Charlton 2 Exeter 0

If the sign of a team headed for promotion is the ability to grind out a result when not playing well, then Charlton are in good shape for a return to the second division. This was not a good game, and Charlton did not play well, but still sit second in the table this morning, a single goal being the difference separating them from top spot. Was I the only one though that felt a little flat at the conclusion yesterday?

On Tuesday night I watched Charlton on Sky, in a spit and sawdust pub in Northampton, labouring to a draw against a well organised Sheffield Wednesday side. What was telling for me was the difference in how Powell and Megson reacted when things weren't going their way. Twenty minutes in and Megson knew his side were in trouble, unable to cope with Charlton's free flowing play, so what did he do? He changed it of course, and whilst Wednesday never looked like winning, neither did they look like they were going to be the losing side after their manager had altered the formation that had struggled in the early period of play.

Powell, however, never looked like he was able to change the side that had started so well. Euell for Hayes does not constitute tactical thinking, and so the game petered out as a contest, both sides seemingly content with the stalemate. Others have mentioned it, and I agree with the theory that Powell really doesn't seem to have a Plan B. This may in part be down to personnel, but I also believe he needs to exercise some tactical nous, and I am not convinced that he has that ability in his armoury yet.

Robinson at MK Dons is voted manager of the month for August, and he would be the first to admit that the award is as much for the wise old head, and shrewd tactician that is his number two. Powell does not have a Gorman to consult, and sorry but no, Peacock does not fall into that category. The problem that Charlton are now facing is that our newly rebuilt team is no longer an unknown to the other teams in the division. They now know who we are, and they know where we live, and unless Powell starts to mix it up a little, someone is going to find us out.

I doubt if it would have been yesterday, as Exeter lacked the cutting edge to cause Charlton too many problems. This lack of bite was compounded when Nardiello, incensed after a perfectly good goal had not been given, decided to abuse the East Stand lino to the extent that he got a straight red for his efforts. After that, it was only a question of when Charlton's patient but on occasions frustratingly ineffective probing would produce a result.

My man of the match yesterday eventually found a way through, after some clever interplay between himself and the underrated Hayes, saw Wright-Philips tuck away his fifth goal of the season. He should have been more careful about his goal "celebration" though, as he could easily have picked up a yellow for taunting the Exeter fans who had been giving him abuse all match. Stephens attoned for his miss on Tuesday night, by ensuring that his shot never left the deck to rack up the second with ten minutes to go, and that was that. Game over.

Hopefully the second string will get the chance against Preston in the Carling Darling Cup on Tuesday, and in one sense this otherwise meaningless competition is important. Players like Bover and Evina may well be the answer to Charlton's need for renewed and varied impact. The return of Green would also be welcome, if only to provide an alternative to Wagstaff, who I would also rate as an impact option. I believe the time to change things a little is upon us. I just wonder if Powell will take the opportunity.

A Taylor Made Eleven

Difficult keeping up with all the activity! At last a centre back enters the building, with the arrival of Taylor on a free from Exeter. A solid rather than rapid defender, he definitely looks better than we currently have. We need another one though, and my gut instinct tells me that Llera may well get a new contract, but what I would really like to see is a young mobile fast 'un.

I am not sure how much longer this frenetic transfer activity can keep going, but another centre back, a right back, and a striker would be nice please :-) Greedy I know, with eleven new players through the door already!

Contract End - Dec 2011

Davisson

Contract End - June 2012

Alonso*
Benson
Doherty
Elliott
Francis
Jackson
Mambo
McCormack
Pritchard
Wagstaff
Wright-Phillips

Contract End - June 2013

Evina
Pope
Solly
Sullivan
Taylor

Contract End - June 2014

Green
Hayes
Hollands
Stephens
Wiggins

First Professional Contract

Warren
Cousins
Gough
Harriott
Osbourne
Popo

Loan

None

(* = contract length unknown)

Charlton 1 Exeter 3

There is a reason why we are in the third division, and unfortunately Charlton chose today to either remind; or for the newcomers, introduce, some 10,000 fans to the fact that we are really not very good. For the rest of us season ticket holders and regular walkups, it was business as normal really, and after riding some quite outrageous luck against Peterborough, and in particular Colchester, there was an inevitability in the results against Hartlepool, and Exeter. A balancing out if you will.

The result makes this seem far more one sided than it actually was. We hit the bar twice through Abbott and Doherty, and the post once. There was also one outrageous save made by the Exeter goalie Stabilo Boss, in his lime green, as opposed to shocking pink incarnation. I also have to assume that he got away with carrying the ball outside the area not once, but twice, on the basis that the East Stand lino was blinded by the light as Manfred Mann would say.

If luck had been with us, we would have won this match, but we can't really complain given some of our get out of jail antics of the last few weeks. In a nutshell, we made the same defensive errors we always make, and whereas we get away with it sometimes, today we didn't, and got punished for it. If the forwards can say they had a bad day at the office, then Doherty, and to a lesser extent Elliot, can count themselves lucky if they aren't put on a final written warning. All three goals were down to defensive error, and only Jenkinson can claim to have had anything resembling a decent game amongst the back line.

Having a tenor for a fiver, reduced season ticket prices, and a big screen, are all fine and dandy, but how many Charlton fans would gladly give all that up for a properly functioning team? I am holding out hope that the club are waiting to make loan signings in a timeframe such that they can be involved in any play off action we might be lucky enough to be in. If everyone I talk to sees the need for a central defender, and a playmaker in central midfield, then the club will absolutely know it. Let's hope that as part of the master plan to woo supporters back, the board remember to make the most important investment of all; in the team.

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.

Charlton 2 Exeter 1

That really wasn't very convincing was it? I suppose it could be put down to a mediocre day at the office, but I do hope that form isn't deserting the team collectively, just as our real test is about to begin. Charlton have only played one side in the top half of the table, and even Scunthorpe only just make it into the top half at 11th. Exeter should not have posed the danger to the team that they did, but you can be sure that Colchester and Leeds will be far more problematic. Charlton will need a step up in performance from yesterday's efforts if they are to emerge with anything from either of those games.

Spring for Semedo was the only change, so protecting the back four was never likely to be as efficient without the Portugeezer. That Spring did so, with some aplomb, is a credit to him, as his natural game is far more attacking than defensive under normal circumstances. It also cannot be easy coming into a settled side, so if Semedo is not back for the next couple of games, then Spring proved that we have the coverage to cope with his loss. Elsewhere in the team though, there were some definite "off" days going on. Llera was not as imperious in the pass as he can be, and Burton seemed to run out of legs in the second half, just as Exeter were changing their tactics, and making life difficult.

Parkinson obviously decided to let the players that have done so well so far, dig themselves out of the situation, as all three of his substitutions seemed to me to be more reactive, rather than proactive. McLeod for Burton made perfect sense, as the first touch, and hold up play of the former seemed to desert him in the second half. Racon and Sam, both had quieter games than of late, and the Frenchman eventually gave way to Wagstaff, switching Sam to the left, and allowing Bailey to go inside to his more natural central midfield role.

Exeter are a better side than most would give them credit for, so I don't want to sound negative about our own performance, and as the old cliche goes, sometimes you just have to grind out a result, and that is what we did. I had heard tell of Athena, the Grecian Goddess before the game, but instead of her charms, as seen here (including some language usually reserved for Victoria Beckham);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUVbrZvmB2g

we were subjected to a fat bloke cavorting in front of the Jimmy Seed, while our stewards collectively decided to run into each other. For comedy value it was up there with the banan skin. Fortunately Charlton did not slip on it.