STATBANK: Stevenage 1-1 Charlton

lancashire lad

many thanks to the 45 Lifers who gave marks
The Apple Score was 6.47
I mistakenly included Tedić & Chuks in the marks, but they did not complete 30 minutes, however their marks were:
Tedić: 6.07
Aneke: 6.80
The next lowest ref score was 2.44 J.Smoth at home to Ipswich last season

Weegie Addick

Normality restored with Dobbo top of the chart. 

ross1

LL, Tenic?

lancashire lad

ross1 said:

LL, Tenic?

thanks Ross, correction made

Leuth

A bit harsh on Abankwah. T Campbell was clearly the weakest link yesterday I thought 

Valiantphil

Good old dependable Dobbo. 

(Contract ends Summer 2024)

redman

LL, you haven't added Asiimwe to the injured list. 

JamesSeed

Leuth said:

A bit harsh on Abankwah. T Campbell was clearly the weakest link yesterday I thought 

Toss up between those two I thought. 

MuttleyCAFC

Leuth said:

A bit harsh on Abankwah. T Campbell was clearly the weakest link yesterday I thought 

It is a good point. In the context of the game they put two on CBT which meant they couldn't put two on Campbell but he was bullied by their full back and didn't beat him once.

killerandflash

In relative terms, Chem seems slightly over scored, seeing that he was subbed  off in the 67th minute, well before Tyreece was, suggesting that Appleton didn't think he was effective on Saturday.

Braziliance

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

Bedsaddick

Considering how big a town Stevenage is ( population of over 90,000) its shocking the crowds they get. Just 3739 home fans on Saturday and i bet quite a few of them were Charlton who'd bought tickets in the home end because we sold out our allocation . 
I live fairly locally and nearly every football fan supports either Arsenal or Spurs. Sheep the lot of em . 

 Their local side deserves better because despite their tosser of a manager , it's a good , well run ,  family club. . 

. 

SDAddick

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

JamesSeed

SDAddick said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

Aren’t those sorts of mistakes what’s wrong with our defence? Hope he improves, but so far he doesn’t seem like an upgrade on Innis to me. But as I say, I hope he improves. Agree with your last paragraph. 

killerandflash

Bedsaddick said:

Considering how big a town Stevenage is ( population of over 90,000) its shocking the crowds they get. Just 3739 home fans on Saturday and i bet quite a few of them were Charlton who'd bought tickets in the home end because we sold out our allocation . 
I live fairly locally and nearly every football fan supports either Arsenal or Spurs. Sheep the lot of em . 

 Their local side deserves better because despite their tosser of a manager , it's a good , well run ,  family club. . 

. 

A lot of post war New Towns seem to lack a strong local identity when it comes to football, and most people support clubs reflecting the origins of where the residents (or their ancestors) came from, which is often London.

The likes of Borehamwood, Milton Keynes, Crawley, Southend have far more support for London sides than their local one. 

NabySarr

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

Yeah I’d agree Jones was probably the only other contender, I think he has been harshly judged by the player marks. Especially first half he was mopping up Hectors messes as well as doing his own work 

Braziliance

SDAddick said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

Yeah I honestly thought he had a half-decent game. Looked strong in the air, covered for others mistakes and he's no slouch, fairly quick for a big bloke. Agree on the 1v1, that's why I decided to give him the Gandalf meme on the vid cause I was really impressed how he put the burners on. 

That's league 1 players I suppose though ay mate. I am still not sure if he's better then Innis, still think Ryan had the better of him in his passing and aerial defending but Jones looks way less clumsy & a lot sharper. I would say he's an upgrade on Lavelle at least and think he's a player who could improve. 

NabySarr said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

Yeah I’d agree Jones was probably the only other contender, I think he has been harshly judged by the player marks. Especially first half he was mopping up Hectors messes as well as doing his own work 

I am surprised how low he is as as you said, he was covering some slack. I think if he had an experienced leader next to him (which should be Hector) he could look a lot better 

JamesSeed

NabySarr said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

Yeah I’d agree Jones was probably the only other contender, I think he has been harshly judged by the player marks. Especially first half he was mopping up Hectors messes as well as doing his own work 

Except that awful attempt to stop Riley’s goal was a shocker, and he completely lost his man near the end of the game, which should have led to a second goal for them. Ness, Innis, Hector, Sarr or others would have been crucified for those mistakes, wouldn’t they? He did ok in the rest of the game, but nowhere near Player of the Match levels. Not unless everyone else had been terrible I guess. 

SDAddick

JamesSeed said:

SDAddick said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

Aren’t those sorts of mistakes what’s wrong with our defence? Hope he improves, but so far he doesn’t seem like an upgrade on Innis to me. But as I say, I hope he improves. Agree with your last paragraph. 

Yes, and I think that's my larger point. I think both Hector and Ness have also had those moments this season, and those moments of brain fade or making individual mistakes are a big reason why we concede so many. Same for Asiimwe and Edun. I mean for me, Dobbo also made a mistake for the goal as well. He didn't have to chase there, and by doing so he put Jones in a tough position.

I will add this as well: I think some of the reason we have these moments is because of where we lose the ball when we're in possession, and how our midfield covers in those situation. I think the problem is more than just our CBs or defenders, I think it starts further up the pitch. It was the same last year under Holden. I think if we improve with the ball, and then work on transitions, we'll see our defenders look better because they're not being isolated or having to do last ditch defending in the middle third of the field. 

Braziliance

SDAddick said:

JamesSeed said:

SDAddick said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

Aren’t those sorts of mistakes what’s wrong with our defence? Hope he improves, but so far he doesn’t seem like an upgrade on Innis to me. But as I say, I hope he improves. Agree with your last paragraph. 

Yes, and I think that's my larger point. I think both Hector and Ness have also had those moments this season, and those moments of brain fade or making individual mistakes are a big reason why we concede so many. Same for Asiimwe and Edun. I mean for me, Dobbo also made a mistake for the goal as well. He didn't have to chase there, and by doing so he put Jones in a tough position.

I will add this as well: I think some of the reason we have these moments is because of where we lose the ball when we're in possession, and how our midfield covers in those situation. I think the problem is more than just our CBs or defenders, I think it starts further up the pitch. It was the same last year under Holden. I think if we improve with the ball, and then work on transitions, we'll see our defenders look better because they're not being isolated or having to do last ditch defending in the middle third of the field. 

Spot on mate, how often do you see a Charlton team control and look comfortable in the midfield. There's times where we knock it about well and create a quick passage of play, but we rarely look like we are the team that are in complete control. 

That may change when Pan and Fraser are back but we shouldn't have to rely on one or 2 players to play a system, there should be adequate back ups. 

It sounds odd but I am actually intrigued to see McGrandles back at some point, bad success under this manager, had good reviews when we signed him. Hoping he can be a player who can control the ball a bit better in the middle 

JamesSeed

I’m completely confused as to what our best midfield will look like, going forward (with everybody fit) as there are so many combinations available. 

Fraser, Chem Campbell and Panutche Camará,; McGrandles, Anderson and Dobson; Terry Taylor, Louie Watson and even CBT, depending on the formation. 

I don’t remember a time when there has been so many slightly unknown quantities fighting to establish themselves. 

It’s not surprising if we haven’t really got going yet this season, especially with Fraser and Panutche injured.
Getting the combination right will be a big test for any manager.

Covered_End_Lad

I think Fraser, Dobson and Camara is the first choice 3 with Chem coming in for either Fraser or Camara if either of those aren't fit.

killerandflash

It feels a bit overstocked, but that's a consequence of McGrandles getting injured and not going out, and the injuries to Fraser and Camara which might have forced the loan signing of Watson.

SDAddick

Braziliance said:

SDAddick said:

JamesSeed said:

SDAddick said:

Braziliance said:

Fantastic work as always @lancashire lad

It's rather telling to me that Dobson got potm when he had an off game. I thought he had relatively ordinary game and was guilty of doing too much, probably out of habit to cover for passengers over the years. 

Only other player I'd have down as a candidate would be CBT for the equalising penalty or Lloyd Jones for his fairly solid performances in his aerial duals and the 1 on 1 clearance. Other than that no one really stood out 

I'm glad you say that about Jones, because in between his poor challenge before their goal and him losing his man over his back shoulder when Reid was played in 1-v-1, I thought he looked quite good. He won some crucial headers and that 1-v-1 tackle was excellent, especially given the attacker had a head start on him.

But I think that's my thing with Jones, at times he impresses and looks like he's going to develop into a very good CB, and then he disappears or has a brain fade. 

Aren’t those sorts of mistakes what’s wrong with our defence? Hope he improves, but so far he doesn’t seem like an upgrade on Innis to me. But as I say, I hope he improves. Agree with your last paragraph. 

Yes, and I think that's my larger point. I think both Hector and Ness have also had those moments this season, and those moments of brain fade or making individual mistakes are a big reason why we concede so many. Same for Asiimwe and Edun. I mean for me, Dobbo also made a mistake for the goal as well. He didn't have to chase there, and by doing so he put Jones in a tough position.

I will add this as well: I think some of the reason we have these moments is because of where we lose the ball when we're in possession, and how our midfield covers in those situation. I think the problem is more than just our CBs or defenders, I think it starts further up the pitch. It was the same last year under Holden. I think if we improve with the ball, and then work on transitions, we'll see our defenders look better because they're not being isolated or having to do last ditch defending in the middle third of the field. 

Spot on mate, how often do you see a Charlton team control and look comfortable in the midfield. There's times where we knock it about well and create a quick passage of play, but we rarely look like we are the team that are in complete control. 

That may change when Pan and Fraser are back but we shouldn't have to rely on one or 2 players to play a system, there should be adequate back ups. 

It sounds odd but I am actually intrigued to see McGrandles back at some point, bad success under this manager, had good reviews when we signed him. Hoping he can be a player who can control the ball a bit better in the middle 

I agree about not needing two players to play a certain way and I'll be honest, I do think some of that is down to how Holden coached his team. There was a lot of bypassing the midfield, so I don't know that we can say this team can't play that way without Fraser and Camara given I don't think they've been set up to play that way. I think Holden got a lot of praise because he was a change of pace from Garner, so he took a possession side and had them go more direct, which worked at the start. But as time went on, his teams were just direct, and at this level you have to have absolutely the right players for that to work. Otherwise you're launching long balls at Alfie May up against two CbB.

I think Appleton was trying to build more through the midfield on Saturday, and we looked poor. Some of that is down to personnel and missing two of our best midfielders, some of that is players adjusting to a system, including our defenders playing out from the back, and some of that is it's really, really tough to try to build a more possession-based side against this Stevenage team who pressed all over the pitch in the first half. I'm kind of taking a wait and see, was Saturday a result of lack of quality in the squad, or was it growing pains on a tough away day?

I would also say don't count out Taylor. He's coming back from an injury but he's shown glimpses, particularly on Saturday, and it's really unfortunate that he had to go off. And I really like what I've seen of Watson as well. He finds space and he plays with his head up. We'll see how they get on, but I think as far as back ups go at this level, those two look pretty decent.

The tough thing is because we've had so many injuries and lack of fitness in midfield, we've had to overly rely on Anderson. And I will say this, he has a little something about him in the final third, and even though I didn't think he was great on Saturday he did win a penalty that wasn't given. But when you zoom out and look at the squad as a whole, having Anderson as your sixth choice midfielder when everyone is fit should be fine. I wouldn't be surprised if Anderson is pushing for a starting birth come January, and I also wouldn't be surprised if he's sent out on loan in January. He has been given a lot to do far too fast. I'm really hoping that some time out of the starting 11 will help him regain confidence and composure. I hope that starts this Saturday, but I don't know given Taylor's injury seemed to be a head injury, and I doubt Fraser and Camara would be fit enough to start if they're even fit enough to be on the bench. 

killerjerrylee

Small point but was not Deji Elerewe on the field at Oxford. I have been trying to erase memories of the first half from my brain, but feel that his very forgettable performance should not be completely erased from history. Does he not get some sort of mark just for turning up and correctly lacing his boots?

seth plum

For the overall season so far Dobson has been consistently our best player.
For what it’s worth I don’t mind Jones that much, I think he will settle and get better.
Very occasionally he seems to also be able to do something surprisingly unexpected and positive when playing the ball, a dink or a back heel. Not particularly quick though.

Braziliance

killerjerrylee said:

Small point but was not Deji Elerewe on the field at Oxford. I have been trying to erase memories of the first half from my brain, but feel that his very forgettable performance should not be completely erased from history. Does he not get some sort of mark just for turning up and correctly lacing his boots?

He lifts barriers to help Charlton fans out of carparks mate, he's been granted immunity from negative player ratings 

Lincsaddick

Bedsaddick said:

Considering how big a town Stevenage is ( population of over 90,000) its shocking the crowds they get. Just 3739 home fans on Saturday and i bet quite a few of them were Charlton who'd bought tickets in the home end because we sold out our allocation . 
I live fairly locally and nearly every football fan supports either Arsenal or Spurs. Sheep the lot of em . 

 Their local side deserves better because despite their tosser of a manager , it's a good , well run ,  family club. . 

. 

new town populated in large part by ex London families who moved and took their loyalties with them. MK Dons surely have a similar problem