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POST-MATCH THREAD: Coventry City v Charlton Athletic: Saturday 29th November 2025: KO 15:00
Comments
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Ill take that result and that performance for sure -
Bell made a huge difference before getting injured - If we can find a configuration that facilitates the positives of the team structure and set up that has netted us the bulk of our points so far this season and add the Frenchman in - we will start collecting points again.
Glad Knibbs got on the scoresheet -
Jones knows exactly what works in this division and if we can 2 rock solid players for each position within that system we can become a force in the championship.
This season is ALL about staying up, and we will ,Jones is too much of a character with too much experience and tactical nous to throw away everything he has worked for.
The 10 mill spent was as good as the club could achieve and it's mean there are obvious holes when the injury problems hit one specific area of the squad.
Not getting thumped 4s and 5s was crucial yesterday - a point against Pompey would be terrific to begin the turn around - 3 would be "we are back"
Onto the next one.
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agree with all of that - i have every faith in NJ - as he says, get on the journey - this is a man with a plan and he knows there will be some ups and downs and we, as fans , need to stay right behind them and i'm sure we will keep progressing - the owners have the clout, we just need to keep giving it 100% support and playing our part - we have something to properly get behind for the first time in yearsmascot88 said:Ill take that result and that performance for sure -
Bell made a huge difference before getting injured - If we can find a configuration that facilitates the positives of the team structure and set up that has netted us the bulk of our points so far this season and add the Frenchman in - we will start collecting points again.
Glad Knibbs got on the scoresheet -
Jones knows exactly what works in this division and if we can 2 rock solid players for each position within that system we can become a force in the championship.
This season is ALL about staying up, and we will ,Jones is too much of a character with too much experience and tactical nous to throw away everything he has worked for.
The 10 mill spent was as good as the club could achieve and it's mean there are obvious holes when the injury problems hit one specific area of the squad.
Not getting thumped 4s and 5s was crucial yesterday - a point against Pompey would be terrific to begin the turn around - 3 would be "we are back"
Onto the next one.10 -
Having just watched Match of the Day, I’m revising my view on being so critical of conceding from the corner - saw far worse from several PL teams, including the England goalie.
A disappointing result, but a much more “normal” performance after the last couple. 2-1 rather than 3-1 might have been fairer. And that’s not bad away to the runaway league leaders when we have an injury-depleted squad. Though I don’t understand signing Rouisillon then not putting him on the bench.The big games are ahead now.3 -
Been a few years since my last Coventry trip but their bellend ratio seems as high now as it was then?
Very Birmingham like, must be a regional thing, they just seem so backward. The level of goading and provocation was just off the scale. Some fella with grey hair halfway down spent the whole game doing wanker signs, flexing muscles, trying desperately to get a reaction. He was with his kids who just sat there. , It’s just embarrassing. They’re encouraged to though, their whole crowd management is based around encouraging that with stewards and police laughing at them doing it and then jumping on away fans that take the bait.A club like Coventry who have really been through the mill over the last 15 years I would normally be really pleased for seeing them thrive again in their home stadium. Certainly not come away from today feeling that though.12 -
Does that include throwing in scores from teams we don't give a shit about?ross1 said:The only trouble on the matchday thread is when we are losing, some on the thread start getting argumentative with each other. They forget about the game and turn the thread into a row.
Please, in future, if you do not agree with anothers view, so what, we all have our own opinions, I know some of mine turns out to be wrong.
Let us keep the matchday thread to comments on the game. Thank you4 -
This...Fair enough with the updates of Kanu and Mbick etc. but I really couldn't give a toss about them lot from Bermondsey or Bromley tbhMajor said:
Does that include throwing in scores from teams we don't give a shit about?ross1 said:The only trouble on the matchday thread is when we are losing, some on the thread start getting argumentative with each other. They forget about the game and turn the thread into a row.
Please, in future, if you do not agree with anothers view, so what, we all have our own opinions, I know some of mine turns out to be wrong.
Let us keep the matchday thread to comments on the game. Thank you4 -
A good day out, notwithstanding a mildly disappointing, albeit wholly unsurprising, defeat. We arrived on time in Coventry at around 10:30 and walked straight up to the ‘new’ Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1962. It really is quite something and, to my untutored eye, fully justifies its description as an architectural masterpiece. It stands adjacent to the ruins of the one which was obliterated in November 1940 when 515 German bombers of the Luftwaffe dropped a combination of high explosive and incendiary bombs on Coventry, killing over 500 people and damaging two-thirds of the buildings in the city.
The 16th century ‘Golden Cross’ is, happily, situated almost adjacent to the Cathedral, so a couple of pints and a good pub lunch followed.
As for the game itself, I thought we started well, keeping Coventry at arm’s length, with a good shape and plenty of men behind the ball. In addition, unlike in the previous two games, we didn’t do anything daft. Kaminsky made a couple of decent saves but we also looked a real threat, with Knibbs giving us the lead after Lloyd Jones headed the ball into the danger area from a free kick. Lloyd then had a header headed off the line from an excellent Bree corner, while Tanto should probably have done better when nicely played in by Knibbs. His first touch pushed him too wide and a relatively tame low shot was comfortably beaten away by the keeper.
Bell’s injury and substitution on the half hour felt a turning point, forcing us into a change of shape and personnel and we never looked the same thereafter. Coventry picked up the tempo and after a precisely struck equaliser following some neat interplay, we conceded a quick second from a corner, dashing hopes that we could hang on until half time.
Early in the second half, Leaburn laid on a good chance for Sonny Carey, who cut neatly inside, steadied himself and then blasted over. That was really the closest we came in the second period and Coventry proceeded to wear us down with their neat and progressive play. We carried very little threat up top, with Miles Leaburn looking laboured, and Coventry’s dominance was underscored by their third goal, with Ellis in the right place from a couple of yards after Kaminski’s save.
I thought that Jones and Ramsey played well, as did Conor Coventry in midfield. I thought that Knibbs also had a decent first half but he was substituted at half time for the Doc, presumably for tactical reasons unless he had a knock. Most of our players were, however, unable to make an impact on the game, whilst Tyreece Campbell was well below par and looked mentally shot to me in the second half.
A disappointing but hardly unexpected result, with fears of a rout proving unjustified. Thoughts now turn to a number of potential ‘6 pointers’ next month and, with Bell now likely to be out for a while, we have to hope that Jerome Roussillon can get up to speed in pretty short order.
The stadium looked impressive with more or less a full house, although the transport back to Coventry left a lot to be desired, as did the complete absence of any information. Having waited in vain for a bus (it transpired that ‘Jimmy Hill Way’ was closed to traffic for an indeterminate period), we joined the queue for the train. The first one was late but, fortunately, we managed to squeeze onto the second and got back into the city. Less fortunately, the transportation delays meant that a much anticipated pint in ‘The Old Windmill’ (recommended by a couple of Lifers) was no longer viable.
Having reached the station, we were about to pop out for a meal deal when I noticed, purely by chance, that our 6:35 train was cancelled. Luckily, another Euston train was about to leave and we were able to hop on. Not quite the end of the story because we were sat by 6 very nice ladies in their 50s/early 60s who had been out on the sauce all afternoon. The lady opposite me was pretty insensible, whilst the one next to me did a little chunda 🤮 which I saw coming and managed to avoid. Fortunately, most of the party were ok and we managed to get them off at Long Buckby …..(me neither). It made for an amusing end to an eventful day.
One final thought - whilst the stadium itself is impressive and I liked the rake and the safe standing, I’m not a fan of grounds situated on the outskirts of town (the shopping malls also reminded me of the dreaded Stevenage). No wonder away supporters enjoy a trip to The Valley, with a mere 3 or 4 minute walk from Charlton Station.
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Not really worth discussing much else other than the injuries, because unless and until they resolve, we are going to be lucky to pick up points against anyone.
Only Jones knows what's happening on the injury front, or does he? Why risk Bell if he wasn't ready?
Why run players like TC into the ground when the lad looks tired, dejected and mentally shot, he couldn't even make a simple two yard pass towards the end, and has needed a break for weeks now.
In interviews Jones seems quite calm and optimistic, so I'm hoping that means that players such as Godden, Kelman, Burke and even Bell, will soon be back.
If that isn't the case, then I really fear for us.4 -
We rely heavily on what we do without the ball — our shape, our press, all of it. But when a key cog is missing, and right now that’s Bell and Edwards, everything becomes disjointed and far less effective.A couple of tweaks in January would make a big difference: a proper LWB and someone who can genuinely push Docherty for his place.6
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Look who the 3rd home game is (Oxford) none more crucial than thatRob said:It was always going to be tough to get something out of this game but until Bell went off I thought we were the better team and were starting to control the game. But, why on earth replace him with a forward. Surely Rankin, Docherty or Anderson would have fitted in better. That I couldn’t understand and it was hard work from then on.Our main aim is to stay up and I think we have enough to do that but to lose 4 on the bounce, and easily as well, is not a comfortable feeling. The next 2 at home are crucial.
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Me and the boy had a great day despite the result, went up early and did the Waterpark in the City (The Wave), nice bit of lunch, parked near the ground on some Brummies drive thanks to Just Park and enjoyed the first 20 minutes and the limbs for our goal.
All went to shit once Bell went off (let’s be honest he could have been sent off) TC and Tanto were looking dangerous (stick with it next week please) and I just didn’t agree with bringing Leaburn on at that point. TC gets so much abuse and he is finding it difficult to adjust to the level but he looked dangerous again early yesterday and it all changed when Leaburn came on who offers no pace, no workrate, no movement and your hoping for a piece of magic that he might have done against Exeter but wasn’t likely to do yesterday
Second half I thought we did ok although felt a bit sorry for Knibbs after his goal and workrate in the first half, all in all a fair and predictable result
Despite closing all the roads around the ground meaning a massive detour to get on the M6 was home via a Maccies stop for 7.45, it’s not all about the result we had a great day15 -
I know Jones likes to keep the injuries quiet , but it is frustrating as a fan that we don’t get told enough about them and the expected dates of the return of the players , I thought Godden was back training but that does not seem to be the case , surely it can’t hurt letting us have more details2
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Just to add the first 30 mins was the best I’d remembered for some time. Full stadium, great atmosphere, quality fast paced football and end to end. Light years from 12 months ago.
The game changed with the Bell injury and formation shift, but as much a problem is not taking chances when they emerge. Along with the Jones header expertly off the line, Campbell and Olafe both had scorable chances in that period that were wasted (I’m not sure many had much confidence in them). Carey should have done better 2nd half too and at least hit the target,
When you get chances in this league, you have to take them.20 -
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Another shocker from Kaminski for the second.0
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TC’s decision making is usually a weakness but in this instance he did exactly the right thing. Waited for as long as he could for runners before putting it across goal for a tap in. He couldn’t have done much more reallyAFKABartram said:Just to add the first 30 mins was the best I’d remembered for some time. Full stadium, great atmosphere, quality fast paced football and end to end. Light years from 12 months ago.
The game changed with the Bell injury and formation shift, but as much as problem is not taking chances when they emerge. Along with the Jones header expertly off the line, Campbell and Olafe both had scorable chances in that period that were wasted (I’m not sure many had much confidence in them). Carey should have done better 2nd half too and at least hit the target,
When you get chances in this league, you have to take them.
Olaofe’s was a much bigger chance, his finishing doesn’t seem to be a strength. Especially on his left foot, he probably had enough time to shift it to his right
Olaofe and TC as a pairing definitely caused them problems with their pace. I think against top teams that play a higher line this should maybe always be our starting pairing5 -
Great encounter before the game. Got in ground early about 2pm, mate went toilet and me and my son went to the counter.
Me: “Two steak pies, two stouts and a bottle of Fanta please”.
Wally “can I see his ID”
Me “my son? For a bottle of Fanta”
Wally “well who’s the other beer for then?”
Me “my mate”
Wally “where is he? Point him out”
Me “are you being serious?” I look round into a crowd of a couple of hundred people desperately trying to see my mate. See him through the crowd in the distance. “He’s through there”
Wally “him? Can’t serve him” Pointing to a kid of about 13 in a different direction to where I pointed
Me “this is ridiculous, are you going to give me the drink or not”
Wally “you’re going to have to get him”
So my son had to traipse to the far side of the concourse to retrieve my 54 year old mate to be allowed his beer. All the while the bloke next to him was serving multiple beers to the bloke standing next to me.
Bonkers.
Ps, not a bad stout to be fair!25 -
Is there a limit to how many you can buy yourself ? I'd have just said that to him,the queues big and I want two drinks for myself.AFKABartram said:Great encounter before the game. Got in ground early about 2pm, mate went toilet and me and my son went to the counter.
Me: “Two steak pies, two stouts and a bottle of Fanta please”.
Wally “can I see his ID”
Me “my son? For a bottle of Fanta”
Wally “well who’s the other beer for then?”
Me “my mate”
Wally “where is he? Point him out”
Me “are you being serious?” I look round into a crowd of a couple of hundred people desperately trying to see my mate. See him through the crowd in the distance. “He’s through there”
Wally “him? Can’t serve him” Pointing to a kid of about 13 in a different direction to where I pointed
Me “this is ridiculous, are you going to give me the drink or not”
Wally “you’re going to have to get him”
So my son had to traipse to the far side of the concourse to retrieve my 54 year old mate to be allowed his beer. All the while the bloke next to him was serving multiple beers to the bloke standing next to me.
Bonkers.
Ps, not a bad stout to be fair!4 -
I'd have added another stout to the order, and another pie, wait until they were all served, and then change my mind and decide not to buy.AFKABartram said:Great encounter before the game. Got in ground early about 2pm, mate went toilet and me and my son went to the counter.
Me: “Two steak pies, two stouts and a bottle of Fanta please”.
Wally “can I see his ID”
Me “my son? For a bottle of Fanta”
Wally “well who’s the other beer for then?”
Me “my mate”
Wally “where is he? Point him out”
Me “are you being serious?” I look round into a crowd of a couple of hundred people desperately trying to see my mate. See him through the crowd in the distance. “He’s through there”
Wally “him? Can’t serve him” Pointing to a kid of about 13 in a different direction to where I pointed
Me “this is ridiculous, are you going to give me the drink or not”
Wally “you’re going to have to get him”
So my son had to traipse to the far side of the concourse to retrieve my 54 year old mate to be allowed his beer. All the while the bloke next to him was serving multiple beers to the bloke standing next to me.
Bonkers.
Ps, not a bad stout to be fair!4 -
On the way to the ground chatting with some Coventry fans each one great value and had a laugh and shared a few tall tales. Only knobheads encountered were our own, trying to kick the shutters of a sales point at half time.As for the game great until Bell went off.We seam so static compared to other teams, Coventry were constantly moving and looking for the ball. We had brief moments where we threatened but looked ineffective and at times chased shadows.Train back from the ground to Nuneaton an absolute farce.Still Pompey is now a must win!0
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We're getting very relaxed and blasé about the last three games, and we didn't expect to win any of those, which i understand to a point, but now the season starts for real apparently with Portsmouth up next, a must win game, God I hate those games, but then up comes Middlesborough and Birmingham, are those must win...
We're in an ok sort of position, but need to stop this minor rot, don't forget losing can become a habit just as much as winning...2 -
Shoulda told them to leave it and go somewhere else.AFKABartram said:Great encounter before the game. Got in ground early about 2pm, mate went toilet and me and my son went to the counter.
Me: “Two steak pies, two stouts and a bottle of Fanta please”.
Wally “can I see his ID”
Me “my son? For a bottle of Fanta”
Wally “well who’s the other beer for then?”
Me “my mate”
Wally “where is he? Point him out”
Me “are you being serious?” I look round into a crowd of a couple of hundred people desperately trying to see my mate. See him through the crowd in the distance. “He’s through there”
Wally “him? Can’t serve him” Pointing to a kid of about 13 in a different direction to where I pointed
Me “this is ridiculous, are you going to give me the drink or not”
Wally “you’re going to have to get him”
So my son had to traipse to the far side of the concourse to retrieve my 54 year old mate to be allowed his beer. All the while the bloke next to him was serving multiple beers to the bloke standing next to me.
Bonkers.
Ps, not a bad stout to be fair!
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No it's notThe Red Robin said:Another shocker from Kaminski for the second.10 -
Had the past 3 results been spread out over the course of the season and we found ourselves where we are I think we'd have a far more optimistic view.
That it's condensed in the space of a couple of weeks and has seen us drop down to lower mid table magnifies the pessimism. I think it's a reality check and being 17th with our squad is a very decent return at this stage of the season.
Southampton an ex premier league squad, Coventry bashing everyone and clear promotion favourites and a decent Stoke side who are up there.
I actually thought up til Bell's injury we could have gone on and won and even losing 3-1 I would have taken after the previous 2 games.
I think the real test of where we are at will be Portsmouth....crowd needs to get behind the team and the players need to be the best versions of ourselves.
We're a league one squad with a few decent championship players. Jones has got that squad playing out of there skins to the best of their ability in the same way Moyes does it with his sides. We're competing against established championship sides with deeper squads.
We can't have the mindset we had in League one where we were one of the bigger boys in terms of club size and budget and should have been getting a greater return on investment on the pitch. We sneaked up via the playoffs and only had a summer to piece together a competitive second tier side competing against bigger and more established championship sides for signatures without bankrupting the club.
Nathan Jones is arguably the best thing to happen to Charlton along with the new owners since Curbishley was allowed to leave....he is hugely in credit.
Expectations need to be aligned with reality that this season we just stay up and doing so will be a huge achievement. Let's not let disappointment or pessimism permeate in the stands and the message boards after we're massively punched above our weight this season. It was always going to be a temporary position until our limited squad got a few injuries etc. and I kept saying to mates and colleagues saying we're flying at top of the league that I will genuinely just be happy to stay up this season. I'll be delighted if we do and believe we will.
Jones, the team and the fans have done superbly this season and yesterday was a vast improvement on the preceding two drubbings and would have been very different had Bell not come off.
I think we'll be more than fine over the course of the season and think we can stop the rot and turn it around against Portsmouth Saturday.
Jones and the players (all of them) are massively in credit and doing their best and it's the most positive I've felt about the club on and off the pitch for over a decade and it's good not to lose sight of that and keep expectations in line with reality.
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Great vlog Charlie. Crap result, but my daughter and I had a great day in Coventry and even slipped into your filmed goal celebrations as we sat behind you. This will cheer her up after being at the mullering v Soton and thrashing at Stoke.Braziliance said:
We did well until Bell went off and could have been 3-0 up. Leaburn really doesn't add much, as he is too slow and allows the oppo to push up as he will never get in behind. TC looked knackered and lacking confidence by the end. However, in the first 20 minutes he and Tanto made us look dangerous Better than Stoke where he just knocked the ball back every time he was given it wide.
Coventry as you say are Premier League with a packed crowd, big stadium and momentum. Love the vlogs Charlie. They are now part of matchday weekends for us, particularly the club shop review. We did our own one to try and second guess what you would highlight The vlogs this past year and a bit have tempted me into becoming a regular away fan. They are by far the best CAFC vlog out there.3 -
I don't think a point at home to Portsmouth, when we have Boro and Birmingham away after, will be a good enough result tbh. Have to win oour home games against struggling sides.mascot88 said:Ill take that result and that performance for sure -
Bell made a huge difference before getting injured - If we can find a configuration that facilitates the positives of the team structure and set up that has netted us the bulk of our points so far this season and add the Frenchman in - we will start collecting points again.
Glad Knibbs got on the scoresheet -
Jones knows exactly what works in this division and if we can 2 rock solid players for each position within that system we can become a force in the championship.
This season is ALL about staying up, and we will ,Jones is too much of a character with too much experience and tactical nous to throw away everything he has worked for.
The 10 mill spent was as good as the club could achieve and it's mean there are obvious holes when the injury problems hit one specific area of the squad.
Not getting thumped 4s and 5s was crucial yesterday - a point against Pompey would be terrific to begin the turn around - 3 would be "we are back"
Onto the next one.5 -
The only score I normally give is Bromley because I have been thanked by some for doing so, sorry if this upsets you.Major said:
Does that include throwing in scores from teams we don't give a shit about?ross1 said:The only trouble on the matchday thread is when we are losing, some on the thread start getting argumentative with each other. They forget about the game and turn the thread into a row.
Please, in future, if you do not agree with anothers view, so what, we all have our own opinions, I know some of mine turns out to be wrong.
Let us keep the matchday thread to comments on the game. Thank you
Other scores are given by the man who knows the scores before it happens. Thanks FA 😃0 -
Took my niece to her first away game. Not sure she’ll come again in a hurry. Not because of the result or the shit transport links to /from the ground but due to our own fans. The ones sitting in our seats refusing to move or make eye contact and being dismissive and calling me love. The ones trying to fight the opposition. The ones kicking the metal gate on the concourse. The ones pushing to get on the trains. Thanks to them. Hope you all have a shit day today contemplating your obnoxiousness.
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Slightly surprised by the Coventry chants of "Charlton being battered everywhere they go" as if we were their local rival, or had a long history of giving them aggro.
Whereas the Nathan Jones sheep shagging song does seem to follow him around...2 -
There goes the theory that when we score first we do not lose 🥲0
https://youtu.be/K2bNViZurfE?si=TfthCmq_ktUCnvYF
