Jonny Williams talks about Roland Rat

Like many Addicks, I always liked Jonny Williams as a player and a person.  I always felt he tried to give his very best.

Richard Cawley has a fascinating in depth interview with him on his Substack page.  Apparently Williams took a pay cut to stay at Charlton when we went up to the Championship.  Williams is full of praise for Lee Bowyer who recruited him. 

No surprise that the 32-year old is now taking a course in football psychology.  He also talks about how often he got tackled and the lack of protection he got from referees.

He also discusses Roland Duchatelet’s deeply damaging decision to hand over control of the club to East Street Investments, whose sham ‘takeover’ never received EFL approval and saw funds completely dry up.

“You would be lying if you said it didn’t worry the players,” said Williams. “It affected everyone. We were in a bad situation on the pitch, in terms of results, but off the pitch it was an absolute circus at the time, to be honest.

“There was all sorts going on. No-one really knew where they stood. At times we had our own meetings as players and staff. We tried to park all that other stuff and take care of matches. In football it is about focusing on controlling the controllables and you let go of everything else. But it has an effect on people’s mentalities, worries and anxieties. It is everyone’s job at the end of the day - you have got X, Y or Z to pay."

Release was a shock for Williams

Former Addick Jonny Williams admits that his release by Cardiff was a shock: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/former-charlton-and-palace-midfielder-jonny-williams-on-being-a-free-agent-and-admits-cardiff-release-came-as-a-shock/

Cardiff release Williams

Cardiff City have released Jonny Williams after six months, but I don't think we should be inviting him back: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/cardiff-city-release-former-charlton-and-crystal-palace-midfielder-jonny-williams/

Reports are indicating that Nottingham Forest are considering releasing Lyle Taylor who made only 15 Championship appearances last season.   Barnsley, Blackpool and Middlesbrough are considering taking him on loan.

A straw poll of nearly 300 Charlton fans showed a clear majority against a return to The Valley.

All success to Jonny Williams on his not so native heath

Jonny Williams is having his medical in Cardiff this afternoon.   Lee Bowyer has said that he will miss his smile: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-manager-lee-bowyer-confirms-attacker-is-cardiff-bound/

Views of Williams clearly differ among the Addickted.   For me, he was capable of moments of real skill, but they came too rarely.   His personality made him popular both at the training ground and with fans.

I wish him all the best for the future, particularly with the Welsh language which is extraordinarily difficult for non-native speakers.   His father was born in Ynys Mon, but I don't think he has ever lived in Wales.   Apparently he is from Tunbridge Wells!

Cardiff likely to sign Williams

Wales Online, which I have found to be quite a reliable source, are predicting that Cardiff City will sign Jonny Williams for around £200k (he is out of contract in the summer):https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/cardiff-city-in-talks-sign-19737191 

Richard Cawley of the SLP has tweeted that the reports have substance.

Williams is a popular but rather mercurial player.  He is, of course, a Welsh international.

Jonny Williams stays

Some good news at last, Jonny Williams has taken a one year contract extension.  He says he has loved his time at the club: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/jonny-williams-triggers-an-extra-12-months-at-charlton-athletic/

Bowyer: 'I was hurt'

Lee Bowyer has told Talksport that he was 'hurt' by the decisions of Lyle Taylor, Chris Solly and David Davis not to finish the season.   Bowyer sounded more than usually shell shocked when ace presenter Jim White raised the issue.

However, he also said that if it was not for the pandemic they would have done and he moved on very quickly: 'Once that got announced then I had to move on and focus on the group I had, the group I have I know they’ll always give 100 per cent for the club and that’s the most important thing for me.  That’s what I needed to know moving forward. That’s the past, and the players who have stepped in are doing really well and fighting for the cause. That’s old news for me.'

He implied that each of the players had their own particular reasons for the decision they took.

Rangers move for Taylor?

Lyle Taylor may be the latest former Charlton player to wear a kilt as he is being linked with a move to Rangers.

Bowyer wants to see more from Jonny Williams on the training ground before he is given more game time: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/charlton-boss-lee-bowyer-says-he-needs-to-see-an-improvement-from-jonny-williams-on-the-training-ground-before-he-gets-more-minutes/

More injuries

Richard Cawley of the SLP reports that Sam Field set to miss the rest of the campaign due to a knee injury. Jonny Williams, a key player in inspiring the team, is out for two weeks after damaging his ankle in training (apparently another player fell on him).

Darren Pratley is a doubt for Luton due to back spasms. This is bad news. He may be getting on a bit, but his work rate and tactical guile are first rate.

Clean sheet for Charlton

East Greenwich: Another battling Charlton performance saw the Addicks secure a 0-0 draw with Fulham at The Valley tonight, a clean sheet at last!

After a bright opening five minutes with two corners, Charlton were pushed back quite a bit in the first half.Dillon Phillips had to make a couple of good saves.

Their best spell came in the latter part of the second half after Jonny Williams and Lyle Taylor came on as substitutes. No one could connect with an excellent Taylor cross and a last minute free kick by Josh Cullen could not be converted.

Fulham were slick passers of the ball, but also gave it away from time to time.

Almost all our corners were poor, more work is needed on this.

When I saw that the East Stand linesman was follically challenged, I said he might be a problem. Two blatant offsides by Fulham were ignored, but he was quick to raise his flag against us.

Moaners were confounded by the announcement of a three year contract for Lee Bowyer before the game. The smiling supremo said that he was over the moon, pointing out that a five year contract made no sense bearing in mind what happened to Pardoo: Puts pen to paper

The report from Louis Mendez is here: Entertaining stalemate

Fever Pitch fame moved to live near Highbury, he had this fantasy of a load of blokes in cloth caps leaving their houses at around two thirty on a Saturday. Of course, nothing stirred.

I was therefore interested that quite a few elderly blokes got off the bus in East Greenwich and disappeared up side streets.

Williams: I want to bomb around the pitch and give my all

In an exclusive interview, the SLP's Richard Cawley talks to Jonny Williams about a number of topics: Relishing the challenge of the Championship run in

The popular player commented about his time with the Addicks: 'It is a great bunch of lads – it’s like playing with your friends. I’ve missed it.'

'It takes a bit of time after you have been out so long. I’ve got to be realistic, I’m still not fully at it yet – that only comes with games. If I’m not 110 per cent I get annoyed because I want to bomb around the pitch and give my all.'

Gallagher's agent not Chelsea thought Charlton was too small

Jonny Williams discusses how Connor Gallagher benefitted from his stay at Charlton: He's left a man

Much criticism has been directed at Chelsea for his departure, but according to the authoritative Richard Cawley 'It is thought that Chelsea were not pushing for a recall and that it was Gallagher’s representatives who wanted him to join a club that could be involved in the Championship promotion race.'

Injury blow for Super Hoops clash

It's another injury blow for shell shocked supremo Lee Bowyer as Jonny Williams and Sam Field suffer a setback in their recovery from injury. They will not be available for the match against QPR on Saturday: Another setback

Any new owners may wish to review medical provision at Charlton.

Bowyer clarifies 'strange things' comment

Shell shocked supremo Lee Bowyer has clarified his 'strange things' comment after his meeting with potential new chairman Matt Southall which aroused concern among some fans. He simply meant that some things would be done differently (no bad thing): Meeting with Southall was positive

It seems to me that, although last night was very disappointing, some fans are getting into panic mode. Applying the Owners' and Directors' test to the new owners is bound to take some time and it needs to be done properly. However, it is quite limited in its scope as it is essentially concerned with matters such as unspent convictions and insolvency which are hardly likely to be issues.

Some fans are forecasting relegation unless there is a big spending spree. It is difficult to get value in the January window. As Louis Mendez has tweeted, 'The winless run is frustrating but we saw enough tonight to remember that we can tough our way out of it. Still players to come back. We need 5 wins and 6 more draws now to hit 45 points which should be enough to stay up,'

After sixty-six years of supporting Charlton, I am used to some ups and downs.

Jonny Williams should be on the bench at QPR. He could not be risked last night.

Charlton need some light at the end of the tunnel

Richard Cawley of the SLP reviews Charlton's situation ahead of tonight's game with Hull City: Need some light at the end of the tunnel

Let's hope it's not the train coming the other way on Friday 13th.

Cawley notes, 'Tuesday night’s shift to a 3-4-3 formation – Chris Solly and Ben Purrington playing in the wing roles – was a move borne out of necessity. The Addicks boss has long been at the point of hammering square pegs into round holes.'

He adds, 'Lyle Taylor – such a potent force – is easing his way back from three months out with knee ligament damage. No Jonny Williams, such a vibrant attacking presence in the opening weeks of the season. He opened up opponents with his pace and quick changes of direction.'

The CAS Trust preview, noting that the bookies have us ending up one place off relegation, is here: Get behind the team

The excerpts I saw of this week's Leeds versus Hull fixture suggested that Hull can be effective at counter attacks which may be an issue given our defensive frailties.

Injury update

Lee Bowyer has provided an injury update: Injured players return

Aneke and Taylor should be on the bench at Boro and Jonny Williams should be available against Hull on Friday 13th.

Kayal's injury is more complicated than originally thought and he has returned to Brighton for treatment and the benefits of sea breezes.

98th minute blow for Charlton

Charlton went down to defeat 2-1 at Bristol City when the home side scored a 98th minute winner, an undeserved victory if there ever was. The match left Charlton with more injury worries.

The game looked destined to finish as a draw until midfielder Brownhill latched on to substitute Kasey Palmer's lofted pass and drilled a left-foot shot past Dillon Phillips.

After a lacklustre first half, the Addicks took the lead when Macauley Bonne beat Daniel Bentley to Beram Kayal's through ball at the corner of the box, took the ball past the Robins keeper and slid it home from a tight angle. But Bristol City levelled when the visitors failed to cut out a looping cross by Brownhill and another substitute, Famara Diedhiou, headed home from close range.

The Senegal striker was then shown a straight red card four minutes from time for kicking out at Jason Pearce while the Charlton defender was on the floor.

Brownhill registered the only effort on target - a tame long-range shot - of a cagey first half, which was interrupted by injuries to Charlton midfielders Sam Field and Jake Forster-Caskey.

But there was no shortage of chances after the break, with Bonne curling a shot wide of the far post and Kayal and Conor Gallagher both being denied by Bentley. Bonne's opener on the counter-attack came after the home side's best spell of pressure as Andi Weimann saw a shot from eight yards turned over the bar by Phillips, while Diedhiou and Rodri both had efforts scrambled off the line following a corner. Phillips then pulled off two more fine stops to keep out a fierce Weimann drive and a Palmer header, before Diedhiou nodded in the equaliser.

Lee Bowyer was devastated by the result: Charlton return empty handed

Jonny Williams had an operation on Tuesday and is out for a minimum of two months. Sam Field left Ashton Gate in a knee brace: Injury crisis worsens

Charlton are now 10th, but the table is so tight that they are just five points off first place and two points off the play offs.

Rainbow over The Valley

A rainbow was seen at The Valley this afternoon as Charlton secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Derby County with goals from Bonne, Sarr and Gallagher. Serving the first game of his touchline ban, Lee Bowyer directed operations from the press box.

The attendance was 19,408 but the Jimmy Seed emptied out after Charlton's third goal.

Charlton started brightly with a Forster-Caskey effort blocked on four minutes. On six minutes Sarr released Jonny Williams who charged down the left side and cut the ball back for Bonne who put a left foot finish into the far left hand corner.

A good sliding challenge by Pratley denied Malone.

A Charlton counter attack on 20 minutes started with Pratley winning the ball of Bielik. Bonne's low cross was just in front of Williams. Sarr put in a great tackle on the edge of the area.

Derby were not being given any time on the ball and Bielik in particular was being aggressively closed down. The impressive Williams had to be withdrawn on 31 minutes, but Sam Field who replaced him played well. Roos made a big save from Cullen before the break.

Naby Sarr took advantage of a Cullen corner at the far post to make it 2-0 with a header. Waghorn fouled Gallagher and received a yellow card. On 60 minutes Derby made a double substation with Bielik going off to a standing ovation.

Gallagher made it 3-0 wit a brilliant strike from 25 yards into the top left-hand corner. Bonne was replaced by Hemed on 75 minutes. Gallagher was then replaced by Kayal. Phillips had to make an excellent save from Bennett to deny the Rams a consolation. Hemed shot straight at Roos in time added on.

Charlton are now 7th in the table and two points behind Leeds in second place.

Charlton are waiting for an assessment of the Jonny Williams knee injury: Anxious wait

Match report from Louis Mendez here: Rams swept aside

A battling performance

My report on the 1-0 victory over Leeds at The Valley yesterday is late because I went last night to a 70th birthday party for an Addick. With many fellow Addicks there, we were able to talk over the victory. As one pointed out, ten more wins should see us safe from relegation.

We agreed that the work rate of the team was tremendous. Jonny Williams was outstanding and Chris Solly had one of his best games for a long time. Conor Gallagher was also excellent, although he started to lose it towards the end of the game and was substituted to a standing ovation. Dillon Phillips made some excellent saves.

Leeds missed the chance to go top of the Championship as Macauley Bonne's scrappy goal condemned them to a first away defeat of the season at The Valley. Leeds applied early pressure. Ben White and Liam Cooper tested Dillon Phillips from corners, while Ezgjan Alioski saw a goalbound shot blocked by Jonathan Leko as the visitors dominated the early exchanges.

But Charlton led against the run of play from a corner of their own - Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla parrying Tom Lockyer's volley into the back of the unknowing Bonne, with the ball trickling in.

Chuks Aneke came on as a substitute and it is a shame he did not have a little more pace to take advantage of opportunities. Leko needs to be a little less greedy and pass the ball.

Leeds lacked cutting edge and put in wayward shots over the goal, but were denied a stoppage-time equaliser when Dillon Phillips made a superb save to deny Adam Forshaw from close range.

Patrick Bamford should have been red carded for a nasty second half tackle.

Bowyer can't take risks with Williams

Jonny Williams quickly established himself as a fans' favourite at Charlton, but Lee Bowyer did not start him against Birmingham City. Bowyer admits that Ehrun Otzumer did not achieve what he hoped for in terms of unlocking the Blues.

However, Bowyer regards Williams as a precious resource who has to be protected against injury: Bowyer explains why Williams was benched

Bowyer thinks that if we were still playing against Birmingham we wouldn't have scored and that's how I felt towards the end of the game.

Bowyer: 'I'm doing the right things with players'

Lee Bowyer reckons that the biggest plus of the international break was seeing Jonny Williams back in the senior set up for Wales and Josh Cullen making his debut for the Republic of Ireland: Look at them now

Bowyer said: 'I’m really chuffed for them. It makes me feel good because you’re doing the right things with players – they weren’t anywhere near it before. Now, all of a sudden, they have crept in there and are playing.'