Charlton Athletic (A) Match Thread

[nottingram]

1 minute ago, Davide said:

Nothing is obvious. If we play like yesterday consistently, yes we will get relegated.  I don't think we will but I hope players aren't that complacent. We shouldn't be getting beaten 3-0 by Forest, Brentford and Charlton. That is enough for alarm bells surely. We were lucky against Luton. We look a poor side at the moment. On the other hand, we have some good players and if everyone steps up, we could do well. It's a tight division. We could go down. We could also go up. I think effort and desire will play a bigger role in this division this season as a lot of teams are so closely matched.

Well I don’t think we were lucky against Luton, I just think we recognised that they are ducking rubbish and barely laid a glove on us. And yet they gave Bristol a dicking yesterday.

I just don’t think we are in any danger really, we have been indifferent but aren’t losing many games and should really have more wins on the board than we do. Performances like yesterday and Brentford (I won’t put too much stock into the Forest game) are concerning but at this stage, off days which I believe are to do with the mentality of the squad

[TimRam]

16 hours ago, hintonsboots said:

Surely Rooney will feign illness to avoid embarrassment.

He will probably spend most of the time screaming at the players "Why the duck did you do/not do that?!"

[angieram]

41 minutes ago, nottingram said:

Well I don’t think we were lucky against Luton, I just think we recognised that they are ducking rubbish and barely laid a glove on us. And yet they gave Bristol a dicking yesterday.

I just don’t think we are in any danger really, we have been indifferent but aren’t losing many games and should really have more wins on the board than we do. Performances like yesterday and Brentford (I won’t put too much stock into the Forest game) are concerning but at this stage, off days which I believe are to do with the mentality of the squad

I agree the mentality of the squad is not good. When you look at the end of last season, the uncertainty of the Lampard to Chelsea saga, the upheaval of a completely fresh coaching squad brought in very late in the day, a scrappy transfer window driven by a need to keep wages in check ( which I think are more the FFP issue here than transfer fees) with the added bizarre twist of the Rooney signing-but-not-yet-playing and added betting controversy. Then factor in injuries to key players both before and during the early part of the season and the immensely upsetting and distracting drink driving incident, I am not surprised that the players look down, a bit lost and at times almost despondent. I feel a bit like that myself and you can't ignore feelings. 

I don't think fans are particularly helping at the moment by calling out individual players as mentality is a collective thing. You could introduce Messi to this team but it would still be playing far below par so anyone we could afford is not going to make a difference.  Lash out at Mel Morris or Richard Keogh or Kelle Roos or Phillip Cocu if it makes you feel better but it won't make a jot of difference. 

It's an almost a perfect storm for relegation but much of it is far from our fault and the fact that we are still hanging in there in mid table shows we have some resilience at least.

So our watchword over the next few months has to be patience,  let things settle,  give the manager time and a couple of transfer windows and see where we are then. And if you want cheering up in the meantime, go and watch the under 18s and 23s. They'll put a smile on your face - and hope for the future.

[RamNut]

27 minutes ago, angieram said:

It's an almost a perfect storm for relegation but much of it is far from our fault and the fact that we are still hanging in there in mid table shows we have some resilience at least.

you’ve lost me there.

the timing of FL’s departure is as much our fault as their’s. The summer transfer activity was certainly down to us. We knew where the gaps were and we missed some absolute rippers. squad mentality - or lack of - is also within our gift to sort. It’s been a bizarre few months, but surely most of the present difficulty is down to poor decision making close to home?

[KCG]

For me Cocu hasn't moved with the times; he still belives in a slow patient, retention type of game, when the football world has evolved. Today the game is about playing at pace, whilst pressing when not in possession. Possession still is king, but slowly passing the ball around does not break defences down. The aim should be to imitate the styles of the teams who have success.

We are far too slow and hence predictible. On paper yesterday we put out what looked like a well balanced team, but they didn't perform. Do we keep saying the players aren't good enough? I think for the this division they are more than adequate to be getting us promotion, so where does the problem lie?

 

[Elwood P Dowd]

The players didn’t even try yesterday, one or two of the players might have an off day but yesterday was different, no one, apart from Shinne, appeared to have any fight or passion in themselves or for the team as a whole.

I suspect something has gone off behind the scenes.

 

[Mick Brolly]

14 minutes ago, Elwood P Dowd said:

The players didn’t even try yesterday, one or two of the players might have an off day but yesterday was different, no one, apart from Shinne, appeared to have any fight or passion in themselves or for the team as a whole.

I suspect something has gone off behind the scenes.

 

Something has gone off but it certainly wasn't behind the scenes.

[Elwood P Dowd]

8 minutes ago, Mick Brolly said:

Something has gone off but it certainly wasn't behind the scenes.

And it certainly wasn’t on the pitch.

I suspect somethings gone off which is additional to the Lawrence and Bennett issue.

 

[bigbadbob]

Like what?

[Elwood P Dowd]

8 minutes ago, bigbadbob said:

Like what?

Mel has stopped the half time chocolate biscuits.

Seriously though your guess is as good as mine, all of the players appeared not to try yesterday so whatever it is, it is something that’s affected them all. Look at the players body language, hands on their hips shaking their heads, it’s not a positive look.

[King Kevin]

23 hours ago, TexasRam said:

Possession football like this is just boring, but so was Rowettball and so was Clement. Maybe we were just spoilt by Mac and a little bit in a few games under Lampard. 

Mac 3 anyone? 

No thanks you should never go back ,anyway I doubt he could get that rabble playing .

[Archied]

Word is Chris Martin has been leaking Rooney stories to Rebecca vardy ,, allegedly 

[europia]

11 hours ago, nottingram said:

I just don’t think we are in any danger really, we have been indifferent but aren’t losing many games and should really have more wins on the board than we do. Performances like yesterday and Brentford (I won’t put too much stock into the Forest game) are concerning but at this stage, off days which I believe are to do with the mentality of the squad

Agree, no danger of relegation at all, however I do expect a few more Brentford, Charlton type results this season. 

[europia]

7 hours ago, KCG said:

For me Cocu hasn't moved with the times; he still belives in a slow patient, retention type of game, when the football world has evolved. Today the game is about playing at pace, whilst pressing when not in possession. Possession still is king, but slowly passing the ball around does not break defences down. The aim should be to imitate the styles of the teams who have success.

We are far too slow and hence predictible. On paper yesterday we put out what looked like a well balanced team, but they didn't perform. Do we keep saying the players aren't good enough? I think for the this division they are more than adequate to be getting us promotion, so where does the problem lie?

 

This could have been written about Clement, but if I remember correctly, the team was 5th in the table when he was shown the door.

[Inverurie Ram]

Just back from London Town and a couple of days in Windsor with the misses and kids at Lego land.

We were beaten by a side that were hungrier and quicker and better at anticipating and pressing. Unfortunately we are over playing the sideway passes in midfield, and are lacking with the aggression and a through ball pass or the confidence to instantly hit a shot at goal,and the hard working aggressive midfielder that I've talked about now for about 30 years.

Cocu will buy at least 2 midfielders in January that are quick and aggressive, to hopefully match up with Rooney who will get stuck in and lift and drive this team on, and they are capable of doing it, they just lack the confidence to control a game from the start of the match, 3 goals gifted to Charlton, 2 early first half, early second half, they didn't have to do much to score as the chances they got, we created for them.

Shinnie, Paterson & the other Forest boy Dowell when he plays, are all players that lack confidence and they only come alive if the team are playing well as a unit. Unfortunately we are still playing Waghorn who is slowing the tempo of the team down, he points a lot, can't control it, can't pass, can't tackle, can't hold it up and plays with his back to their goal, and he wasn't much cop when he played for Charlton, and again he is another player that is only effective (can score a goal or two) when our team plays well.

Highlights for me were, Duanne Holmes when he came on, (even though some on here have criticised him) for trying to lift the tempo, the steak pies with the Charlton Athletic logo on the top, a nice sunny afternoon, a rainbow above a stand, my boy and I met @therams69(DCFC Big Flagman) outside a nice bar in Borogh Market London Bridge with his boy, and his mates and had a good chat before the game. And I knew before I met him, what a great guy he is for our beloved club, and the great work he does for us fans and his beloved club etc, and that is something as fans, we should all aspire too, a top man that makes me proud to be DCFC and all the rest. So glad I eventually made the effort to speak to a really nice person, with a real nice son to make his dad so proud.

I enjoyed and laughed at my lads faces when we were getting off a tube at Lunch Time at London Bridge Underground and we could hear a few young lads (stone island boys) singing "the white pele, Wayne Rooney song and landing in London, with can's of beers in their hands, singing up the escalators and then my eldest boy looking at me sheepishly and saying 'do I have to go to the match, dad?'............yeah maybe we should have gone to see a Shrek thing at the London eye with my youngest boy and misses in the afternoon instead.........yeah not!

Our fans were very quiet in the ground throughout, a few thousand of us, I met MD before kick off and saw the Spanish Rams with their flag a couple of rows behind us, just when the DCFC flag surfed just before kick off. Paterson did try, when he won a corner in the 60th minute to lift us fans, but all too late and to no avail, no songs, just groans. It is up to our fans to set a tempo for the team, to come out too and to get them going, but it appeared we couldn't be bothered like our team.

Also managed to see this Vlogger in the ground when I went to take the Aberdeeenshire Rams flag down, which was next to the Swindon Rams flag in the ground.

 

Nice ground, nice day out, followed by a nice night in Greenwich, where the family and I enjoyed watching a couple of middle aged fat cockneys at different tables (one a spurs fan, another in a mustard jumper, tight jeans, and light brown shoes) get really loud and irate with the Pizza Express Manager, because their meals hadn't turned up in a packed out restaurant within 40 mins.........."Ya can keep ya poxy pizza's mate", as he screwed up a bit of paper and threw it at the manager, and turned to his embarrassed partner at the table, sipping on a Gin........we're leaving Nowwwwwwwww!"

As for DCFC.......we're all Derby aren't we? as a few young trendy Derby fans passed me in Greenwich on route to pubs, and the Thames Clipper Boat and the fun of Saturday night in London Town and all the rest.....and hey we'll be alright, Cocu will get us playing  soon, be it at home, be it away, or be it in January onwards and we'll be at the business end of the table at the end of the season, no reason to panic, just some lazy footballers, that need a shake, that need reminding how lucky they are in this life and that need to switch on quicker, need to be a lot hungrier and need to deliver football and ermmm not Pizza to a load of poxy cockneys!

The reality is, as you get older, the disappointment of losing a game of football is always surpassed by watching your children have a good time / day out, whilst your surrounded in London Town sightseeing or whatever being fit and healthy knowing unfortunately there are folk a lot worse off right in front of your eyes, the homeless folk in their cardboard boxes etc.

We might have not won in London since 2016 or whatever, but we are still Derby County and we"ll be ready for our next visit to the capital.

And remember London You're A Lady.........

 

........Up The Rams!

[ariotofmyown]

4 hours ago, Elwood P Dowd said:

Mel has stopped the half time chocolate biscuits.

Seriously though your guess is as good as mine, all of the players appeared not to try yesterday so whatever it is, it is something that’s affected them all. Look at the players body language, hands on their hips shaking their heads, it’s not a positive look.

Boring conspiracy theory alert. Maybe we just played a bit rubbish and the player's weren't happy with their own performance. Mix that in with all the drink driving shenanigans and don't think you have to start assuming there is more going on.

[Ellafella]

 

[europia]

7 minutes ago, Ellafella said:

 

Not easy to defend our teams dire performance at Charlton. 

[Elwood P Dowd]

1 hour ago, ariotofmyown said:

Boring conspiracy theory alert. Maybe we just played a bit rubbish and the player's weren't happy with their own performance. Mix that in with all the drink driving shenanigans and don't think you have to start assuming there is more going on.

Here we go someone try to pass off some thing that is self evident as a simple conspiracy. Did our players play with any passion or pride even at the very start of the match....no they didn’t. The majority of the players had the same “ couldn’t care less attitude” I doubt that they all got out of the wrong side of the bed on Saturday morning. There’s one thing that does bind our players together and that is they don’t appear happy in their work for reasons that, as yet, are unclear to us. 

[bigbadbob]

56 minutes ago, Ellafella said:

 

Old courty has never been a big fan of us