MATCH THREAD : Bristol Rovers V Charlton Athletic : Friday 29th December 2023 : KO 19:45
Rovers sit three places above us, and don't have a too dissimilar record, but have picked up some good results lately, notably a couple of 2-1 victories against Bolton and Portsmouth, so will be a very stern test for us, heart always say's yes...head is starting to have doubts, would settle for a draw maybe 1-1, but come on lads give us a good send off to 2023, heart still says 1-2...🤞
We have clashed on 69 previous occasions winning 25, the Pirates 25 and the remaining 19 encounters producing draws, Bristol Rovers won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in August thanks to McCormick's 98th-minute strike...be nice to avoid a double wouldn't it...
Extreme Kudos to anyone who has made the long trip to The Memorial Stadium tonight...👍
Let's see what Mr A has in store for us tonight....
Karoy Anderson will start for the Addicks in tonight's game against Bristol Rovers. he replaces Scott Fraser, who misses out with a minor calf issue, in the Charlton midfield and academy starlet Patrick Casey is named in a senior league squad for the first time.
Tennai Watson, Michael Hector, Lloyd Jones and Tayo Edun continue in an unchanged back four in front of goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
Anderson will join skipper George Dobson in midfield with Daniel Kanu, Chem Campbell and Corey Blackett-Taylor playing behind Alfie May, although there remains the option for Kanu to play up front with May operating from the right flank.
Casey is joined on the bench by Sam Walker, Nathan Asiimwe, Terell Thomas, Louie Watson, Tyreece Campbell and Boban Tedić.
Charlton: Maynard-Brewer; T.Watson, Hector, Jones, Edun; Dobson (c), Anderson; May, C.Campbell, Blackett-Taylor; Kanu
Subs: Walker, Asiimwe, Thomas, L.Watson, T.Campbell, Tedić, Casey
Comments
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Yeah I think that's Fraser done.
Hoping May is back to his best position on the wing
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Casey as a substitute.
If he comes on I hope it goes well. I don't expect him to be charging all over the place.
He is a good young goalscorer, but hitherto his style is getting on the end of chances presented, not hunting the ball down.
Please remember his age.9 -
Don't really matter, we are going to get tonked whoever we play....0
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what has Watson done for Anderson to be ahead of him23
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😂 He really hates Louie Watson doesn't he3
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I thought Anderson looked good early in the season.....but lots of water has passed under the (Dartford) bridge since then & I'm not sure whether he is good enough to fight the battle in midfield that will be needed.
Weak bench too.1 -
Anderson has actually been a hindrance the last few times he's played. Hopefully that isn’t the case this eve3
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Got to wonder what Louis Watson has done to upset Appleton.6
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The latest insult to Louie Watson, I see. FFS. Anderson has not looked anywhere near good enough for a start. I dont care if he is ours and Watson is not. Appleton needs to make the most of the resource at his disposal.I dont think I am going to waste my time with this shite.3
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Leuth .Why do you think that is fraser done
.He has a minor calf strain.0 -
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G’wan Casey 💚1
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I really hoped we'd change the formation a bit, maybe with 3 at the back.0
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Can see Watson going back to Luton and then loaned out again to another League 1 club next week.0
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I've decided at the last minute to buy the stream tonight....I must be insane!4
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You have to give it to Appleton he doesn’t shy away from starting players who have been nowhere near previously. A few weeks ago CCambell couldn’t get a look in ( I’m pleased he is but can he play wide plz ) and now Anderson starts from nowhere
time will tell but I still think we are on for a tonking0 -
Smash and Grab tonight.
Need two strikes like that tonight to have any chance of a point.
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Makes his apparent freezing out of players look so bizarre imo. Probably give L. Watson a 10 game starting streak from new year's onwardsAndyG said:You have to give it to Appleton he doesn’t shy away from starting players who have been nowhere near previously. A few weeks ago CCambell couldn’t get a look in ( I’m pleased he is but can he play wide plz ) and now Anderson starts from nowhere
time will tell but I still think we are on for a tonking0 -
Exactly what I thought.Talal said:😂 He really hates Louie Watson doesn't he
One of the only players who I think has actually good this season and can't get a proper look in under Appleton.3 -
Starting to wonder if there’s some clause in Watson’s loan that gets activated after X number of starts, otherwise can’t see why he isn’t starting2
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I'm at the point with Apples’ teams where I'm like “yeah sure okay whatever.” It's exactly how I felt about Holden at the end, even if I think Appleton remains the far superior coach (tallest man in Lileput and all that).
CC has looked alright at times through the middle. But he's never looked natural there. He loves to drift wide left…because he's a LW by trade. The problem with that, apart from a lack of an outlet through the middle, is that it crowds CBT out of the game. CBT and Edun formed a good partnership because CBT loves to start on the touchline and isolate his FB 1-v-1. Edun likes to make runs infield, and it creates an option for CBT without bringing a second defender over to him.
So I'm hoping May is the 10 and CC the RW. But who know? Playing May on the right made sense when we played with three central midfielders. He was able to get goals and make runs in behind coming from out to in. But when we start CC there, it just leaves huge spaces in the middle of the pitch and nowhere for the CMs or CBs to play forward. And we look disjointed and we're easily nullified.
It's worth noting that towards the end Holden started playing Kanu RW. It didn't make sense then, and it doesn't make sense now. Kanu has a very decent cross on him, but he isn't good enough with the ball at his feet and he isn't quick enough to play wide. Every time the ball was played out to him on Tuesday it took him at least two touches to control it.
As for Karoy…yeah, sure, I don't know. He last started in the league in what, early September? Wasn't even starting cup games. I mean he clearly has talent but just didn't impact games enough. Maybe he's grown in the three-four months since he played 90 minutes in the league. But uh, yeah, I don't know. I don't know if it's been confirmed but Fraser looked like he came off injured on Tuesday.
L Watson should feel hard done by. Not just by Anderson playing ahead of him, but by CC playing ahead of him in the 10. He looked very bright in the 10 against Burton, and dropping him deeper by bringing on TC for Fraser might have turned the season because it brought Burton onto us. Truly an awful substitution. And despite looking a real asset in the final third, he can't get a sniff. I get not wanting to play him deeper, he has positional and defensive issues, and he tends to lose the ball in the middle of the park when playing deeper, but he's far better as a 10 than Chem.
Anyway, I'm up at a cabin in the woods and had a few minutes of service so decided to check the teams. Then after seeing the teams felt I had to comment.
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Watson to return to Luton? He’s not a 10, from what MA said a while ago he probably doesn’t see him as strong enough defensively to play one of the holding roles (neither is Fraser but he persisted with it).0
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Can't see anything other than a defeat tonight. Hopefully MA is gone after tonight2
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Have bought the stream, although not feeling remotely optimistic after the last few inept performances.
As Curbs has just remarked, the owners really need to come out and say what their plan is.2 -
Why is he playing CBT when he is taking too many touches?
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Are we going to continue playing with a 10 though? Or if we are going for Clarke- Harris will be switching to more of an orthodox front 2 and a flatter midfield 3?Scoham said:Watson to return to Luton? He’s not a 10, from what MA said a while ago he probably doesn’t see him as strong enough defensively to play one of the holding roles (neither is Fraser but he persisted with it).0 -
Never a good sign when managers chop and change seemingly randomly.AndyG said:You have to give it to Appleton he doesn’t shy away from starting players who have been nowhere near previously. A few weeks ago CCambell couldn’t get a look in ( I’m pleased he is but can he play wide plz ) and now Anderson starts from nowhere
time will tell but I still think we are on for a tonking1 -
Fraser completely dropped - excellent news. Perhaps we’re really lucky and someone has put a bid in for him and he’s leaving in Jan 🤞0
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Rovers home form is very good. Unbeaten here since August in League One. They've beaten two of the top three over the last few weeks under new boss and former #cafc defender Matt Taylor0
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If that was MAs preferred formation I think we’d have seen it by now. If we sign JCH he’d probably be the main striker with May continuing in the 10 or on the right.Exiled_Addick said:
Are we going to continue playing with a 10 though? Or if we are going for Clarke- Harris will be switching to more of an orthodox front 2 and a flatter midfield 3?Scoham said:Watson to return to Luton? He’s not a 10, from what MA said a while ago he probably doesn’t see him as strong enough defensively to play one of the holding roles (neither is Fraser but he persisted with it).0
