This result was no surprise as Preston are on the up with a competant manager so in fact it sounds like it was a decent effort but undone by the usual inability to defend set pieces. Fact is we are seven points adfrift (eight if you include goal difference) so for me it is League 1 next year. I don't agree with other posters that the Parky era was worse this is by far a poorer team and on the face of it won't compete next year either soit could be a downward spiral.
After 55 years of supporting Charlton this for me is an all time low at least when were Nomads at Selhurst and Upton Park we had a team we could get behind but this lot don't look bothered or capable. All the while this regime is in place I will no longer invest my money in a season ticket if the makes the situation worse then so be it, things may have to get worse befiore they can get better the only solution is for RD and his cronies to fuck off. For me this is not just depressing but also upsetting.
@RedChaser (up the page a bit ) has nailed it .. we weren't terrible, just could not find the guile or skill to get through a very efficient defence and our defence and pressing up the field game was vulnerable as ever to the quick break on the counter attack ..
The three centre half formation was a paradox, it looked to be working OK then for the umpteenth time this season we concede from a corner, mind you Garner is a good poacher (as well as an Oscar level actor) but with four big men, including BigMak, he should no way have been allowed the space to score .. BUT .. it was a very accurate header into the corner of the net and gave Henderson no chance .. I liked Solly in midfield buzzing around as was Cousins, both went off injured and that cost us some impetus though Fanni and Ba did OK Motta looked promising, Fox did OK going forward, although our crossing into the box from both sides was VERY bad .. up front we were toothless and I repeat that was due in large part to a rock solid PNE defence, as hard as BigMak JBG and Lookman tried they were outsmarted and outmuscled most of the time.
All through the game the PNE players persistently obstructed and were forever shirt pulling, the referee let them get away with most of it .. that led to an uncharacteristic and frustrated bout of aggression from Lennon and Sanogo's booking for a bit of elbow music before he'd even touched the ball
To sum up .. Possession is NOT 9/10 of the law, we had more of the ball and were unable to capitalise on that fact .. we got nothing from a game from which we could have got something with not so much a bit of luck as a bit of fortune (I know the difference is almost negligible) .. the 3/5/2 .. 5/3/2 gives us some fluidity and should be persevered with .. however, even one point from this game would not really have been enough, no points opens the relegation trapdoor even wider .. we were beaten on the night by a better managed, more confident, more consistent and better organised outfit
P.S. I am writing this in a Preston hotel room .. it has just started to snow ..
Playing reasonably well, but making silly mistakes and get punished for them is generally a sign of a team facing the drop, luck seems to go that way...
For me, the time has come to prepare for next season. As I think both Bauer and Teixera are half way decent, and will be unlikely to be with us next season, start the process of converting Fox into a centre-back, play Yun or THD (when fit), even Bergdich, as LB for the rest of this season. Identify what the midfield for next season should be, and who should be cover, and play them/have them in the match day squad.
I'm not so sure there will be the exodus, if he don't mind the thought of losing money with relegation he may well keep most of the squad that are actually on contracts.
Well done those who went to Preston on a Tuesday night to watch this shower of shite. - respect
but it wasn't a 'shower of shite' .. it was a decent game and at the very least the Addicks players had a go .. they were just outplayed by a better team
Charlton's chances of Sky Bet Championship survival took another hit with a 2-1 defeat to Preston and boss Jose Riga concedes a lack of quality could cost his side a place in the division..
I was very pissed off when I wrote my bit about the match last night. In retrospect I'd say that the team are better under Riga, you can see what he is trying to do. last night he set the team up to counter PNE, I thought the three defenders did well but our attacking was poor, we either broke quickly down the wings and then the centres were over hit to nobody, or it was slow sideways build up giving the PNE defence time to get in their defensive formation which we just could not find a way through. Mak is to slow and clumsy in a ball at feet situation and Lookman is just too young and inexperienced. Now if Igor had been fit and playing it might have been different.
Riga is improving the team and there is hope but it is too little too late.
As an Addick who lives overseas, you follow the team the best you can...odd stream and cafc player.I didnt understand quite how bad the situation was until I attended the last three games. Preston were very poor and we were worse, the flawed transfer policy was summed up in this one game. While you can see that Motta and Fanni are technically very good they aren't match fit,the perplexed look on Solly's (one of our few intelligent footballers)face when he was substituted. Johnson is bad but the only talker in the back 6 and Simon's attitude to the cause was summed up by the Lookman cross across goal towards the end no effort to even get into the 6 yard box.Cousins wasn't ready to be rushed back and will now be out for longer and Johan despite being one of the better players is far to lightweight to be in a midfield three,is a 451 winger position the only place we could possible play him so he isn't a liability to the team?I also hope that Lookman head hasn't been turned in the recent transfer window yesterday he looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
I'd like to hear about Cousins' injury and in particular whther it is connected to the previous one. I'm increasingly convinced the fitness and medical staff are as incompetent and under resourced as the coaching staff (as eloquently pointed out by @Tutt-Tutt above). Didn't Riga talk to the press after, and if so did he cover it?
When players don't want to play or need time off mentally/physically they will often overdo an injury or completely fake it, in JC case regardless of whether it's a serious injury or not the boy needs time off; he has been overused and the boy needs a rest. Imagine how mentally drained he must be right now, he wants stability under a coach as much as the rest of us.
I know we are all hurting and frustrated at another loss. But to say we are dead and buried and players don't care does not stack up. This was an away game on a cold Tuesday night up north against an in form team. We would not be surprised to have been stuffed! We lost by the odd goal, played last 20 mins with ten men, had same number of shots on target and had the larger possession percentage. Now I wasn't there and the stats may well lie but on the face of it the players gave it a go??
Or we have actually got half decent players but the whole preparation, confidence, organisation, and direction is so shit that we get rolled over by average sides week in week out.
We have turned up at Preston with a new system, new line up, and players out of position, three days after the last game. That means after ONE TRAINING SESSION. For the coaching staff to even think that will work shows how inept and under qualified they are. You can't throw a set of players together, in a new system and expect it to work. That smacks of panic from a coaching staff devoid of knowledge, experience and ideas.
Yet again, it looks like no scouting, so no organisation at set plays, especially corners. Not that there has been any time to get organised, as we have had to put in a new pattern of play in two days. I'm guessing yesterday was a light training session before travelling north, after a recovery session on Sunday. A Kent Invicta manager would not attempt re-structuring the whole football plan in three days, without working on it. They are Amatuers and it's a complete shambles.
The evidence now is that it wasn't Riga or Carol in 2014, it was Dyer & Mathew who put in the work that kept us up, on the back of Jacko's rallying call, because those two Belgian numpties have been shown up to be clueless.
We also had games in hand and enough pre-RD players who had quality and professional determination, sadly this season we have neither of these nor Dyer and Mathew.
This season we have KM, RD, JR and our fingers crossed. I wonder if, in the great card game of life, crossed fingers trumps 3 of a kind?
Well done @Redmidland and others for the match thread again.
must admit expected expected to lose today. Hoped for a win. Sounded like again we looked good until shopping a set piece goal, super happy to equalise more or less immediately. Second goal lost from a set piece is difficult to get back, lost interest really other than late checking of the thread as in a bar with a gunner in Switzerland winding him up as his team lost. Can't say i took any satisfaction from their loss either which is unusual.
Will be at the Valley on Saturday.
Could you get your gunner mate to pop over to Belgium and bump off Roly.
Well done those who went to Preston on a Tuesday night to watch this shower of shite. - respect
but it wasn't a 'shower of shite' .. it was a decent game and at the very least the Addicks players had a go .. they were just outplayed by a better team
Quite agree Lincs. I've criticised the team in the past when I've thought they've deserved it but last night they all worked really hard for the entire 90 minutes and didn't deserve to come away empty handed. Two moments of carelessness cost us the points against a team which has won a lot of plaudits recently in a match in which we had most of the play. The new boys all did well and Mak had a decent go at leading the line, holding the ball up and playing others in. The worst aspect of the reshuffle, I thought, was playing Solly in midfield. This has been tried before and it doesn't work. Solly is not a ball chaser or midfield general. He is an intelligent full back and playing him anywhere else diminishes his contribution to the team. Overall, however, there was plenty of evidence that the boys are not giving up the fight even if some supporters are. At the end of the game their efforts were quite rightly applauded by those of us there. Travelling home afterwards I couldn't help feeling deeply miffed that we'd got nothing from the game. It's the way of things when you're at the bottom, of course, but if only we could cross the ball effectively, take decent corners and had a natural goalscorer...
Well done those who went to Preston on a Tuesday night to watch this shower of shite. - respect
but it wasn't a 'shower of shite' .. it was a decent game and at the very least the Addicks players had a go .. they were just outplayed by a better team
Quite agree Lincs. I've criticised the team in the past when I've thought they've deserved it but last night they all worked really hard for the entire 90 minutes and didn't deserve to come away empty handed. Two moments of carelessness cost us the points against a team which has won a lot of plaudits recently in a match in which we had most of the play. The new boys all did well and Mak had a decent go at leading the line, holding the ball up and playing others in. The worst aspect of the reshuffle, I thought, was playing Solly in midfield. This has been tried before and it doesn't work. Solly is not a ball chaser or midfield general. He is an intelligent full back and playing him anywhere else diminishes his contribution to the team. Overall, however, there was plenty of evidence that the boys are not giving up the fight even if some supporters are. At the end of the game their efforts were quite rightly applauded by those of us there. Travelling home afterwards I couldn't help feeling deeply miffed that we'd got nothing from the game. It's the way of things when you're at the bottom, of course, but if only we could cross the ball effectively, take decent corners and had a natural goalscorer...
Good post .. I will differ on one point only, Solly .. I like him in the 'roving' midfield role and think that if it is persisted with, he will become VERY useful in that role .. also, it allows Motta to play at full back where he looked totally at ease and fitted in well, alas, he's only here on a short deal
Travelled from Ireland to watch my first game in a few years, spirit and passion of Powell years clearly gone. Hendo sadly at fault for the first but was left exposed a lot, made up for it with a great save late on, nice goal from jbg but looked a bit lightweight apart from that. Missed the Lennon incident but after all garners play acting he wasn't long walking off the pitch. Fanni coming on was a bright light hopefully he starts from here on out.
Think the press, especially the local press need to turn he heat up a notch or ten now. The SLP and the newsshopper have been good so far, but they need to really give them hell.
KM will just ban the NS if they make it too uncomfortable
Before his sending off I thought that Lennon was having his most assured game for us. Playing in a back three gave him licence to bring the ball out from the back and he did this with skill and pace. I did not see the incident for the sending off, can anyone clarify the details?
Surely it was Mak at fault for the first, must have been the man asked to mark Garner I would have thought. Bet Garner would have got no where near with Yann in our side.
For whatever reason, tonight I feel confident RD will be gone in the summer, he never comes and has no interest so is going to realise this is a money pit in League One. Maybe that is why he is not really preparing for it.
Call me old fashioned, but a defender on the post for the corner would have kept the first one out.
I know we are all hurting and frustrated at another loss. But to say we are dead and buried and players don't care does not stack up. This was an away game on a cold Tuesday night up north against an in form team. We would not be surprised to have been stuffed! We lost by the odd goal, played last 20 mins with ten men, had same number of shots on target and had the larger possession percentage. Now I wasn't there and the stats may well lie but on the face of it the players gave it a go??
Or we have actually got half decent players but the whole preparation, confidence, organisation, and direction is so shit that we get rolled over by average sides week in week out.
We have turned up at Preston with a new system, new line up, and players out of position, three days after the last game. That means after ONE TRAINING SESSION. For the coaching staff to even think that will work shows how inept and under qualified they are. You can't throw a set of players together, in a new system and expect it to work. That smacks of panic from a coaching staff devoid of knowledge, experience and ideas.
Yet again, it looks like no scouting, so no organisation at set plays, especially corners. Not that there has been any time to get organised, as we have had to put in a new pattern of play in two days. I'm guessing yesterday was a light training session before travelling north, after a recovery session on Sunday. A Kent Invicta manager would not attempt re-structuring the whole football plan in three days, without working on it. They are Amatuers and it's a complete shambles.
The evidence now is that it wasn't Riga or Carol in 2014, it was Dyer & Mathew who put in the work that kept us up, on the back of Jacko's rallying call, because those two Belgian numpties have been shown up to be clueless.
But this is more of the same shit. Along the same lines as anyone can be a manager, any player can play in any position, any chimp can be a CEO of a football club. Any team can play in any formation. Our league position shows that all of this is utter bollocks.
. We deserved at least a point but it is just not to be and when you are down in the dumps nothing seems to go for you. Ironically with three of our home grown off the field before the final whistle the finishing 10 didn't look like 10 men, go figure that.
This sums is up for me. It felt like the kind of match where, when you're down near the bottom, you get nothing from. We finished the game with a French, an Italian, and a Danish international on the pitch, and we had a very weakened side out there.
It's probably useless optimism but I hope Riga sticks with three at the back on Saturday. I hope sticks Young on the left, leaves Motta on the right, and either moves Fox in to CB or brings in Fanni. Tex and Fanni are good on the ball, and play 3 at the back means Johnson doesn't have to touch it. Also, can't remember the last time we had that much possession, even if it didn't work for us in this match.
13 games to go.
I wasn't there but my brother was.....and he says we played quite well, looked in the game for long stretches but made a couple of silly mistakes that cost us a result.
Who was that who got skinned twice for the second goal? Shocking.
Fox. Really was non-league level defending.
From the highlights what was Fox doing on the right side of the box ? He was caught out 2 on 1. Where were the rest of the defenders ? The first goal really needed a defender on the post. Not sure why that didn't happen.
After the second goal Preston could have easily added a couple more before Sanago's close shot. I think Sanago might get a few goals once he gets going.
Since supporting Charlton from about 1967 I've witnessed some awful games and dire Charlton teams,this was not one of them. The line up was mystifying, but like the rest of the hardened, bit cynical but still strangely optimistic Charlton fans was there to support the team. I was sat in front of the lovely old lady who knew how to shout and get behind the team for the whole game.
I was surprised by how much possession we had and how well we was passing the ball around. Preston seemed to be giving us tons of space and didn't look up for a fight. Mak was winning most balls, I think with a fit Igor we would of scored a few in the first half. Lookman is full of energy but at the moment hasn't the body strength needed and gets frustrated to easy. The PNE goal came as a bit of a surprise and sadly to our defence as well. Bloody corners. But a good goal from JBG kept positive spirits going in the away end. Motta looks like a class player, good positioning and physical strength, Texiara was a huge presence and dealing with most balls coming into the box, Johnson was ok but a bit of a liability, overly physical and giving away free kicks. Solly was working hard maybe a bit too hard trying to be everywhere and chasing the ball a bit, like a right back in midfield I guess.
Corners our undoing in the 2nd half, we manage to concede from a counter attack from one of our own badly taken corners, We manage to go down to ten men from another one of our corners. Ba, for probably a completely knackered Solly added a bit more drive into midfield. The appearance of Fanni gave something for the home supporters to laugh about. We came close a few times, but lacked the killer instinct that Igor might of given us. A brief appearance by Sanago saw at last we had someone who could make well timed runs to latch onto balls from Mak, but too little to late. Team clapped of by the travelling faithful, felt positive driving home. fuck knows why, guess its called being a Charlton supporter.
That's more like it a mostly positive match report from a loyal travelling fan. Well done and thankyou for giving us a brighter outlook from a defeat we seemed to do quite well in! It's coming along me thinks we will surprise alot of peeps and put a run together! Just watch
£200 lighter but good night in the sack (?) ( reference to the wonderful beds in Premier Inns!)
Alas, still no points but at least scored a goal
And for dinner tonight we had toad in the hole "
I know...don't give up the day job.
Yes, home at last from the chilly north west, with a slightly lighter heart than when we left here yesterday morning.
Following a really nice meal & the usual pre match tipple with a dear friend , we made our way to Deepdale at the last minute by taxi ....those large glasses up north severely impair the senses. I could swear that clock had stopped !
We managed to find some seats on the stroke of 7.45 but took some minutes before the make up of our team could be unravelled. Delighted to see young Jordan back & felt he made a significant difference until he sadly picked up another knock. Another plus was that Guddy seemed sharper & had more urgency than of late. Preston seemed a well organised side that looked as though they knew each other's game very well. By the time that Fanni & Sanogo entered the fray, I doubted whether our lads even knew each others' names !
So, no waiting until the 44th minute for a goal this time. Instead, we appear to be swapping that cliché for " Oh no ! It's a corner !" Mind you, the same could be said of OUR corners ....neither Guddy nor Lookie exactly nailed one last night. But, lo & behold, we struck back before half time & there was a glimmer of something in the away end at half time although hope is a word we're frightened to use this season.
And it wasn't long before Preston finished the job and despite some decent football & chances created by our lads, Lennon's red card was the ultimate blow. There were definite signs of more commitment from the Reds and on the whole it was a better performance than that we saw at Fulham. It's clear that Jose has made a difference but the new arrivals should have been added to the squad weeks ago & bedded in by now as opposed to still finding their feet. IMHO we need what other teams around us have - a settled team - but with Jordan now injured again and Harry out for 3 matches, changes will be forced on the manager once again. Thanks to M.Duchatelet, it's likely to be too little too late to save us from relegation.....
We took a bus back to the hotel & spoke to several Preston fans en route. They were quick to tell us that Charlton wasn't the worst team they'd seen at Deepdale this term which is quite a feat considering the number of players AND managers we've had since August. Little consolation though especially on a night when other results were in our favour. This is a season that will be remembered as the "If only " one.
If only we could defend corners.
If only we had a fit, prolific striker ( or two).
If only KF had never set foot in The Valley.
If only Roland had turned his attention to a Club in SE16.
Comments
After 55 years of supporting Charlton this for me is an all time low at least when were Nomads at Selhurst and Upton Park we had a team we could get behind but this lot don't look bothered or capable. All the while this regime is in place I will no longer invest my money in a season ticket if the makes the situation worse then so be it, things may have to get worse befiore they can get better the only solution is for RD and his cronies to fuck off. For me this is not just depressing but also upsetting.
The three centre half formation was a paradox, it looked to be working OK then for the umpteenth time this season we concede from a corner, mind you Garner is a good poacher (as well as an Oscar level actor) but with four big men, including BigMak, he should no way have been allowed the space to score .. BUT .. it was a very accurate header into the corner of the net and gave Henderson no chance ..
I liked Solly in midfield buzzing around as was Cousins, both went off injured and that cost us some impetus though Fanni and Ba did OK
Motta looked promising, Fox did OK going forward, although our crossing into the box from both sides was VERY bad .. up front we were toothless and I repeat that was due in large part to a rock solid PNE defence, as hard as BigMak JBG and Lookman tried they were outsmarted and outmuscled most of the time.
All through the game the PNE players persistently obstructed and were forever shirt pulling, the referee let them get away with most of it .. that led to an uncharacteristic and frustrated bout of aggression from Lennon and Sanogo's booking for a bit of elbow music before he'd even touched the ball
To sum up .. Possession is NOT 9/10 of the law, we had more of the ball and were unable to capitalise on that fact .. we got nothing from a game from which we could have got something with not so much a bit of luck as a bit of fortune (I know the difference is almost negligible) .. the 3/5/2 .. 5/3/2 gives us some fluidity and should be persevered with .. however, even one point from this game would not really have been enough, no points opens the relegation trapdoor even wider .. we were beaten on the night by a better managed, more confident, more consistent and better organised outfit
P.S. I am writing this in a Preston hotel room .. it has just started to snow ..
Riga is improving the team and there is hope but it is too little too late.
This season we have KM, RD, JR and our fingers crossed. I wonder if, in the great card game of life, crossed fingers trumps 3 of a kind?
Put Roland on the top
Put the other two in the middle
And burn the fucking lot
At least the players are trying.
After the second goal Preston could have easily added a couple more before Sanago's close shot. I think Sanago might get a few goals once he gets going.
Hendo
Solly. Tex. Johnson. Suk Young
Fanni
Ba
Motta. Gudmundsson
Big Mac
Lookman
With a bench looking like
Reza,Harriott, Igor (if fit), Sarr, Pope, Poyet, Kennedy
£200 lighter but good night in the sack (?) ( reference to the wonderful beds in Premier Inns!)
Alas, still no points but at least scored a goal
And for dinner tonight we had toad in the hole "
I know...don't give up the day job.
Yes, home at last from the chilly north west, with a slightly lighter heart than when we left here yesterday morning.
Following a really nice meal & the usual pre match tipple with a dear friend , we made our way to Deepdale at the last minute by taxi ....those large glasses up north severely impair the senses. I could swear that clock had stopped !
We managed to find some seats on the stroke of 7.45 but took some minutes before the make up of our team could be unravelled. Delighted to see young Jordan back & felt he made a significant difference until he sadly picked up another knock. Another plus was that Guddy seemed sharper & had more urgency than of late. Preston seemed a well organised side that looked as though they knew each other's game very well. By the time that Fanni & Sanogo entered the fray, I doubted whether our lads even knew each others' names !
So, no waiting until the 44th minute for a goal this time. Instead, we appear to be swapping that cliché for " Oh no ! It's a corner !" Mind you, the same could be said of OUR corners ....neither Guddy nor Lookie exactly nailed one last night. But, lo & behold, we struck back before half time & there was a glimmer of something in the away end at half time although hope is a word we're frightened to use this season.
And it wasn't long before Preston finished the job and despite some decent football & chances created by our lads, Lennon's red card was the ultimate blow. There were definite signs of more commitment from the Reds and on the whole it was a better performance than that we saw at Fulham. It's clear that Jose has made a difference but the new arrivals should have been added to the squad weeks ago & bedded in by now as opposed to still finding their feet. IMHO we need what other teams around us have - a settled team - but with Jordan now injured again and Harry out for 3 matches, changes will be forced on the manager once again. Thanks to M.Duchatelet, it's likely to be too little too late to save us from relegation.....
We took a bus back to the hotel & spoke to several Preston fans en route. They were quick to tell us that Charlton wasn't the worst team they'd seen at Deepdale this term which is quite a feat considering the number of players AND managers we've had since August. Little consolation though especially on a night when other results were in our favour. This is a season that will be remembered as the "If only " one.
If only we could defend corners.
If only we had a fit, prolific striker ( or two).
If only KF had never set foot in The Valley.
If only Roland had turned his attention to a Club in SE16.