First game in years…..an empty stadium and shit football…..one of the worst Charlton teams I have ever seen…..I fear for our club
It's been over a decade of decline and despression with only an occasional high. People drift away after being served a wretched product year in year out, and this current mob are hardly going to attract new young support. All that will change things is success and there's no sign of that coming anytime soon.
270-mile, 6½-hour round-trip, didn't get back home until 1am (had to take granddaughter home first).
I've watched a load of Charlton crud over the years but that was right down there with the very worst of it.
The players looked like they couldn't be arsed, there wasn't a great deal of chasing and pressing on show.
Daniel was a bright spot in the second half when he came on and took his goal very well indeed.
Granddaughter's summing up was short and to the point: "That wasn't very good. I might come to the next one [midweek game - it's her brother's season ticket but he can't make Tuesday evenings] but if it's as bad as that again I won't bother anymore."
To be honest, I'm heading the same way. It's becoming too much of a drain driving down for home matches, in terms of time, money and energy - it's tiring doing all that driving especially during winter when it's dark. It wouldn't be quite so bad if there was something worth watching when I get there but all I've seen is clueless guff. To an extent you could put up with the shit football if we were winning ... but we're not, we're being humiliated at home by all and sundry.
I got my first season ticket in the old First Division at Selhurst and my current ST has been continuous since the 1999/2000 Championship-winning season. Unless something drastic changes with this football club this year may well be the last.
Dreadful, slow, no creativity. Alan Campbell is not fit to wear the shirt. Any shirt. I don't even want him handing out sandwiches - he'd be late for that as he is late for every tackle.
Possibly my lowest point ever as an Addick. I fucking hate every single one of them right now. Long ball nonsense.
Alan Campbell is getting decent marks on the player marks thread which surprises me. He was absolutely atrocious.
First 20 mins or so he looked quite “busy” and sometimes actually found a team-mate. Commentary bigged him up a bit at that point. Didnt last long.
its all been said, but just to confirm, i too now think Jones has to go. Had my lurking doubts from the moment the Alfie May treatment emerged in March, and worried about what @bobmunro knows about his time at Stoke. I wondered why those who appointed him apparently did not know.
We all wanted to believe that Saturday would be a corner turned, although I expressed caution, waiting to see how last night would unfold. It was worse than my worst fears, and I cannot understand how a team can go from Saturday to that so quickly, if they understand what the manager’s plan is. It is a very dangerous situation for a team, and it had to be addressed now, even though I hate and deplore our record of managerial churn.
Bottom line for me is the chronic recruitment over the last eight or nine years. Managers come, managers go, but when they don’t have the players required to suit their game plan and tactics, then you’re always gonna be up against it.
Season after season smaller clubs come to the Valley and look more organised than us, but not only that, they also seem to have a handful of young up-and-coming players who make us look pedestrian. Those smaller clubs have a real problem hanging onto them, which is why they tend to remain smaller clubs, but at least they recruit and/or develop those players - and sometimes make a profit selling them on. We sometimes think that’s our model as well, but is it really? In recent years that doesn’t seem to be the case at all, barring a couple of successes like Ademola Lookman and Joe Aribo. So what do we do now, as fans? It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm alive when everything seems to be going terribly wrong. Do we try to learn to accept our position as a third division club with all that entails? Should we learn to be grateful for any wins, no matter who they’re against, like the Exeter fans? They seem to be a happier bunch than we currently are.
Or do we keep the pressure up on the ownership, and play an active part in forging a way forward? The negativity in the ground yesterday could only have a detrimental effect on the players, no matter how understandable it was. I never boo, unless it’s the ref or the other side, but I did understand what it was about yesterday. If you accept this level of mediocrity, then nothing will change.
I’m not a big fan of sacking managers, but at the end of the day I think Nathan Jones has made some very strange decisions recently, and his involvement in recruitment has been disastrous. I wouldn’t be unhappy if he left sooner rather than later.
I agree with whoever it was said we need a young, progressive manager who can take the club forward, but in order for him to do so there really does have to be an improvement in the recruitment side. We need to look clubs like Wycombe and Peterborough (and others) who year after year show us how it should be done.
In the meantime I’m not sure if I can keep dragging myself to the Valley in order to get angry and frustrated. I probably will though, for reasons I can’t quite fathom.
I heard this positively biblical piece of abuse directed at a certain player whose identity was unclear after Crawley scored their second - REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU C**T, REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU FLASH C**T.
I'm still baffled why we recalled Asiimwe from his loan spell, yet refuse to play him.
With that starting formation we had a narrow midfield, so the width had to come from the full backs. Except on the right we had an out of position CB, so had ZERO threat down that side. That game was perfect for Asiimwe, who might not be the best defensively, but loves to get forward, which is what our starting formation needed.
And why Laqeretabua on the bench, and why bring him on? Not his fault, but when he came on he looked completely at sea, getting a nose bleed when crossing the half way line.
It sums up NJ, puts a young CB on at right back, leaves the young but more experienced attacking WB on the bench.
That was despite having Lloyd Jones on the bench. I get maybe he wasn’t ready to play 60+ mins if we had an early injury, but Edwards and REG could cover CB in an emergency, and would arguably be better options than throwing Laqeretabua in.
Another example of setting us up like a struggling underdog.
Redskin said: I heard this positively biblical piece of abuse directed at a certain player whose identity was unclear after Crawley scored their second - REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU C**T, REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU FLASH C**T.
Have we got any players that could be classed as "flash"?
I thought about trying to post some constructive stuff, as I am normally a more glass half full...but I am still apoplectic at the total SHITE embarrassing non performance from every one of them at the moment...AARGH...😫😫😫
F**k me, social media team needs sacking, this is just as bad as “Fortress Valley”
Completely uninspired, shite marketing. Id be pissed off if one of my juniors suggested pushing this the day after a brand I worked with posted a result like last night.
I've genuinely just seen someone on twitter saying it may take a relegation to league2 to rebuild. I'm in fucking disbelief.
.
This one gets trotted out in the premier league fairly often too. There’s no real scenario where shredding your income (further) and dropping down a league is a good thing.
Of course there are examples of teams who have had miraculous climbs from the lower regions of the football league but a) but there are many more that haven’t, b) I’m pretty sure simply getting relegated to a lower league isn’t the sole reason for their rise.
A club with our resources and fanbase should be able to rebuild in League 1, many have at different times, Ipswich, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, the list goes on. We just seem unable to do it after trying time and time again. Poor management on the football side including terrible recruitment and an absolute shitshow in the board room for a decade. We are struggling to keep even at this level. Maybe we are rebuilding behind the scenes and this is part of the pain for long-term gain but it really doesn't look like that when you have players like Alan Cambell, Potts, Hylton, and Berry in and around the team and you're off-loading Dopbson and May.
I honestly couldn't be bothered to go last night, I don't have a season ticket since my son went to study overseas and have been buying game to game and only bought the TV package so he could watch games, not sure I'll even do that next year if things stay the same. I wish I felt different I really do.
Special mention for Leaburn. He was an absolute disgrace last night and has been a complete carthorse since he returned from injury. He’d be lucky to get another league 1 club off the back of some of his performances this season.
I've genuinely just seen someone on twitter saying it may take a relegation to league2 to rebuild. I'm in fucking disbelief.
How on earth are there still people who find this acceptable, it's beyond my understanding. We have faced 3 of the 4 newly promoted sides at home and achieved 2 points out of a possible 9! We play the 4th of the lot next weekend, even if we manage to win that, it would be 5 of a possible 12. Incredibly shit return against newly promoted sides.
I'm done. I'm not going Lincoln, I had cancelled Christmas plans to go Northampton, I'll now be getting refunds for those tickets to attend my Christmas plans, and like fuck am I wasting my time and money on a team who don't give a shit travelling somewhere up north. Embarrassing that some of these are professionals. I've completely lost my passion for football less than 20 games in again.
I want to hear from these owners as soon as possible really, because they need to explain the lack of progress this season, and address how they intend to turn it around.
The Valley was at best around 30-40% full tonight? In the words of the great @oohaahmortimer we really are an absolute minge of a club.
30-40%, looked more like 25% to me, ignore what the bullshitters in the club tell you, that looked like 6-7k bums on seats
Took this from my seat in West Upper. Be surprised if there was 7,000 in the ground. Crawley brought what, 600? Depressing night all round.
Was worse than that mate as some of those groups opposite in the East were freebies
Good grief. I thought it couldn't get worse then I read this. Giving tickets away and it still looks like that. Gutting.
I walked out last night so despondent it constantly feels like deja vu I liked Jones and really wanted it to work
But I cant help but lose faith in jones now last season he got a pass and helped keep us up but now this is HIS squad and HIS players everything seems wrong and i cant think of one positive atm with whats going on
we are soo Slow and sloppy We Have no creativity or threat until the end of games when we finally get some subs on no pace and havent since CBT left We misplaced passes the WHOLE game while looking constantly disjointed
I lost track in the first half how many times we had massive gaps with no midfield and 4/5 players all next to eachother up front with no movement sometimes going up challenging for the same header with no communication just pure long ball its embarrassing
We have no leaders who take the game by the scruff or someone who takes the pressure off with a special moment like their 1st goal last night
even when a player does something good like a turn or bit of skill the next thing they did was lose the ball and give it away ahadme/A Campbell the worst offenders
so many average players and the manager is trying to get us playing a way that clearly is not working and WILL NOT work
Jones must change now for next game and make big changes as if we lose next game he really must go
Whoever is manager in Jan we need serious quality investment otherwise it could be a relegation battle again
I've genuinely just seen someone on twitter saying it may take a relegation to league2 to rebuild. I'm in fucking disbelief.
How on earth are there still people who find this acceptable, it's beyond my understanding. We have faced 3 of the 4 newly promoted sides at home and achieved 2 points out of a possible 9! We play the 4th of the lot next weekend, even if we manage to win that, it would be 5 of a possible 12. Incredibly shit return against newly promoted sides.
I'm done. I'm not going Lincoln, I had cancelled Christmas plans to go Northampton, I'll now be getting refunds for those tickets to attend my Christmas plans, and like fuck am I wasting my time and money on a team who don't give a shit travelling somewhere up north. Embarrassing that some of these are professionals. I've completely lost my passion for football less than 20 games in again.
I want to hear from these owners as soon as possible really, because they need to explain the lack of progress this season, and address how they intend to turn it around.
The Valley was at best around 30-40% full tonight? In the words of the great @oohaahmortimer we really are an absolute minge of a club.
30-40%, looked more like 25% to me, ignore what the bullshitters in the club tell you, that looked like 6-7k bums on seats
Took this from my seat in West Upper. Be surprised if there was 7,000 in the ground. Crawley brought what, 600? Depressing night all round.
Was worse than that mate as some of those groups opposite in the East were freebies
It's a new government scheme to reduce prison overcrowding. Minor offenders are released early, but as an alternative punishment have to watch Charlton instead.
Seem to recall Millwall fans saying that his brand of Football wasnt much better
Gary was liked but they chose Nathan Jones Both insisted they wanted full control Gary would get us out of this division. Efficient football. I doubt it would be sparkling but then again Derby only played efficient football.
Efficient is a mile away from the shite we serve up.
He won't do it with this squad. How many of the current squad are happy that they are either not getting a look in or happy with the tactics employed. The worrying thing for me is Nathan Jones assertion that we were a bit better in the second half, we had control for twenty mins, conceded tried to respond before half time, after half time we just hit long balls into the area or free kicks from Taylor, nobody working the channels, no first time passing and lack of movement from anyone.
The Valley is a fortress but the spare keys are hidden under the third flower pot, there's a new packet of hob nobs in the cupboard along with tea and coffee and there's plenty of milk in fridge next to the three points.
As for hoof ball, it wasn’t very good hoof ball. Rather than hitting long over their defenders, we chipped / lobbed it with no pace towards our forwards who then tried to nod it on. It wasn’t working, but they kept repeating it.
Gas was having to travel 15-20 yards just to contest a header.
This is my 46th season and that was the most putrid utter dog shit I've had the misfortune to witness.
Dreadful, slow, no creativity. Alan Campbell is not fit to wear the shirt. Any shirt. I don't even want him handing out sandwiches - he'd be late for that as he is late for every tackle.
Possibly my lowest point ever as an Addick. I fucking hate every single one of them right now. Long ball nonsense.
Alan Campbell is getting decent marks on the player marks thread which surprises me. He was absolutely atrocious.
He was probably our best player first half which obviously isn't saying much. I don't rate him at all but not sure why he's getting dug out over others for this one, unless it's just easier to bash a Luton loanee.
We can't even play hoofball very well. Crawley held a high line and most of our 'attacking' efforts either cleared the sidelines or went straight up in the air and couldn't clear their midfield, let alone their defence.
I honestly think NJ is an existential threat to our Football Club . Am I wrong in thinking that that the Crown Jewels i.e. the Academy , the Community Trust and the Stadium are all at risk if we can't get out of this division or heaven forbid go down . I've supported the Club since the sixties and don't think I've seen a worse side or style of play . Jones's mantra that we have to be more aggressive and front footed , WTF does that actually mean ? If he said we need to get the ball down and move it quickly on the grass , the way Crawley tried to play BTW then I would have some semblance of hope . I honestly believe that the older supporters , the ones I grew up with would not have stood for this type of football , it's not Charlton and surely he knows that , he was an Academy coach FFS . Can't see me being there next season unless there's a massive change .
This continuing decline in our fortune is exceedingly worrying. We couldn’t get out of this Leauge with crowds of 13-14,000. Next season will see 7-8,000 and possibly be in league 2. Our Premiership stadium is getting shabby, it’s to big for us, and very few games generate an atmosphere. The small crowds, lack of atmosphere games that are looming, will only add to the further demise of our club.
It’s a fact that once you lose the fans attending games, they will remain fans, but getting their bums back on a seat can be very difficult. A without that cycle of Grandad, Dad, Son the bulk of the next generation of fans will be lost. The son, will go with his mates Dad, to West Ham, Chelsea, or even a successful Millwall.
Sometimes the antidote or cure for the problem, can arrive too late to resolve the issue. I really feel we are heading into that period.
In 10 years we could be a stable league 2 side, playing in a purpose build 8,000 capacity stadium in Kent or a South London Retail Park.
It seems like we are seeing the comment "worst Charlton performance I've seen" every other week and it's so depressing. He needs to go before the January window and get someone in that plays with wingers.
Get Terry off the interviews ffs. A totally pointless exercise when he does them
Don’t blame Tel. It’s Charlton TV. He’s not allowed to give the manager loads of grief.
Interesting statement.
Ask him some frank (not impolite) questions and what’s the problem?
Is a question like this to be defined as grief?
’Could you explain why we play without wingers and prefer to ask defenders to blindly hit the ball as hard as possible instead?’
Or
’Were you told that a tribute to a lifeling fan and much loved Charlton journalist would be made today at half time, and if so will you be having words with Aneke and Pearce for disrespecting it?’
If Tel gets sacked for asking them then that really would really be the time for fans to boycott the matches.
NJ may give some interesting answers. Without answers to questions like these, whether it’s Tel or someone else asking them, then how can we get to the bottom of the general 5 year long malaise at the club?
I, for one, didn’t want NJ as manager, and I, for one, don’t want him sacked now. Why? Because each sacking is an attempt at an easy fix that hasn’t worked and won’t work.
I love Charlton Athletic. I’m waiting for something real, not fake journalism, fake passion from managers, fake badge kissing from players, fake ’effort’ (only May & Dobson were real), fake hyped up videos of new signings etc.
Special mention for Leaburn. He was an absolute disgrace last night and has been a complete carthorse since he returned from injury. He’d be lucky to get another league 1 club off the back of some of his performances this season.
I think he's off in January and probably knows it. Him and Small will be gone.
I am pretty sure that in the old days at the Valley the football we played yesterday would have been greeted with scornful shouts of ‘anywhere will do’. Basically it was ‘the big boot’, and then others of our players haphazardly dotted about would have to deal with the scraps brought about by that style if those players happened to be nearest to the ball.
I actually thought Crawley were poor first 15 mins & said so in the match thread. Not Burton poor but relegation fodder. Couldn't get out of their half & when they did they didnt get near our box. It was all us (possession wise) & we were winning tackle after tackle and turning over play.
Problem was, like ever, is that we didnt capitalise and because we have no ooomph upfront our play just peaters out. Crosses over hit, under hit, dont clear the first man. And that's when we do actually cross the ball (which was rare) because we dont have the player to do so.
We really should have been 3 nil up at half time. But we've not scored 3 in a league match all season & barely score in the first half of games either.
Worst football since I've watching (mid 70's) and that includes the seasons where we had players like Dowman, Billy Lansdown & Phil Ferns. Even in the early 80's when we were had attendances around the 5000-6000 figure we had players like Carl Harris, Martin Robinson & Phil Walker who would excite you as they took on defenders & tried their hardest. And then there was Killer. Didn't close down defenders or bust a gut needlessly but knew where the goal was.
Comments
I've watched a load of Charlton crud over the years but that was right down there with the very worst of it.
The players looked like they couldn't be arsed, there wasn't a great deal of chasing and pressing on show.
Daniel was a bright spot in the second half when he came on and took his goal very well indeed.
Granddaughter's summing up was short and to the point: "That wasn't very good. I might come to the next one [midweek game - it's her brother's season ticket but he can't make Tuesday evenings] but if it's as bad as that again I won't bother anymore."
To be honest, I'm heading the same way. It's becoming too much of a drain driving down for home matches, in terms of time, money and energy - it's tiring doing all that driving especially during winter when it's dark. It wouldn't be quite so bad if there was something worth watching when I get there but all I've seen is clueless guff. To an extent you could put up with the shit football if we were winning ... but we're not, we're being humiliated at home by all and sundry.
I got my first season ticket in the old First Division at Selhurst and my current ST has been continuous since the 1999/2000 Championship-winning season. Unless something drastic changes with this football club this year may well be the last.
its all been said, but just to confirm, i too now think Jones has to go. Had my lurking doubts from the moment the Alfie May treatment emerged in March, and worried about what @bobmunro knows about his time at Stoke. I wondered why those who appointed him apparently did not know.
So what do we do now, as fans? It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm alive when everything seems to be going terribly wrong. Do we try to learn to accept our position as a third division club with all that entails? Should we learn to be grateful for any wins, no matter who they’re against, like the Exeter fans? They seem to be a happier bunch than we currently are.
The negativity in the ground yesterday could only have a detrimental effect on the players, no matter how understandable it was. I never boo, unless it’s the ref or the other side, but I did understand what it was about yesterday. If you accept this level of mediocrity, then nothing will change.
REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU C**T, REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU FLASH C**T.
That was despite having Lloyd Jones on the bench. I get maybe he wasn’t ready to play 60+ mins if we had an early injury, but Edwards and REG could cover CB in an emergency, and would arguably be better options than throwing Laqeretabua in.
Another example of setting us up like a struggling underdog.
I honestly couldn't be bothered to go last night, I don't have a season ticket since my son went to study overseas and have been buying game to game and only bought the TV package so he could watch games, not sure I'll even do that next year if things stay the same. I wish I felt different I really do.
I liked Jones and really wanted it to work
But I cant help but lose faith in jones now last season he got a pass and helped keep us up but now this is HIS squad and HIS players
everything seems wrong and i cant think of one positive atm with whats going on
we are soo Slow and sloppy
We Have no creativity or threat until the end of games when we finally get some subs on
no pace and havent since CBT left
We misplaced passes the WHOLE game while looking constantly disjointed
I lost track in the first half how many times we had massive gaps with no midfield and 4/5 players all next to eachother up front with no movement sometimes going up challenging for the same header with no communication
just pure long ball its embarrassing
We have no leaders who take the game by the scruff or someone who takes the pressure off with a special moment like their 1st goal last night
even when a player does something good like a turn or bit of skill the next thing they did was lose the ball and give it away ahadme/A Campbell the worst offenders
so many average players and the manager is trying to get us playing a way that clearly is not working and WILL NOT work
Jones must change now for next game and make big changes as if we lose next game he really must go
Whoever is manager in Jan we need serious quality investment otherwise it could be a relegation battle again
Amnesty International have protested.
The Valley is a fortress but the spare keys are hidden under the third flower pot, there's a new packet of hob nobs in the cupboard along with tea and coffee and there's plenty of milk in fridge next to the three points.
Help yourself!
This is my 46th season and that was the most putrid utter dog shit I've had the misfortune to witness.
Humiliating and NJ has to go.
We can't even play hoofball very well. Crawley held a high line and most of our 'attacking' efforts either cleared the sidelines or went straight up in the air and couldn't clear their midfield, let alone their defence.
In 10 years we could be a stable league 2 side, playing in a purpose build 8,000 capacity stadium in Kent or a South London Retail Park.
Ask him some frank (not impolite) questions and what’s the problem?
Is a question like this to be defined as grief?
’Could you explain why we play without wingers and prefer to ask defenders to blindly hit the ball as hard as possible instead?’
Or
’Were you told that a tribute to a lifeling fan and much loved Charlton journalist would be made today at half time, and if so will you be having words with Aneke and Pearce for disrespecting it?’
If Tel gets sacked for asking them then that really would really be the time for fans to boycott the matches.
NJ may give some interesting answers. Without answers to questions like these, whether it’s Tel or someone else asking them, then how can we get to the bottom of the general 5 year long malaise at the club?
I, for one, didn’t want NJ as manager, and I, for one, don’t want him sacked now. Why? Because each sacking is an attempt at an easy fix that hasn’t worked and won’t work.
I love Charlton Athletic. I’m waiting for something real, not fake journalism, fake passion from managers, fake badge kissing from players, fake ’effort’ (only May & Dobson were real), fake hyped up videos of new signings etc.
Basically it was ‘the big boot’, and then others of our players haphazardly dotted about would have to deal with the scraps brought about by that style if those players happened to be nearest to the ball.
Problem was, like ever, is that we didnt capitalise and because we have no ooomph upfront our play just peaters out. Crosses over hit, under hit, dont clear the first man. And that's when we do actually cross the ball (which was rare) because we dont have the player to do so.
We really should have been 3 nil up at half time. But we've not scored 3 in a league match all season & barely score in the first half of games either.
Worst football since I've watching (mid 70's) and that includes the seasons where we had players like Dowman, Billy Lansdown & Phil Ferns. Even in the early 80's when we were had attendances around the 5000-6000 figure we had players like Carl Harris, Martin Robinson & Phil Walker who would excite you as they took on defenders & tried their hardest. And then there was Killer. Didn't close down defenders or bust a gut needlessly but knew where the goal was.