Dobson reminds me a little bit of Kante, in that Kante while famous for his defensive work, is actually a better attacking footballer than many people give him credit for.
Indeed a surprise about the last couple of games is that Fraser has been defensively solid, while Dobson has made some good forward runs.
I was saying to seth plum at the game - I don't think Garner turned up and expected Dobson to be in his starting midfield, but he's been in for the shock of his life. The kid can actually play? Like that?
The one thing in our favor in a contract extension is that I am not sure he has the athleticism necessary to be a starter in the championship. Pretty much every league one club would want him but the chance of his head being turned by a club in the division above doesn’t seem likely
I was saying to seth plum at the game - I don't think Garner turned up and expected Dobson to be in his starting midfield, but he's been in for the shock of his life. The kid can actually play? Like that?
I think McGrandles was signed because someone, probably not Garner, thought we would end up short there.
We signed McGrandles while we were still in Spain which was the first proper look Garner had at the players.
I find it highley unlikely that 1 we signed McGrandles in a matter of days, so the leg work would have been done before pre-season, possibly even before Garner got the job and 2 Garner made a decision that he didn't fancy Dobson, or JFC, in 2 or 3 days.
He is a brave player that plays his game. He is niggly and breaks play up, looks to play positive balls and can open teams up. He is the best midfielder we have had in years and I include Cullen in that.
The one thing in our favor in a contract extension is that I am not sure he has the athleticism necessary to be a starter in the championship. Pretty much every league one club would want him but the chance of his head being turned by a club in the division above doesn’t seem likely
Not sure I agree with that.
If he didn't sign another contract and then carries on playing like this and slowly improving too, I think he'd easily get Championship interest.
One of the best players in a League 1 team, still only 26 by then, and free?
He is a brave player that plays his game. He is niggly and breaks play up, looks to play positive balls and can open teams up. He is the best midfielder we have had in years and I include Cullen in that.
I'd go further and say the biggest difference from the promotion team and today is Lyle Taylor. There are different strengths and weaknesses but that team had more goals in it. If we had those goals, you can take a fair nuber of our draws and add two points to them.
I was saying to seth plum at the game - I don't think Garner turned up and expected Dobson to be in his starting midfield, but he's been in for the shock of his life. The kid can actually play? Like that?
He is a brave player that plays his game. He is niggly and breaks play up, looks to play positive balls and can open teams up. He is the best midfielder we have had in years and I include Cullen in that.
You think Dobson is a better player than Connor Gallagher?
I'd go further and say the biggest difference from the promotion team and today is Lyle Taylor. There are different strengths and weaknesses but that team had more goals in it. If we had those goals, you can take a fair nuber of our draws and add two points to them.
We needed another striker and a left back. Garner wanted another striker and another left back.
And the biggest two issues have been a lack of goals meaning we couldn't turn 1-1 draws into 2-1 etc, and having to play wingers from the youth team etc at left back when Sessegnon was out.
That's why it's so frustrating that TS didn't back Garner properly (and early in the window) in those two areas.
I was saying to seth plum at the game - I don't think Garner turned up and expected Dobson to be in his starting midfield, but he's been in for the shock of his life. The kid can actually play? Like that?
This, feels like he had Mcgrandles lined up
From the little I've seen of McGrandles, he's not fit to lace Georges boots
He is a brave player that plays his game. He is niggly and breaks play up, looks to play positive balls and can open teams up. He is the best midfielder we have had in years and I include Cullen in that.
You think Dobson is a better player than Connor Gallagher?
He is a brave player that plays his game. He is niggly and breaks play up, looks to play positive balls and can open teams up. He is the best midfielder we have had in years and I include Cullen in that.
You think Dobson is a better player than Connor Gallagher?
No
So he isn't the best midfielder we have had in years.
In the aftermath of Charlton Athletic‘s crazy 4-4 draw with Ipswich Town at The Valley last weekend, it felt apt that it was George Dobson, captain’s armband still on, conducting the celebrations.
The midfielder had the final say on the pitch – sending a looping header over Christian Walton deep in stoppage-time to help the Addicks close a two-goal deficit against the frontrunners for the League One title for the second time in the match – as he capped a mini-comeback of his own.
Dobson’s omission from the starting XI against Derby County in the second game of the 2022/23 campaign looked a clear indication of where Ben Garner saw him in the pecking order but nearly two months on, the 24-year-old has established himself as one of the new manager’s chief lieutenants.
“The game at the start of the season where he dropped me showed where he thought I was at the time,” he reflected when speaking to FLW after the Ipswich game.
“I’ve used that as fuel for myself. I want to play every game, I want to be a big part of this club and I’ve used that as fuel for myself to try and prove that I should be in the team every week.”
An injury to Conor McGrandles meant Dobson was brought on just 31 minutes into the 1-0 win against the Rams and he’s started every League One game since.
What the midfielder is able to provide out of possession – breaking up play and protecting the defence – has never been in doubt and was why he won the Player of the Year award last term, in what was his first season since joining on a free transfer from Sunderland, but there will have been concerns that he didn’t have the technical qualities that Garner desires from those in the engine room.
That area of his game has come on leaps and bounds over the past few months, however, due to the hard work he’s put in with the new boss on the training ground.
I definitely think I’ve improved,” Dobson said, fielding questions about adapting to the new boss. “The gaffer has tried to work a lot with me on my passing and touches when players are up and around you – moving my feet quicker and my all-around passing.
“He came in and said he thought my defensive game was really strong but obviously the way he likes to play, he needed me to move up a level.”
The results of that have been clear to see on the pitch. Dobson now looks comfortable receiving and giving passes in tight areas, pushes to ensure he’s always available for a teammate, and is playing with a level of confidence in possession that we’ve not seen before to help Charlton have more control in games.
It’s reflected in the numbers as well – according to Wyscout, he’s averaging 11.11 more passes per 90 than last season (up to 49.24 from 38.13) at an improved completion race (up to 86.2% from 83%) – and has seen him draw big praise from the man in the dugout.
“For me, he’s been the most improved player since I came to the club,” Garner told FLW when asked for his verdict on Dobson after the 1-1 draw with Oxford United earlier this season.
“Coming in, I knew he was good without the ball, defensively fantastic. I think he’s a great example of what we do want. We’re talking about work ethic, intensity, aggressiveness, focus – he’s like that every day.
“If every player was the same, we would transform as a team because he gets the most out of himself every day. He’s really bought into what we’re doing. I think he’s hugely improved on the ball. He’s showing bravery, his receiving ability is improving, his range of passing is improving.”
Dobson missed a late chance to win the game against Oxford but Garner was focussed only on the positives.
He said: “I didn’t actually think he was as good today on the ball as he has been but on the whole, he’s done really well and George Dobson for me will never be a player that I criticise because he’s got there, he’s in the position, it’s not a lack of effort, it just didn’t go in and I can always forgive that. I can always forgive that.”
The Addicks’ recent upturn in form, which has them up to ninth, has been in no small part due to the flourishing midfield partnership that the 24-year-old has formed with Scott Fraser.
Their impressive performances have been integral to the success of shifting to a 4-4-2. Since Garner lined his XI up in the formation for the game against Lincoln City in an attempt to get the best out of club captain and striker Jayden Stockley, amongst other things, Charlton boast a record in League One that reads played six, won three, drawn two, lost one – and includes eye-catching victories against Portsmouth and Exeter City.
Dobson has been full of praise for his midfield partner’s application during that run.
“He’s been brilliant,” he said after the draw with Ipswich in which they went toe-to-toe with a Championship quality midfield duo in Sam Morsy and Dom Ball.
“I’ve actually been surprised at how much he’s invested into the other side of the game, the side I’m more into, the defensive side.
“Especially in a two-man midfield, both players have got to really work for the team because a lot of teams do play three in midfield so you’re going to be overrun at times.
“He’s been outstanding, obviously everyone knows his quality on the ball but he’s really bought into the other side. It’s been a joy playing with him.”
Fraser, who has dazzled at the level previously in an attacking midfield role, is certainly the more naturally offensive of the pair but Dobson has had more influence in the final third than we’ve seen previously for the Addicks.
According to Wyscout, he’s averaging more than double the number of touches in the opposition box per 90 this season (up from 0.11 to 0.26) and exactly double the shots per 90 (up from 0.29 to 0.43) while he has hit the target nearly three times more often (up from 15.4% to 44.4%).
He came close to scoring a late winner against Oxford, seeing his stoppage-time effort stopped by an outrushing Simon Eastwood, but popped up in the right place at the right time to nod in the equaliser against Ipswich – though Dobson himself admits he was just looking to keep the ball alive with his header rather than aiming to lob Walton.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” he said of the late leveller, which is just his second goal in Charlton colours. “Up there with one of the best I’ve had on a football pitch.”
The former Arsenal and West Ham United academy player has never really been a goalscorer and his only significant assist tally, seven in 2018/19 season with Walsall, was mostly driven by his set-piece delivery but in the front-foot and attack-minded team that Garner wants to build at The Valley, we could well see that change.
The manager certainly believes that Dobson can take his game up a level in the final third.
“Absolutely,” said the Charlton boss. “When you’ve got the attitude of George Dobson, the way he prepares, trains, does everything, he’s only going to get better. He just needs coaching.
“The way he has improved on the ball has really surprised me if I’m honest. He’s improved more than I expected. He buys into it, he works really hard every day, he’s a leader in our group. I can’t speak highly enough of him as a person and a player.”
Being benched by Garner in that Derby game seems a long, long way away now and he has now established himself as the manager’s trusted midfield general – which was emphasised by the fact that it was him that took the captain’s armband after Stockley was subbed off against Ipswich.
Though his shirt had been given to a young fan, the armband remained on as he conducted the Covered End in the post-match celebrations.
“It was a brilliant feeling for the players and the fans together,” Dobson remarked, reflecting on the party atmosphere at full-time.
He added: “I think that’s up there with the best we’ve played in the second half. Obviously to be two goals down twice against a team with probably the biggest budget in the league and, for me, the best players in the league shows where we can be and that we’re not that far away.
“(The 2-0 defeat to MK Dons) the other night was disappointing but before that we had three wins and then the performance, especially in the second half today, it’s got to give us great confidence going into the cup games coming up and then the next set of fixtures leading into Christmas to really stamp our mark and get into the play-off positions.”
Charlton host non-league side Coalville Town in the first round of the FA Cup tomorrow and face Stevenage in the Carabao Cup in midweek but will return to League One duty with a trip to face Burton Albion next weekend.
We’ve seen over the past few months that Dobson is hungry to take his game to new levels and he’s hoping that Charlton can capitalise on their recent displays to do the same.
“We can’t waste this momentum,” he explained. “We’ve got to use this as added fuel to really kick on.”
I've had replica shirts since my teens (Woolwich kit) and Dobson 4, is the only player name I've ever had on the back of a shirt (thanks dad). Hope he sticks around.
Comments
Indeed a surprise about the last couple of games is that Fraser has been defensively solid, while Dobson has made some good forward runs.
We signed McGrandles while we were still in Spain which was the first proper look Garner had at the players.
I find it highley unlikely that 1 we signed McGrandles in a matter of days, so the leg work would have been done before pre-season, possibly even before Garner got the job and 2 Garner made a decision that he didn't fancy Dobson, or JFC, in 2 or 3 days.
If he didn't sign another contract and then carries on playing like this and slowly improving too, I think he'd easily get Championship interest.
One of the best players in a League 1 team, still only 26 by then, and free?
Maybe they do 'in addition' rather than 'only'.
Garner wanted another striker and another left back.
And the biggest two issues have been a lack of goals meaning we couldn't turn 1-1 draws into 2-1 etc, and having to play wingers from the youth team etc at left back when Sessegnon was out.
That's why it's so frustrating that TS didn't back Garner properly (and early in the window) in those two areas.
“Will never be a player that I criticise” – How George Dobson became Ben Garner’s trusted midfield General at Charlton Athletic
By Ned Holmes
In the aftermath of Charlton Athletic‘s crazy 4-4 draw with Ipswich Town at The Valley last weekend, it felt apt that it was George Dobson, captain’s armband still on, conducting the celebrations.
The midfielder had the final say on the pitch – sending a looping header over Christian Walton deep in stoppage-time to help the Addicks close a two-goal deficit against the frontrunners for the League One title for the second time in the match – as he capped a mini-comeback of his own.
Dobson’s omission from the starting XI against Derby County in the second game of the 2022/23 campaign looked a clear indication of where Ben Garner saw him in the pecking order but nearly two months on, the 24-year-old has established himself as one of the new manager’s chief lieutenants.
“The game at the start of the season where he dropped me showed where he thought I was at the time,” he reflected when speaking to FLW after the Ipswich game.
“I’ve used that as fuel for myself. I want to play every game, I want to be a big part of this club and I’ve used that as fuel for myself to try and prove that I should be in the team every week.”
An injury to Conor McGrandles meant Dobson was brought on just 31 minutes into the 1-0 win against the Rams and he’s started every League One game since.
What the midfielder is able to provide out of possession – breaking up play and protecting the defence – has never been in doubt and was why he won the Player of the Year award last term, in what was his first season since joining on a free transfer from Sunderland, but there will have been concerns that he didn’t have the technical qualities that Garner desires from those in the engine room.
That area of his game has come on leaps and bounds over the past few months, however, due to the hard work he’s put in with the new boss on the training ground.
I definitely think I’ve improved,” Dobson said, fielding questions about adapting to the new boss. “The gaffer has tried to work a lot with me on my passing and touches when players are up and around you – moving my feet quicker and my all-around passing.
“He came in and said he thought my defensive game was really strong but obviously the way he likes to play, he needed me to move up a level.”
The results of that have been clear to see on the pitch. Dobson now looks comfortable receiving and giving passes in tight areas, pushes to ensure he’s always available for a teammate, and is playing with a level of confidence in possession that we’ve not seen before to help Charlton have more control in games.
It’s reflected in the numbers as well – according to Wyscout, he’s averaging 11.11 more passes per 90 than last season (up to 49.24 from 38.13) at an improved completion race (up to 86.2% from 83%) – and has seen him draw big praise from the man in the dugout.
“For me, he’s been the most improved player since I came to the club,” Garner told FLW when asked for his verdict on Dobson after the 1-1 draw with Oxford United earlier this season.
“Coming in, I knew he was good without the ball, defensively fantastic. I think he’s a great example of what we do want. We’re talking about work ethic, intensity, aggressiveness, focus – he’s like that every day.
“If every player was the same, we would transform as a team because he gets the most out of himself every day. He’s really bought into what we’re doing. I think he’s hugely improved on the ball. He’s showing bravery, his receiving ability is improving, his range of passing is improving.”
Dobson missed a late chance to win the game against Oxford but Garner was focussed only on the positives.
He said: “I didn’t actually think he was as good today on the ball as he has been but on the whole, he’s done really well and George Dobson for me will never be a player that I criticise because he’s got there, he’s in the position, it’s not a lack of effort, it just didn’t go in and I can always forgive that. I can always forgive that.”
The Addicks’ recent upturn in form, which has them up to ninth, has been in no small part due to the flourishing midfield partnership that the 24-year-old has formed with Scott Fraser.
Their impressive performances have been integral to the success of shifting to a 4-4-2. Since Garner lined his XI up in the formation for the game against Lincoln City in an attempt to get the best out of club captain and striker Jayden Stockley, amongst other things, Charlton boast a record in League One that reads played six, won three, drawn two, lost one – and includes eye-catching victories against Portsmouth and Exeter City.
Dobson has been full of praise for his midfield partner’s application during that run.
“He’s been brilliant,” he said after the draw with Ipswich in which they went toe-to-toe with a Championship quality midfield duo in Sam Morsy and Dom Ball.
“I’ve actually been surprised at how much he’s invested into the other side of the game, the side I’m more into, the defensive side.
“Especially in a two-man midfield, both players have got to really work for the team because a lot of teams do play three in midfield so you’re going to be overrun at times.
“He’s been outstanding, obviously everyone knows his quality on the ball but he’s really bought into the other side. It’s been a joy playing with him.”
Fraser, who has dazzled at the level previously in an attacking midfield role, is certainly the more naturally offensive of the pair but Dobson has had more influence in the final third than we’ve seen previously for the Addicks.
According to Wyscout, he’s averaging more than double the number of touches in the opposition box per 90 this season (up from 0.11 to 0.26) and exactly double the shots per 90 (up from 0.29 to 0.43) while he has hit the target nearly three times more often (up from 15.4% to 44.4%).
He came close to scoring a late winner against Oxford, seeing his stoppage-time effort stopped by an outrushing Simon Eastwood, but popped up in the right place at the right time to nod in the equaliser against Ipswich – though Dobson himself admits he was just looking to keep the ball alive with his header rather than aiming to lob Walton.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” he said of the late leveller, which is just his second goal in Charlton colours. “Up there with one of the best I’ve had on a football pitch.”
The former Arsenal and West Ham United academy player has never really been a goalscorer and his only significant assist tally, seven in 2018/19 season with Walsall, was mostly driven by his set-piece delivery but in the front-foot and attack-minded team that Garner wants to build at The Valley, we could well see that change.
The manager certainly believes that Dobson can take his game up a level in the final third.
“Absolutely,” said the Charlton boss. “When you’ve got the attitude of George Dobson, the way he prepares, trains, does everything, he’s only going to get better. He just needs coaching.
“The way he has improved on the ball has really surprised me if I’m honest. He’s improved more than I expected. He buys into it, he works really hard every day, he’s a leader in our group. I can’t speak highly enough of him as a person and a player.”
Being benched by Garner in that Derby game seems a long, long way away now and he has now established himself as the manager’s trusted midfield general – which was emphasised by the fact that it was him that took the captain’s armband after Stockley was subbed off against Ipswich.
Though his shirt had been given to a young fan, the armband remained on as he conducted the Covered End in the post-match celebrations.
“It was a brilliant feeling for the players and the fans together,” Dobson remarked, reflecting on the party atmosphere at full-time.
He added: “I think that’s up there with the best we’ve played in the second half. Obviously to be two goals down twice against a team with probably the biggest budget in the league and, for me, the best players in the league shows where we can be and that we’re not that far away.
“(The 2-0 defeat to MK Dons) the other night was disappointing but before that we had three wins and then the performance, especially in the second half today, it’s got to give us great confidence going into the cup games coming up and then the next set of fixtures leading into Christmas to really stamp our mark and get into the play-off positions.”
Charlton host non-league side Coalville Town in the first round of the FA Cup tomorrow and face Stevenage in the Carabao Cup in midweek but will return to League One duty with a trip to face Burton Albion next weekend.
We’ve seen over the past few months that Dobson is hungry to take his game to new levels and he’s hoping that Charlton can capitalise on their recent displays to do the same.
“We can’t waste this momentum,” he explained. “We’ve got to use this as added fuel to really kick on.”