Well, that's that then.
I do hope that Doncaster are a really good footballing team because if they are not we are truly rubbish.
They passed the ball around us all night. They looked (or we made them look) like Manchester United. Some of the free flowing football was sublime. It reminded me of us in the first half of last season. Sadly, for them, they seemed to lack that cutting edge like we did in those, now memorable, days of being in the top two of the Championship.
I guess we need to acknowledge that Doncaster have been on a magnificent run which would give them confidence, and I doubt it helped our cause that we actually started the game with five central midfielders and a centre forward that looked every bit the non-league footballer that he was just half a dozen starts (for us) ago.
I am angry and I am upset, and for that reason I am probably not going to be looking for positives like I have been trying to do in the last couple of weeks. I must point out though that the obvious, as already mentioned by Dave Peeps is that Parkinson's results do not stand up to any kind of scrunity. Despite the fact that he has a reputation for signing decent players that go on to improve, he has actually only signed two players on permanent terms for us, Matthew Spring, for whom the jury is still out, and Dion Burton who can't possibly be expected to improve much as he is already 32 years old. All the other players are loans, and they are unlikely to stay if we manage the miracle of staying up, never mind if we are relegated. So we have blown another small fortune on someone elses players in the second half of the season without managing the desired success.
When Pardew left the league table looked a little like this:
Pos Team Pld GD Pts
16 Barnsley 18 -4 21
18 Blackpool 18 -7 21
19 Norwich 18 -5 20
20 Southampton 18 -10 19
21 Watford 18 -4 18
22 Charlton 18 -10 16
23 Doncaster 18 -15 13
24 N. Forest 18 -13 12
Now after Parkinson has been in charge for 17 games (one less than Pardew managed) it looks like this:
Pos Team Pld GD Pts --- Pts and GD change during Parkinson's reign
14 Doncaster 35 -9 46 --- 33 +6
18 N. Forest 36 -12 40 --- 28 +3
19 Watford 34 -6 39 --- 21 -2
20 Barnsley 34 -12 39 --- 18 -8
21 Blackpool 36 -15 39 --- 18 -8
22 Southampton 35 -15 37 --- 18 -5
23 Norwich 36 -9 36 --- 16 -4
24 Charlton 35 -22 27 --- 11 -12
I think that says it all really.
Clearly we have not all played the same number of games in that period, but there is no doubt that Parkinson's reign is an unmitigated disaster - even when you take into account my terrible formatting. Believe me it was all set out nicely when I had finished before I published it!
Where do we go from here? I don't know. Parkinson has now been given enough games that he cannot better Pardew's last 18 games with his first 18; he has been given support in the transfer market; he has had the January transfer window; he has been allowed to bring in a total of six loan players, along with two permanent signings. That's a total of 8 players and tonight we started with five central midfielders.
Relegation is bad enough, but we will almost certainly finish bottom. How much worse can it get? Sadly I fear the next few months may just provide the answer to that question.
Up the Addicks!
11 comments:
Eloquently put, KHA. By the way, is there a website you use to provide historic snapshot league tables? If you put it all together yourself, I'm mightily impressed.
Quote: Relegation is bad enough, but we will almost certainly finish bottom. How much worse can it get? Sadly I fear the next few months may just provide the answer to that question.
Doubly sadly, i see no reason not to expect another relegation battle next season in League1 !!!!!
wish I could say something humorous or upbeat but I can't.
I suppose our demise has been hastened by the extraordinary recent form of clubs at the bottom, whose runs have dwarfed our mini run.
There - one big straw clutched!
Pembury Addick
As you point out Parkinson has been awful. The substitution of Spring last night was truly awful - and turned what should have been an attacking substitution into a defensive one.
Donacaster were just ordinary players who play together as a team. Charlton on the other hand have looked under coached all season(does anyone talk to Youga about positioning?) and they obviously don't spend much time on practising set plays - which usually account for about a third/half of goals.
We have now played 38 players this year, so we should have a shot at Pardew's record of 44 last season - no wonder they cannot play like a team.
If the Board had any gumption they would sack Parkinson now - and if they are short of money why not appoint Matty Holland as player manager (he already has some of the coaching badges)
Grrr - I need to get a cat to kick!
Matty Holland and Chris Powell combo...see which one is best and demote/sack the other...we did it before and it worked!
NYA,
Sad as I am I'm not quite sad enough to calculate the league table at a specific date.
I cribbed it from statto.com.
Having said that if I'd not found in on the internet I would just have taken the one from the program of Parkinson's first home game and worked it back.
http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-championship/2008-2009/table/2008-11-22
Absolutely well said KHA and my sentiments entirely. Doncaster did look a good footballing side, but there again we were at least a yard off their players all the time and their movement around the pitch was superior, must be what confidence does for you. They gave the impression of a well disciplined side, which we are not!
I'm sure Parkinson is a better "manager" than Pards, but clearly can't get any more out of the players we have. I know its seems suicidal, but how about bringing some more of our youth players through, our season is over as far as the Championship is concerned.
I like the suggestion of Matt Holland/Chrissy Powell as a new management team. You won't find two better suited role models as professional footballers.
I really thought Chris Dickson had the "raw" talent to become a great striker and I feel we should continue to give him a chance
Has to be said that we have been unlucky with injuries - Gray apart - but the team lacks leadership. Doncaster played 'nice' football but if we had attacked the game, as we saw briefly when we got back to 1 - 1, we would have blown them away. The quality of the loan signings has been patchy, and surely Todorov can offer some much needed calm and guile up front? With away fixtures at Reading & Wolves to come we really need a miracle. Oh for a Rob Lee or Jim Melrose! Agree that we should start to blood the young players who will be playing next season.
I'm not convinced that Parky is better than Pardew.
Sad but horribly honest post KHA.
Come on KHA ! I know things are pretty miserable around Charlton now. But we used to get a match preview AND a match review from you.
What's more i'm going to be there today to watch our heroes/bunch of hopeless chancers give the Hornets a right royal slapping/three easy points.
Only 'cause i've been given a freebie though :)
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