POST-MATCH THREAD: Portsmouth vs Charlton Athletic - Monday 29th December 2025 - 7:45pm Kick-Off

RodneyCharltonTrotta

There's 2 ways for the team and fanbase to go after last night's sickner.  Admit defeat and see every (inevitable at this level) loss as a symptom to confirm the pessimistic 'we're down'/ players are shit/ Jones needs to go narrative and the inevitable translation of the groans and boos from the pitch which then seeps into the player's mentality and whole atmosphere and aura at the club. 

Or the inverse- start the season as we did with absolutely realistic expectations that we're a small side at this level with a group of league one players who have a passionate manager who gets the club and can get the best out of a set of limited players as he did last season and the start of this one.

When we were flying at the right end of the table a couple of months ago a few people at work would say we're doing well etc and i'd say as long as we stay up this year that's all i care about as it was inevitable as even when we were sat in the playoffs that it wouldn't last based on the quality, depth and experience of the squad comparative to established championship and ex premier league sides.

Fans and the players and manager can choose to spend the next half of the season in the mindset of this is an inevitable slow journey to relegation back to league one and all that doom and gloom or can grab our collective bollocks and be positive and optimistic and realistic....i.e. our first season back in a big league where we are minnows with limited resources but by sheer grit and giving it a go can and will do enough to stay up and allow us to improve next summer.

Changing manager now would be mental. We're in this league because of Jones not in spite of him and he's the best manager we've had arguably since Curbishley.  


I think we've lost perspective because of the epic start because if you'd said on day one we'd be 5 points above relegation with a game in hand and a few teams below us halfway through the season i'd have bitten your hand off.

It will be a slog and we'll lose a good few with the odd battering I expect such is the quality of some of the teams in this league but keep the faith, get behind Jones and the players and we'll hopefully do enough to stay up.  Much better than moping about it and festering negativity when a realistic perspective would suggest it was always gonna be like this.

Webby

I was at the game last night and it does not seem the general opinion, but I thought it was a good game. We worked hard, created numerous chances and looked the better team for most of the game. I know the bar is rather low at the moment but most players did well, TC was not the threat he can be and Portsmouth seemed happy for him to remain unmarked on his own out wide, whereas presiosly would have been double marked taking players out of the game to keep an eye on him. The last second winner was painful and in my opinion totally undeserved, made worse by having to travel back to the Isle of Wight on a boat full of gloating Pompey supporters, the same ones that on the journey over were full of doom and gloom.

9goalswentpastperry

The Red Robin said:

PragueAddick said:

oohaahmortimer said:

MuttleyCAFC said:

I know I have a natural bias but the ref was a bit too helpful to them. Yes, we are fragile but we have to stick with Nathan and the lads. We will come through it that way. The ref played 5 minutes when it should have been 9. There were some stopages in added time but not more than a minute and a half tops. It was like he didn't give us enough time, but when we equalised he gave more time. That goal was last gasp and should have been the end of it. Look he is not a cheat but he was a homer. There were long stoppages in normal time and he played 5 mins and he played that again for the added time. Ridiculous. 

stoppage time started nearly 30 seconds late they chewed up a load more and we celebrated our goal chewing up more there was no problem with the timing .... there will be a minimum of 5 mins additional time

It‘s good that you - who was there - inject a note of realism into this part of the fiasco. So we absolutely cannot use it as an excuse. On the other hand it always gets raised because nobody knows how the fuck it is being worked out, and we should know, we just need to copy and adapt how its done in ice hockey. I just don’t see this level of confusion on the Continent either. It’s quite common for the first half to have no stoppage time here. Last night we had a minute. For what? Then in the second half: around 80 mins Tel and Brownie ponder how much there will be and both agree there were significant stoppages, so 7-8 mins. 5 was shocking. Of course I get the irony, if there had been 8 we wouldnt be having this discussion. Except that maybe we wouldnt have switched off as we did. Knibbs goal went in on 5.50 according to Cawley. @Callumcafc said it took 10 seconds from restart for the Pompey winner. 

We absolutely cannot blame this farcical defeat on the timekeeping per se. But we pay enough to expect clarity. How do we get it?

- clear statement by the FA about what is added on for what. e.g. subs. There is this legend that its 30 secs per sub. Is it a rule? What if 3 subs come on at the same time? 

- give the time monitoring responsibility to the 4th officlal, or a separate one. Free up the ref to make decisions, not having to constantly recall how much time he adds on
- wire up the 4th officials time keeping device to the stadium clock. He stops, the clock stops, we all see it, in game. When it gets to 90.00, big electronic whistle blasts. No chance for the ref to “ just see what happens from this corner”.

There, I feel better now. Marginally.

Isn’t it also 30 seconds per goal too? So when we scored he would have added another 30 if that’s the case. 

You wouldn't magic up another 30 seconds if we scored as time elapsed though. Pompey scored their second and the whistle went as there was no more time left. 

Garrymanilow

I think our biggest problem at the moment is lack of balance. We’re just like the Jackson L1 side in that we started off with an interesting lopsided 352 with a winger at RWB playing high in possession but before long we went flat and were just playing a standard 352 with players in the wrong places. The Edwards injury has done so much damage to us; at the start of the season we had Apter playing high and Ramsay a natural RB moving into that space when he went forward, but there was also a big link up with Edwards and Campbell on the left. If anything more attacking play went through Edwards than Apter as we like a slow build from the backline and Bell is quick enough to cover if Edwards gets caught upfield. Now though our lack of defensive LWB has meant that we’re playing wingers on the left with usually only Gillesphey to cover, which is a disaster and Bree has reverted to his natural RB approach which gives us very little in terms of stretching the play. It’s all gone to a very flat 352 with little width and it’s killing our creativity. 

People can talk about how the players aren’t of the right standard but they weren’t under Curbs either, or when Powell got them to within a few points of the Championship playoffs. Structure and balance made them more than the sum of their parts and that’s what we were at the start of the season. We need a like for like replacement for Edwards as soon as possible and to go back to what we were doing at the start of this season and the best parts of last season. Have Bree spending his time in the opposition half like earlier in the season or play Apter and give TC someone to work with on the left and we’ll look so much better 

golfaddick

PragueAddick said:

oohaahmortimer said:

MuttleyCAFC said:

I know I have a natural bias but the ref was a bit too helpful to them. Yes, we are fragile but we have to stick with Nathan and the lads. We will come through it that way. The ref played 5 minutes when it should have been 9. There were some stopages in added time but not more than a minute and a half tops. It was like he didn't give us enough time, but when we equalised he gave more time. That goal was last gasp and should have been the end of it. Look he is not a cheat but he was a homer. There were long stoppages in normal time and he played 5 mins and he played that again for the added time. Ridiculous. 

stoppage time started nearly 30 seconds late they chewed up a load more and we celebrated our goal chewing up more there was no problem with the timing .... there will be a minimum of 5 mins additional time

wire up the 4th officials time keeping device to the stadium clock. He stops, the clock stops, we all see it, in game. When it gets to 90.00, big electronic whistle blasts. No chance for the ref to “ just see what happens from this corner”.

There, I feel better now. Marginally.

Totally agree. Football needs to follow Rugby and have the match clock stop for all stoppages. Then there is no dispute & time is up when the clock hits 90. 

Ilovelondontown

As a team & set of fans we’ve been royally mugged off in a 30 second period last night and will have to deal with the stick for a bit!!, was absolutely fuming walking out still am this morning “but” yes we are probably one of the worst 4/5 teams in this league it there is still all to play for and somehow “ cliche time” we have to stick together, roll up our sleeves and fight. 

PragueAddick

The Red Robin said:

A quick Google:

Referees are tasked with carefully tracking all instances that take time away from continuous gameplay. These include but are not limited to:

• Player injuries and their treatment on the field
• Substitutions, which require players to leave and enter the field
• Delays caused by goal celebrations
• Time-wasting tactics, such as delaying restarts or excessive delays in throwing the ball back into play
• Disciplinary actions like yellow and red cards that momentarily pause the action
• VAR (Video Assistant Referee) interventions and replays that can cause stoppages

Thanks for that. It's noticeable that e.g with substitutions, it sheds no light on whether it is a fixed 30 seconds per sub - as ex-pros like Steve Brown think is the case, but are not actually sure. How come even someone like him cannot get definitive answers?

Then when you look at that list, you wonder how a ref can be expected to keep all that lot in his head. Have they (the FA)  never heard of the proven fact that unnecessarily using your brain as a memory bank in your work situation negatively affects your mental ability to optimally perform your tasks?. 

This is about relieving refs of a tedious mechanical task, and above all providing transparency for the (brace yourselves) paying customers.

But of course I'm only going on about this to take my mind off the fiasco. 😉

The Red Robin

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

There's 2 ways for the team and fanbase to go after last night's sickner.  Admit defeat and see every (inevitable at this level) loss as a symptom to confirm the pessimistic 'we're down'/ players are shit/ Jones needs to go narrative and the inevitable translation of the groans and boos from the pitch which then seeps into the player's mentality and whole atmosphere and aura at the club. 

Or the inverse- start the season as we did with absolutely realistic expectations that we're a small side at this level with a group of league one players who have a passionate manager who gets the club and can get the best out of a set of limited players as he did last season and the start of this one.

When we were flying at the right end of the table a couple of months ago a few people at work would say we're doing well etc and i'd say as long as we stay up this year that's all i care about as it was inevitable as even when we were sat in the playoffs that it wouldn't last based on the quality, depth and experience of the squad comparative to established championship and ex premier league sides.

Fans and the players and manager can choose to spend the next half of the season in the mindset of this is an inevitable slow journey to relegation back to league one and all that doom and gloom or can grab our collective bollocks and be positive and optimistic and realistic....i.e. our first season back in a big league where we are minnows with limited resources but by sheer grit and giving it a go can and will do enough to stay up and allow us to improve next summer.

Changing manager now would be mental. We're in this league because of Jones not in spite of him and he's the best manager we've had arguably since Curbishley.  


I think we've lost perspective because of the epic start because if you'd said on day one we'd be 5 points above relegation with a game in hand and a few teams below us halfway through the season i'd have bitten your hand off.

It will be a slog and we'll lose a good few with the odd battering I expect such is the quality of some of the teams in this league but keep the faith, get behind Jones and the players and we'll hopefully do enough to stay up.  Much better than moping about it and festering negativity when a realistic perspective would suggest it was always gonna be like this.

Well said Dave.

fenaddick

PragueAddick said:

The Red Robin said:

A quick Google:

Referees are tasked with carefully tracking all instances that take time away from continuous gameplay. These include but are not limited to:

• Player injuries and their treatment on the field
• Substitutions, which require players to leave and enter the field
• Delays caused by goal celebrations
• Time-wasting tactics, such as delaying restarts or excessive delays in throwing the ball back into play
• Disciplinary actions like yellow and red cards that momentarily pause the action
• VAR (Video Assistant Referee) interventions and replays that can cause stoppages

Thanks for that. It's noticeable that e.g with substitutions, it sheds no light on whether it is a fixed 30 seconds per sub - as ex-pros like Steve Brown think is the case, but are not actually sure. How come even someone like him cannot get definitive answers?

Then when you look at that list, you wonder how a ref can be expected to keep all that lot in his head. Have they (the FA)  never heard of the proven fact that unnecessarily using your brain as a memory bank in your work situation negatively affects your mental ability to optimally perform your tasks?. 

This is about relieving refs of a tedious mechanical task, and above all providing transparency for the (brace yourselves) paying customers.

But of course I'm only going on about this to take my mind off the fiasco. 😉

They don’t keep it in their head. They have two watches, one that keeps track of stoppages and one that is the match clock 

Bailey

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of positive posts on this thread. I was furious last night, looking for someone to blame and was dreading those posts who were probably putting my initial anger into words, but there is more here about the overall performance and the obvious shortcomings than the few rants, and I think no one would blame anybody for a display of angst after losing in that manner. We need to back the team, Nathan Jones and the owners more than ever now, starting against Coventry, and being robbed in broad floodlight at Fratton Park should fire everyone up. 

AberystwythAddick

Video of the final minutes has gone viral on Twitter, we’re an embarrassment 

oohaahmortimer

Just re watched the “additional time”

Sub being made as 90.00 ticked over 

Game restarted on 90.27

Free kick to Pompey 92.03

Restarted 92.33

Free kick to Pompey 93.03

Restarted 93.46 (Pompey player booked time wasting )

Free kick to Charlton 94.03 

Restarted 94.23

Free kick to Charlton 94.55

Restarted 95.34

Corner Charlton 95.37

Taken 95.52

Goal 95.56

Game restarts 97.02

Pompey score 97.12

Restart 98.08

Finish 98.10

27 seconds 

30 seconds 

43 seconds

20 seconds

39 seconds 

15 seconds

66 seconds 

= 4 mins of non play …. Before the Pompey restart and goal.

There was a throw on or two in injury time and of course it’s a minimum of 5 mins additional time and looking at that 4 mins was played so nothing crazy or untoward time wise .

edit: so 3 mins were played,  4 mins non play when pompey kicked off on 97.02 

we should have had more time to equalise again!!

eastterrace6168

Bearing in mind the 5 minutes added time was put up before the 90th minute, so makes a total of 9 minutes added time in total...

ForeverAddickted

I was annoyed by the fact that the referee didnt blow his whistle after the equaliser, thought it would have been justified punishment for the Pompey time wasting, that was an emotional reaction though and said even when the board went up that 5-mins seems very lenient towards Portsmouth.

eastterrace6168

ForeverAddickted said:

I was annoyed by the fact that the referee didnt blow his whistle after the equaliser, thought it would have been justified punishment for the Pompey time wasting, that was an emotional reaction though and said even when the board went up that 5-mins seems very lenient towards Portsmouth.

Also, what about the time wasting after they scored, we could go on forever, but we have to move on eh...

_MrDick

Aaarrrrgh …. 🤬

oohaahmortimer

eastterrace6168 said:

Bearing in mind the 5 minutes added time was put up before the 90th minute, so makes a total of 9 minutes added time in total...

Garrymanilow

AberystwythAddick said:

Video of the final minutes has gone viral on Twitter, we’re an embarrassment 

Give over. It’s football, it happens. The good thing is it’s usually us, we’ve had 6 injury time goals this season alone, 3 of them winners and one an equaliser. Just last season we had the two goal injury time swing against Orient in our favour and then a similar situation to last night when we scored and then conceded to drop points at Barnsley. Before that we had the ridiculous multi goal 4-4 against Ipswich and the stupid injury time up and down at Accrington. It hurts but we shouldn’t act like it isn’t just something that happens in football, the Pompey fans seem more shocked about it than we do. At least it’s not like under Appleton where there were always injury time goals but only against us. 

stockportugaladdick

I was out for dinner last night but kept one eye on my phone. When our last minute equaliser went in, I jumped up with a loud yeesss, made a twit of myself in the restaurant and turned my phone off happy in the knowledge we had secured a point. Only found out we had lost when I came on here this morning to read all the doom and gloom.

Beyond gutted.

ElfsborgAddick

Greenie said:

We’ve been punching above our weight all season and we’ve been found out. Most of our players are just not good enough, L1 at best ! They give 100% but if the board are honest with themselves and want success then we need 5/6 Championship level players in the Jan window to give us a fighting chance to stay up.

Excellent summary.

Need to keep a settled team, my one criticism of Jones is that he does not seem to know his best team and is making too many changes.

shirty5

AberystwythAddick said:

Video of the final minutes has gone viral on Twitter, we’re an embarrassment 

At least they all get £250 from Jeremy Beadle when they are shown on You’ve been framed this weekend 

Will goes towards paying the bills

Talal

Not bothered how many minutes should or shouldn't have been played. Just defend.

NabySarr

Starting to get players back but last nights back 5 had 3 players that aren’t fit and another playing out of position so it’s still not ideal. We are a better team than Pompey and Oxford, and that’s before we get back to near full strength

13 home games left will decide our destiny. If we perform like we have done so far at home we will be comfortably safe 

ElfsborgAddick

charente addick said:

I’m still convinced that there are a handful of teams worse than us in this division (Pompey included) but we’ve quickly got to get the mental strength back that served us so well in the second half of last term.

Portsmouth and Oxford are poor teams.  I would say it will be between us and these two for the two other relegation spots.

I cannot see Jones changing his system so dramatically that we'll start banging goals in.

eastterrace6168

.

Kap10

sammy391 said:

As posted on the other thread, having had time to read others views & ponder…

We are desperately in need of a proper motivated NJ ‘dragging them kicking and screaming’ reaction -back to the old school NJ, the newly appointed NJ- only thing that will get survival, is that backs to the wall and us v the world mentality again.


Having said that, its stark to see that there are a lot of fans that are unhappy with NJ - theres a lot of people that need winning back 

On Charlton Live the guy from Oxford said that if they had a vacancy then the guy best fit to fill it would be Rowett, I feel the same about Jones and Charlton.  Its too early for anyone to be calling for him to go.  I still believe that he can turn thisround, but we will need to go through some shit before that happens .....

Looking forward to the two C's!!!! Coventry and Chelsea ..... Not!  

JohnnyH2

AberystwythAddick said:

Video of the final minutes has gone viral on Twitter, we’re an embarrassment 

Exactly what the idiot who took/posted it wanted. So many of these attention seeking idiots in our fanbase

The Red Robin

oohaahmortimer said:

Just re watched the “additional time”

Sub being made as 90.00 ticked over 

Game restarted on 90.27

Free kick to Pompey 92.03

Restarted 92.33

Free kick to Pompey 93.03

Restarted 93.46 (Pompey player booked time wasting )

Free kick to Charlton 94.03 

Restarted 94.23

Free kick to Charlton 94.55

Restarted 95.34

Corner Charlton 95.37

Taken 95.52

Goal 95.56

Game restarts 97.02

Pompey score 97.12

Restart 98.08

Finish 98.10

27 seconds 

30 seconds 

43 seconds

20 seconds

39 seconds 

15 seconds

66 seconds 

= 4 mins of non play …. Before the Pompey restart and goal.

There was a throw on or two in injury time and of course it’s a minimum of 5 mins additional time and looking at that 4 mins was played so nothing crazy or untoward time wise .

edit: so 3 mins were played,  4 mins non play when pompey kicked off on 97.02 

we should have had more time to equalise again!!

Unlike us, I’m sure Pompey could have held on.

charltonbob

Scoham said:

Lost my post in the mix up with the two post match threads.

Won’t bother writing it all again other than that we need to improve in possession and going forward. JRC looks like he can be part of that, and we need some good attacking footballers to join in January.

Huge transfer window ahead for NJ and the ownership.

Problem is, even if the ownership are willing to throw some money at it no one in this Division are going to sell decent players to us & that is what we need some decent Championship players. Having said that if we're just going to play hoof it & hope who's going to want to come here ?

Athletico Charlton

I actually feel quite positive this morning, for a few reasons:

- Despite the result, Portsmouth were awful, if they don't strengthen in Jan, they won't be picking up loads of points.  See Oxford for this too.
- gutting to lose at the end of course and our football was attritional but it was better than I have seen recently
- big if, but if they stay fit, Burke, Bell and Jones + Ramsey when back), is a very good, solid base to start.
- at least the end was entertaining.  Have to admit when we equalised, I was on my chair singing away, when we conceded I just laughed at the nonsense of it all.  I haven't been entertained at our games for some weeks now and, ultimately football is in the entertainment business.
- we are still 5 points clear of relegation and I would have taken that all day long at the end of 2025 had I been offered at the start of the season.

Over to the board, Chapple and Jones to bring in the right reinforcements now.