What a weird game. I said on the pre match thread that we’ll need to be patient this season but I wasn’t feeling much like that at half time. It was an unacceptable performance tbh with O’Connell and Clare the worst but nobody played well. We should have been 3 or 4 down.
Second half was a different story. The linkup play between Fraser, Sessegnon and Kirk was excellent (amazing what happens when you actually play to someone’s strengths. Blackett-Taylor was also dangerous on the other side and Dobson showed that he absolutely can play Garner-ball - I thought he was the best passer on the pitch.
If we can play like we did for the first 25 minutes of the second half for 90 then we’ll be a challenger this year. Derby will be fine if they can find a finisher.
Also thought it was a bit of an odd atmosphere. Lots of new players and a new manager but it didn’t feel like a fresh start for some reason. Also got welcomed to my new seat in the North Lower with a solid punch up between a few fat knobheads behind me and someone poking me in the back telling me to sit down in the 89th minute. Charlton are back.
Great win against a team that will probably strengthen. Truly poor 1st half and Garner had said he has no idea where that 1st half performance came from, probably a hangover from last season.
Post match stat: 1st half shots on target Charlton 1 Derby 2. 2nd half Charlton 6 Derby 0.
Second straight week it's been a game of two halves. Much better this time around obviously.
Basically everyone bar Wallacott was poor in the first half. Second half had Clare, O'Connell, Sess, Dobbo, Albie, Payne, CBT, and Leaburn (though still raw) showing some real quality.
And then listening to Garner post match, he is very bright and very insightful. As Ali Maxwell said if you're a Charlton fan you should like what you hear.
Second half you could see what were trying to do. Keep the ball but also play quickly through the midfield on the counter. Get Albie and to a lesser extent Fraser surging from midfield. Find a wide man and have the other one tuck in to support Jayden, and then force the opposition out wide when they're attacking to put crosses into the box where O'Connell and Inniss can show their quality in the air. And combine that with the high press and we looked really difficult to play against second half.
And the first half was...none of that.
There's a lot of positives to draw on. And definitely some work to do. Garner's best substitution was the enforced one. Bringing Dobbo on really shored up in front of the defence, and he helped shut down their attacks and in the second half did really well at picking up second balls. I know he needs to adopt to the new system but I still think he has a vital role to play as we don't have a like for like replacement for him.
We still need attacking and LB cover. Ideally a LB who can hug the touch line and overlap out wide. As Maxwell pointed out, neither of our fit fullbacks really do that. I believe Egbo does it a lot more.
Lastly, Wallacott looks a real upgrade. And I was very skeptical about Payne as I know he has quality but I just wasn't sure where he fit in. But he's looked excellent in his two substitute appearances. We're yet to see Egbo, but so far the Swindon transfer look very good.
Genuinely excited to watch this team play and develop in the coming weeks. First time I've felt this way in quite a while. Up the Addicks.
Northern sides hate this one clever trick! You’ll never believe what one southern softy pulled on an expectant northern heavyweight.
Plucky Charlton hosted a reinvigorated Derby at the Valley, only to purposefully lull them into a false sense of security with a hapless first-half performance, before hitting them with a classic South London clean sheet win! The northern side left the capital city baffled and pining for the comfort of their quaint northern hovels.
That’s the sort of thing the old charlton used to do, spanked 0-0 first half, come out second half and win!!!!……. Wollacott 1st half fantastic, Dobson was something else when he came on, Clare really played well, Albie was unfortunately The Albie I’ve slated for too long first half,second half so much better, closing down at the end was great, When Albie decides to run forward and effect a game that’s when he shows he has something, he so needs to look forward on the pitch more and might prove, many wrong, but not yet mind. The team as a whole were miles better second half, do we actually have a manager that doesn’t send the players to sleep at halftime for a change, must have been a blinder from BG. Well done to the lads today could of got ugly, but showed real character.👍
The enforced substitution changed the game. Dobson was my MOM and must start in my opinion. If McGrandles wasn't concussed who knows how the game would have panned out. Less said about the first half the better but we could have gone in ahead if Stockley had buried that header and in those last two minutes Kirk put in two peaches of crosses. Second half was more like it. More intensity about our play and everyone was up for up. Clare and Inniss did well and O'Connell looked a different player. Nerves maybe? Good break for the goal and nice play between Morgan and Kirk. Nice cameo from Payne, how long before he starts somewhere? Only criticism second half was we made some poor choices on the break otherwise we could have had a couple more.
Still not convinced Stockley suits the system and if he doesn't the system won't work effectively.
All in all, a very entertaining game from two sides who went for it. We got away with one today but heyho that's football.
After the dreadful 1st halve there is so much to be positive about follow that game for me. We all accepted it would take a few games to bed in with this new style of play but the players are so much more up for it than at anytime last year imo. Early days but I'm afraid the people who said Stockley wont suit this team appear correct to me. Payne needs to hurry up and get match fit his cameos make me think he is going to be mustard. As the games go by and the team develop I think this is going to be a good season.
After that first half I was convinced I'd somehow gone back in time and Adkins was still our manager. Wollacott kept us alive and then the second half was excellent.
Could have 3 down in the first half, definitely got away with it but we held in there and grew into the game well. I was convinced we'd get battered 3/4-0 after the first 20 minutes.
So much more positive in the second half, I can't wait to see more of Payne, looks a real exciting player. I think we're going to have more scares like the first half but I believe a bit more that there's something there worth building on and they've got it in them to play the football Garner wants to. Obviously was frustrated with all of them in the first half but we came alive after Kirk's pop shot in the 43rd minute.
CBT and Garner both spoke about a goal target for CBT in their post match interviews, I wonder what that target is.
I still want another wide forward in and a LB/LCB. When/if they come, it looks like we'll be good to go for the rest of the season. I think it'll be an entertaining campaign, one way or another.
I’ve just got in from being out for the day, don’t want to put a negative point because today was a superb result but I see we made 6 subs today when I thought it was only 5 in the football league?
For those that think Charlton were lucky to win, stats confirm the following
Goal attempts............................Charlton 14 v 13 Derby Shots on target..........................Charlton 7 v 2 Derby.
We weren't lucky to win over 90 minutes. We were lucky not to be 3 or 4 down before we woke up.
I found Garner's comment about this fascinating because it has happened so often over the last 2 years. Starting with Gillingham away in the autum of 2020.
Comments
Second half was a different story. The linkup play between Fraser, Sessegnon and Kirk was excellent (amazing what happens when you actually play to someone’s strengths. Blackett-Taylor was also dangerous on the other side and Dobson showed that he absolutely can play Garner-ball - I thought he was the best passer on the pitch.
If we can play like we did for the first 25 minutes of the second half for 90 then we’ll be a challenger this year. Derby will be fine if they can find a finisher.
Also thought it was a bit of an odd atmosphere. Lots of new players and a new manager but it didn’t feel like a fresh start for some reason. Also got welcomed to my new seat in the North Lower with a solid punch up between a few fat knobheads behind me and someone poking me in the back telling me to sit down in the 89th minute. Charlton are back.
Post match stat: 1st half shots on target Charlton 1 Derby 2. 2nd half Charlton 6 Derby 0.
Basically everyone bar Wallacott was poor in the first half. Second half had Clare, O'Connell, Sess, Dobbo, Albie, Payne, CBT, and Leaburn (though still raw) showing some real quality.
And then listening to Garner post match, he is very bright and very insightful. As Ali Maxwell said if you're a Charlton fan you should like what you hear.
Second half you could see what were trying to do. Keep the ball but also play quickly through the midfield on the counter. Get Albie and to a lesser extent Fraser surging from midfield. Find a wide man and have the other one tuck in to support Jayden, and then force the opposition out wide when they're attacking to put crosses into the box where O'Connell and Inniss can show their quality in the air. And combine that with the high press and we looked really difficult to play against second half.
And the first half was...none of that.
There's a lot of positives to draw on. And definitely some work to do. Garner's best substitution was the enforced one. Bringing Dobbo on really shored up in front of the defence, and he helped shut down their attacks and in the second half did really well at picking up second balls. I know he needs to adopt to the new system but I still think he has a vital role to play as we don't have a like for like replacement for him.
We still need attacking and LB cover. Ideally a LB who can hug the touch line and overlap out wide. As Maxwell pointed out, neither of our fit fullbacks really do that. I believe Egbo does it a lot more.
Lastly, Wallacott looks a real upgrade. And I was very skeptical about Payne as I know he has quality but I just wasn't sure where he fit in. But he's looked excellent in his two substitute appearances. We're yet to see Egbo, but so far the Swindon transfer look very good.
Genuinely excited to watch this team play and develop in the coming weeks. First time I've felt this way in quite a while. Up the Addicks.
Joe Woolacott has surely made the first team spot his and he looks like he could become a bit of a cult hero.
Goal attempts............................Charlton 14 v 13 Derby
Shots on target..........................Charlton 7 v 2 Derby.
Plucky Charlton hosted a reinvigorated Derby at the Valley, only to purposefully lull them into a false sense of security with a hapless first-half performance, before hitting them with a classic South London clean sheet win! The northern side left the capital city baffled and pining for the comfort of their quaint northern hovels.
Possession: 38-62
Shots: 4-8
On Target: 1-2
Second half stats…
Possession: 44-56
Shots: 10-5
On Target: 6-0
Still not convinced Stockley suits the system and if he doesn't the system won't work effectively.
All in all, a very entertaining game from two sides who went for it. We got away with one today but heyho that's football.
Early days but I'm afraid the people who said Stockley wont suit this team appear correct to me. Payne needs to hurry up and get match fit his cameos make me think he is going to be mustard. As the games go by and the team develop I think this is going to be a good season.
So much more positive in the second half, I can't wait to see more of Payne, looks a real exciting player. I think we're going to have more scares like the first half but I believe a bit more that there's something there worth building on and they've got it in them to play the football Garner wants to. Obviously was frustrated with all of them in the first half but we came alive after Kirk's pop shot in the 43rd minute.
CBT and Garner both spoke about a goal target for CBT in their post match interviews, I wonder what that target is.
I still want another wide forward in and a LB/LCB. When/if they come, it looks like we'll be good to go for the rest of the season. I think it'll be an entertaining campaign, one way or another.
Charlton 1-0
Sheff Utd 2-0
Arsenal 0-2
I found Garner's comment about this fascinating because it has happened so often over the last 2 years. Starting with Gillingham away in the autum of 2020.
If he solves that we could be on to something!
- Two wins: Peterborough
- One win, one draw: Exeter, Bolton, Sheff Wed, Charlton, Accrington, Ipswich
- Two draws: Portsmouth, Lincoln
Some points from second Half;
Dobson was phenomenal. How many tackles and blocks does that boy make. It must give everyone else on the pitch a boost.
Keeper was superb all game.
Defended set-pieces superbly.
Clare was quality and SS did we against one of the best players in the league.
Morgan was brilliant second half.
Kirk and CBT looked dangerous.
Stockley didn’t get involved much but they had some physical defenders.
Derby will be up there, especially if they sign a striker.