Often Partisan

Charlton Preview in Association with EZE Group

Lee Clark takes his side back to South London today hoping to build on the much-needed win over Millwall in midweek as he bids to take Blues back up the Championship table.

Charlton Athletic

Charlton lie sixth in the Championship table following an unbeaten start to the season – however six of their ten games have ended in stalemate. Tuesday marked Charlton’s first win in four games with a 1-0 away win at Carrow Road following three successive draws; Middlesbrough remain the only team to shut the Valiants out this season.

Bob Peeters will be without Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim who will miss the game to observe Yom Kippur; Joe Gomez has picked up a new injury and Johann Berg Gudmundsson remains sidelined.

Blues

Jonathan Spector is out for three months following the thigh injury he picked up in the Fulham game and joins Neal Eardley, Lee Novak on the sidelines along with long term absentees Gavin Gunning and Matt Green. Demarai Gray is fit to come back into the team and will compete with Koby Arthur for his place in the first XI.

Following rumours of Clark’s impending departure and subsequent lack of anything happening there must be a feeling that the pressure is back off the Blues manager after the 3-1 away win at The Den. I think this may be a “pressure off” game; Charlton are a good side and it would be a good result to hold them to their seventh draw of the season. I hope that Clark continues looking at youth in either Gray or Arthur; with Brown now back and fit I hope he’s close to the bench as I think from what I’ve seen of him on Youtube playing for the reserves he’s too good to be loaned out.

Match previews sponsored by EZE Group - Lifestyle Experts

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60 Responses to “Charlton Preview in Association with EZE Group”

  • Neil says:

    Hi guys don’t no if allowed to ask but sure some
    One will say does any body no good site to stream the Charlotte game thanks all.

  • Neil says:

    Should checked spelling charlton game

  • Chris W says:

    If we shut Charlton out it will be an excellent result, if we can keep Vetokele quiet they have little else up front.
    We need to build on the Millwall result, if only for our own personal satisfaction as I think LC’s days are now numbered.
    With both Gray and Koby fit and keen I would unleash both of them, Koby as a striker with either Donaldson or Thomas and Gray wide, that will keep Charltons defence pinned back and ultimately snuff out the midfield.
    Head v Heart, 1-1 v 0-2.
    KRO+DNM

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Another danger man and the guy who makes Charlton tick, is Johnny Jackson. He puts in good crosses, has a good shot on him and is good at free kicks too. He’s basically the engine of the team.

      • Chris W says:

        Before today Vetokele had had 12 shots, 12 on target and 5 goals.
        Apart from the first 7 minutes when he had two chances and scored one he was kept quiet and so was Jackson so well done the lads for a well earned and deserved point, Charlton are flying at the moment so this was probably a better result than the Millwall game.
        Still not getting carried away with LC.
        KRO+DNM

  • singingface says:

    A draw would be a good result today although if Demmy Gray is fit there is always the chance of something unexpected and to sneak a win.
    Clark needs all the support he can get, simply because of what he has had to put up with. This team cost basically nothing and isn’t far off being mid table. Its tough for the loyal supporters, but doing much better is NOT realistic until there is a change of ownership.

  • garconsavage says:

    Tatts. interviewed A.C. Pavlakis in Thursday night’s Mail and Mr. P. stated categorically that L.C.’s job was not in jeopardy. So it seems the rumours were just that!!

  • Tony says:

    If that’s the case Mr Paviakis is guilty of dereliction of his duties, he should dispense with the imbecile immediately.

  • Richard Granfield says:

    I predict that Clark will dispense with 4-4-2.,the formation of 4-3-3 is much more flexible I.e can change to 4-5-1 as necessary.It means we are not outnumbered in midfield and therefore tighter at the back.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I think we should keep more or less the same team and tactics as Tuesday. The only changes possibly, would be Gray for Arthur and replace Robbo with Hall. We need the extra height and mobility that Robbo doesn’t provide. Other than that, I’d stick with the 4-3-3/4-5-1 we deployed against Millwall. It will also be important to get the bench right, to give us plenty of options to change the game. My subs would be Doyle, Packwood, Robinson, Duffy, Brown, Arthur and Thomas.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    “There is no secret in football. Everybody needs to work hard. If you do that and give your team some structure – what to do when you have the ball and when you lose the ball – you can go far. You have to prepare the players. It starts off the pitch when you give people structure and they know what the schedule is. They know everything about the opponent as well. That is the most important thing – that you give a lot of info to your players so they know what they can expect and what they have to do.”

    Sounds like Lee Clark doesn’t it? It was actually said yesterday, by none other than Bob Peeters, manager of today’s opponents, Charlton.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Sounds like Lee Clark. The same manager whose team selections defied belief in terms of any logic or sense for the second half of the season and whose ineptness significantly contributed to us being within a few seconds of us getting relegated last season. The same Lee Clark who has presided over one home league win in a year. If you dragged someone off the streets to manage the team they would three or four games purely by default.. I really struggle to believe the support thid clot continues to get.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Bob Peeters probably wanted to make absolutely sure Clsrk didn’t get sacked before today’s game and therefore maximise Charton’s chances of winning.

  • dave mann says:

    my head says we can nick a draw but my heart says a 1-2 win with donaldson and cotterill on the score sheet again…..that would be a very good three points and would keep the momentum going and put the fans in better spirits for the two week break before we play at home to bolton….if we loose then a one off win against a team who hasent beaten us for 18 years would not be good enough to keep me happy….though i did predict we would win 3-1 against millwall so lets hope ime right this afternoon. KRO.

  • tttpaule says:

    Lets just hope Clark can manage to get us to perform for 90 mins today. Personally i think it will be a tough ask to get anything from Charlton they have progressed well since being promoted & have a half decent manager, i think we will lose 3 – 1 but hope i am wrong & we kick on from the Millwall game and get a positive result, my worry is our second half performances even against Millwall we were lucky to hold on. On our manager situation i think Clark is possibly the worst manager in the football league but will remain in his position until the bunch of useless shites from BIHL are gone, i think our only way forward is to support the team & manager from the terraces until this BIHL nightmare is over. KRO

    • dave mann says:

      very true tttpaule , we cant do anything about off field problems but we can support and try and put on a brave face for our team and manager and hope that the millwall game was the turn around and we can perform for 90 mins and get a result against charlton….the BIHL nightmare aint going anywhere this season or even next so weve got to live with it and get on with it or do what some fans have done and not even bother to turn up and support a football club that they claim to love…yeah really, dont think so !!! .KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      “Clark is possibly the worst manager in the football league.”

      I wouldn’t go that far. Since Clark has been at the club, he’s put together 3 or 4 sides, with barely a quid to spend and either had them sold from under him, or recalled by parent clubs. In that time, there have been 6 teams relegated… and we haven’t been one of them. However close we were last season… we’re still in the Championship. Those 6 teams aren’t.

      At the moment, we’re above teams like Wigan, Fulham and Bolton and, so far this season, I’ve seen Blues play better football than the previous 2 seasons put together. With a lot of League 1 players, there are bound to be ups and downs, but they’re getting there slowly.

      • Shirley Blue says:

        One home league win in a year. How bl**dy slow is that in terms of getting anywhere. Leicester City and Zigic kept us up on the last day of last season – it had absolutely nothing to do with Clark despite his behaviour after the final whistle.

        • StaffsBlue says:

          I take it you don’t like him then?

        • dave mann says:

          and i was in italy when we beat brighton so ive gone 22 home games without seeing us win in the league,thats absoluetly diabolical and quite astonishing how we ever stayed up last season if it wasent for vital away wins which i witneesed at blackpool, bournemouth, doncaster and one or two others….staffs is right that weve managed to stay up under stressfull times for the manager and the choppin and changing when other clubs have fallen so it could be worse. KRO.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            Apart from individual mistakes, do you not think we’re seeing much better football played this season dave?

          • Chris W says:

            I think we have seen signs, I have been excited more and maybe expecting more a little too soon.
            I feel that with some positive leadership they could develop into a pretty strong team, with a couple of additions even push for a play-off with the potential we have seen at times.
            I just don’t think LC can take us that extra level.
            The other thing we need is support from BIHL and not sell any of our young talent in the next window.
            KRO+DNM

  • Rick says:

    If we can make the 4-2-3-1 of
    Randolph
    Caddis Edgar Hall Grounds
    Reilly Davis
    Arthur Gray Cotterill
    Donaldson
    work, and not concede too may goals, we could win a lot of games, but I think Clark will stick with 4-3-3, just for safety.
    Also, I’d keep Arthur over Gray, Arthur seems to like to defend more, a weakness of Gray.

  • RichardM says:

    Have a sneaky feeling we’ll get a result today. Charlton have to lose at some point, and may be a bit complacent after winning at Norwich…..

  • dave mann says:

    robinson and gleeson for hall and gray…i will let you decide what i think off that !!! KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Gleeson had probably his best game for us the other night. He sat in front of the back four and grew into the role as the game went on. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retain his place today.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    It’s the same line up as against Millwall.

    • dave mann says:

      lets hope we get the same result then because i agree staffs our first half form as been as good as ive seen since relegation but our second half form as been the worst since we got relegated so
      put two first halfs together were win 4-0 put two second halfs together were loose 4-0 but ive gone 1-2 so its get the lead and then hold on to it if we can. KRO.

  • tttpaule says:

    My opinion is Lee Clark is the worst manager in the football league & to watch only 2 home wins in an entire season shows just how useless the man is, the game is all about opinions but how many managers would be in a job with such an appalling record, i do understand what he has had to deal with but that doesn’t stop you organising a team it doesn’t stop you putting players in the correct positions amongst all his other blunders. I will support Clark whilst he is at our club but will never rate him as a manager.

  • Chas says:

    Very good Point. I will go out with the Family in a very happy mood, especially as Fort William actually won a match today as well. Happy Saturday to you all.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Tactics spot on again. We more than deserved a win again today. That’s 5 points from our last 3 away games. No one in the country would have given us that before the Norwich game.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    We’re playing what Clark has always wanted, high-line, front-foot football. We’re stopping good teams coming at us and are forcing our game on them. If we could only put a few more of our chances away, we’d be right up there in the pack.

  • dave mann says:

    same old problem missing chances, should have won and didnt. KRO.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      12 goals in 11 games highlights our problem. On chances, it should be double that, at least.

      • Shirley Blue says:

        So the fact that only three other clubs in the division have conceded more isn’t an issue?

        • StaffsBlue says:

          If we’d scored the goals we should have, there wouldn’t be so much pressure on the defence. If we’d scored just 4 or 5 more goals this season, we’d have at least another 6 or 7 points.

          At the end of the day, we’ve only lost 4 out of 11… the same as 7 teams above us and one less than Millwall, Huddersfield and Rotherham… who are also above us. Fine margins.

  • Art Watson says:

    Have to agree this was a great result and we played some good football.

    Well done L.C and the team.

  • Rick says:

    I’m impressed with Caddis at RB

  • tttpaule says:

    Great we got a point away & possibly should have had 3 so well done to the lads,We done well away from home last season but only stayed up on goal difference, my problem is our home record & again this season we are struggling so lets see how we get on against Bolton, our home form must improve that is where the majority of our supporters pay good money to watch.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      For me, October is an important month. If we can take 3 points off Bolton, it will put 9 points between them and us. Then come Blackburn and Bournemouth, another 2 teams who are just above us. If we can get another 3 or 4 points from them, we can go into the derby in a much healthier position.

      • Raymondo says:

        I can see the Bolton game being like the Fulham one, SB. They’ll have a new manager by then and will be out to impress him. We of course, won’t.

        • StaffsBlue says:

          We’re just a bit inconsistent Ray, but that was always going to be the case, with all the new players coming in… but we’re getting there. Although we had an uneven start, at this moment in time, we’ve found the right personnel, the right tactics and we’re a match for some of the best teams in the division. You don’t go to the likes of Norwich and Charlton and outplay them if you’re a cr*p team.

          • Shirley Blur says:

            I think you are kidding yourself. The table doesn’t lie. We stayed up by the skin of our teeth last season and We are fifth from bottom with Wigan and Fulham below us who have loads more quality than we do and will almost certainly improve. We have won two games out of eleven and have won one home game in a year. We have very few players of genuine Chamipionship class and that is what is going to tell over a season. Some real dross went down last season and I think it’s going to be minimum 50 points to stay up. We might pick up some points away but unless Clark can sort the home form out I am afraid there is only one way we are going.

      • Shirley Blur says:

        It’s the sign of a good team when you play cr*p and still win. That ability to grind out a result even when things are not going well. Mcleish was pretty good at it when we went up under him. The football quite often was tedious but we ground out points. We had better players then though.

  • Staffs blue you are right. Inconsistency is one of the main weaknesses this season. But 4 points from 6 in 2 away games is a great return. And dare I say it…4 goals in 2 games pleased me. Can we maintain it against Bolton. ? Again,its that word again…Inconsistency. We just have to keep believing,keep the faith and …KEEP RIGHT ON. !

  • mark says:

    Sorry for my delayed comments Charlton was again winnable we had about 15 shots on goal…..we had the better possession…..2 games unbeaten lets get on a roll, lads you raised your standards now you need to keep them high……….Charlton knew they were in game, like most of the teams except wigan…

    As-far as our manager lee Clark he aint going no where, perfect relationship with MD……so all of those standing up, please sit down as you are blocking my view….lol

    • Chris W says:

      I agree regarding the football Mark, we really need to work on keeping the momentum going and were unlucky not to have come away from Charlton with a win.
      Once again it was a case of “if only”, if only Donaldson had not touched Koby’s effort it would have counted.
      As for LC, I am not so sure the relationship is perfect, it is a working relationship that relies on results, as long as LC keeps getting positive results it will continue to work, however, as BIHL accounts showed we are not really in a position to dismiss or replace LC.
      It is a case of we cannot afford to sack him and LC cannot afford to walk away so the status quo will remain until such a time one or the others fortunes change. Ideally someone head hunts LC, which I think we have a better chance of winning the league.
      KRO+DNM

      • Shirley Blur says:

        That’s the problem – the working relationship should depend on results and it hasn’t for two and a bit years. He has been in a very enviable position really compared to other managers as they just don’t want to pay him off. I think they might have had too if we had got relegated as his position would have been untenable but as long as he keeps us up I think he is safe. They know we can’t get anywhere near the playoffs so as long as he keeps us up and the fans keep paying up BIHL couldn’t care less.

  • mark says:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kwL4H4dW70

    Dont it make your hair stand up on end i love it boisterous fans……….our is the best…..kro


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