Charlton Athletic 1 Crawley Town 2
We really are a pitiful excuse of a football team. Devoid of any quality, creativity and ideas.
Desperately dull and ineffective long diagonal hoof ball, circa 1980, hoping, praying for a flick or a defensive mistake to ‘create’ a chance on goal. That is our sole game plan. Our philosophy, our identity. Heaven help us.
Tonight we watched Crawley, in the relegation zone before tonight, with a playing budget to match and without an away win since August, play triangles around us, move the ball effectively and use width as a weapon against us because we were so bloody narrow.
They had three players playing for them all considered not good enough for us. As an aside it was nice to see Addick Rob Elliot on the sidelines though.
Charlton, with the fourth biggest budget in the league, spent the whole game, under instruction, bypassing the midfield with lofted aimless passes. Players lacked energy or purpose, and I thought for the first time, any real care.
Are we being slowly mugged here by Jones and yet another piss poor group of so called club leadership? All paid handsomely by the way.
We scraped to a victory against 10-man Burton, who were rubbish, but Walsall we beat well, ignoring that they rested players, so coming into tonight there was a deep down hope that we’d see a third consecutive win.
Yet, the patterns or data or fundamentals didn’t really agree with that, and so it came to bear. The game followed an all too familiar pattern which I won’t bore you with.
Jones threw on a load of subs, in no particular system or shape. Small at least showed a bit of pace, but TC looked like he was in central midfield, and what he was expecting from 19-year old Laqeretabua, at 2-1 down with 8 minutes left, I’m not sure.
Although as poor and fatigued as Leaburn looked, Kanu at least showed our only bursts of energy. He scored out of pretty much nothing.
This is a poor side, but I don’t see that it is stuffed full of poor players. They are playing to orders, minute direction, continued bawled instructions from the touchline and most of whom have been handpicked by the manager. Some of these players have played for Jones for 10 months now, some of course for much, much longer.
This is what he wants from his team, except apparently we just need to be better and more aggressive. More front footed…. That doesn’t instill in me a lot of hope. Or frankly any joy.
🎙️”We weren’t good enough.”
⭐️ Daniel Kanu
🏟️ 11,427 (700 from Crawley)
📸 Kyle Andrews
and the crowd gets smaller … well done Rob Elliot , top man . No further comment.
What was the real crowd? 6,500? Depressing.
So draining, boring, at the emotionally checked out phase already and it’s not even Christmas.
Unfortunately looks like the managerial merry-go-round will continue, this time the ticket to ride a very expensive one. Cue the predictable clamour to give it to Curbs and Brownie 🥱 whilst the crack SLT trawl their network for yet another out of work dud to try and make a silk purse out of someone else’s sows ear. Can’t wait to see the next poor incumbent trying to coach this lot to play out from the back and keep the ball on our state of the art pitch.
Injuries have blighted us, our lack of patience will destroy us. And it all comes from the top. What a circus.
I feel the same, Steve. They are on their last legs with me for this season. Very close to checking out. And how they hope to entice young, carefree, rose-coloured young fans playing like that I’ll never know.
We weren’t good enough and neither is the Manager or his tactics. I’m done.
Watching our team last night I got an earworm of ‘That’s just embarrassing, That’s just embarrassing, That’s just embarrassing ….’. And its still there this morning. You’ve said it all about tactics. Can’t believe I’ve got tickets for Crawley away – what a depressing start looms for 2025.
Madman ☺️
Yep you just about nailed it there CA. As i watched on from my seat in North Upper i noticed that i didn’t once stand up to shout in derision or joy. Didn’t even notice any singing. I did do a lot of head shaking. I resisted the urge to boo at the end. I just stood there, arms crossed as i watched NJ make the players come over to applaud us. Embarrassing.
I said a week or two ago that sacking the manager is probably not going to help. It’s hard to see how NJ can hold onto his job now. And as you say CA the replacement will be likely be just as poor as all the other ones. Once again we are left with the question, where do we go from here?
I said from the moment N Jones hounded A.May out of the club, he was not the man for the job.
I’ve continued to say that, after every pathetic excuse of a football performance he has created.
He has no clue. He comes out with the same nonsense after every failure.
I get told ‘we can’t keep changing managers’ which baffles me. He’s useless and needs to be sacked this week.
What has happened Re. previous managers has no bearing on the performance of NJ.
Then I get told ‘no manager worth his salt will come to Charlton’
How do you know that? No manager has been asked !
If he doesn’t go in the next few days the opportunity to use the January window wisely, will go. We can’t afford to miss that. And yes I do know how difficult that window is.
If he’s still here in January we’ll be heading for a relegation scrap and may not win through this time.
I believe Chris Powell would come back to the club if the SMT give him a fighting chance and I would welcome him back.
P.S. How poor must Walsall be ? Letting our shambolic shower of sh*t put four goals past them !
Another shocking disjointed display……’nuff said.
It’s the hope that kills you. Cut and paste from last 3/4 seasons. The rot must run deep at Charlton.
Doesn’t matter which manager or players we get, we will Charltonise them and they will fail. I have no answers, only despair at this point.
The only moment of Joy last night was watching Kanu score, which after his previous tireless performances when actually given a chance to start ahead of Ahadme and others, deserved his goal!
Absolute shambles, this team look like they have never played together, passing going amiss continuously, just humping high balls from Giliphsvey & co to no mans land just hoping someone can do something with it. At present apart from Burton, I would say we are one of the worst teams in this division, with Jones at the helm who is no better than Appleton!
Jones keeps on about being a high pressing team, nearly every game it is the oppostion who are high pressing us, he hasn’t a clue, the team has no structure or formation and I have no idea why he keeps looking at that stupid screen they have looking at replays throughout the game, as it’s not going to change anything!
As I have previously said unless owners are going to pay out and get a decent manager in, who currently has a good track record and not someone relying on the past, has beens &/or out of work cheap nothing achieved managers, we will be routed in this division or lower for ever!
These are Jones tactics and the players clearly cant stand trying to carry them out. He has lost the dressing room, and with that any hope of forward progress. Witness Leaburn who clearly didnt give a fig last night, his body language was appalling. So much for getting him to extend his contract. The rest played with no heart or passion, and yet again a season lost before Christmas.
And Scott gave him a 4 year contract. Imagine 3 more years of this…….
Totally agree. In terms of actual quality I would say that was the worse Charlton performance in living memory. Aimless long hoof balls every time. No width or pace even with tyreece sitting on bench?? At least hit the long balls in the general direction of a red shirt if that is the plan. Half of them were just hoofed out of play. Like you said the other day, I wouldn’t mind if we were winning but we are not. We are losing. Against bottom teams. We struggled against the bottom team Burton even though they had 10 men for quite a long period. Supported Charlton all my life. Always had season ticket and go to maybe half the away games each season but I’ve totally had enough of it all. Utter garbage
Agree. Andy Scott should stand or fall based on his record too. Scott should go. Things have fallen apart since Paul Hart departed imo.
Agree with that Norfolk. Hart was ying to NJ’s yang. One of I would say not many that Jones would listen to I suspect. Hart had seen everything in the game.
When being interviewed my does no one ask more searching questions?
NJ has claimed we are stronger than last season but we are clearly not!
Why doesn’t an interviewer challenge his claim and bugger with protocol! Rather than the usual insipid questions from the usual suspects!
I think the issue is that Terry works for the club. I agree the interviews are pointless and the press conferences are so managed that he avoids any tough questions. Louis Mendez’s does try to get more reactionary results.
When being interviewed my does no one ask more searching questions?
NJ has claimed we are stronger than last season but we are clearly not!
Why doesn’t an interviewer challenge his claim and bugger with protocol! Rather than the usual insipid questions from the usual suspects!
When being interviewed my does no one ask more searching questions?
NJ has claimed we are stronger than last season but we are clearly not!
Why doesn’t an interviewer challenge his claim and bugger with protocol! Rather than the usual insipid questions from the usual suspects!
Jones said a few weeks that if the fans didn’t want me I would walk, well time to start walking. Also no point in blaming Jones only, Scott has to go with him. As far as the future the new owners have used the taylor may and dobson money and have now lost a lot of there own money, Curbs likes his holidays and will not be returning and I’m glad I remember the end days as manager and I wasn’t sorry he left so no returning please.
You are right, Sidney. Same with Bowyer. I would rather keep the memories. His departure was a bit sticky but he left at the right time.
Then of course we have Sir Chris…..
After all the failed managers we have had it’s time to look at a younger trainer, along the lines that Ipswich followed with Kieran Mckenna, we need to train players to become better, not continue to expect more experienced players to improve, that would also increase there value. But the first stop is to hear from Charlie, after all he has said many times the goal this season in promotion, which is still possible this season if we change track asap. All the signs about Jones were there and were ignored, just ask Southampton & Stoke fans about him. I’m not suggesting names there out there I do suggest maybe using Brown & Curbs & Minto as a group experienced football people to make suggestions to the board.
I’ve supported Charlton for 65 years, through thick and thin, up’s and downs, highs and low’s. But I have to say I’m racking my brains to think of a past team that is worse than this. Playing 80’s style football is not the answer. Thought we had an experianced manager when appointed who might do things at the Valley. Only thing he going to do is bring League two football to the ground. Did we really give him a 5 year contract?
think we may be turning into a ‘poison chalice’ of a club.
Don’t panic. It was only 4. I think I have seen worse teams, but it is all relative. They were playing at a higher level, so you are probably right.
I always think of players and managers that sit fondly in my memory (see my 20 Players series). Even in the bad times there were still players I liked/cared for. Even Fraeye had Jacko and Solly playing for him. From this lot there is no one others than a few youngsters.
I just don’t understand why whoever we bring in to manage the team they consistently fail even when they have been backed financially by the owners.
What’s the problem are we just unlucky with our managers?
The big worry is if we get relegated, the last remaining fans will largely give-up. The club will be (more) skint and Duchatelet will start looking for some developer to buy The Valley.
A poor and very disjointed performance.
Gillesphey should have done more to prevent their first goal, their striker should not have been allowed to get a shot away like that. If he’d leant into the player, stuck a foot out he could easily have prevented the goal.
Then we worked hard for the equaliser and got it, although from the scattergun of substitutions it felt that NJ was bunging on players in hope rather than with a strategy. From there we should have pressed harder for the winner, instead we seemed to give up and gave the momentum back to Crawley.
Credit alsoto Crawley who played some neat football and adapted their line up to effectively neutralise Small and TC’s pace.