West Bromwich Albion 1 Charlton Athletic 1
There I was thinking wouldn’t it be great if we really took the game to them tonight and show that we are better spirited, better organized and a better team. Then the game kicked off….
We were bad, very bad, but one piece of quality grabbed us a valuable point. Losing really wasn’t an option tonight.
A point wasn’t enough for Eric Ramsey who was sacked straight after the game. Just 6 weeks in charge. Will Still rumoured to be the next Baggies manager 🙏.
Clarke came in for Sichenje and Leaburn joined Dykes up front. I don’t like the two together – our long ball policy is even more inherent with those two up top – however they got utterly zero service first half. That ain’t their fault.
The first half was poor, from both sides. Yet, it was a real shame that we didn’t go at them. We lost Lloyd Jones just over half hour gone, he hobbled off with a turned ankle. Collectively we all felt more nervous.
Then in the last minute of the four added in the 1st half, they score. Baggies’ Campbell heading home unmarked at the far post from a corner. Terrible time to concede, but perhaps it would wake us up.
TC replaced Leaburn at the break, and the first thing he did was give the ball away which almost saw them score. Maja should’ve, but the replay showed it well wide, but we still weren’t anywhere near the races. This was a massive game, right?
Jones changed it again. He went four at the back with Fevrier brought on to add width on the right and Coventry was on for Coady.
The back four were doing okay with the Kenyan lad on, but at this point the stats said we’d had one shot on goal, and it must have been so sedentary that I don’t even remember it.
Then out of absoutely nowhere Ramsey, who was my MoM, played a lovely pass through the middle that Fevrier had to duck under. Dykes took a great touch, moved in on goal, and slotted the ball between their keeper’s legs and we were level. As an aside that was the only thing that Fevrier did of any note. He looks like he plays with a rucksack full of bricks on his back.
Now what. The Hawthorns was thrown into silence accept for the Addicks behind the goal in full voice. Are we going to turn it on and go for it, at least for the next 10-15 minutes. The answer was a solid no.
A point was good, we wish we’d have got a point last Tuesday against Pompey, but we simply receded and gave up possession for the last 15 minutes plus injury. There was a shot wide and with my heart filling my mouth their lad shot inches past the post from outside the box in injury time without a red shirt anywhere near him.
I’m happy with a point, and happy to scrap and battle our way to safety, but it can’t be a long term strategy.
🎙️ “We didn’t display enough quality in the final third, we didn’t have enough energy and intensity about us. We lost duels. That happened against Portsmouth. Luckily we got a result tonight. That’s two games which we’d have really liked to have won and we’ll have to look at that because that is two midweek games because maybe I need to freshen it up, maybe I need to change the personnel. We need to be better.” – Nathan Jones
⭐️ Kayne Ramsey
🏟️ 20,847 (826 Addicks)
📸 Kyle Andrews
Well, we did not lose, so one positive and apart from that nothing at all!!
An awful watch but preventing Albion to gain on us could make this result (along with beating Leicester) one of the most important results in the final 1/3 of the season.
Watching the game last night just reminded me of the season NJ took over we just needed to get safe and the games where poor but a points a point closer to the total hats of to dykes would leaburn scored that, I agree a Ramsay motm coyr
You’ve raised a good point. If we survive this season we can’t take the same tactics into the next. I doubt it even the players will be that supportive next season if we continue playing the way we do.
That was hard watching and to get a point is better than a loss.We again lacked cohesion,skill and communication from the team who seemed to be devoid of confidence..and we could easily have lost.
We again are totally unpredictable and this was evident as the game progressed.
Don’t be surprised we do well against Wrexham on Saturday then I can take off my Rose coloured spectacles.
Watching Charlton at present is challenging to say the least.
Another display of total incompetence. Another chance to put some daylight between us and 22nd, wasted again.
Two goal attempts the whole game and fortunately one was taken. Another undeserved but welcome point.
Very fortunate that those in competition with us for relegation didn’t manage a win either.
We still have some way to go before safety can be declared. The fixtures look difficult, but then playing NJ’s hoof it and hope anti-football, would make a fixture against the local girls grammar difficult.
Talking of NJ. He seemed somewhat sheepish in his after match interview. Not his usual bullish melodramatic self. I wonder if even he is beginning to see how crap his football is.
I can’t work out why we didn’t press and get forward early in the game, as we were playing a team lacking confidence and losing matches. Instead we let them dictate the game, we didn’t seem able to put two or three passes together, but we didn’t lose and another point in the locker.
I agree, Daggs. I was in two minds about watching the game on tv, particularly after last week’s disgracefully lacklustre performance against relegation rival Pompey. However, a point at Southampton tipped me in favour of subjecting myself to another 90+ minutes of hoofball at the Hawthorns. Although a point ‘on the road’ is never to be sniffed at, the performance once again was amateurish and the draw owed much to the Baggies incompetence in front of goal. I think Charlton are the worst footballing side in the division. The standard is appalling. On virtually every occasion, the first thought of a Charlton player is to panic and then lump it anywhere. I don’t know how much more of this l can take. Watching Charlton should carry a health warning!
Charlton recently circulated a questionnaire about supporter satisfaction at The Valley. I already have a bee in my bonnet about the parking situation around the ground in SE7, thanks to Greenwich Council, but l ended up binning the 90% completed form because, in truth, l feel that l have now reached the stage where l don’t really care anymore. The quality of “football” on display is so poor that l don’t feel that the effort in travelling to a game by car – especially for night games – is justified. While the style of play under NJ is effective in accruing points, it is not easily watchable. The one notable achievement goes to the travelling fans who turn up at away games. Their enthusiasm to get behind the team playing this style of football, despite being let down regularly, is remarkable and l salute them.
Fair points Norfolk. But is it better than the football we saw under Nigel Adkins, Johnnie Jackson, Ben Garner, Dean Holden or Michael Appleton?
I would rather survive in the Championship this season, by any means possible, consolidate and then move on from there. Rather than play pretty football and get relegated back to League 1.
As we don’t have the players to play pretty football. We need to be realistic. As you can’t have it all. Anything is better than dropping back into the dross of League 1 football again!
What do people expect? We’re not Man City, we don’t have world class players and we have to live within our means. Consolidation and survival is the primary target this 1st season back in the Championship.
NJ is doing a decent job with the resources tools available to him. As chopping and changing Managers hasn’t worked in the past. Maybe people have short memories. As we need to remember where we are and what we’re up against.
Survival is the current priority. As we’re in a new and tough league! Look at the Teams below us! Be careful what you wish for! As it’s still better than the endless crap served up in League 1 obscurity!
Peter get real., have you actually been watching the games? NJ is doing a decent job with the resources available, what are you talking about? He has actually been given quite a bit of money compared to similar clubs to ourselves, but has wasted a lot of it by buying poor players who aren’t up to or are injury prone, especially from his ex Luton players, Kaminski & Burke come straight to mind, along with others who obviously aren’t now good enough for NJ who have been loaned out such as Apter & Olafe, both who for most of the games have just sat warming the bench and now Kelman our most expensive signing for ages, also bench warming. His tactics are just the same in every game no matter who plays, camp out in our own half and see if we can nick a goal, plus with no wingers to put crosses over to the forwards and the midfield, apart from Carey, hardly ever putting a ball forward and supporting the strikers, little wonder they don’t score! You could have Harland up front but with no service he would have trouble scoring. Plus trying to make TC into a striker &/or wingback, which he is neither, has ruined his game as an out and out winger, but NJ knows best and will continue with his plan to change TC, into something he isn’t!
As others have said this is one of the worst and most boring Charlton teams and to be truthful apart from Sheffield Wednesday are the worst team in this division.
So don’t keep blaming the players as the main man in charge NJ, is mostly at fault, for buying & also loaning quite a few of these players, playing players out of position, hardly using subs and bringing on the wrong ones, negative and one basic formation, with not really knowing what to do when it isn’t working, which now hardly ever does, as all the other clubs know how we set up and play! Its his pig headedness, of just carrying on the same way no matter what, that is mainly causing us problems, not just the players!
I think you need to get real.. as usual more crap from you. You attack people who question you, you are fixed in your NJ views and bore us with your ridiculous opinions.
Fact check : we have one of the lowest budgets in the league.
We have one of highest records of clean sheets and our keeper is part of that record.
If we try to play expansion football like you say, we get ripped apart.
NJ has improved the team.. sorry he has !
TC can’t be just a winger, the game is more advanced that .. he struggles at any position at this level.
We had L1 players coming up, a few million was spent but it inconsequential to other clubs in the same league. That is the real factor, some with a success others won’t that is the transfer market business.
Oxford have struggled, as they lacked any real investment, Portsmouth are down there as well, and they all shop in the free and loans markets.
Please read the previous post where I sent you a reply re the Southampton game, as sorry but you are are the one who talks a load of crap and need to get real. You are the one who can’t accept any critisims as you belief your own hype!
Its plain to see you are an NJ lover and believe he is the Messiah and can do no wrong, well just wise up, hes not and never will be!
Belief it or not but its actually the Manager who picks the team, selects the players he wants and the way he wants them to play and what position they play in, not the players, do you not understand?
Chris Powell, if you have ever heard of him, had no money compared to NJ and he managed to get a team together to play decent and entertaining football and not just camp in their own half to try and seek a goal from somewhere.
Children behave….stop arguing or its early bed,no TV or horlicks !!! 😃
We don’t have to play ‘pretty’ football, just possession football. Too much ‘Hoofball’ just conceeds possession nine times out of ten, as it is easier for opposition defences to mop up arial balls pumped forward, especially if we have no pace up front. NJ needs to pair Kelman with Dykes
I’d like to see more of Kelman.
Play like that against Wrexham and we will get whopped. Once again a Jeckyl and Hyde performance. Where was the ‘grit’ we showed at Southampton.Hoofball was in evidence again, and starting Leaburn with Dykes is a huge mistake. I take my hat off to those supporters that travel to away games, especially midweek. They, and in fact all of us supporters, deserve better. Get the bloody ball down and play. So frustrating.
Dykes and Leaburn equal to ketchup on a roast dinner !!!
I was meant to be at the game last night as a mate of mine live in West Bromwich (poor him) but was quite poorly. So glad I didn’t do the near 400 mile round trip as they played such appallingly probably the one of the worst I ve seen for a while. Now I m not a huge fan of leaburn at this level but he and dykes had nothing given to them in first half. Leaburn then got taken off on came TC think he was even worse than Leaburn tbh. Yes CA Ramsey played well and that’s about it really and of course Carey played well too. That’s the game pretty much summed up. Wrexham and Birmingham two really tough games coming up play like we did last night against these two and I m afraid we ll get thacked. Well done Dykes on getting the goal. One aim still COYR
This season is just staying up doesn’t matter much how we do it ! But knowing us believe there’s more twists and turns to. Ome boring never
Seriously it was like watching us kids in the park in the early 1980s jumpers for goalposts wasn’t it isn’t it nows there’s a thought move over NJ Ron manager is next in line
Like you say, a difficult watch, but somehow a point was gained.
Losing Lloyd concerns me, but I think the midfield is our biggest area of concern. No creativity at all. Nobody who can put their foot on the ball and spray a pass. Berry isn’t, nor will he ever be, the solution to that problem. Perhaps that’s why Jones insists on playing Dykes and Leaburn, so our one-dimensional hoof-ball bypasses those in the middle. For all our hoofing, even if one of them wins a flick on the other is hardly blessed with pace to run on to it. Chambers also looks a little lightweight and was caught out a few times last night. He’s got a great left peg on him, but he’s primarily there to defend and he easily gets out-muscled and out-thought by the more wiley, seasoned Championship players. However, without him we don’t look nearly as balanced, so I think we’ve no option but to persevere with him. I’d sooner him than Macca anyway.
At the end of the day though, whilst the football isn’t going to win any beauty contests, this season was always about survival and plenty of our fans seem to be losing their mind when we don’t win every week. Just a handful of teams in the league have a win ratio of over 50% and we’ve only lost 13 of 34. Add to that we have the most clean sheets, even with Edwards out most of the season and Bell also missing for a period due to injury. Only two years ago we were languishing in 20th place in League One, with Appleton at the helm. We’ve made great strides in that time to be where we are. Sheffield Wednesday aside, we were one of the main favourites to be in the relegation places back in August, reportedly had the smallest wage budget in the league too, so for us to be sitting where we are isn’t a bad achievement and will, in my eyes anyway, be a successful season if we end up in the same position we are in once we’ve all played 46 games this season. I just hope the scouting team have a few Xavis and Iniestas up their sleeve for the summer transfer window to save our necks from another season of kick it to the big lumps up top.
Another point gained, another meltdown queued.
The reality is we could draw our remaining games playing minimal risk football, hitting long diagonals etc looking ugly AF and be safe from L1 and still we’d moan.
We’re shocking going forward but can do it when the opportunity arises. Sure, can’t imagine the players are too excited playing a low block or rigid back 5 like v Soton but they’re also the same players that stunk the place out against Millwall so they can’t have it both ways.
I’ve got no desire to go back to Northampton, Cambridge, Mansfield etc literally don’t care how ugly we are until May, only one thing matters. That and the excuse to whinge of course, can’t be w/out that.
It was a dog of game, and I was wondering I made the trip.
The moment of quality after a period of pressure and we scored. Now we have suffered from not taking our chances and losing or dropping points. A few positives, Dykes looks a useful acquisition, and yeap I had my doubts.., Coventry got about the pitch, the Kenyan lad did ok in the centre of a back 3 and Ramsey had a better game. Leaburn was ineffective but got little service, and our midfield goes too deep. The TC enigma with me keeps coming back. He came off the bench, had little impact and gave the ball away, tbf many others of players did. Southampton and Portsmouth games were the same for me. He processes so much ability, it must be a mentality issue for him. Last night he looked lost .. unsure what to do in certain situations. We don’t create a lot and he does process that ability to unlock or create opportunities with his pace.
Anyway, we move on. Yeap another point, style don’t care as it a result business and survival is the objective. Next season does that need to improve, yes for sure, but like many away fans, having away days to Northampton, Lincoln, Mansfield and such like clubs is not something i want to see for some while.
We have the third smallest budget in the league , are we
punching above our weight with that budget.. simple answer is yes. Does this squad needs improvement, absolutely, midfield is the key area. A ball winner and some creativity is needed. The ability to pass through our midfield and challenge the opposition is something we struggle with. At this level, players need to be consistent and levels can’t fluctuate between games, for me that is the issue with this squad, only a few have shown that ability.
So staying up is the only priority, and we can all debate the pros and cons of players , managers, owners whilst we are relaxing post season, looking forward to another round of championship matches, and just maybe a victorious World Cup! COYRS
I tend to agree with your assessment and like your posts as they are more balanced, unlike others on here who appear to wallow in seas of negativity. Keep the good work and fair play to you going to these away games. Real fans are a rare commodity these days.
Kudos to you for going, RA. It was a real ‘they need us’ game and credit to you and others for making the trip.
Blimey CA. That prompted a load of verbal diarrhoea!! It’s good your blog is acting as therapy for some who keep repeating themselves ad nauseum. So I won’t do the same as I still hold the same views as at the start of the season.
Agree it can’t be a strategy going forward but do you actually think that is likely? Currently I have faith in those in charge – don’t you?
Hi LP.
I can argue both sides, but I am on the Jones train and happy to witness the continued evolution of the club.
Unfortunately CA I think that train will eventually hit the buffers! 🙂
Every managerial train does, Mike.