I have to say I am really starting to dislike Forster-Caskey as a player. Given his role's importance to the team, I reckon he has had about 4 influential games for Charlton out of about 30 matches. It is very hard to escape the conclusion that he only gets picked because he is a Robinson favourite. Yesterday was a typical F-C performance - totally anonymous in the engine room, and when he did get the ball a succession of sideways passes where he didn't want to take responsibility for creating anything. He is a tattooed waste of space, and let's hope either Konsa or Aribo comes in for him v Bury.
It is beginning to seem like there might be less to him than meets the eye. He banged a shot off the crossbar at the Wigan game, but didlittle else that caught my eye especially as time went on. It could just be a dip in form, or it could be a return to a certain level. Has our very good start to the season been nothing more than a 'bubble'? A combination of poor opposition and inflated confidence raising the team's performance to a level that cannot be sustained in the longer term? For our promotion chances (and the increased likelihood that RD will then sell us) I hope we have not been seeing just a freak run of decent results. When form dips, it is the manager's job to freshen things up, to give a few squad players the opportunity to show what they are worth. I know there is a week now until the Bury game, but I get the feeling KR will again name an unchanged side - apart from Holmes of course, who is now suspended.
It's all a bit remeniscent of our starts under Peeters and Luzon. The problem is that Robinson has raved about the squad and the players and how much the SMT have backed him. Yet there is nothing much to be seen in reserve past the first XI. I'm not going to dig players out, as we had a good start and it wasn't two weeks ago we were happy with the team spirit and general play. But the pre season worries about squad depth all look confirmed, and its mid september.
Lack of squad depth leads to complacency amongst the starting 11, which results in mediocrity. Who is challenging the likes of Forster-Caskey and even Solly for their positions in the side ? Kashi looks knackered - unsurprising after two years out of the game - maybe Aribo comes in for him now.
I thought JFC worked quite hard in the first half, but went AWOL in the second when we were chasing an equaliser. His strength is his eye for goal, but I don't remember him getting in the box.