Jones defends scapegoat player

The armchair managers are now out from underneath their stones, one proclaiming that Nathan Jones is 'out of his depth' in the Championship.   In truth it is the armchair managers who are out of their depth.  Even with relegation places effectively reduced to two, it was always going to be a struggle to stay in the second tier.

The search for scapegoat players is gathering pace.    Rob Apter and Tyreece Campbell are two Charlton Athletic players who have been the subject of much debate by the club’s fanbase.

In the case of Apter, the question is why, after an impressive start to his SE7 career in the opening weeks of the Championship season, the summer signing from Blackpool has garnered so few minutes, especially in an Addicks side that have not been prolific scorers.

By contrast, there have been supporters who feel that Campbell needs some time on the sidelines with the Jamaican international on a dry spell that stretches back to April 12. The academy product has not netted in 31 matches for club or country Only four Charlton players have played more minutes this season than Campbell.

He told Richard Cawley: “His numbers are through the roof,” said Jones. “Sometimes he can be a bit wavy in how he does stuff, but his high-speed running, his sprint distance and his distance overall are always top.“I understand peoples’ frustrations, but you have to remember TC is a young player and he has never played in the Championship before - he is a work in progress. We are asking him to play up front, in a number 10 position or fill in at wing-back. He does it admirably at Championship level.

“Could his numbers be better? Yes. If we’re at full strength and TC is getting service then he is a better player. Right now the kid is humble, he works so hard and he is having to play in three different positions for us. There is context around a lot of that.“It’s not just a case of ‘get him out of the side and replace him with someone’. We’re in a tough position. He is a threat with his pace and work-rate.“Can his numbers be better? Absolutely. But if we have [Matty] Godden, [Charlie] Kelman, Amari’i an

d Josh back - everyone fit - then the responsibility to do so much other stuff, other than just focus on scoring goals, won’t be on him. Then we can free him up to do that. Right now TC is another victim of circumstance. He does a job for us and his numbers are good. And he is a threat - regardless of his outcomes.

To read more and about the manager's views on Apter, subscribe to Cawley's Substack page.