A MEDICINAL jar or two was called for on Sunday evening to dull the pain as our recent mini slump continued unabated.
On the one hand I was a lot happier with the performance and commitment level than in previous weeks. On the other, we were still some way short of where we need to be.
Our play still lacks zip, and the build-up is still far too ponderous. As a result we're playing far too much football in front of the opposition.
There were some minor plus points. David Dunn had his best game for a while, and the partnership of Cole and the ever willing Ostenstad looked useful. Cole in particular looked sharp - and like a goal fest waiting to happen if only he could get some half decent service.
In his natural position, the best fullback at the club in my book, John Curtis looked solid and assured. If the recent spate of injuries results in him being re-admitted into the fold, albeit by default, then some good has come out of it. Not surprisingly given the result, there were also several negatives. A number of unforced defensive errors seem to have slipped into our game and until these are eliminated, good work will go to waste.
Andy Todd was at fault for Charlton's first two goals in my view and will have to improve markedly on performances to date to show he can add anything to the squad.
Lucas Neill's lack of positional sense has been cruelly exposed in recent weeks and he is starting to remind me a great deal of Mark Atkins. Never a natural defender but with the physical attributes and aggression to be an excellent midfielder.
Up front I'm desperate to see Dwight Yorke prove the doubters wrong and be a huge success at Ewood but you have to say he didn't do himself any favours during his half hour on the pitch. The other substitutes didn't cover themselves in glory either. Bizarrely we looked less and less menacing with every change that was made.
All that said, singling out individuals for criticism is probably very unfair because watching this team in general is a frustrating experience. Every time it looks like we're starting to get somewhere and realise our potential, the wheels seem to fall off.
We take two steps forward only to take four back. Only four weeks ago after victory at Highbury I surveyed the up coming fixture list against the division's lesser lights and dreamt optimistically of having all but secured our initial survival target before the visit of Merchandising United on December 22.
Since then, form has dropped off to such an extent that I'm wondering if we'll have put another point on the board by then.
Such a drastic downturn in fortune should not be happening with the talent at our disposal. We're a young side who should in theory be improving rapidly. However we beat Charlton 2-0 with a patched up side in the corresponding fixture last season and in that sense Sunday's result on the back of a poor run is not particularly encouraging.
Souey has been noticeably talking the talk on behalf of his team in glossing over some below par performances recently. It's high time the players started returning the favour by walking the walk on the pitch.
