Disappointing

Following Jackson finally being made permanent he was rewarded with Covid infections depriving him of three players, two of whom are central to the team. Clearly it disrupted the set up and plans.

Sadly, a reasonable opening half hour or so aside it was a rather lacklustre performance with one or two failing to take their opportunity. That’s not what we expect under Jacko and he will have been disappointed.

We didn’t deserve to be behind at the break but did little in the second half to deserve anything from the game. One has to feel for those fans who made the long journey down to Devon. 

The match served to highlight how outside a small core group of players the back up is a little weak. Clearly, there’s work to be done in the January transfer window.

It would be good to be able to move one or two players on but I’m not sure how easy that will be in this window. We need to recruit another striker and that has to be a proven goalscorer. That won’t be easy.

If we have better luck with injuries we shouldn’t require another centre half but a repeat could continue to leave a little exposed there at times.

Great uncertainty remains in the meantime over the actual playing of games. A decision needs to be made regarding that as Covid is making the outcomes of games something of a lottery. This isn’t the same as getting run of the mill injuries.

No one wants to see games cancelled or played behind closed doors but a small break might be needed to stem the rise in infections and to also prevent a distortion to the league with games coming down to the luck of the draw in respect of infections.

I hope you all have a peaceful and restful Christmas with your families.

Uncertainty!

Uncertainty to the left of me, uncertainty to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with Yule!

The latest Covid variant has left us wondering t what extent the festive football programme and indeed beyond will be affected. No clear message is coming from the Government and it’s left in the air to a degree.

There’s being vague and there’s being vague but suggesting that we prioritise things that are important to us really doesn’t help. One man’s meat is another man’s poison eh?

Additionally for us Addicks, we have the ongoing issue of when and now whether, Jackson and Euell will be made permanent. That it wouldn’t happen seemed inconceivable a couple of weeks ago. However, as it has unnecessarily dragged on that is a possibility.

It was always my view that Jackson should have got the job when Adkins was appointed. Given his immediate and terrific impact when he got the caretaker role it certainly ought to have happened in a matters of days.

I really feel that Roddy has had a hand in both matters. As the Director of Football or whatever his role is ( does anyone actually know?) surely he ought to be saying something?

We’re left clinging to the hope that this will end with the outcome we all so desperately want.

If the Plymouth game does go ahead let’s hope that we can continue our fine run which has seen us record 3 back to back wins if one includes the Cup game.

The scenario is very different to the one that saw us hosting the Pilgrims just a few weeks ago. At that time they were on a fine run and in good form. Since then of course things have taken a bit of a down turn with  poor results and their manager moving on.

However, similarly to us they appointed their assistant manager although they have dillydallied and he was made permanent immediately. Steven Schumacher seems highly thought of and is expected to do a good job. As ever, I don’t expect any complacency on the part of Jacko and the team.

Covid aside, I’m not aware of any new injury worries or issues. We ought to travel full of confidence and expectation. The simple fact is that we must keep winning if we are to put pressure on those above and to retain any realistic chance of attaining a play-off spot.

Best wishes and safe travelling to all those who are going. May you be rewarded with a win and good display!

Come On You Reds!

Onwards and Upwards!

The Addicks secured another win on Saturday against another team who were bang in form.

Cambridge arrived in S.E.7 having bagged 5 goals in midweek. However, a combination of resolute defending, great goalkeeping and poor finishing saw them depart with a nil to their name.

Compared to Tuesday’s win over Ipswich, this was a more workmanlike display from our boys. However, it’s the type of games you need to win and in this manner if you’re to climb the table.

The win put us back in the top half of the table. Clearly, we are making progress but this run needs to be maintained.

To get into the play-offs alone is asking a lot. We’re not trying to close the gap on just 3 or 4 teams. There are about 7 or 8 that we need to chase down and that, of course, makes the task that much harder.

There were a few tired legs on the pitch which is only to be expected given how we are now playing. Jacko demands a pressing game.

Tired limbs weren’t confined to the players as the referee’s arm must have been aching given the number of cards he bandied about. I counted 8 in the first half alone.

What a contrast to the excellent refereeing from Tuesday’s game. The game was more niggly than dirty. The excessive card flourishing saw a few players walking a tightrope.

Stockley not the least of these as got fired up just before half time. The break arrived at the right time for him.

Jayden will be a target and one can understand his frustration as he was on receiving end of many niggly fouls and shirt pulls. To be fair he pretty much laughed off the majority of them.

The trio of on field officials had a poor day. How both ref and AC stand lino missed the shirt pull Stockley got in the second half is a total mystery.

Match winning displays from Washington who added the goals that his performances have merited, MacGillivray with at least two goal denying saves and Pearce who was just wonderful throughout.

It makes so much difference when the team is given 100% and the way we play entertains and add in a win and all is good with the world and our Saturdays are complete!

The busy Christmas schedule lies in wait and this week is the last time the players will have any real opportunity to train fully and for a recovery of sorts.

One hopes that we will add at least one striker to our ranks in the next transfer window. We could do worse than see if we can lure Chuks back on loan.

He’s not featured too much for Birmingham and he would do well if he was prepared to come and Bowyer is happy to loan him out.

That’s one for the future and in the meantime we continue to hope that permanent contracts for Jacko and Euell will finally be sorted this week.

More Of The Same Please!

The Addicks are back home again on Saturday and with the addition of another bumper crowd it promises to be another entraining afternoon 

On the pitch we find ourselves in a good place. Everyone is 100% behind our management team. Everyone it seems apart from Sandgaard and perhaps, whoever is advising him that those permanent contracts need to wait.

This has long gone beyond a joke now and Thomas is doing his credibility no good whatsoever with each passing day. He was slow to dismiss and even slower to appoint.

In both cases the need to act has been blindly obvious and it calls into question his ability to make the big decisions. Ironically, had he sought to appoint someone from outside the club, there would have been no trial period. No contract less than two years.

If he offers anything less than 2 year contracts then his judgement seriously is flawed.

With this and a couple of other issues, I’m losing a little faith and it’s taking the gloss of what has otherwise been a honeymoon period for the new owner.

In respect of the match itself, Cambridge will offer another tough test as pretty much every game is in this league.

The U’s put 5 past Cheltenham on Tuesday night and so will arrive in S.E.7 full of confidence. However, so did Plymouth a couple of weeks and we know what happened then!

The team produced probably their best performance of the season on Tuesday and will be equally confident. Unless there are any injury concerns one assume pretty much the same starting eleven.

One possible alteration might be Leko coming in for DJ but other than that everyone deserves to keep their place.

Like everyone else, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have a better journey down than last time but the same result and performance and I really won’t give a damn!

Come On You Reds!

 

Luvvly Jubbly!

Back to winning ways in the league and in some style. If we’d been a bit more clinical we’d have scored at least 6 goals. Hey, this is Charlton though and thus, the second and deciding goal, didn’t come until late into the game.

Worth the wait though wasn’t it? A lovely solo run and finish from Gilbey. Having failed to score from the vast array of chances set up following short, sharp passes and good movement, it needed to be executed in that fashion.

Whilst accepting that Ipswich were poor, it was probably our finest performance of the season even if Adkins might argue that we had a good 20 minute spell in a game back in September!

Despite only leading by the single Stockley goal for so long it was one of those rare occasions when you felt reasonably assured of an Addicks victory.

The transformation from the dross we witnessed under Adkins to last night’s display was chalk and cheese. Watching Ipswich, it was not difficult to imagine that our Nige had taken over at Portman Road as they looked lost and devoid of any game plan or shape.  

A lot of their players are capable of so much better. Not least amongst those is Fraser who ran the show when we played MK last season. He was probably glad to be subbed.

Whoever does take on the manager’s role has a hell of a lot to do to sort matters on the pitch and repair them off it as the fans are clearly turning on the players. Good luck to them, not every club has a legend like Jacko to do so!

Man of the match was a tough choice as not only did no one have a bad game, each player did so well.

The Stockley – Washington partnership was a joy to behold with Washington’s finishing to the only Achilles heel. I guess if his scoring ability matched his all round movement and running he’d not be with us.

We could have had about 8 names on the scoresheet last night such was the dominance and willingness of the lads to get in and around the box. A bit more composure, clinical striking and picking the right option  would help but it seems a bit churlish to be so picky after that.

I understand that Jacko is likely to be announced as permanent manager on Saturday. Not before time but it is pretty insulting that he hasn’t got it before now.

Had Sandgaard appointed someone from outside the club he wouldn’t have had the luxury of, what has effectively become, an on the job interview.

If Jacko is confirmed, then the proper planning on the transfer window can commence. One can but hope that Roddy is nowhere near it but I fear he’ll have his mucky paws over it.

One thing slightly took the edge off last night’s win and that is the playing of Addicks To Victory immediately after the final whistle. Please God, no! Why trample over years of tradition by playing that?

All we want to hear is the crowd singing and clapping and then play Red, Red, Robin after that. It’s how it’s always been. Please, Thomas, leave your tune for another time!

The Addicks overcame a decent Gateshead side on Friday evening to make into the 3^rd round of the cup. 

Fans are dreaming of a decent draw that would see us pitted against a top Prem side. Some would like an away tie. Personally, I would like to get a home tie against one of the top teams. I’d include Everton in that as they’re a team I really like due in part to the values that the club has.

Jacko promised to take the cup seriously and he was good to his word in fielding a strong team. It was just as well as Gateshead provided a decent test and really ought to have at least two goals.

That they didn’t was down to poor finishing and a couple of great saves from Henderson as worryingly, the back, looked a bit static.

Those that travelled up to the game deserve huge praise and will have made some sacrifices to do so no doubt. It’s a long way to go at the best of times but a tough journey on a Friday.

They were at least rewarded for their efforts with a win. They further benefitted from avoiding the ITV commentary team that was a source of some irritation!

The ignorance and baloney that came from one or two of them was incredible. Please do the barest minimum of homework to avoid some of the tripe that was broadcast.

Jermain Beckford got a bit carried away but had the decency to apologise the next day having reviewed some of his comments.

I remain at a loss to know what more Jackson has to do to get the manager’s job on a full time basis. What he has achieved has already passed the wildest expectations.

One looks at Ipswich where Cook has just been sacked for a seemingly poor start. It’s true that he got really good backing but his performance was hardly on a scale with Adkins and he really ought to be given more time.

Hopefully, there will be some internal issues that we might benefit from on Tuesday night.

One would expect to see a slightly bigger midweek attendance courtesy of the free ticket offer. In addition, we can hope that The Addicks return to winning ways in the league.

A return for Jason Pearce would be a much needed boost for our back line.

Wins against Ipswich and Cambridge would be a real shot in the arm for our drive up the table. If we can get ourselves into a good position by the end of the year. That would leave us to take hopefully make good use of the January transfer window.

Announcing Jacko would be a real shot in the arm too. How much longer must we wait?

Come On You Reds!    

Up For The Cup!

It’s nearly 2 weeks since I lasted posted on this blog. At that time Jackson’s appointment as permanent manger was long overdue. Fast forward to now and it still hasn’t happened of course.

The delay really doesn’t help and when the team loses as it inevitably would it looks increasingly silly. 

There’s no doubt that Jacko remains the out and out best choice but if we lost tonight in the FA Cup then appointing him on the back of two defeats looks rather silly.

Sandgaard is not helping the situation at all and it put a spoke in the wheel in terms of planning both short and long term. 

The January transfer window is only a few days away with negotiations tough enough without the uncertainty looming large.

Thomas really has to  resolve this asap. I’m sure he was left in no doubt from all and sundry at the Alan Curbishley dinner as to what they feel especially after a couple of beers.

Onto tonight and we have the double whammy of a televised game and it being in the FA Cup. Traditionally we don’t do well in either respect!

However, if anyone can turn it around, it’s our “caretaker manager”.

One suspects that Jackson will field a competitive side yet hold back those are at risk of suspension or are returning from injury.

You would expect Stockley to play some part. Clearly he’s been a big miss in the last 3 league games and his presence goal-scoring ability is much needed in the upcoming games.

Starved as we have been of any big games in recent years ( save for the play-off final of course ) we will all be praying for a victory and decent draw in the third round.

It’d be great to get one of the top Prem teams at home of course although history suggests we’d get one of the few remaining non-league sides away!

Firstly, thought we need to overcome tonight’s opponents who won’t be a pushover I’m sure. Not fussed how we get there as long as do and then we can dream about what awaits in Round 3.

Come On You Reds!

Doubting Thomas

Wow! What a fantastic day Saturday was. Aside from the nightmare I experienced getting from Euston to the Valley, it was truly superb! A few toothsome pints pre-match set up the tone for the day.

It was great to see The Valley so full and the atmosphere was right up there and probably the best since the play off semi.

I think that the season ticket offer resulted in more people with a greater affinity to Charlton in attendance than we usually get for a Football For A Fiver day for example. There’s was even a decent bit of noise from where I sit in the Alan Curbishley stand.

At half time I was fearful that we might regret not having scored the goals that our dominance deserved and that Plymouth would make us pay in the second half. Of course, that wasn’t to be the case and two great strikes from Purrington and Washington saw us gain all 3 points.

I could go on about how good all the players were and make no mistake, everyone had a good game but I feel I ought to focus on the owner.

His comments in the SLP interview are quite staggering. Sandgaard is either naïve or extremely foolish (that’s putting it politely!). New to football or not, as a successful businessman how do you explain what he said?

It was a masterclass in how to undermine and unsettle your manager. At the same time he managed to alert a number of clubs that Jacko might be available soon.

Go back to being assistant manager and Euell reverting to his previous role! Really!! What world in Sandgaard living in?

Clearly, he thinks JJ and Euell would accept that and in addition, that the new, “better” manager would want them as part of their management team. Imagine the tension that would create from day one!

Those two gentlemen are hot property at the moment and would be snapped up straight away.

All that aside, how unprofessional was Sandgaard in referencing someone who is currently in another role? Surely that piece of etiquette isn’t confined to football!!

What else does Jackson have to do to get the job? None of us in our wildest dreams could have expected the results and performances we’ve seen since Adkins left. Is Thomas that disappointed with the two points we “dropped” against Rotherham?

We’ve had injuries and suspensions to key players but yet the squad is still turning out great results and performances like Saturday’s.

Sandgaard has done so much good and continues to do so with the vast  majority of things right but my God does he need a decent CEO and the ear of someone who truly knows our club and its fans and can give him sound advice.

That person would at the very least tell him that fans don’t want to hear ATV after a great win. That’s twice now at least that the end of the game has been slightly spoilt by that. Why is no one telling him? Surely he’s not silly enough to surround himself with sycophants?

Delaying making Jacko permanent manager is hindering any planning and potential signings and contract extensions. Surely he can see that?

No one could have done better than Jacko’s done. He has united players and fans alike.

Does Sandgaard really believe that the Valley would have been so full if Adkins was still manager? The answer is an emphatic no of course.

What is Thomas waiting for? It seems like he’s waiting for Jackson to lose a game or two and for what purpose?

I know he’s been stung by a payoff of allegedly around £800k to Adkins but there’s no guarantee of success with whoever he appoints now. The difference for me is that everything suggest it’s less of a gamble with Jacko.

I seriously think Sandgaard would have fans up in arms if he doesn’t give Jacko the job. I would seriously question whether I’d want to go if he doesn’t, I feel that strongly about it.   

I am very concerned about this unnecessary delay. I sincerely hope this isn’t hand of Roddy looming large over proceedings. By now, Thomas should know better than to listen to him. I can just imagine Roddy advising him to follow his lead and get his son working for the club…………….

Anyway on to Morecombe and let’s hope that we can maintain the great run. Given the injuries and Stockley’s suspension it will be tough but if anyone can orchestrate a win it’s Jacko ably assisted by Euell. Let’s hope our Doubting Thomas can see the light!

Come On You Reds!

 

 

Fill The Valley

 Another win for the Addicks on Saturday as the revival under Jacko continues.

The lads even overcame the early loss of Stockley to secure victory. Burton were restricted to few chances and only a decent strike in the second half was all Albion had to show for their efforts. That attempt was thwarted by a good save from Mac. 

Referee Kettle lived up to his billing as always. Two reds and 5 yellows in the first half is testament to that! Booking unused sub Arter at half-time was the icing on the cake! 

Clearly the lino had a lot to do with both players getting red cards but Kettle should have asked for a clear description of what happened. In reality, as far as I can see it little more than a tussle on the floor.

In fact, so hopeless was the lino that he failed to spot the clear penalty that ought to have had. 

We have appealed the red card but how do we think that’s going to go? Some of us still gobsmacked when Sankofa’s red card appeal was increased by a game as it was deemed “frivolous”! No one even knew such a thing existed at the time.

There little doubt that Stockley will miss the next three games starting with the important Plymouth game.

Further damage in respect of Saturday’s game was done when the clueless Kettle booked Famewo for timewasting…….in the first half!! This means further adjustment to a back line already missing Inniss and Lavelle.

Purrington, like most of the squad, is really thriving under Jacko’s leadership. Another goal for him and it’s so pleasing to see such an underrated player doing so well.

Saturday sees table-topping Plymouth at The Valley. The Pilgrims often fall away towards the business end of the season but one feels that this time it could be different.

It will probably be Jacko's toughest test to date and they will rightly arrive with lots of confidence. However, they did so for Bowyer’s first game in charge and we all know how that turned out!

The Valley will be packed of course thanks to Thomas’s generous offer of 3 free tickets for season ticket holders.  

Let’s hope the lads are really up for it and that we do ourselves justice on the back of the Fill The Valley initiative and buck the trend of previous ones.

Friday would be a good day to give the management role to Jacko and Euell on a permanent basis just to crank up the crowd and atmosphere another couple of notches!

I'd take a draw right now with a win a real bonus.

Come On You Reds!

Burton Up Next

Back to league for The Addicks this weekend as the lads travel to the Pirelli Stadium. As much as one would never tire of playing there they will have to tread carefully and hope the wheels don't come off, if they are to emerge with the 3 points.

Jackson is under pressure to maintain the good start to his caretaker role. The fans clearly want him to get the job on a permanent basis especially given the good mileage he has in terms of goodwill and support. He is proving more than a KwikFix manager!

Spare me the tyre puns I hear you cry!

Most of the squad have had the week off from playing but we will be missing Gunter and Washington from the usual matchday squad.

We ought to be able absorb their absence without too much disruption. I didn’t see why we cancelled games previously when affected by international call ups. The extra time never saw any benefit under Adkins. Despite having nearly two weeks in some instances to work with the squad we never seemed to improve or play any better. Nigel would repeat the "tired" old excuses!

In terms of player availability it seems that there won’t be any involvement for Leko or Matthews, however, Arter could in line to return to the squad.

No one has really grasped the opportunity that the cup games offered to enhance their case for inclusion in the league side save for CBT perhaps.

I’d expect Jackson to select pretty much the same starting eleven as last time out against Rotherham sans Washington and Gunter of course. One assumes that Davison comes in for CW and probably Deji for CG.

Burton provide another tough test for us but we ought to go with the confidence gained from the last few games not least those against Sunderland and Rotherham.

BTW since we played Sunderland and kicked them off the park and got away with a blatant head-butt etc. I do find myself paying more attention to their results. At least poor old Mr Johnson won’t have to worry about another defeat tomorrow as their game is off due to the international call ups.

In the meantime, the Addicks are seeking a win at The Pirelli. That would be “wheely” good and perhaps we can anticipate a "good year " after all!

Come On You Reds!

Still Up For The Cup!

A win and a rare defeat for Jacko’s Addicks in the two cup games played on Saturday and Tuesday.

Firstly, the FA Cup win over H&W was a good effort with a much changed side playing a team that, understandably, set out to stifle us.

The margin of victory may have flattered us somewhat but you’d expect us to become more dominant the longer the game went on.

Good to see Stockley add more goals including a well dispatched penalty. The icing on the cake was the well-taken goal for Burstow.

Jackson was as good as his word and treated the FA Cup with respect and we now face beatable opposition away in Round 2. That we have avoided a League side is good.

It won’t be easy especially away but it’s better than playing Rotherham away which was what I feared we might get at one stage!

The Papa Johns was not so good but we were already through to the next stage for that and fielded an even younger and less experienced side.

The slip from Deji was unfortunate and to lose against what was a ten man side for the last few minutes was equally so. However, in the overall scheme of things we shouldn’t concern ourselves too much.

If we are to lose games under Jacko then in relatively meaningless fixtures like this are ok with me.  

We will be back to League One stuff on Saturday of course. I’m pleased we haven’t opted to postpone the Burton game. Going up there in a few weeks on a Tuesday night isn’t something one would relish.

We don’t need games piling up either and we’re not greatly impacted by the international call ups. I couldn’t understand why we did it earlier in the season although I have to acknowledge if favoured us with the Rotherham game.

We can now add those two cups game to the voyage on the good ship HMS Jackson and the smooth passage continues. Long may it do so.

Another win this weekend would help Skip’s prospects of being made permanent. That’s what we all want to see I’m sure even those who were of the opinion that Jacko wasn’t ready. Lacked experience etc. etc.

Onwards and Upwards we hope!

Up For The Cup!

A break from league action this weekend sees The Addicks take on Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Cup.

In recent times it has been a welcome distraction but given our revival under Jack we’d really rather be playing league football.

However, such has been Jackson’s impact to date that we might even witness the lads secure a cup win which has the most rare of beasts in recent times.

It would be nice to think that we could reach round 3 and get a decent tie against a big club. Who knows? Anything is possible under Jacko though, of course and he has expressly said he values it!

The competition does afford the manager the opportunity to play some fringe players and to rest some of course should he wish to do so. Given his comments yesterday I can’t see Jackson changing the team too much.

More good news yesterday with Deji signing a new deal. That will give everyone a lift and securing our youngsters on decent contracts has been sadly lacking under successive poor owners. Hopefully, he and the club can progress together up the league structure.

The turn round of the team’s results and performances is nothing short of remarkable. The interview with Jason Pearce that Charlton Live played last night was very insightful. His comments were very candid and it was obvious that the team lacked direction under Adkins not that we needed telling much.

The displays all season had been so disjointed and unorganised with no clear vision, tactics or game management. The shame is the lost time and opportunity as Nigel stayed in situ for far too long.

Cup competitions are like buses as Tuesday sees us return to Papa john’s action against Orient. One would anticipate a degree number of changes for that one of course.

The allows a full week ahead the trip to Burton where we ought to be travelling with some confidence.

In the meantime we need to steer our way past H & W and into round two. An apparently similar favourable draw would be nice to give hope for that appearance in round 3.

Come On You Reds!

 

 

 

 

Johnnie's Journey!

A decent draw against a very good Millers’ side saw a battling Addicks’ side emerge with a point that they wouldn’t have secured had the game been played on its original date.

A stronger referee might have seen us emerge with all 3 points but as Jacko readily acknowledged a Rotherham side down to ten men might have gone totally defensive.

Jackson made just one change from the eleven that started against Donny on Saturday. It was as expected with DJ coming in for an injured Leko.

Thankfully, memories of Adkins’ tenure as manager are starting to fade. All the talk of unfit players and wanting a settled side was just guff. Jackson has delivered that settled side in the last three games and the players seem far from unfit.

Whilst acknowledging that Nigel wasn’t to blame for all the ills of our season, he’s got to take the lion’s share of it given what we’ve seen since he left.

A true test last night then and we saw the team keep going and getting the goal and point they deserved as a minimum.

A break from league action this weekend offers the chance to rest some and give others a chance to stake a claim. If they want to be part of the journey under Jackson then they need to show up.

It’d be good get past round one and if we could progress to round three then one can but pray for a decent draw that would see us pitted against good higher league opposition.

The Jackson revolution continues and if it carries on as it has started then it can’t be too long before Thomas sits down with Johnnie and Jason to get them signing new contracts.  

Four-midable!

What a day!

Real ale in Crossbars ( I’m not calling it the Fans Bar, that doesn’t sound right).

A terrific performance and result with four different scorers.

A silly Donny fan ejected ( eventually, after literally making an a**e of himself).

I was eagerly anticipating Jacko’s first home game in charge (albeit caretaker) knowing that I would see football that was so much better than we’d seen under Adkins this season.

Johnnie duly received the very warm welcome you’d expect before the match and was loudly cheered down the tunnel after.

Right from the off, it was clear that the players were up for it. I can’t think of one player who had a bad game.

Gilbey and Dobson were immense. It’s always been clear that Dobson’s best role is CDM and he capably stepped up to fill the vacancy left following Pratley’s departure. It obviously needed addressing and Jackson did just that by putting Dobson in there.

Lee was great and is delivering the kind of displays that one expected following his arrival.

Purrington was superb and really carried the attacking intent that has also been missing previously.

The early departure of Leko was a blow but DJ manfully came in and was another who turned in a good shift.

The drive and motivation in this side was summed up in the last 10 minutes. In the 80^th minute two of our defenders chased down a ball to see it out even though there was no Donny player around.

In the 89^th minute Stockley ran across like a man possessed to block a Donny defender playing the ball out of defence.

There were 4, yes 4 tunnel jumps at the end presumably one for each goal.

Such was the Addicks’ dominance that we could easily have doubled that 4-0 scoreline.

Jackson’s post-match comments were again spot on. He is right to mention that before the performances and not just the results were awful. Adkins used to refer to the results only and never acknowledged just how bad we were playing.

Nigel would refer to the 20 minutes or so where we played ok.

There will be tougher tests than Rovers of course but this was another encouraging display following that at the SOL the week before.

Following our win up there one Sunderland podcast claimed we had kicked them off the park and that’s not how you’d want your team to play. They would do well against Rotherham because they like to play the right way!

Oh dear! They won’t have enjoyed McGeady tackle for the second yellow then, never mind the result!

Onto Tuesday then and it’ll be interesting to see if Jackson decides to shuffle the pack against a strong Rotherham team. To date he hasn’t made any changes other than those that have been forced out of necessity due to injury.

I guess Matthews may come back in and I assume that Leko will be left due to his injury.

This should be a good game and should we win then we really are on the right track as Rotherham are bang in form. If we don’t, well with this side currently it won’t be for the won’t on trying.

Come On You Reds!

Give It Up For Johnnie!

For the first time in quite a while I am really, really looking forward to a Saturday at The Valley.

I’m sure that Johnnie Jackson will receive a fantastic reception and in turn, hopefully that’ll translate in to another fine performance on the pitch.

To date, last Saturday aside, the football has been dire and however a nice a man as Adkins may be, one has to accept that he wasn’t up to the task. I don’t think it was all his fault but his team and game management was awful.

The atmosphere tomorrow should be great and it’d be wonderful if there’s plenty to cheer about. We ought to fancy our chances against a struggling Donny side and one that played midweek when we didn’t.

Should we emerge with the 3 points, let’s hope the Rovers manager is a tad more gracious than the odious Lee Johnson. I’m sure it’s much to his disappointment (and seemingly a number of misguided Sunderland fans) that Stockley is available to play!

Donny haven’t won on the road in the league this season and that ought to give further confidence in the Addicks achieving a home win.

The injury to Sam Lavelle and he’ll be a big miss. I hope he has a speedy recovery and to see him back on the pitch soon following his op.

One assumes that Pearce replacing him will be the only change from the eleven that performed so magnificently last Saturday.

Getting the 3 points is the most important thing tomorrow of course but a decent display and a convincing win would be great too. We don’t want much eh?

That would be marvellous though and it would mean that can truly start to enjoy our football again.

Come On You Reds!

Here's Johnnie!

 

Well, that didn’t go too badly did it? 

In keeping with former players doing pretty well at CAFC managers Johnnie is off to a good start. That showing suggests that Jackson and Euell weren’t part of the problem.

How on earth did he do that? Well, as Bowyer always says football’s a simple game. Jackson avoided overloading the players with info and filling their heads with mush. 

One suspects the players appreciated this clear approach as it would seem to be in contrast with Adkins messages which clearly didn’t get understood.

My desire pre-match was for a performance never mind the result. We needed to see if this group of players have the hunger and desire to play for Jackson and the club. Based on Saturday’s display the answer at present is a resounding yes.

Opting for what appears to be a slightly fluid 1-3-5-2 (never understood why keeper gets left out of formations!)  we apparently looked more solid defensively. We weren’t so exposed down the flanks where our full backs have been tragically exposed by a lack of protection and support from whoever was in front of them.

Playing the two up front was equally important. It was clear weeks ago that one up front doesn’t work with the players we have nor the system we were trying to implement it with.

Johnnie was able to re-ignite the passion within the team and they were more hungry and up for it than probably at any time this season.

One hopes that this is the start of a good run. I still feel it’s too late for us to get into the play-offs but the team has to give it a go no matter how improbable that seems.

Post-match and the odious Lee Johnson was as gracious in defeat as ever. The claim that Stockley delivered a head-butt on Flanagan is ludicrous. Sadly, Clinton Morrison on Quest foolishly agreed. Poor Clinton had the benefit of seeing the video and that makes his comments even more laughable.

A number of Sunderland fans are of the view that in no way was that a head-butt. Anyway we’ll leave Johnson to wallow in his own misery.

For now we can celebrate a great start to Jackson’s tenure as manager. Long may it continue and move to a permanent role asap.

Now I can look forward to Saturday’s trip to The Valley with more excitement and passion than at any time this season.  

Johnnie Jackson's Red and White Army!

Following a lengthy delay, Nigel Adkins was finally removed as Charlton manager yesterday. I believe that should have happened at least 4 weeks ago.

The unnecessary delay has only worsened our position. Save for the relegation fight, we’re now in our season is effectively over no matter how optimistically the owner tried to spin things yesterday.

Thomas ought to examine how he came to appoint Adkins in the first place. Whoever pointed him in his direction let him down badly. Nigel wasn’t on anyone’s radar except perhaps Ged Roddy’s.

As nice a bloke as he may be Adkins didn’t seem to have a clue. He had no idea as to his preferred starting eleven and was incapable of getting across whatever game plan he sought to implement.

I note on Talksport that Thomas said he would be in dialogue with some prominent figures who have a history with the club. We have to hope that he means the likes of Curbs, Peter Varney to name but two.

I assume it’s too much to hope that Roddy will follow Adkins out the door. If I were Thomas I’d have to review what he has brought to the club.

Ged has been remarkably quiet despite our continued fall down the league, awful results and performances. It’s quite incredible that we’ve heard nothing from him, one zoom meeting aside, when he basically answered questions on the transfer process with the support of Steve Gallen.

Where does Roddy’s responsibility start and end? I ask that because worryingly, simply removing the manager isn’t going to right all the wrongs that we’re experiencing at present.

The lack of fitness, fight and aggression that Thomas spoke about yesterday can’t all be down to Adkins as much as the players clearly didn’t believe in him.

I note that Sandgaard chose to highlight the poor results that led to Adkins’ departure. That’s true but he really ought to have mentioned the absolutely awful football that accompanied them.

I’ve seen a lot of dross at The Valley over the years but under Nigel I’ve witnessed some of, if not the worst.

A number of serious issues need to be addressed. The appointment of Jackson supported by Euell is the first step to addressing the decline.

I’m backing the pair to do well. They need to be given a decent amount of time to sort things out and establish themselves.

I would have given the job to Jackson when Adkins go it. I believe he’s been ready for some time. The doubters point to a lack of experience. No one is ever going to get that if they don’t get given the chance.

We can look at Chris Powell, Bowyer, Nathan Jones etc. as examples of Charlton folk who had no previous before becoming managers. All of them went on to do well albeit that in the case of Jones it is outside of our club.  

I’m aware that some fans are attributing blame to Jackson for the bad results and displays. One can’t escape the fact that he was assistant manager and we assume had some say but one has to wonder how much input he had.

I got the impression that Jackson was being sidelined a great deal of the time. He was much more prominent when Bowyer was manager. I suspect from his comments yesterday that he wasn’t impressed with Adkins approach. Thankfully, he now has the opportunity to do his own thing.

I’m expecting that we will see much better football now and hopefully in turn, results. That must happen.

There could hardly be a tougher start to his reign as Charlton manager. However, given the opposition he shouldn’t he any trouble in getting the players up for it.

The fans love for Jackson and his status as a club legend is already established. If he can be an equally good manager as he was player and captain then he will surely take that even further!

Let’s hope Jackson and the boys get off to a good start tomorrow.

Come On You Reds!

 

 

 

Deeper Into The Abyss!

The downward spiral shows no sign of abating and that’s no surprise if we’re going to leave Adkins in charge.

With each passing game and indeed day matters on the pitch get worse but still nothing seems to happen.

For God’s sake, Sandgaard saw for himself at first hand just how awful things are. I’m annoyed that I’m paying the top price in League One for my seat. He has paid an awful lot more for the “privilege” of enduring last night’s garbage!

Maybe he needs to visit more often to truly appreciate how depressing it all is!

I would have removed Adkins at least 6 weeks ago as the writing was on the wall even then. I may have been in a minority then but I’m sure as hell not now!

The message from the fans last night was loud and clear! I now get the feeling that Adkins will still be in charge on Saturday. Arghh!!

This totally beggars belief and Thomas is losing any hard won goodwill at a rate of knots!

He would do well to seek counsel from those with long standing connections with club. Last night was the perfect opportunity to speak to the likes of Curbs, Steve Sutherland etc. If he didn’t do that, then to put it mildly, it’s a shame.

I note that Shoddy Roddy was sat close by, oh dear! I fear our Ged is the one who is not telling it like it is to save his own job never mind that of the manager.

I suspect that Roddy had a part in Bowyer’s departure. A manager, many times more capable than Adkins.

The silence from Roddy (although I don’t really care what he has to say) is shocking. The silence from Thomas is even worse.

Sandgaard loves using social media but not when it’s crunch time apparently. He needs to come out say how he sees us getting out of this mess. He needs to justify both Adkins and Roddy staying in their positions.

Here we are again and fans aren’t commenting on the football much anymore just the desire to remove at least Adkins.  

There’s little point in me telling you what you already know about the latest spineless display.

We were lucky ( it’s the fine margins you know!) not to go in 2-0 down and a player light at half time yesterday.

Adkins will refer to the 10 minutes where we showed some intent. I make that about 30 to 40 minutes from the last few games where we’ve looked ok. Wow!

Adkins tells us he’s a good man. Really? If so, then do the honourable thing and go. He won’t of course because he’s waiting to be handsomely rewarded for doing such an awful job.

Seeing as this is likely to be his last managerial job then perhaps we can’t blame him to an extent.

This makes me sick to the core and I never thought Sandgaard would be so misguided. Loyalty is great at times but not when it is so misplaced as this.

I simply have no idea what the tipping point is for Sandgaard nor just how far we have to fall.

What a sad state of affairs!

The Decline Continues

Another Monday morning where I hoped I’d be writing a few words about Adkins short tenure in charge of our team. Another Monday morning when again his sacking hasn’t happened!

Now I’m not sure what he’s got to do to get the boot.

Twelve games into the season and it’s effectively over. We haven’t a cat in hell’s chance of getting into a play-off. The best we can hope for is avoiding relegation.

A depressing state of affairs for all Addicks especially when a number of fans are paying some of the top prices in the league.

To date we have been rewarded with some of the worst football we’ve ever seen. In nearly 60 years of supporting Charlton I’ve seen some dross so that puts it all into perspective!

I did fear that the win over Fleetwood would just be papering over the cracks and so it proved. Adkins had two weeks to work with the vast majority of his squad. It would appear to be wasted time.

I, like many, was of the view that Adkins should have gone some weeks ago as he was slowly being exposed by poor tactics, team selection and total lack of game plan.

The excuses have rolled off his tongue at an increasing rate as he has looked more and more desperate. Against the back drop of poor performances and results he keeps telling us how it’s all going in training.

Ahead of Saturday’s game he told us that the squad was now at a good level of fitness. At a stroke he removed one of the last excuses he has! Incredibly, a number of players put paid to that as they were struggling to complete the ninety!

All in all there are some serious questions and issues to be answered and resolved by Thomas.

1. Why on earth is Adkins still in charge?
2. How many games has he got to lose or how low do we go before he is sacked?
3. When will the club employ a CEO?
4. What is the future for Ged Roddy for whom there’s little evidence that he has added anything positive to our club?
5. On the pitch we are in the worst position in living memory. When will you pass comment on that?

 Sandgaard needs to say something even if it’s to state Nigel isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’d like to know why not if that is the case.

 It’s a mess but no one is saying anything. Not even the director of football or whatever it is that the position that Roddy holds.

 I stated what I thought needed to happen about 3 or 4 weeks ago. It’s all very simple.

Sack Adkins and Roddy.

Install Jackson and Euell at least on a temporary basis.

Install Curbs as director of football.

Get a CEO preferably Peter Varney.

That would go a long way to righting the mistakes that have been. Thomas can be forgiven that given how new he is to football club ownership.

The key thing about making mistakes is to learn from them. Let’s hope Thomas is about to do just that.

Crunch Time!

Saturday sees The Addicks attempt to secure back to back league wins for the first time this season.

Nigel tells us that all is now good fitness wise with the players. In addition, he’s had another decent period of time to work with the majority of the squad. If we don’t see a reasonably competent performance from the team tomorrow then it will be very worrying.

As it stands the club faces an uphill battle to get anywhere near the play-offs and it’s somewhat depressing to think that the season is largely over. We’re left with at a minimum avoiding a relegation battle and at best finishing as high as we can in the league.

I know clubs like Oxford reached the play offs last season with a similar, if indeed, maybe worse start than us. However, the league is stronger now and teams such as Ipswich are, one expected, finding their feet to make it even harder!

Sadly, this week Ronnie Schwartz and the club parted company it what would appear to the best resolution to his situation. He would undoubtedly been a decent performer at this level but circumstance have conspired against him and the team.

I don’t profess to know the ins and outs of Ronnie’s situation but clearly something wasn’t right. Whether that was down to a lack of due diligence on anyone’s part isn’t clear but seems likely.

Anyway, I wish him and his family all the best for the future.

Back to our upcoming games and the team faces a tough week. After Lincoln we face Accrington at home and Sunderland away.

That some fans feel they’d be pleased with a return of 4 points from these 3 games speaks volumes about our current situation.

Lincoln’s recent home form hasn’t been good and we ought to feel confident about getting 3 points.

The club is managed by Michael Appleton. You may remember him from such clubs as WBA, Portsmouth, Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, Oxford Utd and Leicester City.

Appleton is often humorously linked with any managerial vacancy and looking at the list and his managerial history it’s not hard to see why!

Now is crunch time for Adkins. He must deliver decent performances and evidence that the team is behind him. In addition, he needs to drop the silly number of changes we’ve seen of late and give us the settled side he allegedly is seeking.

I feel there is no hiding place now. The manager has a decent squad that is fit and presumably well drilled. It’s now or never and if it turns out to be never then Nigel simply has to go.

Good luck to everyone travelling up to Lincoln. I hope your loyalty is rewarded with a decent win!

Come On You Reds!

DJ in PJ

A much changed (what’s new!) Charlton side ran out 4-1 winners over the Saints U21s on Tuesday evening. Even DJ made an appearance!

It says something about the depth of our squad now that we have been able (and indeed willing) to put out relatively strong sides in a competition that is largely regarded as an inconvenience. At the very least it enables players to get in “some fitness” and we know Nigel likes that!

It was refreshing to see Johnnie Jackson emerge from the shadows. I found his post-match comments a most refreshing change from the fitness references and how well it’s all been going in training blah! blah! blah!

He was straight and to the point. I have wondered for a few weeks why Adkins apparently hadn’t allowed Jacko to speak to the media. I, for one, can relate to him much more easily and readily.

The assistant manager spoke of the hurt he’d experienced from the poor start to the season. As ever he was both eloquent and passionate. He fills you with pride and confidence.

Some fans still have reservations about him becoming our manager. I’ve no idea why. The man is so ready and capable. I really hope that he doesn’t end up being an opportunity missed. That would be criminal!

As for the game itself, it would appear to be a comfortable win and goals for Stockley and a number of good performances albeit against an U21 side that don’t appear to be all that can only help can only help.

Adkins has an international break now only missing one realistic first team player as far as I can see. On that basis he has no excuse if he can’t get across his message as to how he wants the team to play.

Upon return to league action we should witness better football and the settled side that Nigel is apparently so keen on as there are no excuses. If not, then the game really is up and he must go.

A Win At Last!

 A win at last and an away one too! In addition, it would appear to be a decent performance.

Great reward for those hardy souls who made the considerable effort to travel to support the team.

The response from the players the players following the Fleetwood equaliser would seem to suggest that the players haven’t given up on Adkins just yet even if the majority of us have!

The win relieves some of the pressure on both players and manager alike.

Again post-match comments from Adkins remain somewhat odd. He continues to reference players fitness and the need for a settled. This after he made another 5 changes to the starting eleven.

Pre-match saw Steve Brown and Curbs infer they didn’t consider it was the way forward and clearly not something they would endorse.

However, the changes on this occasion worked albeit against a lowly and weakened Fleetwood side.

The international break hasn’t come at a great time (when does it ever!) but allows time to recharge bodies and perhaps work on fitness if this really is an issue.

Adkins has no excuse if, following this hiatus, he can’t get across his plans and tactics to this squad of not untalented players.

Let’s hope we can push on from here. The play-offs really look out of sight but one can at least hope that results and almost as importantly, performances can improve.

No Reason To Be A Doubting Thomas

Well, Nigel is still here much to most people’s surprise. Boris has removed cabinet ministers quicker than this!

It’s such a horrible scenario at the moment and one that does no one any favours.

The strength of feeling one gets from forums, social media, Charlton Live etc. is that the overwhelming majority of fans think the manager should go.

This is now transferring to criticism of a number of players and to a degree towards the owner himself. That is a terrible shame.

There’s no reason for him to be a “ doubting Thomas “ as our numerous poor performances and league position attest.

Thomas has done so much in seeking to rectify the wrongs of the last few years and has put the foundations in place for a brighter future.

It is simply the short term plan that is failing. One can’t attribute too much blame to him in that respect.

At worst, he’s guilty of a bit of bravado and naivety. He would do well to seek counsel from experienced folk with close ties to the club. Ged Roddy has seemingly not offered anything constructive.

Sandgaard may feel removing Adkins is an admission of failure. It wouldn’t be and he is so much on credit with supporters that we see it for what it is, simply an appointment that hasn’t worked.

He won’t be the first or last owner/chairman to do that.

Thomas can quickly and easily rectify things. Firstly, remove the manager. He tried but it hasn’t worked and one of us can be sure as to exactly why but we could probably cite many reasons.

JJ and Euell can be offered a chance for an interim period. There’s little to be lost there.

Appoint an experienced CEO is a must. The lack of one is one of the reasons for issues on and off the pitch.

Further than that, if it were me I’d remove Roddy and get Curbs in.

Even further than that, I’d give authority regarding transfers and recruitment back to Gallen and whoever is manager. Of course, Thomas himself would retain a right to veto and sanction as one would expect.

I fear that none of these things will happen anytime soon and we will continue on our downward path. That is so damaging and if we’re not careful we may never fully recover from it.

We already have a situation where following Covid (and it’s not done yet of course) some fans have not returned. They may still be fearful or simply found something else to do on a Saturday. What we see on the pitch at present is doing little to lure them back is it?

The owner has big and tough decisions to make. As an experienced and successful businessman you’d expect him to make them.

There will come a time where it’ll be too late. Thomas simply has to act now!

Good luck to everyone travelling to Fleetwood tomorrow. You have my respect and admiration. I sincerely hope that you are rewarded with a win and also a good display. You deserve it.

Come On You Reds!  

Last Night a DJ saved my.....oh no! He Didn't!

If Adkins hasn’t gone by midday today then we might as well save the money, petrol and effort and give Fleetwood the 3 points now.

Thomas should have acted weeks ago as the writing was on the wall then. I appreciate he didn’t want to lose face but he’ll lose an awful lot more if he doesn’t act now.

We’re already 4 points from safety and you can kiss even a play-off spot goodbye.

How did it come to this? An excellent question, I’m glad you asked!

Firstly, as I’ve said before I think Roddy has had large part to play. My opinion is that he made Bowyer feel unwelcome and then when he left suddenly got in Adkins with almost indecent haste. He came from nowhere and was on no one’s radar other than Ged’s.

Thomas said they’d been preparing for that scenario for some time. Why? Bowyer was settled and whilst results took a severe dip when injuries struck he was doing ok.

I acknowledge that towards the end of his tenure as manager things weren’t going well but against a backdrop of Roddy potentially making him feel unwanted maybe that’s not surprising. After all he stuck through all the rubbish and finally was entitled to some decent support.

Let’s make no mistake we wouldn’t be at bottom if he were still here.

Ged’s involvement extends to the transfer policy too of course. Even in the worst of times Gallen produced miracles in the transfer windows. Can’t recall him ever needing a “ black box “ when he did that.

In last week’s Q&A Roddy was banging on about the analytics. Did MK need this when they recruited Scott Twine or Troy Parrott? I doubt it! Twine got an outstanding hat-trick last night btw.

What about just trusting your judgement?

All that aside we still have a decent squad. Yet somehow Adkins has turned the best of players in to lost souls.

How is it that Famewo, Stockley, DJ, Kirk amongst many are now performing so badly?

Adkins has been chopping and changing for so long now. His post-match ramblings are laughable. After his 23^rd change in 4 games he actually referred to aiming for a settled side!

I note no one even bothered to ask where DJ was last night! Remember, Adkins has nothing against the lad, it’s just squad rotation.

Talking of squad rotation given Nige has used it so extensively, how come a lot of our boys are looking so unfit and unable to last the 90?

After each game we got told about the lengthy debriefs. A fat lot of good that’s done. Adkins just isn’t getting his message across not that anyone, least of all our Nige, seems to know what that is!

Nigel simply has to go and Thomas, if he isn’t getting shod of Roddy too, shouldn’t listen to him for advice in any replacement.     

Some folk are saying that Johnnie Jackson is too tied in with the current approach to games and shouldn’t be considered for the job. However, as I’ve said for some time, we don’t hear anything from at the moment.

He’s certainly not the animated figure we’ve seen in the technical area in previous seasons. Is he being forced to keep schtum!

I think the players would play for Jackson especially with Euell as his number two. Certainly the fans would be 100% behind him.

It’s got to be that or Thomas goes for someone like Wilder because he’s going to need them. A lot of fans think he wouldn’t come to us but if we don’t try we won’t know.

If we are to have any hope then at a minimum Adkins needs to go now. We simply can’t afford another minute of him I’m afraid.

A Must Win Game

Nigel Adkins made 5 more changes to his starting eleven on Saturday following the 6 & 7 he made in previous games. In each it failed to produce a win.

The last two games have seen slightly better football from the Addicks but sadly it’s not sustained and fortunately the opposition hasn’t been that good for varying reasons.

Pompey could and should have been out of sight at half time on Saturday. Luckily for us they weren’t and at least we kept plugging away to get a point.

In the first half Adkins cut a forlorn and isolated figure in his technical area. He looked somewhat lost.

Post-match he referred to the change in formation and the impact of the subs. All well and good but it indicates that he doesn’t start in the right way.

This constant tinkering of personnel and formation is confusing for fans let alone the players.

The gaffer’s comment about having a large squad and the need to rotate is becoming tedious. Most of the clubs of our size have large squads but they are not rotating players to this extent.

What reward is there for putting in a good shift and playing well only to find that due to the desire to rotate you’re not in the starting eleven.

The manager seemingly won’t come clean about DJ who’s not even making the bench at the moment. If he doesn’t make the squad tomorrow then Adkins has to tell us what’s going there.

I’m also concerned at to what is happening to Akin Famewo. One of our best players last season and one of the first names on the team sheet.

He hasn’t set foot on the pitch in the last two games. Is he really so out of form that he doesn’t start ahead of Jason Pearce?

Given all of the above it’s not hard to see why we’re struggling to win games or even play well for more than a half at best.

Clearly, not assembling a competitive squad until well into the start of the season hasn’t helped but weeks on from the close of the transfer window and Adkins can’t keep hiding behind that.

We still find ourselves in the relegation zone. A situation you’d have thought unbelievable before the season started.

Adkins is keen on the debrief and review following games. I do wonder how much benefit there is in the apparently deep analysis. It certainly doesn't appear to be having the desired effect.

I’m sure the players will be aware of where they’ve done badly or played well. In addition, he’s feeding back to a number of players who won’t play in the next game or those that will be playing in a very changed side.

Something’s got to give. Either we start playing well and winning games or it’s time for a change.

Bolton will provide a really tough test tomorrow as much of Thomas’s patience as the team.

Let’s hope we can start to turn the corner.

Come On You Reds!

A Critical Week

Pompey at home on Saturday then. Should be a cracking fixture. I ought to be so looking forward to it with an air of expectation and excitement but I don’t! 

Previous owners have somewhat numbed the joy of watching Charlton over the years but at least you could feel some sense of excitement and real association with a Chris Powell team or a Lee Bowyer side on its way to the play off final and beyond. 

Sadly, with a new and decent owner and many aspects of the club in better shape than for some time the old buzz hasn’t completely returned.

The matchday experience is a mixture of various factors. Meeting up with friends and relatives. Having a few beers. Having a laugh (a sense of humour is a pre-requisite for the Charlton fan). Cheering the team on. Celebrating good football and quite often, the bizarre!

This season, even after all that Covid deprived us of, I still don’t feel like I did. I have to say that is largely down to the awful football I’ve seen from us.

I’m sitting in the most expensive seat in the league and the football doesn’t match it.

It’s like going to the Ritz, being charged their prices only for the waiter to bring you a McDonalds meal! I just want to see some decent and entertaining football. We do have the players to deliver that. 

Even with the backing of Roddy there clear evidence of where we are in the league won’t save Adkins as patient as Thomas is. 

Our owner won’t want to lose face but more importantly he won’t want to nor can he afford to lose a small fortune. Adkins isn’t immune from the tin-tack. 

The performance tomorrow is important more so than the result to an extent. If players are giving 100% but fall short then fine. A poor display and a defeat and things could get toxic. 

That wouldn’t be pleasant and no one wants to see that. 

There little point in trying to guess the starting eleven since we’ve had 6 and 7 changes respectively in the last two games. All of which suggests that the manager still doesn’t know what his best line up is. 

As confusing as that is for us fans, it must be just as bad for the players. In particular, the constant changing of the defence won’t help at all. 

One senses that we are even further into last chance saloon territory. 

A minimum of four points from the next two games against Pompey and Bolton would go a long way to giving Adkins some leeway. 

Come On You Reds!

The Clock's Ticking!

Mistakes are ok if you learn from them. I think we can all see that and indeed, they are very much a learning opportunity.

We learn more in defeat than victory although if that we truly the case then Adkins would be the wisest manager in League One right now. All the evidence, however, points to the contrary.

It’s hard to believe that our gaffer doesn’t recognise when he’s done right and when he’s done wrong.

Saturday saw him resort to 6 changes and it completely failed. He looks increasingly desperate.

To suggest that he’s thinking about dropping our best, if not, only striker because he can’t get the system to fit is ridiculous. Saturday saw him totally leave out two of the potentially best supply lines. Ok great!

I think most of us would have got rid of Adkins by Saturday at the latest. Thomas probably feels obliged to give him at least two more goes.

Tonight is likely to be part one of last chance saloon. I think even Sandgaard would face up to the inevitable if this continues.

Sadly, to completely right the wrongs he needs to rid the club of Roddy too as there’s little doubt Adkins is his man.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Roddy played a large part in Bowyer leaving. Remember, this is Lee Bowyer he chose to remain at the club despite everything including the most soul destroying Championship campaign which only just ended in relegation.

Whatever your thoughts on Bowyer I think most of would have him now. I was gutted when he left and whilst it wasn’t great on a couple of aspects when he left, I think they arose from the frustration of knowing he wasn’t wanted, at least by Roddy.

As I’ve said ad infinitum, it’s the manner of the defeats and the awful football that annoys me as much as anything. I’m paying top dollar in League One to watch the worst football.

Even a win tonight will only delay the inevitable. Something’s got to give!

Come On You Reds!

Tough Test

Tomorrow, the Addicks travel to leafy Buckinghamshire for a tough looking encounter with Wycombe.

Pleasant setting though it is, this is one of the most awkward grounds to get to. Unless you leave early ( let’s be honest there may be good incentive to do so! ) like the Kazzam Stadium, you may face a lengthy wait to exit the car park.

On the pitch, manager Gareth Ainsworth has done a fantastic job. He got the club up into the Championship and were unlucky to be relegated at the end of the season.

Little doubt that whoever the Addicks play at present would prove to be difficult opposition but Wycombe will offer the sternest test to date.

One hopes that this week’s training has focused on righting the basic wrongs of last week. In addition, hopefully it involved playing with a formation that sees two up front.

I note that Adkins felt there’d been a real energy this week. I never quite understand why managers feel the need to make comments like this especially following the previous week where it had gone up a notch. As last week proved, talk is cheap.

It’s along the lines of “ the lads have trained really hard this week “ as though for the vast majority of time they don’t!

Sometimes it’s best to say nothing much above we’ve looked at the wrongs of last Saturday and worked on correcting them.

Sadly, we’ll be without Inniss as another injury has side-lined him for 2 months at least. The same too for Ronnie Schwartz although that is shrouded somewhat in mystery. Things don’t seem to have worked for him which is a shame as he is clearly more than capable at this level.

Hopefully Arter will be fit enough to be involved and it would good to see Leko start. If he’s fit to do so then Adkins would be mad not to.

Kirk and DJ need to pull their socks up. We seen so little of anything good from them to date.

The worst aspect of this shocking start to the season is the manner of the defeats. That, and the ridiculously low number of shots both on and off target. You’d like to think that Adkins would acknowledge that and seek to address it as you really don’t need a computer to work that out that’s a problem!

Another defeat ought to have Adkins worried about his future. However, as I’ve alluded to before I’m pretty sure he was a Roddy appointment and it appears it is he who Thomas listens to mostly in respect of the footballing matters.

All that aside I’m sure Sandgaard isn’t blind to the awful position we’re in and he hasn’t invested so heavily financially and put so much heart and soul into the Charlton project for it all to go to waste.

If action is needed I suspect he’ll take it.

In the meantime, let’s hope that the Addicks get back to winning ways tomorrow.

Come On You Reds!