Charlton Athletic (H) League One, 20th August, 3pm

[SoccerHQ]

Very happy with what I saw in the first half.

Osbourne was outstanding, broke up most attacks and passed well. Please get Chambers back as that should be a formidable DM combination.

Plenty of chances created, really the game swung on Jackson missing from 5 yards. Charlton scored 5 minutes later and were then in control. That's the margins at any level of football.

The second half though...no sugar coating as that was garbage for the most part.

No urgency, barely any shots at goal and then Morris scored out of the blue...for once Rudd let one in right through him. Charlton then woke up and scored another with a minimum of fuss.

It was an odd as Rudd still made 3-4 pretty good saves even though it didn't seem that way for a fair portion of the game.

What I don't like is one injury and the defence looks completely lopsided, that really needs to be sorted if Rico is going to be out for a few more weeks. The 2nd goal for example, J O'C gets done by a ball over the top...don't think that happens if Rico is on the pitch as he has the pace to at least keep up with the pacey strikers.

Markis had a total shocker. Missed a couple of decent chances and his passing was poor all day. Also oddly decided to walk halfway around the stadium when subbed. He needs to up his game...but from the bench as Oztumer has to start next week.

I'm not getting worried...let's remember Nicky Ajose cost more than Bradshaw after all and Charlton will certainly be up there come May.

That said Bury is a big game particularly with a two week break afterwards. Not win that and can see the crowd turning a little.

[Ancient Moaner]

Can someone please explain how when we had Makris and Jackson on we were lumping the ball up to them to binging Baka on and reverting to passing the ball along the floor? I cannot think of one header he had to try and win, other than that were were pretty shite.

Does JW just work on fitness during the week? O'connor and Preston (cost us the 2nd goal) were awful and the other 9 were just average Joe's.

Nick Ajose is way above L1 level, lose him and Charlton are screwed.

Have to agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly, is there anyone in the management team that is at all adept at tactics etc? :?
As HQ has noted, it appears we fell apart in the second half, just as we did on Tuesday when all we did was run around like headless chickens without so much as a Scooby as to what they were supposedly meant to do.
As I have mentioned before, we always appear knackered after Whitney's 'over elaborate' and perhaps strenuously exhausting, pre match 'warm up'. Is there perhaps an over the top approach to fitness, but no established idea of what the players should be doing ON the pitch?
Just a thought. :wink:

[chunkster]

well i said i would be more qualified to comment on our football after watching us for the first time. i thought etheridge looks nowhere near as good as last season. maybe he isn't so confident with his new team mates in front of him?. i thought morris was a shadow of what he was last season, even though he scored. our strikers had little or no service. dobson looked out of his depths. the only thing that went right really was the match sponsors getting the man of the match correct. but having said that it was probably the easiest decision they will ever have to make :|

[Mazza01]

To sum it up.. Complete clueless rubbish.

The only positive being Osbourne, absolute class.

Also 3800 home fans? we seem to of gone backwards a few years in a very short period of time. Fans clearly not buying into this squad and management.

[Walsallone]

In the first half we played some good stuff and if we had taken our chances we would probably have won however I was very disappointed with the way we started the second half. Confidence seemed to have drained away and although their goalie made 2 very good saves to deny us a point I cannot argue with the result.
The failure to sign cover for left back is our biggest mistake as the whole defence has to be reorganised to cover for Rico. I t is clear however that we have some good players but are not yet a team. I fear it will take sometime for that to develop if we continue to have injury problems to key players. Chambers was a big miss today. Anyway in my time of watching Walsall I have seen much worse than today so as always I am optimistic we will soon see an improvement.

[Guest]

https://youtu.be/WKFYAT79ObA

At least somebody enjoyed it.

https://youtu.be/K-Y00w-lmhM


(PS I got out alive. Thanks for asking.)

[boringteacher]

First game seen today. We were the better side in the first half, and played some good, rapid passing stuff, and probably should have been winning at the break. Osborne was awesome, like some lower league Toure.

Second half was shapeless and disjointed against a mediocre Charlton team. Not a single player from the back 5 (including Etheridge) looked League 1 standard today. Wtf has happened to O'Connor? Even Preston looked more solid. Etheridge did an impression of a dodgy keeper with a spot bet on the time of a Charlton goal. Both full backs looked lower league 2 standard.

No threat going forward in the second half. Osborne diminished, hopefully not injured. I thought Dobson was tidy, but with nothing to pass to. Mussa unfit, Morris mainly pointless. Liked Jackson, but he had bugger all decent service.

A poorly prepared team imo. Might be a hard season.

[chunkster]

the only time in the second half we actually LOOKED like a team with a plan, was when bakayako came on :|

[Harry]

A few questions:

1) Why doesn't Whitney start Bakayoko? He looks a really promising striker - a lot better than Deeney and Grigg did after the same number of appearances. He should have played last season instead of Jordan Cook and Hiwula.

2) How many touches of the ball did Simeon Jackson have in the second half? Not really his fault that he was not in the game because despite us having the majority of possession the service to him was appalling.

3) How can we expect to compete this season without a decent dominant centre half? O'Connor is just about acceptable as a sidekick, alongside an Andy Butler like figure, but cannot carry the weight alone. McCarthy looks like a good full back. Preston is nowhere near ready to play at this level.

[Mazza01]

Watched Preston closely today he was awful and possibly worse on Tueday, Also JOC's sudden lack of ability to win a header is killing us.

[SoccerHQ]

And yet most of you thought Downing was awful and were actively celebrating his release....

[chunkster]

And yet most of you thought Downing was awful and were actively celebrating his release....

that is a fair point to be honest. because i was one of them. but i honestly thought we could find someone better :|

[sid swifty]

Be patient,they need at least 15 games to settle in as a team,only then will you be able to tell if the players are incompatible, or if JW's tinkering with the team and/or his tactical nous (or lack of it) are to blame.

[SWS1]

If you decimate a winning team buy offering derisory contracts you get what you deserve.

What did they win?

Loads of games last season - come on, credit where it's due. :evil:

[IHTC.]

If you decimate a winning team buy offering derisory contracts you get what you deserve.

What did they win?

Loads of games last season - come on, credit where it's due. :evil:

Still won sweet FA at the end of the day, you do not call losing cup finalists winners because they won a few matches prior to the final.

[Guest]

https://youtu.be/XFiJNcy4ksM

[Brandon Flowers]

I'm sorry but having watched that 2nd goal in the highlights, o'connor & preston should be very very embarrassed.

[mosaddler]

the team reflects the manager on how he is and how he comes across to his players.

In the interviews he always comes across as a passionate, hungry and determined bloke.
He like his team to be this way and in doing so the team fails when they try too hard.
The team should relax and let the football do the talking.

JW is very inexperienced as a manager so give him time...like any job it sometimes takes time to adjust and learn from ones mistakes or over reactions.
Once he finds the correct balance then the team will prosper.

keep the faith as we are in a sticky situation.
Lets get behind the team and the manager

UTS!!!

[killers left foot]

hope i am wrong on this as its early days but should we really have spent a huge amount of money for us on a player who isnt ready for this level yet? maybe its just me but thats a huge gamble for that sort of money for a club like ours.

[IHTC.]

hope i am wrong on this as its early days but should we really have spent a huge amount of money for us on a player who isnt ready for this level yet? maybe its just me but thats a huge gamble for that sort of money for a club like ours.

Let's remember he is young, in a foreign country and not being played in his favoured position, as soon as his first goal bounces in off his backside we will see him settle.

[Sound_out]

Whitney is a physio not a manager. Think on.

[SoccerHQ]

I'm sorry but having watched that 2nd goal in the highlights, o'connor & preston should be very very embarrassed.

It was a difficult one for Preston...ball coming across the box...we've seen many centre halfs score own goals from that with a striker lurking to his left. He just couldn't sort his feet out in time it happens.

J O'C though...first of all misses judges the flight of the ball and then Magennis who I didn't assume was that quick just strolls past him. I think if he hadn't of been on a yellow he have tried to pull his shirt and take a booking.

Was poor though and I think that goal massively highlighted the absence of Rico. Without him the defence is very ponderous and one paced. Ricky Holmes caused all sorts of problems out wide yesterday.

[Leatherman]

A disappointing result after a promising start. Overall I thought it was an improvement on previous games and with a bit of luck we could have all three points safely on the board. Football eh?

Makris, looked a bit 'odds and ends' as he passed straight out of touch following a couple of throw-ins and the ball just didn't seem to drop for him in the box. once when their keeper spilled it and he pulled the rebound wide and another time when the ball dropped in front off him 3 yards from goal only to see it dinked back over his head just behind him. I'm sure he'll come good in the end.

Our appeals for their first goal fell on deaf ears. I first thought that we were appealing for a foul on Etheridge, but looking at the video it may well have been for offside after Magennis' header was deflected in by Adjose. The officials were cack anyway. We should have had a frre kick just outside the box in the first half after Jackson was barged off the ball when through, on what would have been, a one-on-one with their keeper. The Ref bottled it because he would have had to issue a red card for their bloke... the barsteward.

Hossborn was good at winning the ball ad his distribution wasn't too shabby either. Would be even better if he had quicker feet.

Preston was up and down. His Hollywood Downingesque type pass straight after we equalised lead to their second. He really should have done better with the ball as it went through his legs from magennis' 'shot' for Adjose's second. He only had to block it for fudge sake!

Morris was my MoM even before he scored. Cracking first half. I was also impressed with Dobson's range of passing but the need for a some left footed defenders id glaring.

Whats Andy Butler up to these days? :D

Interesting to note from Gamble's notes in the program that whilst he accepted that it would take time for the team to gel after so many changes in the summer, he was still expecting a promotion challenge.

For those of you who have already given up on this season I would draw attention to the plight of The Blades and Coventry who haven't exactly got off to a flyer either. Utd especially, as they are the bookies hot favourites - no pressure there then :mrgreen:

Keep the faith peeps, we are actually doing better, results wise than I thought we would be at this stage. :D

P.S. almost forgot to mention Jackson's last minute effort that crashed off the bar. But I suppose most of you were half way home by then. :( :roll:

[killers left foot]

hope i am wrong on this as its early days but should we really have spent a huge amount of money for us on a player who isnt ready for this level yet? maybe its just me but thats a huge gamble for that sort of money for a club like ours.

Let's remember he is young, in a foreign country and not being played in his favoured position, as soon as his first goal bounces in off his backside we will see him settle.

really hope so mate want to see him do well :D

[Leatherman]

hope i am wrong on this as its early days but should we really have spent a huge amount of money for us on a player who isnt ready for this level yet? maybe its just me but thats a huge gamble for that sort of money for a club like ours.

To be fair Killer, its always a gamble when you sign a player whether you pay a fee for him or not. You can never be sure how it will work out.Port Vale just terminated the contract of Portuguese striker Carlos Saleiro, just six weeks after he signed for them.
he made one appearance before stating that he found it difficult to adjust to life in this country.

£300k is fudge in footballing terms these days, even for the Third Division.

[Leatherman]

To sum it up.. Complete clueless rubbish.

The only positive being Osbourne, absolute class.

Also 3800 home fans? we seem to of gone backwards a few years in a very short period of time. Fans clearly not buying into this squad and management.

Bit of an over reaction here mate :D

Osbern was good, but describing him as "absolute class" is a bit over top too. :lol:

the attendance could also be due to the time of year were people disappear to foreign parts for a bit of sun. How does it compare to last year?

[chunkster]

To sum it up.. Complete clueless rubbish.

The only positive being Osbourne, absolute class.

Also 3800 home fans? we seem to of gone backwards a few years in a very short period of time. Fans clearly not buying into this squad and management.

Bit of an over reaction here mate :D

Osbern was good, but describing him as "absolute class" is a bit over top too. :lol:

the attendance could also be due to the time of year were people disappear to foreign parts for a bit of sun. How does it compare to last year?

That's just it though letherman. he was made to look class in a team of poor performers :|

[Mazza01]

To sum it up.. Complete clueless rubbish.

The only positive being Osbourne, absolute class.

Also 3800 home fans? we seem to of gone backwards a few years in a very short period of time. Fans clearly not buying into this squad and management.

Bit of an over reaction here mate :D

Osbern was good, but describing him as "absolute class" is a bit over top too. :lol:

the attendance could also be due to the time of year were people disappear to foreign parts for a bit of sun. How does it compare to last year?

Not sure if you've been to many games but he has arguably been mom in each of his starts, give the man credit he was class yesterday it was the players around him that were the problem.

And yes I realise people go on holiday but 500-1000 regulars I don't think so.

[scott_powell]

Whitney is a physio not a manager. Think on.

You're a villa fan on a Walsall FC forum. Think on.

[Darth Vader]

To sum it up.. Complete clueless rubbish.

The only positive being Osbourne, absolute class.

Also 3800 home fans? we seem to of gone backwards a few years in a very short period of time. Fans clearly not buying into this squad and management.

Bit of an over reaction here mate :D

Osbern was good, but describing him as "absolute class" is a bit over top too. :lol:

the attendance could also be due to the time of year were people disappear to foreign parts for a bit of sun. How does it compare to last year?

Not sure if you've been to many games but he has arguably been mom in each of his starts, give the man credit he was class yesterday it was the players around him that were the problem.

And yes I realise people go on holiday but 500-1000 regulars I don't think so.

It's just back to normal really :lol: do well and the back end of last season folk will arrive again in their 10 year old Walsall tops