The thing is, it is football what Blackpool did. Arsenal did it today. What does the ref do? Let the game go on and somebody is badly injured? What I thought the ref did do badly yesterday was give fouls too easily. Then you create a rod for your own back and you end up giving the softest fouls possible for both sides. The game can't flow as a result. He showed he can let things go as from the way he was reffing we should definitely had a penalty.
Football probably has to look at shithousery as it damages the product but I'm not sure what the answer is and am not stupid enough not to know that we would do it if we feel it is to our benefit. The reason refs stop the game is for the protection of the players so that being abused is disgustiing whoever does it.
The reason we lost yesterday IMO was the Blackpool gameplan worked well. Bruce certainly did his homework. That and our play was off. A Campbell was too static in midfield and Docherty not much better. I thought Coventry played well. I am guessing Mitchell was dropped because we were not expecting Blackpool to play as they did and we wanted REG for his attacking play. Anderson can be frustrating but his energy made a big difference I thought.
We also have an issue with our forward play in that we are not dangerous enough. Leaburn can't come back soon enough and maybe Dixon too. T Campbell looked very good but he needs to bring goals to his game. A decent sub though.
Not seen one person yet mention the main problem we have , wingbacks ?
how many crosses have small and Ramsey put into the box ? I think we can count them on one hand that is the problem , in this system the wingbacks are the key , if they don’t get the crosses in how your main striker going to score ? People quick to blame Ahadme who has worked his soaks off , won loads of headers and created opportunities for others but what chances has he had I can only think of one… you can’t blame the strikers if there no service .
A return to the defensive shitshow we have had in our lockers for the last 5 or more years. To give those goals away was giving us a mountain to climb we were never going to scale
I can't not mention the Blackpool time wasting and I actually don't blame them for it, we can be just as bad and it pisses me off as its never punished and even if it was the referee would have been adding 20 minutes on yesterday. Head injuries, yep, stop the game for them and seeing as ayers are clear as day going down holding their heads to stop the game the refs should adhere to the same concussion protocols as there are in rugby if we are taking head injuries seriously. The other bullshit, an early yellow usually stops it but they did so much yesterday they were rewarded as the referee bottled actually adding the additional time on so they, and doubtless us, will continue to do it.
The referee, right up there with some of the worst officiating I've seen at Charlton and thats an already low bar. What annoys me and most other football fans is inconsistency with refs. Give me a shit but consistently shit referee anyday over that dope yesterday, we didn't help ourselves with an at best, inadequate performance making Blackpool look like 2009 Barcelona and Albie Morgan and Lee Evans look like Xavi and Busquets. No snap or purpose in what we were doing until it was too late. I have no idea why Alex Mitchell wasn't in the team, he has been brilliant thus far.
The way we play with 3 centre halves and wing backs, we have to get more out of our wing backs and the pair of them need to learn how to put a ball in the box. Jones needs to drill them and the team, if the ball goes wide, it goes into the box. We actually have midfielders who bust a gut to get in the box for knock downs and second balls so why we aren't playing to that strength is a sleight of hand I dont understand or appreciate. Playing that way also untangles teams who are intent on defending their box and playing narrow which is what any away team 2 goals up is going to do, it makes centre halves have to run backwards and that keeper was not in command of his box at all in my eyes. The other thing we need either Jones or Gillesphey to do more of is create an overload which we should of already had in the middle but key to winning games is winning the midfield either by controlling the ball or winning the physical battle and we did neither.
Shit performance but credit due we tried in the second half and had the referee clamped down on the time wasting by actually adding it on we would have gotten a point as Blackpool were fried at the end
Morgan has every right to celebrate his goal, I’d be oissed off if I supported Blackpool and he didn’t celebrate, Morgan & cafc are now not connected, as for everyone moaning about time wasting, we would be loving it if we were protecting a lead !
Stop crying like babies over it.
I wouldn't because it's disgraceful. It's the players who are the babies because they clearly haven't any idea of the realities of life.
1. It was kids for a quid. What example is that for children?
2. Stopping the game for head injuries was introduced for the players' benefit and well being. To abuse that privilege is akin to showing disrespect to a doctor or nurse in a hospital.
3. Spectators pay to see a football match and so are entitled to complain if the match is disrupted.
Really, really weird that Jones dropped Mitchell. I think REG is a generally decent player but Mitchell is the kind of player you want to be ever-present. If he'd dropped Gillesphey for Potts I would have understood but taking out the bloke who is the difference in personnel Jones was talking about last season for a back 5 we could have turned out last season is absolutely bizarre. Sort of feels like the 11/12 Stevenage game where Powell dropped Solly and put Morrison at RB to deal with Stevenage's physical threat and it was a disaster. Powell never did it again, hopefully Jones follows that line of thinking
Was Mitchell dropped? Or injured?
He was dropped . I went and spoke to him at half time, as he was sitting not far from me with Edwards, Taylor, Jason Pearce and Chris Solly. I asked him why he wasn't playing and he said he didn't know, I expected him to say that he'd got a knock in training and would be back neck week etc . So I asked, so you've not been selected then ? And said he said no and didn't know why, but hoped to be back in the team for Stevenage. I told him I couldn't believe it and that he'd looked really solid in defence and his organisation and thanked me and I said he'd be a shoe in for Stevenage after the shit show in the 1st half. Came across as a nice bloke.
This makes it even more baffling.
If you’re gonna leave out your best defender who’d kept a clean sheet in the previous game for ‘tactical reasons’, then simple man management would suggest you at least explain your reasoning to him.
Poxy managers.
It's behaviour like this that results in managers losing the dressing room.
Not seen one person yet mention the main problem we have , wingbacks ?
how many crosses have small and Ramsey put into the box ? I think we can count them on one hand that is the problem , in this system the wingbacks are the key , if they don’t get the crosses in how your main striker going to score ? People quick to blame Ahadme who has worked his soaks off , won loads of headers and created opportunities for others but what chances has he had I can only think of one… you can’t blame the strikers if there no service .
There is a truth in this but it isn't because we don't have good wing backs for the level, it is that they are too occupied doing the backs aspect of their role. I don't think it is their fault and more their teammates. They also need people making the runs offensively.
Did Charlton TV or the SLP directly ask Jones why Mitchell was dropped/didn’t play? If it’s because they fell out then Jones has a problem here. We looked shite in defence and lost. Perfect for Mitchell to go ‘na na na na na’. Here’s hoping Jones can be magnanimous enough to put Mitchell back in…and not sell him to Birmingham for a cut price fee.
Morgan has every right to celebrate his goal, I’d be oissed off if I supported Blackpool and he didn’t celebrate, Morgan & cafc are now not connected, as for everyone moaning about time wasting, we would be loving it if we were protecting a lead !
Stop crying like babies over it.
I wouldn't because it's disgraceful. It's the players who are the babies because they clearly haven't any idea of the realities of life.
1. It was kids for a quid. What example is that for children?
2. Stopping the game for head injuries was introduced for the players' benefit and well being. To abuse that privilege is akin to showing disrespect to a doctor or nurse in a hospital.
3. Spectators pay to see a football match and so are entitled to complain if the match is disrupted.
Did Charlton TV or the SLP directly ask Jones why Mitchell was dropped/didn’t play? If it’s because they fell out then Jones has a problem here. We looked shite in defence and lost. Perfect for Mitchell to go ‘na na na na na’. Here’s hoping Jones can be magnanimous enough to put Mitchell back in…and not sell him to Birmingham for a cut price fee.
They did. Purely tactical according to Jones. He wanted us to be more attacking and blow Blackpool away in the early stages. Bit of a bizarre decision when you consider Mitchell and the rest of the back 3/4 have been the only real sign of light in some pretty abject displays. It's already been done to death but a lack of any real guile in midfield is proving problematic and Saturdays clutching of straws with the Mitchell debacle proves that. Jones hasn't been helped by the decision to shift May on. As long as the 'goals for' column remains in the lower echelons of the league the support will continue to bemoan the loss of May. That's part and parcel of the decision they made, even if it's probably true that May would struggle to score many goals with the assistance of such a passive midfield. October is a huge month for this football club. If we are languishing around mid table or below by the end of it you can probably write off another season.
I genuinely think that Miles could make a massive difference. He does have an eye for goal and has all the attributes a striker needs. Problem is we shouldn’t be pinning all our hopes on a returning from injury young man. If Miles can’t do any better than the undoubtedly hard working Ahadme then what then ? I don’t see Jones adopting a pragmatic approach and changing our system. Hes too stubborn for that. We’ll stumble on until January in the hope we can rectify the problem. As said above, we’re already wary about another wasted season. As for Dixon. He strikes me as everything that Jones doesn’t like in a player. A wild card that is not going to fit in with what he wants. He couldn’t accommodate Alfie May and his golden boots let alone a rookie kid with no experience of English football. No reason to panic yet but I can’t say I’ve seen very much cause for a seasons optimism.
Where to start! surely the midfield, I have now seen docherty a few times now and he is just not at the races, captain!! that should be Jones and docherty dropped, A.Campbell was no better but he at least lacks fitness, would like to see Taylor in there, been done to death, especially by me, but selling Alfie was mental, top scorer 3 seasons running does make me question Nathan a bit, Ahadme I thought played well on Saturday the problem was the static midfield never got on 1 second ball also I like Kanu but he was pushed off the ball so easily, we have to hope Leaburn hits the ground running. We also need to practice passing to a red shirt and shooting from distance which are both woeful, Connor Coventry mom for me but for god's sake Nathan sort it out!!!
The truth is that NJ does not know his best team yet. He is still working out combinations of players and I am baffled why Terry Taylor has not been used more. At least give him a run and discard if not up to it.
Not seen one person yet mention the main problem we have , wingbacks ?
how many crosses have small and Ramsey put into the box ? I think we can count them on one hand that is the problem , in this system the wingbacks are the key , if they don’t get the crosses in how your main striker going to score ? People quick to blame Ahadme who has worked his soaks off , won loads of headers and created opportunities for others but what chances has he had I can only think of one… you can’t blame the strikers if there no service .
There is a truth in this but it isn't because we don't have good wing backs for the level, it is that they are too occupied doing the backs aspect of their role. I don't think it is their fault and more their teammates. They also need people making the runs offensively.
We simply don't have the personnel for this narrow tactic. We need width in the final third that can create things. NJ's system makes us more difficult to beat, but it's awful to watch and we won't get promoted playing this way. Things may well improve when ML returns and possibly with the introduction of Dixon, but supply is the key. At the start of the season I thought we lacked any creativity in the centre of the park and on the flanks and this has been hammered home over the first 7 matches.
How on earth did we end up with 12 mins of added time second half?
Because the Blackpool plyers constantly collapsed in agony whenever a challenge was put in . They ref called for the stretcher on at least two occassions, and I lost count of the times the ref stopped the game for what were obviously fake 'injuries.' Ask yourself, how many times did our trainer go on the pitch? Theirs must have lost half a stone - barely had time to sit down in the dugout before he was up again. Absolute disgrace.
The truth is that NJ does not know his best team yet. He is still working out combinations of players and I am baffled why Terry Taylor has not been used more. At least give him a run and discard if not up to it.
Taylor is unfortunate in that the player he'd replace has been one of our best players this season. No reason to drop Coventry and playing Taylor further up would be a bit of a disaster I think. He already looked very lost when asked to play alongside Dobson on the rare occasion we saw him last season so I think he's a player who very much plays one game and wouldn't add enough dynamism into the midfield. It was bad enough seeing Docherty and Campbell together without throwing a second holding midfielder into the mix
Not seen one person yet mention the main problem we have , wingbacks ?
how many crosses have small and Ramsey put into the box ? I think we can count them on one hand that is the problem , in this system the wingbacks are the key , if they don’t get the crosses in how your main striker going to score ? People quick to blame Ahadme who has worked his soaks off , won loads of headers and created opportunities for others but what chances has he had I can only think of one… you can’t blame the strikers if there no service .
Plenty of posters on here mentioning our poor wingbacks, myself and golfie included, we don’t play a wingback system, we hoof it 60 yards bypassing the midfield.
I don’t agree with your comments saying Ahadme has won loads of headers creating opportunities for others
When he does win it it normally flies off his head somewhere completely harmless. The best header he has won and caused damage with was his OG Saturday
It feels like a lot of our play comes down our left flank, with Ramsay not getting forward in similar fashion to Small - I wonder if thats partly as a defensive move, as allows us to move to a back four (with Gillesphey / Potts slotting at Left-Back), if the opposition counter-attack.
Annoyingly Small hasn't been able to replicate his form from last season, so has been a disappointment down our main attacking flank as a result - Lot riding on Edwards when he returns.
Might have been another reason for the temptation to utilise REG on Saturday as well - As Mitchell is someone who doesnt really play Right-Back, so if Ramsay decides to be the one to get forward, you cant really rely on a Centre-Back (other than REG) to create the natural back four, meaning that we have the option to attack down either flank for once.
Unfortunately if that was the experiment, it failed in spectacular fashion
I hate all these 8, 6 10 terms for midfielders. In my opinion every midfielder should have the energy to be a box to box midfielder. If that happens the other person in midfield holds while one gets forward. Simple.
It used to be a really simple game but now coaches and stats analysts have sanitised it.
Once Blackpool decided to see out the game by feigning injury our long ball tactics played into their hands.
That's when we should of changed our tactics
Tactics...🤔 Did we have any tactics, looked like the only tactic taken all game was to see how quick we could lose possession, it just wasn't our day...🤷♂️
In view of all the abuses Blackpool used to disrupt the game last Saturday, new rules introduced immediately could put an early end to these time wasting practices and return the game to the spectacle we all want to see.
In the past, players were removed to the nearest touchline and treated off the field for their "injuries" to allow the game to continue. (Obvious serious injuries excluded). If re-introduced, perhaps we would see a stop to all the nonsense witnessed in the last game? As an additional feature, perhaps a 5 minute wait should be introduced from the moment the Trainers indicate their player is ready to re-enter the match to discourage the numbers of unnecessary stoppages.
Managers carded if the tactics are repeated and followed up with fines.
Nathan Jones clearly made a mistake on Saturday by dropping Mitchell (and playing Kanu imo) but how quickly our fanbase lose faith in a manager is ridiculous. I've definitely been guilty of this in the past too. But we need to give Jones time to implement his culture & style into the football club. We've seen that just endlessly sacking managers does not work, keep the faith!
Tinkering with a solid defence for no reason is always risky and it backfired massively.
Docherty wasnt getting too much grief until Saturday so has he been that bad in the other games? A.Campbell needs minutes before I will fully judge him but if he isnt up to it right now then he needs to be eased to match fitness.
Seen the highlights. Jones should have scored, yes its a good save but at that distance he should have scored. Morgans goal is poor defending and such a shit strike but with all the bodies in front of him, Mannion couldnt see it so it trickled in.
Coventry is right...building a team doesnt happen overnight so I wont be panicking just yet but October is a baptism of fire in where we come end of the season.
I absolutely understand what Jones was trying to do by bringing REG into the team.
Unfortunately it backfired. But it’s one game in a 46 game season.
I’m pretty sure we see Mitchell straight back into the side for Stevenage and all the nonsense from this past weekend can be put to bed.
The bank of receipts is overflowing already. I hope I’m able to pull some of them out when the end of the season comes around. Talk of Jones not improving the team and an inevitable fall to mid table feels extremely premature to me.
Who said anything about Jones not improving the team? (Edit - Just seen the othet thread. Blimey!!) He came in when we were floundering last season and stemmed the flow of silly defensive errors and inconsistency. The defence now looks solid and reliable and we now have quality in that area and a foundation to build on. The tinkering around Mitchell on Saturday was I am sure a one-off abberation. What we don't seem to have is a fcuking clue going forwards any sort of convincing tactic to create and score goals. We have no talisman or game-changer (unless you want to flatter Chuks with that description), nor it seems do we have anybody consistently delivering quality balls into the box. Tyreece looked the man most likely on Saturday and has probably earned a recall, but no doubt it will be up front where he will drift and accentuate the disconnect from his supposed "strike partner" or else watch the ball sail over his head. I find myself going to games wondering where on earth the goals will come from. We seem to put all our faith in pressing the oppo into errors or punting the ball up hopefully. I have no objection to us grinding out wins this way, albeit we are devoid of entertainment and excitement. And if we aren't winning it's not much fun at all. Will we at some point reveal some hitherto unseen plan to engage our midfield and wingbacks into a potent attacking force that creates and delivers for our strikers or is this all there is? I guess Ahadme at least showed what he can do with a decent ball in.
A return to the defensive shitshow we have had in our lockers for the last 5 or more years. To give those goals away was giving us a mountain to climb we were never going to scale
I can't not mention the Blackpool time wasting and I actually don't blame them for it, we can be just as bad and it pisses me off as its never punished and even if it was the referee would have been adding 20 minutes on yesterday.
We’ve never been anything like that bad. Nowhere near. Not that I can remember at least.
If every game was like the Blackpool game I think I’d probably stop going if I’m honest.
Comments
Football probably has to look at shithousery as it damages the product but I'm not sure what the answer is and am not stupid enough not to know that we would do it if we feel it is to our benefit. The reason refs stop the game is for the protection of the players so that being abused is disgustiing whoever does it.
The reason we lost yesterday IMO was the Blackpool gameplan worked well. Bruce certainly did his homework. That and our play was off. A Campbell was too static in midfield and Docherty not much better. I thought Coventry played well. I am guessing Mitchell was dropped because we were not expecting Blackpool to play as they did and we wanted REG for his attacking play. Anderson can be frustrating but his energy made a big difference I thought.
We also have an issue with our forward play in that we are not dangerous enough. Leaburn can't come back soon enough and maybe Dixon too. T Campbell looked very good but he needs to bring goals to his game. A decent sub though.
how many crosses have small and Ramsey put into the box ? I think we can count them on one hand that is the problem , in this system the wingbacks are the key , if they don’t get the crosses in how your main striker going to score ? People quick to blame Ahadme who has worked his soaks off , won loads of headers and created opportunities for others but what chances has he had I can only think of one… you can’t blame the strikers if there no service .
I can't not mention the Blackpool time wasting and I actually don't blame them for it, we can be just as bad and it pisses me off as its never punished and even if it was the referee would have been adding 20 minutes on yesterday. Head injuries, yep, stop the game for them and seeing as ayers are clear as day going down holding their heads to stop the game the refs should adhere to the same concussion protocols as there are in rugby if we are taking head injuries seriously. The other bullshit, an early yellow usually stops it but they did so much yesterday they were rewarded as the referee bottled actually adding the additional time on so they, and doubtless us, will continue to do it.
The referee, right up there with some of the worst officiating I've seen at Charlton and thats an already low bar. What annoys me and most other football fans is inconsistency with refs. Give me a shit but consistently shit referee anyday over that dope yesterday, we didn't help ourselves with an at best, inadequate performance making Blackpool look like 2009 Barcelona and Albie Morgan and Lee Evans look like Xavi and Busquets. No snap or purpose in what we were doing until it was too late. I have no idea why Alex Mitchell wasn't in the team, he has been brilliant thus far.
The way we play with 3 centre halves and wing backs, we have to get more out of our wing backs and the pair of them need to learn how to put a ball in the box. Jones needs to drill them and the team, if the ball goes wide, it goes into the box. We actually have midfielders who bust a gut to get in the box for knock downs and second balls so why we aren't playing to that strength is a sleight of hand I dont understand or appreciate. Playing that way also untangles teams who are intent on defending their box and playing narrow which is what any away team 2 goals up is going to do, it makes centre halves have to run backwards and that keeper was not in command of his box at all in my eyes. The other thing we need either Jones or Gillesphey to do more of is create an overload which we should of already had in the middle but key to winning games is winning the midfield either by controlling the ball or winning the physical battle and we did neither.
Shit performance but credit due we tried in the second half and had the referee clamped down on the time wasting by actually adding it on we would have gotten a point as Blackpool were fried at the end
1. It was kids for a quid. What example is that for children?
2. Stopping the game for head injuries was introduced for the players' benefit and well being. To abuse that privilege is akin to showing disrespect to a doctor or nurse in a hospital.
3. Spectators pay to see a football match and so are entitled to complain if the match is disrupted.
If it’s because they fell out then Jones has a problem here. We looked shite in defence and lost. Perfect for Mitchell to go ‘na na na na na’. Here’s hoping Jones can be magnanimous enough to put Mitchell back in…and not sell him to Birmingham for a cut price fee.
He wanted us to be more attacking and blow Blackpool away in the early stages.
Bit of a bizarre decision when you consider Mitchell and the rest of the back 3/4 have been the only real sign of light in some pretty abject displays.
It's already been done to death but a lack of any real guile in midfield is proving problematic and Saturdays clutching of straws with the Mitchell debacle proves that.
Jones hasn't been helped by the decision to shift May on. As long as the 'goals for' column remains in the lower echelons of the league the support will continue to bemoan the loss of May. That's part and parcel of the decision they made, even if it's probably true that May would struggle to score many goals with the assistance of such a passive midfield.
October is a huge month for this football club. If we are languishing around mid table or below by the end of it you can probably write off another season.
I don’t agree with your comments saying Ahadme has won loads of headers creating opportunities for others
When he does win it it normally flies off his head somewhere completely harmless. The best header he has won and caused damage with was his OG Saturday
Annoyingly Small hasn't been able to replicate his form from last season, so has been a disappointment down our main attacking flank as a result - Lot riding on Edwards when he returns.
Might have been another reason for the temptation to utilise REG on Saturday as well - As Mitchell is someone who doesnt really play Right-Back, so if Ramsay decides to be the one to get forward, you cant really rely on a Centre-Back (other than REG) to create the natural back four, meaning that we have the option to attack down either flank for once.
Unfortunately if that was the experiment, it failed in spectacular fashion
I imagine an official sat in the stand with a stop-watch to record the exact time lost during the game.
Perhaps a Hooter (as in Rugby) to sound at the end of time instead of waiting for the referee to blow Full Time?
It used to be a really simple game but now coaches and stats analysts have sanitised it.
Did we have any tactics, looked like the only tactic taken all game was to see how quick we could lose possession, it just wasn't our day...🤷♂️
In the past, players were removed to the nearest touchline and treated off the field for their "injuries" to allow the game to continue. (Obvious serious injuries excluded). If re-introduced, perhaps we would see a stop to all the nonsense witnessed in the last game? As an additional feature, perhaps a 5 minute wait should be introduced from the moment the Trainers indicate their player is ready to re-enter the match to discourage the numbers of unnecessary stoppages.
Managers carded if the tactics are repeated and followed up with fines.
Docherty wasnt getting too much grief until Saturday so has he been that bad in the other games? A.Campbell needs minutes before I will fully judge him but if he isnt up to it right now then he needs to be eased to match fitness.
Seen the highlights. Jones should have scored, yes its a good save but at that distance he should have scored. Morgans goal is poor defending and such a shit strike but with all the bodies in front of him, Mannion couldnt see it so it trickled in.
Coventry is right...building a team doesnt happen overnight so I wont be panicking just yet but October is a baptism of fire in where we come end of the season.
We will see but Rome wasnt built in a day.
Unfortunately it backfired. But it’s one game in a 46 game season.
I’m pretty sure we see Mitchell straight back into the side for Stevenage and all the nonsense from this past weekend can be put to bed.
The bank of receipts is overflowing already. I hope I’m able to pull some of them out when the end of the season comes around. Talk of Jones not improving the team and an inevitable fall to mid table feels extremely premature to me.
He came in when we were floundering last season and stemmed the flow of silly defensive errors and inconsistency.
The defence now looks solid and reliable and we now have quality in that area and a foundation to build on.
The tinkering around Mitchell on Saturday was I am sure a one-off abberation.
What we don't seem to have is a fcuking clue going forwards any sort of convincing tactic to create and score goals.
We have no talisman or game-changer (unless you want to flatter Chuks with that description), nor it seems do we have anybody consistently delivering quality balls into the box.
Tyreece looked the man most likely on Saturday and has probably earned a recall, but no doubt it will be up front where he will drift and accentuate the disconnect from his supposed "strike partner" or else watch the ball sail over his head.
I find myself going to games wondering where on earth the goals will come from.
We seem to put all our faith in pressing the oppo into errors or punting the ball up hopefully.
I have no objection to us grinding out wins this way, albeit we are devoid of entertainment and excitement. And if we aren't winning it's not much fun at all.
Will we at some point reveal some hitherto unseen plan to engage our midfield and wingbacks into a potent attacking force that creates and delivers for our strikers or is this all there is?
I guess Ahadme at least showed what he can do with a decent ball in.