Crewe Alexandra 2 Charlton Athletic 1
I hate this division. I hate the fact that my football team look quite at home in it.
Clutching at straws to bemoan a disallowed goal and an appalling refereeing display, although it did go all Hackney Marshes at the end when the bewildered ref spent five minutes talking to a fat linesman about what happened good three minutes after Lee’s shot deflected over the ‘keeper and in. VAR would have a field day in this division.
My two pennies are that Leko became active only once the ball was spinning over the keeper’s head, although the muppet was inexplicably standing on the ‘keepers big toe. A point would have been daylight robbery though.
We dominated the start without having a shot on goal. Then they scored with their first real effort and then after having a stonewall penalty turned down, they score with a free header from the resulting corner right on half-time.
Plenty of slapstick attacking and defending throughout. Players such as Leko, Lee, Gilbey, Jaiyesimi and Famewo all showing why they are playing in the 3rd Division.
It didn’t quite hit the lows of an ‘Adkins performance,’ but this was bad. There was no patterns to our play, every pass was rushed and our possession frenzied, and every passage of play made to look complicated, when a simple pass would do.
One good thing to note. Mason Burstow’s first league goal. I think personally we will burn him out and although he has bags of potential, he is not quite ready physically.
Overall a real downer tonight. It is hard to fathom that this is the team that beat Ipswich just a few weeks ago, and Plymouth a few weeks before that.
I can’t help but think we are still paying the price for a shocker of a summer transfer window, and here we are again.
Thomas dear chap, you’ve either got to poop or get off the potty. What is the plan here because if we are not going to do business to prolong this desperate season, let’s all get in on the plan and hear about an advance strategy to build for next season.
Jacko: “I don’t know where that performance in that period of the game came from. [Crewe striker] Chris Porter is an experienced centre forward but I’ve got enough experience out on the pitch there that we should be able to deal with him and we were just causing our own problems really. I thought most of their chances came from us messing about with the ball or not being decisive enough and it has ended up costing us.”
Photo credit: Kyle Andrews
Chicago Addick 
This is a team sadly lacking in quality that simply is not working. Anything short of a serious mid-season rebuild, not necessarily to make the playoffs, but to prepare for another season (hopefully a winning one) in this sad excuse for a division is paramount! Thomas, the ball is in your court and Steve Gallen, one hopes you are hard at it in trying to secure us some legitimate footballers!
Legitimate footballers of the calibre of Phillips/Djiksteel/Bielik/Cullen/Aribo/Taylor back in the day would be a nice start
This lot don’t even come close
Sadly, try as they do, I don’t think any of the current team come close to Hamer, Jackson, Solly, Morrison, Taylor, Wiggins, Stephens, Wright-Phillips, Holland, Kermorgant.
And I can’t see any of the academy close to the needed standard.
Legends all. There are 10 players listed and I’ve been trying to figure who the 11th was, and I think it must be a mix of Waggy, Green and Pritchard.
Great season.
I hate it too..:but we’ve got used to it and need to endure it for at least another season…beyond gutted.
Jackson can pre-record his post-match interviews, copy/paste since Plymouth away such a shame.
Big clear out in the summer, tbf if I was Thomas I wouldn’t be burning cash to paper over the cracks now as the season is gone, home form will keep us up. Jacko might be a causality as well, hope not.
Agree CA but cannot undersatnd why Lee didn’t get subsituted, apart from that one effort at the end he was absolutely dreadful in the second half and why wasn’t Inniss brought on? Plus don’t want to see Henderson again even on the bench, he had nothing to do against Norwich, but flapped about all game against Crewe, at fault for both goals and his distribution was awlful. Yet another rubbish player we get from our chums Palace, surely Charlton must realise by now over all the years, that they only offload there crap players to us, that they want to offload and we are stupid enough to take them!!! Harkness is way better alround goalie, I bet Jackson regrets saying before the game that he had no problem McGilvery had to rush home due his wife in labour but he had no issues playing Henderson as he could rely on him!!!
Two good points, Burstow played well and Morgan also made a big difference when coming on, he should now be given another chance, but have a feeling, it will almost be the same starting eleven, except for change of goalkeeper and maybe Burstow for Leko!
Mike, I thought Morgan did well. Does he replace Lee? Think he needs to be dropped.
I jumped ship at half time so I can’t comment on the second half but I agree with most of the above. I don’t think Lee fits in with the rest of the team because when he receives the ball he holds on to it too long jinking and darting from side to side and by the time he passes it the other team are all back in position. Let’s give Morgan another go .
Starting with Cheltenham let’s go on another run and see if we can make the playoffs.
We can’t let Newcastle down they need us to play Sunderland in the playoff final.
Les thinks Morgan over Lee. Of course Morgan should really go out on loan this month.
It was basically Morecambe again, a tough competitor who scrapped hard, defended tenaciously and in depth and then countered and caught us cold a couple of times. They were two soft goals to concede. We also really struggled with the man marking but showed little composure in front of goal, Mason Burstow took his chance well and for my money the goal should have stood. Leko was offside but I can’t see how he was interfering with play, the shot went over the keeper’s head. How could the fat lino tell from where he was standing that he was in the keeper’s way or even in his eyeline?
I’m also beginning to wonder if Jacko’s 3-5-2 formation isn’t becoming a little too obvious and easy to anticipate, perhaps its time to freshen that up.