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POST-MATCH THREAD: Stoke City v Charlton Athletic: Saturday 5th September 2026: KO 12:30
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Let’s be clear here, we lost this game because we were bad, we fell to pieces when we went behind, and Stoke scored every chance they had. Those are the facts of the matter.
However, the referee’s performance was truly dreadful. Not necessarily because the big decisions that went against us were wrong, but because he was so inconsistent.
As far as the penalty is concerned, I’d be alright with that decision if it weren’t for the fact that in that scenario in every single game in the league so far, referees have blown the whistle, talked to the players and then had the corner retaken. It’s typical that the first time a ref decides to immediately give a penalty due to wrestling in the box, it’s against us.
When it comes to the bookings (or non-bookings), the elbow on Jones - no yellow. The lesser challenge by Leaburn about a minute later - yellow. Unfathomable.
Galbraith second yellow - No. McNamara - yep. It annoys me that refs are often lenient when it comes to giving second yellows, and I assume that’s what was going on with Galbraith (and, to be fair, Leaburn later), but then he couldn’t wait to get the second yellow out for McNamara.
The lack of consistency is insane. Either be lenient to keep players on the pitch or don’t. You can’t be one for one side and the other for the other side.
For the major decisions in this game, I would have no complaints about them if we were seeing the same approach for both teams in every game. Here, we saw one decision that no other ref in the league would have given, and others where the ref was inconsistent within the same game.
At the end of the day the defeat was down to Charlton being poor. (We also seem to be cursed at Stoke because they seem to always score every time they attack!) But we weren’t helped by some truly baffling refereeing.19 -
The optimist in me says it's just one game
We've had a good start but no way was it going to last.
Plenty of games left and once we have a full strength side ie our full backs return we will be fine1 -
I really don’t think there is much point trying to dig out any individual player or the manager today.We dominated the game up until the penalty decision and the following ten minutes of madness lost the game, in contrast to how we stood firm at the Hawthorns after going 1 down on Wednesday.It was clearly never going to go our way with the way it was officiated. You get back down to SE7 for midweek and go again.9
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A bogey ground and a clown of a ref plus a midfield of strangers...not a surprising result really. Stoke had one of those days where the dice rolled their way.
I for one hate the way the Declan Rices of the world get away with buggery at corners, but this really was a soft call by the ref for the penalty. However the response from our lads was poor. Lloyd Jones really needs to step up as skipper and get people's heads right fast.
Strangely, at 4-0 up the Stoke players were putting in tackles and digs as if they were on the wrong side of a hiding and the assault on Jones was just that - ABH. Yet the ref didn't get his cards out. But he booked Leaburn for an innocuous head to head clash. Bizarre.
The corner that never was just confirmed that the officials were blatant incompetents and Mac ran into a trap of his own making waving his arms at the clown who was always going to have the last laugh.
Fair play to the lads playing out the game with 10 particularly Coventry who played like two men.9 -
Well that was a very unwelcome wake up call.
I was just beginning to think Jones had put together a strong squad that would not have to look over its shoulder. Should have known better.
The more I see of the penalty, the bigger the joke it is. Both players were holding, its the sort of challenge that goes on all the time. Disgraceful decision to give a penalty.
I just don't understand why modern players have to be rested after only 4 games. Jones decided to go down that path today and he's got it terribly wrong. And I hope he admits it.
Some awful performances but a special mention for Apter who managed to fall over about 4 times in his brief sub appearance. Honestly, he will never make it in the Championship.
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Dreadful decisions by jones and the ref today. Both to blame massively for that defeat. LOLs at the ready 😂5
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That ref should be demoted to Sunday League football13
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I think Jones does let the schedule stuff get to much into his thought making process.
But how can we play away the day after Stoke played at home, and then have a 12:30 start away at there’s next game.
Make it make sense.8 -
So I just watched the after match replay on Charlton TV which includes the Danny Mac sending off, supposedly for giving a card signal. He runs towards the ref who is busy telling other Charlton players why he’s right. DM has his right arm out at right angles. Excuse me Mr Madley, when you issue a card do you hold the card out at right angles as if you are directing traffic? I suppose DM is doing that with his arm as he is shouting to the ref about the card he got “over there”. Madley hardly gives him more than a glance before giving him the second yellow.As for the pen. I can just about see Madley’s argument that Ouma holds the Stoke player down a bit. But my God if he were consistent he would be giving 10 pens a match for similar 50:50 grapples where he decides it has gone to 51-49.What an absolute **** he is, even when he has occasionally Ok overall games. Current king of the Look At Me group of refs.21
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NJ got it wrong today, I said pre match it was time for JRC to take his chance, he didn’t and never has, those moaning about Carey need to have a word with themselves, our recruitment in midfield is a problem, we’ve gone down the hope he don’t get injured but good player route, again!!, anyone actually surprised it’s already biting us in the arse? We need to be better when things aren’t going our way, we crumbled today and IMO the amount of changes contributed to that, we looked the least like a team at any point in the season so far, we were individuals trying not to make mistakes. Everything that can go against us did today, NJ needs to sort it and probably will, but the reaction to going 1 down was out of character for us which was a concern. Blaming the ref is an easy excuse, and not defending him in the slightest we all saw how bad he was, but we needed to be better all round. But ultimately the biggest problem was the amount of changes. Hard to really judge any of the new players based on a bizarre game, especially when the regulars didn’t cover themselves in glory.3
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Maybe we can dip into the free agent market. I would try and release Burke if we canSouthbank said:Our midfield problem highlighted today. Chalobah unreliable, Ouma raw and no effective number 10. We have had Carey, Knibbs, Grant, Costello in that position, 4 in 6 games, and nobody looks right. Grant probably the best of a poor bunch.
Some of us pointed this out preseason when all the talk was about a rightwinger. Well we did not get that either.
We are stuck now until January at least. Hopefuly one of the above 4 will come good0 -
It’s time to keep calm, Stoke played two back to back Home matches V Charlton two consecutive Away matches up north, with an extra days rest. A ridiculous ref, penalty & red card. Nathan now has a big job on his hands to put this bad result aside and regroup and prepare for QPR on Wednesday night.Huge shout out to the travelling Addick fans, yet another Away game where they out sang the home support.17
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Fixed for you.Fortune 82nd Minute said:Well that was a very unwelcome wake up call.
I was just beginning to think Jones had put together a strong squad that would not have to look over its shoulder. Should have known better.
The more I see of the penalty, the bigger the joke it is. Both players were holding, its the sort of challenge that goes on all the time. Disgraceful decision to give a penalty.
I just don't understand why modern players have to be rested after only 4 games. Jones decided to go down that path today and he's got it terribly wrong. And I hope he admits it.
Some awful performances but a special mention for Apter who managed to fall over about 4 times in his brief sub appearance. Honestly, he will never make it in the Championship, but if he wants a change of career to a children's entertainer or clown, then he won't need any training!
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Vardy ?MrBurns said:
Maybe we can dip into the free agent market. I would try and release Burke if we canSouthbank said:Our midfield problem highlighted today. Chalobah unreliable, Ouma raw and no effective number 10. We have had Carey, Knibbs, Grant, Costello in that position, 4 in 6 games, and nobody looks right. Grant probably the best of a poor bunch.
Some of us pointed this out preseason when all the talk was about a rightwinger. Well we did not get that either.
We are stuck now until January at least. Hopefuly one of the above 4 will come good0 -
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McNamara’s first yellow came from a passage of play starting with the ball practically in the 3rd row of the stand but not deemed out for our corner.15
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I quite liked Gladstone SmallBedsaddick said:
Never trust anyone who’s neck is wider than their head.eastterrace6168 said:
FOOTBALLS MOST WANTED FOR MISDEMEANERS AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ON A FOOTBALL PITCH, NO REWARD, JUST KUDOS...GIT!!!2 -
I must admit I wasn’t aware of that.Dugdaleclass said:
I for one hate the way the Declan Rices of the world get away with buggery at corners11 -
The good thing about sports psychologists is you can get them in even when the transfer window is closed.2
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Spot on. We’ve had a great start and I would be lying if I said I’m going into Wednesday not concerned, but hopefully NJ can get a response. We’ve not been good enough in large parts of our game over the last 2 games, getting away with it on Wednesday, but not todayLargeAddick said:Shit day, shit ref.
Forget it, move on.
Reaction Wednesday please.
In NJ we trust.
I would go Skipp and Coventry in the middle on Wednesday to give Ouma a chance to get over today’s game. Too early to judge him and he may turn out to be a very astute signing come the end of the season once he adjusts to the league.I could see the logic of putting JRC in after his contribution on Wednesday, but I think I’d rather see Carey back in there with TC and Grant either side.The fact we don’t play until Wednesday may work in our favour as it’s an extra day for players to rest. We need to get behind them and I’m confident NJ will get a response5 -
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A lot has already been said on this & the match thread, but my take in things are........
Don't take off your talisman winger when you are 3 nil down. He can't be "tired" or "need resting" after 5 matches.
Our right side STILL hasn't been sorted out. Neither TC nor Grant can play over there. Yes we were left down by tre JRS deal collapsing but that is why you dont keep your powder dry for 3 months. Then dont bring in a wonder kid if you aren't going to play them. Ditto (slightly) for Apter. If you have a right footed right winger PLAY THEM !!
Midfield not right when Coventry & Chalobah aren't playing. Why drop Cov & bring in 2 newbies....makes no sense.
The ongoing gaping hole that is a creative midfielder is still there after 2 years. The answer is not Grant. JRC, Knibbs and Carey can do a job......but only for 30-45 mins.
Can't legislate for having TWO strikers missing at the start of the season but we've still left ourselves short up front. I pity Leaburn & Mbick as even when we do have 11 on the pitch the service to them is dire. 5 games in & I don't think they've been given a decent chance to finish off.
Wont give a final verdict on our transfer window until I've seen a few more games, but currently I'm not that impressed. Too many players who haven't had Championship experience & quality over quantity would have been a better way forward imo.
On the bright side - 10 points after 5 games is a good haul & with 2 home games coming up I'd like to think we could pick up more points to add to that tally. 14-16 points by the time we get to the International break would see us ok. Not expecting us to get relegated but play offs is a distant dream.10 -
Sorry, WHAT??? Is that documented somewhere? That’s not a “ relegation” offence, thats a “get out of pro football” offence.MuttleyCAFC said:My son warned me about the ref before the game. He said he is a ref where it is all about him. He also told me he was relegated from the Premier League for taking the piss out of a disabled person. Why is it ok to ref in the Championship. Are the standards less? No way we were going to get anything out of the game with that clown in charge so philosophical about it. I do hope he gets what is coming for him from the assessor.
Final points. The EFL could identify these sort of refs and kick them out. My son tipped me off about him before the game so it wasn't a revelation. Also the league has to look at its fixtures. Very unfair on us. That can't even be argued.8 -
That ref looks the kind that licks his own reflection in the mirror. 'You da man Bobby' before performing the tucked in twink dance from silence of the lambs.
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The non-corner decision is crazy. Neither of the keepers feet are even on the pitch!5
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He was sacked. Then he apologised, worked abroad and has worked his way back up, starting from grassroots gamesPragueAddick said:
Sorry, WHAT??? Is that documented somewhere? That’s not a “ relegation” offence, thats a “get out of pro football” offence.MuttleyCAFC said:My son warned me about the ref before the game. He said he is a ref where it is all about him. He also told me he was relegated from the Premier League for taking the piss out of a disabled person. Why is it ok to ref in the Championship. Are the standards less? No way we were going to get anything out of the game with that clown in charge so philosophical about it. I do hope he gets what is coming for him from the assessor.
Final points. The EFL could identify these sort of refs and kick them out. My son tipped me off about him before the game so it wasn't a revelation. Also the league has to look at its fixtures. Very unfair on us. That can't even be argued.0 -
Shit day all around. Don’t let the highs get too high and the lows get too low. We go again
EFL referee assessors exist for a reason. If Madley isn’t reffing a Newport County game next weekend I’ll be fuming4 -
Started well and I was actually thinking to myself, how it was nice to finally see a Charlton team that looked like it was a physical match for a traditionally strong, powerful outfit.
Then Madley decided to get involved. That is the softest of soft penalties. 9/10 that isn't given and if VAR is in the Championship then it is overturned as they were both holding, it is just that the Stoke bloke decided to throw himself to the floor.
I am not for one moment saying Ouma had a good game, but as I said on the match thread the pile on was embarassing and seems to fit this Charlton Fan obsession with having someone to scapegoat and slag off. He clearly wasn't passing to Grant for the second, it was an attempted clearance that hit our player and dropped perfectly for Stoke. If you are going to call out Ouma why are you not equally questioning Skipp? A player established in this country who has played loads in the premier league and championship was utterly anonymous.
TBH I am more concerned with how poor Bindon has looked in his 2 games. His weak header gave West Brom a goal on Weds and he completely went to sleep for the 3rd goal today. Stood and watched the bloke. So he is currently 2 games played, 2 goals on him.
The 4th goal sums up a day when everything that could go wrong did. Their player was jumping out of the way of a shot going wide and it clips his heel and goes in.
All that being said the collective mental collapse for 20 minutes after the penalty stunk of Charlton teams of yesteryear.
Back to the referee and Linesman, I actually think the corner not given from the back pass was up there as one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. It was 3 yards over the line when their keeper cleared it.
I left the 'hi-lights' running at full time as I wanted to see McNamara's sending off again. An absolute joke of a decision. He was sent off for pointing at the goal which was interpreted as waving his hand asking for a card. Utter nonsense.10
One of the worst fanbases in the EFL. Vile. 
