POST-MATCH THREAD: Charlton Athletic v Wigan Athletic: Saturday 15th March 2025: KO 15:00

Hal1x

rina said:

the build up to the first goal where their defender tries to out muscle Ramsay but just bounces off of him is one of my favourite moments of the season

I am glad you pointed that out as I had completely missed it!, Its like he walked into an opening door.

PragueAddick

Southbank said:

PragueAddick said:

Bailey said:

PragueAddick said:

I woke up with a nagging feeling I can’t shift; that @golfaddick sort of has a point. 

Of course a win is a win, but they should have been buried alive in the second half. I never felt that was going to happen, after TC missed that early chance. We attacked, some of the approach work was excellent. But how many near misses were there? The very first minute, and then that’s it. There were a lot of dangerous situations, usually TC getting to the by-line on the left of the box, sometimes Small on the right. But the ball in from them never found a red shirt. 

I suppose that the stats for shots on target would be the one that might shed some light on this, if someone could look at that for the top 6, but maybe since the turn of the year, once we became good.

Suppose we get less on target than our now rivals, why might that be?. Well, we haven’t got enough finishers on the pitch. TC cannot-yet-finish like JR-S could. 15 goals that boy got for us, in a crap team. Anyway yesterday TC was mainly all about trying to set up the final pass for a finisher, and there really was only one on the pitch at any one tîme, Godden or Miles - and Godden obvs much more the fox in the box type.

Its still the part of the NJ plan that I don’t quite get. If we had JR-S In TC’s place then I would get it. CB-T? Not so sure about that. He scored a few but he wasn’t very poised. Presumably the idea of the plan is that midfielders do some of that finishing. Berry does it sometimes but I dont recall him with a shot on target yesterday? Maybe Gilbert. He was certainly trying to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday and he wasnt far off.

Just my nagging doubt…

Maybe this helps Prague, January 1st Wycombe had played 23 games they scored 49 goals at that point, since that date they have scored 12 goals. January 1st Wrexham had played 24 games and scored 36 goals, since that date they have scored 15 goals. January 1st Charlton had played 22 games and scored 27 goals, since that date they have scored 22 goals. So based on those stats and if current form was to continue, Charlton with an average of 1.46 would finish higher goal scorers than both Wycombe and Wrexham, sorry but Golfie's arguments fly in the face of the stats. 

Those stats are not really addressing my point. It's about shots on target, stuff that makes the keeper work. The lack of them yesterday, especially in the second half made me feel less comfortable than I should have done given our overall dominance. It's not like we weren't trying to score.

Apart from the very first minute how many serious efforts on goal did we have in the second half? 

Oh dear Prague, sticky wicket I think. It's shots that go into the goal that count and we have scored more of those than our rivals since Xmas. 
At the moment we are like 'a juggernaut going down the hill' as Chicago Addick wrote on his blog.
NJ seems completely focused on carrying on winning and the team is playing together in a way we have not seen for years. Look how hard it is to pick a MOM.
It may blow up, look what happened to Orient, but the momentum is with us, very important with 9 games to go.

For once, dear @Southbank, you have me bang to rights there😉 or rather those form tables do. Objectively, it looks like there is no problem. Wrexham, 5 goals in 6 games, is particularly striking. 

However as people have said, the discussion is  partly about mood. Nobody can look back on my posts this season and put me in the moaning gang. I was a bit sceptical about the NJ plan, and certainly about selling Alfie, and I happily accept that NJ has gone a long way to proving that he had the plan all along. Not quite all the way, Ahadme finally coming good would need to happen, but otherwise great. But we are both not young, and we have seen a lot of debacles over the years, have we not. I am struggling to get used to the idea that we are equipped to regularly defend a one goal lead. Quite happy to defend @golfaddick for that reason.

seth plum

The only focus now is on one game.
The game is Peterborough United, go there on business and win the one game.
Then the only focus is on one game. Face Huddersfield Town with purpose and focus and win the one game.
Forget the past, and centre on one aspect of the future until that becomes the past.

Scoham

PragueAddick said:

Southbank said:

PragueAddick said:

Bailey said:

PragueAddick said:

I woke up with a nagging feeling I can’t shift; that @golfaddick sort of has a point. 

Of course a win is a win, but they should have been buried alive in the second half. I never felt that was going to happen, after TC missed that early chance. We attacked, some of the approach work was excellent. But how many near misses were there? The very first minute, and then that’s it. There were a lot of dangerous situations, usually TC getting to the by-line on the left of the box, sometimes Small on the right. But the ball in from them never found a red shirt. 

I suppose that the stats for shots on target would be the one that might shed some light on this, if someone could look at that for the top 6, but maybe since the turn of the year, once we became good.

Suppose we get less on target than our now rivals, why might that be?. Well, we haven’t got enough finishers on the pitch. TC cannot-yet-finish like JR-S could. 15 goals that boy got for us, in a crap team. Anyway yesterday TC was mainly all about trying to set up the final pass for a finisher, and there really was only one on the pitch at any one tîme, Godden or Miles - and Godden obvs much more the fox in the box type.

Its still the part of the NJ plan that I don’t quite get. If we had JR-S In TC’s place then I would get it. CB-T? Not so sure about that. He scored a few but he wasn’t very poised. Presumably the idea of the plan is that midfielders do some of that finishing. Berry does it sometimes but I dont recall him with a shot on target yesterday? Maybe Gilbert. He was certainly trying to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday and he wasnt far off.

Just my nagging doubt…

Maybe this helps Prague, January 1st Wycombe had played 23 games they scored 49 goals at that point, since that date they have scored 12 goals. January 1st Wrexham had played 24 games and scored 36 goals, since that date they have scored 15 goals. January 1st Charlton had played 22 games and scored 27 goals, since that date they have scored 22 goals. So based on those stats and if current form was to continue, Charlton with an average of 1.46 would finish higher goal scorers than both Wycombe and Wrexham, sorry but Golfie's arguments fly in the face of the stats. 

Those stats are not really addressing my point. It's about shots on target, stuff that makes the keeper work. The lack of them yesterday, especially in the second half made me feel less comfortable than I should have done given our overall dominance. It's not like we weren't trying to score.

Apart from the very first minute how many serious efforts on goal did we have in the second half? 

Oh dear Prague, sticky wicket I think. It's shots that go into the goal that count and we have scored more of those than our rivals since Xmas. 
At the moment we are like 'a juggernaut going down the hill' as Chicago Addick wrote on his blog.
NJ seems completely focused on carrying on winning and the team is playing together in a way we have not seen for years. Look how hard it is to pick a MOM.
It may blow up, look what happened to Orient, but the momentum is with us, very important with 9 games to go.

For once, dear @Southbank, you have me bang to rights there😉 or rather those form tables do. Objectively, it looks like there is no problem. Wrexham, 5 goals in 6 games, is particularly striking. 

However as people have said, the discussion is  partly about mood. Nobody can look back on my posts this season and put me in the moaning gang. I was a bit sceptical about the NJ plan, and certainly about selling Alfie, and I happily accept that NJ has gone a long way to proving that he had the plan all along. Not quite all the way, Ahadme finally coming good would need to happen, but otherwise great. But we are both not young, and we have seen a lot of debacles over the years, have we not. I am struggling to get used to the idea that we are equipped to regularly defend a one goal lead. Quite happy to defend @golfaddick for that reason.

For comparison to our recent promotion season, Powell’s team scored 82 and Bowyer’s team 73 across 46 league games.

Bowyer’s team won 4-0 twice in the last three games.

Promotion teams don’t tend to regularly score 3+ a game, and they usually get a good number of wins by a 1 goal margin.

Wrexham have scored 2 more than us and Birmingham with their millions only 10 more.

I don’t doubt Jones wants us to improve our attacking play and score more goals. I expect it’s more of a focus than it was months ago, when he prioritised our defensive structure, pressing etc.

ken_shabby

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Too many people are over-thinking it. Forget the permutations, the number of goals we score, the number of goals we concede, who does what, we just have one task and that is to go out and win each game as it comes, and only as it comes. It doesn’t matter whatsoever as to how we do it, nothing else matters.

Spot on!

swords_alive

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Too many people are over-thinking it. Forget the permutations, the number of goals we score, the number of goals we concede, who does what, we just have one task and that is to go out and win each game as it comes, and only as it comes. It doesn’t matter whatsoever as to how we do it, nothing else matters.

How does winning games occur then? Or are you meaning to emphasise just taking one game at a time? (like Seth's approach, posted after yours) 

The Prince-e-Paul

stoneroses19 said:

This has been one of oddest post match threads of the season. 

Reading the last several pages of discussion you'd never guess we won yesterday and it was our 7th home league win in a row. 

To be fair, how often do fans of the biggest clubs, moan immediately after a defeat, or even draw, when their team is way above the rest on form and league position? Quite often! 

I imagine most of our fans would have only dreamed of a play-off spot 3 months ago, but as the rise and rise has taken place, people get a bit excited and greedy for the best outcome available. It's the human condition I guess, to always want more than we have.

 Otherwise we wouldn't give a toss and this forum would just be about blowing smoke up Jones and the players arses, win, lose, or draw, just because we are fanatics about a football club in South London.

Our run was unimaginable, when walking out of the Crawley game, but it happened. How and why, Jones will have a better view than most. 

eastterrace6168

Just an idea, maybe this post is morphing into "Will We Make the Playoffs" Mk 2..?🙄

Redrobo

Pelling1993 said:

Posh in irritatingly good form. We do enjoy bottling it again them too! Hopefully Jones has them laser focused 

I have had a look at their fans forum and was quite surprised that their player of the season looks like it is going to be Edun.
He scored a lovely goal from a FK Saturday, but unfortunately for them, picked up a second yellow and so will miss the game against us.
He plays left back and not midfield.

soapy_jones

My impression of NJ at a Sparrows Lane teamtalk this week.

"Now, my lovely boys, look now look now"

"One game at a time lovely boys, you is making me proud"

"Peterborough next lovely boys, look now, there's lovely"

"Stop laughing at the rugby at the back! Lovely boys"

"3 points it is, lads, lovely boys, no room for bottlers now, there's lovely"

"Gassan boyo, i said three sugars! Get to the back of the room lovely boy"

Come on, who says Britain's got f£#k all talent?

killerandflash

ken_shabby said:

Loved the atmosphere- I can't remember the Valley like that since the Bowyer promotion season. As for the football, I thought 2-0 flattered Wigan. They tried to get back into the game but there were large periods we were camped in their half. A few poor passes, a few too many step-overs and we never increased our advantage. And being league 1, our solid defence leaked a late goal and the last few minutes were panicky. Some of those hoofs out of defence straight to their players suggested we were worried.
But three more points, and the teams around us will be worried about meeting us now. 

Yesterday's EFL Cup final followed a similar pattern. Newcastle on top, but unable to get the 3rd to kill the game off. Liverpool get a late goal, and it's a panicky final few minutes.

stoneroses19

Redrobo said:

Pelling1993 said:

Posh in irritatingly good form. We do enjoy bottling it again them too! Hopefully Jones has them laser focused 

I have had a look at their fans forum and was quite surprised that their player of the season looks like it is going to be Edun.
He scored a lovely goal from a FK Saturday, but unfortunately for them, picked up a second yellow and so will miss the game against us.
He plays left back and not midfield.

He's only played 12 games! I know they've had a terrible season but that says a lot about there players if Edun arrives in January and takes POTS off the likes of Poku. 

Braziliance

Now he's doing well at Peterborough I want him back.

Redrobo

stoneroses19 said:

Redrobo said:

Pelling1993 said:

Posh in irritatingly good form. We do enjoy bottling it again them too! Hopefully Jones has them laser focused 

I have had a look at their fans forum and was quite surprised that their player of the season looks like it is going to be Edun.
He scored a lovely goal from a FK Saturday, but unfortunately for them, picked up a second yellow and so will miss the game against us.
He plays left back and not midfield.

He's only played 12 games! I know they've had a terrible season but that says a lot about there players if Edun arrives in January and takes POTS off the likes of Poku. 

I think it is being suggested that Poku having got over a bad injury is more worried about getting another as needs to be fit for a new contract.

Scoham

Braziliance said:

Now he's doing well at Peterborough I want him back.

Could he do a job as a squad player?

eastterrace6168

Braziliance said:

Now he's doing well at Peterborough I want him back.

Behave…

thenewbie

Redrobo said:

stoneroses19 said:

Redrobo said:

Pelling1993 said:

Posh in irritatingly good form. We do enjoy bottling it again them too! Hopefully Jones has them laser focused 

I have had a look at their fans forum and was quite surprised that their player of the season looks like it is going to be Edun.
He scored a lovely goal from a FK Saturday, but unfortunately for them, picked up a second yellow and so will miss the game against us.
He plays left back and not midfield.

He's only played 12 games! I know they've had a terrible season but that says a lot about there players if Edun arrives in January and takes POTS off the likes of Poku. 

I think it is being suggested that Poku having got over a bad injury is more worried about getting another as needs to be fit for a new contract.

Ah, a case of that dreadful disease Lyletayloritis

Redrobo

Braziliance said:

Now he's doing well at Peterborough I want him back.

I was thinking more that if he is their best player, they are an average team at best.
Apparently he is a vast improvement on the back he replaced, who will presumably be playing Saturday.
Every little bit counts!

thewolfboy

Gilbert? Injured?

Southbank

thewolfboy said:

Gilbert? Injured?

ill

AFKABartram

Bangkokaddick said:

First: yesterday's game. Great to see the AC Stand fuller than I have seen it for some time. I wonder how many people took advantage of the six match ticket?e enough?

It would be good to see us give a team a good beating though!

There was a very large freebie turnout Saturday in the East via the Community Trust in the blocks nearest the North, and as what seems normal now for Saturday games, many European tourists, the blocks nearest the away end were as empty as usual.  North and West were noticeably busier though, which I suspect is more due to tick up in sales. Was great to see a busier ground and there was a real buzz round the area from 1.30

Fans Bar had reached its 1,000 capacity before 2pm with a queue of 50+ then turned away. Having queued for 20 mins, guess who was the last person not to be let in :-) 

ross1

It is a shame we started this good run so late but it is what it is.
If we finish 2nd it would be brilliant, but as long as we finish in top 6. If we are in playoffs and we can't come top and get promoted then obviously we are not 3rd best.
If that is the case, we can only hope that the owners give NJ enough money (not a Birmingham),  to be successful next season.
I still hope for automatic promotion this season💥👍

bingaddick

swords_alive said:

stoneroses19 said:

This has been one of oddest post match threads of the season. 

Reading the last several pages of discussion you'd never guess we won yesterday and it was our 7th home league win in a row. 

I think it's a type of PTSD. I was having premonitions of it going 2-2, as i prepared myself for the worst. For me this goes way back to Huddersfield at home in December 1983(?), at an impressionable age, when they spoilt our unbeaten home record for that season.

Plenty of other times since then have been suddenly, acutely, disappointing, but yesterday would have matched almost any for me. Yes, i am all in, hoping for second place, and agree with Golfie and Prague that there are genuine aspects to worry about. This anxiety is accentuated by the very fact of hoping for second place, as we are walking a tighter tight rope for it. We can afford less slip ups as each set of fixtures goes by, then once/ if the play offs come into view, we'll probably have to deal with Stockport again. 

My additional fear is this squad may get awestruck in the bigger arenas of Wrexham and Wembley. I thought that showed itself a little at Birmingham, and earlier at Reading. Have to be grateful that this is Jones's job to manage. Meanwhile, hope of 2nd place is still alive for another week but pessimism is probably your friend, a psychological safety mechanism, when PTSD is your enemy    

Me too. I was convinced that an equaliser would follow. Too many disappointments over the years. 

I have got to the point where my negative thoughts are designed to protect me if it goes tits up.

In the end though if I wanted to support a team that was uber-successful. I could. I don't. Like all of us I am Charlton Till I Die. This club has made me cry tears of joy and of anguish. 

When the season is finished and fate has delivered, I can reflect on a huge improvement over the mediocrity of too many recent seasons.

Major

Wonderful Saturday afternoon at the Valley. Shop was jammed, Fan zone heaving, Stadium busy and buzzing and the Covered End folk were magnificent.

Oh yes, ALL the players ran their wotsits off and showed, at times, what they could do. It was, for the most part, Men against Boys.

And most of all, for me, they all showed how much they wanted to win and how confident they felt. Might have got a bit carried away last ten minutes but they won't do that again. Right, Nathan?

JamesSeed

Watched the game on my way back from holiday until my data ran out with ten minutes to go :-(
Then went to Arsenal v. Chelsea.
What a bore fest that was. Yes, technically very good, but so boring compared to what I've seen this year at the Vallyey.
And Chelsea's keeper Sanchez had a shocking first half. Arsenal's Raya also let a fairly weak shot slip through his hands, and the ball just dribbled past the far post. I think we're unbeleievably over-critical of our keepers, neither of whom I can remember making howlers, at any stage this season, like the ones I saw yesterday.

I would massively like it to be autos, otherwise it's beta blockers central for the playoffs!

eastterrace6168

JamesSeed said:

Watched the game on my way back from holiday until my data ran out with ten minutes to go :-(
Then went to Arsenal v. Chelsea.
What a bore fest that was. Yes, technically very good, but so boring compared to what I've seen this year at the Vallyey.
And Chelsea's keeper Sanchez had a shocking first half. Arsenal's Raya also let a fairly weak shot slip through his hands, and the ball just dribbled past the far post. I think we're unbeleievably over-critical of our keepers, neither of whom I can remember making howlers, at any stage this season, like the ones I saw yesterday.

I would massively like it to be autos, otherwise it's beta blockers central for the playoffs!

...About the same time as Charlton's data ran out as well...🤦‍♂️

Rudders22

AddicksAddict said:

aliwibble said:

soapy_jones said:

Anyone claiming PTSD, you are of course wrong. It is in fact a Post Traumatic Charlton Disorder (PTCD). A lifelong condition, which hopefully will alleviate in May.

Nah, Post Charlton Stress Disorder (PCSD) cos it's Charlton that's caused the stress.

ETA I'm still emotionally scarred by Millwall away in the mid-80s - we went 2-0 up in the 86th minute, but ended up drawing 2-2.

And nearly lost it right at the end. 

Thanks. that has brought back horrible memories. I was on holiday with my best mate. Next morning, a guy at one table at breakfast, said "I see Charlton won 2-0 against Millwall" At another table someone else said "Oh, no you won 2-1", only to be told by another couple say "oh in my paper you drew 2-2". . I took a long long time to get rid of that scar. Going to see us beat them at the Den when they were top of the table, in the snow", then beating them at home, doing the double over them. We had to at least get a draw at home to Wolves?  last game of the season and hope Ipswich don't beat Millwall last game of the season, We ended up in the playoffs and Millwall relegated, that was some piss up that night. Another friend lost his watch in the celebrations. Before that, we beat Millwall at Upton Park, was it 1-0 and it took a loan player (Was it Hendry from Spurs) to score the winner. As a Charlton supported since 1986 and seen Charlton beat Millwall 3 times in 49 years !!! I even have to remind a Millwall fan at work who was in nappies when we last beat Millwall. 

TellyTubby

AFKABartram said:

Bangkokaddick said:

First: yesterday's game. Great to see the AC Stand fuller than I have seen it for some time. I wonder how many people took advantage of the six match ticket?e enough?

It would be good to see us give a team a good beating though!

There was a very large freebie turnout Saturday in the East via the Community Trust in the blocks nearest the North, and as what seems normal now for Saturday games, many European tourists, the blocks nearest the away end were as empty as usual.  North and West were noticeably busier though, which I suspect is more due to tick up in sales. Was great to see a busier ground and there was a real buzz round the area from 1.30

Fans Bar had reached its 1,000 capacity before 2pm with a queue of 50+ then turned away. Having queued for 20 mins, guess who was the last person not to be let in :-) 

I reckon that they wanted to keep it for charlton fans only. They obviously wouldn't let someone in who doesn't know the names of the stands. 😀

eastterrace6168

AFKABartram said:

Bangkokaddick said:

First: yesterday's game. Great to see the AC Stand fuller than I have seen it for some time. I wonder how many people took advantage of the six match ticket?e enough?

It would be good to see us give a team a good beating though!

There was a very large freebie turnout Saturday in the East via the Community Trust in the blocks nearest the North, and as what seems normal now for Saturday games, many European tourists, the blocks nearest the away end were as empty as usual.  North and West were noticeably busier though, which I suspect is more due to tick up in sales. Was great to see a busier ground and there was a real buzz round the area from 1.30

Fans Bar had reached its 1,000 capacity before 2pm with a queue of 50+ then turned away. Having queued for 20 mins, guess who was the last person not to be let in :-) 

Whoever was last in the queue @AFKABartram…🤔

AddicksAddict

eastterrace6168 said:

AFKABartram said:

Bangkokaddick said:

First: yesterday's game. Great to see the AC Stand fuller than I have seen it for some time. I wonder how many people took advantage of the six match ticket?e enough?

It would be good to see us give a team a good beating though!

There was a very large freebie turnout Saturday in the East via the Community Trust in the blocks nearest the North, and as what seems normal now for Saturday games, many European tourists, the blocks nearest the away end were as empty as usual.  North and West were noticeably busier though, which I suspect is more due to tick up in sales. Was great to see a busier ground and there was a real buzz round the area from 1.30

Fans Bar had reached its 1,000 capacity before 2pm with a queue of 50+ then turned away. Having queued for 20 mins, guess who was the last person not to be let in :-) 

Whoever was last in the queue @AFKABartram…🤔

I think he means the first person not to be let in, as in he was first in the queue when they closed the doors.