It seems we have settled into a middling groove since Jacko was appointed. We are 13 points out of the playoffs and although we are closer to the drop zone than that, I do not feel we are at risk any longer. Just when we look really good we then look really poor and I don't feel like we have a squad capable of getting out of this division as it stands.
It feels to me like the season is essentially.... over.... and that we will finish somwhere comfortably mid-table, one way or the other.
We have as good a manager as we can hope for in League One. Omicron is already on its way down and I think by June the pandemic will be mostly a memory. TS has actually impressed me by taking his time to fully appoint Jacko and he seems to be slowly learning the ropes of how this whole thing works now that the bloom is off his rose, even if I still have doubts about his long term tenure here due to his financial constraints.
Do others feel this is the situation, or no? If so, is it time to start planning for the 2022-23 season and begin making long term, thoughtful plans to grow and upgrade, now?
If you feel we are somehow still in the hunt (or at risk of relegation) I am curious as to your thinking.
Thanks.
Comments
This season finished a couple of weeks before Christmas
The odd thing is we seem to have an overload of those who can tickle the ivories and a lack of men who can carry the bugger up three flights of stairs without dropping it. What's more they need to do it week in and week out. It's all about character and I'm not sure the black box is programmed for that?
I don't believe we will go down as I'm sure there are 4 worse teams than us but as a pundit once said...."its a funny old game".
In. OUR youth (not imported loans). We are going to be playing in this league or below for longer than we would all like to hope. IF Thomas has stomach for it and sticks around, this is the only way, save spending fortunes.
The season is far from over in my view. This team has shown vast inconsistencies from the high quality performances in beating Sunderland, Plymouth and Ipswich to the lows like losing with a whimper to Cheltenham, Lincoln and Hartlepool. I just don't know what Charlton we are going to see from week to week and that makes me twitchy until we reach 50 points.
That said I don't think we are in such a desperate position that we need short term panic buys or loans. We must buy sensibly and tie down our best youngsters for the longer term. It would be foolish to think we can leave all our business to the summer anyhow. Whilst that may have worked well in the past, clearly all did no go to plan last summer. I'm therefore happy to see a slow rebuild strategy.
That's it
Without Stockley a small but genuine chance of relegation so season not over. Recently we have lost to Crewe who were dreadful and beat us comfortably and to 16th in L2 Hartlepool who could have scored a hatful if they could shoot. We are 6 points above relegation with a team with no leaders.
I would get rid of Watson immediately even if it is paying him off. One of the worst CAFC performances I have seen yesterday, he is no role model to the kids and showed yesterday why he can never be included in a squad again. If we can find takers for Souare and Gunter before end of window we should do that too.
We should see if we can bring in players from other clubs we have a realistic chance of signing in the summer (hopefully the Chelsea lad) so we can integrate them now.
We should be talking to players coming up to the end of their contracts now both internally whom we want to renew and externally whom we want to sign.
We should also be taking serious consideration about our recruitment team. Gallen with a patchy record and MS with no record does not fill me with huge hope we will get it right. This is the team that most needs to out perform and has not shown it is capable of doing so.
We hammer Portsmouth by at least 5 on Monday and signal our intent. We then go on a run of 19 games winning by no less than 4 and conceding none in each game. Match of the Day break their format and start including Charlton games in their highlight package....and the proper one with Lineker and Shearer, not that spin off bullshit on Sundays with the bloke wot used to be on the radio.
Offers come in for all the players but they turn them down and display their new Chartlon4eva tattoos gained on a team bonding night in Clacton.
We walk the league. Then the Championship. Then the Premier league and TS headlines Live Aid 2025 with Elliot Lee on drums.
No reason this won't happen based on my gut feeling. I'll bookmark this post and see where we are in May.
You say we “have an overload of these players” can you list them please.
Gilbey can’t pass the ball
Matthews and Morgan not good enough
of the rest, there is very little quality about.
Next season will be our third season of the latest third tier stint. Does it actually mean anything? No, other than it would be pretty depressing to be down here in 2023-24.
I think Airman put it well recently… I can’t find the exact quote but in my eyes, the league is made up of 24 teams but realistically 90% of the promotions will be won by a core of fewer than 10 clubs over any four year span.
If we can’t ensure we are one of those clubs, we are doing something wrong.
I didn't explain that very well. The players who should be creating a bit of magic are just not turning up regularly enough. Players like DJ, Gilbey, Lee, CBT, Clare, Leco and supposedly Charlie Kirk.
I have seen them all with the exception of Kirk display some wonderful skills, but only when they decide to turn up which is seemingly down to a wing and a prayer. Their skills are simply not accompanied by the level of performance required on a regular basis.
I s'pose the broader point I was trying to make was that the team is lacking in character. I believe it is causing the disconnect between the players and the fans.
2) Make a decision early who we are going to offer new contracts too.
3) Make a decision early which youngsters are going to be involved in the squad next season, if players like Henry, Vennings, Deji etc are going to be involved next season bring them within the last month and let them get use to men’s football.
Well I need to fit some batten and tongue and groove to the bathroom walls and she wants a bigger shed.
Charlton are a club with potential and if the project was too take off here then it would be great to be part of it as a player so start getting those players who are talented and hungry with a slight blend of experience also.
What actually needs doing is Thomas needs to sit down with Jackson, just Jackson, and be told what exactly he needs to do the job.
They can then argue/compromise over budgets, realism etc but at the end of the meeting Jackson needs to be happy that he has the tools to do the job, or shake his hand and walk away.
Finishing 7th or nearer to top 6 as possible will likely look better to any potential summer signings than our current position
EVERY player at the club now needs to be assessed as to if they fit in to both, either or none of the formations picked and tactics employed.
Those in the none camp go in the summer, regardless of how young/old they are or how long is on their contracts, pay off those that no-one will buy, sell the ones you can.
Those in the either/or camp either leave if contracts have expired, or get sold if the price is right, unless they are shit hot, they can stay.
Those in the both camp, as long as they are deemed good enough to get out of this league, get to stay, younger ones offered new, longer contracts to do so.
Scouting is done, any player that's missed more than 40% of the last 2 seasons combined is disregarded immediately. Priority is placed on players 27 and younger, ideally with roots in the South East, or at least a decent period of their careers played away from "home". No use signing a Yorkshire lad who's career spans the likes of Sheffield, Leeds, Huddersfield, Barnsley and Hull, And he's never lived down South before.
Loanees are only signed if there's no chance in hell of us signing a player of that calibre otherwise, but they must be outstanding (Like Cullen and Bielik) if they only improve us slightly, play one of our youth instead. No old men on loan, it's pointless.
Have 2 players for EVERY position, that are competition to eachother