Feb 28
A most unlikely result that most of us would probably have taken before the game.
Posh score a lot of goals, but have a tendency to let a few in and we can’t keep a clean sheet. Only Peterborough’s third draw of the season, two of those against us!
Please click for moreThis week sees us wrap up a run of playing five of the top six and six of the top 9 in recent weeks.
We face the bi-polar Peterborough tomorrow in the re-arranged January game. After losing badly to Bolton and then away at Fleetwood, Posh have taken six points and scored eight goals in the last two games.
Please click for moreLike him, loathe him, respect him, the Posh chairman made a swift and decisive response to today’s very late postponement.
MacAnthony tweeted that he and his joint owner Jason Neale will personally pay for coaches to take all away fans with tickets to the re-arranged game. Those that cannot make the game will get a full refund plus a ticket to the next time the teams meet at London Road.
Please click for moreToday’s game at Peterborough has been called off just over an hour before kick-off with almost a couple of thousand Charlton fans almost certainly already in the town or close by.
Those Addicks travelled in the knowledge that the home side were positive the game would go ahead that there was no need to inspect the pitch last night or early this morning. Posh waited until the arrival of the match officials to make the first and only inspection at 1.30pm, and after a serious of conversations the decision was made to the call the game off due to a frozen pitch with the clock ticking around to 2pm.
Please click for moreThe team that never draws draws against a team that does it a lot.
A very dull first half, a much better 2nd half and a draw probably a fair result. We missed a couple of gilt-edged chances but they hit the bar twice and Maynard-Brewer made a very good double save in the first half.
Please click for moreWhere to begin….
As they say, there is a lot to unpack here.
Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard today appointed four “experienced professionals in senior roles at the club.” (more)
Please click for moreCan we not play away every week? Another home defeat, six wins all season, and just two since before Christmas.
For all of our possession I thought it was clear where the two teams sit in the table. Hard to be too disappointed, we played alright just lacked that bit of quality and final ball in and around their box. They were happy to soak up the pressure, and our set-plays were not like they have been under Adkins. Perhaps we should have saved a goal from Tuesday!
This team feels so hard to love, or even like a little at the moment. You just cannot make mistakes like that and get away with it. They are not learning and are not good enough.
For 60 minutes if we weren’t good enough, then they were at least battling on a quagmire of a pitch, and doing enough to defend our lead given to us by a generous penalty converted by Washington.
I don’t think I was the only one saying that we dodged a bullet when our January move to Peterborough’s Marcus Maddison fell through. At the nightfall of the January window we were told that Maddison couldn’t be bothered with the London traffic and Posh owner Darragh MacAnthony covered for his counterfeit mate Southall that Maddison was a bad egg and we were both better off without him.
History now tells us to trust no one and we were all taken for a huge ride, MacAnthony as well.
We’ll push on with this even though we are two games in. For Part II we are moving south to Lincolnshire as I continue my preview of our League One competitors.
Lincoln City comfortably survived their first season in tier 3 for over 20 years and will approach this season confident of further improvement under Michael Appleton.
Last word on the transfer window.
You have to admire Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAntony who issued a video diary today of his open and honest thoughts of the transfer window. You can watch here, and it gets interesting after about 4 minutes as he discusses Marcus Maddison.
Maddison it seems had no interest at all in coming to us. London was a turn off and he initially refused even to meet Bowyer and Gallen. When he did he demanded too much money like he did to Birmingham and another unnamed Championship club.
Maybe when Matt Southall and Darragh MacAnthony met in Costa last week for a latte more than coffee was on their minds. Turns out that Peterborough chairman MacAnthony has accepted a bid from Charlton for midfielder Marcus Maddison. Two other Championship clubs have put in bids but only the Addicks have permission to talk to the player.
Oh look. A new pronouncement from our leader.
The old bugger escaped from his ward again this afternoon and managed to crank open the charge nurse’s typewriter.
No…. not a well done message to Lee Bowyer for our very encouraging start, or to the noisy Addicks in the big crowd on Saturday. Or to explain how he supported the manager in the transfer window, even though it meant selling another Premier League star of the future. Not even a pat on his own back by telling the story of turning down Brentford’s seven offers for Lyle Taylor.
Nerves rattled both Portsmouth and Sunderland last night when with an eye on second place both came unstuck meaning that without kicking a ball both Luton and Barnsley were promoted.
Peterborough were two-up at Fratton Park, but then we’re hauled level. However with their own promotion push on a knife edge Posh went back in front and are now a point behind Doncaster. On Sunday Peterborough are at home to Burton and Doncaster home to Coventry.
Who one of those plays in the play-offs is all up for grabs. Even the Addicks can snatch 3rd on Sunday but Portsmouth are in pole position facing Accrington at home, although Stanley did score five last week. Sunderland have a tricky one away at Southend, who need to win.
Bow put on a brave face when talking about our promotion rivals spending in the January transfer window, but if it didn’t only highlight the budgetary disparities between us and them, it also shone a massive spotlight on differing board ambitions.
None of the clubs at the top with us are loaded with money, yet Bow’s fellow managers and Steve Gallen equivalents were all allowed to haggle and barter in the window for the betterment of their squads and Sunderland, Portsmouth, Luton and Peterborough have all come out the other end with a deeper and, on paper at least, a stronger collection of players.
Doncaster, who have one of the lowest budgets in the league, were pretty inactive in January but importantly kept John Marquis despite interest from Sunderland, and a late bid from Swansea. In demand Alfie May also signed a contract extension.
Chicago Addick 