Oxford United 2 Charlton Athletic 1
Schoolboy defending saw us lose for the fifth consecutive game at Oxford. Somehow in an attacking situation we had 8 players ahead of the ball just outside of the box, and Oxford broke on us five against one to win the game late on.
Worst than that was how after a week on the training field we played the worst 45 minutes of our season in the 1st half. We were woeful forcing Holden into changing the shape before the break and he had made three changes by the time the players re-entered the field for the 2nd.
We were better 2nd half but despite a few good moments and a vastly improved urgency we still only had one shot on goal, and that a good finish by Alfie May.
A draw would have been a decent prize to take home, especially given that 1st half display, but we are only ever a second away from a defensive cock-up and sure enough it came and we sit with just that not supremely impressive win over Leyton Orient as our only points of the season.
We need more players, the team that started today was far too youthful, but there are a lot of questions surrounding shape, the formation and tactics – Alfie May on long throw-on’s?
Five league games is too early to make season-long assumptions, but the signs are really not encouraging.
MoM: Definitely not the referee. Dobbo.
Dean Holden: “It’s a no excuses culture.”
Elsewhere: Derby went a goal down at Peterborough but led 4-1 at the break, eventually winning 4-2. Cambridge, who were top lost, at Leyton Orient 2-0, Barnsley won at Wigan 2-0. Exeter are 2nd behind Oxford after beating Reading 2-1. Bolton bounced back by drawing away at Burton. Next week’s opponents Fleetwood lost at home to Shrewsbury 1-0.
Photo credit: Kyle Andrews
Holden’s management today was laughable. Our new full back, Edun, who actually looks O/K was started in midfield with CBT moved to left wing-back. CBT!! who has zero defending ability.
Holden seeing how shit we were, then makes a tactical change five minutes before half-time. giving the opposition manager time to work out what he needs to do to counter it, before half-time.
Any sensible manager waits until half-time and surprises the opposition with the change.
Then he puts Alfie May our new striker, on long throw duty, which he actually isn’t capable of. When he should be in or around the oppositions penalty area.
What has AMB done to upset Holden?
If we fail to win next week versus Fleetwood. Holden has to go.
Agree with all of that Daggs.
Spot on Daggs
The next home game against Fleetwood will be very interesting as we normally struggle against teams below us….
I fear fans patience is being tested and not a word from Charlie boy..not good.
Not a good day……more of concern that the club has not put out any comment from Dean about the game 90 minutes after the end…….I fear the worst about Dean’s tenure and hope I’m wrong….he needs time.
“Don’t Panic Mr Mannering !!!”
Clueless performance first half, should have been 3 down, players frightened to tackle makes your blood boil. Its the same old Charlton, same excuses every week, so sick and tired of watching this.
Holden’s usual minestrone of comment has now been posted!
Apparently our season is about to take-off :0 🙂
There seems to be something seriously wrong with this club?
Regardless of owners, manager, coaching staff and players the result is always the same, dire defending and just about everything thing else!
Those who profess to be the experts, be it owners, manager etc, clearly aren’t, because the same mistakes are being repeated season after season, despite so called lessons learnt!
How can the club get it so seriously wrong season after season, this isn’t anything new, it’s been going on for the past 3 years, if not longer?
Another false dawn thrown in the dustbin at such an early stage of the season.
I’m flabbergasted, I really don’t think I can be bothered, it’s so miserable supporting this club.
We must be cursed or done something considerably bad in a previous incarnation, it can be the only explanation.
I’ve always been proud of the fact that we bring a lot of home-grown talent through the ranks, but what we need now is a bit of nous, and that is going to cost money. Free transfers & young loans isn’t a strategy to win promotion.
Holden out – get a Charlton man in Powell curbs or Bowyer in nor particular order
Absolute garbage performance….no shape, no intent, no idea and no good !!!! It seems Dean Holden sees a different game to the rest of us, but apparently an improvement is just around the corner !!!….Would that be you moving on Dean ?
Total waste of £12M Methven, I’m burning my season ticket
But why buy the club, go through all the effort, lawyers, EFL, FA etc. Makes no sense whatsoever. This is not a money spinner unless we get promoted to Champ minimum. It burns through money. Methven hasn’t got any (real) money nor Rodwell and for those billionaires like Friedman or Javeri this is a pimple on their bum of portfolios, but why? To tell buddies at the golf club that you own a 3rd Division football club??
Indeed Chico. I think I too posed this question sometime ago. What we really want is an owner/owners who love the club for there can be no other reason for ownership, can there?
Hubble Bubble Toil and more trouble ahead if the owners don’t show the commitment now before it’s too late.
What have we done to deserve all this again ?
You have to run it as a business. I mean Mark Hulyer loved the club, he still does, but I think everyone does better if there is that emotional attachment.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel.
I have had a season ticket for most years from the early 1970s until 4years ago but I will now be spending more time watching my local team Welling who I supported when Charlton played all their games away in the 1980s.
Charlton have been my team since the days of Charlie Wright letting the ball through his legs , Ray Treacy leaping above giant defenders to head home and Paul Went frowing himself all over the penalty area to prevent a goal.
Those were the days when you had the same starting 11 and 1 sub for almost every game of the season.
I hope this is as low as it gets and by the end of the season I’ll be eating my words.
The culture at the club stinks. That’s five games in a row where we haven’t played that badly going forwards and yet we’ve conceded a number of goals through bad defending. Holden has changed things around playing every available defender and some of them in formations they aren’t familiar with and still the mistakes happen. Individual mistakes, team errors, set pieces…we are a soft touch at the back.
I mentioned in a previous comment that we need to get a defensive coach in to sort things out.
The “good” news is that we are only losing games by one goal and not getting run off the pitch but some things need to change and the players need to step up. We are in the position that saw Ben Garner and Nigel Adkins get sacked.
We now have a week until the transfer window shuts to get some new players in, if not then January is a long, long way away.
I think those of us who are hoping for an influx of quality players in the next week or so will be sadly disappointed. We are in for another season of mediocrity with a squad of players that are just not good enough. Yes, we have great young ‘uns coming through the academy, but they are not ready yet for the rigours of League One football. At this moment we need a hustling forward to play alongside May, an experienced central defender to sort out the back line, and a midfield terrier. Too much to ask ? Of course it is, with owners who don’t wish to spend any money.
The first half was dreadful, no one seemed to know where they were playing and what they were doing.The defence was a complete shambles the midfield, apart from Dobson as usual, were totally ineffectual with poor passing and losing the ball, with even May having a poor game to his standards and Kanu having to spend more time chasing back to try and win the ball back, but to his credit was probably the most energetic player up front, as like May had no real service to him. Yet he gets taken off? Holdens whole subsitutes have been a complete mystery in all the games, he either brings them on way too late, apart from this time, or seems to take off certian players who are having a decent game and leave others on who are having a real poor one. Plus why was Ashley Brewer dropped, apart from one error he has been the only one who has stopped us having a much worse goal difference?
Jones has had quite a few quite poor games, including this game and is also very slow in getting back when he looses the ball when he goes forward, yet he is the only player in the backline that has started every game. Hector yet again, when he came on nearly lost the ball several times and could have cost us a goal, with some poor defending and too short passes, just another Inniss. As someone said elsewhere, he seems to have an arrogance that he is too good for division one, well hes not, the way he’s playing, it’s more division 2 standard like quite a few others!
As for the second goal that was just a complete farce, as the panel said afterwards, why was there no other defenders apart from Asimee behind the ball, when May took the throw in, surely Holden and all his team must have realised and shouted for a few more players to stay back? They then had 5 onto 2 coming at us and the only player really busting his gut to get there was yet again Dobson, yet still managed to get in a tackle!!!
The game against Fleetwood is a must win and not just a fluke win, otherwise I can see Holden on his way out, going round to Chucks house, to join him on match days on his playstation instead. Which may actually bring him a few wins! 🙂
I fear Leaburn will be rushed back too soon. Holden seems to panic and make poor judgments. Management and coaching are not good enough. I can’t remember losing 5 games on the trot since I started watching in the 1950s.
Rumour is Holden and backroom staff have been fired !!!!
Nothing official from club at present
No way!
Seems the rumour is very strong and club are not answering enquiries at present.
Been confirmed
Lee Johnson has just left Hibernian and is close to Methven…putting two and two together?
Richard Cawley reporting that Holden and backroom staff dismissed….yet to be confirmed by the club.
Cawley is a reliable source but not definate as yet.
Lots of reports confirming Holdens departure with some coaching staff…..
Ohhhhh boy here we go…mayhem