A late sickener in the final minute of injury time felt like last season revisited but we were under the cosh for the last 15 minutes and lacked the ability and composure to get out of our own half. A low quality, scrappy game and, objectively speaking, a draw was a fair result against a limited Shrewsbury side. That looked to me like bog standard League 1 fare - slow, pedestrian and a lack of movement and imagination.
A very worrying performance from a team with promotion aspirations. A win would have papered over the cracks to a limited extent but, overall, this was simply not good enough.
On the plus side, Pearce and Famewo were solid in central defence and Amos turned in another good performance. Maatsen also did well and, in the first half, was our only real attacking threat. Watson had a decent enough game in midfield but we lacked any fluidity and offered practically up top. Chuks looked sluggish at the start of the game and was well shackled by their big defenders, whilst Washington was ineffectual and too easily dispossessed. The substitution of Jonny Williams looked a little petulant and ill-considered.
Plenty for Bowyer to ponder and much work to be done this week at Sparrows Lane.
They can do drills and work on formations etc all week, but if your only tactic is to nick 1 goal and sit back and defend, when we're actually shit at it, then it's all a fucking waste of time.
It is the tactic because Bowyer can't make the offensive tactics work. He can make that one work when he has his best defence. He has the quality to do better though, but I don't think he has the balls or dare I say it, ability.
BTW Washington pulled out of a challenge in first half. Bowyer has it in for Williams who at this level is a top player.
Keep being told this but have seen very little to warrant it.
Great potential but he's not delivering and certainly not consistently.
I don’t think he’s being played enough or to his strengths. He’s influential when he’s allowed to drift wide and float inside with a bit of freedom. I can just imagine he’s weighed down under strict orders from LB about doing the dirty bits and his defensive duties.
Possibly mate. I am a big fan and have started a thread previously saying so but I find his constant hitting the deck looking for fouls a bit frustrating and it seems to be pretty frequent.
He literally jumped out of the tackle today which led to us being immediately under pressure.
I make bowyer right on this one and expect that Williams or any other player will now think twice before bottling a challenge again whilst he's in charge.
Rubbish....in the highest order....plenty of other options.
Dont want Williams there....bring on another defender for a player who has played 75 mins+ and put him further up the pitch.
BTW Washington pulled out of a challenge in first half. Bowyer has it in for Williams who at this level is a top player.
Keep being told this but have seen very little to warrant it.
Great potential but he's not delivering and certainly not consistently.
I don’t think he’s being played enough or to his strengths. He’s influential when he’s allowed to drift wide and float inside with a bit of freedom. I can just imagine he’s weighed down under strict orders from LB about doing the dirty bits and his defensive duties.
I make bowyer right on this one and expect that Williams or any other player will now think twice before bottling a challenge again whilst he's in charge.
You are very, very lonely with that opinion. Williams went down expecting a foul btw
BTW Washington pulled out of a challenge in first half. Bowyer has it in for Williams who at this level is a top player.
Keep being told this but have seen very little to warrant it.
Great potential but he's not delivering and certainly not consistently.
I don’t think he’s being played enough or to his strengths. He’s influential when he’s allowed to drift wide and float inside with a bit of freedom. I can just imagine he’s weighed down under strict orders from LB about doing the dirty bits and his defensive duties.
Possibly mate. I am a big fan and have started a thread previously saying so but I find his constant hitting the deck looking for fouls a bit frustrating and it seems to be pretty frequent.
He literally jumped out of the tackle today which led to us being immediately under pressure.
I make bowyer right on this one and expect that Williams or any other player will now think twice before bottling a challenge again whilst he's in charge.
You forgot to mention that he usually wins those free kicks. Which is what he did when Bowyer hauled him off.
Underlines part of the point I'm striving to make. The main focus of his game at times appears to be winning free kicks/ playing for fouls when he has so much more to offer.
I find the foul drawing in football anti football and not keen on it.
Ha, he wants to see the couple of taxi driver routes Maddison took the other night to avoid making a tackle
Wouldnt have mattered had he took the direct route mate, he can whip a ball in but just can't tackle IMO.
Beckham or Hoddle couldn't tackle either but you'd have them in your side every week. Not everyone has to be a water carrier or a combative midfielder.
You just can't go into panic mode when you are leading. It wasn't Shrewsbury that put us under pressure; we put ourselves under pressure.
Why turn into a park team in the last 10 minutes ? Milton Keynes beat Cafc and were composed and just kept passing. Albie will take the blame for his wild slice but inviting a team to keep putting the ball into our penalty area is such a strange tactic in the business end of the match.
With a possible 5 subs we should dovetail and why reverse. Good game management is keeping hold of the football and playing a higher line unless Usain Bolt is playing upfront for the opposition.
When Williams didn't make a tackle (Greg called it on valley pass) and then lost his man, Johnny needed to play further forward and replace Washington with the sub.
Bowyer made a big call, which all managers have to do. It's the panic I can't get my head round !
That is 3 terrible goals we have given away against Burton(2) and Shrewsbury(1).
Both Doughty and Smyth being injured means we didn't have the pace option but Williams and bogle did start the move for our goal.
I think these players don’t get on for some reason or bowers lost the dressing room been told 2 players causing shit will try fine out more because I’ve had enough it’s not right on us fans.
Ha ha, I love how when we don't perform well, it's because of dressing room unrest.
Same rumours everytime we go on a bad run.
What every ducking week pisr off
So where was the dressing room unrest last weekend
Or did we beat Ipswich because there is more unrest there than here
The issue is players arent taking teams seriously enough!!
If this is correct, which I really don't think it is, I'd be interested to know how you think players taking teams seriously enough will change the way we play?
Our tactics, our patterns of play, our shape -none of that changes because of how players view teams.
Our only outlet being to hit the ball back the keeper is not because players are not taking teams seriously. It's because of the way we are set up, and how are players are told to play - this is not under 11s football where everyone is just running full pelt at the ball.
We play the same way in games we win, and in games we lose - and it's happened since the injury crisis last year.
This place has become pretty unrecognisable on match days. We were bad, as we have been for a few weeks now. Before that we went on our best ever run at this level, better than we did under Powell the year we won the league. Before that we barely had a squad, had to plug countless gaps at the last minute under an oppressive wage cap that other teams were able to plan ahead of, after barely managing to get our club back from the brink. Despite all that, when matches start if we're not playing brilliant football you can't move for abject negativity and criticisms of the manager, the shape and individual players. I don't know if it's just Charlton at the moment or if football fans are just losing their patience more and more but it's really unpleasant following matches if we're not winning. Teams will play badly, they'll go on dodgy runs of form, particularly when they've put together a team made up at the last minute for peanuts, I don't really understand at the end of a match where we didn't even lose, were without 5 first team players and sit in the play-off spots with a game in hand over most of the teams ahead of us how people are losing the plot this badly. Do people think we're too good to slum it with the likes of Burton and Shewsbury; because we're not. Ah well, it's up to you how you follow the team I suppose, but it's not a good look.
I love LB and as a player he was strong, aggressive and played with passion...
But the old saying of 'familiarity breeds contempt' is what concerns me now.
Most of us didn't expect him to stay around after last season but stay he did and up to a few weeks ago life was pretty damn good.
However, he seems to have lost his own confidence and his past comments about Albie, Omar, us lot and now Jonny is very concerning.
I want to see LB succeed but if this carries on and things continue to go down hill I would hate to see a hero of mine taken down and be sacked.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but perhaps he should have walked in June.... What remains to be seen now is how strong a chairman is Thomas and has he the bottle to take tough decisions???
Time will tell and let's hope things improve quickly and this is all just a blip in the road.
Half the problem for me is that we have Watson and Pratley who essentially do the same thing. But because they are experienced senior pros it seems like he doesn't want to leave one of them out. I know Pratley has been playing centre back for a while but now we have actual centre backs back in the team, we're essentially going to be setting up with at least 6 defensive players plus Amos in the team.
That's ok if you're going away to Hull, Pompey, Peterborough etc, but away at sides like Shrewsbury or at home to MK Dons where the onus is on us to take the game to them, i feel we're setting up too negatively.
I'm a Bowyer fan all day long, but how long will Thomas patience be tested and yes, i know we are in top 6,just, but something has happened we know nothing of. And note Accrington Stanley one point below us with two games in hand Bow really needs a long look in the mirror as realism hits hard sometimes.
If Thomas came out and sacked Bowyer, would people back that?
I think I would. That's not to say I'm not greatful for everything Bowyer has done but prehaps it's soon time for a change because the dressing room atmosphere is a cause for concern and Bowyer dosnt know how to kill a game off without going park the bus mode.
Absolutely 100% Bowyers fault only time we looked dangerous was when Willian was on, he is not a defender definitely should have pushed him on taken Washington off.
Boogle is shit.
Choosing Bogle as your scapegoat after watching that? Utter nonsense. He started the move for the goal and looked dangerous. Confirms to me that you and others will never give him a fair shake
Don’t care I can’t think of one decent game he has had, hardly makes a challenge and the game bypasses him more often than not. Yes he makes the odd good pass but he is not anywhere consistent enough.
If Thomas came out and sacked Bowyer, would people back that?
I think I would. That's not to say I'm not greatful for everything Bowyer has done but prehaps it's soon time for a change because the dressing room atmosphere is a cause for concern
If Thomas came out and sacked Bowyer, would people back that?
I think I would. That's not to say I'm not greatful for everything Bowyer has done but prehaps it's soon time for a change because the dressing room atmosphere is a cause for concern and Bowyer dosnt know how to kill a game off without going park the bus mode.
You want Sandgaard to sack Bowyer because we’re in 6th place with a game in hand?
Delusional comment from Bows. We definitely didn't try to play the right way.
Play the right way....pass it back ......pass it sideways...pass it back!!! 2 players in this squad can take people on. 1 didn’t make the squad and the other got hauled off for pulling out of a challenge.
If Thomas came out and sacked Bowyer, would people back that?
I think I would. That's not to say I'm not greatful for everything Bowyer has done but prehaps it's soon time for a change because the dressing room atmosphere is a cause for concern and Bowyer dosnt know how to kill a game off without going park the bus mode.
You want Sandgaard to sack Bowyer because we’re in 6th place with a game in hand?
Has nothing to do with our position in the league.
With our current form though that can change very quickly
This place has become pretty unrecognisable on match days. We were bad, as we have been for a few weeks now. Before that we went on our best ever run at this level, better than we did under Powell the year we won the league. Before that we barely had a squad, had to plug countless gaps at the last minute under an oppressive wage cap that other teams were able to plan ahead of, after barely managing to get our club back from the brink. Despite all that, when matches start if we're not playing brilliant football you can't move for abject negativity and criticisms of the manager, the shape and individual players. I don't know if it's just Charlton at the moment or if football fans are just losing their patience more and more but it's really unpleasant following matches if we're not winning. Teams will play badly, they'll go on dodgy runs of form, particularly when they've put together a team made up at the last minute for peanuts, I don't really understand at the end of a match where we didn't even lose, were without 5 first team players and sit in the play-off spots with a game in hand over most of the teams ahead of us how people are losing the plot this badly. Do people think we're too good to slum it with the likes of Burton and Shewsbury; because we're not. Ah well, it's up to you how you follow the team I suppose, but it's not a good look.
I totally get your point. I feel like the issue is we don't play good football under Bows - we play effective football - so when we do go on these bad little runs it feels grim.
We rarely look good when we win, and end up looking terrible when we lose. But that's just brand Bowyer. I still think its enough to get us out this league.
I totally understand his frustration but if we had been 2-0 up then letting in a last minute penalty wouldn't matter.
Instead if trying to defend a 1-0 lead it would have been better trying to get a 2nd goal. The exact same thing happened away at Birmingham last season. 1-0 up with 10 mins to go & LB takes off attacking players for defenders. We let in a last minute goal that turns 3 points into 1. And that relegated us.
Big fan of Bowyer but we've looked a different team since the international break. With this schedule and our last few years of injury problems I expect rotation, but it feels like we don't have a best team, a favoured formation, a settled way of playing. He's not always been a cautious manager - we've played good football under him and had a great balance in the promotion season between playing out from the back and being quicker/more direct. He's still in credit but I wasn't impressed with him blaming the fans the other day or taking Williams off for one mistake. Is he feeling the pressure? Does he believe all this squad can do is keep games tight and nick the odd goal?
I've seen a few comments here and elsewhere about TS not putting up with this for much longer - I think this early into his ownership that's unclear.
I don't understand picking that midfield and then sticking with it into the second half - it was so predictable that we'd attempt to battle our way through the game and struggle to create more than the odd chance. Yes we scored but that midfield wouldn't score many more if we continued with it for the rest of the season. If we were in the Championship with a small budget trying to keep it tight and nick results is to be expected. In this league it's fair to expect more. It's a competitive league and no one dominates for the full 90 minutes all season long, but we look very different from the team that were mostly in control during our run of wins.
We're really missing Doughty at the moment, he added pace and something different to our attacks. With Smyth out we I feel we need to put Maatsen in there to add that type of player to the midfield - or at least as close as we can get. Otherwise our midfield is full of too many similar players and lacking pace, energy and a goal threat. That's not what we've come to expect from a Bowyer midfield.
At least the transfer window is only weeks away from opening. We need to find a way to add the above to the midfield and improve the attack - we need a stand out striker who's fit enough to regularly play 90 minutes.
Delusional comment from Bows. We definitely didn't try to play the right way.
what on earth is he talking about?! we lumped the ball forward for one of their centre backs to win in the air. rest of the time you had our whole midfield passing the ball sideways or back.
Comments
Dont want Williams there....bring on another defender for a player who has played 75 mins+ and put him further up the pitch.
Draw them fouls....buy us time.
Bowyer. Got. It. Wrong.
Underlines part of the point I'm striving to make. The main focus of his game at times appears to be winning free kicks/ playing for fouls when he has so much more to offer.
I find the foul drawing in football anti football and not keen on it.
Why turn into a park team in the last 10 minutes ? Milton Keynes beat Cafc and were composed and just kept passing. Albie will take the blame for his wild slice but inviting a team to keep putting the ball into our penalty area is such a strange tactic in the business end of the match.
With a possible 5 subs we should dovetail and why reverse. Good game management is keeping hold of the football and playing a higher line unless Usain Bolt is playing upfront for the opposition.
When Williams didn't make a tackle (Greg called it on valley pass) and then lost his man, Johnny needed to play further forward and replace Washington with the sub.
Bowyer made a big call, which all managers have to do. It's the panic I can't get my head round !
That is 3 terrible goals we have given away against Burton(2) and Shrewsbury(1).
Both Doughty and Smyth being injured means we didn't have the pace option but Williams and bogle did start the move for our goal.
Our tactics, our patterns of play, our shape -none of that changes because of how players view teams.
Our only outlet being to hit the ball back the keeper is not because players are not taking teams seriously. It's because of the way we are set up, and how are players are told to play - this is not under 11s football where everyone is just running full pelt at the ball.
We play the same way in games we win, and in games we lose - and it's happened since the injury crisis last year.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-boss-lee-bowyer-fumes-over-two-points-dropped-after-shrewsbury-bag-late-leveller-at-the-new-meadow/
But the old saying of 'familiarity breeds contempt' is what concerns me now.
Most of us didn't expect him to stay around after last season but stay he did and up to a few weeks ago life was pretty damn good.
However, he seems to have lost his own confidence and his past comments about Albie, Omar, us lot and now Jonny is very concerning.
I want to see LB succeed but if this carries on and things continue to go down hill I would hate to see a hero of mine taken down and be sacked.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but perhaps he should have walked in June.... What remains to be seen now is how strong a chairman is Thomas and has he the bottle to take tough decisions???
Time will tell and let's hope things improve quickly and this is all just a blip in the road.
That's ok if you're going away to Hull, Pompey, Peterborough etc, but away at sides like Shrewsbury or at home to MK Dons where the onus is on us to take the game to them, i feel we're setting up too negatively.
and yes, i know we are in top 6,just, but something has happened we know
nothing of.
And note Accrington Stanley one point below us with two games in hand
Bow really needs a long look in the mirror as realism hits hard sometimes.
I think I would. That's not to say I'm not greatful for everything Bowyer has done but prehaps it's soon time for a change because the dressing room atmosphere is a cause for concern and Bowyer dosnt know how to kill a game off without going park the bus mode.
Sorry if you disagree but that’s life.
With our current form though that can change very quickly
We rarely look good when we win, and end up looking terrible when we lose. But that's just brand Bowyer. I still think its enough to get us out this league.
Instead if trying to defend a 1-0 lead it would have been better trying to get a 2nd goal. The exact same thing happened away at Birmingham last season. 1-0 up with 10 mins to go & LB takes off attacking players for defenders. We let in a last minute goal that turns 3 points into 1. And that relegated us.
He has not learned at all. Same old same old.
I've seen a few comments here and elsewhere about TS not putting up with this for much longer - I think this early into his ownership that's unclear.
I don't understand picking that midfield and then sticking with it into the second half - it was so predictable that we'd attempt to battle our way through the game and struggle to create more than the odd chance. Yes we scored but that midfield wouldn't score many more if we continued with it for the rest of the season. If we were in the Championship with a small budget trying to keep it tight and nick results is to be expected. In this league it's fair to expect more. It's a competitive league and no one dominates for the full 90 minutes all season long, but we look very different from the team that were mostly in control during our run of wins.
We're really missing Doughty at the moment, he added pace and something different to our attacks. With Smyth out we I feel we need to put Maatsen in there to add that type of player to the midfield - or at least as close as we can get. Otherwise our midfield is full of too many similar players and lacking pace, energy and a goal threat. That's not what we've come to expect from a Bowyer midfield.
At least the transfer window is only weeks away from opening. We need to find a way to add the above to the midfield and improve the attack - we need a stand out striker who's fit enough to regularly play 90 minutes.