Miles and TC were really tired by the time they went off on Saturday, so I definitely wouldn't start them. It makes more sense to rotate the strikers to give them all game time.
And they are probably our best options to start on Saturday, so save them for that. And gives Kelman and Olaofe a chance to try and get themselves in the starting line up
Miles and TC were really tired by the time they went off on Saturday, so I definitely wouldn't start them. It makes more sense to rotate the strikers to give them all game time.
I don't want TC anywhere near the squad, he looks dead on his feet already. He had a much shorter break than the rest of our squad
Good point, I'd forgotten about his international duty. Indeed there would have been a logic in not starting him in the first 3 league games, not because of how he's played, but rather to ease him back into football more slowly.
League Cup - Second Round Cambridge United vs Charlton Athletic Tuesday 26th August 2025 - 7:30pm Kick-Off Referee: David Rock
Introduction EFL Championship action grounds to a halt once more this coming Tuesday. The Addicks return to League Cup action this midweek having despatched League One: Stevenage with a convincing 3-1 victory, courtesy of goals from Miles Leaburn, Luke Berry and Ibrahim Fullah, with the latter not looking out of place in Senior Football...
The Opposition Name: Cambridge United - Manager: Neil Harris Division: League Two Last Round: Bristol Rovers 0-2 Cambridge United
This Tuesday is an opportunity to right the wrongs from our Pre-Season clash with Cambridge United, which ended all square last month... Our opponents tomorrow, reached this round of the competition with a 2-0 win over fellow League Two side: Bristol Rovers, and is their fifth appearance at this stage of the League Cup, since returning from the National League in 2014-15... Cambridge have failed to reach the third round on each of those occasions.
In terms of 2025/26 and this is a season where Cambridge will be looking to bounce back from relegation last season, four years were spent in League One, so Neil Harris will be looking to engineer an instant return to the third tier of English Football. The season so far has yielded inconstant results, Cambridge sit 13th with seven points (Having played a game more than those sides in the Championship), and have two wins, one defeat and a draw. Their last outing in League action, came on Saturday, a 2-1 win at Colchester United.
Charlton Team News Once again you'd expect Nathan Jones to wring the changes between cup and league football, so we should expect to see Ibrahim Fullah in the starting eleven once more, especially as he was named in the twenty man squad for the visit of Leicester City on Saturday.
Elsewhere and you'd expect starts for Tanto Olaofe and Charlie Kelman, with both having to settle for cameos on Saturday, and both will be going into this match, hoping to get off the mark with their first goals for the club. One question mark in the side surrounds the gap left by Alex Mitchell... the Centre-Back faced Stevenage in the last round, yet has since departed on a season long loan to Plymouth Argyle, is this the ideal opportunity for Reece Burke to gain valuable minutes, in what has been an injury hit start to his Charlton career.
Must admit that looks like a great line up but anything that doesn’t resemble our Championship starting eleven doesn’t help the primary objective and that is the Championship match on Saturday. Learn the lessons from last season, what fucked up our form and had us staring at the relegation spots was inconsistency in the lineup and what turned it around and got us to the play offs and promotion was consistency in the starting eleven.
We have to work too hard to risk first teamers in games like that . We went up last year so it didn’t go too badly
Would like to see Tanto cement a place in the league starting 11 tonight. Loved his cameos so far and think he deserves a go.
Would also like Kelman to get a few chances in front of goal to prove himself. So far he's been underwhelming but you can't argue with the obvious talent he showed last year. Football is a confidence game. Give him 90 to get some of that back
A chance for players to show that they deserve a first team chance and a chance for the L2 side and their farmyard pitch to knock us down a peg or two. Tricky game but we should prevail, 1-0 to the Addicks.
I reckon he’ll play the same team as he did against Stevenage, other than bringing Kelman in for Leaburn and Burke in for Alex Mitchell. Burke should get 45 minutes under his belt, with perhaps Josh Laqeretabua getting a run out in the second half.
Valuable minutes for Knibbs, Kelman and Rankin-Costello as well. A real chance to progress to the 3rd round, although Cambridge are awkward customers and I have a feeling that this one may go to penalties. Hopefully we’ll get the job done in 90 odd minutes.
I reckon he’ll play the same team as he did against Cambridge, other than bringing Kelman in for Leaburn and Burke in for Alex Mitchell. Burke should get 45 minutes under his belt, with perhaps Josh Laqeretabua getting a run out in the second half.
Valuable minutes for Knibbs, Kelman and Rankin-Costello as well. A real chance to progress to the 3rd round, although Cambridge are awkward customers and I have a feeling that this one may go to penalties. Hopefully we’ll get the job done in 90 odd minutes.
I reckon he’ll play the same team as he did against Cambridge, other than bringing Kelman in for Leaburn and Burke in for Alex Mitchell. Burke should get 45 minutes under his belt, with perhaps Josh Laqeretabua getting a run out in the second half.
Valuable minutes for Knibbs, Kelman and Rankin-Costello as well. A real chance to progress to the 3rd round, although Cambridge are awkward customers and I have a feeling that this one may go to penalties. Hopefully we’ll get the job done in 90 odd minutes.
Again like I said last cup game, this isn't a video game, changing all XI from the league to the cup isn't going to upset form or piss off players that are "dropped". Jones said himself the cup isn't a focus this season, so expect wholesale changes and a lot of youth involvement again.
Sorry BigDiddy. Just a little light-hearted riff on "Charlie K".
I am sure Kelman has talent. You don't score 21 goals for a mediocre team like Orient without something special.
I am not sure he will become a regular pick though, if Leaburn and Olaofe come good, as I hope and expect they will. More of a Jones-type pairing. Plus Campbell and Knibbs to fit in as well.
So Kelman could be a right player/wrong club situation as he was at QPR. I hope not. A couple of goals tonight would help his cause. ------------------------------------------- AMB
Burke/Laqeretabua (depending on former's readiness} Zak M Gillesphey
Fullah (a bit unfair to him as not his real position but we are light here until Fukuda arrives) Rankin-Costello Anderson Enslin
Knibbs
Kelman Olaofe
How many subs can play in the League Cup?
If Cambridge are really going for it with their first team, we could lose. Not that our players are individually inferior, just that they have played as a team and ours have not.
You remind me of some “fans” that sat near me in the East Stand when we were in the premiership under Curbs - after a few seasons in the top half, they started calling for Curbs to go because they knew best. We know what happened after Curbs left.
Back to you and fans like you - what do you really expect of the club?
I wanted Appleton out and a year ago, I doubted that NJ was the man, but look at what he did after the Crawley result.
Kelman may well prove to be a bad buy, but whining fans will not help - he needs s chance.
Some fans are never satisfied and that is why I compare your to the idiots that we’re abusing Curbs all those years ago.
Personally, we will do well to stay up this year and we should get behind the team - you included.
I moved my season ticket twice because of people like this...
Fair enough for others to tear me off a strip, but more hypocrisy from you. You were singing Kirk's praises long after all other fans and the management had given up on him, so according to you, comparing Kelman to Kirk would be a compliment.
But yes, it was ridiculous. Just a little joke against those who have already written off Kelman.
Comments
Got an actual squad we can rotate. I would like to see Costello, Knibbs, Kelman and Tanto all get 90 minutes.
Hoping we go with Kelman & Tanto as I believe once we get going, that will be our most promising front 2.
Think we will win 3-1
Would also like Kelman to get a few chances in front of goal to prove himself. So far he's been underwhelming but you can't argue with the obvious talent he showed last year. Football is a confidence game. Give him 90 to get some of that back
Mannion
Burke Mitchell Gillesphey
Fullah Rankin-Costello Anderson Enslin
Knibbs
Kelman Olaofe
AMB, Laqueratebua, Bell, Docherty, Mwamba, Apter, Rylah, Mbick, Leaburn
I am sure Kelman has talent. You don't score 21 goals for a mediocre team like Orient without something special.
I am not sure he will become a regular pick though, if Leaburn and Olaofe come good, as I hope and expect they will. More of a Jones-type pairing. Plus Campbell and Knibbs to fit in as well.
So Kelman could be a right player/wrong club situation as he was at QPR. I hope not. A couple of goals tonight would help his cause.
-------------------------------------------
AMB
Burke/Laqeretabua (depending on former's readiness}
Zak M
Gillesphey
Fullah (a bit unfair to him as not his real position but we are light here until Fukuda arrives)
Rankin-Costello
Anderson
Enslin
Knibbs
Kelman
Olaofe
How many subs can play in the League Cup?
If Cambridge are really going for it with their first team, we could lose. Not that our players are individually inferior, just that they have played as a team and ours have not.
But yes, it was ridiculous. Just a little joke against those who have already written off Kelman.