I think that the fact we have won the last few league games while playing badly has escaped some people, If we win at Blackpool next Saturday and continue to win in the league then does this result really matter?
Again yes I do feel sorry for the fans that went today but to be surprised/angry that there were so many changes surprises me, especially with our injury record.
Comments saying one win next week wont make a difference is laughable, haven't we won the last few games?
We do need a plan B to the diamond formation in my IMO as teams are starting to figure us out.
Lets just support LB and hope we can get out of this awful league.
If we had had the depth of squad that we had under Powell in 2011 then yeah I would probably agree. But get a grip our squad is too thin to take too thin many chances.
This just isn't true is it? We have 2 pros, over 21,in every position. That is not a small squad, do you think Doncaster have 30 plus pros, like we do?
We ain't got squad depth, our last half decent cup run nearly cost us relegation, if being out THE FA Cup coukd guarantee us a play off spot I'd swap it in a heartbeat for an away loss against Birmingham or whoever the fk we would have got had we won.
We got relegated after our quarter final at sheff United? Might as well say we got relegated last time from the 1947 fa Cup run.
We ain't got squad depth, our last half decent cup run nearly cost us relegation, if being out THE FA Cup coukd guarantee us a play off spot I'd swap it in a heartbeat for an away loss against Birmingham or whoever the fk we would have got had we won.
We got relegated after our quarter final at sheff United? Might as well say we got relegated last time from the 1947 fa Cup run.
Can you read?
I apologise I missed the nearly but even so that's not 100% true is it? The back log of games called off for the unplayable pitch were also responsible.
We ain't got squad depth, our last half decent cup run nearly cost us relegation, if being out THE FA Cup coukd guarantee us a play off spot I'd swap it in a heartbeat for an away loss against Birmingham or whoever the fk we would have got had we won.
We got relegated after our quarter final at sheff United? Might as well say we got relegated last time from the 1947 fa Cup run.
Can you read?
I apologise I missed the nearly but even so that's not 100% true is it? The back log of games called off for the unplayable pitch were also responsible.
No need to apologise, not 100% true but had we won that, or drew, it wouldn't have helped us playing them games.
We both can't be right in this instance but tbh we weren't in a great position and more games wouldn't have helped.
Putting aside the team selection argument for a second... That interview after... Don't think I've ever heard a manager so blatantly come out and say he's not bothered that his team performed poorly and lost. I've heard them try to take positives out of a defeat, make excuses or whatever, but just to outright say he isn't fussed??? I want my manager to get mad when we lose not be happy/not bothered about it. What kind of message does that send out to the players?
He's talking like it was a preseason friendly not a competitive fixture!
When I was a lad the FA cup was one of highlights of the season especially the 3rd the excitement of the giants vs non league opposition was amazing. I even use to plan Annual leave around the 3rd round beacause of this. Now it’s just a distraction for teams and for that I feel very sad I applaud teams like Bromley who made it through to the 1st round For Charlton at home and the prospect of a 3rd draw at home or away to a premiere league team I would have thought would be a financial lure. How wrong I was to think that , Just very very disappointing on the field and for us the fans
I also feel sorry for the fans who went today, especially for those who (1) were expecting Bowyer to field a stronger team or (2) took their kids (who have a different view than adults) and wouldn't understand why Bowyer fielded a weakened team.
However, I think some perspective should be had here. In my opinion, the comments deriding Bowyer are a bit much. Under the circumstances he's doing a great job in holding this together if you consider what has been going on in the background. It's not his fault that we have been left with such a threadbare squad and he's doing what he can to give us a chance of promotion. We should think back to what we've had to put up with for the last 3 or 4 years, but memories are short. At least we have someone now who understands Charlton and is giving promotion his best shot.
And, from my point of view and from reading between the lines, it has been obvious that today was low on Bowyers radar so I can't understand the surprise. To me I could see this coming.
Not surprised by the team selection . It was good to see some of the younger players . Marshall really put in a shift , deserved a goal . We actually matched Doncaster for much of the game . Ajose is a waste of space and should get another job .
How long after his original interview were these comments made? Sounds like bollocks to cover up the fact he came out and admitted that he didn't give a shit we lost.
How long after his original interview were these comments made? Sounds like bollocks to cover up the fact he came out and admitted that he didn't give a shit we lost.
At this stage of the season virtually every club is either ‘going for promotion’ or ‘worried about relegation’. So we can’t make this specifIc about us. Every other club, some with considerably smaller squad sizes, have managed not to play their reserve team
Those agreeing with what Bowyer says that we aren’t going to win it so we should protect our best team and not try... I’d love to know if Palace and Arsenal away 69, Wolves away 76, Maidstone 79, Ipswich 81, Spurs 85, Blackburn 93, Chelsea 95, Bristol City and Man U 94, Liverpool 96, Newcastle 97, Coventry & Bolton 01, Dagenham and Spurs 04, Boro 06, Spurs 11, Fulham 12 Sheffield W 14 etc feature in any of your favourite moments following Charlton?
Because if the attitude many of you are saying today is right (resting all our players), then we’ll never probably never experience those moments (and big followings) again.
At this stage of the season virtually every club is either ‘going for promotion’ or ‘worried about relegation’. So we can’t make this specifIc about us. Every other club, some with considerably smaller squad sizes, have managed not to play their reserve team
Those agreeing with what Bowyer says that we aren’t going to win it so we should protect our best team and not try... I’d love to know if Palace and Arsenal away 69, Wolves away 76, Maidstone 79, Ipswich 81, Spurs 85, Chelsea 95, Bristol City and Man U 94, Liverpool 96, Newcastle 97, Coventry & Bolton 01, Dagenham and Spurs 04, Boro 06, Spurs 11, Fulham 12 Sheffield W 14 etc feature in any of your favourite moments following Charlton?
Because if the attitude many of you are saying today is right (resting all our players), then we’ll never probably never experience those moments (and big followings) again.
Bowyer played that night at Anfield in 1996. His biggest moment in a Charlton shirt at that time?
At this stage of the season virtually every club is either ‘going for promotion’ or ‘worried about relegation’. So we can’t make this specifIc about us. Every other club, some with considerably smaller squad sizes, have managed not to play their reserve team
Those agreeing with what Bowyer says that we aren’t going to win it so we should protect our best team and not try... I’d love to know if Palace and Arsenal away 69, Wolves away 76, Maidstone 79, Ipswich 81, Spurs 85, Chelsea 95, Bristol City and Man U 94, Liverpool 96, Newcastle 97, Coventry & Bolton 01, Dagenham and Spurs 04, Boro 06, Spurs 11, Fulham 12 Sheffield W 14 etc feature in any of your favourite moments following Charlton?
Because if the attitude many of you are saying today is right (resting all our players), then we’ll never probably never experience those moments (and big followings) again.
Well I'd say Roland is the factor different to other clubs and situations. If Bowyer keeps Charlton in the cup by playing his best players and it means he loses league games as a consequence due to either injuries, fatigue or both, then he gets no support in January from Roly or worse, the sack.
I say get behind him. There were only 3k there today (including me and the lad) so clearly, like Bowyer, not many are fussed by the cup either. And anyway, who wants to go to the Etihad and get walloped 6-0??
At this stage of the season virtually every club is either ‘going for promotion’ or ‘worried about relegation’. So we can’t make this specifIc about us. Every other club, some with considerably smaller squad sizes, have managed not to play their reserve team
Those agreeing with what Bowyer says that we aren’t going to win it so we should protect our best team and not try... I’d love to know if Palace and Arsenal away 69, Wolves away 76, Maidstone 79, Ipswich 81, Spurs 85, Chelsea 95, Bristol City and Man U 94, Liverpool 96, Newcastle 97, Coventry & Bolton 01, Dagenham and Spurs 04, Boro 06, Spurs 11, Fulham 12 Sheffield W 14 etc feature in any of your favourite moments following Charlton?
Because if the attitude many of you are saying today is right (resting all our players), then we’ll never probably never experience those moments (and big followings) again.
Great post. Excellent point, well made.
But I'm not angry with Bowyer today. Yes I do think we should have sprinkled a few more first teamers into the squad and I would also have felt a bit insulted had I paid my money and gone. But I think this season is a bit of an anomaly, and given our circumstances I can understand sacking off Doncaster at home (different kettle of fish compared to the Palace League Cup game with Luzon which absolutely did me in – there was more of us at Selhurst that night than at The Valley today...)
The club is really fragile and in limbo at the moment. We could barely get a team out at the start of the season. Bowyer and Gallen worked overtime to piece together a team with frees and loans just to make us competitive. We had to throw youngsters in who were barely ready. And after all that, we've now had pretty lengthy injuries to Page, Bauer, Cullen, Pratley, Bielik, Reeves, Forster-Caskey, Clarke, Fosu and Vetokele. at different times this season. Virtually a starting XI there - it's mad. This hasn't been a normal season at all.
I think Bowyer is absolutely desperate to keep our good form intact and can't stand the idea of yet another injury or two derailing us again, and he was willing to let today slide as a result. In my opinion, that's understandable. As always, it's the fans who pay the price and suffer the consequences and I can 100% get why people are pissed off, but I think the extremely fragile state of the club and the squad at the moment means we can be forgiven for not having a crack at the cup this year.
Marshall and Lapslie very good and Phillips but why was Ajose on the pitch as we were playing with ten men with him as a waste of space . got asked to sit down when things got exciting which summed up both west stand and the game. Shame.
Hard not to be cynical about those comments. If Bowyer had come out after the game and said how devastated he was at having to play a weakened team, I might have been more convinced.
Now if Biwyer were to say ‘our biggest priority is a sale and getting rid of Duchatelet’ I think he’s get a lot more support. It may be that league position and promotion are that.
Didn't go. Wasn't really interested. But it's things like this that have been grating away at me for years now.
If people like me are pissed off and angry with how things play out each year then how the bloody hell will this club ever attract new blood in the stands?
I think part of the weakness of the squad is down to recruitment and us buying players who are not natural athletes which increases their susceptibility to injury. The academy players promoted have proven themselves with our training regimes in this respect and don"t often clog up the treatment room.
Bowyer was being pragmatic. It's not an ideal situation. Very much dammed if you do and very much dammed if you don't. We simply have too many injured already. If we had a full squad we could have gambled a bit more. But I think some people need to stop over reacting and get real and see the bigger pictue as Bowyer says. Don't get me wrong I would have loved to have been in that hat for the 3rd round. But Donny might end up with Barnsley in round 3. Ok a local derby for them but not the mouth watering for us (and on paper not a great draw). Then the winners of that end with Reading in round 4. Then we have more injuries a fixture pile up. So no gaurentee of a big side in round 3.
Marshall and Lapslie very good and Phillips but why was Ajose on the pitch as we were playing with ten men with him as a waste of space . got asked to sit down when things got exciting which summed up both west stand and the game. Shame.
When you stand up the people directly behind you have to do the same and then the people behind them have to stand and so on and so on, it is pretty thoughtless of you if you think about it. Stand in row A and pretty soon Row X is standing too! I agree there should be areas in every stadium where fans who prefer to stand can do so, but until there is, you should think of others and not be so selfish mate. Many of those people who are behind you are elderly and don’t want to be jumping up and down continuously, think about it, there are small kids too who simply aren’t tall enough to see over or round grown adults. In the North Stand (especially in the Upper) it’s more or less acceptable, because fans there know it’s going to happen continuously throughout the game and if you buy a ticket in those areas you can hardly complain if fans spend a good deal of the time standing, it goes with the territory so to speak. In other parts of the ground it’s not either expected or acceptable for the reasons I have stated.
I can't believe some of the comments on here. I went today and yes it was shite. But if we win at Blackpool next Saturday Bowyer was 100% correct in his team selection today.
Cause over 10 days rest will really make that much difference than if they had 7 days, right ? Laughable
Putting aside the team selection argument for a second... That interview after... Don't think I've ever heard a manager so blatantly come out and say he's not bothered that his team performed poorly and lost. I've heard them try to take positives out of a defeat, make excuses or whatever, but just to outright say he isn't fussed??? I want my manager to get mad when we lose not be happy/not bothered about it. What kind of message does that send out to the players?
He's talking like it was a preseason friendly not a competitive fixture!
I think you are criticising him for being honest and would have preferred if he lied. I think the message to the players is that our focus is the league. I have sussed out that cups and Charlton do not go together and won't go to these games.
Comments
Again yes I do feel sorry for the fans that went today but to be surprised/angry that there were so many changes surprises me, especially with our injury record.
Comments saying one win next week wont make a difference is laughable, haven't we won the last few games?
We do need a plan B to the diamond formation in my IMO as teams are starting to figure us out.
Lets just support LB and hope we can get out of this awful league.
We both can't be right in this instance but tbh we weren't in a great position and more games wouldn't have helped.
He's talking like it was a preseason friendly not a competitive fixture!
For Charlton at home and the prospect of a 3rd draw at home or away to a premiere league team I would have thought would be a financial lure. How wrong I was to think that ,
Just very very disappointing on the field and for us the fans
However, I think some perspective should be had here. In my opinion, the comments deriding Bowyer are a bit much. Under the circumstances he's doing a great job in holding this together if you consider what has been going on in the background. It's not his fault that we have been left with such a threadbare squad and he's doing what he can to give us a chance of promotion. We should think back to what we've had to put up with for the last 3 or 4 years, but memories are short. At least we have someone now who understands Charlton and is giving promotion his best shot.
And, from my point of view and from reading between the lines, it has been obvious that today was low on Bowyers radar so I can't understand the surprise. To me I could see this coming.
At this stage of the season virtually every club is either ‘going for promotion’ or ‘worried about relegation’. So we can’t make this specifIc about us. Every other club, some with considerably smaller squad sizes, have managed not to play their reserve team
Those agreeing with what Bowyer says that we aren’t going to win it so we should protect our best team and not try... I’d love to know if Palace and Arsenal away 69, Wolves away 76, Maidstone 79, Ipswich 81, Spurs 85, Blackburn 93, Chelsea 95, Bristol City and Man U 94, Liverpool 96, Newcastle 97, Coventry & Bolton 01, Dagenham and Spurs 04, Boro 06, Spurs 11, Fulham 12 Sheffield W 14 etc feature in any of your favourite moments following Charlton?
Because if the attitude many of you are saying today is right (resting all our players), then we’ll never probably never experience those moments (and big followings) again.
I say get behind him. There were only 3k there today (including me and the lad) so clearly, like Bowyer, not many are fussed by the cup either. And anyway, who wants to go to the Etihad and get walloped 6-0??
But I'm not angry with Bowyer today. Yes I do think we should have sprinkled a few more first teamers into the squad and I would also have felt a bit insulted had I paid my money and gone. But I think this season is a bit of an anomaly, and given our circumstances I can understand sacking off Doncaster at home (different kettle of fish compared to the Palace League Cup game with Luzon which absolutely did me in – there was more of us at Selhurst that night than at The Valley today...)
The club is really fragile and in limbo at the moment. We could barely get a team out at the start of the season. Bowyer and Gallen worked overtime to piece together a team with frees and loans just to make us competitive. We had to throw youngsters in who were barely ready. And after all that, we've now had pretty lengthy injuries to Page, Bauer, Cullen, Pratley, Bielik, Reeves, Forster-Caskey, Clarke, Fosu and Vetokele. at different times this season. Virtually a starting XI there - it's mad. This hasn't been a normal season at all.
I think Bowyer is absolutely desperate to keep our good form intact and can't stand the idea of yet another injury or two derailing us again, and he was willing to let today slide as a result. In my opinion, that's understandable. As always, it's the fans who pay the price and suffer the consequences and I can 100% get why people are pissed off, but I think the extremely fragile state of the club and the squad at the moment means we can be forgiven for not having a crack at the cup this year.
It still sucked though.
But it's things like this that have been grating away at me for years now.
If people like me are pissed off and angry with how things play out each year then how the bloody hell will this club ever attract new blood in the stands?
Poor poor show Charlton.
I agree there should be areas in every stadium where fans who prefer to stand can do so, but until there is, you should think of others and not be so selfish mate.
Many of those people who are behind you are elderly and don’t want to be jumping up and down continuously, think about it, there are small kids too who simply aren’t tall enough to see over or round grown adults.
In the North Stand (especially in the Upper) it’s more or less acceptable, because fans there know it’s going to happen continuously throughout the game and if you buy a ticket in those areas you can hardly complain if fans spend a good deal of the time standing, it goes with the territory so to speak.
In other parts of the ground it’s not either expected or acceptable for the reasons I have stated.