Worthy Of Praise ?

What ? Us, lil' old Charlton deserving of praise. No, didn't think so. Despite an emphatic 3-0 demolition of England wannabe Steve MacLaren's Middlesbrough the press in general still couldn't really find it within themselves to give us the credit we deserved. Any praise was followed or preceded by 'Boro were awful' or 'Boro forgot to turn up'. Utter rubbish. I know what I saw and that was a decent Boro side being totally outclassed. Our midfield totally and utterly dominated the whole game and didn't allow Boro to get going at all. If Boro were poor it was because we were so absolutely damned bloody brilliant. And for me, my opinion is the only one that counts.

I know it's probably irrational but I'm already starting to worry whether or not Chelsea will recall Alexei(y) 'Class Act' Smertin in January. Can we not nip my angst in the bud and buy him right now ? Surely 3m would do the trick ? He is the missing link as it were. Without him we were a rudderless boat drifting around in the PL no man's land. With him and we are are a slick passing team destined for a top eight finish at worst. I even find myself praising the previously much maligned Kishishev who is now an integral part of the team and looks every inch an international player. More importantly Alexei's arrival has allowed Danny Murphy the opportunity to express himself and become the player we always knew was there. Last season he was like a little boy lost in a sweet shop, able to see the goods on sale but unable to reach them, but now he has grown in stature and is carrying all before him. On this form Sven will not be able to ignore him for much longer.

Darren Bent. Four goals in just three games puts him just two behind our top PL goalscorer for the whole of last season; Shaun Bartlett on six (just in case your Math is bad). Now I accept he will endure a lean spell or two but I'm pretty confident he'll have exceeded six before the end of the season. A very shrewd signing by Curbs especially when compared to the 7m Boro paid for Yakubu. What I like is that he squandered a couple of (difficult) chances but instead of hiding away he still both wanted the ball and was prepared to try again. Too many of our strikers seem to get embarrassed when they have missed a chance and are reluctant to shoot again. Bartlett especially take note.

Without wishing to sound churlish my only slight concern arising from Sunday's victory was the wayward crossing from both Rommedahl (note correct spelling Di !) and Thomas. Both found themselves in excellant positions after good work but let themselves down with poor crosses, most of which were over hit. If they had been delivered better we would have found ourselves ahead much earlier than we were and may have won by even more. Yes, very churlish I know.

I'll finish on a positive note. Bryan Hughes has played about four minutes of football in total at Sunderland and Boro' and has provided Darren Bent with two assists. Can't ask for much more than that can you.

Window Of Opportunity

With eight days until the transfer window slams shut it remains to be seen as to whether or not Alan C will be able to conduct any further dealings. As stated he is looking for another two additions to the squad with his targets allegedly being Marcus Bent and Lee Bowyer. Both would be very useful acquisitions indeed but both seem a very long way off and they are seemingly dependant on their current clubs, Everton and Newcastle Utd respectively, being able to make improvements to their own squads before releasing the players. In my opinion, both moves are highly unlikely to happen.

If this were the case would it be a bad thing. Well, in my opinion the signing of another midfielder is not exactly a necessity, although if Bowyer signed it would allow Smertin to replace Kish in the 'holding role' and give us a midfield two of Bowyer and Murphy; very tasty indeed. With Holland, Kish, Ambrose, Euell and Hughes as back up we'd look very strong indeed in this department. Without Bowyer we are still well served but perhaps lacking the 'bite' he would provide. If the Bent deal collapses though I think we could be in trouble. It seems as though the squad is best suited to the fluid system that, whichever form it takes, consists of a lone front man. With either Smertin or Kish protecting the back four we then operate with a midfield of two behind two wingers and the lone forward or a midfield of four behind the lone forward. The system is so fluid that it changes constantly throughout a game except in one crucial respect. Only one forward. The only forward we have who is able to play this role whilst still being able to score goals is Darren Bent. Whilst Lisbie and Bartlett can both try to do so they will always lack that vital ingredient; goals. Lisbie has pace, Bartlett is good in the air but neither are goal scorers.

Not that I necessarily think Marcus Bent is the answer, goal scoring isn't exactly his forte either, but he does at least combine the aerial ability of Bartlett with the pace of Lisbie and so, at a reasonable fee, would provide a more attractive option than either of the aforementioned. To rely on Darren Bent remaining fit could be a dangerous game to play.

Therefore, before the window shuts next Wednesday another striker is a necessity and if that means spending the Bowyer money as well and putting all our eggs in one basket as it were then that is what I feel we need to do. If so, a top eight finish is certainly an achievable aim in my opinion. An opportunity we can't afford to miss.

A Striker Light and Kish Concerns

I'm struggling to think of a more convincing 1-0 victory. If Wigan had returned to the North-West on the end of a three or four nil spanking they couldn't have complained. And in Darren Bent it looks as if we may have at last acquired a striker who actually scores goals and, more importantly, wants to score goals. His first thought is getting a strike in on goal and if that strike is unsuccessful is perfectly happy to try again instead of hiding away in a corner.

However, I remain slightly worried on two fronts. Firstly, worried that if Darren Bent gets injured we are back to relying on either Bartlett or Lisbie to play the lone frontman role without an iota of the potency that Bent possesses. Secondly, worried, unlike others it seems, that Kishishev seems a first choice in midfield. I'm not convinced. I'd rather see Smertin playing the defensive anchorman role, a role to which he is especially suited, with Ambrose or, who knows, Bowyer, in a more attacking role. Smertin was getting forward considerably on Saturday but this is alien to his normal game as his goalscoring record confirms. However, if Curbs were able to sign one player before the end of the transfer deadline I would rather another striker were brought into the Club. Both Bartlett and Lisbie have their attributes but scoring goals regularly isn't one of them and with Jeffers conspicuous only by his absence we are worringly short of options up front.

On the plus side the formation of one up front seems to have evolved into a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-1-2-3 formation such is the fluency of the system. This system is both bringing out the best in Danny Murphy, who was awesome on Saturday, whilst also proving that Smertin is the piece of the jigsaw that we were so desperately missing last season. With Rommerdahl and Thomas working the flanks effectively, although Rommerdahl should offer so much more, and a decent striker up front we are finally seeing the sort of performances that this system should be delivering. The back four are looking solid, Chris Powell belieing his 37 years, and that is encouraging with Sorondo, El Karkouri and Spector nearing availibility.

Finally, I'm amused to see that in under two weeks I have gone from being a moron (a foolish or stupid person,IQ 50-70) to being an imbecile (a person of very low intelligence,IQ 25 to 50). Quite an achievement. Perhaps, if I try really hard, next week I'll be Chairman of a nondescript football club that has to rent it's ground. Then again, could anyone really be that much of an ignoramus.

Bent Double

And that is how I celebrated Darren's first strike. Bent double over the seat in front of me staring at the Stadium of Light concrete a foot away after a shove in the back from an over enthusiastic supporter behind me. Not that I minded of course. I'm sure that many a time my flailing arms have caught an unsuspecting fan across the back of the head or that on occasions I have ended up hugging complete strangers. C'mon, we've all done it. And ain't it great, especially when you can experience it three times on one single afternoon. Magic !!

Our last visit to the Stadium of Light in February 2003 also ended in a 3-1 Charlton victory but there the similarity ends. On that occasion it was a scrappy affair won courtesy of three own goals. This time victory was achieved with a display of classy, fluent football capped by three excellant strikes. The fact that we went in at half-time with the scores level belies the quality of our first half performance in particular. With Smertin, Ambrose, Murphy and Bent all outstanding we should have had more, much more, to show for our first half dominance. Ambrose's deflected shot on the turn, Smertin's rasping drive against the bar, Bent's tame effort from Murphy's superb through ball and, especially, Murphy's wasteful header from Rommerdahl's deep cross were all chances spurned. However, the one chance converted was expertly done so by Darren Bent. A chipped ball over the top from Ambrose caught the Sunderland rearguard flat-footed and Bent onside. Racing onto the ball and towards the oncoming keeper he kept his cool, waited for support and when that wasn't forthcoming further kept his composure before slamming the ball past the now retreating goalkeeper.

However, Sunderland undeservedly dragged themselves back into the game before half-time. Clever wing play from Welsh, a summer signing from Liverpool, aided by Smertin committing himself to making an unneccessary challenge, led to a cross into the six yard box from which Andersen pulled off a fantastic save from Stead. Unfortunately the ball ran loose to Gray who rammed the ball into the net. Parity at half-time was scarcely believable.

Ten minutes into the second half and things seemingly became extremely tricky. Far from it. Darren Ambrose, who was enjoying a particularly fine debut, was deservedly red carded for an over the ball lunge at Wright. Although mistimed rather than malicious he nevertheless deserved to go. Thomas soon replaced the ineffective Rommerdahl, 4-5-1 became 4-4-1 and our numerical disadvantage hardly showed. A foul on Bent about twenty five yards out gave Danny Murphy the perfect opportunity to show his class. Everyone knew what was coming but there was absolutedly nothing anyone could have done about it. Rooted to the spot Kelvin Davis could only look on in amazement as the ball curled around the wall and into the top corner. If Murphy has scored a finer goal then I havn't seen it. What followed was a masterclass in defending where necessary, holding onto the ball when necessary and foraging forward when possible. The aforementioned Wright was booked for crudely hacking down Thomas after being completely bamboozled by some neat footwork and then lucky to stay on the pitch after repeating the offence. Suffice to say he was promptly substituted by his manager before the red mist descended completely.

Much huff and puff by Sunderland was finally extinquished by Bent whom, on racing onto a lofted clearance by Hughes, opted not to partake in the time old Charlton practice of taking the ball down to the corner flag to waste time instead deciding that another goal should cement his call-up to the England squad. An excellant strike across the despairing dive of Davis into the bottom corner ensured that this would indeed be the case.

So, it seems 4-5-1 can be an attacking formation. All you need is a decent striker who is prepared to do what he is actually paid to do and score goals. However, it would be unfair to suggest Benty won this game on is own. Totally unfair in fact. Andersen and the back four looked solid as did the midfield who held their shape and passed the ball with accuracy and fluency. Bent was a willing worker up top and took his goals superbly. The England call up was an unexpected bonus but as a seasoned performer at U-21 level he possibly deserves his chance. All in all an excellant performance marred only by the three game ban that Ambrose will have to now serve.

Shame that the other 10,000 didn't turn up to see it !!

Moronic Ramblings

Well, quite a lot to get through on this update so I'll keep it all as brief as possible.

Firstly, commiserations to the lovely Simon Jordan, the Chairman of Crystal Palace, a Club that don't even own their ground. Now how moronic is that. Even more moronic must be the Palace players. Two games, two defeats and bottom of the Fizzy Pop League. And there was Simon saying they were going to walk it and be Champions before the end of August. What a complete wan, sorry, moron.

Despite saying that Euelly had nearly gone it is now almost certain that he'll be here until January at least upon the news that he has had minor surgery on his dislocated shoulder and will be out for at least two, possibly three, months. We wish him a speedy recover so that we can sell the sulky one as soon as the next window opens.

Welcome to two new signings, numbers eight and nine of this transfer window. Thomas Myhre, Norwegian international, has joined on a years contract to provide competition and cover for Stephan Andersen initially and then. And then what I wonder. Become regular reserve team keeper ? We shall see. Goncalo Brandao, Portuguese U-19 international central defender, has joined on a season long loan with a view to an already agreed 500k move if he impresses. Let's hope he does.

Looking forward to Saturday and the first match of the season it seems that although we have a bigger squad actual team selection may be easy for AC. Just select the eleven that are still fit. Yes it really is that bad. Definately out are Sorondo (banned) and El-Karkouri, Euell & Lisbie (injured). Doubtful are Holland, Spector, Kishishev, Bartlett, Fortune and Smertin (all injured to varying degrees). It remains to be seen as to who will be fit but I believe Curbs will go for a 4-5-1 formation, something along the lines of :

Andersen; Young, Perry, HH, Powell; Rommerdahl, Smertin, Murphy, Hughes, Ambrose; Bent.

If fit I'd put Spector in at centre half moving Hermann to left back and replace Hughes with Holland.

Anyway, that's my take on things but after all what do I know, I'm only a moron.