just putting things into perspective. I'm not for any minute trying to say Kirk is a better player, but what i am saying it we 100% make him a scapegoat. Proofs in the pudding. Lets compare there stats for us;
CBT
73 Games
11 Goals
9 Assists
4.108 Minutes Played'
Kirk
43 Games
3 Goals
6 Assists
2.348 Mins Played'
now if you want to include Kirk's stats from his loans, well it's actually pretty intriguing;
For Burton
14 Games 2 Goals 1 Assist - 764 Minutes Played
Blackpool Loan
9 games 0 goals 3 Assists - 560 Minutes Played
So in total for Kirk for the past 2 seasons
66 games 5 Goals 10 Assists 3672 Minutes Played.
Not a massive difference between one that is classed as our most creative player and one who almost everyone (myself Included) want us to ditch. Kirk has Assisted one more, in less minutes and games and scored 6 less. Now if that doesn't show you that they are both as shit as each other, nothing will.
With CBT it’s clear that he has improved over time, his numbers last season were better than the year before. This season he has 2 assists in 4 games already so we might see better numbers again.
Also just using goals/assists is very surface level, especially when most of CBTs first season was playing as a wing back. CBT played in Kirk’s position last season and scored 8 goals, which is more than Kirk has managed to get in a season since 2018/19 when he was in league 2.
CBT also offers a lot more in terms of being an outlet and getting us up the pitch which isn’t reflected in those basic stats
one thing i will say on Kirk is Edun is the perfect foil for him, If you look at the relationship in which he had his best spell at Crewe, his LB was Pickering. If we played a formation to suit his style, i think Edun would be the ideal person behind him to get the best out of Kirk.
The question is whether Kirk is good enough for you to pick your style and formation with the aim of getting the best out of him. For Crewe he was good enough for them to do that, but for us he just isn’t
one thing i will say on Kirk is Edun is the perfect foil for him, If you look at the relationship in which he had his best spell at Crewe, his LB was Pickering. If we played a formation to suit his style, i think Edun would be the ideal person behind him to get the best out of Kirk.
The question is whether Kirk is good enough for you to pick your style and formation with the aim of getting the best out of him. For Crewe he was good enough for them to do that, but for us he just isn’t
i hear you, should we change formation to suit Charlie Kirk? Absolutely not. But is the formations we are playing trying to get the best out of CBT Working either? Absolutely not. fucking dire situation either way
CBT is an exciting attacking winger, but his final pass looks poor which might be his fault for poor delivery on those players receiving the pass in the wrong place, perhaps with a week on the training ground they might all sort it out. Kirk's stats are reasonable, he can lay off a winning pass his problem is that when he gets the ball on the left and does not pass he always comes inside which must make him easier to defend.
Personally I'd keep him unless they have someone better to come in
CBT is exciting because he ghosts past players with ease but there is little end product. However, he is the least of our problems. If he had any end product he wouldn't be in League One.
CBT is exciting because he ghosts past players with ease but there is little end product. However, he is the least of our problems. If he had any end product he wouldn't be in League One.
Absolutely. It's just the lack of end product that's ultimately so frustrating with CBT , am constantly hoping it eventually clicks for him and he starts being more consistent in the final third.
He's got two assists in four games! That's 23 assists in a season if he remained on that level. Some of you are nuts to think he's not performing in this division!
He creates more than the others possibly combined & then he rarely finds a man and also shoots wide. I can see why some think he's great and some think he's poor. I can't make my mind up, but he is infuriating. I agree with Daz, hit your crosses hard and low, not over our small forward's head.
Also why don't we have enough players in the box and someone coming in at the near post?
He creates more than the others possibly combined & then he rarely finds a man and also shoots wide. I can see why some think he's great and some think he's poor. I can't make my mind up, but he is infuriating. I agree with Daz, hit your crosses hard and low, not over our small forward's head.
Also why don't we have enough players in the box and someone coming in at the near post?
Spot on.
I can’t make my mind up either. I’d like him to have a sustained run of games, he hasn’t had a run of 20 starts in a row. Clearly he has ability, just needs to be consistent.
He creates more than the others possibly combined & then he rarely finds a man and also shoots wide. I can see why some think he's great and some think he's poor. I can't make my mind up, but he is infuriating. I agree with Daz, hit your crosses hard and low, not over our small forward's head.
Also why don't we have enough players in the box and someone coming in at the near post?
Spot on.
I can’t make my mind up either. I’d like him to have a sustained run of games, he hasn’t had a run of 20 starts in a row. Clearly he has ability, just needs to be consistent.
Brownie is he capable of playing 20 games in a row? Let's be honest, he looks spent towards the end of the game this gone weekend and we're only 5 games in! His prone to injury and like usual, I genuinely hope I'm wrong, but knowing our luck, when he actually does start scoring and assisting, he will get injured. Its just the "new" Charlton way
I think CBT, and the marmite comments on here, is the personification of everything that has been wrong with us over the last 3 seasons.
There are 3 ways to be successful in league 1.
1) Recruit championship quality players.
2) Get your recruitment so spot on you have 20+ round pegs to slot into the right holes.
3) Devise a way of playing that gets the absolute maximum out of your players strengths and hids all their weakness.
I suppose the ideal is a mixture of at least 2 of them, but anyway.
What you don't do is ask Johnny Williams to pretend to be Gennaro Gattuso, George Dobson to be Andrea Pirlo, Ryan Inniss to be John Stones and Ben Purrington to be Roberto Carlos. All have which have happened.
Unless we do 1 or 2 before the 1st September we need to work on 3. CBT is obviously massively important, partly due to making the best use of the resources avaliable.
To do that I would play a 432 and CBT. Let him go where ever he wants, give him no defensive responsibility at all then when he gets the ball really work at getting 4 or 5 of the strikers, midfielders and one of the full backs into the opposition box so he doesn't even have to look he just smash it across the box.
That's a lot easier than coaching a 25 year old to do something 10 years of professional coaching has failed to do.
Thought it was worth a shout out, CBT mentioned in his interview after game that he’d worked really hard to get himself in shape despite his injury at the end of last season.
He’s been injury prone previously and that might still be the case (fingers crossed it isn’t!), but he previously struggled to play 90 minutes or more than 1 game a week. It’s clear that he’s worked really hard on his fitness and it showed again on Saturday when he was still able to run past players with ease even at the end of the game.
He’s started every game this season and done 90 minutes in most of them, so full credit to him for the work he’s put in off the pitch
Great point about his fitness. Possibly the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to now compared to the squad player he was at Tranmere in L2.
If he stays fit he’ll get goals and assists despite some fans claiming he doesn’t have an end product. While he’s not as talented as JRS he’s still a good player at this level and he’ll want to be playing in the Championship next season. I wouldn’t write him off doing well there, it’s a step up and he’d likely play fewer games, but pace scares defenders. It’s what made Danny Haynes a better player for us at that level compared to L1, teams pushed up more against us and that gave him space to attack.
Great point about his fitness. Possibly the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to now compared to the squad player he was at Tranmere in L2.
If he stays fit he’ll get goals and assists despite some fans claiming he doesn’t have an end product. While he’s not as talented as JRS he’s still a good player at this level and he’ll want to be playing in the Championship next season. I wouldn’t write him off doing well there, it’s a step up and he’d likely play fewer games, but pace scares defenders. It’s what made Danny Haynes a better player for us at that level compared to L1, teams pushed up more against us and that gave him space to attack.
I won’t take too much credit as it was more from listening to Charlton TV analysis after the game.
Another thing I think either Lisbie or Brown mentioned was that he could get better at running without the ball. He’s obviously rapid but we only really see it with the ball at his feet taking defenders on. If he could start making runs in behind defences then he could take his game to another level. As you say that might be something that is easier for him to do at a higher level where there will be more space for him to run into
Great point about his fitness. Possibly the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to now compared to the squad player he was at Tranmere in L2.
If he stays fit he’ll get goals and assists despite some fans claiming he doesn’t have an end product. While he’s not as talented as JRS he’s still a good player at this level and he’ll want to be playing in the Championship next season. I wouldn’t write him off doing well there, it’s a step up and he’d likely play fewer games, but pace scares defenders. It’s what made Danny Haynes a better player for us at that level compared to L1, teams pushed up more against us and that gave him space to attack.
2 goals and 3 assists already. On target to be his best season ever. Most successful dribbles in the division. I'm not sure what else we expect !!
Great point about his fitness. Possibly the one thing that’s made the biggest difference to now compared to the squad player he was at Tranmere in L2.
If he stays fit he’ll get goals and assists despite some fans claiming he doesn’t have an end product. While he’s not as talented as JRS he’s still a good player at this level and he’ll want to be playing in the Championship next season. I wouldn’t write him off doing well there, it’s a step up and he’d likely play fewer games, but pace scares defenders. It’s what made Danny Haynes a better player for us at that level compared to L1, teams pushed up more against us and that gave him space to attack.
2 goals and 3 assists already. On target to be his best season ever. Most successful dribbles in the division. I'm not sure what else we expect !!
Some have unrealistic expectations of players like him but no one scores or gets an assist in every game.
Reading between the lines of Appleton and CBT interviews, I don't think he will be signing a new contract.. We might well offer one, but agent may have already indicated unwilling to sign unless we are promoted. No doubt at his age, he will want a crack in the championship! And that maybe the same for Dobson.
He's becoming too good for us, he'll be off in the summer
Be off in Jan, if he don't sign a new contract...
No brainier for any championship club struggling to create chances near the bottom of the table. Looks a championship player and hoping we get the best out of him before that eventual bids comes in during the window.
He's becoming too good for us, he'll be off in the summer
Be off in Jan, if he don't sign a new contract...
No brainier for any championship club struggling to create chances near the bottom of the table. Looks a championship player and hoping we get the best out of him before that eventual bids comes in during the window.
I would say so.. If we are around it come Jan, we might have a chance of him signing a new deal! Don't blame the players to be honest. Not a lot the club can do, unless going to spend millions in January, which won't happen!
I think we have to get promoted. Then he would be as well staying with us but the fact is, there will be championship interest, probably wider than in the last window if he carries on as he is now, which we can't compete with in this division. Mind you, he is one of the reasons we might get promoted.
To be honest, this is what happens to L1 teams. I know a lot of these signings haven't necessarily worked out but a fair few in our squad are L1 level players who let their contracts expire after impressing at this level. Tennai, Jones, McGrandles, Taylor and all our Swindon mates from last season walked out of their clubs and into ours following successful individual seasons. The same thing will happen up a level and if CBT plays well enough for a Championship team to make him a serious offer then to be me that says that he's had a pretty good season for us at this level, and I will take that. The hope is that he plays so well along with everyone else that we're promoted and the Championship team offering a better deal is us, but at the very least we need a few players playing well enough to get nicked by bigger teams or we're in for a very long season.
Comments
Kirk's stats are reasonable, he can lay off a winning pass his problem is that when he gets the ball on the left and does not pass he always comes inside which must make him easier to defend.
Personally I'd keep him unless they have someone better to come in
Absolutely. It's just the lack of end product that's ultimately so frustrating with CBT , am constantly hoping it eventually clicks for him and he starts being more consistent in the final third.
That's 23 assists in a season if he remained on that level.
Some of you are nuts to think he's not performing in this division!
I can see why some think he's great and some think he's poor.
I can't make my mind up, but he is infuriating.
I agree with Daz, hit your crosses hard and low, not over our small forward's head.
Also why don't we have enough players in the box and someone coming in at the near post?
I can’t make my mind up either. I’d like him to have a sustained run of games, he hasn’t had a run of 20 starts in a row. Clearly he has ability, just needs to be consistent.
There are 3 ways to be successful in league 1.
1) Recruit championship quality players.
2) Get your recruitment so spot on you have 20+ round pegs to slot into the right holes.
3) Devise a way of playing that gets the absolute maximum out of your players strengths and hids all their weakness.
I suppose the ideal is a mixture of at least 2 of them, but anyway.
What you don't do is ask Johnny Williams to pretend to be Gennaro Gattuso, George Dobson to be Andrea Pirlo, Ryan Inniss to be John Stones and Ben Purrington to be Roberto Carlos. All have which have happened.
Unless we do 1 or 2 before the 1st September we need to work on 3. CBT is obviously massively important, partly due to making the best use of the resources avaliable.
To do that I would play a 432 and CBT. Let him go where ever he wants, give him no defensive responsibility at all then when he gets the ball really work at getting 4 or 5 of the strikers, midfielders and one of the full backs into the opposition box so he doesn't even have to look he just smash it across the box.
That's a lot easier than coaching a 25 year old to do something 10 years of professional coaching has failed to do.
Must be a nightmare to try and mark - especially when he gets the ball on the halfway line and there's space in behind
If he stays fit he’ll get goals and assists despite some fans claiming he doesn’t have an end product. While he’s not as talented as JRS he’s still a good player at this level and he’ll want to be playing in the Championship next season. I wouldn’t write him off doing well there, it’s a step up and he’d likely play fewer games, but pace scares defenders. It’s what made Danny Haynes a better player for us at that level compared to L1, teams pushed up more against us and that gave him space to attack.
Looks better than any other season, I would be absolutely gutted to see him go. One of my favourite players we have had outside the prem.
I think based on his form he will fancy himself securing a championship contract if we don't go up and at 27 he may want to prove himself
On target to be his best season ever.
Most successful dribbles in the division.
I'm not sure what else we expect !!