Patience...

This is an article I wrote for the excellent Valley Talk fanzine, published in August. Given our current form on the pitch, I feel its significantly relevant going into tomorrow's game with Nottingham Forest. 

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Patience is always an interesting topic to bring up in relation to football. Fans and owners pay a lot of money into their football clubs, and will rightly expect some sort of return on their investment. On the other hand, the football world is a volatile place. Things don't just fall into place and happen immediately. Patience is important. At the moment I would suggest however that there is a serious lack of that trait in football these days.

Take the specific area of management as a case in point. Due to owners ploughing money into their respective clubs, expectations are high. Only so many clubs can be successful in a league structure, so logically a few managers won't be able to deliver. As a consequence, they get the sack.

The problem gets even worse when you factor in the number of chairmen and owners with unrealistic, even wildly ambitious expectations. More and more managers fall foul of displeased owners, and impatient pockets of supporters. When Alan Pardew is the second longest serving manager in the Premier League, you know something has to be done.

As I've mentioned, the culture of impatience has spread into the stands. Obviously it would make me a fool to point at every fellow football supporter and tell them they are the problem. That's obviously not the case. But there are an increasing number who seem to be demanding success too hastily. Booing used to be something of a last resort, when things had been too bad for too long. Nowadays, if you're losing at half time, don't expect to be applauded off.

The same frustrations expressed over the course of 90 minutes are seen increasingly over the course of seasons. Arsenal fans are perennially moaning about not winning trophies, despite finishing in the top four of English football year after year, and getting to see Champions League football each season. It's that kind of inability to accept repeat achievements that annoys me. The idea that a club has to advance every year is a foolish one. Many fans are grounded, but an increasing minority don't seem to be.

Inevitably this leads to me drawing comparisons with Charlton. We are fortunate to support such a fantastic football club. Last season was beyond what I believed we could achieve with the financial problems that arose over the summer, but there were moments where pockets of unrest emerged. A mid-table season, almost by definition, involves good runs and bad runs. Everyone was happy when the team was winning, but what irked me was the tendency of many to turn, almost in an instant, when things didn't go our way.

In October we were steamrollered in the second half by Middlesbrough, eventually losing 4-1. The disquiet was significant. That Tuesday we found ourselves 0-2 down inside 20 minutes to Cardiff at home. With the echoes of dissent still looming from Saturday, what followed was inspiring. The majority refused to give in to the negativity of the minority, and the vocal support did not cease despite the scoreline. We went on to win 5-4. I'm not saying that the result was down to the support, but you'd be mad to suggest the same sort of incredible fightback could've happened had the players been receiving abuse left right and centre.

Later in the season, when we were at risk of slipping into an awfully tight relegation battle, the response was not quite as encouraging. Booed off somewhat inevitability after a poor defeat to Millwall, and then at 0-2 down against Bolton there was real anger. The players were strong enough to turn that match around and win it, none more so than that man Yann who banished his penalty demons by scoring the winner from the spot. What followed was a wonderful unbeaten run to finish the season, lifting us to a superb ninth position. It was an incredible way to finish our first year back in the second tier, which produced some really unexpected and special moments along the way.

And yet some looked at our late surge and decided that we should've made the playoffs, and we'd underachieved. Right...

The inability to be objective, realistic and therefore satisfied with what is achieved is problematic. If you went back to August last year and assessed the financial situation, which prevented any more than a couple of additions to the squad, ninth would've appeared a distant dream. Most of us were rightly thrilled with the fantastic team spirit shown throughout the year, embodied by Chris Powell, that enabled us to bounce back from the low points. I for one couldn't have asked for more last season. 

The retort to that would be that I'm not someone showing enough ambition. You can have all the ambition in the world, but it won't leave you with much satisfaction unless you are coming first. We are not a powerhouse in English football, and inevitability we will lose games. Sticking with a team through the bad times makes the highs feel a whole lot higher. That is the value of patience.

By no means is this a suggestion that we should all be happy to settle for mediocrity. Far from it. But when you are part of a club rebuilding after a tough few years, not demanding immediate success, and supporting the players who are giving their all is important.

Things take time to grow. Be patient. It's often rewarding in the end.

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The original piece had the words "Hopefully we don't have a chairman or owner who loses his patience during this rebuilding process, who fails to recognise that something special is developing at our football club." After the summer we endured in the transfer market, its probably safe to say that its Chris Powell who's showing the patience, given he is deprived of resources to such an extent. Whilst much of the current situation can be blamed on the owners, and their inaction, it is important to point out that they have stuck by their man. Powell remains well backed personally. If only the same were the case financially...

I for one hope that we can rekindle the 'spirit of Cardiff', if you like, and show our support for the players on the pitch. Times have been tough of late, but being hostile about mistakes often creates a negative feedback loop. Confidence is low, so lets get behind the team tomorrow night.

Keep The Faith.

Late fight-back not enough after Addicks Lynched by wonder strike.

A cold Tuesday night game away to Northern opposition never tends to end well for Charlton, and that proved the case once again as a Joel Lynch wonder strike left the Addicks with too much to do to salvage a point.

277 hardy souls, plus myself made the journey Up North for the second game at the John Smith Stadium already this season, following the 3-2 Capital One Cup defeat in August. This time, it was cold.

When the team news finally arrived, the fears of an absent Kermorgant were confirmed. Marvin Sordell was the only change after Saturday's draw at Watford, meaning the 3-5-2 formation would be retained. It also meant that Chris Solly still hadn't recovered from his knee problem. The main concern was that the midfield would struggle to link up with the forwards, given how instrumental Yann is in the air as well as on the ground. Huddersfield had James Vaughan up front, as well as the pacy Sean Scannell out wide, playing a similar formation to ours.

Match Action:

Early on, Charlton struggled to maintain possession, with loose passes often drifting to the opposition. Huddersfield looked to play diagonal balls for their pace-men in the empty full back channels, which was limited in its success by some good one-on-one defending by the back three, with support from the midfield. We also had to avert danger on occasion when Huddersfield broke centrally, and ran at our penalty area. They were largely restricted, but Dervite, and in particular Morrison, were forced to make a number of crucial defensive headers from well placed crosses. Despite the Terriers' threats, Hamer was largely untroubled.

The away side grew into the game, as the composed midfield started to influence the rest of the side. Stephens looked especially confident, often shrugging off an opponent and spreading the play. Pritchard was energetic as always, but couldn't quite form a cohesive link with either Sordell or Church to create anything meaningful. The times we threatened most were when Jackson and Wiggins overlapped down the left, harking back to those glorious League One days.

Huddersfield found it easier to threaten on the break as they had the best striker on show. Vaughan was looking to play on the last man's shoulder and latch onto the diagonal passes. He looked to have beaten his man just after the half hour, but Dervite, in trying to battle and slow his man down, stumbled and brought both to ground. The home fans wanted a red, but as the ball was heading towards the corner flag, and Dervite had been clumsy instead of cynical, it was only a yellow. Church got a crucial flick on Hammill's free kick to prevent the need for Hamer to make a save. Before the resulting set play, Jackson toured the penalty area, attempting to lift his men. They needed a spark to get them going.

Late in the half, Charlton had their first genuine chance of the game. More good play down the left flank saw Wiggins cut the ball back to Church, who headed downwards towards goal, but lacked the power from that distance to beat Smithies, who saved it fairly comfortably.

Stoppage time arrived, and just as the interval approached, Huddersfield struck a significant blow to Charlton's chances. Another cross to the far post this time eluded Morrison, who was just cleared by the ball, and found Vaughan at the back post. He had risen to flick the ball into the top corner with a gently nodded finish. It was tough to take so close to the half time whistle.

We'd been the weaker side but the home team were hardly running us ragged. Powell faced a tough team talk to revitalise his players. The main issue was that the long ball forward was being won comfortably by the defenders, often uncontested. Yann's absence was telling in that area, leaving the Addicks bereft of incision in and around the box. Sordell cut a forlorn figure, often attempting to beat players and make passes, but losing the ball. His work rate flagged as well, leaving little for the travelling fans to feel optimistic about. His waywardness became even more evident shortly after half time. Stephens and Jackson interlinked well before curling a ball to Sordell on the edge of the area. It looked like he had time to take the ball down and move into a better shooting position, but he attempted a first time volley. It sailed hopelessly into the away end.

Simon Church had also failed to make an impact on the game, and when his chance arose, he blew it. He had his first opportunity to break into the box unchallenged. He flicked the ball past the defender, but instead of chasing it to shoot, he decided to go to ground. With no contact, it was a deserved booking for diving, but what was more frustrating was that he'd been waiting 45 minutes for an opening, but refused to take it when it arrived.

Huddersfield continued to probe going forward, with a long ball down the left channel releasing Vaughan towards Hamer's goal. Dervite did well to block his route to goal, but Vaughan cut inside and shaped to shoot. Dervite threw himself in front of the ball and made a superb block, keeping Addicks hopes alive.

Powell made a positive move by calling on Callum Harriott and the newly signed Cameron Stewart to join the action, but before they could, Huddersfield doubled their lead.

"2-0 would be the nail in our coffin", I muttered. The ball was passed out left to Joel Lynch, who from 35 yards out, struck a devastating shot at goal. Hamer stared, jumped, flapped and fell, powerless to intervene as the ball dipped onto the underside of the crossbar and crashed into the back of the net. Heads dropped. I was mortified, given my incredible, accidental foresight. We'd defended the box well for the whole half, but how often do strikes like that go in? I really can't (and won't) blame any of our players.

Charlton were left with a huge task to salvage something from the game, but valiantly persevered. Stewart replaced Wood, who had been solid if unspectacular, and a little unsure at times. Harriott replaced Sordell, who'd had a night to forget. He'd continued to lose possession, and was on a completely different wavelength to the midfielders looking to play him the ball. His final act had been to inadvertently block a Jackson shot at goal. It was probably curving wide, but it rather summed up his evening. The formation became a 4-3-3, with Stewart out left.

The changes had the desired effect, with a new vigour and spark going forward. Stewart looked a handful on the left, often throwing a step over to deceive his opponent. Harriott too looked hungry for the ball.

Almost out of nowhere, we found that elusive goal. Stewart again looked to beat his man out wide by cutting inside. He glanced up at goal, before firing a powerful dipping strike towards the top corner. It crashed into the underside of the bar, and landed in the back of the net with alarming similarity to Lynch's strike. Get in.

The hope of salvaging a draw was suddenly back. We continued to press, facilitated by an almost Charlton-esque display of defensive sitting-back from Huddersfield. Pigott replaced Jackson, who was somewhat unfortunate to be withdrawn, and the Addicks continued to create openings. Most balls into the box were headed away to the awaiting Addicks on the edge of the area. Stephens came closest, firing two shots towards goal, the second of which appeared to strike a raised arm in the box. Desperate appeals from the away fans were in vain, as the referee waved away the protests. Hamer came up for the corner, but it sadly came to nothing. Full time arrived, and the hopes of the Addicks of stealing a point were finally deflated.

Charlton's players came over to applaud the travelling fans. Jackson in particular showed true gratitude to us for our support. Given the small number that had travelled, it was a struggle to make ourselves heard, but the late surge really lifted the away support, and we almost had a point to celebrate. Alas, it was not to be.

Match analysis:

Fearing a bout of criticism for the performance from many who weren't present, I should emphasise that it was just 'one of those nights'. Our main problem was the absence of Kermorgant. He really is our most important attacking player, perhaps even the most vital altogether. He is the link between midfield and attack that makes the 3-5-2 system work. Without his authority in the air, and the creativity on the floor, we looked toothless in attack. It was only when Powell added Stewart and Harriott that we looked a potent threat. Perhaps, in hindsight, Powell might have gone for a different formation, but his initial aim seemed to be solidity at the back, which worked well enough all game, but wasn't helped by the absence of ball retention up front. The second goal was the killer blow. It came out of nowhere and gave the Addicks too much to do.

 Sordell, as I've said above, was ineffectual at best. Church struggled to make an impact given the lack of service, as well as having to adapt his role to play behind Sordell. Wilson's passing was initially wayward, but he grew into the game.

 There were plenty of positives. The midfield trio really looked cohesive, as the system gives them the space to play through the opposition. Stephens was good on the ball, whilst Jackson roamed out left on occasion to link up with Wiggins. Morrison looked back to his best, winning vital headers in the box. Dervite was superbly calm on the ball, making good decisions, as well as that crucial block in the second half. Wiggins threatened to overlap, especially when Stewart came on. The Hull loanee was confident in his technical ability, and produced a stunning debut goal to spark a revival. Harriott didn't quite have the same impact, but he won the ball and put a lot more effort in than Sordell.

I should also emphasise Jackson's leadership role. He was visibly trying to lift his men, clearly unimpressed by the performance. We needed him to take charge, not through a lack of interest but more a lack of concentration and composure. He adds unseen value to the side in this regard, whilst still being worth his place as a footballer alone. Sadly the result didn't come, but Jackson looked like a man who won't just let performances like this become a regular occurrence.

Huddersfield were probably good value for their win. Whilst they created little in the second half, they were more composed and clinical on the ball throughout the game. James Vaughan was a fantastic addition, and he proved his worth with his goal. But it was Lynch's strike that effectively won the game. It really was an unstoppable effort. Sometimes you just have to accept those as an opposition and move on.

Millwall winning makes Saturday a little more worrying. Charlton need Kermorgant fit, as there was a big Yann-sized hole in our side tonight. Without him, I'm far less confident in our ability to produce goals. Powell would be better off playing Stewart and Harriott if Yann is out, as they have a certain spark about them. Not the best start to the season, but the positives are there. We just have to be patient.

On a cold Tuesday night, up north, Charlton lost. It's happened before, and it'll happen again. We just need to keep the faith and back the players. We've been here before, so there's no need for panic. Unless we lose Yann...

Italian Job: Watford 1-1 Charlton Athletic

Charlton travelled to Italy hoping to steal three points, just as they had done in January after that 4-3 epic. The similarities to the classic 1969 film were stark as the game drew to a close - a group of English players turn up and attempt to get the better of the Italians, but whilst all had gone to plan initially, they were left feeling uncertain during a cliff-hanging finale...

Early Moan: 

I spent most of the afternoon muttering about the way Watford have transformed themselves into an Italian feeder club. Just Troy Deeney and Lewis McGugan in the starting line-up were English, with an almost endless stream of Italian (as well as the odd Spanish) names filling the rest of the team-sheet. Since the changes under Zola, I've always looked at it as a sort of betrayal of English football - the abandoning of the combination of signed players built around a core of local players produced by the academy. But Watford have just shipped in a shed-load of foreign stars thanks to a dubious rule change regarding foreign ownership and the loan system. This summer that ruling was changed, but all the Pozzo family did was transfer their players from one of their clubs to another, meaning the Italian influence is still incredibly strong. Of course, Zola still has done a good job to get his squad playing fluid football, but the disproportionate resources available to him compared to most manages really does make a mockery of things. This, of course, heightens the desire to win, or at least defy them on their quest to reach Serie A-- sorry, the Premier League.

The Match:

Chris Powell stuck with his 3-5-2 formation that had served him well against Leicester two weeks previous. Solly was again absent through injury, whilst Richard Wood came in to make his league debut in place of Leon Cort, who is out for around four weeks according to press reports. Kermorgant started up front with Church, ahead of the central midfield trio of Pritchard, Jackson and Stephens. 

Watford started off the better team, but to say it was one-way traffic would be unfair. Stephens was booked very early, after being caught in possession and cynically pulling back his opponent, preventing a counter-attack. Obviously Watford possess a lot of talent, and they put it to good effect with Deeney through the centre playing good passing football with the two outside forwards Forestieri and Fabbrini. A couple of times there were shots from an angle but the attempts to curl them inside the far post were unsuccessful. Charlton were doing a good job of showing the attackers wide, and preventing them from turning inside and having a shot from central areas. As the half progressed, Charlton grew. A clever free-kick saw Kermorgant loop round at the back post, heading across goal. Another header found Wood, and the ball was bundled into the net, but the offside flag was up. Kermorgant was often looking for a flick on to release Church, eventually this created a chance which saw Church bursting through 30 yards from goal, only to be scythed down outside the area. A booking resulted. From the free-kick, Jackson's effort was deflected for a corner.

Another magical piece of play from Yann came close to half time. A diagonal ball was played too him on the right hand side inside the box. He controlled, and then leapt to perform a mid-air scissor kick similar to that which he scored against Hartlepool in 2012. The ball cut back to Church who was unable to fully adjust and tamely skewed the ball to Almunia. Half time arrived, with the scores level. 

From the kick off, Charlton immediately worked the ball down the right hand side. Wilson passed inside to Kermrogant, who flicked it round the corner to Pritchard. He chipped the ball into the area where Wilson had continued his run, only for Belkalem to lunge in and catch Wilson, forcing him to ground. It was a clear foul and the linesman flagged for a penalty. 

Kermorgant immediately had the look of a man determined to take the spot-kick, and score it. He placed the ball down, took a few steps back and turned to face Almunia. Whilst he took his short run-up, his eyes were fixated on the Spanish goalkeeper, up until the moment he reached the ball. His powerful side-footed effort soared into the roof of the net, putting the Addicks one-up. It was a glorious strike. The power, accuracy and conviction in it was sublime. The perfect penalty, and joy in the away end.

Soon after the goal, Hamer was at full stretch to deny a powerful strike by Deeney. Soon after, McGugan fired wide from a great position. A couple of scares for Charlton, followed soon after by Kermorgant going down clutching his ankle. Often he goes to ground but hauls himself up (after treatment, of course) to carry on battling away, and whilst he did so again today, he was clearly struggling. After another five minutes, he went down again, which was a sign his afternoon was over. He was replaced by Pigott, who would have a tough job emulating the all-round performance that Kermorgant had produced.

The frantic half continued. Stephens had a dipping shot from distance saved by Almunia. Deeney almost scored at the other end soon after, his effort flying just wide of the far post. Anya had come on for Watford, and his pace at right-wing-back was a constant menace for Charlton to deal with. A break on that side resulted in Fabbrini forcing Hamer into another good save, but his rebound only fell as far as Pudil, who was able to slot coolly home and level the scores.

At this point, the momentum was all with Watford. For all my petty moaning about the make-up of their side, they played some very incisive, free-flowing, and menacing attacking football. Clinical passing across the box before looking to slot in one of the forwards meant that Charlton had to commit nine to defence, and the clearances were going straight back to Watford to set up another attack. We did extremely well not to concede again, as our defensive shape and commitment was severely tested by the flair and skill of Watford. Anya down the right wing was particularly frightening, using his speed to get to the by-line. Thankfully, the scores remained level.

Having bravely weathered the storm, Charlton had two threatening attacks in the final ten minutes. A cross from the left by Pigott was on its way to Church at the back post, but it was cleared for a corner by a sliding defender. Soon after, a Wiggins cross found Jackson free at the back-post, but his right footed effort was sliced well wide. It was the best, and last, chance we were going to get. 

Once again the busy defensive efforts were renewed. McGugan fired over once again, and an incredible run from Anya set up Deeney, who spurned a great chance to win the game. A desperate cry for a penalty went up, after a ricochet looked to have bounced up into the body of Dervite. Nothing given, and rightly so, given how it was impossible to react to the deflection. Charlton fans were in all sorts of pain, but it was soon over, as the referee blew for full time. A very determined effort saw the Charlton boys return home with a point. 

Watford's fans were irate with the referee, who refused to buy the attempts to win cheap fouls. He was consistent and sensible in the decisions he made throughout the game, despite heavy pressure from the home fans as well as the Watford players. You can't have things your own way all the time...

Performance Analysis:

Charlton were excellent as a team today - the formation requires a lot of energy from the central midfielders as well as the two wing backs, and although we seemed to tire substantially towards the end, it was a really determined effort from the whole side. 

Wood was a particular favourite of mine. He took a ball square in the face early on, but shrugged it off without flinching. He was as solid as his name suggests, making up for a lack of pace with good positioning and reliable tackling. Morrison and Dervite too coped well with the attacking threat of Watford.

Wilson had an excellent game, threatening well down the right and passing with conviction. Wiggins too was good, although Anya gave him real trouble late on. Pritchard ran everywhere once again, and linked well in midfield with Jackson and Stephens. The formation means the trio do not have to play as a line, so they were able to create triangles and link up going forward, further assisted by Kermorgant when he dropped back.

Yann had one of his Gallic Genius days. He won headers, dropped back to hold the ball up and spread the play, as well as show what a superb technique he has. Although Pigott showed good promise, he lacked the nous that Yann has, particularly in terms of when to use his strength. Pigott created a good chance, and held the ball up well, but Kermorgant showed all the attributes today, and rounded it off with a perfect penalty. It hit the roof of the net before the back, such was the precision with which is was struck.

Church ran tirelessly up front, and looked to have developed an understanding with Kermorgant, who was always looking to feed him the ball. Though sometimes it was out of reach, Church forced an opening in the first half but was brought down. His incident at the far end looked dubious, and if true that he swung a couple of punches at the defender who was holding him, he was lucky to escape with a yellow. That said, he looks a threat and will undoubtedly score goals with the service this side is providing. 

Hamer was very good today. His kicking was good, setting up Wilson a couple of times to attack down the right, but he also made a couple of excellent saves to deny Watford. Often he is criticised but today he really did help us on our way to earning that point. 

Final Thoughts:

A point was well-earned, and well deserved. Watford clearly feel aggrieved, but it certainly was not the case of the opposition parking the bus and stealing a point. 

Chris Powell spoke highly of his players, praising the efforts they all put in. "I felt my players, to a man, worked hard for that point. “They showed a lot of energy and quality at times and when they had to dig in when we were under pressure they came through. Watford were in the ascendancy and our players showed a lot of character, and a lot of passion and desire for each other to get something for the game." He does have this wonderful ability to motivate his side, the value of which was shown today. A dogged team effort which deserved a point, at least.

The formation we are playing at the minute is a good one with the players we have. One particular aspect which stands out is that the two wing-backs retain width at all times, meaning the midfield becomes slightly more stretched and space develops for the central trio to work in. It also means that play can be switched from one side to the other hastily, without the need for the flat lines of four to shift over. We passed the ball very well today, particularly when on the counter-attack, and retained possession much of the time too. Whilst Watford tested the central defenders, they largely stood up to the threat well. On another day, a couple of those shots might have gone in, but few teams rival Watford in terms of attacking potency. With a little more control in midfield, we would look very solid indeed. All credit to Powell for having the confidence to try out new tactics. Taking four points off Leicester and Watford is a great achievement. 

On to the next game - Huddersfield may be a struggle if Kermorgant is absent with injury. Apparently he only has bruising, but that may keep him out of Tuesday's away game. He is a vital component in this side, as he provides a key link between the midfield and Church, plus he is a great aerial threat, particularly when deployed at set-pieces. Also, we seem to have a knack of raising ourselves for the big games, so hopefully there is no hangover on Tuesday night, and we can continue to play some of the impressive, incisive football on show today. 

Our away form last season was excellent, and the signs today show that there is no reason for that to change any time soon. I'll be there at Huddersfield, getting right behind the boys and hoping for a good result.

Today, we might not have come away from Italy with a haul of gold, but a point will do just fine.