Feb 18
That’s twice in as many weeks where we have been well and truly outplayed by a team challenging for promotion firmly putting us in our place in this division.
It reminded me a bit of a Ben Garner performance today. We had a lot of futile possession, overplayed when a simple pass would do, had no bite in attack, and made so many unenforced errors.
Please click for moreTalk about a game of two halves.
We should have been dead and buried at the break, at least 0-3 down with O’Connell the pinnacle of a dreadful bunch and only Joe Wollacott showing any signs of life with a terrific performance that kept us in the game.
Please click for moreWhat are the thoughts on attendance on Saturday?
Ordinarily with a good prevailing wind of optimism there’d be 20,000 at The Valley on Saturday, but I don’t reckon it will be anywhere near that.
Please click for moreA big final day all around us in League One and in The Championship. Unsure to why we get Sunday all to ourselves.
Sheffield Wednesday were relegated a year after they really should have been as Wayne Rooney’s Derby County survived by the skin of their teeth thanks to a heartbreaking late goal for Cardiff that meant that Rotherham also dropped despite leading in Wales for so much of the game.
I had Soccer Saturday on and Paul Merson spent the whole of the first half complaining. I don’t know what sort of game he was expecting at Pride Park, but he was a little bit more present in the 2nd half, after a word from the director I guess.
Please click for moreWhat a farce. The EFL covering themselves in glory again.
Now I will say we finished 2nd from bottom after 46 games and deserved our fate. You are where you are. We had our chances but blew it. Bowyer and his team got blood out of a stone and somehow managed to win 48 Championship points with a middling League One squad, a ridiculous and hugely distracting ownership saga, a long and debilitating injury list, our best player refusing to play, and a transfer embargo just one of the many behind the scenes troubles.
For all but the last five minutes that was bad. Yes injuries, yes budget, yes 12-year olds but I was worried as soon as I read Bowyer’s pre-match thoughts. It sounded so defeatist. I was much happier with his response after, and of course he is right, there is no excuse for the absence of fight and battle.
Equally we just didn’t go for it. We had a man advantage, maybe throw Sarr up front (he’s a liability at the back) with Davison and not take him off. Jesus we are about as useless against ten men as we are on the box.
My next look at our new Championship opponents. Part One is here.
The long running saga of Frank Lampard leaving for Chelsea meant Derby County had to quickly re-adjust this summer. They chose Phillippe Cocu as their new manager. The Dutchman has no previous experience on British soil, but he has won the Eredivisie three times as a manager.
The life support machine will finally be switched off in Bolton on Tuesday night unless we win and other results go our way.
Our 22nd defeat of the season and Derby’s goal coming from a corner (what else?) just after we had a goal disallowed, which was dubious.
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Excellent point at one of the promotion favourites today. Don’t know much about the game as we were having a late breakfast in Miami but I was constantly drawn to what seemed an exciting game on Twitter and it looked as if we deserved our point with a wholehearted defensive performance punctuated by some good play on the break.
Cristian Ceballos started on the left of midfield, to some surprise, and was responsible for possibly the worst corner in Charlton’s history, which has to be seen to be believed. I have hopes for the young Spaniard though, but him out left did allow Cousins to move inside alongside Kashi.
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Part I of my annual pre-season peak at our Championship rivals. Their signings, their manager, their hopes, their handicaps.
The Championship is one of the most competitive and unforgiving leagues in Europe, and picking winners and losers is almost impossible but the bookies have had a crack and I will use their sticking a tail on a donkey theory as my guide.
I will start at the top, and will begin with the 6 teams that the bookmakers think will have the best chance of promotion.
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Chicago Addick 