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POST-MATCH THREAD: Blackburn Rovers v Charlton Athletic: Sunday 4th January 2026: KO 15:00
Comments
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That's a good theory!Chunes said:
Not sure we need to theorise... We're in a bad spell because of the problems down our left side. Don't think it's much deeper than that.CharltonManor1966 said:One further point about NJ (and I really am a fan of his for what he has done for the club) so just an observation......
Some have commented here about how some players (Carey in particular) are making poor choices when going forward.
We all see what NJ is like on the touchline during games. He kicks every ball and tells players where to throw it in and is always directing things very forcefully and vocally.
I can only imagine what he is like on the training ground!
My theory is that our players may be over directed and managed and they live in fear of not doing what NJ has asked of them even if it has gone well occasionally.
So the result can often be a safe pass rather than a more adventurous one, a backwards pass rather than a forwards pass. In general their confidence is shot and they live in fear of making a mistake.
Maybe NJ's great strength of being absolutely in charge and directorial in approach and his insistance on a system, is also his weakness in that some players are over managed to the point of being scared of taking risks.
OK end of theory. I am sure I will get pelters for daring to say anything about NJ but hey-ho.........1 -
We have all been pissed off for the last 5-6 years watching league 1 football.We now have what we,, wanted,Championship football.What did we expect,to roll teams over every week.this league is tough,I guarantee some of the clubs in the lower reaches of La liga,Bundesliga etc.would struggle to make an impression.Blackburn,Norwich,seasoned clubs both struggling,Derby,Sheff utd,Swansea,all good established sides,not doing great.Yes to drop points like we have recently is galling,but never forget the level of football we are now playing at,this is what we wanted,lets enjoy the ride and keep the faith.21
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I genuinely feel there is a lack of footballing brainpower in these players , no game management .
Kelman even admits he shouldn’t have hooked the ball in to no one , straight in to the keepers hands which led to the break for their goal .Yes holding the ball up would have been better for players to get nearer /in to the box .
Berry (lack of legs ) is the only one with a brain , he’s in there doing negligible fouls, constantly breaking up the rhythm of the oppo , look at his vision when he gets the ball he sees all around (good pass out wide for our first goal ) yes his legs are gone but he’s got a footballing brain way beyond our divvy group of crabs .14 -
I'm getting tired of our negative play.
2 nil up and we should have gone in for the kill.
Instead, we stopped playing. The amount of times we get into the final third, then turn around and the ball ends back with Kaminski.
JRC is the only one who is constantly looking to play forward.
We had only one good passage of forward play, started by JRC, where we moved the ball forward quickly, and we actually scored from it!
JRC then got knackered and we did bugger all going forward after that
We need an attitude change. The negative play needs to end.1 -
Should have left Bell on the left and brought on Gough. Macca is way too slow and he kept passing to the other team.
Midfield is not good enough in any way for this league. We have no cutting edge.
Burke is clearly unfit and is now proving a liability through his constant injuries. Bree needs to be sent back. TC is a sub, at best.
Docherty is past it and Olafae is simply not good enough in this league
We need at least 4 quality players in this window or we will go down.
The only bright spot yesterday was Lloyd, Charlie and Miles.
I think Sheffield Wednesday & Oxford are down, so that final relegation spot is between Pompey and us, as I think Norwich and Blackburn will scrape through.
Can we get another 20-25 points in the last 21 games ? I very much doubt it given our form, lack of squad depth and constant injuries to key players.
Owners need to step up, but NJ also needs to adapt his selections and tactics during games, in my opinion
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It looks like we’re in the same position (19th place) with the same number of wins (7) in both 2025 and 2020.
This is quite a handy tool if you enjoy looking at historical hope or misery. One thing I learnt from 2020 was to just focus on our games and results, rather than predict what might happen elsewhere in this bonkers league.
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/05-january-2025/0 -
‘’Must win’ just creates unnecessary pressure and additional disappointment when it doesn’t occur.There were 66 points still on offer going into yesterday’s game. Winning / Drawing / Losing v Blackburn won’t define our season, if we end up staying up by 10 points then this game would have had no real relevance.
I’m purposely not looking at the table now until about mid-Feb when there’s 13-14 games to go. We know we need to start winning games, that’s clear to everyone, as is the likely outcome if we don’t.27 -
We were very poor, but we're a point nearer survival, and I don't think we're going to pick up up many more points away from home, so glass half full for me.2
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Absolutely. It’s become a core part of today’s vlogger and YouTube culture: create a bit of extra drama, even if it comes at the cost of harmony within their own fan base.AFKABartram said:‘’Must win’ just creates unnecessary pressure and additional disappointment when it doesn’t occur.There were 66 points still on offer going into yesterday’s game. Winning / Drawing / Losing v Blackburn won’t define our season, if we end up staying up by 10 points then this game would have had no real relevance.
I’m purposely not looking at the table now until about mid-Feb when there’s 13-14 games to go. We know we need to start winning games, that’s clear to everyone, as is the likely outcome if we don’t.
In reality, if we had drawn all of our so called ‘must win’ games, we still would have come away with a 3 point gap from each team played. Wins would have been great, of course.10 -
I think we should also bear in mind the logistics of the last two games.We Played the league leaders 1st Jan,one days gap then a 250 mile approx trip to the North West (your Arsenals and Chelseas of this world would probably have flown in about an hour or so )I have done this trip several times by car and it a bastard journey by road so although the team would have been driven,it is still a tiring journey which could well have contributed to the 2nd half deterioration in performance.5
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I think that’s really pertinent. It seems like the need to create constant drama for “content” means all perspective is lost. Yesterday was a six pointer and we should have been targeting a win (especially at two bloody nil up) but it clearly wasn’t a “must win” game since we didn’t win it and our goal of avoiding relegation is still alive._uptheaddicks said:
Absolutely. It’s become a core part of today’s vlogger and YouTube culture: create a bit of extra drama, even if it comes at the cost of harmony within their own fan base.AFKABartram said:‘’Must win’ just creates unnecessary pressure and additional disappointment when it doesn’t occur.There were 66 points still on offer going into yesterday’s game. Winning / Drawing / Losing v Blackburn won’t define our season, if we end up staying up by 10 points then this game would have had no real relevance.
I’m purposely not looking at the table now until about mid-Feb when there’s 13-14 games to go. We know we need to start winning games, that’s clear to everyone, as is the likely outcome if we don’t.
In reality, if we had drawn all of our so called ‘must win’ games, we still would have come away with a 3 point gap from each team played. Wins would have been great, of course.9 -
We have 18 points from 11 home games this season. We are still a good team at home even with our current issues (Coventry game showed that’s still the case). Repeating that 1.63 points per game for our remaining 12 home games gives us 19.6 points. If we keep up our strong home form for the rest of the season then that’s 19-20 points added and then we barely need to pickup any points away from home to get past 50 pointsBigDiddy said:Should have left Bell on the left and brought on Gough. Macca is way too slow and he kept passing to the other team.
Midfield is not good enough in any way for this league. We have no cutting edge.
Burke is clearly unfit and is now proving a liability through his constant injuries. Bree needs to be sent back. TC is a sub, at best.
Docherty is past it and Olafae is simply not good enough in this league
We need at least 4 quality players in this window or we will go down.
The only bright spot yesterday was Lloyd, Charlie and Miles.
I think Sheffield Wednesday & Oxford are down, so that final relegation spot is between Pompey and us, as I think Norwich and Blackburn will scrape through.
Can we get another 20-25 points in the last 21 games ? I very much doubt it given our form, lack of squad depth and constant injuries to key players.
Owners need to step up, but NJ also needs to adapt his selections and tactics during games, in my opinion5 -
Did you have to leave the bar from a certain door to avoid the other fans?!TootingRedArmy said:I’ve had more fun times watching Charlton… on holiday & ended up in Linkears Bar, to see the match…walking through the hotel to Linekars with “Follow the leader” playing loudly with 3 very energetic staff geeing on the pool aqua arocobats - with oops and screams set the tone for 2 hrs in Wayne' World Linekar bar with 9 screens simultaneously showing different matches, with competing Geordies, Scousers & Yorkshire fans yelling their support for their respective teams.The Barman put on Blackburn V Charlton on one screen, and I listen to Charlton TV with my mobile pressed to my ear to hear the commentary, which lagged in and out sometimes 15secs behind the TV. Sat on a table with an affable but irritating Geordie with his toon shirt & baseball cap swung back to front like a character from the Beano - who spent the whole Newcastle game "way haying" with a German Lady on the next table screaming in my other ear as she watched the Liverpool match.Since the islands mantra is “NO STRESS” I tried to zone out the 8 other matches and focus on the Addicks,….so 2-2 …yes disappointing, but only as we throw away a 2 goal lead. I was hoping for a draw before the match, so I’m happy and it represents 4 pts taken from Blackburn, and positively we sit 5 pts above the bottom 3 with a game in hand with the Jan transfer window awaiting.Chelsea offers us all now a brief respite from the championship, it’s a free hit. I’m looking forward far more to going to our away fixture at The Den, I have no idea why but this year feels like we may finally slay the Lions.life back in Championship is tough but it’s also so much more fun than the 9 seasons spent in League one in the last decade. 21 games to go time to buckle up, we’re in for a rollercoaster ride…COYA0 -
The increased availability and coverage of games has done a lot of that legwork as well. Every single game has reams of lead up, opposition news, tactical speculation, arguments about which players should start, conversations about ramifications of points and the ability to immediately react to everything that happens on the pitch and straight after. It's fun for people like us who enjoy talking about football but it has over-elevated every single match in a way that isn't really healthy. Some of the reactions people have to games that previously just would have been that game in October would be absolutely mystifying to us ten years ago.se9addick said:
I think that’s really pertinent. It seems like the need to create constant drama for “content” means all perspective is lost. Yesterday was a six pointer and we should have been targeting a win (especially at two bloody nil up) but it clearly wasn’t a “must win” game since we didn’t win it and our goal of avoiding relegation is still alive._uptheaddicks said:
Absolutely. It’s become a core part of today’s vlogger and YouTube culture: create a bit of extra drama, even if it comes at the cost of harmony within their own fan base.AFKABartram said:‘’Must win’ just creates unnecessary pressure and additional disappointment when it doesn’t occur.There were 66 points still on offer going into yesterday’s game. Winning / Drawing / Losing v Blackburn won’t define our season, if we end up staying up by 10 points then this game would have had no real relevance.
I’m purposely not looking at the table now until about mid-Feb when there’s 13-14 games to go. We know we need to start winning games, that’s clear to everyone, as is the likely outcome if we don’t.
In reality, if we had drawn all of our so called ‘must win’ games, we still would have come away with a 3 point gap from each team played. Wins would have been great, of course.
I said it a few days ago but can you imagine how insufferable things would have been in something like 02/03 when we only got 3 wins from 13 games at the start of the season? It would have been threads about how Curbs had done well to get us promoted but he's not in credit anymore, his football is too negative and he has to go. Losing 1-0 away at Fulham would be labelled 'disgraceful' and someone would be yelling about Robbie Mustoe. Our 'must-win' game against Sunderland in November ending in a draw would have been the sign of certain relegation. I think it's just what happens when you get too much opportunity to talk about the minutiae of football in a way that encourages immediate reaction and gives more value to the now rather than the wider picture7 -
I agree, and if I was to challenge and be critical, then given we only had Edwards and Ramsay unavailable, we really should have utilised the squad more rather than going with the same 11 for both gamesthickandthin63 said:I think we should also bear in mind the logistics of the last two games.We Played the league leaders 1st Jan,one days gap then a 250 mile approx trip to the North West (your Arsenals and Chelseas of this world would probably have flown in about an hour or so )I have done this trip several times by car and it a bastard journey by road so although the team would have been driven,it is still a tiring journey which could well have contributed to the 2nd half deterioration in performance.5 -
On the plus side, our strikers are starting to get more chances. Might be a sign of our attacking play starting to come together. Having someone like JRC in the side helps, even though he didn't really shine yesterday. Just having a midfielder who will carry the ball and play forward creates more space for the front two.6
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Despite unacceptably and disastrously failing to win any of these must win matches, is Jones still "undoubtedly a better manager than Bowyer and Powell", by the way...?Braziliance said:
Playing the magnitude of the game down, quite sensible.aliwibble said:
But also "... a point is a point, it's on the road, it's important not to lose..."Braziliance said:
My fkn gaffer.robinofottershaw said:I really wish NJ hadn’t said this!
“We’re disappointed. This is Blackburn Rovers, they’ve been a Championship side for a long time and we’re coming here and we’re devastated with a point, so it shows we’ve come a long way.”
And so we should be devastated Jones mate, their fans didn't expect a win at all.
That's why he put his arms up at the end at us as if to say "what the f**k" he knows how honking this was.
No one knows more than Nathan Jones how important these games have been, and to get 4 out of a possible 12, when we only managed 2 points out of a possible 21 from the other 7 games either side of the relegation 6 pointers, was a bloody disaster.
Fortunately the other teams below us are so horrendous, we have got away with it, for now.
FYI I'm very much still in support of Jones and whilst disappointing and a number of managerial errors in these games, I don't think it's been disastrous or unacceptable and hoping he will see us on to better and out of this situation1 -
AFKABartram said:
I agree, and if I was to challenge and be critical, then given we only had Edwards and Ramsay unavailable, we really should have utilised the squad more rather than going with the same 11 for both gamesthickandthin63 said:I think we should also bear in mind the logistics of the last two games.We Played the league leaders 1st Jan,one days gap then a 250 mile approx trip to the North West (your Arsenals and Chelseas of this world would probably have flown in about an hour or so )I have done this trip several times by car and it a bastard journey by road so although the team would have been driven,it is still a tiring journey which could well have contributed to the 2nd half deterioration in performance.As an NJ fan, I really cannot understand the following:
Neither Apter nor Fullah starting at LWB in any game
No attempt to switch formation based on the players available
Fullah playing zero minutes since Birmingham
Gough impressing against Norwich but not being used in the same role when an injury created the need
Bell being moved to RCB, leaving TC and Macca together on the left
Burke starting three games in seven days
Bree being allowed to hit the first man or waste set pieces consistently
Karoy impressing and bringing energy to midfield, then being left out of the squad entirely for the last two games
JRC starting three games in seven days and still being expected to maintain performance levels
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these are the crazy ones, leaving TC and Macca on the left was always going to be a disaster_uptheaddicks said:AFKABartram said:
I agree, and if I was to challenge and be critical, then given we only had Edwards and Ramsay unavailable, we really should have utilised the squad more rather than going with the same 11 for both gamesthickandthin63 said:I think we should also bear in mind the logistics of the last two games.We Played the league leaders 1st Jan,one days gap then a 250 mile approx trip to the North West (your Arsenals and Chelseas of this world would probably have flown in about an hour or so )I have done this trip several times by car and it a bastard journey by road so although the team would have been driven,it is still a tiring journey which could well have contributed to the 2nd half deterioration in performance.As an NJ fan, I really cannot understand the following:
Neither Apter nor Fullah starting at LWB in any game
No attempt to switch formation based on the players available
Fullah playing zero minutes since Birmingham
Gough impressing against Norwich but not being used in the same role when an injury created the need
Bell being moved to RCB, leaving TC and Macca together on the left
Burke starting three games in seven days
Bree being allowed to hit the first man or waste set pieces consistently
Karoy impressing and bringing energy to midfield, then being left out of the squad entirely for the last two games
JRC starting three games in seven days and still being expected to maintain performance levels
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Best result .. Kelman re-finding his goal scoring touch .. all in all though, disappointing to draw after going 2 up2
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Agreed, the side is badly lacking goals / final third play conversion, so Kelman hitting the net is crucial.Lincsaddick said:Best result .. Kelman re-finding his goal scoring touch .. all in all though, disappointing to draw after going 2 upHowever…his penalty has given me no confidence for future penalties!3 -
Jones is still in credit as far as I'm concerned and I'm sure he will keep us up , which after all was the target this season.
Back him in the summer and hopefully we will continue to improve.
My only gripe with Jones is his insistence of playing wingbacks when we don't have players available to suit that system.
If he is going to continue with this then we have to address the problem this transfer window.8 -
No they all looked around as I shouted when Charlie K scored…but as is case with most fans the Geordies, Scousers, Mancs in the bar spent more time dishing their players & team than encouraging them. Doesn’t matter how high up your team are some fans will moan and complain.ElfsborgAddick said:
Did you have to leave the bar from a certain door to avoid the other fans?!TootingRedArmy said:I’ve had more fun times watching Charlton… on holiday & ended up in Linkears Bar, to see the match…walking through the hotel to Linekars with “Follow the leader” playing loudly with 3 very energetic staff geeing on the pool aqua arocobats - with oops and screams set the tone for 2 hrs in Wayne' World Linekar bar with 9 screens simultaneously showing different matches, with competing Geordies, Scousers & Yorkshire fans yelling their support for their respective teams.The Barman put on Blackburn V Charlton on one screen, and I listen to Charlton TV with my mobile pressed to my ear to hear the commentary, which lagged in and out sometimes 15secs behind the TV. Sat on a table with an affable but irritating Geordie with his toon shirt & baseball cap swung back to front like a character from the Beano - who spent the whole Newcastle game "way haying" with a German Lady on the next table screaming in my other ear as she watched the Liverpool match.Since the islands mantra is “NO STRESS” I tried to zone out the 8 other matches and focus on the Addicks,….so 2-2 …yes disappointing, but only as we throw away a 2 goal lead. I was hoping for a draw before the match, so I’m happy and it represents 4 pts taken from Blackburn, and positively we sit 5 pts above the bottom 3 with a game in hand with the Jan transfer window awaiting.Chelsea offers us all now a brief respite from the championship, it’s a free hit. I’m looking forward far more to going to our away fixture at The Den, I have no idea why but this year feels like we may finally slay the Lions.life back in Championship is tough but it’s also so much more fun than the 9 seasons spent in League one in the last decade. 21 games to go time to buckle up, we’re in for a rollercoaster ride…COYA
Im very positive about Nathan & our players were at 1/2 way stage, 5pts clear, a game in hand & players returning from injury. We just need to keep the pts ticking on at Fortress Valley & hopefully get some pts on the road to secure another season in the championship. Nathan Jones is absolutely the right manager for us - our board just need to back him in this window.I really hope he puts out strongest team for Chelsea game, if we get a result this will have a really positive effect for players & fans. Of course our league survival is no1 but imagine the feel good factor if we caused a cup shock….With 21 games to go there is no need for negativity, this division is tough but none of us would swap back to the torrid years in League one. COYA’s2 -
Fully behind Jones as well, but frustrating to hear his post-match talking about a lack of energy when he's insisted on an unchanged xi for a 3-game week, including several players returning from injury or lacking fitness.
On to the next one anyway, there's plenty of points still to play for.2 -
Play the U16`s, I would not mess up the U18`s as they are having a run in the FA youth cup.Croydon said:
Agree to a point but I don't think a tonking does us any favours either. Confidence will be fragile in the squad as it isCharltonManor1966 said:
Frankly I couldn't give a fish's left tit about the Chelsea match.MrBurns said:Please don't play Bell against Chelsea and give him a rest. We really can't afford to lose him to injury too
Play the kids - get tonked who cares? Survival in the Championship is everything for us this season. Count the cash from the match and move on........1 -
Yes a surprise for us all, but we had a League 1 squad last season in league 1, this season we have a league 1 squad in the Championship, so a very different scenario.DOUCHER said:Have a look at the louis mendez graph this time last year and see what the projection was and how many must win games we had lost if we wanted to get promoted - loads - what happened? we got promoted. Football isn't an exact science. Teams go on runs, teams drop out of form, teams beat those their not expected to and lose to those they should beat. I'll take the fact we have half a season to go, a manager who is renowned for stronger second half's of seasons, the fact we have well over half of the points needed and more games at home than away to come, the fact players are coming back from injury, we have signings already done with more to come overseen by a manager who has a proven track record of knowing what is needed.Try to look at the bigger picture and stop looking at he graph from the last 10 games. I've seen many relegation set ups and this isn't one.0 -
he moaned about the pitch , Frank Lumpard does it and it's a distraction from the ineptness of his team0
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They'll all sort themselves out.Sword65pf said:
I struggle with their, there and they’re!!wolfgang said:
I always get confused with long words like promotion and relegation.eastterrace6168 said:wolfgang said:Two points thrown away (and a point gifted to a promotion rival) because of N Jones' bungling and favouritism.
Yes, I know he did great last season in League One. But that was because he is a League One manager. He does not have the sophistication for the Championship. His only strategy is to drag teams down to our level. It worked quite well for a bit until managers got wise to it.
So we're on a promotion push are we, a promotion rival!!...🤷♂️0 -
Yes.paulsturgess said:
Despite unacceptably and disastrously failing to win any of these must win matches, is Jones still "undoubtedly a better manager than Bowyer and Powell", by the way...?Braziliance said:
Playing the magnitude of the game down, quite sensible.aliwibble said:
But also "... a point is a point, it's on the road, it's important not to lose..."Braziliance said:
My fkn gaffer.robinofottershaw said:I really wish NJ hadn’t said this!
“We’re disappointed. This is Blackburn Rovers, they’ve been a Championship side for a long time and we’re coming here and we’re devastated with a point, so it shows we’ve come a long way.”
And so we should be devastated Jones mate, their fans didn't expect a win at all.
That's why he put his arms up at the end at us as if to say "what the f**k" he knows how honking this was.
No one knows more than Nathan Jones how important these games have been, and to get 4 out of a possible 12, when we only managed 2 points out of a possible 21 from the other 7 games either side of the relegation 6 pointers, was a bloody disaster.
Fortunately the other teams below us are so horrendous, we have got away with it, for now.
FYI I'm very much still in support of Jones and whilst disappointing and a number of managerial errors in these games, I don't think it's been disastrous or unacceptable and hoping he will see us on to better and out of this situation
Remind me how Powell did after us and Bowyer, and then look at Jones accolades.
Nathan Jones will be in the managerial game for years to come, can't say the same about Powell and Bowyer as actual head coaches/football managers.
Bonkers you are remembering a post I said months ago btw which in turn undermines our actual current manager?
Powell & Bowyer gave us good times, but I'd say move on, Jones is the man now.2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGcJbdchNCA
