Charlton First in Second Gear

At around 4.35pm on Saturday, my perception of Phil Parkinson changed, and hopefully for good.

About a minute earlier, Lloyd Sam (who had been a threat throughout) carved out an outstanding chance for Nicky Bailey to double our lead.

But Parkinson saw fit to make his only subsitution, replacing Sam with Scott Wagstaff, a player who had looked utterly out of his depth when I saw him play the first half against Yeovil in last season's Carling Cup.

This was surely manna from heaven for cynical bloggers like me, perched high in the Upper West Stand surrounded by banks of empty seats, and cobwebs that are quite literally occupying the back row.

But just four minutes after coming on, Wagstaff was set clear by Deon Burton following a classy backheel by Kelly Youga. He kept his cool to finish clinically and seal the game.

Indeed his impressive dribbling throughout and eye for a sensible pass, helped the Addicks emerge from a slightly tired period of the game, and take hold of a game that Walsall never deserved to take something from. I guess that's why I blog rather than manage.

The economist John Maynard Keynes famously said, "When the facts change, I change my mind." So after a fifth consecutive League win, and just one League defeat in twelve, have the facts changed and if so have I changed my mind (about Parkinson)?

A number of fans in the North Stand are reassessing their view too it seems, finally inviting Parky to let them know the score (even though the scoreboard was working this time).

We are now playing in a lower division, and if Walsall are supposedly a solid midtable outfit, then the gap between League One and the Championship is a chasm.

My fears about a possible third relegation in four years were clearly overstated, given the rather shoddy opposition that must presumably characterise this entire league.

The three summer transfers meanwhile have settled in comfortably, Christian Dailly's experience nicely complimenting Miguel Llera's power, with Fraser Richardson providing honest endeavour and neat link-up with Sam, and then Wagstaff.

But what has been a real surprise has been the quality of the football on show, which once again emphasises what a shambles we were under Alan Pardew.

Charlton are once again a real footballing side, not just in the clichéd media use of the term (which persisted under Curbishley, even when untrue), but in the real nuts and bolts sense of passing and moving, maintaining possession and carving out openings.

Four wins do not make a summer, but there is real hope for optimism based upon performances which thoroughly deserve those results.

We moved to first place on Saturday, without ever having to get out of second gear. The players appeared somewhat jaded in the mid-afternoon heat, but Parkinson has got them playing to their strengths in what might be called 4-5-1, but is really 4-2-2-2.

Shelvey plays just behind Burton, with Sam and Bailey encouraged forward at every opportunity thanks to the defensive discipline of Therry Racon and (especially) Jose Semedo.



Walsall's chances were not aided by woeful away support, with barely 200 making the trip to The Valley.

I suppose that as a percentage of home support, they are probably better supported on the road than we are generally, but it does little to inject the type of two-way atmosphere that football thrives upon.

Indeed the biggest downer of Championship football, let alone League One for me, is the lack of any sense of 'occasion', which we took for granted in the Premiership. If the atmosphere is tepid when we are top of the league, it will be firmly stone cold if we begin to stumble.

The scoreboard operator did his or her best to improve matters however, confirming the crowd as 19,000+, which produced applause and laughter in equal measure. Infact it was a rather disappointing 15,706.

The outstanding player on display was Semedo, who produced a quite exemplary exhibition of defensive midfield play. His upper body strength leaves allcomers in its wake, and he if misplaced a pass all afternoon, then I must have missed it.

You don't see many fans with 'SEMEDO' on their backs but when I spot one, I tend to give them a sly nod as fellow members of a secret society of Charlton fans who like me, have unemotionally acknowledged him as the most important player in the team.

Burton was also particularly impressive, chasing down defenders and finding space when he appeared to be crowded out.

Andy Gray's departure leaves us desperately short of cover for this particular role however, with Messrs. McLeod, Fleetwood and Dickson offering a different type of role that Parkinson is not currently auditioning for.

Here are my match ratings:

Elliot 6 - a quiet afternoon; the line between a 'flap' and a 'confident punch' is a thin one, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as a fellow Charlton fan;

Richardson 7 - plays with a pleasing sense that he knows what an honest day's work is; already appears to have a good understanding with Lloyd Sam which bodes well

Youga 6 - both at Leyton Orient and here, one is starting not to notice him much during games, which given past experience must surely be a good thing;

Dailly 7 - given he has gone in the space of a year from West Ham, Rangers and Scotland to lowly Charlton, one would expect him to look comfortable, which he does;

Llera 7 - perhaps the first Charlton player with three consecutive letters in his name since Matt Tees; a commanding performance with occasional distribution which Eddie Stobart would be proud of, and capped with a messy goal;

Semedo 9 - can't think of a good reason why it shouldn't be a '10', except that would imply he was like Roy Keane or Patrick Viera, which he isn't (but he was today); simply immense;

Racon 6 - drifted in and out of the game; there will be games where his extra class will be required, but this wasn't one of them;

Shelvey 5 - I was asked for a scouting report earlier this week by a curious Spurs fan, and my short answer was "I've no idea how good he is"; this performance made things no clearer;

Sam 7 - too much talent to be playing in League One; however unlike some others that are blessed in this way, his attitude seems great much to our benefit;

Bailey 5 - never looks entirely comfortable on the left wing, and indeed was largely anonymous during the second period; when he doesn't score he can look rather ordinary;

Burton 8 - leads the footballing equivalent of life in a slum, feeding off scraps; however based on this performance he has every chance of producing a story of 'rags to riches';
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Wagstaff 8 - confident finish for the goal, and a highly productive contribution throughout; one mazy run towards the end particularly caught the eye; perhaps the squad members behind the first choice XI are not as mediocre as we feared.