More than happy to lose that bet. This division is so hard to call right now (top and bottom) Think it's safe to say Luton are down - rest is all to play.for.
A well earned point tonight. Not pretty perhaps, but every point is vital. Fantastically proud of Bowyer and the lads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Charlton's record against the current top 5 Championship teams; Played: 7 Won: 2 Drawn: 5 Lost: 0 Points: 11 (1.57 points per game) Only 3 more games to play against the current top 5; Nottingham Forest (A) Brentford (A) Leeds United (A) How many other teams in the bottom 8 of the Championship can claim to be unbeaten in every game they have played against the top 5 sides? At a guess I would say none. In fact, I'll be surprised if any team outside the top 8 can say that - if anybody at all. This is a testament to how hard our team tries and how much fight they show in each and every match, especially against the supposed best opposition in this division. The top 5 teams have now all come to the Valley. None have beaten us there, and two went home with nothing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Charlton's record against the current bottom 5 Championship teams; Played: 5 Won: 1 Drawn: 1 Lost: 3 Points: 4 (0.8 points per game) That is not so great. Relegation form in fact. But there are still 5 more games for Charlton to play against these teams; Huddersfield Town (A) Stoke City (A) Barnsley (H) Wigan Athletic (H) Luton Town (H) These matches are all '6 pointers' now of course. And of these 5 relegation rivals, only Stoke City have won more than 1 of their last 5 matches. So 4 of the current bottom 5 teams are not in good form. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If Charlton can strengthen their squad before 1st February, with those five games ahead of us (three of them at the Valley) we surely have a fighting chance to gain the wins and the points needed to climb away from the bottom 6. We also have home games coming up against lower mid-table teams Reading Queens Park Rangers Middlesbrough It is clear that the squad and the team on the day are still fully committed to Lee Bowyer, and are willing to give everything for him each time they play. For me that level of belief and team spirit still surviving after one win in 17 games speaks volumes about the character of our manager. And for me that is never going to 'wear thin' as an excuse. Lack of quality in depth of our squad (exposed by a long running injury crisis which is only now easing) is the fault of our previous owner's lack of investement during the summer. It is NOT the fault of Lee Bowyer or his support staff. It is obvious that the players are still 100% behind their gaffer. When we add the probability of new players coming in to bolster the squad - and improve our ability to score goals - in the next 8 days, and those games we still have to play against lower mid-table and bottom 5 teams, Charlton are in as good a position to beat the drop as any other team currently in the bottom 8. I firmly believe we can do it.
Had to laugh last night in the second half, when the subs warmed up. The CE gave Jonny Williams a rapturous reception, and urged Bowyer to bring him on. Taylor ostentatiously warmed up right by the corner flag, and got barely a response. Hemed showed a little bit more last night, but still doesn’t look fit. Playing with his back to goal doesn’t seem his forte. Alfie Doughty has pace to burn, hopefully the coaching staff will be working on his technique & final touch.
Lyle Taylor's star is fading. His threat to the opposition and his goals have previously protected him from the social media stuff that has annoyed many supporters. However, since his return from injury Taylor has not produced anything very special as far as I can tell. And his ignoring a generous sounding contract offer has definitely cooled opinions towards him. It's up to LT himself now. If he stays, will he work hard for the rest of the season to make himself attractive to other Clubs (and restore his popularity in the covered end) or will he just not bother?
By the end Fulham had abandoned their short passing game and were going long against us, which was quite satisfying. In fact their best chance was when we gave their CB a free header from a corner. He didn't even have to jump, but put it wide.
A bit like us giving the BFG a free header from a corner last Saturday... on that occasion the BFG didn't put it wide ….. losing people from corners is becoming a bit of an issue!
Hemed is quite short and can't jump. Pratley and Doughty were the only midfield players we had who ever win anything in the air.
