Milton Keynes Dons v Charlton Athletic
Boxing Day 2016 … 3pm Kick-Off
Referee: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire)
IntroductionSeeing that this will be the last Match Preview prior to Christmas I’d like to start by wishing my CharltonLife family a Happy Christmas, here’s hoping that we all have an excellent day, where everyone gets what they want (and not those awful socks from Primark). Eat and drink loads be merry but stay safe everyone, none of us want to see any RIP threads over the next few days!!
Of course though; Christmas isn’t just about spending time with the family… First and foremost it’s about the Football that comes along on Boxing Day and despite many attempts from managers up and down the lands; the long tradition remains here in England as we make the short trip up to Buckinghamshire and a visit to Milton Keynes Dons.
The OppositionName: Milton Keynes |
Manager: Robbie Neilson
Ground: Stadium:MK
As already mentioned; Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends so what could be a better fixture other than our new friends: Milton Keynes Dons… As a result of freak events in the FA Cup; this will our third meeting against the Dons this month alone.
It began on the opening Saturday of the month; the Addicks hosting their opponents in the initial cup tie, neither team took control yet MK Dons should have won the tie at the death; Andrew Crofts the man who made a block on the line to ensure a replay happened. That match occurred two weeks ago and after dominating for much of the game, the Addicks would leave Buckinghamshire out of the cup after a 3-1 defeat in Extra Time.
With cup distractions now out of the way we now stand a chance to recover from two awful results in the past week; defeats against Peterborough and Millwall see the Addicks floundering in midtable and three points on Boxing Day will be a much needed Christmas present for Karl Robinson and the team.
Charlton Team NewsFollowing a 3-1 drubbing against our South London rivals; Karl Robinson confirmed that individual meetings would be happening with certain players; with no names mentioned you’d think that changes could be afoot ahead of our Boxing Day clash yet with an ever growing injury list its difficult to see what changes can be made.
Frederik Ulvestad was left on the bench on Wednesday after becoming the latest casualty yet will hopefully be back on Tuesday, if not then we could see another strong sprinkling of youth against the Dons with Joe Aribo as an option to potentially come into the starting eleven
Phillips
Foley | Bauer | Teixeira | Fox
Botaka | Crofts | Ulvestad | Lookman
Ajose | Magennis
Substitutes Bench: Mitov | Johnson | Aribo | Jackson | Konsa | Ahearne-Grant | Chicksen
PredictionThe result against Millwall saw us lose back to back in the League for the first time this season… three defeats will be a terrible December for the Addicks and with Karl Robinson needing a win you’d hope that we’ll at least end up with a point this Monday
Comments
As for Boxing Day I can only see a further defeat. 2-1 to the Franchise.
I'd hate them a smidgen less if they had the basic decency to take the "Dons" from their name, but it would be an infinitesimal difference.
However, that said, our current Alec Ferguson obviously still likes them (his comment a few interviews ago about how they'd be pleased, having beaten AFC, rankled a wee bit with me - but probably due to my biases).
So, guesstimate of the result, after witnessing a tactical masterclass, inspired by the in depth analysis provided from the Dear Leader, ensconced in his Belgian Bunker, the serried ranks of Addicks (both of them) will applaud the team and Pep Talk off the pitch, after a plucky, and well deserved, 4-2 drubbing.
I just can't help feeling relentlessly positive, recognising, as I do, that we have turned the corner. Although, I must admit to being a tad concerned that we are hurtling forward at an increasing speed, the brakes don't seem to work, and the bridge a couple of hundred metres ahead has been washed away.....
EDIT And for everyone on this forum have a Happy (and healthy-ish) Christmas.
Unfortunately at the moment, the team virtually picks itself, no wiggle room for KR.
We'll be there Boxing Day, hopeful they will bounce back from an awful week, but my prediction is 1-1
Having said that, many thanks in advance RM for another excellent match thread.
3.1 MK
Merry Xmas everybody on Charlton life
RD's poison has filtered its way right through this once great club, including the playing staff (with the exception of the few Charlton stalwarts who are still around).
Another defeat and yet more post match drivel from KR!
At a normal club, after Wednesday's performance and all Karl Robinson's chat about getting the players in for individual meetings and so on, you would expect to see a reaction in our next match. I think our performance against MK on Boxing Day will say a lot about KR's future prospects - a defeat and a poor performance will certainly not bode well.
Can't see anything better than a draw - I thought that players put in a lot more effort than they were given credit for on Wednesday, unfortunately we just don't have a very good team.
Merry Christmas fellow Addicks - we might not have a team to be proud of, but we can certainly take pride in the huge amount of money we've raised, the vast quantity of national (and, occasionally, international) coverage our protests have achieved, and the misery and nuisance we've caused to Dozy Daisy and Roland.
Dear Roland - at this special time of year, my festive message to you is that I hope your central heating fails, your pipes burst, your Christmas dinner gets ruined and when you come home from the pub you find your missus in the sack with the plumber.
Dear Daisy - I genuinely cannot believe that there is a thicker person anywhere in the world who holds such a senior position. You are so, so incompetent that if you got a job at South Eastern Trains, I think you could actually make them worse than they already are.
This time next year
we'll be millionairesChris Powell will be our manager and Yann will have just banged in a hat trick at The Toolbox. Believe.I think this will be another loss i'm afraid, just hope we can get a few people in the new year to change our fortunes.
I have it on good authority that he will, in fact, still be in bed sleeping off his Xmas Day hangover.
How do I know this ?
Simples.
@ForeverAddickted has indicated in his match preview that the player will " hopefully be back on Tuesday".
Enjoy your extra day off, Fred. You're best out of it.
Failing that there is always this season default 1-1 scoreline.
Won't be going I am afraid, could never justify leaving family at Christmas and especially not for this particular shambolic incarnation of our once proud club
This is the game where Robinson says
"OK, back to basics"
An uninspiring but much needed 1 - 1 draw with Ajose again on the score sheet.