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Post by reamsofverse on Jan 10, 2019 21:33:31 GMT
Bielik, Aribo, Cullen, Williams, Morgan, Fosu, Clarke, Pratley, Reeves, Lapslie, Marshall?
For me I honestly think we are going to lose Bauer which solves the problem of having two defensive midfielders starting in Bielik and Cullen. Bielik for me is a CB so he starts alongside Sarr or Pearce when fit at the back.
That leaves four from nine which is rapidly reduced to four from eight if you take Pratley out of the equation.
From this point I really don't know, Cullen is a no brainer, Aribo isn't far behind so then there were two.
I would say Williams and Reeves take the final two places but believe you me Morgan is going to be some player and is right up their arse's. Fosu having to fight for his place has given him the kick up the arse he needs while a fit Billy Clarke at his best can tear up my script in one performance.
Lapslie deserves to play every Saturday, even if it's off the bench, his rise has been a major plus for us this season and there is one hell of a player in there.
As for Marshall, I really don't think he gets enough credit for the hard work he puts in and he too is worthy of making the match day squad on a regular basis.
If I was LB this would keep me awake at night. If he brings in another striker I would go as far to say he has the best squad at his disposal since what CP had in 2012-2013.
RD didn't pay for that one but he has this and no matter what you think of him we have to give him credit for supporting Bow.
Final Note: If we would have had this squad at the start of the season and avoided half of the in juries we have suffered, we would be pissing all over this division.
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Post by seriouslyred on Jan 10, 2019 21:51:14 GMT
Lapslie and Reeves have been sharing a place for much of the season often replacing each other earlier on. Cullen, Williams and Aribo could all be part of a Championship midfield so that my choice. So we have depth to deliver a decent bench and cover for injuries and the inevitable suspensions - all good.
Not sure why we would sell Bauer unless a silly offer comes in - we need four decent centre backs to stay in the top six. But you make a good point re. Cullen and Bielik. Perhaps we play three at the back sometimes? That might accomodate Marshall on the bench too?
And finally, whatever has happened is in the past. Right now we have a very strong chance of finishing top six. And by mid February we will see if we might do better than that. If Luton fall over after losing their manager then that helps. Right now we are about two wins behind the real pace - a good run over the next nine or ten games and we can be in the thick of things. Time will tell.
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survivor
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Post by survivor on Jan 10, 2019 21:59:11 GMT
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Post by Mundell on Jan 10, 2019 22:17:29 GMT
Great post Paul. I’ve been worrying about this too. I wonder if Lee Bowyer is clear what he’ll do when everyone is fit?
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Post by jonkool on Jan 10, 2019 23:03:48 GMT
It appears that Bows isn’t a great fan of 3 at the back.
But it worked so well for the 10 men vs the (passive) 11 Dons.
Bauer Bielik and Pearce/Naby would be very strong and that would allow 5 in the midfield which would give him far greater options with a further 3 coming off the bench providing there are no injuries at the back or up front.
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Post by oldred on Jan 10, 2019 23:27:47 GMT
Yes good post Reams , I would agree with all of that mate . We’ve got some really good players now especially in this league .
I hope we can be luckier with injuries in the second part of the season , and there are no sales ,that affect our chances .
I woulldnt be surprised either ,if Bauer is sold , but I hope not .
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2019 23:57:09 GMT
What a fantastic, positive and optimistic post. Who’d have thought you’d have said this a month ago. Things change quickly in football and I cannot see much reason why anyone wouldn’t want to scupper their boycott and see this team play...
A takeover will happen when it does and is just background noise.
I’m glad RD has backed LB in this window when so many said otherwise! I cannot imagine those people will be adding much to this thread tbh!
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survivor
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Post by survivor on Jan 11, 2019 0:41:00 GMT
What a fantastic, positive and optimistic post. Who’d have thought you’d have said this a month ago. Things change quickly in football and I cannot see much reason why anyone wouldn’t want to scupper their boycott and see this team play... A takeover will happen when it does and is just background noise. I’m glad RD has backed LB in this window when so many said otherwise! I cannot imagine those people will be adding much to this thread tbh! I'd like to add that of late, Reams has set a standard for how we should all interact, and not surprisingly this has made for a very balanced and vibrant forum...let's keep it that way  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 6:29:57 GMT
If we had the squad we have now back at the beginning of the season, and they had all avoided injury, it is highly likely that Charlton would be top of the league right now - probably with 60+ points.
From the point of view of potential when fully fit, this current squad is the best the Club has ever had in the 3rd tier. Better than Chris Powell's 2011-12 squad in my opinion.
Again from the point of view of potential when fully fit, I am not sure this is the best squad of the entire Duchatelet era; it could be argued that the 2014-15 Championship squad had more better quality players in it. But that squad was competing at a higher level.
However, the players and their injury records so far this season are what they are.
Speculating about what might be or what could have been is fine, but it is no more than the fans of any other Club in promotion contention can also do.
Had Sunderland, Portsmouth, Barnsley or Luton Town been injury free all season, any one of them could be top of the league and they might all have 60+ points at this time.
How strong we believe our squad really is depends on whether you regard injuries as entirely bad luck events that strike players down completely at random, or whether you believe some players are more injury prone than others, and that injury records affect the price of players and the number of Clubs who might be interested in employing them.
Bielik, Aribo, Cullen, Williams, Morgan, Fosu, Clarke, Pratley, Reeves, Lapslie and Marshall are all skillful players in different ways, but they all have different injury records.
If the injury records for several of these players were better it is possible, even likely, that they would be earning more money playing for Clubs at higher levels, so would not be available to Lee Bowyer at this time.
In short, some of the players in our current squad may only be there because their injury records mean they cannot get a better gig.
I don't mean that in a 'negative' sense, it's just an observation.
Lee Bowyer is doing a fantastic job with the resources available to him this season. He has me believing at this point that Charlton Athletic has a 50/50 chance of being promoted back to the Championship by this summer.
Some fans may wish to give Roland Duchatelet credit for what LB has achieved so far this season, others may not. That subject is very divisive and probably best not gone into in any detail, especially on this thread.
There's no harm in wondering what our starting XI would be if the whole squad was match fit, but in reality it is very unlikely ever to happen. I doubt that the players named will ever all be injury free at the same time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 7:30:28 GMT
#paperthin
#firesale
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Post by oldred on Jan 11, 2019 7:54:50 GMT
I can’t help wondering if we will still have all of these players at the end of the transfer window, or has Williams been brought in to replace a possibly departing Aribo ? I hope not , the squad and bench is beginning to look strong now .
The bonus for me has been the displays of Lapslie and Morgan , who have already shown they have deserved their chance to be involved with the first team .
When and if , everyone is fit , LB will have a nice select problem .
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Post by reamsofverse on Jan 11, 2019 8:27:51 GMT
Don't forget that we also have Jake Forster-Caskey to come back next season too.
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Post by dartford36 on Jan 11, 2019 10:11:52 GMT
I admit I was one of those who was dubious whether there would be significant moves in this transfer window so I’m more than pleased with what has happened so far, albeit the newbies are temporary in the sense that when their loan is up, off they go back to their parent club. We must also hope to the heavens that there will not be any departures, and there’s still time for that. Plus many are, I believe, out of contract in the summer including, if I’m correct, the aforementioned JFC.
Nonetheless LB has now got a headache as to what is the best team available when all are fit. This shouldn’t be a problem necessarily as I would expect he knows what his best eleven are already. We still need another forward to augment what we already have and I would rather it be an experienced player with a goal scoring record in the lower leagues rather than a young rookie on loan.
We are in a good place at the moment. I’m ignoring the “takeover” and simply focusing on the team and results. Off field issues are for others to speculate on. No doubt one day something will happen.👍🏻
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survivor
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Post by survivor on Jan 11, 2019 11:51:03 GMT
I can’t help wondering if we will still have all of these players at the end of the transfer window, or has Williams been brought in to replace a possibly departing Aribo ? I hope not , the squad and bench is beginning to look strong now . The bonus for me has been the displays of Lapslie and Morgan , who have already shown they have deserved their chance to be involved with the first team . When and if , everyone is fit , LB will have a nice select problem . There is serious lack of indicators re Aribo leaving. |
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Post by jonkool on Jan 11, 2019 11:56:44 GMT
If we had the squad we have now back at the beginning of the season, and they had all avoided injury, it is highly likely that Charlton would be top of the league right now - probably with 60+ points. From the point of view of potential when fully fit, this current squad is the best the Club has ever had in the 3rd tier. Better than Chris Powell's 2011-12 squad in my opinion. Again from the point of view of potential when fully fit, I am not sure this is the best squad of the entire Duchatelet era; it could be argued that the 2014-15 Championship squad had more better quality players in it. But that squad was competing at a higher level.
However, the players and their injury records so far this season are what they are. Speculating about what might be or what could have been is fine, but it is no more than the fans of any other Club in promotion contention can also do. Had Sunderland, Portsmouth, Barnsley or Luton Town been injury free all season, any one of them could be top of the league and they might all have 60+ points at this time. How strong we believe our squad really is depends on whether you regard injuries as entirely bad luck events that strike players down completely at random, or whether you believe some players are more injury prone than others, and that injury records affect the price of players and the number of Clubs who might be interested in employing them. Bielik, Aribo, Cullen, Williams, Morgan, Fosu, Clarke, Pratley, Reeves, Lapslie and Marshall are all skillful players in different ways, but they all have different injury records. If the injury records for several of these players were better it is possible, even likely, that they would be earning more money playing for Clubs at higher levels, so would not be available to Lee Bowyer at this time. In short, some of the players in our current squad may only be there because their injury records mean they cannot get a better gig. I don't mean that in a 'negative' sense, it's just an observation.
Lee Bowyer is doing a fantastic job with the resources available to him this season. He has me believing at this point that Charlton Athletic has a 50/50 chance of being promoted back to the Championship by this summer. Some fans may wish to give Roland Duchatelet credit for what LB has achieved so far this season, others may not. That subject is very divisive and probably best not gone into in any detail, especially on this thread. There's no harm in wondering what our starting XI would be if the whole squad was match fit, but in reality it is very unlikely ever to happen. I doubt that the players named will ever all be injury free at the same time. Ex365 websites confirm that Pompey, Luton & Posh have been able to put the same starting XI out on numerous occasions. experimental361.com/2018/12/31/squad-usage-league-1-30-dec-2018/CAFC have managed it on zero occasions which would indicate that our close rivals have had it far easier on the injury front compared tonus and Rochdale. Therefore for Bows to keep us in the hunt has been remarkable. If Lady Luck smiles on us to the season’s end then we could greatly exceed our pre-season expectations. Boy it’s going to be fun helped by lots of relatively accessible away games between now and the beginning of May 👍 |
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Post by squareball on Jan 11, 2019 12:44:02 GMT
No longer the paper thin squad by an owner who is “destroying “us.
Despite the errors over the years in appointments the evidence shows we haven’t been destroyed and our crazy owner is now strengthening our squad. Shame it didn’t happen in years gone by but he does seem to be a couple of years behind in his thinking football wise.
Bow and Gallen have done really well in picking out the nesscessary players but that would be futile if RD didn’t agree and fund it. Credit where it’s due.
Who knows what lies ahead but ironically RD gets it right when he’s on the cusp of moving on. Let’s hope new owners get it right sooner.
A word of caution to the new owners. RD sacked a former player early doors and never recovered...will you do the same?
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survivor
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Post by survivor on Jan 11, 2019 12:57:23 GMT
No longer the paper thin squad by an owner who is “destroying “us. Despite the errors over the years in appointments the evidence shows we haven’t been destroyed and our crazy owner is now strengthening our squad. Shame it didn’t happen in years gone by but he does seem to be a couple of years behind in his thinking football wise. Bow and Gallen have done really well in picking out the nesscessary players but that would be futile if RD didn’t agree and fund it. Credit where it’s due. Who knows what lies ahead but ironically RD gets it right when he’s on the cusp of moving on. Let’s hope new owners get it right sooner. A word of caution to the new owners. RD sacked a former player early doors and never recovered...will you do the same? I have never disagreed with any of your posts SB, so this is a first as I see it as we have recovered, but then again I am the eternal optimist. Law of attraction and all that  |
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Post by squareball on Jan 11, 2019 14:20:36 GMT
No longer the paper thin squad by an owner who is “destroying “us. Despite the errors over the years in appointments the evidence shows we haven’t been destroyed and our crazy owner is now strengthening our squad. Shame it didn’t happen in years gone by but he does seem to be a couple of years behind in his thinking football wise. Bow and Gallen have done really well in picking out the nesscessary players but that would be futile if RD didn’t agree and fund it. Credit where it’s due. Who knows what lies ahead but ironically RD gets it right when he’s on the cusp of moving on. Let’s hope new owners get it right sooner. A word of caution to the new owners. RD sacked a former player early doors and never recovered...will you do the same? I have never disagreed with any of your posts SB, so this is a first as I see it as we have recovered, but then again I am the eternal optimist. Law of attraction and all that That’s a fair point. It’s healthy to disagree and perhaps RD has recovered but certainly the club has. Onwards and upward. |
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Post by ashaddick on Jan 12, 2019 19:35:15 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different.
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Post by jonkool on Jan 12, 2019 20:02:02 GMT
It appears that Bows isn’t a great fan of 3 at the back. But it worked so well for the 10 men vs the (passive) 11 Dons. Bauer Bielik and Pearce/Naby would be very strong and that would allow 5 in the midfield which would give him far greater options with a further 3 coming off the bench providing there are no injuries at the back or up front. Well just to mug me off Bows started with 3 at the back 😉 However we didn’t pick up their player in the hole and he switched back and matched their diamond halfway through the 1st half. Sounds like the gaffer has the confidence to be mor3flexible now that he has a larger squad including a left footed left back/wingback. Charlton are on the UP! |
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Post by jonkool on Jan 12, 2019 20:04:53 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. Just remember that Shrews are in the top 6 in terms of their home record. Maybe we didn’t allow them to play? |
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Post by jonkool on Jan 12, 2019 20:08:14 GMT
No longer the paper thin squad by an owner who is “destroying “us. Despite the errors over the years in appointments the evidence shows we haven’t been destroyed and our crazy owner is now strengthening our squad. Shame it didn’t happen in years gone by but he does seem to be a couple of years behind in his thinking football wise. Bow and Gallen have done really well in picking out the nesscessary players but that would be futile if RD didn’t agree and fund it. Credit where it’s due. Who knows what lies ahead but ironically RD gets it right when he’s on the cusp of moving on. Let’s hope new owners get it right sooner. A word of caution to the new owners. RD sacked a former player early doors and never recovered...will you do the same? Here’s a thought SB - who says that RD is moving on. What his representative here in London says is very little and the price allegedly asked for indicates that the o2ner isn’t that desperate to sell. Let’s wait to see what happens as time moves on 👍 |
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Post by seriouslyred on Jan 12, 2019 20:17:23 GMT
Certainly an interesting discussion which evolves as the season progresses. Williams is sheer quality in that box to box area driving things forwards... Pratley put in a good shift today with a great goal but will inevitably cede his place to Cullen when 100%.
And Marshall and Lapslie did what we know they can do by providing fresh legs and options at 75 minutes. That's important to deliver more consistency against the weaker sides.
And Morgan looks to be our latest dead ball specialist - his corners are good.
Whilst we are improving, our rivals are stumbling slightly such that the table might look a tad different at 35 games? And that's when this abundance of talent will pay off.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2019 20:26:55 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. Then don’t whinge! Perhaps try to think of reasons why that might be the case?! Reasons such as; We had 2 new players playing so still need to get used to our system other players etc. We were playing away so the home team are expected to attack more. Perhaps our team forced their errors. Just be happy we kept a clean sheet and scored 3 away to a team who knocked us out the playoffs last season! |
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Post by AndyB on Jan 12, 2019 21:05:22 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. maybe we made Shrewsbury look poor ? |
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Post by ashaddick on Jan 12, 2019 23:40:05 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. maybe we made Shrewsbury look poor ? But we didn’t did we, after we scored our third I had the clowns dancing in front of me throwing fingers at the home supporters, none of them watched us trying to clear our own penalty area for best part of a minute. Don’t get me wrong I loved the win, but I’m cautious about ... 🤔..Stuff |
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survivor
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Post by survivor on Jan 13, 2019 0:59:14 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. We'll have none of that namby pamby, negative, squeaky bum nonsense on here me laddy  |
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Post by squareball on Jan 13, 2019 1:04:27 GMT
No longer the paper thin squad by an owner who is “destroying “us. Despite the errors over the years in appointments the evidence shows we haven’t been destroyed and our crazy owner is now strengthening our squad. Shame it didn’t happen in years gone by but he does seem to be a couple of years behind in his thinking football wise. Bow and Gallen have done really well in picking out the nesscessary players but that would be futile if RD didn’t agree and fund it. Credit where it’s due. Who knows what lies ahead but ironically RD gets it right when he’s on the cusp of moving on. Let’s hope new owners get it right sooner. A word of caution to the new owners. RD sacked a former player early doors and never recovered...will you do the same? Here’s a thought SB - who says that RD is moving on. What his representative here in London says is very little and the price allegedly asked for indicates that the o2ner isn’t that desperate to sell. Let’s wait to see what happens as time moves on 👍 Wouldn’t bother me either way. I don’t have time to waste worrying about any owner. Imagine doing that! |
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Post by bigandy99 on Jan 13, 2019 12:22:14 GMT
Potentially, we have too many to choose from (when fit)..so it’s vital that LB figures out how he uses his resources... does he pick “the same” every week or does he change to suit the opponent?.. getting it right will make or break our season as the front two seem to pick themselves at the moment..,
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Post by ashaddick on Jan 13, 2019 14:00:38 GMT
On the performance at Shrewsbury we have a way to go, I hate winging after great away win, but I came away thinking how poor Shrewsbury were on the day, and if we gave the ball away in midfield as cheaply as we did today to better sides things may be very different. We'll have none of that namby pamby, negative, squeaky bum nonsense on here me laddy Maybe it is a bit of that 😉, I am after all a Charlton supporter and have been here many times before. |
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