Hull boss looks forward to three points

Hull City boss Serget Jakorovic is looking forward to ending Hull's winless run of six matches with three points off 'struggling' Charlton tomorrow.

The Croatian charm merchant was sent off at the King Power on Tuesday for 'sarcastic clapping', but it looks as if he will be in the Valley dugout tomorrow.

Hull City, only outside the final play-off spot on goal difference, can leapfrog rivals Wrexham into sixth place, with the Red Dragons set to play title winners Coventry City on Sunday.

• Charlton are unbeaten in their last six home league meetings with Hull City (D3 L3) since a 1-2 reverse in November 1985.

• Hull have won three of their last four away league games against London clubs (L1), as many as their previous 16 in the capital beforehand (W3 D7 L6).

• Charlton have won their final home league game in seven of the last nine seasons (D2) since a 0-3 defeat to Burnley in 2015-16.

• Hull haven't won their final away league game in any of the last 18 seasons (D6 L12) since a 1-0 victory at Cardiff in 2006-07.

• Hull have earned 35 away points in the Championship this season; a win here will make this the most points they have ever earned on the road in a second tier campaign (38, assuming 3 pts/win all-time), a record they set in 2023-24 (37).

Try calming down

Charlton fans are busy slagging off each other on social media on the usual topics: views of Jones and whether we will be relegated.   It might be a good idea in these circumstances just to calm down get behind the team.

Of course we constantly told it's all about opinions whereas the world I live is one where evidence counts for more.

I have tried to keep clear of the Peter Mandelson affair.  After all, unlike top Super Hoops fan and Charlton critic Lord Young of Acton, I was not named in the Epstein files.*

Unfortunately, trying to keep my head down has not worked and I have been contacted by the integrity and ethics branch of the Cabinet Office.   They certainly won't want opinions from me next week.

We do have a lot more evidence these days about football finances and how they affect performance, but the fact that Charlton has one of the lowest playing budgets in the Championship rarely features in the discussion.

BTW, I'm not saying I like Michael Gove but he was an effective minister in the sense that he managed to get two departments to change policy direction and that is not easy.   So why as editor of the Spectator is he encouraging his columnists to have a go at Charlton?

If he is thinking of adding subscribers, I am told that getting any magazines into a prison is not easy so not much luck with Spanners.  And if he is thinking of the Nigels, they are too busy pretending to be ultras to be seen reading a magazine.

*It should be pointed out that the noble Lord has explained that he was inadvertently included in Epstein's contacts book because of a tenuous acquaintance with G Maxwell.   He has denied visiting 'Paedo Island' (his terminology), travelling on the so-called Lolita Express aircraft or visiting Epstein in one of his homes or at a correctional facility.

Early goal does not save Charlton from defeat

A cheeky first minute goal by captain Greg Docherty put Charlton ahead at The Valley this evening, but Ipswich equalised in the first half and then scored the winner from the penalty spot in the second half.

Charlton remain six points ahead of Oxford and I remain sceprical that they will discover their inner Bayern Munich.

I was surprised that some fans wanted to see the Tractors win to disadvantage Millwall.   If they do go up, we will no longer have to throw six points away.   They will find the top flight challenging and it will be interesting to see the so-called Nigel 'ultras' confront the Spanners.

The Tractors could not have got off to a worse start when Johnson, in at left-back for the injured Leif Davis, was punished to the maximum for his underhit pass inside.

Campbell drove into the box and his angled effort forced Christian Walton to parry into the path of the onrushing Docherty, who put away his first goal for more than a year via a slight deflection off Dara O'Shea.

An energetic Charlton, buoyed by their quickfire opener, made life difficult for Ipswich in the early stages and it took the visitors 15 minutes to have their first shot of the game as Philogene bobbled a volley harmlessly wide at the back post.

But from then on, Ipswich took control and were rewarded when Philogene led a quick break before laying the ball to Azor Matusiwa, who teed up Furlong on the edge of the box to place with precision into the far corner.

Kieran McKenna's side carried on where they left off after the restart by dominating possession and penning Charlton back into their own half.  And, 13 minutes into the second period, Ipswich completed the turnaround.

Furlong was again the architect, drifting in behind Macaulay Gillesphey, (many Addicks were surprised to see him selected) who made a clumsy challenge to bring down the Ipswich right-back in the area and give away a penalty.  Philogene's spot-kick was straight down the middle and not convincing but somehow squirmed under Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to send the travelling fans behind the goal into raptures.

Shortly after, Philogene produced a bending effort that was beaten away by Kaminski to prevent Ipswich extending their advantage further.

Charlton's home support were enthused when the board went up for eight minutes of stoppage time but it was the visitors who came closest late on as Kaminski produced an astonishing double save to deny Marcelino Nunez from close range.

Richard Cawley commented: 'A performance that was full of spirit and a big improvement on what we witnessed at Hillsborough. Injuries to Bell, Campbell and Godden make it a double whammy alongside the loss.'

Foxes go down

Leicester City have been relegated to League One after drawing 2-2 at home with Hull.  Fans chanted 'sack the board,'

Oxford lost 0-1 at home to Wrexham but remain six points behind the Addicks.  Charlton need one point from the three remaining games to be mathematically safe.

Charlton fell back to 20th after West Brom won 3-0 at home.   However, Portsmouth lost 5-1 at Coventry and have an inferior goal difference to the Addicks.  If we draw tomorrow night we overtake them.

Football finance guru Kieran Maguire and others have questioned the case for a points deduction at West Brom.

Tractors unlikely to concede double

Charlton host promotion-chasing Ipswich Town in a vital encounter at both ends of the Championship table on Wednesday night.  The Addicks are six points above 22nd-placed Oxford United before the midweek round of fixtures and a win would put them on the brink of safety.

However, the more pessimistic Addicks see an away win more likely with Richard Cawley noting Charlton's poor possession statistics. I think that a draw is possible.

If the U's lose to Wrexham on Tuesday evening, Charlton would need just a point to guarantee safety, while if Oxford draw, victory would see Nathan Jones' side survive.

The Tractor Boys currently occupy the second automatic promotion spot but could be leapfrogged by Millwall or Southampton - or both - by the time they kick-off at The Valley.

Kieran McKenna's side also have a game in hand on the chasing pack and even a draw at Charlton would keep their fate in their own hands.

• Following their 3-0 win in October, Charlton are looking to complete the league double over Ipswich for the first time since 2001-02 in the Premier League.
• Ipswich have failed to score in five of their previous eight league games against Charlton, but have netted 14 goals in the three games they have found the net (4-0, 4-4, 6-0).
• Charlton have lost five of their past six home league games (W1) including each of the previous three; they last lost four in a row in February 2024.
• Ipswich, who lost their most recent away league game 2-0 at Portsmouth, are looking to avoid suffering successive away defeats in the Championship for the first time since April 2019 (run of three).
• Ipswich have only won one of their five league games against newly promoted sides this season (D2 L2), failing to win either of their away matches so far (1-1 v Birmingham, 3-5 v Wrexham).

Why I know nothing about football - part 2

I see that the keyboard warriors are out on social media again saying that Jones has to go.  I don't 'love' Jones: I prefer the Curbishley 'cool as a cucumber' style on the pitch, but I think that has done a job for us and deserves a chance with a bigger playing budget and better players next season.   Of course, some gloom merchants are trying to construct scenarios where we still get relegated as Oxford discover they are really Bayern Munich.

Recently I looked at how football has changed since I first watched it in 1953.  It seems to me that it has changed quite a lot in the last few years.

I don't want to get in the controversy about VAR as it is not used in the Championship, but it has revealed how marginal so many decisions are, particularly on offside.   Referees seem to me to be as inconsistent as they have ever been and there is more of the 'it's all about me' syndrome..   Now that linos are called assistant referees, I wish they were allowed to get more involved in decisions.   As it is, they ignore incidents right in front of them as the ref has told them to stick to offsides and throw ins.   And is a keeper ever going to be sent off for time wasting rather than getting a late yellow?

The new fashion is playing out from the back.   I think that to make that work you have to have really good players, especially defenders.  As things stand, it leads to too many unforced errors.  I don't think there is anything with a long ball if it is a directed long ball not a hopeful punt up field.

I do quite like the idea of a sweeper keeper as I think it is what Sam Bartram was trying to do.  At my non-league club Leamington we had the 'barmy binman' who set off on forays down the wing.  I saw him score from the half way line.

The extension of games to 100+ minutes may not the best way of dealing with time wasting and certainly calls for new skills in making substitutions.  

I never see the team training, so I lack vital information that the coach has.

What I do know something about is the economics and finance of football. Of course, there are better people working on this.  Kieran Maguire at Liverpool University is a qualified accountant and is on all sorts of media as well as regularly speaking to meetings of fans.

We would have once called the Swiss Ramble a gnome of Zurich.  He has accumulated an incredible amount of data about clubs across Europe which he subjects to forensic analysis on his Substack platform.

So, wake up and smell the coffee!  Modern football is the playground of billionaires and private equity companies.

Tough times next season

I liked Stevc 'he'll never let you down' Brown as a footballer.  I recall his stand in sessions as a keeper, for example at Villa (a great save) and at Southend United.   I also recall him getting sent off after being injured.

I am less keen on him as a pundit as I think he is a professional moaner, although that doubtless goes down well with some Addicks.

However, I think he is right that the Championship is going to be tougher next season.   There won't be any clubs blighted by massive (or smaller) points deductions.

Wolves have good financial resources and that certainly applies to one of Forest, Spurs and West Ham.  The regulator is looking at the distorting effects of parachute payments but no action yet.

Assuming that Wrexham don't get promoted, we will making three trips to Wales next year following the promotion of Cardiff City and the retention of Swansea City.

Clubs like Norwich and Birmingham City will be formidable opponents.   Only Lincoln look likely to have a small playing budget.

The owners need to dig deep or attract an additional investor.