OneSizeFitz

It's what the bookies were expecting...

Still baffled that people are offended by something as trivial as this.

Last couple of away games have been nothing like watching Northern Ireland.

5 in 30 for Blackpool now. Prolific.

Mediocre first-half, excellent second-half. Croft, and in particular Ladapo, made a big difference after coming on. Great support from those who travelled, and a fully deserved win. ...we did still miss several sitters too, though.

Yes. Why even bother with tactics at all?

Just out of interest, if you don't love the club any more, and haven't been to a game for six or seven years, what motivates you to post here?

Taking a glass-half-full approach, at least we're not Guiseley. Not only are they bottom of the Conference with 3 points (0-3-10) from 13 games, but they've also got to put up with Connor Brown at right-back...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/28/how-barnsley-assistant-manager-tommy-wright-took-5k-bung-to-help/

I'd still like to see a more creative central midfielder playing at home. But otherwise, yeah, I think so. It was far less of a "backs against the wall" mentality than in previous games. There were even glimpses of flair, occasionally.

We were the better team on the night - actually played some decent stuff at times, and certainly one of our better performances this season. We'd have felt very hard done by if we'd gone home empty handed, as Charlton on the whole were poor (though not as bad as some are making out). A bit more width, and some attacking intent from our full-backs made a nice change, and proved effective, though Reckord looked a bit rusty. And quite how Ladapo, and to an even greater extent Erwin contrived to miss from six yards out I don't know. Erwin's (from a terrific ball across from Mckay) really was a shocking miss, with the goal gaping. Other than that though, he played quite well after coming on, and both Ladapo and Mckay worked hard, though often fruitlessly - both spurned half-decent chances (Mckay's largely a result of falling on his arse in the penalty area...). Fane broke up play well, but spends far much of his time playing sideways. Several times he had 20/30 yards of space to drive into, and instead passed it backwards to the full-back. His passing in general really is something that he needs to work on. Thought Green played well, and was probably our best player on the night, whilst Flynn and McLaughlin both looked better than they have done recently, showing occasional glimpses of class out wide. Dummigan was pretty solid on (second) debut, and the centre-halves both played pretty well - their goal aside - though Burgess really is a bit of a donkey. Ripley had very little to do, other than a couple of straightforward saves which he dealt with well. Being especially harsh, you might say he should done better for their goal, but I'm not sure that's entirely justified. All in all, then, it was a pretty promising display against a team containing some decent players. I'd be surprised if Robinson makes (m)any changes for Saturday, with the possible exception of Erwin for Ladapo, and maybe a more forward-thinking central midfielder for Fane. A HUGE improvement on Swindon at the weekend.

Super Sean McCarthy appointed caretaker manager. Newport love an ex-OAFC player.

Ripley Dummigan Clarke Wilson Reckord McLaughlin Fane Green Flynn Mckay Erwin

Bloody OWTB pessimists...

Could've lost to Bury...

We can still sign free agents right? Ex-Charlton Diego Poyet's available on a free after his release from West Ham... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Poyet ...ambitious? He'd be several upgrades on Klok...

...how?

You don't have to be a criminal to be unsuitable to own a football club, though, do you? I'd make a completely unsuitable owner of a football club - I wouldn't know where to start, and I have absolutely no money - but that doesn't mean I'm a criminal.

Why? I haven't accused, and am absolutely not accusing, anyone of anything. I just don't think that anyone who has been linked with taking over the club recently would be suitable. In the same way that I don't consider David Cornell to be a suitable replacement goalkeeper for Connor Ripley, for example.

All of the reported speculation in recent memory has involved investors whom I would not want owning my football club.

Bit of a chicken-and-egg debate this, but I really don't think it's the strikers that are the main problem. I think it's more the midfield and the formation. Mckay and Ladapo have both been pretty prolific in the past (albeit at a lower level) and Osei - although raw - looks like he's got goals in him. The problem is that they're feeding off scraps most of the time. We lack a creative midfielder who can unlock defences and create decent chances for the front-men, and we're also missing wingers who come even remotely close to being consistent, which is why we often line up with either Klok or one of the strikers playing out wide. I can't see how we're going to score regularly from open-play like this. I appreciate that SR's main focus seems to be on getting us defensively organised, and being a threat from set-pieces, but I really don't think we look good enough at being either of those things to assume that they alone will be enough to keep us up. Away from home I can see the logic in that as a strategy, but at some point we're going to have to take the game to teams at BP or we just won't win enough games. I do have faith in SR to turn it around though. In Ripley, Clarke and Green, he's put together the spine of a very solid side at this level, and (...today apart) I don't think we've looked a million miles away for most of the season. The next five league games (Charlton (A), MK Dons (H), Gillingham (A), Bolton (A), Scunthorpe (H)) look very tricky though; it might get worse before it gets better...

You mean our "biological pitch renovation" hasn't been the resounding success we all expected it to be? http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/summer-update-regarding-sportsdirect.com-park-pitch-3210528.aspx

...at home against Swindon?

That's completely different though, isn't it? Because eating a kebab off your wedding china doesn't bring your any more enjoyment than not doing. Whereas watching your team play at Wembley is far preferable to watching them play at Boundary Park. Would you go if we got there?

...until you get a day out at Wembley.