FT: Charlton 2-0 Bolton

Our next game is against Charlton away.

Who are the only players that spring to mind when we play Charlton... It's Mark Fish & Claus Jensen!

Can anyone think of any other players that have played for both teams?

After our club have spent around £2million on players  through the summer transfer window, can our attacking force finally get the ball over the line and get us the 3 points that we need to stay on target for automatic promotion?

Charlton have just signed a young Jamaican International who I know very well. Winger/Striker Kaheim Dixon is a very fast, very talented goalscorer. Pity Bibi didn't tip off Evatt, but I imagine he is busy cheering for his son Che Gardner who is at Stockport County.

Definitely a game we should win. Losing May has to be a big blow and they haven’t really replaced him yet so I don’t think they’ll be a massive threat going forward but they have tightened defensively so will be tricky to break down. If we perform like Sunday it could well be another 0-0 but let’s hope our forwards have their shooting boots polished and can take advantage. I’m expecting a win so 0-2 to the Wanderers and into the top six.

Same old shite this. Evatt needs to go imo if nothing changes very soon!

Has he gone yet?

I've got an old wardrobe that, given a new set of castors, could have put in a better shift than any Wanderer on that pitch.
That was mediocrity at its best.

Only Three games in and 5 points behind the automatic spots already.....I'm disgusted at the moment. 
We are back to pussy footing around the box with all scared to take a shot....barre Dion who takes 40 yard volleys on. The lads that finished the game should start the next one.......come back Arron, all is forgiven. 

Bolton Wanderers beaten 2-0 by Charlton - match report

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Wanderers’ unbeaten start came to an end following a 2-0 defeat against Charlton at the Valley.

Greg Docherty and Matty Godden struck either side of half time on a frustrating afternoon in the capital for Ian Evatt’s men.

The Whites had few chances of note in the final third, with Dion Charles going closest in the first half.

Evatt named an unchanged side from last weekend’s stalemate against Wrexham, with Luke Southwood replacing Aaron Morley on the bench following the midfielder’s loan move to Wycombe.

Charlton made one change from their win against Leyton Orient, with Theirry Small replacing the injured Josh Edwards.

There were promising signs for the Whites in the opening stages, with John McAtee pouncing on Thierry Small’s sloppy pass and driving towards goal. However, the attacker – who was signed by Nathan Jones at Luton Town a couple of years ago – scuffed his shot wide.

Aaron Collins then showed clever feet as he tried to launch a counter attack and was hauled down by Conor Coventry, who was booked by referee Lee Swabey. Luke Berry was also cautioned for his protests.

But Wanderers shot themselves in the foot after 10 minutes when Ricardo Santos lost possession cheaply on the edge of his own box. Docherty still had lots to do to beat Nathan Baxter but picked out the top corner with a fine strike.

Collins won a free kick right on the edge of the Charlton penalty area as Wanderers searched for an immediate equaliser, but the Welshman failed to beat the wall.

The former Bristol Rovers man continued to cause problems for the hosts, charging down a clearance which felt to Charles, who tried an ambitious volley but failed to test Mannion between the sticks.

George Johnston, named in the starting line-up for the second weekend in a row, did Baxter no favours with a rogue backpass but the goalkeeper did well to clear his lines under pressure.

Charles had the Whites’ best moment of the first half, testing Will Mannion with a clever effort on the turn. However, the Charlton goalkeeper reacted quickly to get down to his right and make the save.

Evatt’s men were enjoying plenty of the ball and had the Addicks penned in on the edge of their own box at times, but struggled to carve out many chances of note. Johnston drilled a pass into Collins’ feet but his effort was held by Mannion.

The hosts also had spells of pressure as the first half went on, with Docherty continuing to receive the ball in dangerous areas.

Small’s cross eventually dropped for the midfielder, whose initial strike was well saved by the legs of Baxter. The rebound was simpler for the goalkeeper to deal with.

George Thomason cut onto his left foot on the stroke of half time and delivered a cross that was not too far away from curling into the bottom corner.

Evatt opted to make a couple of changes at the break, with Jordi Osei-Tutu and Victor Adeboyejo joining the fray for Josh Dacres-Cogley and Charles.

Unfortunately, not much changed in the next 20 minutes for Bolton, who were frustrated by a Charlton side keen to maintain their 100 per cent start in the league.

Kyle Dempsey and Jay Matete was also introduced off the bench in place of Josh Sheehan and George Thomason as Evatt looked to inject energy in the middle of the pitch.

Eoin Toal had a half chance after getting on the end of Szabi Schon’s corner but could not direct his header goalward.

Charlton nearly doubled their lead through a corner of their own but Chuks Aneke could not keep his header down after getting up highest.

At the other end, McAtee let fly from the edge of the area. It was a sweet strike but flew over the bar.

The end-to-end nature continued heading into the final 10 minutes, with space opening up for Dempsey to drive into.

Aneke had another sight at goal but sliced an effort wide of the near post after he was teed up by Conor Coventry.

Charlton put the game to bed in the 88th minute when Godden met Aneke’s pinpoint cross with a diving header past Baxter.

Scott Arfield replaced Johnston for the final few minutes but the hosts preserved their clean sheet to continue an impressive start to the campaign.

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MATCH REACTION: Evatt on 'self-inflicted' Charlton defeat and HT changes

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Ian Evatt was left frustrated by a “self-inflicted” defeat at Charlton as Wanderers’ unbeaten start came to an end.

Greg Docherty and Matty Godden struck either side of half time as the Whites left the capital empty-handed.

“There are things that we can certainly look at and try to be better,” Evatt said after the final whistle.

“We have made two mistakes for two goals, and I have to own that really because that is the way I ask us to play. I will take responsibility for that.

“We don’t try to play out from the back for vanity or because we want to look good, we don’t want the majority of possession for vanity or to look good. We want it to try and create space at the top end of the pitch, get the ball there and hurt the opposition.

“We had a lot of the ball in the final third, we had moments in the first half. At one stage, we had a four-v-two overload and didn't even get a shot off.

“We have the ball around the edge and don’t get a shot off or make the correct decision, that will only come from work.

“We have lost the game based on two mistakes, I don’t think they had a great deal of other chances. We have to tighten up at one end and be more creative at the other.”

The Bolton boss felt his side were let down by their decision making in the final third at times but believes improvement will come with more time on the training pitch.

“We have got three strikers on the pitch and it is their duty and job to create for us,” he continued.

“Last Sunday, we created the best chances and didn’t take them. Today, we had a lot more of the ball and more dangerous attacks but haven’t created. We have to work hard to be better.”

Victor Adeboyejo and Jordi Osei-Tutu were both introduced at the break for Dion Charles and Josh Dacres-Cogley.

When asked about the changes, Evatt replied: “At the start of the second half I thought we looked bright but then we lost impetus.

“It wasn’t because Charlton were putting us under loads of pressure, it was self-inflicted. We had possession in the final third and didn’t do enough with it, and that is the reason why.

“I believe in this group of players, I believe we are going to get better. There are a lot of talented players in there, we need to work hard.

“We are still building relationships and it is slightly different to what we have been used to. All is not lost.

“Defeats hurt, of course, we never like to lose games but there are things we can take from that. That is my job now to pick the players up and work extremely hard to get things right.”

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Agree with Terenceanne we seemed to be afraid to shoot…again.  
Mistakes at the back cost us, but just bloody shoot.  We don’t need to pass it into the net.

The goals...


...both theirs unfortunately!

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If Wanderlust happens to see this post, then he might like to watch Sheehan's movement for their fist goal (Wanderlust blames Sheehan entirely for the goal).

He wasn't!

In fact it's all there on video for you to see for yourselves.

If you do you will note at once that when Santos played the ball out, Sheehan was in the act of running width-wise across the middle of the pitch to make himself available for whoever Santos played the ball to (the wide player running back along the touchline was the intended recipient  - rather than playing into space for Toal to run on to as Wanderlust had supposed).

You will also note the player who Sheehan was marking - and in return who was marking him - was running to continue to mark Sheehan who had now got a yard or two in front of him.

This player used that yard or two and doubled it immediately by seeing that a red shirt was going to get  to the ball first before a Bolton player - and cutting back towards the Bolton goal, and offering himself for a pass option.

This left Sheehan about 5 yards or more from him when he did receive the ball from his team mate and scored the goal.

There was no way possible that Sheehan was in any part responsible for the goal - he was actually running into space for the lay off, FROM the player Santos pass was intended for - AND there would be Bolton players higher up the pitch already in motion, starting their runs, in order for Sheehan to have men free for a pass onwards by the time he would have received the ball.

Sheehan had broken free of his marker to become unmarked and a passing option for a Bolton spell of possession which should have followed from Santos pass out of defence.  

With the pass being crap the reverse happened - the Charlton player suddenly and unexpectedly came into play, in an excellent field position, with his opposite number (Sheehan) left high and dry, away from the action because he had moved into space to receive a ball that never happened because the ball to Santos to JDC was so poor and was picked off.

The game is about working as a team, not one pass at a time, then wondering who next to pass it to.

Don't you understand that yet?

I'm convinced that you've never played football in a competitive way in your life.

I don't doubt you watch hours and hours of football on the telly but you certainly don't understand what is going on - which can be evidenced by some of the ridiculous things you say, such as in this case.

As Abraham Lincoln once apparently said...

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Got to get the ball forward quicker so that defences aren't set......which is why Santos is a liability! Stop using him as some kind of playmaker. Everything slows to a halt when he is on the ball. 

His errors against Charlton were crucial....and horrible! 

He should be an asset from our set-pieces into the opposition box but he rarely uses his height and weight to our advantage.

Get rid and, with the money, acquire a more mobile, quick-witted defender with pace and a turning circle smaller than a cruise ship's.....

If we are playing it out from the back - and we are - then a player has two choices (well three if we play the long ball over the top - but we don't).

The first is to bring the ball out yourself, the second is to pass the ball up field.

As I've described in the post yesterday...

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...our new, system tippy tappy II, seems to have caused MORE players being in the next line up field, making it even harder (and much slower) to progress the ball up field even if you have the skills of a Bobby Moore or a Franz Beckenbauer, let alone the best Santos can do.

The managers job is to get the best out of his players.

Tippy tappy II has not helped Santos game - nor Toal or Johnston's either - as the midfield is now more crowed than ever.

Evatt needs to resolve the problem rather than fans laying the blame on Santos.

Santos has his weaknesses - he can't head a ball for toffee in an attacking role but at our level he is quick, athletic and dominant in a defending role and one of the best in his position in the division.