Charlton Athletic v Ipswich Town
Saturday 28th November 2015 – 12:30
The Valley
Live on Sky Sports 1 + 5
NO SH1T?
Opening Thought – Jamma
You may well be disappointed to see that it’s my turn to put the preview up again: from the last 8 matches, Dave (Frosty) has a record of 2 wins out of 2 when posting the preview. I, on the other hand, boast the less-than-impressive tally of 4 draws and 2 defeats, with no win to my name since Leeds back in September… Let’s start with the positives from Saturday’s game against Wolves, then, shall we?
Having drawn a blank in 4 of our 5 matches in October, we have now scored 9 goals in our last 3 outings, with Brett Pitman and Daryl Murphy starting to fulfil the strikers’ undoubted potential. Just as in their previous two matches, the Blues got on the front foot early on and converted their superiority with a goal inside the first quarter. Jonathan Douglas has said that he is thriving in his more forward-thinking role, and this licence to attack saw him confidently claim his second strike in as many games. This subtle change in Douglas’ position mirrors the team’s fluctuating fortunes over recent weeks: in tightening up at the back against Huddersfield and Cardiff, Town sacrificed something of their attacking instincts. Now that we have rediscovered some of our early season fluency in the final third, our defensive solidity seems to have given way as a result. The frustration is intensified by the recurring nature of Mick McCarthy’s post-match comments, which invariably tend to revolve around defensive lapses. Not for the first (or second, or third) time, he bemoaned the fact that one of the opposition’s goals on Saturday came from our possession on the edge of their box. If only we could marry our competence in front of goal with a more clinical defensive mentality, we would surely not be far off achieving our top 6 ambitions…
That sense that we are really not that far away from where we want to be is backed up with a quick glance at the Championship table. It is looking more and more as though the top 5 will pull away, with the remaining play-off spot in the sights of at least 10 clubs. Ipswich are just 3 points off 6th place Birmingham, albeit still with an inferior goal difference to all those above us. While only top 2 Hull and Brighton have lost fewer home matches, our tally of 5 draws at Portman Road puts us behind only Bolton in this regard. All sets of supporters will be looking at certain fixtures wondering ‘what might have been’, but it is not inconceivable to think that we could have turned at least a couple of those points against Birmingham, Bristol City, Huddersfield, Cardiff and Wolves into all three. Had we managed to hold on to the lead here, or broken the deadlock there, we would no doubt be reflecting on a very satisfactory opening to the season. When adding the stoppage time capitulations at Brentford and Forest into the equation, we should really be sitting pretty at the top of the league!
Football doesn’t work like that, of course, but you get the gist. We now have the ‘pleasure’ of three consecutive televised games to look forward to, with the Blue Army hoping that lightning will strike twice at the scene (and on the same weekend!) of one of our most dramatic victories in 2014/15…The Opposition – Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C. were formed on 9 June 1905 by a group of 15- to 17-year-old boys near to the present-day site of the Thames Barrier.
Charlton spent the years before the First World War playing in local leagues. After the war, they joined the Kent League for one season (1919–20) before becoming professional. They were accepted by the Southern League and played just a single season (1920–21) before being voted into the Football League.
In 1923, it was proposed that Charlton merge with Catford Southend to create a larger team with bigger support. However, the move fell through and the Addicks returned to the Charlton area in 1924.
Charlton finished second bottom in the Football League in 1926 and were forced to apply for re-election, which was successful.
Three years later, the Addicks won the Division Three championship, in 1929, and they remained at the Division Two level for four years.
After relegation into the Third Division South at the end of the 1932/33 season, the club appointed Jimmy Seed as manager and he oversaw the most successful period in Charlton's history either side of the Second World War.
Seed, an ex-miner who had made a career as a footballer despite suffering the effects of poison gas in the First World War, remains the most successful manager in Charlton's history. The organisation Seed brought to the team proved effective and the Addicks gained successive promotions from the Third Division to the First Division between 1934 and 1936.
In 1937, Charlton finished runners up in the First Division, in 1938 they finished fourth and in 1939 they finished third. They were the most consistent team in the top flight of English football over the three seasons immediately before the Second World War.
Charlton reached the 1946 FA Cup Final, but lost to Derby County.
When the full league programme resumed in 1946–47, Charlton could finish only 19th in the First Division, just above the relegation spots, but they made amends with their performance in the FA Cup, winning the 1947 FA Cup final.
In this period of renewed football attendances, Charlton became one of only thirteen English football teams to average over 40,000 as their attendance during a full season. The Valley was the largest football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000. However, in the 1950s little investment was made either for players or to The Valley, hampering the club's growth. In 1956, the then board undermined Jimmy Seed and then sacked him, and Charlton were relegated.
From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a mainstay of the Second Division before relegation to the Third Division in 1972, which caused the team's support to drop, and even a promotion in 1975 back to the Second Division did little to re-invigorate the team's support and finances.
In 1979–80, Charlton were relegated again to the Third Division, but won immediate promotion back to the Second Division in 1980–81. Even though it did not feel like it, this was a turning point in the club's history, leading to a period of turbulence and change including further promotion and exile. A change in management and, shortly after, a change in club ownership led to severe problems and the club looked like it would go out of business.
In 1984, financial matters came to a head and the club went into administration, to be reformed as Charlton Athletic (1984) Ltd.. But the club's finances were still far from secure, and they were forced to leave The Valley just after the start of the 1985–86 season, in the wake of the Bradford City stadium fire, after its safety was criticised by Football League officials. The club began to groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Despite the move away from The Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985–86, and remained at this level for four years (achieving a highest league finish of 14th). Eventually, Charlton were relegated in 1990. However, Manager Lennie Lawrence remained in charge for one more season before he accepted an offer to take charge of Middlesbrough. He was replaced by joint player-managers Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt, who started to achieve results. However, the club was forced to sell players to help pay for a return to The Valley, which eventually happened in December 1992.
In 1995, new chairman Richard Murray appointed Alan Curbishley as manager of Charlton. Under his sole leadership, Charlton made an appearance in the play-offs in 1996 and the following season brought a disappointing 15th place finish. In 1997–98, Charlton reached the Division One play-off final against Sunderland, which they won on penalties, clinching promotion to the Premier League.
Charlton's first Premier League campaign began promisingly but they were unable to keep up their good form and were relegated back to Division One on the final day of the season. The club's board kept faith in Curbishley, and were rewarded with the Division One title in 2000, signalling a return to the Premier League.
After the club's return, Curbishley proved an astute spender and by 2003 he had succeeded in establishing Charlton in the top flight. Charlton failed to build on this level of achievement and Curbishley departed in 2006, with the club still established as a solid mid-table side.
In May 2006, Iain Dowie was named as Curbishley's successor, but was sacked after twelve league matches in November 2006. Les Reed replaced Dowie as manager. However, he too failed to improve Charlton's position in the league table and, on Christmas Eve 2006, Reed was replaced by former player Alan Pardew. Although results did improve, Pardew was unable to keep Charlton up and relegation was confirmed in the penultimate match of the season.
Charlton's return to the second tier of English football was a disappointment, with their promotion challenge tailing off to an 11th place finish.
On 22 November 2008, Charlton suffered a loss to Sheffield United at home, which meant that the club had gone eight successive games without a win and had slipped into the relegation zone – particularly disastrous considering they were among the pre-season favourites for promotion. Hours after the game, Alan Pardew left Charlton by mutual consent.
Matters did not improve under caretaker manager Phil Parkinson, as Charlton were relegated to League One.
After spending almost the entire 2009/2010 season in the top six of League One, Charlton were defeated in the Football League One play-offs.
At that time, Charlton went through a change in ownership. The new owners decided to remove both Parkinson and Charlton legend Mark Kinsella after a poor run of results and another Charlton legend, Chris Powell, was appointed manager of the club in January 2011.
In a busy summer, Powell brought in 19 new players and, after a successful season, on 14 April 2012, Charlton Athletic won promotion back to the Championship.
In their first season back in the Championship since the 2008–09 season, the 2012–13 season saw Charlton finish in ninth place with 65 points, just three points outside of the play-off places.
In early January 2014, during the 2013–14 season, Belgian businessman Roland Duchâtelet took over Charlton Athletic Football Club. On 11 March 2014, two days after a disappointing FA Cup quarter-final loss to Sheffield United, and with Charlton sitting bottom of the table, Chris Powell was sacked by Duchâtelet.
New manager, Jose Riga, despite having to join Charlton late into the season, was able to help Charlton survive relegation and the club ended the season in 18th position. Riga resigned at the end of the season to take charge of Blackpool, which saw Bob Peeters taking over the manager’s role at The Valley.
In January 2015, Guy Luzon was appointed head coach, taking over from Peeters, and he saw the season out with the Addicks, finishing in 12th place on 60 points.
On 26th October, Luzon was replaced by Karel Fraeye as interim manager, with Charlton sitting in the relegation zone.
One To Watch – Johnnie Jackson
With a recent turnover of managers to rival that of Leeds, it isn’t surprising to see that Charlton’s squad is looking very different from the last time we faced them. One mainstay of the side is club captain Johnnie Jackson, who is fresh from reaching a special milestone.
The influential midfielder scored his 50th Charlton goal when he claimed the winner at St. Andrews on Saturday, becoming the 25th player to do so. This may come as something of a relief to the travelling Blue Army on Saturday, as the previous Addick to achieve this feat was Carl Leaburn, who claimed his half century with a hat-trick at Portman Road in a 5-1 win in 1995/96. Back to Jackson, and the 33-year-old is still playing a vital role in the Charlton engine room, 6 years on from his debut. Having come up through Tottenham’s Academy, he gained his first experience of the Football League via a number of loan spells, at Colchester, Swindon, Coventry and Watford. Jackson enjoyed a run in the Spurs team in 2003/04, ironically scoring his only Premier League goal against Charlton at The Valley. Returning to Layer Road, he was a part of the Colchester side which finished 10th in the Championship before being relegated the following season. He spent a year at Notts County before joining Charlton, initially on loan. Jackson skippered the Addicks to the League One title in 2011/12, scoring crucial winners against promotion rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. He has continued to be a crucial member of the team, with a fair number of those 50 strikes proving decisive to Charlton’s fortunes.
The Gaffer – Karel Fraeye
Fraeye was born in Brussels and, after a few years as a youth coach with KAA Gent and FC Destelbergen, he started his managerial career with Second Division KSV Sottegem in 2010.
After spending three years in charge of Belgian Fourth Division A club K.F.C. Eendracht Zele, Fraeye had a short stint as an assistant to head coach José Riga at Charlton Athletic in the 2013/14 season.
On 26th October 2015, he was appointed as interim manager of the Addicks.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Highlights from a rather memorable last-gasp win on our visit to The Valley this time last year:
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both teams
Matt Holland ITFC 1997-2003 CAFC 2003-2009
Hermann Hreiðarsson ITFC 2000-2003 CAFC 2003-2007
Darren Ambrose ITFC 2001-2003, 2008-2009, 2014-2015 CAFC 2005-2009
Chris Bart-Williams ITFC 2003-2004 CAFC 2001-2003
Mark Fish ITFC 2005 (approx. 5 mins.) CAFC 2000-2005
Media Watch – K L Blue
A very interesting little write-up on how integral pass completion is to a team’s success:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/blogs/21543/mick- ... -method/#0
Could Luke Hyam be heading out on loan?
http://www.rotherham.vitalfootball.co.u ... p?a=422931
Looking ahead to a bit of January transfer window shopping…
http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/5-play ... Wc6KvC1.97
Stat Time
Head To Head
Charlton Wins......................18 (37.50%)
Ipswich Town Wins................20 (41.67%)
Draws.................................10 (20.83%)
Charlton Goals.....................73 (ave. 1.52 per match)
Ipswich Town Goals...............69 (ave. 1.44 per match)
Head To Head At Charlton
Charlton Wins......................12 (50.00%)
Ipswich Town Wins.................9 (37.50%)
Draws.................................3 (12.50%)
Charlton Goals......................39 (ave. 1.63 per match)
Ipswich Town Goals................28 (ave. 1.17 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Charlton
Charlton are coming off the back of a decent little run of their own, having dispatched play-off contenders Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham in their last two outings. Changes are likely to be kept to a minimum, as Karel Fraeye looks for a hat-trick of successes.
1 Stephen Henderson
17 Tareiq Holmes-Dennis
5 Patrick Bauer
6 Naby Sarr
21 Morgan Fox
8 Jordan Cousins
12 Alou Diarra
4 Johnnie Jackson
7 Johann Berg Gudmundsson
9 Simon Makienok
16 Reza Ghoochannejhad
Ipswich Town
Assuming there are no new injury concerns, Mick McCarthy is likely to stick with the same line-up for the third game in a row:
1 Dean Gerken
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
22 Jonathan Douglas
8 Cole Skuse
17 Kevin Bru
20 Freddie Sears
9 Daryl Murphy
11 Brett Pitman
Marko’s Caption Competition
I will score the Wolves caption and the Charlton caption in the Middlesbrough preview.
Let's see what you can come up with for this:
Match Referee – Scott Duncan
This week’s other Championship fixtures
Friday 27 November, 7.45pm
Hull City v Derby County
Saturday 28 November, 3.00pm
Blackburn v Sheffield Wednesday
Brighton v Birmingham City
Cardiff City v Burnley
Fulham v Preston North End
Huddersfield v Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest v Reading
QPR v Leeds United
Rotherham United v Bristol City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v MK Dons
Monday 30 November, 7.45pm
Bolton Wanderers v Brentford
Final Thought – Jamma
A month or two back, when Sky announced their latest batch of live fixtures, Tractor Boys and Girls would have been excused for wondering what their thinking was behind selecting three consecutive Ipswich games. Even allowing for the hatful of goals that we proceeded to concede against Reading, our last couple of months have hardly marked Ipswich Town out as the most watchable team in the Championship. But perhaps the broadcasters knew something we didn’t, as Town have gone on to be involved in three matches in November featuring a total of 13 goals.
There is the feeling that we don’t tend to do ourselves justice when we are on the box. That was certainly not the case on our last visit to this part of South-East London, as a Noel Hunt 94th-minute winner sparked wild celebrations amongst the 2,000-strong away end and temporarily sent us into 2nd, in one of my personal favourite memories of 2014/15. Fast-forward 12 months and it’s fair to say we haven’t quite hit the same heights yet this season. But where better to ignite our campaign than at a ground where we have enjoyed an impressive recent record? This will not be as straightforward as it may have appeared a matter of weeks ago, as Charlton have enjoyed something of a renaissance under new boss Karel Fraeye.
Far from being a televisual damp squib, all the ingredients seem to be in place for another cracker. I’ll take a repeat scoreline at The Valley for the third successive season...!
CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0 IPSWICH TOWN 1
Hopefully there will be more scenes like this on Saturday…
COME ON YOU BLUES!
