Saturday 29 March 2014

Derby County 3 v Charlton Athletic 0

A predictable beating by high-flying Derby County this afternoon. The Rams may have had a blip in recent weeks but a 5-0 trouncing of neighbours Forest last Saturday was just the tonic they wanted ahead of facing us. 

Our goal-scoring problem - just two goals in the last eight matches - hangs like a huge dark cloud over the tail-end of the season. Jose Riga decided to go with three strikers today and we were over-run in midfield as a consequence. It would appear to have been a pretty obvious mistake but I think he has earned the right to experiment following the win at Forest. It's just as well Riga has managed to get such defensive showings against some of the weaker sides. We are going to need that at Elland Road on Tuesday and at home to Reading a week today. Leeds lost at home to Doncaster Rovers today and with their club in crisis, we have a big shot on Tuesday. It's worth picking the most experienced side we can and playing 4-5-1 for at least 75 minutes. 

Barnsley beat Yeovil today and it's looking like our two home matches against the pair of them will decide our fate. Yeovil will be very flat this evening but the tykes have managed successive wins and will be eyeing the Valley as their big opportunity to jump clear of the trap-door.

Millwall looked doomed after only managing a point at home to ten man Blackburn. They were awarded two penalties, the second coming very late in the game but they still contrived to concede a last-gasp equaliser. It's a pity Palace managed an impressive home win over Chelsea today. Ian Holloway was looking good for a statue at the Valley alongside Big Sam's having managed a relegation double in south-east London in the same season. I haven't given up completely on that.



3 comments:

  1. 3 strikers ? really ? surely not the time for experimenting but for me anyway, it underlines that the lack of goals is not a striker problem per se but lack of creativity, Yann, not exactly prolific for us but banging them in for The Cherries (yeah I know he didn't score today).

    PH

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  2. Obika and Sordell were obviously upfront but the reports said we were playing with three, so I assume Goochannejhad or Jackson was in an advanced position.

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  3. It was Ghoochi who was third man, wide right. If you saw the FL show on BBC that pass at the beginning was his sole contribution of note, and the subbing was inevitable. Whether he was out there because he gets knocked over by the average centre-half, only Jose knows, but with him and Sordell both playing, it's a 9-man team.

    First-half defending was chronic, and even the almost-perfect Poyet caught the habit of dithering, not passing, not moving. JJ came back to help and gave them their second goal. The other Charlton played the second 45 with Harriott going at a rate of knots at the slightest opportunity, and Grant having to make good saves in front of gasping Addicks. Pigott was slow to seize a chance a couple of times, but looked more involved than Sordell. Deserves a place, given the paucity of the forward resources.

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