++Charlie Kelman signs on a 4 year deal++

fenaddick said:

Sword65pf said:

sam3110 said:

Sword65pf said:

2121 said:

Leaburn would fizz in crosses fromthe right 

I find it quite concerning/telling that people are suggesting turning our 1st choice striker into a winger because he isn’t being a good enough striker, says it all about how we are doing at the moment🤷🏻‍♂️

At least he's actually played out there, a lot of Leaburn's under 18s and 21s football was playing wider instead of directly through the middle

His body has changed quite a lot since then, he isn’t a wide player now, certainly not for 90+ mins. Square pegs being suggested again, how about the club sign the right players in natural positions?

He also looks good out there in part because he's dragging CB's out of position. Moving him out there permanently is a non starter for me

👍

How many games has he started in a row at any stage for us (what’s the most amount)? I doubt it’s that many, it feels like every time he looks to hit some form he is either injured or dropped. I think he is one of those players you say too, you are in for a certain amount of games take the chance. 

ElfsborgAddick said:

NabySarr said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

NabySarr said:

crookester said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I think TC and Grant would try to find Kelman. The problem is more that we'd need to stop playing long balls in to him - he can't do the target man role - and would need more creativity through the centre of midfield.

We would keep playing long balls with Kelman though. They’d just be a different type of long balls, into the channels or over the top for him to run in behind onto. Rather than with Leaburn we hit them at him for him to hold up 

We just don’t have the players to play through the lines and through midfield to create chances that way. If Kelman plays he will give us something different and allow us to turn teams around more to get us up the pitch

I think that Jones should be given the chop and bring you in, you have all the answers.

What have I said that’s wrong there? I’ve just described how we used Kelman last season and how we’d use him this season (goal at Burnley came from exactly that). You can play direct with him there it’s just a different type of ball to what you’d play to Leaburn  

Have you managed or coached a football team?  If so, at what level?

Is that a prerequisite for having an opinion on a fans forum? If so I think a lot of us might need to stop posting 

fenaddick said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

NabySarr said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

NabySarr said:

crookester said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I think TC and Grant would try to find Kelman. The problem is more that we'd need to stop playing long balls in to him - he can't do the target man role - and would need more creativity through the centre of midfield.

We would keep playing long balls with Kelman though. They’d just be a different type of long balls, into the channels or over the top for him to run in behind onto. Rather than with Leaburn we hit them at him for him to hold up 

We just don’t have the players to play through the lines and through midfield to create chances that way. If Kelman plays he will give us something different and allow us to turn teams around more to get us up the pitch

I think that Jones should be given the chop and bring you in, you have all the answers.

What have I said that’s wrong there? I’ve just described how we used Kelman last season and how we’d use him this season (goal at Burnley came from exactly that). You can play direct with him there it’s just a different type of ball to what you’d play to Leaburn  

Have you managed or coached a football team?  If so, at what level?

Is that a prerequisite for having an opinion on a fans forum? If so I think a lot of us might need to stop posting 

I was told once by an Arsenal fan  I wasn’t entitled nor know anything about football because I didn’t support a prem club🤷🏻‍♂️

How do we know Nkeng isn’t ready to play?

As much Miles is a ball winner/battler he is not scoring goals. Miles upfront on his own is not working. He should be playing behind a striker as an attacking mid. As a club for several seasons now we are not scoring no where near enough goals.  

2121 said:

Leaburn would fizz in crosses fromthe right 

Have i missed something or are people seriously contemplating whether Leaburn has turned into Beckham?

killerandflash said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I never understood why we bought Kelman, especially as our biggest signing, as he doesn't suit NJ's style of football. Back in 2025, even after we missed out on Galbraith, we still went for Knibbs, another goal scorer, rather than a creative midfielder.

What we need up front is basically someone like Lyle Taylor, a mobile target man number 9.

Someone good in the air, who can battle away for it when we hoof the ball up the pitch. But also with some pace and movement, to stretch defenders. 

It's as if we just looked at who else was scoring goals in L1, and signed him, without thinking about what type of player we needed.

ElfsborgAddick said:

killerandflash said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I never understood why we bought Kelman, especially as our biggest signing, as he doesn't suit NJ's style of football. Back in 2025, even after we missed out on Galbraith, we still went for Knibbs, another goal scorer, rather than a creative midfielder.

What we need up front is basically someone like Lyle Taylor, a mobile target man number 9.

Someone good in the air, who can battle away for it when we hoof the ball up the pitch. But also with some pace and movement, to stretch defenders. 

It's as if we just looked at who else was scoring goals in L1, and signed him, without thinking about what type of player we needed.

100%

He seems to be a similar player to May, who Jones appeared to not fancy.

Coupled with, Kelman had one good season with Orient and nothing else, shades of Ajose.

Considering the way we played tactically not to mention the lack of starts, I thought Kelmans goal return wasn’t bad at all last year. 

ElfsborgAddick said:

killerandflash said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I never understood why we bought Kelman, especially as our biggest signing, as he doesn't suit NJ's style of football. Back in 2025, even after we missed out on Galbraith, we still went for Knibbs, another goal scorer, rather than a creative midfielder.

What we need up front is basically someone like Lyle Taylor, a mobile target man number 9.

Someone good in the air, who can battle away for it when we hoof the ball up the pitch. But also with some pace and movement, to stretch defenders. 

It's as if we just looked at who else was scoring goals in L1, and signed him, without thinking about what type of player we needed.

100%

He seems to be a similar player to May, who Jones appeared to not fancy.

Coupled with, Kelman had one good season with Orient and nothing else, shades of Ajose.

I suppose the slight difference between Kelman and Ajose is that we weren't asking the latter to prove himself in a higher division. I think Kelman will score goals in the Championship in the right team with the right set up but, equally, I believe that if we loaned him back to Orient in League 1 he would definitely do so at that level once again.   

DamoNorthStand said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

killerandflash said:

Crispywood said:

Just don’t see how Kelman fits in his success at Orient was because he had Donley O’Neill Agyei Galbraith in behind him all whose priority was finding his runs. 

Grant wants to score goals, Knibbs/Carey always been goal scoring mids, TC wants to score goals. The only player capable of giving him something is JRC and he hasn’t got the legs for the entire game 

Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it matters where Kelman plays what formation in this team with these players and manager he’s going to struggle. 

I never understood why we bought Kelman, especially as our biggest signing, as he doesn't suit NJ's style of football. Back in 2025, even after we missed out on Galbraith, we still went for Knibbs, another goal scorer, rather than a creative midfielder.

What we need up front is basically someone like Lyle Taylor, a mobile target man number 9.

Someone good in the air, who can battle away for it when we hoof the ball up the pitch. But also with some pace and movement, to stretch defenders. 

It's as if we just looked at who else was scoring goals in L1, and signed him, without thinking about what type of player we needed.

100%

He seems to be a similar player to May, who Jones appeared to not fancy.

Coupled with, Kelman had one good season with Orient and nothing else, shades of Ajose.

Considering the way we played tactically not to mention the lack of starts, I thought Kelmans goal return wasn’t bad at all last year. 

And his tally included some cracking finishes. Shit players don’t score those goals v Oxford, Birmingham and Hull

We were going nowhere in that Oxford game and needed a bit of quality from him to win it.  Good pivot for the Brum goal and the Hull goal was superb.  Been unfortunate with injuries and used very poorly by Jones imo.  After he got that goal against Oxford and brace up at Blackburn, Jones then dropped him for a lot of Jan/Feb as a starter 

He’s got some potential and has done well at this level given it was his first season in it, playing for a team who are limited going forward 

I hope he gets a chance on Saturday and can find some consistency as a starter.  I would also add that as well as Leaburn has done this season playing the lone role and working hard for the team, he may be more effective coming on once defences have tired - he’s a handful physically 

.Addick Addict said:

When we beat Hull 2-1 in our penultimate game last season, this was the side:

Kaminski
Clarke
Sichenje (Burke replaced him after 28 minutes)
Jones
Gillesphey
Fevrier
Coady
Docherty
Knibbs
Carey
Kelman

Kelman played up top on his own. In that game we had 12 shots of which 7 were on target.

"Shots- Shots on target"  this season:

15-2
7-5
13-4
6-3
10-3
9-0
13-3
4-1
14-3
9-5
12-4

So we had more shots on target in that match, against a promoted side, than in any match this season. 

Highlights below. Obviously Kelman's biggest contribution was his goal but he also made a great run for the first attack shown from which we almost scored. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE716jMQykw

Kelman tapping one in from 20 yards there 

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

2121 said:

Leaburn would fizz in crosses fromthe right 

Have i missed something or are people seriously contemplating whether Leaburn has turned into Beckham?

I'd contemplate playing Leaburn out on the right of the 3 but mainly so we have somebody to aim the ball at from a goal kick, to link up forward play, take some of the opposition's focus off of TC and so we can shoe horn a goalscorer into the central position. Macnamara is the one who's been earmarked as David Beckham.  

Proper striker! 

Making_all_the_noise said:

Fantastic finish that. In a team that plays to his style, he will score. The question is whether we can consistently play to his style. That’s the test for NJ. 

He won’t do it .  After his best game last year , he was dropped for Dykes