Skipp is not for the skip and Ouma is not hiding in one

Nathan Jones has come to the defence of Oliver Skipp who has been criticised by Charlton fans.  “We haven’t lost many games since he has come in,” Jones told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition.   [That may have something to do with other players, a correlation is not causation, WG] “He is a really energetic defensive midfield player that progresses the ball."

“He hasn’t played a lot of football. He is doing fine for us. I’ve got no problem with Skippy.  There will be more to come from him when he gets rhythm but he was brought here for us to have more possession - and we are having that. So he is doing a big chunk of his work for us.  One, he wins the ball back for us. Two, we are keeping the ball better now than we have. That shows that people are doing their job and he has been a part of that.

Jones neither confirmed nor denied there was an issue with Timothy Ouma after his absence last weekend.  There had been suggestions the Kenyan midfielder had not returned on time from international duty.

“It would be wrong of me because it is quite a complex situation,” said Jones, asked today if there was any clarification on the 22-year-old, signed on loan from Slavia Prague in August. “Rather than me coming out and saying something direct - it’s a work in process.  There are a lot of things going on around that, that we have to be sure about, before we release any statement. We are not trying to hide anything.”

WG: The problem is that Ouma has previous for this type of unsatisfactory conduct.  Surely by now the club must know something? 

Hornets' nest in chaos

The rumour mill has been suggesting that tomorrow's opponents Watford are posed to sack their coach Alessio Dionisi but it looks as if he might be staying on to succumb to the curse of Charlton tomorrow, but can Charlton take advantage of the disarray at Vicarage Road?https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cmd7qv7l2530o 

Having beaten 0-4 at home last week by Burnley and succumbed to Cardiff 5-1 away, making four successive defeats, the Hornets are now in the relegation zone.   Against Cardiff the Hornets were definitely fragile at the back, but still looked sharp at the back.

One can imagine the chorus of moaning from the armchair managers if Charlton fail to win at Watford, but doubts persist about our ability to score.  Miles Leaburn seems to be replacing Tyreece Campbell as this season's scapegoat player, with some fans saying he is not good enough even for League Two,but as someone pointed out if Haaland jumped ship from City he would have difficulty in getting service from our midfield.

New financing deal may not benefit Charlton

Although I do not have all the details, I am far from sure that the new deal between the Premier League and the EFL will be good for clubs like Charlton who are likely to be in the lower half of the Championship.  Apart from anything else, it seems that parachute payments for relegated clubs are likely to continue at near to the current distorting level.

The English Football League (EFL) and Premier League are now only £27 million apart from agreeing a comprehensive new financial solidarity package for the men’s game after years of stop-start talks.

While there are still some other details to decide, the EFL has told the Premier League it will accept the so-called New Deal for Football if the latter ups its latest offer of an extra £180m a year in solidarity payments to £207m annually, with the additional amount ring-fenced for Leagues One and Two.

Under the terms of the last solidarity deal the leagues agreed in 2019, the Premier League currently shares 13 per cent of its £4 billion-a-year media-rights income with the rest of the game, just over £430m a year. Of that sum, more than half goes to half a dozen or so clubs recently relegated from the top flight in the form of parachute payments, with just over £140m shared between the rest of the EFL’s 72 clubs in solidarity payments and a similar sum dished out to fund community projects, football-related charities and small grants to non-league and women’s football.

Last week the Premier League came back with a solidarity offer of 14.7 per cent, which would be worth an extra £180m a year, over a seven-year period. But this would still be distributed on an 80/12/8 basis, with a Championship merit rake of 1.75:1, which means the team that finishes stop of the table gets a central distribution worth 1.75 times the team that finishes bottom.

There are several Championship clubs who believe this will create a new cliff edge within the division but it seems that enough clubs are now happy with the “quantum” on offer to vote it through, providing the Premier League agrees to a five-year deal – which would in effect be a seven-year deal as the IFR has already pointed out that the backstop process would take about two years.

 

Last gasp equaliser

Ivan Mesik scored a 96th-minute equaliser for Charlton to deny Burnley what would have been their first home league win in 360 days.   1,100 Addicks were there.  Charlton remain 12^th pending tonight’s games.

There were just 14 seconds of added time remaining when Slovakian defender Mesik took full advantage of some poor defending by the Clarets to strike home his first goal for the Addicks.  Mesik's dramatic goal came after Largie Ramazani thought he had ended Burnley's long winless league home run when he scored the Clarets' second.

That came after Kayne Ramsay cancelled out Jacob Bruun Larsen's opener for Burnley and Charlton will not care that they are without a victory in seven games after that sensational ending.

Jamie Vardy made his first start for Burnley in place of Zeki Amdouni, who had an ankle injury, and the 39-year-old striker fired well over from his only real effort on goal.  The Clarets took the lead on 36 minutes when Bruun Larsen cut in from the left on to his right foot and his shot went through the Charlton defence and goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo's legs for his second goal in successive games.

The goal brought the Addicks to life and Kyle Walker cleared Billy Koumetio's effort off the line before goalkeeper Gregoire Coudert saved from Lloyd Jones' header and a Karlan Grant attempt.

Charlton kept up the pressure and after Miles Leaburn missed a header at the back post, the visitors equalised on 50 minutes.  Coudert failed to deal with a corner swung into the six-yard box and Ramsay smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

Back came Burnley and Anel Ahmedhodzic fluffed a header before Ramazani produced a piece of magic to restore their lead on 57 minutes. Igor Julio fed Ramazani on the right and Charlton stood off the on-loan Leeds winger, inviting him to finish right-footed into the far corner.

Burnley were nervous and deep into stoppage time, substitute Hjalmar Ekdal failed to deal with a high ball and Coudert made a mess of Mesik's shot to condemn the Clarets to two more dropped points in stoppage time for the second successive game at Turf Moor.

Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London: "I thought we were excellent, I really did. I thought first off we had less control, but we had real clear-cut chances to take the lead and make the scoreline a lot more comfortable for us at half-time.

"At half-time we just reiterated the gameplan and they came out and we were excellent. We really were.

"The disappointing thing is after controlling the early stages of the second half, then we just conceded from a counter-attack. We allowed them to go through us and that's the disappointing thing.

"But I thought we controlled the game, I thought we outpaced them, we worked really hard and they're an ex-Premier League team. I'm really proud of the performance."

Okonkwo's younger brother Brian saved a penalty in the needle derby between Leamington and Redditch and the Brakes went on to score two goals in time added on to make it 2-2.   A strong presence from both Warwickshire and West Mercia police ensured a trouble free game.

 

It's tough 'oop North

Burnley are looking forward to back up their first Championship win of the season with three home points when they welcome the Addicks to Turf Moor tonight.

These midweek away matches in the north of England are always a tough challenge.  Away support will be depleted, although it does give a chance for the quite considerable number of Addicjks exiled in northern parts to support the team.

The only slight concern at Turf Moor is that some players are tired after Saturday's exertions, leaving the manager with something of a rotation dilemma.  However, the expectation is of a clean sheet with Burnley scoring two or three goals.

I have the option of watching the derby between Leamington and Redditch, but trouble is anticipated with both Warwickshire and West Mercia police brought in.

The Clarets picked up their first league victory of the campaign in style at Vicarage Road on Saturday, thrashing Watford 4-0, but they still remain in the relegation zone.

Since winning their opening three games of the season, the Addicks are now on a six-game winless streak (D4 L2) following a 1-1 draw with Bristol City at the weekend and have slipped from top to 12th on that run.

• Burnley have won each of their past five league meetings with Charlton without conceding, with this their first since winning home (4-0) and away (3-0) in 2015-16.

• Charlton have lost six of their previous seven league visits to Burnley, winning the other 1-0 in November 2012.

• Burnley could become only the second side in English Football League/Premier League history to go 20+ consecutive home league matches without a win (currently 19 – D9 L10), after Sunderland (20 from Jan-Dec 2017) and Sheffield Wednesday (23 from Apr 2025-Apr 2026).

• Since the start of last season, the only ever-present side to win fewer away games in the Championship than Charlton (5) are Watford (4).

• Since the start of last season, Charlton have won three of their four Championship away games at sides newly relegated from the Premier League (D1), already winning 2-1 at West Ham this term.

The strange saga of my relationship with Burnley

It is often our luck to play a team that has just found form.  Burnley suffered a woeful start to the season under a manager who has only managed Haverford West in the UK,   The FLP described it as a 'bizarre appointment'.  Nevertheless, Burnley managed to thump Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road on Saturday.   Of course, that may say as much about the lack of sting on the part of the Hornets as it does about the Clarets.

This result moved Burnley off the bottom of the table.  They are also above Charlton in the form table with the Addicks second from bottom.

This is, of course, plays into the hands of the armchair managers who argue in particular that Jones has made the wrong team selections.

I never feel qualified to question the decisions of a professional coach.   My GP recently varied my meds (Nurse!) and I didn't question whether he had got the right tablets in the right strengths.  If I dared to do so, I would risk getting delisted.

But short termism is everything in football.  During the international break the FLP proclaimed. 'Are Burnley in danger of getting relegated?  I don't see how it's possible to say anything else ... The whole thing is a recipe for disaster and it's been coming for a while.'   The basic argument was that Burnley had not spent enough money, although it's far from clear that they have any money to spend without going further into debt.   In the circumstances, hiring Jamie Vardy can be seen either as an act of desperation or a clever use of limited funds.

In relation to the Bristol City result, they do have some very good players.  Arthur Okonkwo was quite fortunate not to get sent off or concede a penalty.   Ironically, younger brother Brian did just that in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 in the Warwickshire derby at the Anne Hathaway stadium.  He was not able to make the save, but at least the fact that the game ended 2-1 to the Bardsmen meant that the Bardy Army could not chant the classic 'Two-nil or not two-nil.'

Rather unusually, Burnley are only team I have watched in the away and home ends at Charlton and similarly at Turf Moor.  I have known a Burnley fan locally ever since i moved to the Royal Spa.  He celebrated his 80th birthday the other week in  what is now the Silicon Spa and everyone was given an memoir which contained many stories about the Clarets.

When Charlton moved to Selhurst I rather lost touch with the club, although the main driver was that I had three growing children who needed a taxi service for most of Saturday.  Burnley were drawn away in the FA Cup to the Addicks and I navigated my friend to The Valley.  The East Stand was still a building site.  I watched the game from the Jimmy Seed and Charlton won 4-1.  I had to bite my lip.

When he celebrated his 60th birthday, I watched Burnley beat Hull 2-0 from the home stand.  Then we had a midweek game at Burnley and he drove me up there.   Chris Powell was ui the squad but didn't play so he was put in a kind of box in the away end from where he signed autographs and chatted to the Addickted.   I can't remember the result offhand, but I think we drew.

I would be satisfied with an away point tomorrow night.

I had been thinking of going to Swansea v. Charlton and was considering taking the granddaughter who has moved to Abertawe.  Then I found out the match was on New Years Day.  In any case, I saw her at the weekend and she told me that as part of her new identity as a Welsh woman she has become an egg chaser.  At least she has realised that she will have to learn Cymraeg.   It is one of the most difficult languages to learn as an adult, but any great-grandchildren will be taught in Welsh.

Neither side launches at The Valley

The clash between Charlton (River Thames) and Bristol City (Bristol Channel) ended 1-1 at The Valley this afternoon as draw specialists Charlton maintained their unbeaten home record.

The Addicks scored early doors through Karlan Grant, but the visitors eventually secured the penalty they demanded to level up.

The second half was disjointed and scrappy, showing the effects of the break on two tired sides, but Charlton had the best two chances which fell to Tyreece Campbell and Harvey Knibbs with a free kick that drew a good save.

Charltion are down to 10th and may fall further after results later this afternoon.   With Millwall's win at Preston they ended up 11th.

Bristol conceded from Charlton's first attack in the eighth minute when Grant beautifully controlled Tyreece Campbell's cross from the left before firing home left-footed for his second goal of the season.

City took charge and Charlton goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was fortunate to escape conceding a free-kick on the edge of his area, and perhaps a red card, when he appeared to bring down Yu Hirakawa after the Japanese forward latched on to Josh Edwards' under-hit header.

Dom Ballard headed over for the visitors but then won City's penalty when he was felled by Conor Coventry for Twine to slide home.   The Robins maintained the pressure and Okonkwo did well to touch away Twine's free-kick at his right-hand post.   Meanwhile, his brother was getting ready to face the Bardsmen at Stratford Town's Anne Hathaway stadium.

The second half was poor although Addicks forward Campbell twice went close in quick succession, his first effort saved by City goalkeeper Sam Tickle before he fired another over.

Charlton might have snatched all three points in the final minute but Tickle did well to touch over Harvey Knibbs' free-kick with a strong right hand.

The moaners have been out in force and Nathan Jones admitted: '"I'm a bit disappointed really because you know we've worked on a load in the last two weeks, freshened them up.  We started really well, looked fluid, scored and then we didn't really go on. We stopped passing the ball well, gave the ball away, were deep, were passive and that was the frustration."

"Their goal, I'm really disappointed because it's someone rushing out, dangling their leg and that's the second time he's [Conor Coventry] done that. He has to be better at that because he's a defensive midfield player.   We were better when we changed shape in the second half. We had the best chance of the game to win it and overall I'm disappointed."

Jones equivocated when asked about reports that Timothy Ouma had reported back late from international duty with Kenya, saying he would deal with those rumours when they became relevant.  'Anything we need to put out, we will put out.'

If you have seen Ouma, please notify Richard Cawley.