Hartlepool United 2 Charlton Athletic 2 (5-4 on pens)
I hadn’t had previously bothered with the Pizza 🍕 Trophy but in recent days the pepperoni started to stir and we could all see that arch in the close distance, but another collapse at the quarter final hurdle. We can’t even beat League Two opposition to make our first semi-final for 37 years.
It’s not losing in the Cup though, and we’d probably have fallen in the semi anyway, but it was the performance. It was woeful, truly woeful. Those poor 300 Addicks that made the over 500-mile round trip on a Tuesday January night deserve an apology.
There was enough first-teamers and senior pros in that line-up to win the game. Hartlepool are 16th in League Two, and thoroughly deserved to win. They outplayed and outfought us. They were technically and tactically better and ran us ragged and peppered our goal all night. And they rested some players!
We were even 2-1 up thanks to Burstow and Gilbey, the 2nd half should have been managed by players of the experience of Pearce, Watson, Matthews and Gilbey. Yet, we were appalling.
Some, many of those players showed us their true level and commitment tonight. Heaven help us if we have another summer clear-out, but it is what is needed. There is nothing to believe in amongst this lot.
So season over, although there is still the real possibility of a relegation battle. Oh joy.
Final word to those that went. They don’t deserve you. Safe journey home 🔴⚪️
Chicago Addick 
Agreed. Game after game we are mostly outthought and outfought. We have no plan B. Individually we are at times just atrocious— our passing from so called professionals beggars belief. This was a strong team tonight that showed where we are as a club. And many of them need to go sadly… and how we missed Dobson tonight
The players have run there socks of for one month when he was caretaker I can’t see next season being any better unless changes r made doing a Wigan buying players who r first team players at other clubs instead of getting out of favour or injured players proper money spent or we will be a regular league 1 team chance of losing our fans
Spot on and a disgrace and would like to use much stronger words and been stating for a while a relegation scrap but these guys have nothing and no fight and yet another rebuild and this time a very strong possibility of relegation and yet again we are about to try to make this loanee signing permanent and yet another injury-prone one, so excuse the pun a good fit for CAFC.
These guys get well paid for absolute shambles and a disgrace to wear the shirt.
Get rid of so much dead wood AGAIN!!!
Dobson, Clare, MacG, Famewo (had a bad game last night,) Lavelle, and ofc Burstow and Elerewe can stay, the rest need shot of.
Not sure all the blame can be on the players, there were a lot of square pegs out there ( Matthews is not a Centre back, even a wide one,) and the midfield didn’t seem to know who was supposed to do what, we just don’t have the right players to play this 5-3-2, wingers don’t make good wingbacks, and some of our fullbacks make great wingers too (Purrington.)
on the plus side, my lucky socks worked, we didn’t deserve to get to penalties and it could so easily have been a rout.
Another poor performance our away form this season has been shocking.
Not sure about Jackson’s tactics defence has looked poor all season. Midfield does not score enough goals., Don”t like playing 3 CBs all the time. We have become to predictable. Needs to vary his tactics say 4-4-2 at home more often or 4-3-3
Summer clear out needs to happen again far to many average players in the squad. Chairman needs to get his cheque book out and spend some real money. Currently the squad is too large and needs to be trimmed.
Players who need to leave :-
Henderson, Gunter, Souares, Matthews, Watson and Pearce.
Players who I am still not sure about :-
Kirk, Davidson, Morgan, Inniss, Claire, Taylor, Jaiyesimiaa and Forster Caskey.
Young players who might leave the club :-
Ruddy, Clayden, Dempsey, Ghandour and Aouchina
Loan players this season
Elliott Lee – form has been poor of late.
Jonathan Leko – not sure hot and cold
Akin Famewo – defence has been poor all season
Spot on johnwest, all we seem get in are second rate players who are mostly unfit players &/or injured players, its an absolute joke. Why is Watson even on the bench let alone playing, was it in his contract that he has to always be in the first team on match days, so he gets his full wages and bonus if we win, which isn’t often!
It’s another big clearout time, Watson, Gunter, Pearce, Adams, Souare, Leko, Lee, Blackett Taylor, Kirk, Davidson, Henderson and probably also Famewo, as he has mostly been dreadful after a promising start plus maybe Purrington. That’s over half the team. Our best by far central defender is Inniss, but is made of glass, so if he can’t manage to stay fit until the end of the season he should go as well, but we will still probably give him another year for a playing about max of 10 games!
We are letting Kirk go on loan rather than get some money for him who has been absolutely useless, so he will be back with us again next season, yet rather than get this Boro winger in on loan to see how he fairs as he hasn’t played for a year due to an ACL injury, we want to sign him on a permanent contract, without knowing how he will be. We already have JFC still recovering from his second ACL and he has never quite been the same player after his first ACL!
Lets face it a lot of this has to be down to Mr Gallen, as he is the one who searches all these players, recommends them and does the deals. Since he took over this main role over the years, he has probably signed more poor players than good! He reminds me of one of those Dickenson characters, who have a big ruddy face, bluffs everyone with his talk but everyone likes him so thinks he’s great, but in all essence isn’t really up to the job. I think an urgent change there, is actually needed by Sangaard, if we are to get anywhere near to his original five year plan, which was reasonably laughable then, but even more so now!
There’s enough “deadwood” in the Charlton roster to make up a face cord! It is much easier to list the players that should remain.
You had me there Bob. I had to Google a face cord 🪵
I do apologize, not realizing that perhaps it was a Canadian or North American term for a measure of firewood…..aka “deadwood.”
For others who may not have “Googled” it, here is the definition…….
“A face cord of firewood is typically a stack of firewood measuring 4 ft. high by 8 ft. wide by 16 inches deep. The depth of a face cord of firewood is typically a third of the depth of a full cord of firewood.”