Charlton Athletic 0 Wigan Athletic 2
A toothless performance today. Was it terrible? No, but as night follows day we were there for the taking as the game moved into the last 20 minutes.
It was however, another display devoid of style, purpose, organization and hope.
I have seen a lot of ‘worst team in my time’ comments from Addicks. For me that is too early to judge but this is my 46th season and we have never competed at the bottom of the third tier. The shambles Parkinson took down after inheriting it from Pardew still made the play-off’s by 9 clear points in the 2009/10 season. A 4th place finish looks a pipe dream tonight.
Tonight we sit in the 3rd Division relegation zone, no wins in four, no goals at home, hardly a shot on target in fact, no goals in five from open play and a week approaching that is without sugar-coating it, critical.
Nigel Adkins looked a little rabbit in the headlights during the post match, conveniently blaming the WiFi for not hearing Scott Minto’s more searching questions amongst the long hops.
Adkins’ certitude is wearing a little thin, but not as much as his football. That starting XI is awful, but how are we trying to play? What are you trying to get them to do?
We played with two wingers, but how often did they get down to the corner flag? Where are the overloads to get searching crosses in for Stockley, who spent the majority of the game as our only player in the box.
When did we play around there box, knocking on the door, probing for openings? The long hoof is dreadful, but even more depressing is a compete lack of desire or fitness to win the second ball.
The defence has been picked off in every game. Fortunately against Wednesday Bannon fluffed his lines. Gunter at left-back. Christ on a bike. I can’t take that anymore.
We never looked like scoring, yet Wigan could have had five, and big credit Craig MacGillivray for that.
Wigan were deserved winners. Yes they had some game-changers on the bench, and we have players that can’t even change their own underwear. So where does that blame lie?
That is a bloody good question to end on as we sit here wondering if this is another sick joke.
Mr Positivity: “I thought we were knocking on the door but we didn’t work the goalkeeper enough. I know Kirky, there was an opportunity there – maybe if that had just fallen in for us we could have got the rub of the green.”
Photo credit: Kyle Andrews
Chicago Addick 
I really can’t work it out. Persisting with Gunter at left back is embarrassing, and I have run out of patience with Albie Morgan and his woeful deliveries into the box. That aside, on paper, I have to think the rest of them are ok, ok enough to be in and around the play offs, at least top half not bottom. I’m talking first 11 of course, our bench is looking far from game changing, in fact it would appear NA would rather not use it at all. However, they are looking absolutely nothing like it, a million miles from it. My ambition at the moment is to see a shot on target, I wouldn’t dare dream of us scoring. So what is the problem? Clearly there is something not quite right or just not working behind the scenes, but come 10 to 3pm on a saturday, what on earth is NA telling them to do. It’s not working Nigel.It’s dull, predictable and down right boring and miserable to watch. Worryingly the quality of football, the ideas, is not even as good as it was under Luzon, Bob Peeters and the other long line of Belgian managers, this is a huge concern. Maybe it’s a case of taking a step back for two forward. We seem to be taking giant steps back right now, on and off the pitch.
Stockley plays out of his skin, but how long before he gets dispirited stuck on his own with no back-up. Kirk looked useful and hopefully will improve once he settles. My guess would be two loaners will appear shortly and ‘hopefully’ – there’s that word again – the shape of the team will change for the better. As we know it’s the hope that kills you. BTW where’s Ronnie ?
Well with the exception of Pardew former Charlton players seem to have better pedigree like Curbs, Bowyer and SCP when it comes to Charlton team management. The senior appointments made by TS like Roddy and Adkins are not having the right impact and with Steve Gallen having to pass everything through them I suspect this is what’s causing the recruitment issues.
Looks like TS will have to make some uncomfortable decisions over the coming weeks if we don’t improve. Perhaps he needs a conversation with Curbs on how to manage a football club, as he’s so new to it and probably been misguided with the senior appointments.
Let’s hope it gets sorted soon
The positive that l take from the game is that Charlton didn’t lose 7-0 because had it not been for Gilli the score could quite easily have been that. Furthermore, Wigan won the game comfortably without having to try too hard.
I agree that there is no pattern or plan to the way Charlton are playing other than to lump it aimlessly up the pitch only to concede possession and invite yet more pressure. With the exception of Gilli the rest of the team offered little. Watching from high up in the Upper Covered End l have an even better appreciation of just how bad Gunter is at LB. His positional play is woeful and serves to underline how bereft of LB’s Wales must be! There was yet more huff and puff out of possession against Wigan but in possession the players lack movement, options and a desire to keep passing the ball backwards which must really instill confidence in opposition teams. I have been to the first four games and l see no improvement in developing a pattern of play other than the long ball forward with Stockley feeding on scraps. I think Jayden has now been found out in terms of how to nullify him and Charlton lack, or fail to offer, other options. After what l have witnessed so far Charlton are clearly in serious trouble. I don’t feel that l can bare to watch another 90 minutes of this rubbish so l have decided to give Gillingham a miss. For those that go l admire your perseverance.
So, it’s come down to bemoaning no ‘rub of the green’ and we’re ‘knocking on the door’…. Oh dear, is that all that Adkins has in his locker? He certainly doesn’t have the players to use whatever tactics he has up his sleeve.
From where I sit there are only two options next week. 1 Either Sandgaard puts his hands in his pockets and brings in what few decent players are left at the end of the transfer window and see if Adkins can mould them into a team or 2. Adkins has to go and someone with motivational skills has to come in and see if he can do the job.
I won’t mention the dreaded C word as that seems to give some people an attack of the vapours, but he’s sitting in the stand every week watching this debacle – he knows who is trying and who isn’t and he would certainly keep us out of division 2…. and who knows where we can end up this season?
I feel sorry for Stockley, he’s playing as much in defence as he is playing up front… goodness knows how many miles he runs in a game. Well, he has to when our two central defenders let the opposition through to score, it’s like watching a knife fall through soggy butter, twice in two games. Simply not good enough, even in division 1.
Agree with most of what’s already been said and at the current rate of how Adkins is setting up his team and his tactics plus the poor below average aquisitions that have been made of one player who Oxford didn’t want to keep nor Burton who had him on loan, another who Sunderland wanted off their books and our last signing who couldn’t even get in the Tranmere team, we will be more likely to finish in the bottom six not the other way around!
Mr Adkins said he was only looking to bring in quality players, so apart from bringing back Famewo & Stockley who were here last season and changing our goalie we only have one new hopefully quality signing in Kirk.
This will now be desperation time, as any agent worth their sort will realise that Charlton urgently need new players, so the players that Charlton supposingly were after, will not come cheap as Charlton were accordingly hoping this to be the case by waiting until the last minute!
I also suspect that the Premier clubs that have good younger players will now also not want to send any of their decent loanees out to a club that is really struggling and we will pick up the usual waste of spaces like Smith and Levitt.
Its obviously too late now but the way the team played for Jackson last season when he was put in charge, may show that the wrong choice was made by Mr Sangaard!
Repeat what I said the other day NA no idea,no plan B,comes out with same excuses one after the other,TS MUST listen and get advice from somebody with Football knowledge and ACT upon it and get somebody in charge who can sort this out although I am afraid it might be to late as the stable door is half closed
People seem to give credit to Stockley for his hard work but for me hard work is not enough. he will score a few goals mainly from set plays but is not technically good in open play having limited ability on the ground and therefore does not lead the line well. Because he will cause problems in the air he needs a co striker in close proximity to pick the knockdowns. He should play in a 4-4-2 formation. Albie Morgan had a poor game his set play deliveries were not up to his normal standard, but I did notice he picked up an injury when Pearce trod on his foot during the warm up preliminaries.
I agree that NA is not performing as required, the recruitment of new players has been a total disaster and Rody and Gallen must shoulder significant blame, is TS giving the club the right support? NA has already lost the support of fans and must consider his position if players of quality are not recruited in the next few days
Just another quick point what the hell has Adkins let Maynard Brewer go on loan to Ross County when he is just been sitting on the bench? Poor decision making again, Adkins said he needed to get some first team games playing regularly, so why wasn’t he sent to a team where he will be first choice maybe in Divison 2, rather than playing backup at Ross County when he might as well stayed at Charlton. Adkins also wouldn’t now be looking for another backup first team goalie, makes absolutely no sense at all.
That’s a great point Mike. The whole transfer window has been a disaster. Letting Andrew Shinnie go is also currently making no sense.
That was awful…but we are reaping the consequences of the inaction over the transfer window.
Since we didn’t properly rebuild we are left with a thin squad and nowhere to go – 4-3-3 doesn’t work. It leaves Stockley isolated and easy to mark, so we need another striker to play off his shoulder. But how do we change it when we didn’t replace Chuks Aneke and are reliant on Conor Washington and Josh Davison, neither of whom are really 20 goals a season players?
We also lost JFC before the season ended and we won’t see him until January at the earliest. Why was no attacking central midfielder signed? The choice to play Albie Morgan there hasn’t worked, he is giving the ball away too often. Similarly we need a dedicated left-back – Ben Purrington is ok but played week in/week out he becomes a liability. Gunter does his best but he’s not a LB and too often he was caught out of position.
I like the players who have come in but there’s no depth to the squad and so no second/third options, we are stuck playing a line-up that is not working but with no means to switch things around.
I work on the principle that if I can see and predict a formation then so can our opponents and they are setting their teams up to neutralise us. But for Craig McGillivray yesterday could have been embarrassing.
We have a week and a few days to get a few starting players in – we need a left back, an attacking midfielder, a striker or two and some players who can add some depth in the squad such as a reserve keeper. I appreciate we have a budget to work to but we have signed up 9,000 season ticket holders and there are a lot of punters rolling up on the door. It’s not as though the support isn’t there.
As always you hit plenty of nails on the head there SP as have all of the comments.
Those season tickets incidentally were expensive, some of the highest priced in the division.
67 years an Addicks fan. Through thick and thin – an awful lot of thin…… used to write regular columns for Dr Kish. Poor early results but thanks to TS we still have an Addicks. Nigel’s got a top cv. In meantime, we have to presume somebody knows what they’re doing. Back on the pitch, it’s the old problem of switching off as they await final whistle and too many fouls by some, would suggest that some players are just not good enough for the task in hand.
Oh dear Chicago. I don’t know what was worse – the disappointment of what went on on the pitch or the reaction of the north stand. I think I may have tried to warn Thomas – but now he knows our fans are nothing special – they are just like football fans up and down the country.
We’re not even in bloody September yet.
I agree its awful on reflection i just don’t think Nigel is the correct fit for Charlton. The likes of Sir Chris , and curbs new what Charlton was about and had plan B everytime when A was not working.
NIGEL has No plan A he seems a Nice guy and has the right intentions but not for the reds sorry.