About Me

Old Coulsdon, United Kingdom
An acquired refugee from the days of exile at Selhurst Park, my first game being a dreary 1-1 draw with Millwall. I followed the team back to The Valley, and have now been with them for over twenty years. You will find me in the Rose of Denmark or in the Lower West. Follow me on Twitter @DeepestDarkest1

Sunday 5 September 2010

Balance

Mid table anonymity, that perfect tipping point between needing three points to top the table, and being three points above the relegation places. Early days I know, but the realist in me tells me that somewhere mid table may well be where we end up this season. There was a report yesterday quoting Parkinson as saying that the game against Exeter City was likely to be a tactical battle, but long before the penalty was awarded, it was quite obvious what the tactic was from a Devonian perspective.

It is a failing at Charlton that is constantly exploited at this level, and it goes something like this. "If you let Charlton play, they will murder you. If you sit on them, and pressurise them out of their passing game, we can nick a point, or if we get lucky all three".

Not rocket science is it? Where Parkinson consistently failed last season, was that he was unable to change things sufficiently to counter this tactic, and the shape of this season will be largely dictated by whether he has learnt anything from that. Having the personnel to make such changes is of course key. Whether Racon would have been the answer, we will never know, as he spent the game removing bench splinters from his bum, but a creative force in midfield, capable of unlocking obdurate defences is very much an imperative right now. Whether we have such a creature in the squad is open to debate, but I suspect that the shape of our season will depend on the answer.

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