Is there something up?
I didn’t see the game today or even followed it. I was watching my daughter swim up in Sheffield followed by a very nice dinner.
It was on paper at least, and I suspect on Charlton TV, pretty woeful the result today in our last pre-season game at home to League One Reading.
First of all. I had no idea that Lewis Wing is still plying his trade at Reading, second of all…. do we have some issues you think beyond the result today?
You can Google a 100 posts on here about my apathy of pre-season friendlies and maybe I’ve had too many Madri’s but do I read more into Nathan Jones’ post match reaction than I should?
Are some of the children posting from their bedroom on X about the owners wanting out and giving Jones a revised low-ball budget onto something?
I understand that this transfer window was going to be different, but by now a year ago we had spent eight times what we have spent today.
We are in the market for a different kettle of player and have much tougher competition for players than we did for those we earmarked a year ago.
Also, we are squad top heavy and Jones has to move players on, but they will probably not go out until the end of the month.
Of course we will know a lot more about the financial situation at the end of the window, and that is still a fair time away (3 league games).
We are not alone in being slow to act in this window, there are many others, and the going rate for your average player today seems to be £5m.
Results in pre-season are unimportant, but what is important is there should be patterns and possibilities and a growing sharpness. All we seem to have had is players at various levels of fitness and a lot of turnover.
Plus we’ve let in poor goals and have struggled to score. Sound familiar?
Last season we started on fire and we gained, under the element of surprise as well, a lot of points in the first quarter of the campaign. Can we afford a slow start?
Staying up season one was critical, but let’s not kid ourselves this division will not suddenly get easier and we all know we are two, three or possibly four quality Championship first team players away from us moving forward.
Jones said that next week’s Carabao Cup will be used as our last pre-season game. Not ideal is it. Also there will be another behind closed doors game on Tuesday.
It’s a long game, and we haven’t even started yet. Is there something up?
Only one thing to say really… kaminski gives me the hebee jeebies. We need a better keeper
We do.
Kaminski was poor….Mannion sitting in the dug out must be 😃 after watching the game.
Hope your daughter did well at the event too
The Guardian says we are up for sale, that says up???
Time will tell, we clearly need a holding midfielder and one or two quality midfielders. If the owners have cried enough, they were/are naive. Losing the pre season friendlies is never the worst outcome. Reading can believe job done, may be their downfall, and we have work to do. In a way, realising this sooner than later is preferential.
Lots of twists to come but the championship is a basket case, be patient.
The 3 goals we conceeded this afternoon is there anybody in the charlton squad capable of scoreing goals of that quality no. Until we get somebody that can stand over a free kick and score from 25 yards we will carry on scatching around for goals. Gary
We were quite good first half and we did create a handful of chances. Knibbs got over eager just before half time and gave away an unneeded free kick 25 yards out (need to train that out of him) which was duly dispatched over the wall to top corner at pace and Kaminski didnt move as it was already nestling. Game got very dissjointed after 60 mins with all the subs and we conceded 2 more decent goals, one from a pitch length breakaway from our free kick in a similar position and Lisbie tortured us quite a bit both down the right and in the pocket. Final score line not really reflective of the overall game tbh.
I’ve a hunch we are/were still in for a midfielder. The ambition to have so many wide men seems bizarre tho. Knibbs was a mistake and doesn’t have the legs for our game and maybe this division, Leaburn can’t score for toffee. Our forward seem half permanently crocked. Why not play Bell at centre half? He’s not a full back lots of bizarre stuff if you ask me. So we still need two high quality signings in my view. I do believe budgets are tight but I do reckon we are trying to bring in a decent signing in central midfield (just instinct), but we clearly also need a striker. Why not play Grant there? If we don’t get the quality in midfield it’s going to be a very long season
We re doomed we re alll doomed kaminsky couldnt catch a cold i said from end of last season we needed 3 new midfielders 2 defenders and 1 decent striker in we have the defenders Grant maybe could do the job with kelman or if Godden stay fit for long enough forget dykes and maybe NJ should give our boy kanu a try just to see what he s capable of defo mannion in goal for me not thomas I have butter on my gloves kaminsky… i m getting a bit worried now should be used to by now as I ve supported this club since 1980 .. COYR we can do this
CA hope your daughters swimming went well, because you didn’t miss much we all know midfield is light and yet no additions,a new goal keeper is a must kaminski is a big problem. The game overall was hard to watch squad to big to many players who are not good enough, let’s hope this week we see some proper movement in and out coyr
Sorry one other point, with the amount of defenders we’ve got are we just going to park the bus all season and hope to nick something
I’m afraid thus far , I still have no faith in Mr Jones’s ability to build a competent team.
Oh boy that performance lacked determination,skill,attitude,aggression,and it was a group of players lost on the pitch with now ideas how to win.
Credit to Reading who looked good with some players who were far better on the day.
Kevin Lisbies son played for Reading and put in a good shift in front of his dad….he would fit into our team anyday.
It’s back to the drawing board for Jones and needs sorting ASAP.
Will finish rock bottom this season. This mob would struggle in a Sunday pub league. We have a Teflon (other non stick brands available) goalkeeper, a defence that’s all over the place and no midfield or forward line. Unable to complete short passes so resort to hoofing it up to anywhere but, with slowcoach Leaburn and lazy Campbell the thought of just getting rid of the ball to hide individual incompetence appeals to most.
I watched the match, it was our defensive co-ordination that really worried me, we gave away too many corners and a needless free-kick that Lewis Wing scored from, and scored too easily at that. There were a few aimless clearances that invited Reading to put the pressure on and we didn’t really have a strong, controlling central midfield.
We are though playing a new formation with a flat back four and two screening defensive midfielders in Cov and Doc, the latter two need to be a bit more physical and dominate their part of the pitch. We looked better when the trialist Chalobah came on and he picked out a few passes and broke up play.
But it will take time for the new formation to settle – Karlan Grant looked ok wide left and Milli Alli replaced him and looked sharp. On the right we played TC – it seemed to be the plan to get crosses in quicker but we lacked numbers in the box to pick them up, one of these wingers plus the number 8 needs to arrive in the box to pick up any loose balls coming their way.
We need a bit more work on the squad – with the SCR rules in place we need to shift on several players and maybe bring in one or two Championship ready players.
We’re a work in progress and I’m not joining the doom and gloom brigade just yet.
I said it a number of times last season and I’ll say it again : Kaminski is a liability. If we are not going to bring in a new keeper then Mannion has to be number 1.
The bookmakers have us as joint second favorites to be relegated. Only Lincoln are at a shorter price. Unfortunately I agree with the bookies assessment and whereas last season I did go into it believing we had a decent chance of staying up during this transfer window and having watched the friendlies I am far less confident about staying up this season.
We could well have a new manager before Christmas.
I truly hope I am wrong on all counts but at this moment things do not look good.
I must admit I didn’t watch the game, but the above comments,as a collective, make me think that was a wise decision. The same comments again and again rear their ugly heads. Sadly,I agree with most of them. Do the management staff see a different game to us supporters? Do they think WE are ALL wrong. The Kaminsky, Midfield, and Striker problems have been there for all to see since last season. The coming season will be a lot harder than last, as there doesn’t seem to be any ‘weak’ teams in the division…..none with point deductions either!! I am hoping there will be a lot happening behind the scenes in the coming days, and the owners have dug deep into their pockets to obtain the quality to avoid relegation. We shall see.
It would not surprise me if NJ’s CV is being circulated elsewhere. He looks to be very frustrated at being handcuffed.
That’s the impression I got too.
Have agree CA….bit worrying…his eyes said it all
The man wears his heart on his chest.
Let’s hope he has his P45 in his pocket……………..
You’ll be happy when he’s gone won’t you. Who’d replace him then?
Lee bowyer or maybe Chris Powell
I did post on here when the transfer window opened that i was told by somebody within the club that nathan was told that he had a £10 million to spend but was later told that 3 million would go to the womens team..people on here told me that i did nt have a clue what i was talking about . Time will tell not a lot spent so far and nathan does not look a happy bunny .
the only thing “up” is the hectoring self-importance of the usual retinue of keyboard worriers sat indoors all day developing nothing useful just ever growing delusions of relevance and worsening rickets from the lack of daylight to which they expose themselves
to read much of their drivel suggests we’ve made no signings at all
2 seasons ago pre-season looked equally shabby and we got promoted
last pre season looked OK, we caught a few sides cold through to September and the rest of the season was a relegation battle
If the side and the “game-changers” look ropey at Cheltenham and no better versus Derby then maybe come concern could be warranted
Until then don’t get dragged into the despond so beloved of the Charlton twatterati
Maybe this has something to do with it – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/03/charlton-athletic-for-sale-the-valley-stadium here we go again 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Yep. Here we go again.
All makes sense now.
I read the guardian article and I’m hoping it’s just media drivel but if they are looking to sell who the hell would buy a bit of a club for over 15 million quid if someone does want to invest they have to purchase the whole thing of that mad knob head Belgium scum bag for this great club to go forward and he’s not stupid so it will never happen
The west stand car park will look amazing with a Sainsbury sign outside it 😢