Charlton Athletic 0 Blackpool 0
We may have lost Karlan Grant’s goals, but we’ve also lost his pace. We have to be so much easier to defend against as we play in front of opposition defenders instead of behind them and around them. I don’t expect Dillon Phillips gives us the quick counterattack outlet that Steer did either.
It was good to see Joe Aribo back who had a very influential spell of the game, but obviously tired later, but that midfield doesn’t sound right to me, and hasn’t been itself since the much heralded (me included) return of Cullen. Square pegs, round holes comes to mind. Not much Bow can do now about losing and not being allowed to replace Grant, but his midfield decision making is key.
One goal in four. We need one of Parker or Vetokele to step up and help Taylor. His game needs a partner. Plus after talking yesterday about not getting booked, he got booked. Just one yellow away now from another 2-game ban.
Unbeaten in seven, Blackpool are no pushovers, but that is a game we had to win, but again we fell short. How many times have we disappointed a big ‘football for a fiver’ crowd?
Bowyer made 5 changes and paired Taylor upfront with Parker, returned Aribo and dropped Solly for Djiksteel. Fosu didn’t make the squad at all. The Tangerines, fresh from the great news that they are free of the crooked Oyston family, started the better but we finished the half stronger.
2nd half it was pretty much one-way traffic, but from the radio there again sounded a lot of huff, but no finished product.
The January transfer window, and specifically the sale of Grant, has knocked the stuffing out of us. Somehow we have to get over it.
Addicks at The Valley:
Bow: “It’s our own fault. We created enough. Second-half I thought we were a lot better, got the ball into some very good areas but we were just not very good.”
Elsewhere: Luton are 11 points clear of 3rd. We had them in a sights a few weeks back. Barnsley are 5 clear of Portsmouth. Luton won 2-1 at Fleetwood, Barnsley won 2-1 at home to Wycombe. The rest of us are struggling, but Peterborough did win at Oxford to narrow the gap on us to 4 points.
Photo: @K_AndrewsPhotos
Chicago Addick 
Blackpool were physically bigger and stronger than us in midfield ,the Taylor and Parker partnership didn’t work. Taylor didn’t help his cause by his petulant histrionics every time he thought he was fouled. The balance in midfield was wrong Bielik was missed. Aribo played well, but Reeves and Williams for all their skills don’t seem to create much. Another very good performance from Naby Sarr was a bright spot. Dijksteel also played well.
A thoroughly disappointing performance which leads me to the conclusion that we will be in League 1 again next season. Thank you Mr Duchatalet…….
Taylor needs to move on.
Rierti, What would be your midfield selection?
Next week we have the strong possibility that Pearce will return but Sarr cannot be dropped because he is playing very well at the moment. As Bielik will still be missing I would seriously consider playing Sarr in the holding role in midfield or as the central player in a back 3 with the freedom to move forward into midfield when appropriate Aribo could be moved to the No.10 role behind the strikers with Lapslie and Williams playing the wider roles. This would strengthen the midfield. The front 2 strikers would be Taylor and Vetokele (for 60 mins) and Hackett-Fairchild for last 30 minutes.
We were woeful in the first half and better in the second half but not much better. Blackpool came for a point and were well organised and defended well, but we made it easy for them, there was no pace or physicality in midfield and no one to control the match. Taylor had a poor game but he was isolated too often and given no support. I am reluctant to blame Bowyer, but he picked the wrong side and only partially rectified it by bringing Marshall on at half-time and then only gave Vetokele 10 minutes at the end when it was clear that Parker was not achieving much. All in all we looked like a side that had no belief that promotion was a possibility. The positives – the defence looked good and did its job and we didn’t lose, one goal in four games scored, but only two conceded and one of those took a wicked deflection. Next up Wimbledon, strange to say but that has become a must win game.