Charlton were denied an undeserved win at Shrewsbury yesterday courtesy of a 94th minute penalty. It would obviously have been great to come away with the three points but I think that would have masked a glaring and urgent problem. This side has somehow lost what attacking momentum we have had this season and no-one looks capable in recent weeks of changing it.
The good news pre-kick-off was that the side chosen finally matched the one the Cognoscenti have been calling for. Back in central defence was fit again Akin Famewo and Jason Pearce. Up top we started with Anneke and not Bogle. Surely that would be enough to get the points against bottm-of-the-league opposition?
The defensive change worked almost immediately. Pearce and Famewo played like they have been together for 25 games and rounded off with Maatsen and Gunter, the Shrews struggled to get forward and we began to edge possession. Pearce, in fact, had our best first-half chance when he was inches short of a ball that Anneke knocked down across the goal.
The big stumbling block for us, once again, was a mess in the middle. Watson, Pratley, Gilbey and Forster-Caskey was the combo given the nod this time and it failed. Plenty of experience but oh-so ineffective. Fortser-Caskey and Gilbey hardly had a touch and bizarrely it was Pratley playing in behind the forward pairing for much of the half. Watson was working over-time to halt the Shrews trying to pass through the middle with the experienced Pugh.
Nil-nil at the break and you hoped we would step it up, get the goal and kill it off. We didn't step it up but after 60 minutes Williams and Morgan were thrown on for the ineffective Gilbey and Forster-Caskey. Within ten minutes we had the lead. An attack down the right flank gave the advancing Watson a chance and his shot took a nice deflection which beat the impressive Sarkic.
After that we failed to seize the initiative and instead fell increasingly back on a rearguard action which encouraged the Shrews to get at us. Amos had already fumbled a good effort onto his own bar but was now coming under increasing pressure. The back four were holding the line but there was little respite from our midfield which looked tired and had players going to ground looking for fouls to slow the play rather than getting on the ball and looking up. Bogle had come on for Anneke but offered zero out ball and Washington couldn't hold play up either.
On 85 minutes we had the bizarre sight of substitute Williams being subbed himself for Matthews. He looked fine to me but was well off the pace and I suspect Bowyer was making a point. He has already been critical of Jonny's work-rate in training and he certainly hasn't provided the usual spark from the bench that we have become used to.
Shrews maintained the pressure into the fourth minute of added time when a final burst of play saw Gunter stick out a leg in the box and Amos had to face a penalty. Norburn hammered home the deserved equaliser and it was match over. Gunter raced straight the tunnel and the rest looked forlorn.
I wouldn't want to be Lee Bowyer right now. He has a lot of pieces but many of them look very similar and ill-fitting. We are missing Doughty's pace and it was odd to rest Morgan I thought yesterday. Maddison apparently had a knock but it looks hard to fit him into a midfield that relies on teamwork. He is a selfish player whose game is based upon looking up and lauching long balls at strikers. If he plays, it has to be in behind the front two in order to improve his contribution. We are also short of an attacking game-plan. It really does look like amble forward and hope to see a pass.
Watson or Pratley are a given at present in the holding role but they are slow to get the ball forward and we pass it around the back way to often. I am fed-up seeing attacks turned into defence because no-one can see a forward pass. Without Doughty and maybe Morgan, we have no natural pace or width and that means little for the forwards to chase. Not enough players make space for a pass or support the man on the ball. Milton Keynes showed us how to do it on Wednesday.
Perhaps we need a decent left-sided winger as well as a striker in January. This last month has seen us burn our games in hand advantage and fall off the pace of Hull and Lincoln. It's been tough to watch too and I am reminded we weren't great in our first seven or eight games either despite picking up points.
The recent uncharacteristic comments by LB have had me a tad concerned, probably a smidgeon more than our performances.
ReplyDeleteHe is obviously feeling the strain of an owner who's made no secret of his plans and now has a TS appointed Technical Director breathing over his shoulder.
I also feel that he is disappointed with the business done in haste on TS's takeover.
LB certainly has enough credit to be able to ride this out but alienating the supporters with ill judged comments is a sign of deeper rooted problems.