Saturday 16 October 2010

Generosity killed the kap


My mate John was on family business today, so he generously allowed me to use his season ticket ……… some times the generosity of others can be painful and I do wonder if he had had a premonition of things to come.

The good news is that we got no points from this fixture last year so not getting any this year does not disturb our this year last year comparison and if that sounds like clutching at straws well you could be right.  They say every silver lining has a cloud and on this occaision it is a great big dirty grey one.

However, before I comment on Charlton, let me say Brighton and Hove Albion were a credit to their manager and the 3,500 fans who were allowed to watch them at the Valley. I think having only missed Oldham at home this season and Brentford at home last season, this was the best team to come to the Valley at this level of football. Gus Poyet is currently on his first managerial role, having cut his coaching teeth at Spurs and Leeds and he seems to me to be punching below his weight at this level and I doubt he will be at Brighton in 12 months time. He has turned round a very poor Brighton side that came to the Valley and took three points last season into a very good Brighton side that came today and left with a full house on terms of points and score.

At the out set let me state that I felt until the second goal we were in this game, but the second killed us. I expect, without checking the records, that the last team to win by a four goal margin at the Valley would have been one of the premier league top four during the golden age. That said Brighton were not four goals better, until maybe the last 15 minutes and a 2-0 score line would have been fairer.

Brighton have taught us a lesson today and that lesson is about being sharp up front, creating and taking chances. They did not make too many in the first half and in fact the one they scored from was made by us, a corner came in poorly cleared to the right, crossed back in and in the back of the net. The first half saw both teams pushing the ball forward and Abbot almost headed in from a sharp cross, but put it just wide of the post

As in the first half the second half started with Charlton attacking and giving hope that we would get back in the game but we lack penetration and cutting edge, taking too long to get the ball in where it hurts, allowing the defenders to get back into position and cover attacks. We have yet to win a penalty this season. Is this because of incompetent referees or is it a more fundamental, is it about the way we play. You would have thought with Benson, Reed, Martin and Wagstaff in the side we would have the benefit if their speed either creating chances or creating penalties, but maybe the issue is that we are not getting into the penalty area with any force or venom.

What happened to the Johny Jackson that we had on loan last season, this Johny Jackson is a pale imitation and a player of his experience should never have attempted the back pass he did. He is totally responsible for the second goal, although I thought Elliot could have done better. Having made this error, the real failing was letting our heads drop, after that we were gone. The third goal was Lua Lua's first touch of the ball and if anyone had watched last weeks The Championship, they would have blocked out the opportunity instead we were three down.

The fourth goal was just one of those last minute things – demoralised team, pushing for something they could call salvation and the team that are up for it breakaway and score.

The players have to take responsibility for this defeat and the level of it. As we matched Brighton, we did ourselves in, as they say - poor defending from a corner, bad back pass and then it is gone, the opportunity no longer exists. For the first two goals I really don't think you can put the fallibility of the players on Parkinson, seriously. I blame Parkinson for our failure to hurt teams in the box and the failure to either get a team together or if he has then a failure to get them to gel consistently and for a sustained 90 minutes.

The crowd overall was very positive and supportive till the team capitulated and then the boos came, that isn't something any of us anti booers can really object to, 0-4 at home in the third division at home. However two things I do object to,the first is the guy who sat in front of me (this used to be my seat, so he has sat in front of me for about 3 years) shouting across to the Brighton fans your fxxxing cxxxx, to me this is unnecessary language, but when he has a child with him who is less than 10 years old, you can only wonder at his parenting skills and how she will grow up, as he left he shouted to the player "you should be ashamed of yours selves" – true, but he is a fine one to speak and secondly and I will risk getting slaughtered for this, the guy who approached Parkinson in the coaching area, I'm sorry but however you feel, that is not on .

Today was the first part of our ordeal of 5 games, we failed and the minimum of 6 points from 15 looks difficult, that said we won't see another Brighton at the Valley again this season, unless it's a cup.

Thanks for your generosity John, but today it hurt.

Ps Charlton Life has blown a fuse presumably from all the wrist slitting this is the message I am getting-

"Forbidden


You don't have permission to access /forum/ on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apache/1.3.41 Server at charltonlife.com Port 80"

4 comments:

Phil said...

I stayed until the end to support our team and those who did, would of saw what really summed up the game, an elderly gentlemen squaring up to Parkinson, how this man clearly over 70 managed to elude the security i will never know. We stopped playing after 2-0, and to add to our misery, Reid's injury looks serious, He... fell similarly to Dirk Kuyt this week, if you saw it. All the Brighton players were getting the train home and i managed to grab Kishishev in an attempt to grab a picture and my phone battery died, clearly not our
day.

Miss Kish said...

The old gent should be ashamed of himself Kap, so too should those who cheered and clapped him. Definitely the best team that have visited the Valley this season. Their mid-field in particular were certainly in charge of the game. However, as you so rightly put it, we are lacking up front. No conviction or confidence in the final third. Abbot was very poor and clearly does not look match fit. The uncertainty even affected Dailly, who misplaced several passes in the latter part of the game. Not sure why Dailly was playing at right back. Our defensive pairing of The Doc and Fortune struggled. Fortune needs a stronger player next to him.
Let's hope Parkie and those around him can turn it around. He seems a decent bloke, but is that enough now? However, it is still only October and all teams have peaks and troughs. Hopefully our peak lasts longer than our trough.

Anonymous said...

Please leave the pistol out for Murray and Parky.

No point in doing so for Benson, he'd miss (and probably by a margin that would injure a spectator)

Hilltothevalley said...

Brighton got the train home!!! Lets hopeit stopped at brighton,unlike the FootballLeague special many years ago,which charlton hired fro a mid week gasme at brighton and carrying the team back to charlton forgot to stop at charlton.

Phil and Miss K. good comments, anonymous hilarious, but wish you had left your name.