Henderson comes in for me as soon as he is fit enough. Pope has the potential to be a very good keeper but I fear that the mental side of his game is lacking severely. We cannot rely on a goalie who makes mistakes as frequently as nick does.
It seems to be quite widely assumed that Pope's problems are in his head, particularly to do with confidence, but I'm not so sure. I know he looked a bag of nerves when he first came in to the side, but in that regard he looks much better now, especially with crosses, which has always been his strong point. It's when the ball comes at him along the ground that he's made his mistakes, which points to a technical problem rather than a mental one, and I suspect opposing teams know it. There isn't any positive news on Henderson's recovery, so the only decision is whether we get in another goalie, and I say we shouldn't. Phillips is doing well at Cheltenham which is a lower level than York or Bury, where Pope was outstanding. Last time I saw him he was an absolutely fantastic shot-stopper, but his distribution was very poor, and he was not as good as Pope with crosses when Pope was at a similar stage. So keep Pope in the team, and bring back Diarra.
I doubt Peeters' public criticism of him last year helped either. Then again we are not going up and I can't see us going down so we may as well play him, not like it'll cost us much really.
100% support, I guess? Or you could proclaim you've been preaching to the choir in recent months, even though your posts suggest otherwise. CL on one hand. The other... Nah, I'll leave it.
goalkeeper usually only wins MOM when you're being well and truly hammered. he is a good keeper. those looking to blame someone for our recent form should look at the owners. no squad depth, no man management with players, poor injury records.
I have defended Nick Pope up until yesterday, but the first goal was one basic mistake too many IMO. The fans on social media certainly seem to have turned on him, and you know a Charlton keeper is in trouble when the Covered End break out in ironic cheers every time he actually holds onto the ball, as happened in the second half yesterday. Henderson has said on social media that he is back in training, possibly saving Pope from the embarrassment of being (no pun intended...) dropped.
From Pope's point of view, this howler came at a very unfortunate time, just after 3 away games in which he was (according to CL members who were there) MOM. He must have been thinking along the lines of challenging Henderson for the jersey, but with the international break coming up, we may not see Pope much until next time Henderson gets injured. I hope the new coach can sort out his particular problem away from the spotlight.
i think everyone's been a bit harsh on pope. you make one mistake as a goalie and you get booed. you make 20 mistakes as a striker and nothing. McAleny made one after 30 seconds. no one's said he's cost us the win?
To be fair, there was more than one mistake from Pope alone yesterday. Playing in front of the home crowd appears to be as big a problem as daisy cutters for him. It's a shame, as if he can't escape these jitters, he'll go on to prove himself as a success elsewhere I fear.
I was hoping that when Henderson was fit there would be a difficult decision for the manager to make, but the only decision really is whether Henderson is fit enough to play 90 minutes for the first team. The head physio seems much more cautious than the manager about putting him in early, and I've got a feeling the manager's view will prevail. Let's hope for everyone's sake he makes the right decision. Pope may well be quite pleased to escape the sarcastic cheers from his own fans whenever he takes a cross cleanly, and he has played better away from home. A couple of months ago Katrien was talking about offering new contracts to Fox and Pope. Fox has signed his, Pope hasn't, I wonder whether it was Pope's or the club's decision?
I agree, although McAleny was a poor example, because we have all written him off as a Charlton prospect and therefore expect nothing from him. Another who should seek his fortune in US soccer.
Interesting photo in the program shows the wall ducking out the way of Gallagher's free-kick, which exonerates Pope for that one IMO.
If Pope had been in goal yesterday he would of been at fault for all 3 ...people would of said he should of claimed the cross for the 1st not been beaten at his near post for the 2nd and not been beaten from so far out for the third
I don't think hendo was anywhere near his best, but with the news coming out that GL was told on Wednesday this game was his last chance, he threw him in. We could have had both keepers in yesterday and we would have still lost.
