POST-MATCH THREAD: Stoke City V Charlton Athletic: Tuesday 25th November 2025: KO 19:45
Comments
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No offence, but this is just reactive nonsense.MrBurns said:Mannion needs to start the next game. He deserves to get his chance in this league
He’s a solid keeper who has made one mistake. In the five games before this one his Statbank rating was
1st
3rd
3rd
3rd
3rd15 -
Fans were superb last night. The only whinging is on the forums.Valley11 said:First goal was a fluke. Second was a foul on Jones in the build up. Third was an abomination but game was gone.
We have to stick with this team. They’ve given us an incredible 12 months.
They’re not a bad team overnight.
I really hope the fanbase have a bit of class and pick the boys up when they’re down, not whinge like spoilt children at the first sign of a bad run.Please, everyone have some perspective and a bit of loyalty to the cause.COYRs5 -
Losing three games in a row is not a one off. Our style of play has been sussed out. Campbell is only good as an impact sub and Leaburn needs someone playing alongside him. The sooner that Kelman and Godden get back the better.BigRedEvil said:Reminiscent of last season when we got thrashed at Wrexham and Peterborough. Hopefully these will be one offs and we can pick things back up
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Well, they're not gonna be singing from the rafters are they...😉redbuttle said:
Fans were superb last night. The only whinging is on the forums.Valley11 said:First goal was a fluke. Second was a foul on Jones in the build up. Third was an abomination but game was gone.
We have to stick with this team. They’ve given us an incredible 12 months.
They’re not a bad team overnight.
I really hope the fanbase have a bit of class and pick the boys up when they’re down, not whinge like spoilt children at the first sign of a bad run.Please, everyone have some perspective and a bit of loyalty to the cause.COYRs0 -
You only have to go back to this time last year to find plenty of people complaining that Mannion isn’t good enough and we should have signed a proper experienced number 1 - and that was in League One!AFKABartram said:
No offence, but this is just reactive nonsense.MrBurns said:Mannion needs to start the next game. He deserves to get his chance in this league
He’s a solid keeper who has made one mistake. In the five games before this one his Statbank rating was
1st
3rd
3rd
3rd
3rd8 -
I know but what do you expect from our first season in the championship? Staying up os our first objective.eastterrace6168 said:
Well, we're not gonna be singing from the rafters are we...😉redbuttle said:
Fans were superb last night. The only whinging is on the forums.Valley11 said:First goal was a fluke. Second was a foul on Jones in the build up. Third was an abomination but game was gone.
We have to stick with this team. They’ve given us an incredible 12 months.
They’re not a bad team overnight.
I really hope the fanbase have a bit of class and pick the boys up when they’re down, not whinge like spoilt children at the first sign of a bad run.Please, everyone have some perspective and a bit of loyalty to the cause.COYRs2 -
Injuries or not, I feel like under Jones we really struggle to get anything out of games where we concede first. We're set up to keep it 0-0 and then hold on to a lead when we go ahead - when we go 1-0 down (or more) we panic and try and change shape every five minutes. We rarely lose when we go ahead but we also rarely pick up points from losing positions.A couple of depressing games to watch, but if we're honest both against teams we wouldn't have expected to beat. Another tough one on Saturday, but no need to panic yet - we've come up through the play-offs and the points we've picked up already show we can be competitive. Come on you reds!6
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ForeverAddickted said:
How do you genuinely avoid future injury situations like this?1968CAFC said:5 injured players is enough to damage a team like ours as we are not a financially big spending club.
some of our so called rich owners should smell the roses and invest in January to strengthen the squad and avoid future injury situations like this, after getting our defence back we still need a proper striker as last night we could have scored two goals with a proper striker up front 👍👍
We've already got two Left-Backs, both of whom are injured, should we have signed a third?
Spending money on better players won't stop them from getting injured, they're human... Can be argued that we've paid the price by signing Burke etc. for peanuts when we knew his injury problems. But whilst an more expensive player might not have the same injury history it doesn't stop them from being injured in the future.
Just look at Man City who lost Rodri in 2024, £62m spent a few years prior, lost to an ACL injury last year.We don't really have two left wing-backs though - Bell was signed to play on the left of the back three. When Edwards got injured he covered that role. We knew we were short on that side at the start of the season.6 -
Everyone who says TC offers nothing is watching different games of football to me.
In the position he has been playing (left sided attack), he takes up 2/3 defenders who have to sit back in order to nullify his pace running onto a ball over the top, and to combat his dribbling ability.
To play effectively as a forward outlet he needs decent cover behind him. When he doesnt have that cover or is played further back, he takes up fewer defenders, the oppo has more space in midfield to pass through our press.Our entire game plan is for him to consume defensive players so that other players have space to score.He does exactly what Jones asks him to do and the chances of him being dropped are imo nil.10 -
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Cant help having sympathy for the players last night,they would have been desperate for a good start but it all went wrong with a lucky cross come goal.With their defence and our attack that was really game over.We need to get 3-4 more points before next year,and hopefully injured key players return and we can go again.6
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In the same order: Olaofe, Knibbs, Anderson and I would shift Ramsay to LCB and Bree to RCB and have Apter at RWB personally.mascot88 said:
For who?CAFC_boi said:TC, Leaburn, Docherty and Gillesphey all need to be dropped. If we’re sentimental we’ll be back in league one. Also, Mannion can’t be any worse than Kaminski.
Owners need to get their cheque book out now for January otherwise we’re doomed.
That just gets more pace and dynamism in the team compared with our current issue of being exposed because we are so slow.0 -
Yes Apter was outstanding at right wing back against Southampton wasnt he and if you noticed we moved Ramsay to the left full back position last night, he tried to hit two line balls with his left foot, they both went out of play, Ramsay is right footed or are you someone who thinks all footballers kick equally well with both feet ?CAFC_boi said:
In the same order: Olaofe, Knibbs, Anderson and I would shift Ramsay to LCB and Bree to RCB and have Apter at RWB personally.mascot88 said:
For who?CAFC_boi said:TC, Leaburn, Docherty and Gillesphey all need to be dropped. If we’re sentimental we’ll be back in league one. Also, Mannion can’t be any worse than Kaminski.
Owners need to get their cheque book out now for January otherwise we’re doomed.
That just gets more pace and dynamism in the team compared with our current issue of being exposed because we are so slow.0 -
So, three defeats on the bounce and only the most blindly optimistic Charlton fan will be expecting anything other than another bad loss at Coventry next Saturday. It’s been a tough run of fixtures and the injuries have certainly been a major factor but we have undoubtedly also been way below the standards we have come to (reasonably) expect.But it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Results wise, we have been punching above our weight so far this season but I would argue that the results have quite often flattered the performance levels. We have generally lacked fluency, attacking capability and goal threat. Most of us expected a bit of a struggle this season and would have been reasonably content avoiding relegation; a lower half finish in our current 14th position would be a cause for celebration. It’s really only our “false” recent standings in or near the play off positions that gave rise to higher aspirations.But I really do think that Nathan Jones needs to reconsider his “small is beautiful” thinking on squad size and composition. Ours is much stronger than in recent years but it’s clear just how vulnerable we are to injuries. It hasn’t helped that we have yet again brought in players like Burke and Bell (as good as they are) who are notoriously injury prone. We can’t cope with that. Lloyd Jones seems to be playing through an injury that would have earned him a rest/recovery period if the defence was at full strength and I don’t think that (or he) can last much longer. I dread to think just how much worse it would be if Lloyd was out too. The absence of Josh Edwards and Amari’i Bell last night led to Macca getting ripped a new one on the left flank. We badly need another option out there. And we need to either renew, sign or replace James Bree at that start of the January window. The only capable alternative option we have there is Kayne Ramsay, who is needed in central defence or (as he showed last night) even on the left. I understand the “small is beautiful” perspective but most other teams at this level have more and better options.I don’t see a lot of point in ripping into certain players but I have to say that Thomas Kaminski has been a disappointment. I was very pleased when we signed him because I thought he would be a big upgrade on our other keeper options. He isn’t. I have seen no evidence of the much heralded shot stopping prowess and aerially he is way behind Will Mannion. It must surely be time to give Will his chance at this level.13
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They have come from the wings because our wingbacks are out injured, or struggling with an injury like Bree. This has stretched the back 3 to cover and there have been holes everywhere.queensland_addick said:With no potency in attack, the defence is under constant pressure not to concede.
A majority of the 8 goals conceded in the last 2 games, have come from the wings.
We need to go back to a back 4 and bring in some energy into the midfield and attack.
Anderson and Oloafe should have started today. TC and Docherty badly need to be rested.
Jones could and should have been more proactive and less loyal to certain players.
None of the reserves elsewhere who have come in, Apter, Knibbs, Olaofe, Hernandez, have been any good.
The first step is to get the back 5 fit again, and to reinforce them in January. Then we can grind out enough clean sheets to keep us up, which was always the plan with an essentially League One level squad.0 -
So you want Gillesphey, Bell and Edwards for those left positions ? You probably need to address the opposite side as well with Burke, Ramsay and Bree, I am going to suggest that you want four players each for those four positions, eight players ? The real issue that has been pointed out is that we have had an injury crisis on the left hand side, Millwall have had exactly the same, oddly enough down their right hand side, their drop in form mirrors our own. Don't forget we are not struggling for players to cover the injured Kelman and Godden, is it working ?ateamofcorygibbs said:ForeverAddickted said:
How do you genuinely avoid future injury situations like this?1968CAFC said:5 injured players is enough to damage a team like ours as we are not a financially big spending club.
some of our so called rich owners should smell the roses and invest in January to strengthen the squad and avoid future injury situations like this, after getting our defence back we still need a proper striker as last night we could have scored two goals with a proper striker up front 👍👍
We've already got two Left-Backs, both of whom are injured, should we have signed a third?
Spending money on better players won't stop them from getting injured, they're human... Can be argued that we've paid the price by signing Burke etc. for peanuts when we knew his injury problems. But whilst an more expensive player might not have the same injury history it doesn't stop them from being injured in the future.
Just look at Man City who lost Rodri in 2024, £62m spent a few years prior, lost to an ACL injury last year.We don't really have two left wing-backs though - Bell was signed to play on the left of the back three. When Edwards got injured he covered that role. We knew we were short on that side at the start of the season.0 -
Southampton, Stoke and Coventry (and to a degree Hollywood FC) are all strong sides who will likely feature heavily in the promotion race this season. Last night was painful to watch though.We need to get our injured players back, and we need to pick up points in December with Pompey, Oxford and Norwich all winnable (or at least not loseable!). But if we have a December like our November then we may well find ourselves in the deep do da.Glass still half full - nil desperandum.
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We've been fairly poor most of the season but have managed to carve out results. I was expecting a hammering if one of our opponents took their chances.
Our game is built on defence and we're unlikely to score many goals. The biggest worry is the lack of pace in our defence - cruelly exposed in the last 2 games. We also look incredibly disorganised.
I hope we don't concede early against Coventry.5 -
So many reactionary responses...
You don't drop your first choice keeper after one bad game. Before Saturday we had the third best clean sheet record in the league so we were doing something right! Last night's game came too soon after a horrible one Saturday the teams confidence was clearly low going into the game and after that start it's safe to say it went from low to rock bottom.
Leaburn is a problem up top when we are up against it. For a big bloke the ball isn't sticking. TC is a confidence player and games like this he suffers and our leaders (Doc, Jones) need to lead not flap their hands in the air VVD style everytime something goes wrong.
At times like this you need to re-group, become resilient, determined and bring in some of the dark arts to get you over the line. We looked so expansive last night after we've just been pumped 5-1 the game before. Be tight, compact, men behind the ball. Time waste, give away those in their half of the pitch, take take with our free kicks a throw ins fruatrate the crowd and the opposition. NJ goes to win every game and I don't think that's the right approach this Saturday5 -
We were having the exact conversation’s around this time last year…but in fooking league 1,we are now sitting just 3 points out of the playoffs in the Championship…(at least a year ahead of the plan),the aim is too finish above the dreaded red line…anything else would be a bonus,we could now go on an unbeaten run like last term,after Saturday…,if we get to about end of March & we are around bottom 3 then surely that’s the time for us lot to panic as it were…plenty BIG established teams in a worse position than us at this moment,l feel more spankings to come,but we will have enough when injured players come back & we adapt more to this unforgiving league…I do believe some are already giving up…why…let’s get behind the boys,management & owners who will not want us to be on their backs & are on a learning curve too,it won’t make them any better players for it,but time will & right now we do have that & a cushion to push on…keep the faith Addicks…❤️🤍 army5
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Haven't read through the whole thread but I think it really needs to be stressed that we need to get behind these boys and not over react. We're 17 games into the season and we're 3 points off the play offs. Our biggest issue is the left hand side and Bell will be back starting for the Portsmouth game. The toughest game of the season is on Saturday which we can't be expecting anything from and that's ok. Jones and the team will be learning from this week, this is a long term project, we're ahead of schedule and we can't let the lows get us down too much, especially when we find ourselves 2 down early on thanks to a freak goal and another that came from our best player misjudging the ball/being fouled. We'll keep trucking on, our injured players will come back, we'll pick up points again to finish mid table and we can laugh about this week at the end of the season.4
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Just saw the goals - all poor.
Once we players return from injury and if we can bring in a few bodies in Jan we will stay up.
The points now become significantly more important - these kind of results and performances make it very clear that we are looking down rather than up.
There is also a trauma attached to getting thoroughly trounced, it makes it far easier to give up after the first or second goal.
Our belief and full on, full aggression has left us for the time being.
We did very well in the first quarter of the season, it looks like a rough next period, but get a draw by hook or by crook to stop the rot and the belief will return.
The next singular point is vital, the longer we go without the shallower out belief will drop to.
If we can get 5 points out of the next 6 games I'd be happy - particularly of the win came against Oxford.3 -
KAMINSKI: one shanked cross drifting over his head, it happens to goalies occasionally but two very similar howlers? That's a worry. He doesn't come for any crosses anymore
RAMSAY: looking ever more like 3rd division is his level - right of 3 or right back he's looked ropey this season - last night he looked best when hopelessly out of position at left back
JONES: is he really fit? he's the little boy with his finger in the busted dyke of Charlton's crumbled defense.
GILLESPHEY: can never play fullback or wingback and only sometimes looks OK alongside Jones
BREE: patchy last night and regularly bypassed
COVENTRY: anonymous and leggy
DOCHERTY: entirely ineffective
CAMPBELL: another 3rd division player, needs a break from starting before his confidence evaporates completely
CAREY: can't carry the midfield alone and last night he clearly knew that
BERRY: had a shot!
LEABURN: zero service bar aimless hoofball
Referee: without Thomas's 2 shanked crosses ending up in the net this shameful buffoon would have been the talking point of the night - the single worst most randomly inept reffing display I've seen in aeons
Subs: KNIBBS: he's really not bothered is he
R-C: No pace at all - the fact we've improved defensively in the last 2 games when he's come on speaks to how miserable the others have been - the fact NJ doesn't start him can only be because he can't run at all
OLAOFE: makes Knibbs look busy and committed
There are no positives to draw from the last 2 games at all
We are dreadfully missing Burke, Bell and Edwards - none of those who have replaced them are close to good enough for this division. Only 3 teams have scored fewer goals than Charlton - and none of the bottom 6! - so defensive ineptitude is fatal. Whether the return of Godden (when or if?) can sharpen the attack is unknown and we've tried all the available options.
NJ needs a massive dose of pragmatism and to stop putting (slow, disinterested) square pegs in round holes sticking to a formation for which he doesn't have the personnel. He has to pick the fittest and most industrious and then form a plan around them - the reverse is what serves up embarrassing humpings from Saints and Potters. Starting Mannion might be a good idea too.
The January transfer window needs to be busy and effective but however much the ownership is prepared to invest, the rules on losses in the Championship put a firm ceiling on that outlay. Revenues might be up but not by anything like the order of magnitude required to bolster this deficient squad.
It would be classic Charlton to burgle a point up Jimmy Hill Way but only crippling disease throughout the Coventry squad makes that even vaguely plausible.
Hopefully Charlton's injured will heal and some sense of adequacy will be restored before Oxford, Swansea and the rest of the clunkers in this division catch us up.
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Post match NJ said Edwards is "longer term" and Godden and Kelman are "a few weeks off" to Richard Cawley4
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redbuttle said:
I know but what do you expect from our first season in the championship? Staying up os our first objective.eastterrace6168 said:
Well, we're not gonna be singing from the rafters are we...😉redbuttle said:
Fans were superb last night. The only whinging is on the forums.Valley11 said:First goal was a fluke. Second was a foul on Jones in the build up. Third was an abomination but game was gone.
We have to stick with this team. They’ve given us an incredible 12 months.
They’re not a bad team overnight.
I really hope the fanbase have a bit of class and pick the boys up when they’re down, not whinge like spoilt children at the first sign of a bad run.Please, everyone have some perspective and a bit of loyalty to the cause.COYRs
Agree, staying up is priority, but concern is not beyond the realms of us is it, I mean, how long do we wait until we are able to show concern...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgonBt1oa9Y
...not just yet anyway...😉0 -
In the last two games we have conceded 6 goals within the first 22 MINUTES and 8 in the first half.
To me this indicates that the team is taking the field totally underprepared defensively, players either don't know or can't understand the role that Nathan is asking them to play
Square pegs in round holes, Apter, Hernandez, Campbell asked to play unfamiliar roles, sticking with one striker up front who just can't cope at this level.
We have had a successful defensive set up for almost past season and a half, yes we have a lot of injuries but asking players to take on unfamiliar jobs almost out of the blue is just not working
Lastly, to me it is a BIG concern for how long players are out injured. Are they being worked too hard in training ?, asked to do too much running during games ? or do we have and have signed too many injury prone players ?
Having said all that, we have been just been pitched in v 3 very good teams, the last 2 and then the so far runaway leaders on Saturday.
Not to say things will be any easier round Christmas and the New Year.
We must hope for new blood in the 'Jan Window' and the recall of Kanu, Mitchell (if he is still in Nathan's good books) and Asiimwi.
Lets hope for a return to good form and good fortune in 20260 -
This is a tough division and this week has to be the toughest seven days a Charlton team has faced in years. We are playing the best three sides on form in the division. Last night Southampton handily beat Leicester, Coventry saw off Middlesbrough and a very competent Stoke side, with a dash of luck for the first goal and skulduggery for the second, overcame the Addicks and moved into second place in the league.
The first three minutes last night killed the game as a contest. We were never going to get any change from a home side with the best defensive record in the division. But I was heartened by the way some of the team kept at it in the second half and actually carved out three chances on goal. Berry and Carey were busy, TC actually took his man on a couple of times (at last) and Ramsey settled well into the left back role.
Again NJ has his work cut out getting the players heads right for Saturday but he might as well say that they go out and enjoy themselves. Coventry is beating everybody so there is no shame in giving it a go and losing out.
But after Saturday the real challenge begins of stopping the rot and starting to claw back points. This effort, we hope, will be bolstered by the return of the likes of Bell and Kelman, players who add some coherence to the side which is badly missing at the moment.
The festive season looks like being absolutely crucial. If we do half as well as last year, then that will be fine. Then we hope our owners back the manager again in January. Oh for a player like Stoke's no10 Junho, who ran the show last night. As for strikers, well we have a couple of players out on loan at the moment who are not doing too bad and I'm not talking about Gas.
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You poor soul.Chippycafc said:What was kamikaze doing for those 1st and 3rd goals no keeper should be beaten from there. Uphill after that. Confidence looks shot. Good turnout for those that went. Going to Coventry Saturday, not booked back till the 19.13, could be spending a few hours looking round Coventry.
It will be bad enough to see us ship another 5 or 6 goals. But then having to spend a few hours in Coventry is just more than any man should have to suffer! :-)3 -
You missed out Karoy Anderson who when he came on I thought did okay.Billy_Mix said:KAMINSKI: one shanked cross drifting over his head, it happens to goalies occasionally but two very similar howlers? That's a worry. He doesn't come for any crosses anymore
RAMSAY: looking ever more like 3rd division is his level - right of 3 or right back he's looked ropey this season - last night he looked best when hopelessly out of position at left back
JONES: is he really fit? he's the little boy with his finger in the busted dyke of Charlton's crumbled defense.
GILLESPHEY: can never play fullback or wingback and only sometimes looks OK alongside Jones
BREE: patchy last night and regularly bypassed
COVENTRY: anonymous and leggy
DOCHERTY: entirely ineffective
CAMPBELL: another 3rd division player, needs a break from starting before his confidence evaporates completely
CAREY: can't carry the midfield alone and last night he clearly knew that
BERRY: had a shot!
LEABURN: zero service bar aimless hoofball
Referee: without Thomas's 2 shanked crosses ending up in the net this shameful buffoon would have been the talking point of the night - the single worst most randomly inept reffing display I've seen in aeons
Subs: KNIBBS: he's really not bothered is he
R-C: No pace at all - the fact we've improved defensively in the last 2 games when he's come on speaks to how miserable the others have been - the fact NJ doesn't start him can only be because he can't run at all
OLAOFE: makes Knibbs look busy and committed
There are no positives to draw from the last 2 games at all
We are dreadfully missing Burke, Bell and Edwards - none of those who have replaced them are close to good enough for this division. Only 3 teams have scored fewer goals than Charlton - and none of the bottom 6! - so defensive ineptitude is fatal. Whether the return of Godden (when or if?) can sharpen the attack is unknown and we've tried all the available options.
NJ needs a massive dose of pragmatism and to stop putting (slow, disinterested) square pegs in round holes sticking to a formation for which he doesn't have the personnel. He has to pick the fittest and most industrious and then form a plan around them - the reverse is what serves up embarrassing humpings from Saints and Potters. Starting Mannion might be a good idea too.
The January transfer window needs to be busy and effective but however much the ownership is prepared to invest, the rules on losses in the Championship put a firm ceiling on that outlay. Revenues might be up but not by anything like the order of magnitude required to bolster this deficient squad.
It would be classic Charlton to burgle a point up Jimmy Hill Way but only crippling disease throughout the Coventry squad makes that even vaguely plausible.
Hopefully Charlton's injured will heal and some sense of adequacy will be restored before Oxford, Swansea and the rest of the clunkers in this division catch us up.
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8 first half goals conceded in the last 2 Championship games which surpasses the 6 that Charlton let in v Huddersfield Town and Hull City in the first half of those games back in January 2016.Charlton lost both of those games by 5 and 6 nil respectively1
