Saturday 14 December 2013

Broken Record...

According to the Urban Dictionary, if you become known as a 'broken record' it will have been because you continually repeated the same statement with little or no variation. I'll admit it, I'm guilty as charged.

To save myself time it would be a whole lot easier to cut and paste sections from any of my previous blog posts this season that make reference to the seemingly endless bad luck, missed opportunities, lack of quality in the final third, complete absence of a goalscorer and referees who don't seem to like us very much and seem happy enough to turn a blind eye to blatant time wasting.

Today, I'll be adding a new negative, as Powell got his tactics wrong. He must be feeling like he's run out of options in his threadbare squad, but quite how he came to the conclusion that Bradley Pritchard should be playing in the hole behind Kermorgant I do not know. Maradona, Pele, Zico, Baggio and Beardsley are footballers who excelled playing 'in the hole', but with the greatest of respect to him, Pritchard will never join that list, and not least of all as he is arguably our weakest threat going forward. No, I just don't get it.

Not to suggest that Pritchard was the reason we lost today; no, that would be the cruel deflected free-kick that wrong footed Alnwick. The second deflected goal against us in the space of 7 days. As the ball hit the net there was a collective and very audible groan from the Charlton fans followed by a loud thump as Addicks all around the Valley slumped back in their seats. Gutted. Lady Luck kicked us firmly in the nuts yet again!

Derby celebrated the winner, even with an hour left to play.

It's hard enough to see where our chances will come from, let alone goals, so I was up and celebrating when Morrison dived to meet a cross midway through the second half. I was certain that was going in, but in the end it didn't even force a save. That will be the missed opportunity noted above.

As we committed men forward in search of an equaliser, it was inevitable Derby would get another chance. Unlike us, they never wasted it. 2-0.

I can't deny Charlton worked hard. That very fact remains a positive, no matter how it doesn't seem it tonight. Despite off the field turmoil at the club the players still look like they are working hard for each other. Confidence is obviously fragile and sadly effort alone is not going to be enough without an injection of quality. Without investment to bolster the squad in January, survival in this division is going to be a real challenge. The chances of investment look very, very slim.

Derby are flying at the moment, but they hardly looked like promotion candidates today and they will know we deserved something from this game. Yet again we finished up with nothing.

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