Dec 6
Ben Garner strikes me as a reasonably smart bloke, he always carried an honest opinion post games, which was refreshing, but in recent weeks and even months the narrative had become a lot more barbed.
In front of the owner on Saturday he pretty much wrote his suicide note by playing a team and formation that issued a ‘what else am I meant to do’ plea.
Please click for moreAnthony Hayes has had an interesting coaching career spending 5 years within Brentford’s progressive coaching set-up before moving to Charlton in 2016.
The Irishman moved through the ranks at The Valley and was promoted by Ben Garner recently to be first team assistant coach. This morning he was given the job of caretaker manager following Garner’s sacking yesterday.
Please click for moreBen Garner has left the club it has been announced on the Official Site.
“Charlton Athletic can confirm the departure of Ben Garner as the club’s men’s first-team Manager” (more)
Please click for moreIt gets from worse to worse still.
Ben Garner said that we are progressing. This is not progression, this is regression – our results, our football, our position, our attendances, our pride.
Please click for moreThat was pitiful.
Hands up, and with apologies to those that had to grin and bear it, notably those who were in Staffordshire, I didn’t watch the game. I was watching my daughter at the national schools debate tournament. No passing along the back line, no lack of effort, no defensive cock up’s, no lack of creativity just courageous and passionate kids expressing themselves.
Please click for moreI’m still pumped after Saturday. Very memorable day, even for those who attended but were on their way to their cars when Dobbo looped that header in.
Sunday’s Charlton Live is well worth a listen this week, as is the podcast Not The Top 20, who spend plenty of time in homage to the game.
Please click for moreWe have had some great games with the Tractor Boys over the years, but that was just mad.
It was a game in which at times we were outplayed, and for periods on top. Defensively it was pretty shambolic, from both sides, but what great character to come back from 2-4 after 95 minutes.
Please click for moreIs tomorrow a must win? Game 12 of the season.
Losing or in our case drawing is a habit. We couldn’t even hang on in the Pizza Cup on Tuesday. I was needlessly annoyed after the game, and despite what Scott Marshall said this was not a youthful team, and it was shocking that after dominating we still lost to a team 3rd bottom of L2 with just one win all season.
Please click for moreWhen asked in the absence of certain players, whether not signed or injured, how he was going to get results, Ben Garner has always answered that it will be hard work and improvement on the training ground.
I understand that. His number one KPI is to improve the players individually and collectively, although I always sigh when manager’s say that they’ve had a great week on the training ground.
Please click for moreI like Ben Garner, he talks thoughtfully and honestly, but he came across uneasily post match tonight.
10 league games, 2 wins and 1 clean sheet, yet an average of around 60% of possession and a total of 4,000 passes. It’s not working Ben.
Please click for moreOver promise and under deliver.
Whatever your feelings on signing Macauley Bonne, the cold facts are the club have waited 3 months after they let Conor Washington go, and 6 weeks since they sold Josh Davison to AFC Wimbledon and waited until the very last seconds of deadline day to try to sign a striker who used to play for us. Martin Sandgaard’s data analytics must be top notch.
Please click for moreMcGrandles, Jaiyesimi, Egbo, Blackett-Taylor, Sessegnon, Aneke. All injured.
You have to feel sorry for Chuks. It wasn’t his fault that Thomas waggled a large contract under his nose in January. I would have grabbed the pen and scribbled my name down very quickly as well.
Please click for moreAlex Gilbey has a few suitors as he decides, or more likely Ben Garner decides if the midfielder’s future is away from The Valley.
I suspect it will be demand of the owner that Garner moves one on from his first team squad to make room for a replacement, likely to be a left-sided centre-half I’m led to believe.
Please click for moreTalk about a game of two halves.
We should have been dead and buried at the break, at least 0-3 down with O’Connell the pinnacle of a dreadful bunch and only Joe Wollacott showing any signs of life with a terrific performance that kept us in the game.
Please click for moreWouldn’t we just love to have that echoing around The Valley. We’d all like nothing more than seeing Miles Leaburn make it big (no pun intended), but although physically he is strong, there have been too many examples over the years of young players being thrown in too early, despite what both Thomas Sandgaard and Ben Garner says.
Ben Garner will know what is needed and has inherited a physical aerial striker in Jayden Stockley, who does not suit Garner’s system, and in Garner’s words “a deconditioned” striker in Chuks Aneke, who already has injury concerns a week before the real business starts.
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Chicago Addick 