Started off really well and when they got their game going we were struggling. Scrapped our way to a replay but fair result I reckon. Neither side desereved to win or lose.
First of all, winner winner chickpea dinner, had CJ Hamilton to score first at 16/1, won 800 from it.
Now on to the game. I felt Mansfield were unlucky to not win, they had some good players on show, mainly their goal scorer Hamilton (who I predicted on the preview thread btw, tipster here all week) their number 2 who appeared to be playing right wing? And one of their centre backs, think no 4? They weren't a typical lower league side, kept the ball on the ground for the most part and played some clever football at times, we were saved by the post at the end.
Overall, as tragic as it sounds I am happy with the draw, we take them back to the Valley and bring out the big guns and it will be a one sided affair imo. Only Afernee, Sarr, Lapslie, Stevenson and Grant can walk away today with any credit.
Phillips distribution was slow and inaccurate, Maloney looked completely lost but the most disappointing players on the pitch were our experienced trio, Ward, Ajose and Pratley. All 3 absolutely useless. Pratley can barely pass the ball and has the turn of a fridge freezer, Ward just offered nothing and Ajose. Ajose is the worst striker at Charlton in a long time imo, I think Tucudean and Makienok were both better. He was lazy, slow, disinterested, lacking of any intelligent moves and he didn't even pressure their defense. We deserve better than to have a striker that lazy playing for us.
Final note Bowyer has had a bit of a stinker with the selections today, he should have played a full strength team, this was a good opportunity with the break coming up, now we have to play Mansfield, Bristol Rovers and Burton all in a week? I don't think players like Aribo and Bielik needed a rest. Hopefully we beat them on the replay anyway and have a decent ish run, hats off to the Stags for playing football how it should be
We were awful. Probably our worse performance under Lee Bowyer.
Although we can always hope for better, it was entitled to be our worst performance as it was the weakest team we have fielded under Bowyer. We were playing a decent League Two side, nearly at full strength, with (apart from Grant) a side made up of second-strings (and the odd third-string) who have had minimal opportunity to train together.
If every player on our books were fit, we could field:
I assume the line-up for the next two Tuesdays will be much the same, and I expect that Bowyer will have ironed out some of the faults and have replaced Maloney, Ward and Ajose who were passengers.
Ajose is a lost cause. best we just dont play him. surely someone from the U23's would be better....or stick Sarr or Stephenson up front for 45 mins each as a target man....both have scored more goals than him this season.
would like to know what the Mansfield players were complaining about with our equaliser. Handball ??? On BBC the goalie plus 4 or 5 defenders were all moaning & some evening going over to the lino.
Anyway.....Stephenson has more goals this season than Ajose has in the last 2.
Sadly we might need no goals Nicky over the coming weeks
So what players were not starting who are not injured or suspended?
An interesting take on things, four of the back five who started on Tuesday namely Steer, Solly, Pierce, Bielik plus just Aribo further forward. This assumes of course that none of those five had knocks.
Solly's fitness is being tested to the max, Pierce has previous, Bielik has only just returned from the treatment table and Aribo is still quite young and in danger of burn out.
Hmmm..............was Bowyer disrespecting the competition after all ???
We know the squad is weak. A draw is a decent result in the context of that. Sad I have to say it as we were playing Mansfield, but its true. Bowyer has to prioritise the league. Yes we all get fed up that we never have cup runs, but this season it is more forgivable than others.
I felt Ajose shouldn’t have glanced up at the lino for his one on one to check if he was offside. It was the slightest of looks but from that point on he’d screwed it
So practically everyone on here thinks Ajose was rubbish?! I've not seen him play before and watched the game on a stream with no sound.
For me the 25 was the exciting player with some flare and pace. I was hoping for each pass forward to reach him as he was one of the few to watch. I have just had to check the starting line up to be sure we are talking about the same player. Admittedly didn't see the second half, but often you can tell a good player from 45 minutes or less. He has made it to a relatively high level and can't be as bad as most of here seem to believe.
I felt Ajose shouldn’t have glanced up at the lino for his one on one to check if he was offside. It was the slightest of looks but from that point on he’d screwed it
Yep, to score 1-on-1 you need total concentration. You put the ball in the net first. And leave the officials to do whatever.
When I was playing, I read the Jimmy Greaves book - and he said exactly that, and then always applied it to my own game.
I suppose the frustration as a player these days is perhaps they genuinely dont hear the whistle
Makes you wonder if Ajose looks up to check he's onside just to be on the safe side, else to continue and put the ball in the net can get you one of the most avoidable of yellow cards imaginable
So practically everyone on here thinks Ajose was rubbish?! I've not seen him play before and watched the game on a stream with no sound.
For me the 25 was the exciting player with some flare and pace. I was hoping for each pass forward to reach him as he was one of the few to watch. I have just had to check the starting line up to be sure we are talking about the same player. Admittedly didn't see the second half, but often you can tell a good player from 45 minutes or less. He has made it to a relatively high level and can't be as bad as most of here seem to believe.
I wasn't there, but I've read everyone else dissing Ajose.
Ajose makes his runs but doesn't really receive much of the ball from his team mates.
But the bits of the game I've seen, there's Ajose with good movement, taking defenders with him, helping create the space for others, taking up good positions to receive. He's involved in setting Grant up for his miss, and then takes up a brilliant unmarked position in the box that Grant hasn't the composure, vision or awareness to even see.
Amongst other stuff, the movement to make his 1-on-1 happen (okay he should have scored, and he'll be kicking himself that he didn't). And, of course, he's the one reading Fosu's overhit cross and moving to get on the end of it, before he himself puts a swerving low cross into centre of goaline to provide the assist that Stevenson scored from.
I'd be interested to hear what Bowyer thought of Ajose's performance yesterday?
So practically everyone on here thinks Ajose was rubbish?! I've not seen him play before and watched the game on a stream with no sound.
For me the 25 was the exciting player with some flare and pace. I was hoping for each pass forward to reach him as he was one of the few to watch. I have just had to check the starting line up to be sure we are talking about the same player. Admittedly didn't see the second half, but often you can tell a good player from 45 minutes or less. He has made it to a relatively high level and can't be as bad as most of here seem to believe.
I wasn't there, but I've read everyone else dissing Ajose.
Ajose makes his runs but doesn't really receive much of the ball from his team mates.
But the bits of the game I've seen, there's Ajose with good movement, taking defenders with him, helping create the space for others, taking up good positions to receive. He's involved in setting Grant up for his miss, and then takes up a brilliant unmarked position in the box that Grant hasn't the composure, vision or awareness to even see.
Amongst other stuff, the movement to make his 1-on-1 happen (okay he should have scored, and he'll be kicking himself that he didn't). And, of course, he's the one reading Fosu's overhit cross and moving to get on the end of it, before he himself puts a swerving low cross into centre of goaline to provide the assist that Stevenson scored from.
I'd be interested to hear what Bowyer thought of Ajose's performance yesterday?
So practically everyone on here thinks Ajose was rubbish?! I've not seen him play before and watched the game on a stream with no sound.
For me the 25 was the exciting player with some flare and pace. I was hoping for each pass forward to reach him as he was one of the few to watch. I have just had to check the starting line up to be sure we are talking about the same player. Admittedly didn't see the second half, but often you can tell a good player from 45 minutes or less. He has made it to a relatively high level and can't be as bad as most of here seem to believe.
I wasn't there, but I've read everyone else dissing Ajose.
Ajose makes his runs but doesn't really receive much of the ball from his team mates.
But the bits of the game I've seen, there's Ajose with good movement, taking defenders with him, helping create the space for others, taking up good positions to receive. He's involved in setting Grant up for his miss, and then takes up a brilliant unmarked position in the box that Grant hasn't the composure, vision or awareness to even see.
Amongst other stuff, the movement to make his 1-on-1 happen (okay he should have scored, and he'll be kicking himself that he didn't). And, of course, he's the one reading Fosu's overhit cross and moving to get on the end of it, before he himself puts a swerving low cross into centre of goaline to provide the assist that Stevenson scored from.
I'd be interested to hear what Bowyer thought of Ajose's performance yesterday?
Apart from all of that , he was pony
haha ..... he's not my favourite player either, but I kind of get the impression that perhaps he doesn't really fit into the squad either. Which could possibly explain why his team mates don't particularly look out to give him service, after his often good movement off the ball and the space he finds in the box.
I don't mind Ajose. I think his frustraton yesterday came from the fact that no one was able to out a decent pass in. Not one ball was put in between defenders until the stoppage time and he was feeding off scraps the entire time.
Should have done better with his 1on1, but there were far worse performers on that pitch than him.
He is a player that you would like to match the expectation following a great season with Swindon, but who most of us have given up on. But he is still an option for games like this.
Very good cross for the equaliser but he's his own worst enemy. In a handful of cameos he's shown that he's capable of reading the game well, at times seeing opportunities that others miss in the desperate push for a late goal. But therein lies the problem - he spends most of his time looking utterly flabbergasted that no-one is capable of playing at the level he alone sees himself. Does he really believe he's so superior? He constantly rolls his eyes, hands on hips as a ball from a player working twice as hard (eg Marshall) fails to come up to his expectation, yet how often has he justified that arrogance? This is someone who barely made it into the Bury team when on loan.
In a small squad unity is everything and (though I have no evidence) he appears divisive at best. I could never stand playing with team-mates like that and now hate watching them. He's one more body in a stupidly thin squad but I won't be at all sorry when his contract expires and I doubt Bowyer and Jacko will be either.
(Ajose) ......This is someone who barely made it into the Bury team when on loan.
Early on he had a dressing room row with the Bury manager, and then was frozen out. Which is why his season-long loan was cancelled in January and he returned to Charlton.
After that, Karl Robinson said he had no intention of playing him. Plain to see he wasn't loved at Sparrows Lane.
But once the transfer window closed and Ajose was still here, Robinson said that things had changed and Ajose could challenge for a place in the team. Plus Bowyer gave him a chance straight away and regularly picked him for the rest of last season - and he worked hard for Bowyer.
But therein lies the problem - he spends most of his time looking utterly flabbergasted that no-one is capable of playing at the level he alone sees himself. Does he really believe he's so superior? He constantly rolls his eyes, hands on hips as a ball from a player working twice as hard (eg Marshall) fails to come up to his expectation, yet how often has he justified that arrogance? This is someone who barely made it into the Bury team when on loan.
In a small squad unity is everything and (though I have no evidence) he appears divisive at best. I could never stand playing with team-mates like that and now hate watching them.
He's one more body in a stupidly thin squad but I won't be at all sorry when his contract expires and I doubt Bowyer and Jacko will be either.
Summed it up well, Paddy.
When Grant greedily blazed wide having failed to even see Ajose positioning himself for an open goal - Ajose's reaction was priceless!
Lucky to be in the hat for the next round, but the replay will be very tough if we play like that again. It felt like Rochdale away only worse. Very few positives beyond it was nice to see Billy Clarke back involved, and our fans turned up even if the team didn't. Taylor Maloney improved in the second half, but everything floundered on the lack of a sense of a team, where we had no harmony, no sense of partnerships, and generally not much going for us. Pretty dreary.
Tons of negatives on here and maybe some justified - but to be fair if you are going to have so many changes and play players out of position what do you expect?
(Ajose) ......This is someone who barely made it into the Bury team when on loan.
Early on he had a dressing room row with the Bury manager, and then was frozen out. Which is why his season-long loan was cancelled in January and he returned to Charlton.
After that, Karl Robinson said he had no intention of playing him. Plain to see he wasn't loved at Sparrows Lane.
But once the transfer window closed and Ajose was still here, Robinson said that things had changed and Ajose could challenge for a place in the team. Plus Bowyer gave him a chance straight away and regularly picked him for the rest of last season - and he worked hard for Bowyer.
This season though, he's barely featured.
Agree that he’s put more effort in during the last few times I’ve seen him (obvs I wasn’t at Mansfield) but agree with @Paddy7 that he has a huge overflated opinion about every part of himself and the only bit anyone else is likely to agree with him on is his chin.
Otherwise his histrionics aren’t really required I’d say....
I felt Ajose shouldn’t have glanced up at the lino for his one on one to check if he was offside. It was the slightest of looks but from that point on he’d screwed it
Yep, to score 1-on-1 you need total concentration. You put the ball in the net first. And leave the officials to do whatever.
When I was playing, I read the Jimmy Greaves book - and he said exactly that, and then always applied it to my own game.
Comments
If every player on our books were fit, we could field:
Steer
Solly, Bauer, Pearce, Page
Forster-Caskey, Bielik, Cullen
Fosu, Taylor, Grant
Only the last-named started on Sunday.
I assume the line-up for the next two Tuesdays will be much the same, and I expect that Bowyer will have ironed out some of the faults and have replaced Maloney, Ward and Ajose who were passengers.
Sadly we might need no goals Nicky over the coming weeks
Solly's fitness is being tested to the max, Pierce has previous, Bielik has only just returned from the treatment table and Aribo is still quite young and in danger of burn out.
Hmmm..............was Bowyer disrespecting the competition after all ???
usmansfield get to visit.knowing our luck it will be sunderland
For me the 25 was the exciting player with some flare and pace. I was hoping for each pass forward to reach him as he was one of the few to watch. I have just had to check the starting line up to be sure we are talking about the same player. Admittedly didn't see the second half, but often you can tell a good player from 45 minutes or less. He has made it to a relatively high level and can't be as bad as most of here seem to believe.
You put the ball in the net first. And leave the officials to do whatever.
When I was playing, I read the Jimmy Greaves book - and he said exactly that, and then always applied it to my own game.
Makes you wonder if Ajose looks up to check he's onside just to be on the safe side, else to continue and put the ball in the net can get you one of the most avoidable of yellow cards imaginable
Ajose makes his runs but doesn't really receive much of the ball from his team mates.
But the bits of the game I've seen, there's Ajose with good movement, taking defenders with him, helping create the space for others, taking up good positions to receive. He's involved in setting Grant up for his miss, and then takes up a brilliant unmarked position in the box that Grant hasn't the composure, vision or awareness to even see.
Amongst other stuff, the movement to make his 1-on-1 happen (okay he should have scored, and he'll be kicking himself that he didn't). And, of course, he's the one reading Fosu's overhit cross and moving to get on the end of it, before he himself puts a swerving low cross into centre of goaline to provide the assist that Stevenson scored from.
I'd be interested to hear what Bowyer thought of Ajose's performance yesterday?
Should have done better with his 1on1, but there were far worse performers on that pitch than him.
In a small squad unity is everything and (though I have no evidence) he appears divisive at best. I could never stand playing with team-mates like that and now hate watching them. He's one more body in a stupidly thin squad but I won't be at all sorry when his contract expires and I doubt Bowyer and Jacko will be either.
Which is why his season-long loan was cancelled in January and he returned to Charlton.
After that, Karl Robinson said he had no intention of playing him.
Plain to see he wasn't loved at Sparrows Lane.
But once the transfer window closed and Ajose was still here, Robinson said that things had changed and Ajose could challenge for a place in the team. Plus Bowyer gave him a chance straight away and regularly picked him for the rest of last season - and he worked hard for Bowyer.
This season though, he's barely featured.
When Grant greedily blazed wide having failed to even see Ajose positioning himself for an open goal - Ajose's reaction was priceless!
All to see on the BBC match highlights.
Otherwise his histrionics aren’t really required I’d say....