Charlton Athletic 2 Port Vale 3
New team. New era.
Or how about same old defensive mistakes, same shocking set pieces, final ball forward hopeful and useless as per and a squad a thin as 1-ply bog roll as always.
More worrying is that we have a different manager making the same excuses and looking worrying inept tactically.
That squad is woefully lacking depth and game changing quality, but set plays are something that can at least be honed on a training pitch never-mind your ability.
Plus, what kind of style are we trying to adopt. I see a real mismatch of patterns, and not in a threatening way. The players don’t look well-drilled or super organized and I am seeing nothing of this high-press mystique.
We are now five games in and fitness and injures are also a real problem. One assumes whoever we pick up in the rest of the transfer window will also join not match-fit or with niggles.
After beating Leyton Orient unconvincingly, we have now lost to Newport County, Peterborough, Bristol Rovers and Port Vale. This goes down Dean as a poor start. No excuses.
The season has many months, games and points to run and we can be patient, but we absolutely needed a good start to build momentum and belief.
Belief and confidence has to be low, and we are carrying many young players that we will crash and burn.
Kanu, Anderson and Asiimwe were all bright spots today, and I think we all felt devastated for Asiimwe after his mistake, because he was out on his feet. These players need to be bloodied slowly, ideally into a winning culture.
Kanu was a live wire again and he celebrated a start by scoring his 3rd goal of the season.
Also positively it was good to see Alfie May get off the mark, and he had a number of other efforts on target. Dobbo was also unlucky not to score with a rifling shot and he should have grabbed us an injury time point.
I like Holden and I want to feel assured about the owners and decision makers, but we have a week’s break now, and I want to see positive action on and off the field.
MoM: Daniel Kanu
Dean Holden: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us with a free week now to get ready for the Oxford game, to pull together and go there and show the spirit that we’ve got in the squad. Throughout my career and throughout my personal life, moments like this is where I like to think I come alive, so bring it on.”
Elsewhere: Wigan are now a point behind us after a 9-point deduction! They an eyebrow-raising 4-0 win away at previously perfect Bolton. Cambridge are top after beating Bristol Rovers 2-0, Northampton won the local derby at home to Posh and Reading put pay to Stevenage’s 100% record.
Photo credit: Paul Edwards
Well, off we go to Oxford, who have nine points and away wins at Derby and Barnsley, two sides who are expected to be thereabouts at the end of the season. Dean Holden is not worried though, as in his after match narrative he has a ‘free week’ to correct what has gone wrong so far….good luck with that Dean !!…. There are now ten days left in the transfer window, and the ONLY way things will improve on the field, will be the influx of half a dozen or more quality, experienced players that will go straight into the starting eleven. Is that going to happen?….of course not, it is far too late……once again we have missed the boat in recruitment. I await Dean Holden’s excuses after our defeat at Oxford,
Another rambling word salad of meaningless nonsense from Holden. Five games in and he’s struggling.
It’s not all the fault of the manager of course, He’s been let down by the ownership committee, who promised all issues would be addressed (notably recruitment). Very often when new ownership comes in, they want their own man at the helm. Holden is in the front line and currently failing. I can see him being picked off pretty soon.
It’s all a mess, just as last season and the season before and the ……………………….
Well said Daggs and spot on!
I agree Daggs. The problem with a change in Manager is that the best part of another season will be wasted evaluating the player’s that we already have while the ‘new’ Manager decides who to keep and who to let go. The January transfer window will not be Charlton’s saviour either as we all know how difficult it is to recruit at that time. Holden is hamstrung because the Senior Management Team, like recent previous owner’s, have failed to back their Manager with numerous quality permanent signings. Holden’s mantra is that Charlton will not sign any dickheads. Well, with 10 days left until transfer deadline day, dickheads are likely to be the only player’s left on the shelf! While Holden’s days are likel6 to be numbered, it should also be the anonymous Methven’s head that is on the block. What a ******* shambles.
He is their ‘own man’ though.
How? he was appointed by Sandgaard.
I know. At the same time that Sandgaard ‘appointed’ Rodwell, Warrick and Scott for a month.
Sorry Chig, you’ve lost me !!
Thomas Sandgaard did appoint Holden, Rodwell, Warrick and Scott on the same day in December that is true. I found it strange that old guitar boy had suddenly found some football connections after only hiring family members previously. My impression was that Holden, Rodwell, Warrick and Scott came as a package deal. They did all know each other before with Methven the common denominator.
Tactically inept or naive? Vale worked out us in a number of ways. We can’t cope with the long ball and that’s what we got. We get the first header but immediately give possession away. Exactly the same as last season. CBT’s runs are very exciting but when he starts on one just flood the area with defenders as we know he won’t cross until he’s gone past at least one man. Corners, leave someone with some pace at the back to defend and so many of those corners went out of play on the other side of the pitch at least put a player over there. Some poor chap behind me was practically having a mental breakdown over our set piece play. Sorry to say I joined in the booing at the end of the game and I am looking at my Oxford tickets thinking do they belong in the recycling bin.
So many questions. So few answers. Fortunately, I was watching rugby – occasionally following the PV match on BBC Text – not having to endure what has become a racing certainty that that we would, yet again, throw away our lead. And unsurprised to see that we had.
Assimwe “Out on his feet.?” Holden’s substitutions were, not for the first time much too late. And as CA says our set pieces are abysmal. Fitness levels below par. There is only so much a manager can do but Dean is now in under the microscope. He isn’t helped by a Board which, so far, had shown little evidence that they have the fiscal wherewithal to buy the quality of players we urgently need. (It’s much too late in the transfer window to make any meaningful signings-NOT loans.). Gallen’s departure hasn’t helped.
Pre-season, who would have thought Gills would be five points clear and Charlton only a few points clear of the relegation zone. Pass me the defibrillator.
Totally agree with your views CA..
The owners who watched the game need to act asap and put their money where therlir mouths are.
I won’t knock or rubbish the team.yesterday as it was evident that we are throwing in very young and inexperienced players.
We made so many mistakes that P V exploited to our downfall.
Steve Brown and Curbs summed the game up really well but Dean needs to pressure Scott about getting in players before we drop to the bottom of the league.
I said I was worried about the game last week and I’m still very worried about Oxford.
Action is needed now or we will see more fans walking out early and gates dropping that will not help anyone.
“Don’t pannick Mr Mannering !!!”
The home attendance (official or real) drop off has been a real barometer of expectation hasn’t it.
One of the areas where we strengthened over the summer was the defence – several new players came in and a couple of players who regularly made mistakes were shipped out and yet our defensive co-ordination and shape is still wrong. That’s a coaching mistake – one area where we could improve is to get a defensive coach in to impose some control over what’s happening in our penalty box.
Elsewhere I’m pleased for Daniel Kanu, he’s taking his chances and no doubt coming into a team with familiar faces benefits him. A goal and an assist, well he created the penalty, show what he can do.
The annoying thing is that while we are getting beaten we aren’t playing poorly or looking second best – these last three matches we have been the better team overall but predictable, defensive sucker punches have been our let down.
We urgently need to get some new players in – I read all the stuff about “irons in the fire” which says to me that we are second/third/fourth options for other players. I appreciate that some targets are reluctant to drop a division but sometimes you have to push the boat out to get your player.
Pushing the boat out to show ambition is essential these next 10 days. The SMT/Owner collective have to give Holden the best chance of success, then it is up to him. Bearing in mind he was the man they wanted in charge.
Charlton need to bite the bullet and release Chuks to free his wage costs from the operating budget. It is doubtful whether Chuks would play a full game because of his injury record.
Nothing will change transfer wise. We, as a club, for the last eight or ten transfer windows, (regardless of the ownership) have relied on last minute deals and loans to increase squad numbers, and so it will be in this one too. We can now wave goodbye to any incoming quality, as all that will be available now is ‘has beens’ youngsters and injury prone players that nobody wants. Days of recruiting players such as Gallagher, Bielik and Cullen are long gone for us.
I didn’t expect the first game of the season to be the first relegation battle of the season, but after 3 league games and a cup exit to a lower league side, its all looking very familiar. At the back the cast has changed but still the same performance. I’m not sure who is going to be attracted to the CAFC unless they are desperate financially or know that they will need a physio coach with their name on it.
CA Spot on with your post.
We have two many players who are not up to the standard of 1st Division Football, just look at the bench, yesterday with Kirk, Jasemi, McGrandles & Payne, who should have been off loaded at the end of the season as no one wants them, even on loan!
We have Aneke, who couldn’t even get through a match playing himself on a game of subutteo as he would probably get injured! Hector who continues to make cock ups in every game, who is just a like for like replacement for Inniss, except he’s not injury prone and the new youngster Terry Thomas Taylor,(signed for 3 years) who just likes to go mostly sideways and backwards and doesn’t like to get stuck in, similar to Frasier another midfielder who doesn’t put a tackle in, so Dobson has to do all the real hard work for them in midfield!
Plus why was Ness dropped for this game, I have no idea, as against Bristol Rovers, it was Jones who was given the run around, who in the end was subbed?
Overall the defence has been a complete shambles, from set pieces and individual errors each game and they urgently need to get someone like Steve Brown in to sort it out, as whover coaches the defence hasn’t got a clue as this has been going on for far too long now over the last few seasons!
In midfield we urgently require another hard tackingly midfielder as Dobson can’t continue to try and do it all by himself.
Now that Holden has finally Kanu a chance, we could have another really good prospect on our hands like Leaburn, but you can’t expect him to play every game like Leaburn, whilst learning and adapting to mens football, so we need another solid forward who can hold the ball up etc to assist May.
Unfortunately, as for getting some new players in we will have missed any more real decent players to sign as they have already been snapped up much earlier on, as per previous seasons, so the only hope is we can somehow find a couple of loan players, from a Premiership Club, similar to Raki From C.P. last year, as currently that may be our only hope.
But if we continue losing a few more games, I can see Holden on his way, as he does seem to have lost the plot, with his take that, we have actually been the better team in every game and everything is still rosy at the camp, but as you could see after they scored two goals in quick succession to make it 2-3, he just sat on the bench looking bemused, with no real idea what to do!
Yep I agree with all the above. And extra point worth making is the confusing system we are playing. Is it a back 4? Is it a back 5? I’m watching from the stands and I can’t work it out. I assume that DH is attempting a fluid system that is designed to change depending on being in or out of possession. I think that works very well for the likes of Man City….but this is League One. I think the players are confused and just not good enough to do that.
I do it every season. Buy my season ticket full of hope that this year we will get it right. It’s still August and already this looks like being a long season full of frustration.
It’s the bloody hope that kills me…..i need therapy….