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POST-MATCH THREAD: Charlton Athletic v Derby County: Tuesday 20th January 2026: KO 19:45
Comments
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I always feel like it's best to try to win a football match from the start, not from 60 mins when you are 2-0 down.
As for tonight. Wrong team selection & formation from the start. TC looked so much better up the pitch running at defenders & the front pairing of Leaburn & Dykes shouldn't start another game together. Anderson isn't a Championship player & what Apter needs to do to get a look in I'll never know. Only other bright spark was Clark's crossing
Wont say what I want to say as you know it all by now. Those with the rose-tinted glasses on might want to try taking them off for 10 mins.13 -
Still don’t understand why Fullah hasn’t played since Birmingham.11
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We were good for the 25 minutes Dykes was on his own up front. When Kelman came on we lost momentum and didn't threaten.6
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This times about a million. We're so predictable in possession. If we're not isolating TC on the left, we create nothing through the middle. Carey had a couple of good runs today but that was about it. Everything comes from out wide and you just need more than that because teams will double and triple up against TC.paulsturgess said:Our players are so incredibly static and easy to defend against off the ball. There is no movement and variety to drag people around, confuse opponents, create spaces. Everyone just stood in their defensive shape , wait.Practice attacking mode, interchanges, creating space , working opposing defences and midfields around the pitch1 -
Clarke looks a decent signing to be fair.21
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He keeps trying to go forward instead passing it backwards ?The Red Robin said:Still don’t understand why Fullah hasn’t played since Birmingham.
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Macca isn’t really up to it at this level and was poor first half, but he did well second half and didn’t hide. One of our only players who can play an incisive ball between the lines.11
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No respectable Sunday league manager would stand that left hand set up, we’ve persisted with it 🤣.
painful.9 -
Leaburn and Dykes wasn't the right choice. Kelman or TC running off him would have made more sense. TC and Anderson are showing that we probably got promoted a season too early for them. They're physically slightly outmatched and their technical skills aren't quite there to compensate. I thought Clarke made a huge difference, pushed high and gave us a pass out and that created space for TC on the other side. Incredible that we haven't learned the lessons of last season's lack of width in the early parts. We really do need to get a LWB in and ideally a LCB. Dykes won a lot in the first half and TC running off him might have seen us get something happening earlier in the game but we're just a bit stodgy with two targetmen. Fullah did fairly well but I can see why he doesn't play every week, a few too many spins when we needed him to put his foot on the ball and just play in the final third as we pushed for an equaliser. All in all an annoying evening. Everything will depend on what we do in the transfer market now, we cannot continue with TC and Gillesphey on the left, it's time to make a decision and bring in proper competition for Edwards even for when he's back fit and to say that Gillesphey is our third choice LCB and move him on in the summer with thanks.8
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Look, we all know left wing back is a huge concern and has been for ages, but I'm just as concerned, if not more so, than with the absolute lack of pace in our side. The way Coventry and Burke were ran past was ridiculous, and the same thing happens with Gillesphey too.
I actually think Coventry is a huge problem in the way we play currently, he's the one that dictates the tempo for us, and that tempo right now is turtle pace. He constantly drops us deeper and deeper, passing sideways and backwards, this was most apparent the last 10 mins of the first half, it was absolutely dire to watch.
And then, once we're 2 down and the game is as good as gone (seeing as we rarely score more than 1) suddenly we turn on the attacking style and flair and we can actually pass and run forwards? It makes zero sense, if we can do it then, bloody well do it more often!
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I’m convincing attacking play isn’t something they even address in training. They just work on pressing and off ball stuff and they can’t even get that right anymore.paulsturgess said:I still back Jones but fuck me it’s so frustrating. They look like they never, ever train for or give any thought to attacking play. I mean wtf that first half was appalling and then second half we had a go at them but it was all so huff and puff and confused, no system to it
fullah was ace at Birmingham the basically absent since then suddenly he’s thrown on tonight at half time ahead of both Kelman and Godden ?!
apter ace against Oxford and we won (okay “only” Oxford but still) yet not seen since and not even bench today
Anderson and no Costello
I’m not expecting miracles and we evidently have a poor squad for the division but it’s so frustrating when the resources you do have seem to be confusingly used or misused / ignored , out of stubbornness invariably (and by his own admission in the case of JRC)3 -
I'm sorry but his formation and tactical set up is piss poor. Awful football to watch. We offer absolutely no threat. Do we need to play 5 at the back.
Anderson and Gillesphy so poor at this level. We are very predictable. Play with no pace or threat.
And let's go through his money signings. Olaofe and Apter both cost money and neither on the bench8 -
Fullah comes on and gives us that attacking link up play .Needs start more now for me ,and what the hell has Apter done to Jones ?.Someone on other site saying Doc and Jones have had big fall out .And wants him out the club2
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This time last year we were losing to Crawley blah blah blah. Im sorry but that wasn't good enough tonight,and hasn't been for a few weeks.Any other manager and we'd be calling for the sack. Jones just sets us up to nick a 1-0 win and when we go a goal down we are fu#cked. God help us Saturday if Lloyd Jones is injured.8
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This for me is what annoys me the most. When we have possession it is so slow and static, no one likes moving off the ball which is just basics.paulsturgess said:Our players are so incredibly static and easy to defend against off the ball. There is no movement and variety to drag people around, confuse opponents, create spaces. Everyone just stood in their defensive shape , wait.Practice attacking mode, interchanges, creating space , working opposing defences and midfields around the pitch
Everyone we play in this league passes and moves we just pass and hope that the opposition give us space, unfortunately that’s not how it works and you have to create it yourself.Playing with two target men is suicidal if you don’t have good crossers on the team, what’s the point and it is why we just aimlessly punt it long hoping something sticks.
Another frustrating game to watch, Jones needs to stop taking pops at fans and start taking some accountability. Sometimes being loyal to certain players that got you promoted also gets you the sack. Time to earn his money I guess.3 -
Why do we only start going for it after we go behind?I didn’t mind Dykes and Leaburn but then we didn’t play to their strengths. Big man small man is better though.
Anderson got the assist but I don’t understand how he keeps getting selected, even if he manages not to lose the ball he slows everything down.
Ramsay going backwards fast; is he fit? I assume 3 games in a week was thought to be too much for Clarke, but he has to start Saturday.4 -
Not saying NJ should be sacked and I don’t think he should be but any other championship club would have brutally gotten rid by now with the form we’re in so I’m tired of people acting like he needs to be handled with kid gloves and can’t be criticized. He’s in massive credit for getting us promoted but that doesn’t make him God football is a business at the end of the day.9
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Theres only one thing that can take us forward now.. call for ian dowie7
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Still too risky. I’ll be moving into a disused nuclear bunker tomorrow and won’t be coming out before Jan 30.robroy said:I’ve deliberately booked a hotel with the Mrs and kids Saturday in York and will be turning my phone off at 15:00 (edit 12:30) until Sunday morning.We are shopping, eating and beering, sadly not scouting a LWB.3 -
It’s turgid and frustrating but I expected periods like this upon getting promoted a year early. The players are who they are and our manager is who he is.
We just have to grind out 18 more points from the 19 remaining games to give ourselves a decent chance.8 -
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They don’t even press well. They win it back and look clueless. No plan.aso914 said:
I’m convincing attacking play isn’t something they even address in training. They just work on pressing and off ball stuff and they can’t even get that right anymore.paulsturgess said:I still back Jones but fuck me it’s so frustrating. They look like they never, ever train for or give any thought to attacking play. I mean wtf that first half was appalling and then second half we had a go at them but it was all so huff and puff and confused, no system to it
fullah was ace at Birmingham the basically absent since then suddenly he’s thrown on tonight at half time ahead of both Kelman and Godden ?!
apter ace against Oxford and we won (okay “only” Oxford but still) yet not seen since and not even bench today
Anderson and no Costello
I’m not expecting miracles and we evidently have a poor squad for the division but it’s so frustrating when the resources you do have seem to be confusingly used or misused / ignored , out of stubbornness invariably (and by his own admission in the case of JRC)0 -
Wasn’t good enough by a long chalk. Wrong team selection, give up 2 goals, they could have had 5, then start playing. JRC and Carey should be given the chance to play together, can’t play Dykes and Leaburn together and the formation needs more thought when we don’t have the player to fill the holes of the one we are trying to play.4
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Second half much better but not good enough again. Lack of quality all over the park and another bizarre line up.
I'm certainly not Jones out, but my confidence in him at this level is certainly being tested. I can't believe we're this far into the season and he's still got no idea what his line up is.
Slowly getting dragged closer and closer to the mess of relegation with a tough run of fixtures coming up.5 -
Same old frustrations with NJs grindball. It's fine when we're getting results, and we know we have one of the smallest budgets in the league, but when we're not keeping clean sheets we look so limited going forward.
We need to find a way to evolve and improve in possession and in creating chances. We're over halfway through the January window and we still don't really know our best team.
A rare goal from TC, and yes the end product isn't there often enough, but until we have a better player with his pace we need him to be involved whether he starts or comes off the bench. We're even more limited going forward without him.
As I said in the match thread stick with Fullah. He'll learn from that mistake, we need more pace and skill in the team, even if it's only off the bench to change a game. The goals and assists will come if we keep giving him game time.
Shame Apter wasn't on the bench, like Fullah I don't think NJ has given him as many minutes as he should have.
I get why NJ would try Leaburn and Dykes, but the half time change suggests we won't start with that combination any time soon.
On to Saturday, the second of two games when we can be certain we won't be getting 3 points.6 -
It’s true.mortimersdribble70 said:This time last year we were losing to Crawley blah blah blah. Im sorry but that wasn't good enough tonight,and hasn't been for a few weeks.Any other manager and we'd be calling for the sack. Jones just sets us up to nick a 1-0 win and when we go a goal down we are fu#cked. God help us Saturday if Lloyd Jones is injured.2 -
The problem is it wasn’t even that bad, the problems stood out like a soar thumb and were so avoidable. Are our managerial staff so fucking oblivious.I’m not saying I know more than NJ. He’s a successful manager, and it’s his day to day job. But my god, the errors are there; infront of your face. Seen by fans, but you know best mate.19
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I get he scored, but his body language and lack of running near the end of the first half was nothing less than disgracefuloohaahmortimer said:TC wins man of the match again in the lounge5 -
LCB, LWB and a CM needed badly. Or change the fomation and play with out and out wingers. Try something different because we don't look threatening going forward at all.9
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Tell that to Southampton and stoke fans who usually agree is he among there worst ever managerValleyGary said:The problem is it wasn’t even that bad, the problems stood out like a soar thumb and were so avoidable. Are our managerial staff so fucking oblivious.I’m not saying I know more than NJ. He’s a successful manager, and it’s his day to day job. But my god, the errors are there; infront of your face. Seen by fans, but you know best mate.1 -
Nathan Jones has got a lot of credit in the bank but I am so bloody sick of this anti-football he has us "playing". Absolute pony all over the pitch and we dont even start properly going for it until we're two down and chasing point at the very best.
Karoy Anderson gets another start ahead of Doc and JRC, even after his inept display against Sheffield United. And promptly rewards the faith in him with a multitude of sideways and backwards passes and a woeful missed tackle which led to their first goal. Inexplicable.6
















