I was at the match. Luckily I'm staying with friends in Twickenham so won't have to do the long drive home tonight. I thought we started well, we looked bright and got into some good positions, but sadly our finishing was poor. Had we nicked an early goal, it might have been different. After we went one down apart from a chance from JBG, we didn't look like doing much. Our support was great, so they can't use that as an excuse. The players just don't have any stomach for a relegation battle. As soon as we go behind, they seem to throw in the towel. Seven points off safety, the games vanishing fast, and with the gutless players that we have, I don't see a way out of this.
JBG's reaction to the fans last week, feeling it deeply when Morgan Fox gets (harshly in my view) slated. players arguing on the pitch during games, other players hiding, or getting convenient injuries. Other players playing on memory with complete lack of conviction. We are full of excuses, shrugs, and surrender.
I don't especially blame the players, but to an extent they are culpable for part of this whole chitestorm of a season, so they can face up to it too.
Anyway.
It is still February. We have a whole six months until we kick off next season in League One, to say we're not prepared to plan for relegation is complete and utter folly.
I suggest.
Let the players who want out go.
Some like Cousins and Solly ought to go with our blessing, others like JBG can simply slither away, none the wiser for their time at Charlton, but none the poorer either.
Get in a proven manager at this level, even one who might restore some faith from the fans, Chris Powell for example (ducks for cover). Look at each player from the dregs of our squad in the eye, and ask them if they're up for an absolute unrewarding dogfight of a slog next season, where they give everything no excuses. Anybody who wants out, let them go.
Set season ticket prices at an absolute base level, I mean really low, really low.
Give the manager a couple of million to spend, on whoever they want. (add the borrowing to the Staprix debt)
Insist on at least two weeks pre-season at some kind of spartan military style camp, no phones or internet or anything, anybody not Andy Hughes enough for that, can then bog off at that stage. make them fitter than they ever thought they could be, break some of them if necessary.
Make the players wash their own training kit crazy gang style.
Set up a match bonus system where winning at home gets a slight premium over winning away, but a home defeat (after two home defeats have happened in the season) triggers a PAY CUT.
Obviously sack Katrien Miere and appoint a Charlton fan as CEO...someone like Grapevine would be my choice but that won't happen.
No overnight away stop overs, get the fecking coach or train like the fans...get used to it players.
Hire permanent or temporary scouts to assess league one opponents throughout the season.
Start next season on business, shave heads if you like, cold showers or whatever. But no more bewildered strangers, no more Bertie Big Bollocks players, but guys with a tough honesty about them.
WE HAVE ALREADY SURRENDERED. PLAN THE CLEAR OUT AND DO IT. PLAN FOR NEXT SEASON ROLAND.
OR FECKING SELL THE CLUB
I make you right on most of that.
Certainly write off the rest of the season and play who is likely to be with us next season. I'd give Harriott a 12 month contract and play him all the time, bottom of League 1 he excelled so perhaps he could do the business for us and and rid himself of his boo boy problem.
it is simple we are fucking useless , we bring in defenders how about someone can score a fucking goal , it's absolute madness , the players are Poor , Riga is not the answer now or long term we are in deep shit .
Charlton paying for not getting a decent striker to cover the Vetekele injury. Makienok is Ok playing alongside a decent striker who can hold the ball up or put the ball in the net. The responsibility is squarely with Duchatelet and Meire for not strengthening at the start of the season and in the January window. What do you expect from people who only have a sketchy knowledge of what makes a competitive team ?
Charlton will not rise again as a club until Duchatlet and Meire are gone and intelligent sensible footballing decisions can be made again.
Unfit dogshit loanees the fans do not deserve this, RD,KM and yes that prick RM are a disgrace to our famous club ,between the 3 of em they ain't got a fucking clue arseholes .
We were decent first half and didn't deserve to be behind. 2nd half we were poor. Poor subs didn't help. Who takes off 2 central midfielders and replace them with a right back and striker!
We're down. Said back when we lost away against Blackburn this squad doesn't have the fight for a relegation battle. They all walked off the pitch without acknowledging the fans apart from Hendo who looked pissed off he was the only one. Solly, Harriott and Fox also came back. Next few months need to be aimed at persuading Roland to sell up
I don't think it is feasible to offer football solutions, no matter how well meant, to an owner and his management who firstly do not understand them and secondly are not even interested. He (they) know best. It's his money so "keep out" is the attitude. Charlton just does not feel like a football club anymore.
My B O Y C O T T becomes final to-day. Me and S C A R F will be goin' away I love CAFC and this will be pure H-E double L for me Oh, I wish that we could stop this B O Y C O T T.
I'm pretty angry actually. Angry that we are going down simply because of the way we are being run. I could thrash that waffle eating cloaca, I really could.
My B O Y C O T T becomes final to-day. Me and S C A R F will be goin' away I love CAFC and this will be pure H-E double L for me Oh, I wish that we could stop this B O Y C O T T.
Had a choice today. ..go and watch our lot at Fulham and roll over or go and watch 22 amaturs at bowers and pitsea against Kidlington. Guess what I chose. 22 part time players giving there all for nothing in a thrilling 3-3 draw....glad I did and you know on my way to Essex I had to pass craven cottage and couldn't give a shit. ...that's what you have done Rd and km
Played alright until they scored, then you know no way back.
We really are totally shit, can't defend no one with any real fight in the team and nobody who could hit a cows arse with a shovel let alone get a shot on target.
The demise of a once great club, thanks Rolly, Pinochio and Dick head Murray you really are a bunch of c**ts.
Can't really be arsed to go into depth but same old, same old-decent in patches without looking dangerous and always liable to concede, typically from the opposition's first attack.
Fox, Solly and particularly Ba played well. Poyet looked worryingly slow-he really has had his career set back by his lack of match time over the last 18 months.
We are as good as relegated and I dread to think what next season will bring-I can't see Riga being part of it though and expect Roland to pay him off in the summer with his tail between his legs.
Have tickets for Brentford and train for Sheff Wed-reckon I may stay in the pub!
We looked quite lively in the first half and gave Fulham a lot of trouble down the left hand side through Harriot and Bergdich. The problem is that, when you get balls zipping across the box, you need someone to finish them off and with an unsupported and flat-footed Makienok, we didn't carry much of a goal threat. Fulham always looked a bit more composed in the last third, although their opening goal was very poor from our perspective, with defenders simply watching them have numerous bites of the cherry following a corner. We were, however, unfortunate to be a goal down at half time.
Fulham came out more aggressively in the second half and the second goal killed the game. It was up the other end from us but looked diabolical defending, with their guy having a free header six yards out. Fulham fashioned a few more decent chances before Crainey rifled in a third from the edge of the box following another corner.
The substitutions (which I think came at 2-0) were a little puzzling in terms of withdrawing Ba and Poyet but we did create a few chances, the best of which was skied over by Callum Harriot when it was easier to score. Makienok and Gudmundsson also produced tame efforts when well placed.
I thought that Ba and Harriot did well (although the latter's performance was sullied by his missed chance) and the central defenders, especially Harry Lennon, looked ok, although there is something wrong with the team and we cannot defend effectively. Perhaps that is another by-product of this lack of stability within the club.
Bristol City's excellent win at MK Dons puts them out of reach and it is now almost certainly 3 from the bottom 4, with Charlton deservedly bottom of the pile. A team who cannot defend and score is surely destined for the darkness of League 1.
I thought the away support was very good, particularly in the first half and I salute the genius who came up with the latest 'Roland song', to the tune of 'Hey ! Baby'. Our position is now almost beyond redemption and at least we can then concentrate all our energies on maximising the pressure on this regime in terms of season ticket renewals and, potentially, match boycotts.
That was grim. The best thing for me - I was at the game - was visiting St Mary's Church, where the Army Council met in 1647. It was weird thinking about The Levellers, then watching a supine Charlton be defeated yet again. The game? Another huff-puff effort in which we never really looked like scoring. The injuries are clearly a factor, but those playing simply aren't good enough as a unit. I won't single people out. It was just more of the same. Relegation seems almost unavoidable. Management has some considerable anger coming its way. Just wait until Yann scores next week. It's going to get hostile now.
Comments
We've been relegated for ages. Just waiting for the maths to catch up with reality now
The first half was even, even after the first goal we were playing well, good passing and movement
Fulham makes 2 changes at half time, get the second and that was that, any energy and confidence evaporated. A very poor reaction.
Strange substitution, taking off both Poyet and Ba at the same time, it just made things easier for Parker to dominate the midfield
Certainly write off the rest of the season and play who is likely to be with us next season. I'd give Harriott a 12 month contract and play him all the time, bottom of League 1 he excelled so perhaps he could do the business for us and and rid himself of his boo boy problem.
Charlton will not rise again as a club until Duchatlet and Meire are gone and intelligent sensible footballing decisions can be made again.
Only positive, our fans were great throughout. Proud of the noise we made, if nothing else.
We're down. Said back when we lost away against Blackburn this squad doesn't have the fight for a relegation battle. They all walked off the pitch without acknowledging the fans apart from Hendo who looked pissed off he was the only one. Solly, Harriott and Fox also came back. Next few months need to be aimed at persuading Roland to sell up
Total boycott until they are gone.
Me and S C A R F will be goin' away
I love CAFC and this will be pure H-E double L for me
Oh, I wish that we could stop this B O Y C O T T.
All runs end somewhere. This season smacks of pardonts last with us though. Our run will end, though too late.
We really are totally shit, can't defend no one with any real fight in the team and nobody who could hit a cows arse with a shovel let alone get a shot on target.
The demise of a once great club, thanks Rolly, Pinochio and Dick head Murray you really are a bunch of c**ts.
Fox, Solly and particularly Ba played well. Poyet looked worryingly slow-he really has had his career set back by his lack of match time over the last 18 months.
We are as good as relegated and I dread to think what next season will bring-I can't see Riga being part of it though and expect Roland to pay him off in the summer with his tail between his legs.
Have tickets for Brentford and train for Sheff Wed-reckon I may stay in the pub!
Fulham came out more aggressively in the second half and the second goal killed the game. It was up the other end from us but looked diabolical defending, with their guy having a free header six yards out. Fulham fashioned a few more decent chances before Crainey rifled in a third from the edge of the box following another corner.
The substitutions (which I think came at 2-0) were a little puzzling in terms of withdrawing Ba and Poyet but we did create a few chances, the best of which was skied over by Callum Harriot when it was easier to score. Makienok and Gudmundsson also produced tame efforts when well placed.
I thought that Ba and Harriot did well (although the latter's performance was sullied by his missed chance) and the central defenders, especially Harry Lennon, looked ok, although there is something wrong with the team and we cannot defend effectively. Perhaps that is another by-product of this lack of stability within the club.
Bristol City's excellent win at MK Dons puts them out of reach and it is now almost certainly 3 from the bottom 4, with Charlton deservedly bottom of the pile. A team who cannot defend and score is surely destined for the darkness of League 1.
I thought the away support was very good, particularly in the first half and I salute the genius who came up with the latest 'Roland song', to the tune of 'Hey ! Baby'. Our position is now almost beyond redemption and at least we can then concentrate all our energies on maximising the pressure on this regime in terms of season ticket renewals and, potentially, match boycotts.