Feb 15
Disappointing today. Another football for a fiver and another defeat.. that’s six in a row!
We just were not at the races, beaten by a better team who comfortably worked us out and took easy advantage in the first half and put it in cruise control for the second.
Back with a bang. Wow, I don’t think many of us were expecting that. A squad short on numbers, but never short on belief and resolve, and urged on again by a band of noisy Addicks.
The first half hour was probably as expected, Blackburn dominated possession and we looked like a team thrown a little together in the school playground. Yet there was work rate and the back five looked solid led admirably by Jason Pearce with Darren Pratley in front of him.
After three dark seasons in League One we are back in The Championship, and although I don’t think any of us are under any illusions how hard it’s going to be, it feels good doesn’t it? We’ve spent the majority of our history in the 2nd tier, this will be our 46th season and we hope and support Lee Bowyer to continue us on this journey.
The Championship is stuffed full of clubs who ‘used to be’ with large parachute payments, and those that ‘want to be,’ clubs with lofty ambitions and budgets. Then there are also many ‘that can be.’ Sheffield United the last to prove that with a good manager, stability, a team ethos, great supporters and importantly a plan then the Premier League is not just a dream.
Over a few posts I’m going to attempt to look at our opponents in this season’s EFL Championship, and will do so in alphabetical order.
Something tells me I’m into something good..
It’s back. That exhausting, nerves wrecked, voice croaky feeling. And I only watched it on iFollow!
Brilliant result yesterday, with the players putting in a phenomenal amount of effort. It wasn’t a great game, with few chances, but we won because we wanted it more. We rode our luck, got a goal of Jason Pearce’s arse, Ben Amos made a couple of vital saves, and all through, The Valley was a wall of noise.
Falling badly..
Sadly a not unexpected defeat at Blackburn yesterday. Rovers with their sixth consecutive win and us now without a win in five and stuttering very badly. Goals are a problem and we haven’t kept a clean sheet since October. The game management of Kashi and the directness of Fosu (we have not won since he was injured) are badly missed and relied upon players such as Magennis and Holmes have fallen out of form. Robinson is stuck in his formation and frankly we have been worked out.
Anyone else nervous about tomorrow? Blackburn are the form team in the division and have scored 18 times in their last 6 league games. After a slow start Tony Mowbray is getting Rovers’ act together and they and Wigan look nicely settled in the top two places.
Blackburn have a strong squad, which is sprinkled with some young players and tomorrow will I fear be one of our strongest tests of the season at a time when we are struggling to find any kind of adhesion.
Last season was one to forget for Charlton fans, a dismal and depressing campaign means we are back for a second consecutive season in League One and the names of Fleetwood and Rochdale are becoming more familiar than those of West Ham and Crystal Palace. The 3rd Division looks to have a lot more quality to it this time around strengthening the feeling that last season was such a lost opportunity.
League One this season has a very northern feel to it so I’ll start my look at our rivals by beginning up north and then work my way down. Remember as in other years this is just a few paragraphs of each side, if you want a proper preview then head here.
Huge heartfelt congratulations to Brighton and my mates who have followed them through their peaks and many, many troughs. 20 years ago Brighton were homeless thanks to the ineptitude and irresponsibility of a club chairman who shamelessly sold their historic Goldstone Ground from under them. They subsequently played 70 miles away at Gillingham’s ground for two years before spending 12 seasons at the Withdean athletics stadium, with portable cabins for changing rooms.
But today at their wonderful Falmer stadium, a legacy to the generous and patient Tony Bloom, the Seagulls returned to the countries top division 34 years after they were last there, and in that time only Steve Gritt and a last-day draw at Hereford stopped them from sinking into the non league, and potentially the abyss.
Brighton have long been ready for the Premier League and they are a proper club, with proper fans and the long friendship with Charlton supporters runs very deep.
A lot better, but it could hardly have been worse. Just the one goal conceded this week predictably by Jordan Rhodes. But a more combative and hard working performance for sure for Jose Riga to build on and the next two games are huge.
More players are needed though, goals are a problem, in fact with JBG completely out of form, creativity leading to goal opportunities are at a premium.
The squad is so devoid of quality that I really hope that Riga is further allowed to strengthen the squad with some quality and not just padding. It was very noticeable that neither Ricardo Vaz Te, Diego Poyet, Roger Johnson or Rhys Williams were in the starting line up yesterday. Williams and Vaz Te not even in the squad. I would not be surprised if Williams is sent back to Middlesbrough early as I’d imagine Duchatelet would want to see some outward movement.
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The biggest defeat of a season that is rapidly turning from hopeful to worrying. A straightforward win for Blackburn today, who like Huddersfield before them won their first game of the season against the Addicks. If it wasn’t for Nick Pope the score may well have resembled a rugby score.
Jordan Rhodes scored twice, his 9th and 10th goals against Charlton, the first coming at a killer time seconds before the break.
Up until then the 1st half sounded reasonably decent from our perspective although we had to thank young Nick Pope for allowing us to even be in the game after two superb saves early on, both from that thorn in our side, Rhodes. Funny how we used to joke that Michael Morrison used to carry the Scotsman around in his pocket. No, I’m not laughing either.
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The final part of my look at our Championship rivals. Part I is here and Part II is here.
In this section I will look at the teams the bookies have bundled together in the middle of the table, and those who the bookies have flagged as likely relegation fodder.
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A look at Blackburn’s team sheet told us everything we needed to know about the chasm in quality between us and many teams in this division. Yeovil and Barnsley have finally succumbed, the grim reaper is looking for one more candidate and we move onto another home game to finally, hopefully, put this wretched season to bed.
Blackburn Rovers have under-achieved this season as have many others with rich resources. Leicester and Burnley have run away with the league winning 56 games between them, whilst others have bumbled around trying to get into the play-off’s or spent the season frantically peering over their shoulders.
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A warning shot to those of us that are pining for strange men walking into The Valley with bags full of cash, fancy job titles and hair brained ideas of Champions League places as the Venky’s, which has become a byword for Comedy Relief, today disposed of their 3rd Blackburn manager this season.
67 days ago Michael Appleton was given a two and a half year contract after walking out on Blackpool but after he proved further that the Chicken men really should have stayed in Bollywood or at least with Steve Kean, he too was given a cheque to go away with Rovers 4 points off relegation.
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Chicago Addick 