It's our poor ball retention under pressure that gets me. I also don't understand why we give away so many throw-ins to teams that have someone that can launch it into our box. Finally, apart from a few players our shooting is abysmal. The red mist falls on so many. There were a few crackers yesterday. My old mate TT hit a classic in the second half that is still going up. It's really not hard. Stay calm. Don't lean back. Watch the ball. Picture the outcome. And if you do hit the target kick the bloody thing across the goalkeeper and not at his near post. And practice during training so there is a bit of muscle memory going on when the opportunity arrives during a match.
I thought this was quite an indictment to Andy Scott's recruitment skills (or lack of). I'd love to be a fly on the wall as they thrash out next season's comings and goings.
“We should just be better. That’s just been symptomatic. The whole squad, in terms of three managers, five clean sheets. That’s the issue. We’ve got to change that. That’s personnel. I’m not sure three managers can be that inept at coaching defensive responsibilities."
He's not been bad by any means. Just disappointing based on the hype that it was a real coup and very highly rated at west ham. However he is young and has come into a relegation threatened/ lower mid table side surrounded by low quality players and a different style of football.
I think expectations were high and he's not met them so disappointing in that respect. However I do think he will kick on next terms and deliver on more of the level of performance to warrant his rep, hopefully after a summer pre season with Jones and some far better players around him where we'll be genuinely competing to win games rather than doing well in patches and inevitably losing our heads/ making mistakes and silly errors to jeopardise our chances.
A terrible game, I don't think I've ever seen so many passes hoofed way up in the air, not even in non league. Jones and Monk I'm sure hated the football out there, but it's the time of season where style goes out of the window when relegation is a threat.
I always find this kind of comment funny.
Are you saying that the pretty football doesn’t get results but ’hoofball’ more reliably does?
I’m all for doing whatever it takes to get as many points as possible.
If 'dated’ (to quote @Athletico Charlton ) football means less risky passing it around the back and getting it forward as fast as possible then I’m all for it. With our current form we’d be in the top 6. Isn’t that the be all and end all?
May, kanu, Leaburn, Aneke and wickham should be more than enough fire power to fill the front two positions in a promotion chasing team. We also have two very good wing backs in Small and Ramsay. The focus needs to be on a creative 10, a better keeper, 2 centre backs to play with REG and a CM to replace dobbo if he goes.
Agree, but would add a creative attacking midfielder too. One that can attack and go past defenders with skill and pace, get assists, chip in with a few goals. The kind of player we thought we were getting with Scott Fraser.
Edit: Just noticed you'd already mentioned a creative AM In which case, totally agree.
Coventry looked really weak for their goal. He had about 3 attempts to win the ball but failed with each one. Truly awful goalkeeping once again.
On a plus, nice to see another aimless Dobson hoof land perfectly for our forward. He seems quite good at that!
Our whole style of play is basically hoof ball.
Give it to Gillesphey, Hector & Dobson, smash it 40 yards up the pitch & hope for the best.
So true. NJ has saved us from relegation this season but I really hope next season isn’t watching this type of inept, dated football. It’s incredibly dull.
It’s the blend that’s needed. Teams like Bournemouth you’d then be labelling hoof ball, but they’ve done well with it.
Few teams have the ability to play controlled possession football like Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal. We tried it under Garner and it was a disaster, because we don’t have technically gifted players. Jones recognised that and worked out the the diagonal ball from the CBs to two up top is more effective with this squad, at this level, and so it’s proved. And with Wickham or Chuks up front, both of whom can actually hold the ball up, it’ll work quite well. We did pass the ball around quite well at times yesterday, with Dobson actually providing some of the moments of quality. But if you think this team should be playing lovely possession football, I’d disagree, because we ain’t got the players for it.
I can’t wait for the season where we are finally back up there competing for promotion and doing the double over most of these. Had enough of the fans of Cambridge, Burton, Morecambe, Port Vale and all the other chuff we keep dropping points to.
It’s going to be so satisfying when we are in a place where we’re beating these by 2 or 3 home and away.
A cracking day out, with a walk up to the Kettle’s Yard exhibition and a few pre and post-match pints in the Kingston Arms, the Alexandra Arms and the excellent Calverley’s Brewery (with its great choice of beer).
The first half was ok, with Cambridge registering only one effort on target - a tame header straight at Isted - and a really nice finish from Wickham. We produced a few other threatening moments, usually involving Small on the left, and looked comfortable enough at half-time in a low quality game.
Unfortunately, more inept and weak defending allowed Bonne to equalise minutes into the second half and, thereafter, Cambridge pinned us back with a succession of crosses and long throws into our box. They won most of the 50/50s and individual battles, partly because we lacked any coherence in our play but principally, I suspect, because Cambridge wanted and needed it more to stay in this division.
We attempted to exploit the diminutive stature of Cambridge’s right wing back, Liam Bennett, with a succession of long, high diagonal balls to his flank, but it yielded next to nothing, as he has a good leap and his central defenders were also able to get across and clear their lines. Bennett is out of contract in the summer and is well capable of playing at a higher level. Unfortunately, we lacked the wherewithal and in-game intelligence to try and vary our tactical approach.
Our midfield was poor in the second half and we barely managed any decent combination play, although two moments of class from Alfie May almost won it for us, particularly his clever movement and Dobbo’s excellent pass which led to Alfie’s shot against the inside of the post.
In the end, a draw was a fair result in what was a generally poor and disjointed Charlton performance. It’s another unbeaten game, although many of our familiar failings were on display and the performance offered little encouragement that this team is on an upward trajectory. Major surgery is needed - including replacing our best and most consistent midfield player - because at present we are a long way off being credible challengers in what is going to be a tough division next season.
A terrible game, I don't think I've ever seen so many passes hoofed way up in the air, not even in non league. Jones and Monk I'm sure hated the football out there, but it's the time of season where style goes out of the window when relegation is a threat.
I always find this kind of comment funny.
Are you saying that the pretty football doesn’t get results but ’hoofball’ more reliably does?
I’m all for doing whatever it takes to get as many points as possible.
If 'dated’ (to quote @Athletico Charlton ) football means less risky passing it around the back and getting it forward as fast as possible then I’m all for it. With our current form we’d be in the top 6. Isn’t that the be all and end all?
There is more than one way to skin a cat. We have to trust Jones' judgment and not tell him how we think we should be playing. If we could chip in with a few more goals from midfield and defence we would end up winning far more than we draw given that we currently have discovered how not to lose.
Yesterday very much had an end of season feel to it.
Me and Jnr met with pals at Kings X at 10.30 to find a train packed out and just single seats 10 mins before leaving. A walk to the first carriage had everyone turning back as it was 1st class, but no one seemed to notice the 1st class was only for half the carriage. So we ended up on a packed train with half a carriage to ourselves!.
Getting to Royston at 11.15 we thought would leave enough time to account for the replacement bus transfer. Think again. We didn’t even make it over the platform bridge before the queue began and when the over side was confronted with what we described as a shit Alton Towers experience.
Piss up and brewery was the order of the day. They’d be no coaches, then two would turn up, they’d fill the back one but it couldn’t leave as the one in front was waiting to take people to Kings Lynn and was blocking the exit. Then returning ones would arrive and not be able to enter past a blocking coach. Queued for over 40 mins in the end before finally getting on way.
Get to Cambridge station and went in the Station Tavern next to the station, smart ground floor pub as part of a new build that got fairly busy with good vibe music but didn’t seem to take much of the football crowd. There was a big UK Garage festival in Cambridge yesterday and it was hard to work out if that or our game was least appealing. The Old Ticket Office next door also looked a decent venue with the sun out.
A few pints supped then queue for a cab outside about 2.20. Friendly driver made it an enjoyable ride but getting to ground at 2.40 made us realise it was further away from the station than realised and post game was going to be agg. He handily pointed us out a cut through a park near ground for a shorter walk to Cambridge North station to get a bus back to Royston.
In ground and for unreserved seating and a full stand they seemed to do a good job of filling it out without any seating hassles. Was 32 years since my last visit to Cambridge and ended up next to some fellas I’ve not spoke to for probably 30 years, so that was enjoyable.
As for the game, well frankly, who cares. It was typical of so many aways we seem to have at this level. We play ok first half, the opposition look awful, you think we should be strolling this then in the second half the other team pick up the workrate and we then go on to lose or draw. Today was draw. Not seen goal again, but don’t rate Istead at all and initial reaction was he should have done better.
Not a football snob in any way, but stood there second half watching a fairly low quality non-league style game with the ball bouncing around and with 3 sides of small stands in sight and realised how much I now dislike League One. I don’t want Premier League, but never have I wanted the Championship and be competing with that level of club more. League One just sucks you into the shiteness that clubs whose budget and infrastructure we must dwarf have to apply. This league is only enjoyable if you are smashing it, and we’ve done nothing of the sort the last few years.
Everyone says how welcoming the smaller grounds are yet the catering at The Abbey seemed designed on a Post Office in Toxteth. Not sure how many pies and burgers they were expecting to deliver at gunpoint
Post game we lost the crowd instantly, swapping them for joggers and cyclists in the park and rowers on the river. Was hard to believe just a few mins ago we were at a football game. 15 mins pleasant walk had us and just a handful of other fans joining a quarter full bus at a Cambridge North. After 10 mins Station staff wanted the bus to wait for the next train to arrive, but a combination of some vocal disagreement and a driver who wanted his tea and felt empowered by some eager passengers and away we go on the 45 min drive to Royston.
Get to Royston at 6.18, busy platform awaiting the 6.25, a few hastily grabbed beers on station and we repeated the first class carriage trick and ended up with the same table. Arrive at Kings X just gone 7 and straight in pub opposite for a couple. Said goodbyes and home about 9.15.
Long old day for what’s basically an 80 minute drive but a great day out with good company. One of those bizarre ones where despite us having 1,500, outside of the ground I didn’t see no more than half a dozen other Charlton fans the whole day.
Think we’ll swerve Wycombe after doing last year so that’s our aways done for the season. If we strip out Cray Valley PM I think that’s 6 aways this season for us, 0 wins. Jnr’s last and only away win was Reading 2019. He’s been coming away with me since 2018/19 season so that’s 6 seasons now and only 1 away win.
Painful, yet he seems to love it, being with my mates, going in pubs and the whole away day thing and it gives me great pleasure seeing him enjoy as a young teenager what I was doing as a teenager. I drill into him supporting a club like Charlton on the road is never about winning games, it’s the experiences and the company, being with pals, having a laugh, making new acquaintances and a feeling of togetherness etc. Seeing the amount of U25s following us despite how shit we’ve been last few years is great to see.
Listened to NJ on Charlton Live this morning. Sounds as though he knows who he wants and who he doesn't, I can see quite a few being shipped out, and I think it'll happen as soon as the season ends!
Listened to NJ on Charlton Live this morning. Sounds as though he knows who he wants and who he doesn't, I can see quite a few being shipped out, and I think it'll happen as soon as the season ends!
Interesting to read @Airman Brown's view on the annual accounts that have just published.
Up to the end of March this year (so includes SE7 Partners January transfer window) we haven't spent more than we received on transfer dealings.
Make of that what you will but to me its doesn't look like we will be going down the Wrexham route regarding recruitment.
I'm his after game interview, Wickham discussed what 'WE' will be doing at Charlton next season. Sounds like he has already been offered a contract
He was a big reason we were on top in that first half. We need a player like him up top next season
We can't give him a contract. It would be such a huge mistake. Jones said he wants a smaller squad and we already have Chuks to manage. Wickham always struggles with injuries and fitness. I'd be so pissed off if we signed him.
Aright he looks handy when he comes on, but we need consistency and someone who can do the full stretch of the season. He would be a very poor signing imo.
Do we know his actual medical record? Because there’s a big difference between a player who is crocked, and one who has been unlucky with injuries. If fit he’s exactly what we need. His finish was what we’ve been lacking all season from whoever is partnering May. And his hold up play is very good. I’d have to trust the back room staff to make the decision based on medical evidence, rather than fan talk.
And Nathan Jones is no mug. If he thinks, based on evidence, that he doesn’t have a dodgy knee or something, then I’ll back his judgement all day long.
Listened to NJ on Charlton Live this morning. Sounds as though he knows who he wants and who he doesn't, I can see quite a few being shipped out, and I think it'll happen as soon as the season ends!
Interesting to read @Airman Brown's view on the annual accounts that have just published.
Up to the end of March this year (so includes SE7 Partners January transfer window) we haven't spent more than we received on transfer dealings.
Make of that what you will but to me its doesn't look like we will be going down the Wrexham route regarding recruitment.
Im not going to second guess, but it could be they were not prepared to during the January transfer window. I would imagine in the summer window we will move players on and if we can get some money all well and good. NJ has already said the squad is too big, so we will be getting rid. It could be we offload 8 or 9 and just bring in 4 or 5? Hence saving wages, or allowing us to bring in a smaller number of better quality. I just wish, at times, you weren't so negative about everything. Wrexham will have to stay within the EFL spending rules the same as everyone else. To be honest I'm glad the new owners haven't spent more than we have brought in when Appleton was the manager, it would've been a waste of money and loaded us with more debt. It must be tiring to be so negative about everything. Why not let these 2 games finish, and start worrying about next season, when and if, there is something to worry about? You maybe pleasantly surprised!
May, kanu, Leaburn, Aneke and wickham should be more than enough fire power to fill the front two positions in a promotion chasing team. We also have two very good wing backs in Small and Ramsay. The focus needs to be on a creative 10, a better keeper, 2 centre backs to play with REG and a CM to replace dobbo if he goes.
And none of leaburn, aneke and wickham can keep fit for any substantial amount of time so therefore it’s not good enough in reality
I'm his after game interview, Wickham discussed what 'WE' will be doing at Charlton next season. Sounds like he has already been offered a contract
He was a big reason we were on top in that first half. We need a player like him up top next season
We can't give him a contract. It would be such a huge mistake. Jones said he wants a smaller squad and we already have Chuks to manage. Wickham always struggles with injuries and fitness. I'd be so pissed off if we signed him.
Aright he looks handy when he comes on, but we need consistency and someone who can do the full stretch of the season. He would be a very poor signing imo.
Do we know his actual medical record? Because there’s a big difference between a player who is crocked, and one who has been unlucky with injuries. If fit he’s exactly what we need. His finish was what we’ve been lacking all season from whoever is partnering May. And his hold up play is very good. I’d have to trust the back room staff to make the decision based on medical evidence, rather than fan talk.
And Nathan Jones is no mug. If he thinks, based on evidence, that he doesn’t have a dodgy knee or something, then I’ll back his judgement all day long.
Unlucky with injuries over such a prologoned period of time = susceptible to injury. The guy played 16 mins of football for us and was out for a month.
I really, really like him. He's my kind of striker. But it's mad to be taking risks on injury prone players after the yearly injury crisis we've had practically every season for as long as I can remember.
Wrexham have an inordinate amount of income from the Disney thing though i thought. Its easier to stay in your budget if your budget is £1m a week larger than everyone elses (so im told)
Listened to NJ on Charlton Live this morning. Sounds as though he knows who he wants and who he doesn't, I can see quite a few being shipped out, and I think it'll happen as soon as the season ends!
Interesting to read @Airman Brown's view on the annual accounts that have just published.
Up to the end of March this year (so includes SE7 Partners January transfer window) we haven't spent more than we received on transfer dealings.
Make of that what you will but to me its doesn't look like we will be going down the Wrexham route regarding recruitment.
Sheff Wed hardly spent any money on transfer fees two season ago and went up, Famewo one of the few, for about £50k IIRC. More than one way to do it, and who's to say they won't change direction anyway? They have the money to should they wish to, and if they don't, perhaps they're expecting to keep losing money for no good reason. Yes, I'm sure they're all complete idiots, successful business in football usually are.
Not having the Coventry bashing for their goal. If this is being “caught wrong side” then I don’t know what to tell you…
He’s absolutely on the right side when the pass is played. It took a bit of skill and muscle to get past him and even then, he muscles his way back in to make sure the forward has to turn back away from goal.
At that point, whatever led up to that, Coventry has done his job. The ball is forced loose and is up for grabs. Thomas has to be more aggressive as the big centre back and whack it clear. No idea why TT is being so passive - he had a couple of opportunities and didn’t take either of them.
Not a great look for Hector to be turning but, like Coventry, far from the worst offence I’ve ever seen.
And then Isted has to save that. It bounced in front of him which makes it more difficult than if it had gone straight along the ground but even so…
Yes of course Coventry was on the right side when the ball was played. I meant he let their smallish player roll him/push him aside, to get goal side of him (ie he was then caught wrong side).
Not having the Coventry bashing for their goal. If this is being “caught wrong side” then I don’t know what to tell you…
He’s absolutely on the right side when the pass is played. It took a bit of skill and muscle to get past him and even then, he muscles his way back in to make sure the forward has to turn back away from goal.
At that point, whatever led up to that, Coventry has done his job. The ball is forced loose and is up for grabs. Thomas has to be more aggressive as the big centre back and whack it clear. No idea why TT is being so passive - he had a couple of opportunities and didn’t take either of them.
Not a great look for Hector to be turning but, like Coventry, far from the worst offence I’ve ever seen.
And then Isted has to save that. It bounced in front of him which makes it more difficult than if it had gone straight along the ground but even so…
Yes of course Coventry was on the right side when the ball was played. I meant he let their smallish player roll him/push him aside, to get goal side of him (ie he was then caught wrong side).
Curbs & Brownie also thought he could've done better in that duel.
This was one of the few league games that I haven't watched live (either at the Valley or via Charlton TV) this season. Felt like a draw was highly likely coming into it, given our recent form, and sounds like the game did follow the expected script.
To continue the conversation about our defense...
I find it hard to make a solid case for any of them (that have played the majority of the season) starting next season. Our defending this season has been the entire reason we flirted so perilously with relegation. Without the goals/assists of Alfie (and before he left, CB-T) and the miraculous management of NJ, we'd be staring directly down the barrel of going into L2. We have had 5 clean sheets all season, with only one coming away from home. If I was so inclined, I could probably find multiple clips of every one of our defenders and goalkeepers making individual errors that directly contributed to games being lost and/or points dropped. In some cases, multiple individual errors over small periods of games.
As NJ rightly and honestly pointed out, I don't believe this is entirely down to coaching or tactics. Maybe the defensive-minded, deep play of Dobbo/Coventry applies to an extent, but it's not the biggest factor. Most of our defenders are simply not good enough across any metric and many of them are below average L1 players that we cannot afford to carry any longer. Some of them can have the odd game here and there were they go slightly above the bare minimum expectation, but our expectations for the defense this season has been so low, anything past terrible has been given a pass. I've lost count of the amount of games this season where I felt our resistance to the opposing side has been anything more than wafer thin. At any given moment, we had a collection of defenders that could make significant mistakes in sequence that would throw a game. At this level, games are regularly decided by who makes more defensive howlers and not by high quality attacking play. Successful teams this season (Pompey, Derby) are built upon the foundation of being difficult to score against - Pompey had thirteen away clean sheets alone.
If he could (and maybe he still might), I believe NJ would rip it all up and start again. I'd keep Small and Ramsey as potential starters, and RE-G and Thomas as backups due to fitness records, games played and versatility. I would ditch the rest and have a clean slate. Yes, even Jones, Gillesphey and Hector - ALL of whom have had howler mistakes at different times this season. Sometimes I feel like I live in a parallel universe when people say that a better GK would fix them. No, they have been lower L1 form all year. A better GK is 1000% top of the agenda for signing in the summer, but even if you put the world's best behind some of these CBs, they would still ship a lot of goals.
My fear with any ripcord-tearing approach is that we struggle to have much continuity into next season and we risk not hitting the ground running if we can't bring in defenders of sufficient quality. NJ will know this and I believe his approach will not be as extreme as my suggestion, as in reality, that is not how things will work. We will have Wrexham throwing boatloads of money at players, and the market will be a nightmare. Realistically, more of them will stay than go, but we cannot have another defensive mess like we had this season.
No-one should be advocating more than a handful of this current defensive unit. When we get defensively undone regularly by lower half, sh*thouse teams in and around the relegation places in L1, it's a massive, massive problem. I trust NJ to fix it, but we should all be agreement that we need to completely clean house and the more of them that go, the better.
Get to Royston at 6.18, busy platform awaiting the 6.25, a few hastily grabbed beers on station and we repeated the first class carriage trick and ended up with the same table. Arrive at Kings X just gone 7 and straight in pub opposite for a couple. Said goodbyes and home about 9.15.
Long old day for what’s basically an 80 minute drive but a great day out with good company. One of those bizarre ones where despite us having 1,500, outside of the ground I didn’t see no more than half a dozen other Charlton fans the whole day.
Think we’ll swerve Wycombe after doing last year so that’s our aways done for the season. If we strip out Cray Valley PM I think that’s 6 aways this season for us, 0 wins. Jnr’s last and only away win was Reading 2019. He’s been coming away with me since 2018/19 season so that’s 6 seasons now and only 1 away win.
Painful, yet he seems to love it, being with my mates, going in pubs and the whole away day thing and it gives me great pleasure seeing him enjoy as a young teenager what I was doing as a teenager. I drill into him supporting a club like Charlton on the road is never about winning games, it’s the experiences and the company, being with pals, having a laugh, making new acquaintances and a feeling of togetherness etc. Seeing the amount of U25s following us despite how shit we’ve been last few years is great to see.
Would be nice to win a few more though…
You managed "a few beers" in 7 minutes? I take my hat off to you....
Not having the Coventry bashing for their goal. If this is being “caught wrong side” then I don’t know what to tell you…
He’s absolutely on the right side when the pass is played. It took a bit of skill and muscle to get past him and even then, he muscles his way back in to make sure the forward has to turn back away from goal.
At that point, whatever led up to that, Coventry has done his job. The ball is forced loose and is up for grabs. Thomas has to be more aggressive as the big centre back and whack it clear. No idea why TT is being so passive - he had a couple of opportunities and didn’t take either of them.
Not a great look for Hector to be turning but, like Coventry, far from the worst offence I’ve ever seen.
And then Isted has to save that. It bounced in front of him which makes it more difficult than if it had gone straight along the ground but even so…
Yes of course Coventry was on the right side when the ball was played. I meant he let their smallish player roll him/push him aside, to get goal side of him (ie he was then caught wrong side).
Curbs & Brownie also thought he could've done better in that duel.
I'm not surprised he was obviously at fault to start. Then Thomas should have cleared. Hector could have blocked if he'd dived in, but chose to turn away and get out of the way. Isted was the worst of the lot & definitely should have saved.
Listened to NJ on Charlton Live this morning. Sounds as though he knows who he wants and who he doesn't, I can see quite a few being shipped out, and I think it'll happen as soon as the season ends!
Interesting to read @Airman Brown's view on the annual accounts that have just published.
Up to the end of March this year (so includes SE7 Partners January transfer window) we haven't spent more than we received on transfer dealings.
Make of that what you will but to me its doesn't look like we will be going down the Wrexham route regarding recruitment.
I’d expect future transfer expenditure to be covered by a fee for Leaburn in due course and potentially Kanu or Anderson if they progress, so the point is moot. If Leaburn had stayed fit he wouldn’t be here next season or possibly this.
The main shareholders would be plain daft to sit in L1 losing £7m-£10m a year whatever fairy stories they were told about revenue opportunities. Stockport at home, anyone?
The problem with Hector is I think he is looking good now.
I agree. Think he's looked good since he's come back. But his problem has always been application and concentration. Now he needs a new contract, he's at it 100%. Will he be the same when he's got one? I really doubt it. Think we'll go back to old Hector the 60% switch off.
Comments
I also don't understand why we give away so many throw-ins to teams that have someone that can launch it into our box.
Finally, apart from a few players our shooting is abysmal. The red mist falls on so many. There were a few crackers yesterday. My old mate TT hit a classic in the second half that is still going up.
It's really not hard. Stay calm. Don't lean back. Watch the ball. Picture the outcome. And if you do hit the target kick the bloody thing across the goalkeeper and not at his near post. And practice during training so there is a bit of muscle memory going on when the opportunity arrives during a match.
“We should just be better. That’s just been symptomatic. The whole squad, in terms of three managers, five clean sheets. That’s the issue. We’ve got to change that. That’s personnel. I’m not sure three managers can be that inept at coaching defensive responsibilities."
He's not been bad by any means. Just disappointing based on the hype that it was a real coup and very highly rated at west ham. However he is young and has come into a relegation threatened/ lower mid table side surrounded by low quality players and a different style of football.
I think expectations were high and he's not met them so disappointing in that respect. However I do think he will kick on next terms and deliver on more of the level of performance to warrant his rep, hopefully after a summer pre season with Jones and some far better players around him where we'll be genuinely competing to win games rather than doing well in patches and inevitably losing our heads/ making mistakes and silly errors to jeopardise our chances.
Are you saying that the pretty football doesn’t get results but ’hoofball’ more reliably does?
I’m all for doing whatever it takes to get as many points as possible.
If 'dated’ (to quote @Athletico Charlton ) football means less risky passing it around the back and getting it forward as fast as possible then I’m all for it. With our current form we’d be in the top 6. Isn’t that the be all and end all?
Edit: Just noticed you'd already mentioned a creative AM
We did pass the ball around quite well at times yesterday, with Dobson actually providing some of the moments of quality. But if you think this team should be playing lovely possession football, I’d disagree, because we ain’t got the players for it.
A cracking day out, with a walk up to the Kettle’s Yard exhibition and a few pre and post-match pints in the Kingston Arms, the Alexandra Arms and the excellent Calverley’s Brewery (with its great choice of beer).
The first half was ok, with Cambridge registering only one effort on target - a tame header straight at Isted - and a really nice finish from Wickham. We produced a few other threatening moments, usually involving Small on the left, and looked comfortable enough at half-time in a low quality game.
Unfortunately, more inept and weak defending allowed Bonne to equalise minutes into the second half and, thereafter, Cambridge pinned us back with a succession of crosses and long throws into our box. They won most of the 50/50s and individual battles, partly because we lacked any coherence in our play but principally, I suspect, because Cambridge wanted and needed it more to stay in this division.
We attempted to exploit the diminutive stature of Cambridge’s right wing back, Liam Bennett, with a succession of long, high diagonal balls to his flank, but it yielded next to nothing, as he has a good leap and his central defenders were also able to get across and clear their lines. Bennett is out of contract in the summer and is well capable of playing at a higher level. Unfortunately, we lacked the wherewithal and in-game intelligence to try and vary our tactical approach.
Our midfield was poor in the second half and we barely managed any decent combination play, although two moments of class from Alfie May almost won it for us, particularly his clever movement and Dobbo’s excellent pass which led to Alfie’s shot against the inside of the post.
In the end, a draw was a fair result in what was a generally poor and disjointed Charlton performance. It’s another unbeaten game, although many of our familiar failings were on display and the performance offered little encouragement that this team is on an upward trajectory. Major surgery is needed - including replacing our best and most consistent midfield player - because at present we are a long way off being credible challengers in what is going to be a tough division next season.
In ground and for unreserved seating and a full stand they seemed to do a good job of filling it out without any seating hassles. Was 32 years since my last visit to Cambridge and ended up next to some fellas I’ve not spoke to for probably 30 years, so that was enjoyable.
As for the game, well frankly, who cares. It was typical of so many aways we seem to have at this level. We play ok first half, the opposition look awful, you think we should be strolling this then in the second half the other team pick up the workrate and we then go on to lose or draw. Today was draw. Not seen goal again, but don’t rate Istead at all and initial reaction was he should have done better.
Not a football snob in any way, but stood there second half watching a fairly low quality non-league style game with the ball bouncing around and with 3 sides of small stands in sight and realised how much I now dislike League One. I don’t want Premier League, but never have I wanted the Championship and be competing with that level of club more. League One just sucks you into the shiteness that clubs whose budget and infrastructure we must dwarf have to apply. This league is only enjoyable if you are smashing it, and we’ve done nothing of the sort the last few years.
Everyone says how welcoming the smaller grounds are yet the catering at The Abbey seemed designed on a Post Office in Toxteth. Not sure how many pies and burgers they were expecting to deliver at gunpoint
Long old day for what’s basically an 80 minute drive but a great day out with good company. One of those bizarre ones where despite us having 1,500, outside of the ground I didn’t see no more than half a dozen other Charlton fans the whole day.
Would be nice to win a few more though…
Up to the end of March this year (so includes SE7 Partners January transfer window) we haven't spent more than we received on transfer dealings.
Make of that what you will but to me its doesn't look like we will be going down the Wrexham route regarding recruitment.
Because there’s a big difference between a player who is crocked, and one who has been unlucky with injuries.
If fit he’s exactly what we need. His finish was what we’ve been lacking all season from whoever is partnering May. And his hold up play is very good.
I’d have to trust the back room staff to make the decision based on medical evidence, rather than fan talk.
I just wish, at times, you weren't so negative about everything. Wrexham will have to stay within the EFL spending rules the same as everyone else. To be honest I'm glad the new owners haven't spent more than we have brought in when Appleton was the manager, it would've been a waste of money and loaded us with more debt. It must be tiring to be so negative about everything. Why not let these 2 games finish, and start worrying about next season, when and if, there is something to worry about? You maybe pleasantly surprised!
I really, really like him. He's my kind of striker. But it's mad to be taking risks on injury prone players after the yearly injury crisis we've had practically every season for as long as I can remember.
After watching yesterday’s hoofball, I couldn’t help but wonder if John Beck had been doing the coaching this week?
I meant he let their smallish player roll him/push him aside, to get goal side of him (ie he was then caught wrong side).
To continue the conversation about our defense...
I find it hard to make a solid case for any of them (that have played the majority of the season) starting next season. Our defending this season has been the entire reason we flirted so perilously with relegation. Without the goals/assists of Alfie (and before he left, CB-T) and the miraculous management of NJ, we'd be staring directly down the barrel of going into L2. We have had 5 clean sheets all season, with only one coming away from home. If I was so inclined, I could probably find multiple clips of every one of our defenders and goalkeepers making individual errors that directly contributed to games being lost and/or points dropped. In some cases, multiple individual errors over small periods of games.
As NJ rightly and honestly pointed out, I don't believe this is entirely down to coaching or tactics. Maybe the defensive-minded, deep play of Dobbo/Coventry applies to an extent, but it's not the biggest factor. Most of our defenders are simply not good enough across any metric and many of them are below average L1 players that we cannot afford to carry any longer. Some of them can have the odd game here and there were they go slightly above the bare minimum expectation, but our expectations for the defense this season has been so low, anything past terrible has been given a pass. I've lost count of the amount of games this season where I felt our resistance to the opposing side has been anything more than wafer thin. At any given moment, we had a collection of defenders that could make significant mistakes in sequence that would throw a game. At this level, games are regularly decided by who makes more defensive howlers and not by high quality attacking play. Successful teams this season (Pompey, Derby) are built upon the foundation of being difficult to score against - Pompey had thirteen away clean sheets alone.
If he could (and maybe he still might), I believe NJ would rip it all up and start again. I'd keep Small and Ramsey as potential starters, and RE-G and Thomas as backups due to fitness records, games played and versatility. I would ditch the rest and have a clean slate. Yes, even Jones, Gillesphey and Hector - ALL of whom have had howler mistakes at different times this season. Sometimes I feel like I live in a parallel universe when people say that a better GK would fix them. No, they have been lower L1 form all year. A better GK is 1000% top of the agenda for signing in the summer, but even if you put the world's best behind some of these CBs, they would still ship a lot of goals.
My fear with any ripcord-tearing approach is that we struggle to have much continuity into next season and we risk not hitting the ground running if we can't bring in defenders of sufficient quality. NJ will know this and I believe his approach will not be as extreme as my suggestion, as in reality, that is not how things will work. We will have Wrexham throwing boatloads of money at players, and the market will be a nightmare. Realistically, more of them will stay than go, but we cannot have another defensive mess like we had this season.
No-one should be advocating more than a handful of this current defensive unit. When we get defensively undone regularly by lower half, sh*thouse teams in and around the relegation places in L1, it's a massive, massive problem. I trust NJ to fix it, but we should all be agreement that we need to completely clean house and the more of them that go, the better.
Then Thomas should have cleared.
Hector could have blocked if he'd dived in, but chose to turn away and get out of the way.
Isted was the worst of the lot & definitely should have saved.