It feels like we’ve gone back to that spell under Bowyer where we literally gifted the opposition goals every game.
The annoying thing is we were poor throughout yet Bolton didn’t create hardly any effort of note other than our mistake and a needlessly given free kick
Of course we want to win on Saturday, but I imagine Jacko would be delighted with a 0-0 draw, as defensively we're just not good enough at the moment. We're not a side who can play badly, but nick a 1-0 win, which is how you get promoted, as you won't play well every game.
And it's not just because Inniss didn't play tonight, as we let in 2 sloppy goals on Saturday against a weak Wimbledon side, it's seems to be a collective issue at the moment, with everyone making individual mistakes.
Tonight Akin had an awful first half, while it was Pearce's turn to have a terrible second half - I can only assume the ref was lenient because he's seen a replay of the Jones incident.
I was saying this about our hot and cold runs. Not only are we not a side that can play badly and win, we aren't a side that can play well and lose either.
I know it sounds stupid but the only time I can think of, in the last 18 months, when we played well but the other team were better was Peterborough at home last season.
If we are "on it" we don't lose, if we aren't we won't win. Might get a draw, Aneke 90+1.
That's so frustrating because if we were "on it" more we would be in the championship already.
I think the team has every chance of going up next season if we bank on what is good and are ruthless with what is less good. This is league one so we need to be able to do the dirty stuff as well as play good football. I think the midfield isn't an issue at all. If we have Stockley, Aneke and Washington that looks good but when can we play them in the same squad. We need one more nasty bastard up front. Famewo is being exposed positionally and if he doesn't improve I wouldn't take him next season. I think I would want another centre half that is commanding in the air and a threat in our opponents box. Innis is, but seems to be made of glass.
So if we sort out the defence and attack, we won't be far off. But we have started too many games where you can see there is not enough threat. We need some goal threat from outside the box too. So I think JJ ought to know what is needed. Cole Stockton is a nasty bastard, who knows where the goal is from both inside and outside of the box. He should be our priority. The team is crying out for him.
(I'll add that I thought Morgan was generally the biggest influence on us trying to get control of the ball; he should have been given the armband instead of Gilbey)
We simply weren’t very good, beyond some brief forays when we played nice passing moves. Silly goals, especially the second when Clare had no need to make that foul. Fraser with a good assist but two powder puff shots when we were 2-1 down.
Pearce had to be hooked before being sent off.
Morgan was up for it, but a few blind passes showed his inexperience. Burstow offered very little. Washington was getting frustrated but didn’t offer much either.
Aneke and Fraser improved us.
Dobson stood and clapped us til the end. Looked as gutted as us tbf.
I’m offering a different view on things instead of saying we are just shit. On back three wins albeit not vintage wins although Portsmouth away we did look good, we came here against a team who are clearly on the up. For those just saying shit tactics, just because we lost , I don’t think could have done much else considering Bolton’s line up. The first half looked awful and even more so given the fact akin made an howler and let them score , but look at what happened to Sunderland when they came here recently. Fair play to Jacko for keeping us in the game , we could have gone more attacking early and got run over . We changed shaped and made the changes at the right time got on top and scored. We made another silly error giving away a free kick when we really didn’t need to, 2-1. We should have nicked a point late on but are we’re just shit NO, people just look at result and say Shit
THIS.
Bolton- yet another team trained at RADA & a ref falling for their tricks, dying swan acting & some of the worst time wasting I've seen for some time.
Yes, we huffed & puffed, especially in the 1st half but ONE mistake led to their goal. How bad must the Mackems have been to capitulate so abysmally ? We were never looking likely to hand it to Wanderers on a plate.
3 games in 7 days inevitably meant a degree of rotation from Jacko but I hope we never see Burstow up top with Wash again. Chuks was a breath of fresh air when he came on & for me, that change should have been made at half time.
Fraser too made a difference - again too late to truly influence the result sadly.
But against an in form team, away from home & with a couple of enforced changes due to the harsh series of matches we've been tasked with, it's definitely not time to hide the sharp knives.
Where we finish in this league is somewhat immaterial now IMO , as long as we steer clear of the bottom 4, but to say that a wholesale clear out is required come May and that this team lacks what it takes, are bottlers & even hide on occasions is OTT in my book.
Jacko is still learning his trade - something we tend to forget - and as CH4RLTON stated we should/might have nicked a point but this squad is a work in progress & IMO deserves some credit rather than the 100% criticism some on here are only too happy to give out. No-one likes to lose but knee jerk reactions aren't helpful....
We are better than that...and so are these players.
It feels like we’ve gone back to that spell under Bowyer where we literally gifted the opposition goals every game.
The annoying thing is we were poor throughout yet Bolton didn’t create hardly any effort of note other than our mistake and a needlessly given free kick
A promotion seeking team would be returning down the M6 with a 1-0 win. Edging these scrappy games is how you go up
The frustrating thing about this match was that we had the ability to win it but instead we beat ourselves with stupid decision making and unnecessary fouls and errors.
There are no words that can describe my frustration at this team. From back to front we were beyond shocking.
I can’t remember seeing a worse defensive performance from Famewo Pearce and Clare.
What Clare was doing to give the foul away for their winner is beyond me. It would be an insult to school boy defending. Famewo and Pearce were comical, neither should be at this club next season.
We have ZERO creativity in midfield, Morgan tried and he was our best player (which isn’t saying much) but no one turns and plays a positive pass. DJ does not want the ball, he never shows and goes out of his way to make a stupid run so the player in possession doesn’t find him.
Tactically, big big questions have to be asked. What were the tactics today? How many times have we dropped a performance like we have today? Too many times, it was so so bad.
There is no passion and no fight from the majority of this team. We need a total and ruthless clear out if we want to compete next season.
Abysmal.
I puke up the small portion of humble pie that I publicly devoured on the AFC Wimbledon post-match thread. He did play a fine ball to Washington after all.
But if only I had said the highlighted comment several months ago. Oh, wait a minute ...
Back in October (I think), it was apparent to me that this squad would finish mid-table at best, and that players like Jaiyesimi were the reason for that.
I'm not happy about it.
But we are crap. And things need to change, Thomas.
On a positive note, I enjoyed Fraser's cameo. I have hope there.
I think Innis and Lavelle should get the nod on Saturday ahead of Pearce and Famewo after their performances this evening.
How would you line them up?
Side by side with Clare also next to them!😉
Being serious, yes I appreciate it would be better if one of your 3 centre backs was left-footed but Famewo hasn’t been great recently and Pearce always has the potential to start practicing his wrestling moves. If Clare and Innis are considered to be first choices, the only other options are Lavelle, Elewere or even Purrington I guess.
Two poor teams giving a display of ineptitude that makes a mockery of three-points for a win. The rest of the league were robbed. There ought to be an independent adjudicator who can rescind points for cloddishness. We were awful for 70 minutes. The substitutions turned the game and we looked like we might just scrape through as almost-worthy winners. Then, a ridiculous challenge from Clare and piss poor defending for the resultant free kick and were were out of the game. Have to feel sorry for Jackson, it looked like he'd done enough to at least get us a point. In the post match interview he looked close to tears. Can't say I blame him I felt the same myself. It's the hope that kills.
We were a pretty good side after our much-needed changes of Burstow and Gilbey off and Aneke and Fraser on. They got one free-kick and scored from it; otherwise we looked very much on top. In Aneke's case, it shows what a bit of presence can do. In Fraser's case, it shows what a bit of footballing quality can. I hope more people are starting to see what I mean about Gilbey. Oh he's lovely on Twitter, sure. He runs around a lot! *Great Escape theme starts playing*
He flatters to deceive. He goes on these runs, does a lot of pointing, a lot tweeting, but there’s no end product. Scored a decent goal against Ipswich. His only other goal was against Hartlepool in the Papa Johns. There are worse players than him, for sure, but I take issue with him because a lot of people think he’s good. He’s not. He just looks marginally better in among poor players. We won’t go up if he’s a regular starter which he has been most of the season.
If Jackson wants to stick with this formation next season (I don’t know if he will), then we build the midfield 3 around Dobson, Fraser and one other.
The league table does not lie after 30 games, a lot of this mob are mid-table league one cannon fodder. Do we really want to be seeing the majority of this team in a shirt again next season?
I chuckled tonight as I turned the build up on. Minto quizzing Curbs about the play offs. The same pathetic rubbish we were hearing this time last year. ‘If we could just go on a run, if we put a few more wins together so and so get sucked into it. The league is tight, on our day we can beat anyone’
I’m not having a go at them, just pointing out the futility and mediocrity of it all. Exactly the same nonsense 12 months on. Different personnel but the same uninspiring football, sprinkled with a win to get the stupid play off talk going again.
Not much to say really. Just that if a team is at us from the off and really gets in our faces this group of players don't have any answers and quite Frankly bottle it.
Time and time again,to a man they never turn up. You don't even get the odd player giving it a go. When it happens it filters through the whole side. It's like shit player osmosis.
We were a pretty good side after our much-needed changes of Burstow and Gilbey off and Aneke and Fraser on. They got one free-kick and scored from it; otherwise we looked very much on top. In Aneke's case, it shows what a bit of presence can do. In Fraser's case, it shows what a bit of footballing quality can. I hope more people are starting to see what I mean about Gilbey. Oh he's lovely on Twitter, sure. He runs around a lot! *Great Escape theme starts playing*
He flatters to deceive. He goes on these runs, does a lot of pointing, a lot tweeting, but there’s no end product. Scored a decent goal against Ipswich. His only other goal was against Hartlepool in the Papa Johns. There are worse players than him, for sure, but I take issue with him because a lot of people think he’s good. He’s not. He just looks marginally better in among poor players. We won’t go up if he’s a regular starter which he has been most of the season.
If Jackson wants to stick with this formation next season (I don’t know if he will), then we build the midfield 3 around Dobson, Fraser and one other.
The league table does not lie after 30 games, a lot of this mob are mid-table league one cannon fodder. Do we really want to be seeing the majority of this team in a shirt again next season?
I chuckled tonight as I turned the build up on. Minto quizzing Curbs about the play offs. The same pathetic rubbish we were hearing this time last year. ‘If we could just go on a run, if we put a few more wins together so and so get sucked into it. The league is tight, on our day we can beat anyone’
I’m not having a go at them, just pointing out the futility and mediocrity of it all. Exactly the same nonsense 12 months on. Different personnel but the same uninspiring football, sprinkled with a win to get the stupid play off talk going again.
Good post BUT
a lot of these players will look a LOT less like cannon-fodder playing alongside Scott Fraser
What a strange error strewn game that was. Neither side looked very good, but we were unlucky to lose in the end.
Positives: 1 Foster. Looks a good player, and having a left footed midfielder who can create chances is something we’ve needed for sometime. What a cross for the goal. The way he easily beat his man to create room for the cross was class. 2 We changed formation for once, and it worked.
3 We learned that we need a new left sided centre back. Famewo has his attributes, but his all round play is still lacking.
4 Lavelle is back.
6. We can relax now. Forget hopes of the playoffs.
I think Charlton fans must be the most bipolar around. Looking at twitter is shocking this evening. Same people who were going on about playoffs after Saturday are having a proper rager. At least they can't moan about relegation anymore.
Pearce and Famewo: not at it. Not sure both should be playing for us next season.
Who scored the winner on Saturday was you saying that then .. mistakes happen but he went to the fans at the end and held his hands up accepting his fault we lost … all credit to him
Bringing this over from the match thread. Completely agree, full credit to him for putting his hand up and saying he made a mistake. It's not easy to do. And it's not like he wanted to play bad. Earned a lot of respect for him tonight even if it wasn't his night on the pitch.
Rubbish. Once again a defensive shambles, zero creativity and until Chuck's came on nothing upfront.
Pearce and Famewo were both appalling.
Burstow and Washington cannot play together. Burstow is not ready to be starting games. For some reason when he is partnered with Washington, Connor becomes totally ineffective.
Dobson was ok, but Morgan and Gilby were crap.
Said it on the match thread and will say it again here, how we loose our shape and fall to pieces for a good 10mins or so after conceding a goal is alarming. Without fail, we ship a goal and look totally lost - screams to me that there are no leaders out there.
Sorry to say it but we are back to needing to out 6/7 players in the summer and rebuild yet again. It's becoming tedious.
I cannot keep stressing that if we keep the likes of Famewo, Matthews, Purrington, Gilbey, Morgan, Washington, DJ and they play as much as they have this season, we will not be challenging next year.
First time ever, to my knowledge, Jackson has changed the shape. Hopefully he will dos so a bit more regularly. DJ can play down the middle if he has to. Famewo just had an off night. He's still one of the first on the team sheet for me, along with Clare.
Overall Bolton deserved the win. They've clearly done some excellent business in the transfer window and are definitely worth a bet to go up next season.
Jackson is not a happy bunny in his post match interview. Understandably
He can moan as much as he likes, but his shit formation doesn't work, signing 4 players in January and none of them starting and 2 not in the squad his decision. Makes changes too late. Plays too many players out of position, DJ at left wing back is just a pathetic choice. Clare however well he has done at center half he is not a center half, its not like we have been good defensively this season, play him as a midfielder. However we managed to mug Chelsea off for nearly £2m for Burstow is ridiculous, he never gets involved I'm not sure I can ever remember him actually dribbling with the ball or trying to take someone on. Play Aneke not Burstow and if Aneke is not fit enough to play each game then more fool them for signing him back on a long contract.
We are probably in a minority of two but I agree to an extent about Aneke. He is an impact sub, that is all. Can’t believe we spent 300k on someone who just can’t manage two games in a week. He’ll come on and score goals but most of the time it will be like tonight, ultimately pointless. Perhaps we should start him and get ahead and take him off at half time.
Jackson is not a happy bunny in his post match interview. Understandably
He can moan as much as he likes, but his shit formation doesn't work, signing 4 players in January and none of them starting and 2 not in the squad his decision. Makes changes too late. Plays too many players out of position, DJ at left wing back is just a pathetic choice. Clare however well he has done at center half he is not a center half, its not like we have been good defensively this season, play him as a midfielder. However we managed to mug Chelsea off for nearly £2m for Burstow is ridiculous, he never gets involved I'm not sure I can ever remember him actually dribbling with the ball or trying to take someone on. Play Aneke not Burstow and if Aneke is not fit enough to play each game then more fool them for signing him back on a long contract.
Exactly, it's just ridiculous. 3 & a half year contract for someone who can't play two games a week.
While Dobson only has 1 season left on his contract
(I'll add that I thought Morgan was generally the biggest influence on us trying to get control of the ball; he should have been given the armband instead of Gilbey)
Morgan...? Captain...? Your 'aving a bubble mate.
Morgan shouldnt even be in the team, let alone captain.
A dreadful game of football but, even performing well below par, Bolton still had enough to capitalise on our ineptitude and take the 3 points.
We were absolutely dire in the first half, with Famewo’s catastrophic defending handing them a goal after 10 minutes. It is inconceivable that Bolton’s central defenders would have conceded in that manner. Thereafter, we were unable to put more than two or three passes together, there was zero creativity and the absence of any physicality up front meant that our long aimless balls were comfortably gobbled up by Santos and his fellow defenders.
The first 20 minutes of the second half continued in much the same manner, with Bolton rarely getting out of second gear and Charlton carrying no threat whatsoever. The introduction of Aneke and Fraser, allied to a change of formation, gave us some real impetus for the first time and we had a very good 15 minute spell. During that time, Santos headed the ball just over his own goal and then deflected a Gilbey strike over. That period culminated in a lovely cross from Fraser and a fine header from Chuks to draw us level.
That should have given us the momentum to try and win the game. Unfortunately, Bolton responded and Clare conceded a cheap free kick in a dangerous position. It was a good delivery but quite how their defender was able to glance the ball home from just inside the six yard box without a challenge from a defender(in particular) or MacGillivray beggars belief. To rub salt in the wound, it was only Bolton’s third goal from a set piece this season - although having given two away on Saturday, I suppose we were prime candidates to help increase their tally.
Fraser had a decent effort in injury time after Washington did well to bring a long ball down but the brutal truth was that this was another lame and inept away performance from Charlton and we got what we deserved - nothing. There have been far too many such performances on the road and this was yet another passive and dispiriting example of the genre.
We were a shambles defensively, weak in midfield and utterly toothless up front until the introduction of Aneke. Hopefully Chuks and Inniss return on Saturday and Lavelle and Fraser are drafted in to bring a little more stability and class to the side. Suffice it to say that, if this level of performance is repeated at Wigan, we could well find ourselves on the end of a heavy defeat.
We have some tough games coming up over the next month and a big improvement is needed, failing which we’ll find ourselves sliding into the lower reaches of the table.
An unhappy evening, compounded by the ‘home only’ policy of pubs around the ground precluding even the consolation of a cleansing post-match ale.
Comments
I know it sounds stupid but the only time I can think of, in the last 18 months, when we played well but the other team were better was Peterborough at home last season.
If we are "on it" we don't lose, if we aren't we won't win. Might get a draw, Aneke 90+1.
That's so frustrating because if we were "on it" more we would be in the championship already.
So if we sort out the defence and attack, we won't be far off. But we have started too many games where you can see there is not enough threat. We need some goal threat from outside the box too. So I think JJ ought to know what is needed. Cole Stockton is a nasty bastard, who knows where the goal is from both inside and outside of the box. He should be our priority. The team is crying out for him.
Burstow offered very little. Washington was getting frustrated but didn’t offer much either.
Dobson stood and clapped us til the end. Looked as gutted as us tbf.
Bolton- yet another team trained at RADA & a ref falling for their tricks, dying swan acting & some of the worst time wasting I've seen for some time.
Yes, we huffed & puffed, especially in the 1st half but ONE mistake led to their goal. How bad must the Mackems have been to capitulate so abysmally ? We were never looking likely to hand it to Wanderers on a plate.
3 games in 7 days inevitably meant a degree of rotation from Jacko but I hope we never see Burstow up top with Wash again. Chuks was a breath of fresh air when he came on & for me, that change should have been made at half time.
Fraser too made a difference - again too late to truly influence the result sadly.
But against an in form team, away from home & with a couple of enforced changes due to the harsh series of matches we've been tasked with, it's definitely not time to hide the sharp knives.
Where we finish in this league is somewhat immaterial now IMO , as long as we steer clear of the bottom 4, but to say that a wholesale clear out is required come May and that this team lacks what it takes, are bottlers & even hide on occasions is OTT in my book.
Jacko is still learning his trade - something we tend to forget - and as CH4RLTON stated we should/might have nicked a point but this squad is a work in progress & IMO deserves some credit rather than the 100% criticism some on here are only too happy to give out. No-one likes to lose but knee jerk reactions aren't helpful....
We are better than that...and so are these players.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/i-cant-believe-jason-pearce-wasnt-sent-off-bolton-boss-ian-evatt-admits-both-sides-should-have-received-red-cards-during-charltons-2-1-loss/
But if only I had said the highlighted comment several months ago. Oh, wait a minute ...
Back in October (I think), it was apparent to me that this squad would finish mid-table at best, and that players like Jaiyesimi were the reason for that.
I'm not happy about it.
But we are crap. And things need to change, Thomas.
On a positive note, I enjoyed Fraser's cameo. I have hope there.
against Ipswich. His only other goal was against Hartlepool in the Papa Johns. There are worse players than him, for sure, but I take issue with him because a lot of people think he’s good. He’s not. He just looks marginally better in among poor players. We won’t go up if he’s a regular starter which he has been most of the season.
If Jackson wants to stick with this formation next season (I don’t know if he will), then we build the midfield 3 around Dobson, Fraser and one other.
I’m not having a go at them, just pointing out the futility and mediocrity of it all. Exactly the same nonsense 12 months on. Different personnel but the same uninspiring football, sprinkled with a win to get the stupid play off talk going again.
Time and time again,to a man they never turn up. You don't even get the odd player giving it a go. When it happens it filters through the whole side.
It's like shit player osmosis.
a lot of these players will look a LOT less like cannon-fodder playing alongside Scott Fraser
1 Foster. Looks a good player, and having a left footed midfielder who can create chances is something we’ve needed for sometime. What a cross for the goal. The way he easily beat his man to create room for the cross was class.
2 We changed formation for once, and it worked.
Overall Bolton deserved the win. They've clearly done some excellent business in the transfer window and are definitely worth a bet to go up next season.
While Dobson only has 1 season left on his contract
Morgan shouldnt even be in the team, let alone captain.
A dreadful game of football but, even performing well below par, Bolton still had enough to capitalise on our ineptitude and take the 3 points.
We were absolutely dire in the first half, with Famewo’s catastrophic defending handing them a goal after 10 minutes. It is inconceivable that Bolton’s central defenders would have conceded in that manner. Thereafter, we were unable to put more than two or three passes together, there was zero creativity and the absence of any physicality up front meant that our long aimless balls were comfortably gobbled up by Santos and his fellow defenders.
The first 20 minutes of the second half continued in much the same manner, with Bolton rarely getting out of second gear and Charlton carrying no threat whatsoever. The introduction of Aneke and Fraser, allied to a change of formation, gave us some real impetus for the first time and we had a very good 15 minute spell. During that time, Santos headed the ball just over his own goal and then deflected a Gilbey strike over. That period culminated in a lovely cross from Fraser and a fine header from Chuks to draw us level.
That should have given us the momentum to try and win the game. Unfortunately, Bolton responded and Clare conceded a cheap free kick in a dangerous position. It was a good delivery but quite how their defender was able to glance the ball home from just inside the six yard box without a challenge from a defender(in particular) or MacGillivray beggars belief. To rub salt in the wound, it was only Bolton’s third goal from a set piece this season - although having given two away on Saturday, I suppose we were prime candidates to help increase their tally.
Fraser had a decent effort in injury time after Washington did well to bring a long ball down but the brutal truth was that this was another lame and inept away performance from Charlton and we got what we deserved - nothing. There have been far too many such performances on the road and this was yet another passive and dispiriting example of the genre.
We were a shambles defensively, weak in midfield and utterly toothless up front until the introduction of Aneke. Hopefully Chuks and Inniss return on Saturday and Lavelle and Fraser are drafted in to bring a little more stability and class to the side. Suffice it to say that, if this level of performance is repeated at Wigan, we could well find ourselves on the end of a heavy defeat.
We have some tough games coming up over the next month and a big improvement is needed, failing which we’ll find ourselves sliding into the lower reaches of the table.
An unhappy evening, compounded by the ‘home only’ policy of pubs around the ground precluding even the consolation of a cleansing post-match ale.