Sunday 13 November 2016

Swindon Town 3 v Charlton Athletic 0

A Charlton side weakened by international absences was comfortably beaten live on Sky at lunchtime by lowly Swindon today.

If there were any doubters remaining who don't believe Russell Slade's squad is thin and particulary short in midfield, then surely there can surely be none now. With Holmes still missing following injury last week and Lookman on international duty, we were left with four pedestrian central midfielders strung across the middle. So no width or pace which left Novak and Ajose fighting for scraps.

I can't really a Charlton chance in the first-half and just before the break we conceded to a huge deflection which left Rudd stranded. Any hope of a fightback was killed off five minutes after the break when Swindon scored the killer second.. the third towards the end was salt in the wounds but then we dead and buried and a number had visibly given in.

Slade will rue his options today and, clearly, they may have made a difference but it was still a lack-lustre performance and those who came in failed to gake their chances. What's more worrying for me was the resignation of so many and the body language was poor. The next three games see us play 4th, 5th and 6th, in Port Vale at home, Brizzle Rovers away and then Sheffield United at the Valley.

Our fourth and heaviest defeat of the season sees us drop down a place to 15th but the five sides below us are within a point and the relegation places are just three points off.  Lookman may well be sold in January but Duchatelet has to authorise a decent striking replacement as well pace and creativy in midfield. The big question is - "is Russell Slade the man to oversee it?"

1 comment:

  1. And Millwall appearing to have turned a corner to boot, I would use the word 'depressing' but depressing reared it's ugly head a long long time ago.

    PH

    ReplyDelete

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