Charlton Athletic 0 Scunthorpe United 1

It’s good to know some things don’t change..

I’m too old in the tooth and been supporting to club too long to even be surprised by that performance. It was utter toilet from the first whistle to the last. It was almost as if those first three Bowyer games were figments of our imaginations.

It is the hope that kills you, but at least the players haven’t led us too far down the garden path and have extinguished that hope in the middle of April.

It is hard to put a finger on what has happened in just over a week to this team and how they played compared to the tripe it served up Tuesday night and then yesterday in front of a noisy and willing Valley crowd. Maybe Robinson was so disliked that when he went and Bowyer, who they did like, took over they simply over-performed. A classic new manager bounce. At least that was something new under this cancer of ownership.

Just sell the club you old bastard.

My first game of the season, and to be honest I was worried after Tuesday’s dreadful display that Bowyer wouldn’t be able to turn it around, despite all the spewing of ‘we know what we have to do’ sound bites from manager and players.

Scunthorpe were good, they varied their play, condensed the midfield, made very good use of the outball, were quick and a threat up front and big and strong at the back. Watching them just underlined the thought in the pub beforehand that if we do somehow smuggle our way into the play-off’s we’d be embarrassed over two games against those teams around us.

And again, holy, how an earth are we still even in with a shout of making the top six? This division will be so much harder next season.

As for the game, it was almost as if Bowyer had cellotaped Robinson’s game plan back together. Lots and lots of passes across the back four, Amos insisting on throwing the ball out, we would spend minutes and minutes without getting the ball out of our half and forward players unable to play with their back to the goal. Zyro was shocking and only Reeves was capable of passing a ball forward with any kind of threat, but he was playing too wide.

No sense of urgency, only Dasilva and Ajose running beyond a jog, and we were second to every ball. Pearce and Bauer looked a mistake waiting to happen and Scunny threatened on almost every attack. Utter garbage and only Amos saved us from a stuffing.

Amos was the only player to emerge with any credibility and Tosu, who probably only 80% fit looked like the only player who had any chance of getting us a goal, but we could still be playing now and passing it around the f-in back five.

One word about the ref. Scunny soon realized they had him in his pocket, and he gave them everything, especially in the 2nd half. Guess it’s what you get at this level.

Nonetheless it was so disheartening to watch a Charlton side play with such utter disdain. Totally shameful.

Quote: “That’s me done now. Not going to Blackburn unless it’s a protest” – my brother
Other Addicks Bloggers: Albury Addick; Kevin Nolan; And Nothing Else Matters.