Match Day Thread Charlton Athletic vs. Queens Park Rangers

Date: Saturday, 8th August 2015
Kick Off: 3pm
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The time is upon us, the time that many of us have been waiting for. Football's back baby! The Valley, how I have missed you. Saturday, Luzon and his new band of merry men (with the help of some of the sturdy old guard) embark on a long task of 46 league games. I don't think any Charlton fan knows what this season will hold, especially as many of the bookies are for seeing us in a relegation battle. With eight signings, some never played in this league, we hope they can hit the ground running.

The Opposition
We welcome ex-Premier League high spending team Queens Park Rangers to The Valley. They find themselves back in the Championship after one season away, with I'm pretty sure a huge amount of debt, and the loss of some of their key players. Charlie Austin has yet to depart, so we may see him start against us. Their manager Chris Ramsey is relatively inexperienced, taking over the helm from February this year, with his current 15 games in charge of Rangers, has seen a return of only 3 wins. Needless to say, they will want to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt, rather than face a length stay in the Championship.

Current Form
This is a list of the two teams current pre-season games (which will tell us nothing about going into this game):
Charlton Athletic | W L L W W D D L D
Queens Park Rangers | W L W D D

Head-To-Head

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There's only one thing that I can say about this one, brief though it may be, it's one that echo's with many of our fans: JACKSONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! Need I say more? This game was definitely the highlight on my season, the last one gone being atrocious. Was probably the last game I felt that we had any pride left in us, due to Powell being sacked shortly afterwards.

The reverse fixture the previous season saw QPR win narrowly through a superb solo goal from Charlie Austin, who was the only difference in a match which we played well. We have to go back to the 1999/2000 season, the time we won Division One title, when we done the double over QPR, with goals at The Valley coming from Shaun Newton and Scott Parker.

Line Up
With all the new players that have come in, I cannot call this one, but given our current pre-season I believe that we could see the following:

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Subs: Ghoochannejhad, Diarra, Jackson, Bergdich, Kashi, Ahearne-Grant, <KEEPER>

Odds
Despite not winning an away match all of last season:


Outcome
It seems the bookings are backing QPR to win this match, but with our untried and tested team; and with the current turnover of QPR this could be too close to call. I believe that we're going to narrowly edge this one 1 - 0

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COYA! COYR!

 

Good one, _fan. I've only seen one game, the wham game, but from what I did see, IMO we're going to be a stuffy side, hard to beat but won't score many either. So with Charlie Austin in their team I'm going for a 0-1 or 1-1 if JBG scores a special.

 

Pre-season, as much as you want them to win every game, it really is not an indicator. They don't make as much effort, don't get stuck in. They really only use them as training matches. I think that QPR have had such a high turnover, and with Charlie Austin linked to Newcastle United and West Ham, this week, he might not even start, through fear of injury and losing out on a £millions.

When we last played them, they had a much stronger squad, and we owned them. I really hope that this will be the case again. I think our issue is, we don't know what our best team is, with all these new signings.

 

With the new players we are ideally staffed for a diamond midfield. JBG at the front, Kashi at the back and Ba (R) and Cousins (L) both attacking and defending. Very solid looking midfield.

Also suspect Diarra will pair with Bauer rather than Sarr until the latter has settled in.

This leaves Ceballos as sub, probably for JBG who does not last out games well.

I agree Fox will continue as LB for the time being but I hope Bergdich will prove better once settled in.

Good to have all these options, but unless Vetokele is back soon (does not look likely) I hope we sign a specialist goalscorer (if only on loan) as Watt and Makienok, though good players, don't have enough goals in them.

I would be happy with 1-1 as we have largely wasted the pre-season teamwork preparation-wise (though more and better signings than I expected).

 

I'm hoping that with Vetokele injured this gives KAG some game time too. He's going to be one of our big academy stars.

We'll have Reza too, well I hope. If he plays like he done in the World Cup, reckon he's got a couple of goals in him...

 

I'm rather confident of a result.

But even if we are abysmal I will still love being properly back at The Valley*.




*Assuming the big screen has the squads up and doesn't keep showing distracting coverage of the game.

 

Ba on the left? Don't think so.

 

QPR have just got Konchesky on loan. Considering how long ago he left us I don't remember seeing him back at the Valley before. I always thought Curbs was right to play him as a midfielder, even though he preferred LB. In fact having him as LM would be just what we need at the moment, but as it is he'll pobably score against us.

 

Post your line up then...
http://sharemytactics.com

It's a forum to discuss the match, what you think the outcome will be, etc.

 

For some reason former players always have a great game against us.

 

I am pretty sure he played against us a two seasons ago when be beat Leicester (3-1?)

 

Reams doesn't understand the ethics involved in running a sensible football site like this.

With his own toy, only his barmy and deluded opinions count

 

QPR temporary manager Chris Ramsay says the Hoops need "3 defenders quickly".

 

http://sharemytactics.com/

 

Why can't you stay on here then instead of polluting somewhere else with your rubbish?

Do you really understand the game of football Royston because funny thing is it's the most least thing you talk about?

Clearly not.

 

I do understand football Paul, but I can't for the life of me understand your last post.

 

I wonder if Big Mak will be the new Carl Leaburn? I'm looking forward to reading Franco's opinion after the match!

 

I think that Fake Nicklas Bendtner could do well. From what I saw in pre-season he practically won everything in the air, but the ball kept going forward. All for him being the target man, but looks like they'll need to play a striker in front of him rather than behind.

 

Who would ideally be Igor..........................................

 

I think it'll be a 4-4-2 (similar to West Ham at home). I tried using sharemytactics but couldn't work out how to get it from there to here! So i'll go for an old school list.

GK - Pope
RB - Solly
CB - Diarra
CB - Bauer
LB - Fox
RW - JBG
CM - Kashi
CM - Ba
LW - Cousins
CF - Makienok
CF - Watt

Note: This is the team I think will start on Saturday, not what I think our strongest team is when all are fit.