A bit of a grim battle and very low on entertainment.
We had two shots; Doughty's tamish effort and Oztumer's 30 yard wide left footer.
Our set pieces were bad (Oztumer kicking one straight behind) and the forwards got zero service (crossing from Doughty was awful).
On the plus side; Phliips and the defence were fairly sound (apart from the free header), Cullen gave us better shape, Pratley had another good game, Doughty ran well with ball, Hemed tried hard, Purrington carried on from Swansea, Oztumer worked hard, Taylor looked bright as did Williams.
I would like to have seen Hemed and Taylor together late on because I think they could've physically unsettled Fulham. Understand that we didn't want to lose a midfielder but it looked like Fulham had shot their bolt by then.
"Fulham had only failed to score in one of their previous Championship games before Wednesday night, but they were held at arm's length for the majority of the night at The Valley.
Charlton's defence was exceptional and no one showed more commitment at the back than Lockyer - who tackled, headed, blocked and cleared everything that came his way."
"Fulham had only failed to score in one of their previous Championship games before Wednesday night, but they were held at arm's length for the majority of the night at The Valley.
Charlton's defence was exceptional and no one showed more commitment at the back than Lockyer - who tackled, headed, blocked and cleared everything that came his way."
Well I never Oggster I made Lockyer my MOM as well with a 7.5 (I don't give 8+ away lightly) but what do I know about the beautiful game 😉.
Not see him mentioned and don’t wanna curse it, but Phillips has been so good now for a long time (distribution aside). Catching Claiming and blocking everything .
For 60 minutes Fulham looked the better side, but were toothless without Mitrovic and Knockaert
Then we brought on first Williams and then Taylor, and suddenly we looked the better team, and their defence suddenly looked stretched and making hurried clearances. That 20 minute cameo showed HOW important Taylor is to us, sharpness, physical presence AND the best cross of the night too that nearly created a goal for Williams. Unlike Hemed (who tried hard but was ineffective) Taylor can create chances as well, he's so much more than a goal scorer.
Everyone worked hard overall played reasonably well, but terrible crossing, corners and free kicks, Doughty, Oztumer and Cullen all guilty in that respect. Was a bit puzzled why Morgan and Doughty were playing on the wrong sides for part of the first half, as both seemed to struggle a bit and were much better on their natural sides. Pearce had a couple of iffy moments, Purrington started a bit shakily but improved. Great to see Cullen back, amazed he played the whole game. Oztumer did quite well and Pratley avoided the 10th booking!
Blimey, none of our attacks were included in the highlights! A bit harsh, I thought the Taylor cross to Williams was one of the best bits of football in the match
Fulham really should have been ahead by that stage though.
We were 2-0 up against cardiff when he got injured in October? (Or early november?) We drew 2-2 and have won 1 game since.
Very good performance after a long lay off, possibly a yard off the pace the longer the game went on but to be expected. He's has been a massive loss, great to have him back. He can now have a nice 10 day recovery with time to increase his fitness levels to face Barnsley.
It wasn't the most entertaining game but what a shift the boys in red put in , what more can you ask. Great fighting qualities , from the team as always. Lyle , Williams and Cullen coming back things are looking up
Really enjoyable evening, much tighter at the back, Pratley & Cullen sometimes got in each others way but we held a good Fulham side. Crossing & corners need a lot of work but with some key home games coming up we can build on tonight. Four games unbeaten at home in the league now.
It felt, for the first time in a while, that we had a spine, a shape, a lot more than effort tonight. A word for Hemed, I thought he showed glimpses of a player at Preston saturday and more so tonight, would like to see him playing alongside Lyle some time soon.
Fulham support, wow, how can so many be so silent for so long. Strange bunch.
Three games into my half ST and starting to get a routine back after a couple of years away. The excellent River Ale House pre match and a good atmosphere in the CE lower, our own safe standing section with no complaints in F Block.
Good result given uncertainties off the pitch and recent form on it. We got better and 0-0 was fair in the end. However - we must start a run of getting results.
PAR....(Posted after reading)....so thanks for all the mentions lads 😊. Now onto my thoughts of the game.
Didnt realise how much we missed Cullen. No chance in hell we'd be able to afford him (transfer fee and/or wages) but we've had for 2 years which is about the going rate for players these days.
Which brings me to Taylor. I admit I was one of those doubting that we'd ever see him in a CAFC shirt again & I now think he wont be leaving in this window......although I dont think he'll sign a new contract & will be off in the summer. Just make the most of him now as he could be the difference between relegation & staying up.
Dougherty needs to practice with a slipper on his left foot as currently the fact he cant use his right is the only thing letting him down. 3 times he had a chance to do something with the ball (first after he ran the length of the pitch only to falter on the edge of the box as he couldn't cross it......second when he got into the box and being closed had to pull it back to Oztumer (who shot wildly)......and third when in a similar position he shot into the side netting). Can't fault him otherwise & I would have him in the team permanently even when all the others are back fully fit. JUST PLAY HIM ON THE LEFT.
Dont get the love for Oztumer or Hemed tonight. I appreciate that both are not fully first but neither really gave us much & are squad players at best.
Finally, I can only wonder how bad other teams must be at set pieces if we were (supposedly) one of the top scorers in the league at corners. Absolutely woeful & I'd have them practicing them all next week until someone can drop the ball into the box without hitting the first defender, or overhitting it or (Yes you Oztumer) not even getting the ball over at all.
Enjoyed that, a point was a good result. Proper battling match. Cullen made a big difference. Great support from the crowd, and as someone that's newly-returned with a half-season ticket, it was good to hear a hubbub of satisfaction after the match rather than groans and moans.
I was surprised how big the attendance was today for a mid-week game also available on Sky. Quite impressed tbf.
Not seen Hemed do too much before today but thought he battled and held the ball up pretty well. Was hoping to see him and Lyle up front for a few minutes but we couldn’t see how to keep a very proficient Fulham side in check as well as we had done to change the shape for that.
Fulham have a lot of very expensive quality in their team and they carved us up for 15 minutes in the first half. Looked too easy, but then we kept our shape and shut them off and we had moments where we could have won.
Team played well, great to see Cullen play a full game even if he wasn’t full bore for all of it. Jonny Williams is total mustard and will get fouled off the park every game. His tackle run pass was worth every penny.
Purrington and Matthews both had very good games given what they were asked to do.
Think Lyle May have been a bit disappointed not to have his normal love in chants but hey, that can come back and he thrives on it. Keep fingers crossed on a decent 2 year deal for him.
Great to see us not disgrace ourselves against a very expensive and well run Fulham team under the lights in front of a decent home crowd.
Heard the great news re Bow's contract via Five Live on our way to The Valley & that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Crossbars was buzzing, the wine tasted especially good (all 3 glasses ...hic! ) & smiles were wider & brighter wherever I looked.
And the performance tonight didn't disappoint against a slick, pretty impressive outfit from SW6.
A clean sheet, stalwart defending, some exciting attacks on their goal and a well earned, precious point.....with seemingly an injury free 93 minutes.
All concerned played their part & how good was it to have Josh, Oz & Hemed back in the starting line up. But just as important was our bench, enabling the gaffer to make substitutions that made a difference.
What's not to like ?
My MOM was young Alfie. What an exciting player he is, with an immense engine that Thomas the Tank would be proud of. I can't believe that he isn't already being watched by scouts ; Jenkinson made fewer 1st team appearances, I believe and look how he was snapped up.
So, time to regroup, work hard at the training ground ( especially on corners & throw ins) & then welcome the Yorkshire Reds in 10 days time.
The terrific news about Bowyer, and his "I'm delighted" interview just fills you with joy, he is the man!
The performance was so much more solid, Cullen makes all the difference, and Taylor's cameo just shows how good he is and what a threat he can pose.
We need about 5 wins, I think with senior players coming back we can really achieve that, we want the first one asap, get the confidence going.
So, we need the backroom staff signed, 3 bodies in on the last day, one of which is beyond expectation, a solid 2-0 against Barnsley and we will be properly rocking again.
Fulham were a decent team without an end product because they didn’t have a natural striker on the pitch. They looked like a bunch of really good players but they only had one game plan, pass it to somebody else. All charlton had to do was harass them. At half time I thought we were going to win and was saying we just needed to bring Williams and Taylor on to take the game. Personally, I think LB left it a bit late with the changes. Williams, Cullen, Oztumer and Pratley were in their element together and when Lyle came on it totally fucked Fulham’s composure. Not quite where we were before the injuries started to occur but shades of the team that started the season so well definitely showed last night. A nice little break now to get ready for the rest of the season.
Comments
We had two shots; Doughty's tamish effort and Oztumer's 30 yard wide left footer.
Our set pieces were bad (Oztumer kicking one straight behind) and the forwards got zero service (crossing from Doughty was awful).
On the plus side; Phliips and the defence were fairly sound (apart from the free header), Cullen gave us better shape, Pratley had another good game, Doughty ran well with ball, Hemed tried hard, Purrington carried on from Swansea, Oztumer worked hard, Taylor looked bright as did Williams.
I would like to have seen Hemed and Taylor together late on because I think they could've physically unsettled Fulham. Understand that we didn't want to lose a midfielder but it looked like Fulham had shot their bolt by then.
Pleeeeeease?
"Fulham had only failed to score in one of their previous Championship games before Wednesday night, but they were held at arm's length for the majority of the night at The Valley.
Charlton's defence was exceptional and no one showed more commitment at the back than Lockyer - who tackled, headed, blocked and cleared everything that came his way."
with a 7.5 (I don't give 8+ away lightly) but what do I know about the beautiful game 😉.
We were 2-0 up against cardiff when he got injured in October? (Or early november?) We drew 2-2 and have won 1 game since.
Then we brought on first Williams and then Taylor, and suddenly we looked the better team, and their defence suddenly looked stretched and making hurried clearances. That 20 minute cameo showed HOW important Taylor is to us, sharpness, physical presence AND the best cross of the night too that nearly created a goal for Williams. Unlike Hemed (who tried hard but was ineffective) Taylor can create chances as well, he's so much more than a goal scorer.
Everyone worked hard overall played reasonably well, but terrible crossing, corners and free kicks, Doughty, Oztumer and Cullen all guilty in that respect. Was a bit puzzled why Morgan and Doughty were playing on the wrong sides for part of the first half, as both seemed to struggle a bit and were much better on their natural sides. Pearce had a couple of iffy moments, Purrington started a bit shakily but improved. Great to see Cullen back, amazed he played the whole game. Oztumer did quite well and Pratley avoided the 10th booking!
Fulham really should have been ahead by that stage though.
It felt, for the first time in a while, that we had a spine, a shape, a lot more than effort tonight. A word for Hemed, I thought he showed glimpses of a player at Preston saturday and more so tonight, would like to see him playing alongside Lyle some time soon.
Fulham support, wow, how can so many be so silent for so long. Strange bunch.
Three games into my half ST and starting to get a routine back after a couple of years away. The excellent River Ale House pre match and a good atmosphere in the CE lower, our own safe standing section with no complaints in F Block.
Great to be enjoying my football again.
Didnt realise how much we missed Cullen. No chance in hell we'd be able to afford him (transfer fee and/or wages) but we've had for 2 years which is about the going rate for players these days.
Which brings me to Taylor. I admit I was one of those doubting that we'd ever see him in a CAFC shirt again & I now think he wont be leaving in this window......although I dont think he'll sign a new contract & will be off in the summer. Just make the most of him now as he could be the difference between relegation & staying up.
Dougherty needs to practice with a slipper on his left foot as currently the fact he cant use his right is the only thing letting him down. 3 times he had a chance to do something with the ball (first after he ran the length of the pitch only to falter on the edge of the box as he couldn't cross it......second when he got into the box and being closed had to pull it back to Oztumer (who shot wildly)......and third when in a similar position he shot into the side netting). Can't fault him otherwise & I would have him in the team permanently even when all the others are back fully fit. JUST PLAY HIM ON THE LEFT.
Dont get the love for Oztumer or Hemed tonight. I appreciate that both are not fully first but neither really gave us much & are squad players at best.
Finally, I can only wonder how bad other teams must be at set pieces if we were (supposedly) one of the top scorers in the league at corners. Absolutely woeful & I'd have them practicing them all next week until someone can drop the ball into the box without hitting the first defender, or overhitting it or (Yes you Oztumer) not even getting the ball over at all.
Not seen Hemed do too much before today but thought he battled and held the ball up pretty well. Was hoping to see him and Lyle up front for a few minutes but we couldn’t see how to keep a very proficient Fulham side in check as well as we had done to change the shape for that.
Fulham have a lot of very expensive quality in their team and they carved us up for 15 minutes in the first half. Looked too easy, but then we kept our shape and shut them off and we had moments where we could have won.
Team played well, great to see Cullen play a full game even if he wasn’t full bore for all of it. Jonny Williams is total mustard and will get fouled off the park every game. His tackle run pass was worth every penny.
Think Lyle May have been a bit disappointed not to have his normal love in chants but hey, that can come back and he thrives on it. Keep fingers crossed on a decent 2 year deal for him.
onwards and upwards, COYR.
Crossbars was buzzing, the wine tasted especially good (all 3 glasses ...hic! ) & smiles were wider & brighter wherever I looked.
And the performance tonight didn't disappoint against a slick, pretty impressive outfit from SW6.
A clean sheet, stalwart defending, some exciting attacks on their goal and a well earned, precious point.....with seemingly an injury free 93 minutes.
All concerned played their part & how good was it to have Josh, Oz & Hemed back in the starting line up. But just as important was our bench, enabling the gaffer to make substitutions that made a difference.
What's not to like ?
My MOM was young Alfie. What an exciting player he is, with an immense engine that Thomas the Tank would be proud of. I can't believe that he isn't already being watched by scouts ; Jenkinson made fewer 1st team appearances, I believe and look how he was snapped up.
So, time to regroup, work hard at the training ground ( especially on corners & throw ins) & then welcome the Yorkshire Reds in 10 days time.
I can't wait !!!
Onwards & upwards with Bow's red & white army !
What they think.
The terrific news about Bowyer, and his "I'm delighted" interview just fills you with joy, he is the man!
The performance was so much more solid, Cullen makes all the difference, and Taylor's cameo just shows how good he is and what a threat he can pose.
We need about 5 wins, I think with senior players coming back we can really achieve that, we want the first one asap, get the confidence going.
So, we need the backroom staff signed, 3 bodies in on the last day, one of which is beyond expectation, a solid 2-0 against Barnsley and we will be properly rocking again.
Happy from Melbourne
I was the bloke that caught that big looping ball on the halfway line. WSE Block.
Good game, think we could have nicked it had we brought Green on with Taylor, Ozzy was knackered.
Real shift by everyone.
""Essentially we've Premier League players and a League One manager. "" made me laugh.
Anyway,great point for us and feels like light at the end of the tunnel. Fingers crossed no new injury concers before Barnsley game