GOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL! #CAFCLive #cafc GOOOOAAAALLLL! GOOOOOOAAAL!!! GOOOOOOAAAL!!! GOOOOOOAAAL!!! GOOOOOOAAAL!!! GOOOOOOAAAL!!! #CAFCLIVE #CAFC VETOKELE SCORES FOR CHARLTON #CAFCLIVE #cafc Vetokele gets on the end of Bikey's flick on and prods home. #CAFCLive #cafc
IGORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Buzzing from that, would have loved a win sadly but always good to score in last min
They'll get over it! I did! So did Baldrick! What a signing Igor is proving to be. Sounds like a good point in the end, even though I'd have 'settled' for three at half time.
I'm disappointed that Morrison seems to have dropped down the pecking order. I'd much rather see him in the team than TBH, who according to the commentators ran the length of the pitch to harangue the ref when the Udders defender committed the foul which earned him a red card. I don't like to see this from anyone, whoever he plays for. However Gomez deserves his place on the bench, and let's see if my prediction comes true, that he will finish the season as first choice CB.
Not a lot, it turns out. Winning goal came from a tactical move. Put your giant centre-back at centre-forward and launch 40 yard balls in the air. Well, it worked, as it sometimes does, but it is hardly the scientific continental football we have been promised. We always did that in my Sunday parks league when desperate. And before that he did exactly what Powell did when floundering. Make a lot of weird positional changes which confused us more than the opposition. I hope he follows the example of our greatest ever manager and "plays his best team" in future, fitness and energy levels permitting, in league matches. Wigan was a good win, and Derby a very good win. Bob can take the credit for those but he also has to take the blame for dropping points at Brentford and Huddersfield. Two matches where, it turns out, we could have won fairly comfortably. I give us no chance at Derby so I hope he rests the geriatrics and the vulnerable and we give it a real go at Brighton with fresh players.
Awful performance today, nobody could pass, a blatant pen for Hudd denied before our equaliser. Still unbeaten the only positive.
Picking up points when we don't play well... a welcome trait that I've not seen in a Charlton side for many years. The sooner Morro or Gomez come in for TBH the better. I'm pleased that Pope had a good game. If we find a forward to compliment Vetokele we could be in business...!!
Sorry, I didn't mention I went today so couldn't provide updates. Compared with Tuesday we were awful. Huddersfield had worked out what it took Derby half an hour to figure out, and pressed hard on our defenders and goalkeeper as they attempted to pass the ball out from the back. Pope had a couple of very hairy moments early on, including one when Ben Haim had to bale him out as Wells bore down on goal, but to his credit he pulled off one fantastic save, diving to his right to tip a Coady effort round the post, and grew in confidence as the game progressed. I've no idea on whether the red card was right, but Igor had been one of the few positives of the first half, having gone on one run which, had his effort not been pushed over by Smithies, would have produced a fantastic goal. Tucudean did OK in as well, and I was confused when he was brought off, unless he was injured, which he didn't seem to be. The second half saw Huddersfield sit back a bit, confident in their ability to stifle us before we could play that killer pass. And they could. Jackson had the ball an awful lot midway inside their half, but couldn't do much more than switch it from side to side. He did have one effort that just went wide of the far post, but beyond that we didn't seriously threaten their goal until the end. Huddersfield's goal came from very good play down the left from Scannell (who had a very good game) and a mistake from Cousins. Tracking back, he got himself between the man and the ball but couldn't keep it, and the ball was played in by Smith for Wells to tap in. Suddenly the confidence and calmness with which we were still attempting to play began to look like carelessness. After Ben Haim blatantly fouled Vaughan in the penalty box, and somehow got away with it, we stuck Bikey up front. Jackson launched it long, Andre The Giant headed it on, and Vetokele was there to side-foot a volley home. 1-1, a point we scarcely deserved. Pope: 7 - the two early errors (one karate kick outside his area and one overly long dalliance with the ball) aside, he was much better. Very good save from Coady and held on to a couple of tricky crosses. Nice to hear the fans chanting his name. Solly: 5 - not up to his usual high standard, and didn't contribute much going forward. Ben Haim: 7 - crucial sliding tackle to stop Wells after he had gone round Pope, and more likely to contribute going forward. He does moan a lot though. Bikey: 6 - caught napping once or twice and could have paid the price. Much less confident on the ball than Ben Haim. Wiggins: 6 - had a very difficult game up against Scannell and was frequently beaten JBG: 6 - not half as effective as on Tuesday. No-one's end product was good, but his was probably the worst, given what we know he can do. Buyens: 7 - kept us ticking over reasonably well Jackson: 7 - saw a lot of the ball in the second half in the Andrea Pirlo role, but he couldn't unlock the door. Cousins: 5 - can't remember anything from him coming off. At fault for their goal. Tucudean: 7 - was linking up play nicely. Surprised he was subbed. Vetokele: 7 - one brilliant run in the first half, other than that quiet until the end when he finished very well. Subs: Moussa: 6 - tried to link up play but he's not as good at it as Tucudean is. Harriott: 6 - a couple of dangerous balls into the box, but one or two blind alley runs as well that lost us possession. Church: 6 - wasn't able to add much. Overall we can count ourselves more than a tad fortunate to have escaped with a point. Our passing game did not work against an energetic and fired-up (particularly after the red card) Huddersfield side. Defensively there were a few lapses in concentration, and attacking wise we had little real threat until we went Route 1 in desperation. However, a point is a point, a last minute equaliser is a last minute equaliser, and we are still unbeaten.
Our worst performance so far this season by some distance, and a reality check after the euphoria of Derby. The squad looks thin and needs strengthening in a couple of key areas, particularly full back with Nego now gone and Wiggins and Solly struggling big time (what has happened to Wiggins, he was awful again yesterday?) When you look at the squads of Forest and Cardiff etc it really puts it in perspective, we are trying to hunt an elephant armed with a pea shooter. Didn't enjoy the game but did enjoy Igor's last minute master piece
I would start both Gomez and Wilson as full backs v Brighton next week. Solly struggled yesterday and looks to be feeling his knees. Wiggins must have been on a sea food diet over the summer....he sees food..and eats it. Boom boom.
Can't disagree with any of that other than to add that I have rarely seen Chris have such a poor game, and Wiggins was a 4/10.
I've Heard a few moans about TBH, but from what I've read, the problem áreas were Wiggins, Cousins, and a sudden loss of our attacking decisivness, Basically, the squad is light, and when you bring on Church when you are chasing the game (and no, I've Heard nothing to blame him for, but his usual running about game), you know you are missing depth in the squad.
It's a worry when Solly's knees are giving him trouble this early in the season. Not promising at all. I hope Wilson plays RB when Solly can't. I know Gomez can play there, but he's always played CB, and is real class there. It seems to be the youngsters who have to play out of position not the senior players, Cousins as well. Maybe Bob wants to play what he considers his eleven best players, which may not be the best team, we'll see in the fullness of time.
I give Bob credit for this: “We were very lucky to get a draw... all credit to Huddersfield and they deserved [to] win.” None of the usual BS about "it is harder to play against 10 men" or "any away point is a good point."
