Carbon copy
Talking point 🗣️
The evolution is looking more like a carbon copy at the moment. After the joy of the first three games, we are now five without a win, but there were three draws in there, a fine one at West Brom, a bonus one at home to QPR and a disappointing one at home to Portsmouth.
It is the two away games in between though that have left us all with a feeling of déjà vu.
There’s plenty of time to be real worried about the team and the manager, but just like last season we enter the international break sitting on a poor defeat.
The way Cardiff dominated us by playing so advanced and by creating so many chances gave me pangs of jealously more than outbursts of sack the manager.
We have our style, possibly an oxymoron, and Brian Barry-Murphy has his. You make your choices, but some of Cardiff’s football was very nice, yet I think a lot of us in that away end felt that if we could just do Nathan Jones’ Charlton things then we could have got something out of the game.
Substance over style, and Cardiff’s openness will get exposed by better teams this season, but the way they play is very eye catching, and oh for a Jack Moylan.
The most concerning factor is the repetition of defensive errors. How many times were Cardiff players lining up on the edge of our penalty area to have a shot? How often were they able to load players into our box?
Then at the opposite end, we just don’t create enough chances, accentuated by us not being able to take any real control of the midfield.
We never did get our midfield playmaker, nor our assist agent right winger. Instead we got a bloke from Kenya and a youngster from Wimbledon. The evolution will be stunted or slowed by the lack of those two key positions.
Right wing is an issue as Alli looks no better than an impact sub, and Nkeng is one for the future. In midfield Chalobah was a cheap playmaker option for a reason, even though he may be the principal reason we started so well.
We cannot afford a 20-goal striker, and I am fine with that, but we have to be able to create enough chances that gives a handful of players a lot of xG opportunities to get 7-8 goals in a season.
Jones does have a lot more attacking options this season, and TC has been a stand out performer, but we have to find a way of grabbing hold of games.
More possession would be lovely, but it’s not vital. Keeping a hold of the ball but moving it forward rapidly creates more possibilities. We rarely look like we are in control of a game.
Getting our four offensive players into overloads high up the pitch utilizing a counter attacking game gives us more threats and takes the pressure off the defence if they are not all performing 9/10 each week, which cannot be expected.
A lot to work on. The table looks fine if the pattern doesn’t but we have a three week break, and I am ready for it.
I think with Ramsay,Edwards and Chalobah back,the defence will have more options of playing the ball out from the back instead of the panicking ‘hoofball’ which has been apparent over the last few games.
Recently, panicking to get the ball away from our back line has been lumping it forward, and by-passing our midfield altogether, resulting in lost possesion nine times out of ten, and opponents able to attack again. We badly need the ability to get the ball down and play through the midfield and not over it.
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Edwards, Ramsay and Big Billy all add a real sense of strength. Not his fault, but it was telling that we had a 21 yoa central defender learning the job. In their time, Edwards and Ramsay have been stand out performers, and without getting carried away too early, Billy looks like he is cut from the same cloth.
We badly need to connect with midfield and create more, but the back line is where it all starts and where confidence to the team is supplied.
We have limped over the line to the Intl break, but with a little bit of luck in the decisions department against QPR and/or Portsmouth, we would have been giddy with excitement, instead we should be very satisfied. Had the points come in a different order, I am sure we would have felt better.
A good start, the exam starts after the break, and we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves or get delusions of grandeur, like that lot who play in the Olympic stadium!
Enjoy the festival C.A.
COYA
I’m not about to join in with the chorus of despair that seems to have shrouded us since the Cardiff game, but I do feel that the international break has come at a good time for us.
There seems to be quite a few teams with long injury lists, so it does beg the question as to whether this is an issue in the Championship, and if a twenty-five man squad is big enough to cope with a forty-six game season? We also know that this is the market we are in, having to take risks on potentially good players with sketchy injury records. We are clearly missing Chalobah and Koumetio, and having Godden and Kelman fit will give us options up-top. It feels like Bindon and Skipp have been thrown in because of the injuries, rather than having time to bed themselves into the team.
It also feels like a good time to take stock of the summer transfer window. I still believe that we have a stronger squad than last season, and that the additions we made were positive. Signing Okonkwo in the January window permanently would be massive. The only exception may be the loss of Doc, whose energy we seem to be missing. Ouma is still off the pace, and I hope that he does catch up. We never did solve the RW problem, and Rak-Sakyi was obviously the intended target, and you are right that Alli is not a starter.
The conundrum for me is the No.10 role. On paper, going into the new season, I was happy with Carey, JRC and Knibbs, but NJ clearly has no faith in any of them. None of them seem to grasp the opportunity when it is presented to them. Carey’s confidence looks shot, JRC is another who looks better coming off the bench, and Knibbs hasn’t been trusted to have a go yet!
We do have points on the board, and we could be in a far worse position. I still trust NJ, and don’t think that panic is the order of the day. Not so long ago we were stuck in League One, and I would much prefer to be where we are now!
That is kind of where I am as well, Jon.
I see that Joe Aribo is still without a club, and his demands must be diminishing the longer it goes on. Would there be any merit in this kind of move for us, and does he still have much to offer?
I would have him back in a heartbeat Jon…..even at 30. The money (salary) would be worth his experience alone. I don’t think he’s played many 90mins in the last couple of seasons, as he went down the pecking order at Southampton,so probably it would be Christmas until he was fully match fit. If I remember rightly he had a good ‘engine’ too.
Jon W
test test my account
I agree CA Cardiff play with freedom and will get found out, we need to be more aggressive, I watched Norwich Bolton yesterday and we are a country mile away from that sort of freedom football, hopefully the break will be a good rest and get players back coyr
Joe aribo could be a good shout
Joe Aribo is clubless might help out in midfield
Jon W
Did send a long one but got zapped and agree to most of your post.
Cut to the chase and yes, our signings this summer and las summer and we in the market only for injury-prone players and/or simply not up to the standard required.
The Billy the kid one very unlucky indeed and it was one of those things and before his stupid sending off and started very well, but it seems he has a discipline problem and also been cautioned at least once.
The loanee GK has been a most welcome addition, and thought perhaps Wrexham could well have recalled him after their thumping at WH.
Back to the medical team and think I am right in saying and definitely once and maybe twice the whole medical team was replaced, as there were injuries on the training ground!!
Also, the recruitment team one would have hoped it was Jones’s final decision, but we have been tracking this player for a long time and thought perhaps the Board telling Jones who to sign, as we knew with the RAT under Sir Powell.
Very interesting the two managers of CAFC and Spurs very forthcoming and no hold barred.
Spurs first of all “this group of players are the worst that I have ever coached” And yes he signed 7 players himself and there was a clip saw this morning, I was told to bring in the player and not sure whether the same ones.
Jones was very forthright and yes, he was absolutely right and TBF he was suggesting that apart from a total embarrassment (what about the supporters) not up to the standard required and that is not us as regarding the training we do,
First of all do they really train and maybe 2 or 3 hours per day on at most 43 or 4 days of the week, and it is so different in a competitive game mid-week and on Saturday.
He literally was throwing everyone under the bus barring the 2 he mentioned,
On the retuning to fitness players and yes great players, but are they going to be the same players as before a big qustion mark.
Some been very unlucky like Ramsey, Edwards and TBF Leaburn,
In essence the same glaring and all positions for 2 seasons now and still the issues remain.
Yes, we need to go back to basics and on paper the evolution (the new in word) is improving a little, nut discounting the last 2 horrendous away days, but we shall see and apparently, we got the same points at the same time as last year and this was pointed out on one of the pods.
COYR and yes that word ruthless where did that go?
Liking the measured comments from all even if I don’t agree with all of them. We all see different things don’t we? Notice you didn’t mention the obvious injury problem above CA which is why I’m not worried. I think we will be better as long as they all get fit again. As for players who aren’t cutting it – its hardly their fault is it? If they are playing to the best of their ability how can you ask more? I really hate people getting on their backs especially when they are young, or new to the country/league. Look at what TC went through last season. If they really haven’t got the ability then the management shouldn’t be throwing them in – and I guess they wouldn’t if everyone was fit. I remember how awful some Charlton fans were about Carl Leaburn back in the day – some things don’t change. He always did the best he could and he was all we had or could afford – I never understood why fans pick on their own players.