On a dark and cold night in South-East London, amidst a swirling downpour, Lee Bowyer's walking-wounded struggled to create any clearcut opportunity from which to win the game against limited looking visitors. In terrible conditions, there was little between the sides but once again we were undone by a late winner which was barely deserved.
Bowyer went with a back five of Purrington, Sarr, Pearce, Lockyer and Solly. They were sound enough but had to scramble clear too often because our midfield again struggled to keep possession. Gallagher continues to try his heart out but he desperately needs the calming influence of Williams and/or Cullen. Without them he is trying to do too much and was caught in possession repeatedly last night. Pratley fought hard too but he lacks composure which doesn't help and his second touch is often a foul. If you add the inexperienced Doughty and the hot 'n cold Leko, you can see why collectively we are coming up short in the engine room.
At least there was a visible concentration and determination across the side last night - a big improvement on Saturday's horror showing at Middlesbrough. Macauley Bonne ploughed a lone furrow last night. Whenever he did get the ball he was invariably back to goal with several defenders awaiting him. Little surprise that we didn't manage an effort on goal in the opening half.
In touches and moves, Leko reminds me of Paul Mortimer and I hope that he can find that balance and broader pitch view that Morts had because he could become quite a player. Unfortunately last night he had too much to do whenever he got the ball and ran into trouble too often instead of being able to find space. Doughty continues to impress me with his control and pace but he has a lot to learn and would look so much better with Williams and Cullen ticking alongside him.
We did manage a sustained attacking spell after Lyle Taylor came on but were still short of chances. Ben Purtrington had managed to find the net but the fussy linesman's on the east Stand touchline had flagged early for offside. I didn't see it but Lee Bowyer was complaining after the game that the goal should have stood. However, Lee might be guilty of looking for an excuse or two given the overall lack of creativity.
No wins in the last nine and we are in trouble as things stand. The injury list has to shorten and we could really do with the boost of confirmation of the takeover and, hopefully, some cash being splashed by the new owners to show their initial ambition and restore some confidence across the playing and management staff. The EFL show no signs of an early decision and there must be a concern that Christmas and New Year will intervene which may limit our options in January's transfer window.
We could also do with a bit of luck and hopefully that will come our way on Friday when Hull City come to town. However, we will also need to beat the live-on-Sky curse which continues to haunt us.
Bowyer went with a back five of Purrington, Sarr, Pearce, Lockyer and Solly. They were sound enough but had to scramble clear too often because our midfield again struggled to keep possession. Gallagher continues to try his heart out but he desperately needs the calming influence of Williams and/or Cullen. Without them he is trying to do too much and was caught in possession repeatedly last night. Pratley fought hard too but he lacks composure which doesn't help and his second touch is often a foul. If you add the inexperienced Doughty and the hot 'n cold Leko, you can see why collectively we are coming up short in the engine room.
At least there was a visible concentration and determination across the side last night - a big improvement on Saturday's horror showing at Middlesbrough. Macauley Bonne ploughed a lone furrow last night. Whenever he did get the ball he was invariably back to goal with several defenders awaiting him. Little surprise that we didn't manage an effort on goal in the opening half.
In touches and moves, Leko reminds me of Paul Mortimer and I hope that he can find that balance and broader pitch view that Morts had because he could become quite a player. Unfortunately last night he had too much to do whenever he got the ball and ran into trouble too often instead of being able to find space. Doughty continues to impress me with his control and pace but he has a lot to learn and would look so much better with Williams and Cullen ticking alongside him.
We did manage a sustained attacking spell after Lyle Taylor came on but were still short of chances. Ben Purtrington had managed to find the net but the fussy linesman's on the east Stand touchline had flagged early for offside. I didn't see it but Lee Bowyer was complaining after the game that the goal should have stood. However, Lee might be guilty of looking for an excuse or two given the overall lack of creativity.
No wins in the last nine and we are in trouble as things stand. The injury list has to shorten and we could really do with the boost of confirmation of the takeover and, hopefully, some cash being splashed by the new owners to show their initial ambition and restore some confidence across the playing and management staff. The EFL show no signs of an early decision and there must be a concern that Christmas and New Year will intervene which may limit our options in January's transfer window.
We could also do with a bit of luck and hopefully that will come our way on Friday when Hull City come to town. However, we will also need to beat the live-on-Sky curse which continues to haunt us.
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