affected the outcome.

Also, I’d suggest in the debate over Appleton too little weight is being given to the fact that he was appointed ‘head coach’, not manager. Some like to claim this is a more modern approach; really it’s just a different structure, nothing modern or progressive about it. It does mean that Appleton’s main task is to get the squad playing to its full potential. Given those missing through injury, he can’t really be hauled over the coals for the results – even though Holden was. And he was the choice of the new regime (we have to keep calling it ‘new’ because we don’t know how else to describe it) less than four months ago. If he were to go now not only is there little reason to believe another could do a better job in the circumstances (and we don’t yet need a ‘new manager bounce’ to stave off relegation, at least not yet), we would not be bringing in some ‘new broom’ as the replacement would presumably have no greater say in the choice of new signings for example than Appleton.

The downsides for the new regime of a change now are pretty obvious: yet another cheque to write (Appleton was given a two-year contract), another round of accusations that our club has become a laughing stock, and the door kicked open for others to be held responsible for this season’s failure. Again, Appleton was their choice, why should he go and not say ‘technical director’ Andy Scott and/or managing director James Rodwell? Similar reasons really. Scott and Rodwell are on the board of directors (accompanied only by two non-execs and a finance director). In turn they are answerable to the invisible Charlie Methven and his group of investors. Those investors will presumably be ready to accept that this season has been a failure and go again, ideally with greater understanding that avoiding another will require spending more money than to date. Whether they would accept another season like this one is an entirely different question.

The only reason(s) for Appleton to be replaced are if the regime consider that he is not the best coach we can get and (related) if he has ‘lost the dressing room’ – and I’d suggest the latter is pretty irrelevant as that dressing room will once again be very different next season. As regards the former, you’d have to say the jury is still out, although whether or not the new owners are qualified to judge is a moot point.

I do think, from my armchair and with my absence of any direct experience of the football world, that some of Appleton’s selections and tactics have been at least questionable, which could be contributing to our problems. For example, I’m glad Campbell(C) has been getting a run in the team. But he went from out of the squad for an extended period straight to starter in the No.10 role. You’d normally expect someone to have had a sub cameo or two before going straight in to start. Watson(L) has been dropped to the bench but then seen Anderson leapfrog him having been out of the squad for some time, similarly Tedic has been generally kept in reserve following the recall of Kanu. There’s a good reason why Kanu (and Elerewe) were out on loan, as part of their development, and they are being deprived that opportunity to develop, even if injuries have forced our hand. I can understand if some of this ‘in favour/out of favour’ has been having a demotivating impact on some.

Equally tactics and formation. For me there is one – very good - reason we play 4-3-3 (or however you want to describe it). It suits Blackett-Taylor. Last season it suited him and Rak-Sakyi. There’s a price to be paid as it doesn’t really help May, who has worked his socks off to try to make the best of being a lone, isolated central striker, widish right, or the No.10, or Kanu, or for that matter Campbell(T), who is struggling for confidence and being asked to take on a role more challenging than outright winger. It also works against playing with wing-backs as CBT is not one of them (and should never be asked to try).

OK. There’s no perfect formation, just best options for the players available. But why on earth if Blackett-Taylor is knackered (as Appleton says he was against Oxford) and has to be withdrawn, with probably more than 10 minutes left to play, do we stick to that formation, switching briefly Campbell(C) to the left and introducing Fraser? When we were increasingly on the back foot and desperately in need of either shoring up the middle or giving them something to think about with a switch to two up top? If that one was mystifying, the introduction of Casey for Kanu, in the final minutes, to operate on his own for crying out loud when we were behind at home, was almost cruel. What did Appleton expect him to be able to do? Just try something different. If Kanu had to come off, what about having Thomas, who was on for the injured Watson(T), play central defence alongside Jones and put Hector up front to accompany Casey and go long? It would have confused them. No idea if it would have worked, but things could not have turned out any worse (even if we had conceded another).

Appleton must have known we would be increasingly tied down through the game by Oxford, given their style of play, so why not have a plan to deal with tired legs rather than just replacing tired round pegs with fresh(er) round pegs? All of us watching the game were well aware that it would have been a point won had we been able to keep it at 1-1 as in the final 30 mins or so there was only one team likely to score again, the fact that it came via a wonder-strike was irrelevant. If that one had stayed out Oxford would probably have been more intent on looking for another in the final minutes.

So I’m disappointed in what we’ve seen so far from Appleton in certain respects, most obviously some seemingly erratic team/squad selections and what seems to be tactical rigidity when games are not going our way, usually the final 20 minutes (to be fair we have sometimes made changes when defending a lead which have not worked in terms of seeing out a game, nothing’s guaranteed). I hope in the weeks/months to come we see more evidence that he can be instrumental in turning us around. In the interim he deserves our support, as do the players during games at least, as we are in a tough spot and need backing. Just have to bear in mind that Appleton’s track record indicates he doesn’t tend to stick around for long, for a variety of reasons. Including caretaker roles we seem to be his ninth appointment since 2011.

And on that note, while the game is different now and such comparisons are unfair and misleading, Charlton Athletic has been in existence for not much short of 125 years. In that time apparently we have had 31 permanent managers (inc head coaches). Some 13 of them have been since 2013 and the arrival of Duchatelet; if you include Riga having two stints and caretakers, we have had 19 changes in that time. Even by modern standards that’s a lot. I’d say we’ve gone well past the definition of insanity.

So, What's Gone Wrong & Goodbye To 2023

In the cold light of day, it really doesn’t feel any better, for us for sure and you suspect the players. December has been a disaster for our season. It wasn’t that we went into the month thinking that all was well, that we were good enough to get up to a top-six spot. Rather it was the feeling that we were capable of improving, had a series of games many of which on paper looked winnable, and that this could see us close the gap and that this would in turn pave the way for some decent acquisitions in January, to give us renewed impetus – and on that basis to have realistic play-off hopes.

Instead we’ve gone backwards, really since the night of the International Addicks game against Cheltenham. We didn’t play particularly well, but we won, May scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season. But we won at a cost as Leaburn limped off, with the later news that he would effectively be out for the season. Since then we have drawn three (of which one could be considered creditable and a couple affected by refereeing decisions) and lost one. Without credible options to give some a rest, we’ve looked increasingly jaded and frustrated, unable to create a winning combination. The mood has shifted from how we might strengthen in the window to whether or not two key players will depart.

Now I really hope neither Blackett-Taylor or Dobson are sold. They are both among the best players in this league (criticism of CBT for not always delivering the end-product seems to me crazy, he isn’t perfect but he’s actually one of the few players who the opposition are terrified of and who make them change the way they play). Equally, it surely can’t be helping the mood in the dressing room if the skipper and the star player (no offence Alfie, you’ve been the bright spark this season) are not signing new contracts and reportedly considering their options. You can’t blame either for that, now that the chances of our season ending in triumph and their playing in the Championship with us have if not entirely disappeared been severely reduced. If that’s the case, it surely has to rub off on other players.

In that context, if the club believes that both will walk in the summer and offers come in, fair enough if they are taken. Again, it isn’t what I’d want to see, but if it’s a choice between disruption now and in the summer I’d rather we have it now, even if the money isn’t spent straight away.  

You can break our season to date into three parts – arguably four if you stop after the first game, which resulted in our best league placing so far. First, the five games of Holden, which featured four successive defeats after that first win. Three points from five games and a points per game ratio of 0.6. Second, Appleton comes in and including the first post-Holden game under Pearce we had a run of four wins and three draws, 15 points from seven games, or 2.1 points per game. That spell, featuring players coming back from injury and the thought that Appleton might be applying a little more nous, gave real cause for optimism. Third, since then we have had 10 games and managed two wins and five draws, a points per game ratio of 1.1, obviously nowhere near good enough. If we had sustained the points per game ratio seen in the second period through the third we would have an extra 10 points in the bag and sit in eighth place on 39, four points behind Stevenage in sixth with two games in hand. What a different picture it would have been.

Of course ‘would have/could have/should have’ count for nothing, even if you can point to errors by the officials costing us points. So what went wrong? It is simplistic to say that injuries have ruined our season, but they have been a major factor. They ended Holden’s reign and of late have scuppered thoughts of progress under Appleton. Losing Leaburn has hurt us, especially as Tedic has so far not taken his opportunities and Kanu is understandably finding it difficult when it comes to starting rather than cameos off the bench. Not having McGrandles or Taylor available has meant that, even though Campbell(C) has been brought into the fold, Dobson, Fraser and Watson(L) have been required all the time of late to fill two spots, with Anderson having featured little. There has been no realistic option to freshen up the team, especially with some losing form.

Added to this you have to say the opposition has learnt how to deal with us. Most teams now double up on Blackett-Taylor (and again Orient were particularly astute with Pratley just blocking off the cut inside). With our attack’s right side not really functioning of late, with Campbell(T) looking short of confidence and nobody else comfortable in the position, and an inability to score from set pieces (Jones’ header against Burton notwithstanding), teams in the bottom third of the division know that if they get men behind the ball and don’t allow space, especially for CBT, we become pretty toothless. In that respect it’s perhaps not surprising that our better performances of late have been playing away at teams around the top (Portsmouth and Barnsley), which have felt obliged to play a more open game.

So what do we do?  First, let’s accept that now we really have nothing to lose. Being dragged into a relegation struggle is a very remote threat and not one to worry about at this stage. So just forget the pressure. We all want to see a determined and committed side wearing the colours, but it would also be good to see them play with a smile. The mood among us Addicks may be pretty low, but the risk of the atmosphere at The Valley turning really toxic isn’t high, the response is more likely to be apathy than howls for Appleton to be replaced.

Second, the CBT and Dobson situation needs resolving, quickly. If the club is ready to accept offers for them and if they want to go, invite bids for them – and don’t hold on to the final day of the window to try to squeeze out a few more quid. If this also means leaving them out of the matchday squad, so be it. That’s no slur on their commitment, just an acceptance under this scenario that we need to move on.

Third, make some changes to the team and possibly with this the formation. Without CBT and with Campbell(T) struggling, perhaps 4-4-2 is not the best option but rather 3-5-1, using Edun and Watson(T)/Asiimwe as wing-backs. We do have a third centre-back option with Thomas, Ness and Elerewe. I still haven’t given up on Tedic, more in hope than expectation, and feel he could use a run of games. So try him with May in the hole or alongside him in that formation.

I wouldn’t advocate just throwing in the youngsters, whatever we expect from the rest of this season, because they are ‘the future’.  Asiimwe, Elerewe, Chin, Mitchell, Henry, Anderson, Rylah, Kanu, Mbick, Casey, even Ness and Campbell(T), even Leaburn, have to be nurtured, not asked to do the impossible. For sure if you’re good enough you’re old enough, but not all emerging youngsters are like Bowyer or Shelvey and demand inclusion from an early stage and grab their chance. Parker had to go out on loan to assist in his development. I would advocate throwing in the loan players for a run of games, that is if they’re not returning to their clubs. Tedic hasn’t done enough to merit a run, but perhaps that’s what he needs to show us what he is capable of.

Which does leave the now apparent question, do we, yet again, change the manager? We all know it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. It doesn’t even really matter if he’s lost the dressing room, given the prospect of player changes in January and in the summer. And it’s not as if Appleton is really in charge of which players we target, now and in the summer. Appleton was chosen by the new regime for certain qualities and attributes, including I assume bringing a tougher edge to the team. I still feel Holden was harshly dealt with but that’s history now. I can’t see how any change of manager/coach will improve our situation and outlook – unless the owners really want to turn to a club legend or two.

So that’s it for 2023, another year which will go down as one of disappointment, straddling two failed campaigns. I’m flying off to Porto to welcome 2024, so this time it’s Happy New Year to all and sundry. May 2024 bring you all that you wish for.

Presents Given, Not Received

After recent results and often performances, before today's game I thought perhaps a different mindset was called for. The chances of materially closing the gap above us in the near term disappeared with the home draws against Cambridge and Burton. Maybe today we - the team as well as us supporters - just enjoy the game. A good, lively local derby against opponents were are happy to see back at this level, chance to say hello again to Pratley (and Pigott), maybe some goals and fluctuations to enjoy. Fat chance. We had an inadequate, tame performance in a game sadly lacking in quality. It deserved a 0-0 but we contrived to give away another collectively poor goal and lose.

Throughout the game we struggled to move above the mundane. On another day we score in the first minute and the game is very different, we might have snatched an equaliser if Blackett-Taylor’s low shot hadn’t been very well saved by their keeper, or if the pulling of Dobson’s shirt was seen as enough to give us a penalty. Against that, we were generally ponderous, unable to play out of defence to any great effect and surrendered possession with far too many aimless balls forward. Worse still, the team individually and collectively looked as though they’d had enough, dissatisfied with each other and probably with themselves.

The team showed no changes from Saturday – indeed the matchday squad was unchanged. Nobody was seeing that especially as a vote of confidence, rather not much in the way of alternatives – personally I’d prefer to see us play Campbell(C) on the right side, May in the centre, with Fraser in the hole and Watson(L) coming back in to start, allowing Kanu and still perhaps Tedic to come on to shake things up if necessary, as well as Campbell(T), who seems to be suffering a dip in confidence and lack of playing time. In the event there was a change of sorts as May took up the central striker’s role and Kanu played on the right.

With hindsight the first minute was as good as it got. The ball made it’s way through to Fraser on the edge of the area. He poked it around their guy but couldn’t quite get around him clearly enough to get in a strike, instead diverted it for May to also not quite be able to get in an effort on goal. On 18 minutes Pratley almost gave us a gift with a poor Crossfield pass which only found CBT. He bore down on goal and laid it off inside for Campbell, who perhaps tried to be too precise with his shot which lacked power and was easily saved. And shortly after Kanu did well to set up Campbell again. This time his shot had more power but came back off a defender’s head, falling to Fraser whose curled effort was turned around by their keeper. That led to Blackett-Taylor sending in a low cross which found it’s way to May. His close-range shot was blocked by a defender’s body, probably the hands too, although it was too near for the guy to react and his arms were in a normal position.

Just looking at that para again makes it sound like we were unlucky not to be ahead at the break. But it was really three or four moments. The rest of the time we were locked in a scrappy contest. Kanu struggled to get in the game, May was isolated, and the service from midfield was anything but crisp. Our better moments usually involved Blackett-Taylor, although Orient employed a clever tactic to limit his impact: Pratley got back as cover for their full back and basically positioned himself to block off the cut inside, allowing the other guy to both anticipate and show him the outside. He took that path to good effect sometimes, but not decisively. Orient had few actual chances, but their set pieces, including long throws, caused confusion (nothing new there) and once almost enabled their guy to get on the end of a ball in.

At half-time it was a familiar story. We needed to play better, to get quicker service to the front men. Instead we deteriorated and seemed to become increasingly frustrated, for which perhaps you have to give Orient some credit. For an outsider the game had 0-0 written all over it. But we know better.

We made our first change with around 15 minutes left, with Campbell(T) coming on for Campbell(C), Kanu moving to the centre and May taking up the No.10 slot. And that had actually nearly brought results as Kanu was wrestled to the ground just outside the box on the left side. Fraser played the ball short inside for May to run onto but his effort went wide.

Instead with just over 10 minutes of normal time left we conceded. A simple enough 1-2 down Orient’s left side took out our defenders. The ball into the box was sliced into the air by Hector. Maynard-Brewer came to meet it and did make contact, enough for the ball to drop for Fraser to hook away – but really not clear. Blackett-Taylor failed to hold the ball or lay it off, instead their guy poked it away from him to another on their right side. He skipped past Edun, who went to ground, to the by-line. The pull-back went past a few and reached an unmarked centre-back who to round things off scuffed the shot in a fashion which fooled everyone before finding the back of the net. Several efforts to clear our lines, none taken. It was almost 2-0 immediately after that. Their guy went past Dobson down the right only for his ball across to be cleared.

A double-changed followed with Fraser and Edun replaced by Asiimwe and Watson(L). We then had the CBT shot very well saved, and in the six minutes of time added Dobson’s shirt-pull. But it was all pretty desperate stuff. When Orient got a corner and tapped it for a bit of keep-ball we didn’t even have players over to contest it. It was clear which team wanted it the most.

Another dispiriting display and result. And another game in a few days time (when I will be flying off to Porto to see in the new year). I hope there are changes for that one, in personnel and formation. The 4-3-3 has enabled us to utilise options and, given the goal return from two of the three concerned, can’t be said to have failed. But we are struggling now to get the most out of May, teams are doing everything to close out CBT, and with Campbell(T) looking a bit out of sorts it just isn’t working well enough. I’d switch to a 4-4-2 with May and Kanu or Tedic up front, one of the two Campbells operating on the right side of midfield. Puts a lot of strain on the two central midfielders for sure, but the stage has been reached whereby something might as well change.