I think it's a game that we can take a lot of positives from: ‣ It was a particularly low crowd, so less people than normal will have seen it. ‣ If they keep playing like that, we'll have no trouble keeping the squad together come the transfer window. ‣ I haven't got to go and watch them again this month.
In all fairness Powelly came here set out the same type of defensive game as he did when he was with us. Some may say dirt tasctics. But no more dirty than when he was with us. He came to frustrate and we probably let ourselves get frustrated and lost some calmness. That's why we wern't at our best.
It's late, and I feel pissed off. Results are not good enough. We need three away wins plus winning at home and drawing the others away to get back on track, otherwise I don't think we will be mediocre this season, but cracks may show and we might struggle. We simply have to win. Which is what Huddersfield deservedly did tonight. They were a team, we were not, they had done their homework we had not. Chris Powell marshalled his resources well. Pope was at fault for their first, Sarr was unconvincing which led to their free kick which was an excellent strike and I don't blame Pope for it. Caryol gave Solly a torrid time, and the big bloke up top played like he means it. Bergditch and Makienok missed good chances, but there was plenty of last ditch blocks by Bauer and Sarr to indicate how much trouble Huddersfield gave us. We got better, surprise surprise when Cousins went into the middle, and the new bloke looked genuinely good. JBG was off his game, but anyway we simply couldn't break them down, the Huddersfield response when we scored spoke volumes for their positive attitude. Diarra a big miss, but he might have needed a rest, don't know why he didn't play. We look like we thought the international break would be a benefit, but it has been a curse. Luzon has to make it better, Crystal Palace might not be an easy gig for any of us.
Very poor from Charlton. Huddersfield wanted it more and won nearly every 50:50 ball which, despite Pope's awful howler for the first goal, ultimately proved decisive along with the exposure of our lack of real pace.
Solly and Kashi can hold their heads up as, to a lesser extent, can Cousins and Watt. The rest were two bob frankly which is extremely frustrating as they have shown that they are better than that.
That said is Bergdych any better than than Harriott? I'm not convinced he is frankly and has Conor Mc unpronouncable Irish name been to the Simon Church School of Shooting?
I'm very disappointed with tonight's performance. The consolations I take are that firstly I was able to spend time with my daughter as she was able to attend and secondly, if we had to lose, then giving a legend like Chrissy Powell a helping hand is the best way to do it.
Outplayed tonight, so many of the team looked lethargic and were beaten to the ball in all the 50/50s. So much made on here about cousins position but he actually played better tonight in the first half when he was played wide. Fox was poor tonight and doesn't give us enough going forward against the so called weaker teams, bergdich would have been a better option tonight. Thought the Everton lad looked ok.
Don't feel like posting tonight but will add my thoughts in the hope that it might improve my current mood.
As you know, I don't analyse the formation or where individual players are tasked to perform within it but whether it is an unfathomable dip in form for all concerned or a serious problem within the squad ( team spirit/fallout) I DO know that something has to change...and fast.
Saturday was disappointing but a one off , or so I thought. Tonight showed that there's possibly more to those 2 performances than meets the eye.
IMHO no-one performed well tonight....with probably Jordan the best of a poor bunch. I've even found myself worrying about Chris Solly - his game appears to have gone off the boil . But as a whole, we were a total shambles. What has happened to the exciting, attacking play and the fantastic defence we witnessed in the first 4 games of the season ? Where did that flowing football from players brimming with confidence go ?
Yes, I am a doom & gloom merchant tonight and it hurts to admit it.
Towards the end of the match, Mr F commented that he'd noticed TWWW & JBG seemed to be avoiding playing the ball to each other, and following a Lifer's comment on Saturday that those players were having words at the final whistle, I am wondering whether there's trouble at t'mill.....I think it was Redmidland tonight who mentioned rumours of unrest at SL too. With JJ only featuring on the periphery of the squad now, maybe his influence in such matters has lessened, to the detriment of team spirit & togetherness ?
The time has come for Guy to show what he's made of. Tonight's showing was reminiscent of the Bob Peeter's era & we know how that turned out. Guy has made it clear that he plays to win and 1 point from a possible 9 will hurt him as much as it does the Charlton faithful. With 2 away games before Fulham and the dreaded appearance on Sky, something has to change and all concerned need to step up to the plate.
Otherwise it won't be just the trains, or lack of, that stops supporters coming to The Valley.......
Charlton manager Guy Luzon: "Nick Pope did a great job the last seven games, he played very well. "Also the last home game against Rotherham (a 1-1 draw) he played very well, he didn't have any problem with confidence. He's a good goalkeeper. "We need to focus on how we improve our quality in attack and our quality in defence."
From the bbc website. Obviously a snippet. I understand he as manager will defend Pope publicly. It's the rather general statement at the end that's miffed me.
I would've let them know in no uncertain terms they didn't turn up tonight.
Just turned midnight and I'm still seething. Probably gonna keep me up this result.
Having decided that clapping a former manager was much more important than my childrens education I'm glad i went tonight, SCP didn't let me down and despite tonights result i still love him
We're carrying some players who aren't consistently good enough for mid table Championship football and the longer this goes on the nearer we will get to the trapdoor seriously can we teach our players how to strike a ball properly , how many muffed ,sliced, spongey, shit shot footballers can one team have
scum won we lose not a good night
the ball stuck behind the sofa was a highlight !
gutted tonight , i think we could actually be shit and the scary thing is we looked decent enough in the opening 4 games, i'm worried , the lack of guile if TWWW is not on song or JBG is perfecting his invisible man impression scares me
3rd-6th 0.5% .........7th -12th 42.5%...... 13th-21st 56% ........ The dreaded R 1%
Scannell and Miller murdered us. Best side down The Valley so far this season.
MOM was Bauer I thought. Saved us from a certain 3rd goal. But otherwise he is just class. Always knows what to do with the ball.
Criticism of Fox harsh (although he missed the tackle for the first goal) as he was totally on his own. Kept looking down the left flank and Cousins was nowhere to be seen.
Watt is absolutely class but today nothing worked for him. I kept thinking something would come off for him eventually.
Makienok had a good game as usual. Unsure why he was taken off. He looked like playing a killer ball through. Thought his chance looked easier than it was. Zak's chance was golden.
Well done Huddersfield though. Looked nothing like a team in 23rd with a manager under pressure.
Our tactics were again so predictable. No width, no chance of any crosses, slow build up. unwillingness to mark at corners, easily rattled with no leadership to pull it together or change anything. We play a big CF who is good in the year but refuse to play anybody in a position who might ever cross to him . Luzon needs to drastically change the way we play or this is going to be a depressing season. This is ridiculous because man for man we don't have a bad side. We should beat Rotherham and Huddersfield man for man - but if your tactics are rubbish, the players will be rubbish
pwr, just got home - totally underwhelmed, first visit today this season, schlapped over on the train with my youngest, met eldest there, Solly was Solly - great, the rest left me cold tbh, and, why the fuck did we get shot of Wiggins
Big Mak was limping towards the tunnel after the final whistle so I hope he was taken off because of this. I thought he did well tonight other than his massive slice whereas TWWW was utterly awful. Also thought Igor looked alright when he came on, he was the only one making any runs ahead of the ball.
This game highlighted simultaneously our lack of width, as JBG and Cousins always cutting inside, and the benefits of having wingers who run at the full backs, with Carayol and Scannell constantly getting in behind Solly and Fox.
Also can anybody tell me what Ba adds to the team?
Was Fox that bad? Compared to the rest of the team? Thought Ba, Sarr, Pope and Watt were all worse tonight.
There were at least 5 players who had a worst game than Fox tonight . He just seems to be an easy target.
Keith Peacock said tonight that Fox was playing with very bad bruising on a leg injury he picked up on Saturday, and he could see that he was trying to protect it. I thought he did very well on Saturday.
Squad is already looking thin. Two of the most dangerous attacking players in the division just not getting the ball in places where they can do damage.
Opposition scouts will brief teams that JBG will cut inside onto his left, and Tony Watt won't pass, and that's us pretty much sussed.
I'd like someone to tell me what position Kashi is supposed to be playing though. Behind the keeper, then furthest upfield, I genuinely thought he'd turn up in the Lower West at one point.
Luzon gave them the necessary rocket at half-time, and it works - we passed and moved quickly and accurately. When you think back to the ponderous deliberations under Peeters, and the paralysis under Powell himself, we are far brighter than a year or two ago.
I was hugely impressed by 'Uddersfield for the entire 90 minutes: strange that a team without a win this season looked stronger, more skilful and adventurous than either QPR or Hull, each fresh from the Prem.
Our strikers are a conundrum: Tony Watt has good close control and can beat opponents, and is potentially useful in linking midfield with attack. He is more effective playing farther forward - but then who would do the essential fetching and carrying? A team with serious ambitions for the play-offs needs a man who will score 15 goals a season. Makienok, with his misplaced knock-downs and wayward flicks, is not the one.
I was glad to see a quick throw-in down the line, man running to receive, the first since Paddy Powell and Killer Hales. We are playing with a surer touch than last year, less ragged and frantic: advancing purposefully to the edge of the box and scenting the onion bag.
That was fucking Pants. And not even a nice pair of Sunday go to meetin pants. I'm talking Redneck, mud covered, ripped blue jeans kinda Pants. No excuse to be losing to the likes of Hudds. The playoffs or anything close are light years away after that performance
Just got home, who cancels a train at 11:30 5 minutes before it's due and replaces it with a bloody bus! Anyway.
1) Miller was man of the match for me, ruined our defence through his sheer presence, played how a proper target man plays. For this reason I find it difficult to be critical of Sarr because it was one of the hardest debuts in this league that I can think of, especially when considering that a foul was always given whenever anyone actually got stuck in to him. I honestly don't think the defence has too many problems and they will be solved by the return of a proper organiser in the form of Henderson or Diarra.
2) I think a combatative, not very creative midfield is fine when you have at least one - if not two - out and wingers that hug the touchline and put in consistently good crosses. Especially when we play two up front and have a 6ft 7 forward. McAlney (spelling?), in the 15mins or so I saw today, does not look like that sort of winger, he looked to be more in the JBG mold, an inside forward type. In fact Bergdich, for all the negative murmurings he receives, played fairly well in his 20 minute cameo and looks to be more of a proper winger than the others, for that reason I'd start him against Blackburn.
3) Pope is the real enigma for me, he makes absolutely class saves most of the time but is let down by his spilling of the ball at key moments and mistake proneness. I think Bob Peeters' poor man management may have partly caused this when he publicly criticised him. I guess time is the only thing that will change this problem.
We need Henderson back asap or a loan. We also need a genuine left sided midfielder in the mould of Bulot. Ba is no better than Cousins in the centre. Too predictable, no flair and our finishing was woeful. CP and Hudders were good enough to take advantage of our shortcomings and others will too. This is a bastard, unforgiving league, but Luzon is capable of pulling this around if given what he needs.
Dreadful performance, nothing going forward and defence was a shambles. Pope needs to be replaced. I hate going at our own players especially when they are young but he installs no confidence into the back four and needs to be replaced asap.
Watt needs to pass the ball, Ba and Kashi in the middle is not working we need cousins in there, Everton bloke looked ok in snipets, bergdich was a bit meh, Mak did not have a great day. Ah god that was just shite wasnt it.
Not there, woken up by a loud bang as a nearby transformer exploded, leaving us with no power. 3g working so tried to check the score but my usual app not working. Decided this was all a bad omen and reverted to Twitter to find out what had been going on and of course my fears were realised.
Interesting reading the comments to see how different people had entirely different views on the individual players' performances, Pope seemingly the only player consistently criticised.
The other point is that a number of posters expect us to play the positive attacking football that we played during the first games. You surely have to give credit to the opposition for not allowing us to play that way. Rotherham and Huddersfield away from home are going to play a spoiling game and in both cases we've gone a goal down in the first half and failed to break the opposition down (well, we've scored a goal in each game but without taking the lead it's always going to tough to break down a dour defence. I hope Luzon can work on this as there are probably more teams of this nature in The Championship than those looking to play an open attacking game.
1 point from the last three games is very disappointing but I don't think it's time to write the season off just yet, though I hope it's the top six and not the bottom three that'll be in range.
I have no idea if this is the case this time, but haven't we seen this situation numerous times before at the Valley? A team on a poor run, comes and defends very well. They nick a goal against the run of play, then another. Charlton huff and puff, but can't break through. All of a sudden, previously good players are rubbish and not up to the standard. There are internal problems, managers lost the plot etc, etc. Maybe there are bigger problems, but every adverse result these days seems to be met with a huge over reaction.
Was Pope at fault for the first goal? Huddersfield made an accurate cross, hard and low, which was despatched with a volley that reminds me of a certain Breton striker who elevated Bournemouth to the Prem last season.
Pope is young and growing up. When he claims the ball, he rushes to the edge of the area, brimming with intent - then stops. An avuncular defender drops back to receive, and is refused. Much arm-waving and continental shifts; our opponents gather - and the ball is hoofed to Makienok - who misjudges the trajectory.
Remember Ben Hamer? For all his flapping faults he was trained - under Powell, ironically - to send 60-yard, laser-like balls from his hands to our winger running in on goal. Sometimes it worked.
For Huddersfield yesterday, Scannell was quite superb. There was a move on the right wing in the second half that was a joy to watch: a fluent sequence of deft touches, fast running, and instant control from their box to ours. Do you remember Scannell with Blackburn in a dreary cup tie at The Valley three years ago? He hugged the touchline, then exploded with acceleration and cut inside through our defenders. He was the Danny Green we hoped for - and never had.
Last season we had players with vast experience - Ben Haim, Bikey, et al - and still we missed a midfielder able to seize control in the way of Bowyer, Reid or Parker. Even Bulot knew how to skin a defender, rush in to the box, and make the killer pass.
Duchatelet has a personal fortune of £350 million. Poor Huddersfield have just demonstrated that we must buy better players, train them well - and win.
The wins over qpr and hull and away points away at forest and Derby are worth nothing if you can't beat 2 teams who I fully expect to be in a relegation scrap come the end of the season, it's not as if Huddersfield had 2 shots and had it away, they had 5 shots on target compared to our 4, hope we turn up on Saturday, dread to think how we're going to get on next Wednesday, but knowing us we will somehow beat palace and all will be forgiven, need watt to get back to his usual ways and big mak he's a trier but his finishing is just not good enough he had a good few chances but he just looks awkward on the ball.
Do you remember Scannell with Blackburn in a dreary cup tie at The Valley three years ago? He hugged the touchline, then exploded with acceleration and cut inside through our defenders.
He hasn't ever played for Blackburn and the FA Cup tie against Blackburn was this year
Comments
‣ It was a particularly low crowd, so less people than normal will have seen it.
‣ If they keep playing like that, we'll have no trouble keeping the squad together come the transfer window.
‣ I haven't got to go and watch them again this month.
It's late, and I feel pissed off.
Results are not good enough. We need three away wins plus winning at home and drawing the others away to get back on track, otherwise I don't think we will be mediocre this season, but cracks may show and we might struggle. We simply have to win.
Which is what Huddersfield deservedly did tonight. They were a team, we were not, they had done their homework we had not. Chris Powell marshalled his resources well.
Pope was at fault for their first, Sarr was unconvincing which led to their free kick which was an excellent strike and I don't blame Pope for it.
Caryol gave Solly a torrid time, and the big bloke up top played like he means it. Bergditch and Makienok missed good chances, but there was plenty of last ditch blocks by Bauer and Sarr to indicate how much trouble Huddersfield gave us.
We got better, surprise surprise when Cousins went into the middle, and the new bloke looked genuinely good. JBG was off his game, but anyway we simply couldn't break them down, the Huddersfield response when we scored spoke volumes for their positive attitude. Diarra a big miss, but he might have needed a rest, don't know why he didn't play.
We look like we thought the international break would be a benefit, but it has been a curse. Luzon has to make it better, Crystal Palace might not be an easy gig for any of us.
Very poor from Charlton. Huddersfield wanted it more and won nearly every 50:50 ball which, despite Pope's awful howler for the first goal, ultimately proved decisive along with the exposure of our lack of real pace.
Solly and Kashi can hold their heads up as, to a lesser extent, can Cousins and Watt. The rest were two bob frankly which is extremely frustrating as they have shown that they are better than that.
That said is Bergdych any better than than Harriott? I'm not convinced he is frankly and has Conor Mc unpronouncable Irish name been to the Simon Church School of Shooting?
I'm very disappointed with tonight's performance. The consolations I take are that firstly I was able to spend time with my daughter as she was able to attend and secondly, if we had to lose, then giving a legend like Chrissy Powell a helping hand is the best way to do it.
Guy you have some work to do mate.
As you know, I don't analyse the formation or where individual players are tasked to perform within it but whether it is an unfathomable dip in form for all concerned or a serious problem within the squad ( team spirit/fallout) I DO know that something has to change...and fast.
Saturday was disappointing but a one off , or so I thought. Tonight showed that there's possibly more to those 2 performances than meets the eye.
IMHO no-one performed well tonight....with probably Jordan the best of a poor bunch. I've even found myself worrying about Chris Solly - his game appears to have gone off the boil . But as a whole, we were a total shambles. What has happened to the exciting, attacking play and the fantastic defence we witnessed in the first 4 games of the season ? Where did that flowing football from players brimming with confidence go ?
Yes, I am a doom & gloom merchant tonight and it hurts to admit it.
Towards the end of the match, Mr F commented that he'd noticed TWWW & JBG seemed to be avoiding playing the ball to each other, and following a Lifer's comment on Saturday that those players were having words at the final whistle, I am wondering whether there's trouble at t'mill.....I think it was Redmidland tonight who mentioned rumours of unrest at SL too. With JJ only featuring on the periphery of the squad now, maybe his influence in such matters has lessened, to the detriment of team spirit & togetherness ?
The time has come for Guy to show what he's made of. Tonight's showing was reminiscent of the Bob Peeter's era & we know how that turned out. Guy has made it clear that he plays to win and 1 point from a possible 9 will hurt him as much as it does the Charlton faithful. With 2 away games before Fulham and the dreaded appearance on Sky, something has to change and all concerned need to step up to the plate.
Otherwise it won't be just the trains, or lack of, that stops supporters coming to The Valley.......
"Also the last home game against Rotherham (a 1-1 draw) he played very well, he didn't have any problem with confidence. He's a good goalkeeper.
"We need to focus on how we improve our quality in attack and our quality in defence."
From the bbc website. Obviously a snippet. I understand he as manager will defend Pope publicly. It's the rather general statement at the end that's miffed me.
I would've let them know in no uncertain terms they didn't turn up tonight.
Just turned midnight and I'm still seething. Probably gonna keep me up this result.
We're carrying some players who aren't consistently good enough for mid table Championship football and the longer this goes on the nearer we will get to the trapdoor
seriously can we teach our players how to strike a ball properly , how many muffed ,sliced, spongey, shit shot footballers can one team have
scum won we lose not a good night
the ball stuck behind the sofa was a highlight !
gutted tonight , i think we could actually be shit and the scary thing is we looked decent enough in the opening 4 games, i'm worried , the lack of guile if TWWW is not on song or JBG is perfecting his invisible man impression scares me
3rd-6th 0.5% .........7th -12th 42.5%...... 13th-21st 56% ........ The dreaded R 1%
MOM was Bauer I thought. Saved us from a certain 3rd goal. But otherwise he is just class. Always knows what to do with the ball.
Criticism of Fox harsh (although he missed the tackle for the first goal) as he was totally on his own. Kept looking down the left flank and Cousins was nowhere to be seen.
Watt is absolutely class but today nothing worked for him. I kept thinking something would come off for him eventually.
Makienok had a good game as usual. Unsure why he was taken off. He looked like playing a killer ball through. Thought his chance looked easier than it was. Zak's chance was golden.
Well done Huddersfield though. Looked nothing like a team in 23rd with a manager under pressure.
Luzon needs to drastically change the way we play or this is going to be a depressing season.
This is ridiculous because man for man we don't have a bad side. We should beat Rotherham and Huddersfield man for man - but if your tactics are rubbish, the players will be rubbish
Also can anybody tell me what Ba adds to the team?
Squad is already looking thin. Two of the most dangerous attacking players in the division just not getting the ball in places where they can do damage.
Opposition scouts will brief teams that JBG will cut inside onto his left, and Tony Watt won't pass, and that's us pretty much sussed.
I'd like someone to tell me what position Kashi is supposed to be playing though. Behind the keeper, then furthest upfield, I genuinely thought he'd turn up in the Lower West at one point.
Ba is just very very frustrating.
I was hugely impressed by 'Uddersfield for the entire 90 minutes: strange that a team without a win this season looked stronger, more skilful and adventurous than either QPR or Hull, each fresh from the Prem.
Our strikers are a conundrum: Tony Watt has good close control and can beat opponents, and is potentially useful in linking midfield with attack. He is more effective playing farther forward - but then who would do the essential fetching and carrying? A team with serious ambitions for the play-offs needs a man who will score 15 goals a season. Makienok, with his misplaced knock-downs and wayward flicks, is not the one.
I was glad to see a quick throw-in down the line, man running to receive, the first since Paddy Powell and Killer Hales. We are playing with a surer touch than last year, less ragged and frantic: advancing purposefully to the edge of the box and scenting the onion bag.
Vitally, we still need shooting practice.
1) Miller was man of the match for me, ruined our defence through his sheer presence, played how a proper target man plays. For this reason I find it difficult to be critical of Sarr because it was one of the hardest debuts in this league that I can think of, especially when considering that a foul was always given whenever anyone actually got stuck in to him. I honestly don't think the defence has too many problems and they will be solved by the return of a proper organiser in the form of Henderson or Diarra.
2) I think a combatative, not very creative midfield is fine when you have at least one - if not two - out and wingers that hug the touchline and put in consistently good crosses. Especially when we play two up front and have a 6ft 7 forward. McAlney (spelling?), in the 15mins or so I saw today, does not look like that sort of winger, he looked to be more in the JBG mold, an inside forward type. In fact Bergdich, for all the negative murmurings he receives, played fairly well in his 20 minute cameo and looks to be more of a proper winger than the others, for that reason I'd start him against Blackburn.
3) Pope is the real enigma for me, he makes absolutely class saves most of the time but is let down by his spilling of the ball at key moments and mistake proneness. I think Bob Peeters' poor man management may have partly caused this when he publicly criticised him. I guess time is the only thing that will change this problem.
We also need a genuine left sided midfielder in the mould of Bulot.
Ba is no better than Cousins in the centre.
Too predictable, no flair and our finishing was woeful.
CP and Hudders were good enough to take advantage of our shortcomings and others will too.
This is a bastard, unforgiving league, but Luzon is capable of pulling this around if given what he needs.
Watt needs to pass the ball, Ba and Kashi in the middle is not working we need cousins in there, Everton bloke looked ok in snipets, bergdich was a bit meh, Mak did not have a great day. Ah god that was just shite wasnt it.
Interesting reading the comments to see how different people had entirely different views on the individual players' performances, Pope seemingly the only player consistently criticised.
The other point is that a number of posters expect us to play the positive attacking football that we played during the first games. You surely have to give credit to the opposition for not allowing us to play that way. Rotherham and Huddersfield away from home are going to play a spoiling game and in both cases we've gone a goal down in the first half and failed to break the opposition down (well, we've scored a goal in each game but without taking the lead it's always going to tough to break down a dour defence. I hope Luzon can work on this as there are probably more teams of this nature in The Championship than those looking to play an open attacking game.
1 point from the last three games is very disappointing but I don't think it's time to write the season off just yet, though I hope it's the top six and not the bottom three that'll be in range.
Pope is young and growing up. When he claims the ball, he rushes to the edge of the area, brimming with intent - then stops. An avuncular defender drops back to receive, and is refused. Much arm-waving and continental shifts; our opponents gather - and the ball is hoofed to Makienok - who misjudges the trajectory.
Remember Ben Hamer? For all his flapping faults he was trained - under Powell, ironically - to send 60-yard, laser-like balls from his hands to our winger running in on goal. Sometimes it worked.
For Huddersfield yesterday, Scannell was quite superb. There was a move on the right wing in the second half that was a joy to watch: a fluent sequence of deft touches, fast running, and instant control from their box to ours. Do you remember Scannell with Blackburn in a dreary cup tie at The Valley three years ago? He hugged the touchline, then exploded with acceleration and cut inside through our defenders. He was the Danny Green we hoped for - and never had.
Last season we had players with vast experience - Ben Haim, Bikey, et al - and still we missed a midfielder able to seize control in the way of Bowyer, Reid or Parker. Even Bulot knew how to skin a defender, rush in to the box, and make the killer pass.
Duchatelet has a personal fortune of £350 million. Poor Huddersfield have just demonstrated that we must buy better players, train them well - and win.