by Cypry »
04 Dec 2013 11:53
Lots of over-reaction on here as far as I'm concerned - the only real area of concern with me is the levels of fitness within the squad (both in terms of picking up injuries and the ability to last 90 minutes)...
We pretty much dominated the first half, I think Charlton had one shot off target, and half a penalty shout (although I felt that Churches first touch was heavy and the ball was out of play before he went down). The second half started well, but with Charlton making 3 changes and flooding the midfield, an out of form Guthrie and a tiring Williams, we simply got over-run in midfield for the last 25-30 minutes. Had Akpan played to his capabilities we might have weathered the storm better, but he had a shocker. All in all an untidy, but welcome 3 points....
8 - Sharp had an excellent half, no surprise he tailed off in the second half having played about 15 minutes of competitive football all season so far, but he offered so much more than ALF does, mainly in his strength in winning and holding up the ball - a good finish for the goal as well - if we can keep him and Pog until the end of the season then ALF might as well bugger off in January coz he ain't going to be getting many starts if Pog and Sharp are fit....
7 - Pog had another good game, I wish he'd stay on his feet sometimes, he does seem to go down at the slightest touch, and his manner of doing it isn't convincing, but his hold up play, energy and ability to pick a pass have been a revelation these last few games - let's hope that his performances aren't merely with a view to lining up a move in January....
5 - McLeary was pretty anonymous for a lot of the game, save for hitting the post early in the second half. He has a tendency to cut inside all the time, and rarely tries to beat the fullback to get a cross in (Gunter seems to pick up this role most of the time on the right, so unsurprising it didn't quite work last night). Compared to Jobi he does little to support his own fullback.
7 - Williams had a good game, although it's a bit worrying he seems to have picked up another knock - he has the workrate of Karacan, with a neat touch as well. If we can keep him fit he'll be pivotal to our season and I can see him keeping Baird out (in fact I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see Baird again in a Reading shirt).
5 - Guthrie had a poor game by his standards. He is such a frustrating player, one minute he can play sublime passes, the next he simply gives it straight to the opposition. Last night it seemed to be more of the latter - it's all very well to say that the movement of the team isn't giving him options, but he needs to learn to make a simple pass when needed. He sometimes seems to go to sleep on the ball - gave it away early in the game just outside our penalty area and was lucky to be able to win the ball back.
6 - McAnuff looked tired at the end, not surprising considering his workrate during the game, and lack of game time this season. No end product from him, which was disappointing, he seemed to shoot on a couple of occasions where perhaps a ball across the box might have been the better option. Supported Cummings well though - personally I'd give him a run of games over Obita to see if he can get his confidence going forward firing...
6 - Kelly did well, in his preferred position you'd expect him to. Could've made himself a scapegoat if the ref had given a pen, but on the whole, had a pretty solid game.
7 - Pearce, did the basics and did them well. Nothing spectacular, but the sum total of one shot on goal for Charlton speaks volumes.
7 - Gorkks had another solid game, barely put a foot wrong. He said in an interview with Dellor after the game that he needs gametime to get his confidence back, and it seems to be working. The Pearce/Gorkks partnership was always a good one, and if we can keep a clean sheet on Saturday, then Morrisson might consider that he won't automatically be in contention when he's fit again...
8 - Cummings did everything we needed of him. He has pace, did his defensive duties well and without fuss, and offered a bit going forward when given the chance. MoTM for me and I hope he keeps his place at the weekend.
2 - Akpan had a shocker. Nothing seemed to go right for him from the moment he stepped on the pitch and he panicked....needs to get his confidence back before he goes anywhere near the first team again...
6 - HRK seemed to benefit from coming on later, gave him a bit of pace compared to Charlton at that time, although his final ball/shots were poor.
6 - Blackman barely had time on the pitch, but he won the ball, beat a couple of players and headed for the corner, which is something a few of his team-mates could've learnt from....
6 - Adkins had a problem given the injury list - I think he made the only changes he realistically could, but was a bit slow to react to the Charlton change - he seems to prefer to adopt a wait and see approach to changes made by the opposition, rather than reacting quickly...the real test will be what he does with the team at the weekend given last nights performances...