Charlton Athletic 1 Cray Valley (PM) 1
Another low, just this one in front of a television audience so everyone can see how rubbish of a club we have become.
I’d be interested in Andy Scott’s thoughts. All that old shite about mindset and culture. The man he hired to bring change decided today to change the whole team disrespecting Cray Valley and they and us got what was deserved.
Still, that XI should be levels of ability above Cray Valley, but they played like a bunch of strangers lacking a spine let alone a professionalism or any sort of competence.
I don’t know why managers change a whole team, and pretty much throw 11 strangers onto the pitch and expect it to work. Nonetheless if we were blind to it before, it showed up our complete lack of squad depth and also what another round of woeful transfer dealings has given us.
It was a diabolical performance with some truly embarrassing performances from players either not good enough or not giving a shit. Charlie Kirk should never get near a Charlton shirt again and Scott Fraser just gets my blood pressure up. Is he still the highest payed player at the club?
Another desperate cup day in our history, and they wonder why no one goes. Honestly, how we ever won the thing once amazes me!
All credit to Cray Valley, they more than deserved their replay, which will give them another nice pay day. For us oldies that game brings back dreadful memories of Maidstone in 1979.
MoM: All of Cray’s players and then perhaps Chem Campbell.
Appleton of my eye: A shocking team selection. This one is on him.
Elsewhere: Well Pompey lost, so I wonder how much that will incentivize them next weekend.
Quite right. And with no midweek game what is this nonsense about resting players for the Pompey game?! It’s next Saturday. Far better to play your team with perhaps one or two rested, and go for it building on relative recent momentum and feel good factor with a cup win followed by a mini run. Instead Appleton tossed us that starting eleven. And live on the Beeb to boot. Really disappointing.
Time and time again coaches and manager in higher division to lightly and without regard for the lower division opponent with the result of embarrassment. An experienced manager like Appleton know 11 strangers showing any team desiring to be “giant killers” would come prepared to fight for the win. Now we face a replay with some shame. Disgusting performance today.
At least the Maidstone game could be excused to an extent because of the fight and sendings off. The replay was entertaining partly due to the floodlight failure.
Today there was no fight and the failure was on the pitch.
Appleton has to carry the can. He’s made himself look quite the plum today!
Look back at the infamous Dagenham & Redbridge game nearly 25 years ago, Curbishley played a full strength team, he didn’t try and be a smarta–s and play a second XI. This game was broadcast live to the whole country, what a shameful thing to do, embarrass the club by playing a weakened team. We should have played our best XI, win the game by the hour mark and then bring on five subs.
I don’t think i’ve been so angry in a long time. Burning with shame. Agree totally CA. I hate the bloody cup. Apple of my eye? I’d like to poke his out with a sharp stick. That 11 should be made to play again – whoever he plays i won’t be watching.
Whilst not in any way excusing Appleton and the team.
Did no one notice how often the Cray players fell to the ground exaggerating injury or cramp. When we had a ‘good’ spell in the second half, Cray’s manager used an ‘injury’ to put on his subs and completely stole our momentum. I think it’s called gamesmanship. I think it saved them from losing the game.
However, had we a team of competent players out there, the game would have been over before that.
I just hope Appleton has learned something from that disgrace of a performance and plays a strong team in the replay. Avoiding a loss is vital, for us and Appleton. What a state our club is in …..
Hi CA
Thanks for your posts.
What a complete and utter disgrace! Disrespect from top to bottom of our once great club shown to Cray Valley, our supporters and the FA Cup.
Well done Appleton, you have just undone the last 3 months or reasonably good work by your inept, disgraceful team selection.
Following on from the away win at Wigan (which turned from an ‘easy’ victory into a nail-biting finale) what better opportunity for the first team regulars to show to the few home fans and the rest of the country on live TV that we had ‘turned the corner’ of ineptness and could build on our first away win with a convincing performance against Cray Valley.
But no, you put out a team of reserves who proved why most of them are not in the first team… That was an insult to our opponents yesterday, who proved that they had more team spirit, more guts and more heart than the over-paid prima donna professionals who failed so miserably in front of them.
Charlton got more than they deserved yesterday – they deserved to be turfed out of the competition by a small club which came with a professional attitude and with a bit more fitness could have put the Addicks to the sword.
Daggs, if Cray were guilty of a bit of gamesmanship in the last 15/20 minutes that was nothing compared to the insult shown to them by our once great club. As Addicks we should hang our heads in shame at what happened at the Valley yesterday.
I never in a million years thought I would say the next sentence. I hope that Cray Valley get the victory that they thoroughly deserve in the replay. Sort that one out Appleton and the Board – you are all culpable in making our club a laughing stock in front of the TV cameras instead of building the club and moving it forward.
Come January I have no doubt that one, if not two, of our your star players will be sold on for a few pieces of silver and we will become even more reliant on the dross that we saw yesterday – and they wonder why gates are as low as they are….