Lapslie joins Stags

George Lapslie has made a permanent move to Mansfield Town.   The deal is for an undisclosed fee but, more importantly, has a sell on clause.

George has been at Charlton since he was 11 and was full of praise for all the support he has received at the club: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-midfielder-george-lapslie-makes-permanent-move-to-mansfield-town/

In different circumstances it might have been possible to hold on to him and see how he developed.  As it is, he may come back to score against us one day.   Anyway, I wish him all best for his future career.

'Laps' turned down other clubs to sign for the Stags and both parties seem delighted: https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2021/january/midfielder-signs-permanently-from-charlton

Bowyer: I had to make the players believe again

A long interview with Lee Bowyer about how he became involved with Charlton again: The Coaches' Voice

Recalling when he took over as caretaker manager he says: 'When I first took over, they’d won one in their last eight and the players were dented because they thought they were out of the playoffs. My job was to make them believe again. I knew they were good. All I had to do was make them believe that. If they pulled together as one, then that was even better: don’t play as individuals, play as a team.' He talks about how George Lapslie reminded him of Scott Parker.

'From day one, I was honest with them: if anyone wants to play as an individual, they won’t play. I’ll only play people who are going to play for the team. They had to work hard, too. Training became a lot more physical. More intense. I believe that you should train the way you play because you can’t turn it on and off.'

Bowyer also said: 'It’s become the place that I left as a 19-year-old: a family club where the crowd and the players are all as one.'

Bowyer wants clarity from EFL

He may be asking for the impossible, but Lee Bowyer wants clarity from the EFL and guidance on what to do about training. Currently, Charlton have brought forward its resumption from next Monday to tomorrow (Friday): Bowyer wants clear message to clubs

The at sea supremo commented: 'They (EFL) need to step up now and give us some real guidance - at the moment there hasn't been any guidance. There are too many grey areas.'

Jason Pearce and George Lapslie both staying away from Charlton training. Both their partners are expecting. Government have put pregnant women in the high-risk group as a precautionary measure.

Premier League football has been postponed until at least April 30th.

National press homes in on Bowyer v Woodgate clash

It's a crunch game against Middlesbrough tomorrow (well, they all are now) and Lee Bowyer is looking to Charlton fans to play their part: Fans role in Championship safety puh

The Guardian has produced a special feature article on the game, noting that 'this campaign was always going to be a struggle for a Charlton side with the second tier’s lowest budget.' They say that contrary to widespread expectations, Boywer has matured into an impressive coach. But it is his relationship with Jonathan Woodgate that particularly interests them: Bowyer and Woodgate set friendship aside for relegation showdown

George Lapslie has obtained his sports science and coaching degree and aims to go into management with his older brother who plays for Colchester United. However, his greatest test for now is to keep the Addicks in the Championship: Lapslie's agenda

Up on Teesside, they are seeing it as a David v. Goliath class with Charlton having been 'in a state of civil war' for years: The financial gap

Boro have a tendency to be draw specialists away from home: won two, drawn six, lost nine.

Lapslie: how my hamstring hell ended

Some good news on the medical front: George Lapslie has revealed how new physio Danny Murphy dealt with his hamstring problem, enabling him to return to first team action (please note that Murphy is not the Onanist sometimes seen commenting on football on television): Thanks new physio for ending hamstring hell

Lapslie also revealed that his partner Ruth is pregnant. He is happy to pay the fine for putting the ball under his shirt. Footballers are able to have children at an age that was once regarded as the norm and is much easier to cope with, both then and when you have teenagers in your thirties.

Lapslie's enthusiasm and energy are a joy to behold on the pitch. In some ways he is a junior version of Darren Pratley, he gives the opposition so much trouble.

Lapslie is a grounded player and does not underestimate the size of the task ahead: 'We’ll keep grafting to try and get even higher. It’s going to be a slog and we’ve got to come together and try and get us safe.'

'The reds are staying up'

This was the chant from the Covered End as Charlton beat Luton Town 3-1 at The Valley this afternoon. It was a rather frenetic first half with Charlton making lots of mistakes as Luton pressed for a win. A very strong cross wind made it difficult to play quality football.

The midfield was far from its best, unusually including Cullen. Three at the back didn't seem to be working very well either. Lyle Taylor, a target for chanting from the Hatters, maddened them by putting the Addicks 1-0 ahead, Naby Sarr having earlier hit the crossbar. Alfie Doughty also forced a save from charm merchant keeper Sluga (who in the second half tussled with Lyle Taylor and got the captain for the day a yellow card).

Charlton are always vulnerable when they have scored and not much more than a minute later Luton equalised after some woeful defending making the half time score 1-1.

Green missed a chance to put the Addicks ahead after the break and Luton had a goal chalked off for offside on 51 minutes, their manager putting it down to discrimination against 'little Luton'. After a blatant handball, Lyle Taylor calmly put the Addicks ahead from the penalty spot. Phillips had to make a good save from Moncur.

Bringing Lapslie on as a substitute helped to change the game, as did the subsequent addition of Bonne. Lapslie put the game beyond doubt by scoring the third goal in the 87th minute after a one two with Bonne. He's truly one of our own. Alfie Doughty also showed some moments of sublime skill, outwitting the Luton defence.

Charlton moved up to 18th with Barnsley, Stoke and Wigan all winning.

Attendance was just under 19,000 despite a packed away end but the Addickted made a lot of noise to back the team.

The report from Louis Mendez is here: Super sub George Lapslie

In his comment serene supremo Lee Bowyer said that Lyle Taylor would have enjoyed silencing the Luton fans: Silencing abusive Luton fans

Bonne gets the all clear

Macauley Bonne can carrying on playing for Charlton after cardiac tests. He dropped out of international duty with Zimbabwe: Carry on playing

George Lapslie has aggravated his hamstring injury and will not be available for selection against Cardiff City on Saturday.

No lament from Lapslie

Since playing 89 minutes at Ewood Park, George Lapslie has made only two substitute appearances in the league. However, the 22-year old told the Football League Paper,'We all read from the same script in the team, so I don't feel disappointed or hard done by to have missed out.' New loan signings Sam Field and Conor Gallagher have limited Lapslie's opportunities.

T'he manager pulled me to one side before the next game against Stoke and told me I had done nothing wrong. He said I just needed to keep doing what I was doing and working hard in training to get back to the starting XI.'

'Training hard is a given for me, so I just need to keep working on the technical side of my game. I need to get more comfortable and learn to pick the better ball.'

'Bowyer has been unreal for my development. I can't think of a single time when I've felt bad about myself or my game. He always tells us what he wants from us, and even if it doesn't go right the first couple of times, he'll encourage us to do it again.'

Lapslie said that his old brother Tom who plays for Colchester United had been a big positive influence.

Premiership clubs interested in Lapslie

Charlton's under-18 captain George Lapslie is attracting interest from Premier League clubs. Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester City have been keeping tabs on the midfielder: Lapslie