Coolblade
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- May 11, 2015
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A few observations from the stats (Charlton):
There are defeats you deserve, and defeats that make you want to punch a hole in the dressing‑room wall (or perhaps the referee!)
This was the second kind, because for 35 minutes at The Valley, we were everything we want to be: front‑footed, aggressive, on top, in control. Just lacking the clinical finishing.
Charlton didn’t lay a glove on us.Zero shots. Zero attacks. Zero corners.. Then came the red cards and a second half that wasn’t football so much as an exercise in damage control. So you need to split the game into two (or three)
The First Half (11 v 11 → 10 v 11): All the data confirms we were the better team. 57.9% possession away from home: 10 shots to their 0; 6 shots in the box; 7 corners to their 0: More duels won (54.7%): More final‑third entries (28–22): More forward passes (121–104): Twice as many passes in their half (127–59)
Charlton couldn’t get out, couldn’t press us, couldn’t progress the ball.
But even with all that dominance, xG first half: Charlton 0.00 vs Our 0.42
We were on top, but not cutting through; 10 shots, but only 2 properly threaten the keeper. Seven corners, but not enough genuine chances created
And then Soumaré has a poor first touch, and steps into a challenge on 35 minutes (was it excessive force? The outcome suggests yes, although he never seemed out of control, and I suspect another referee may have been more lenient). With ten men, we drop deeper, tighten the block, and try to get to the whistle. But even with ten men for ten minutes Charlton don’t manage a shot. We’re minutes from resetting at the break, then the second red card and the match transforms
Second Half (9 v 11): 71.9% Charlton possession, 12 v 1 shots, 27 v 6 penalty‑area entries, 9 v 0 corners
But we made 19 clearance, had 66.7% second‑half tackle success; our aerial duels were still competitive (44% vs their 56%) and only one shot on target conceded. With nine men for a full half, we refused to let the game run away. We stayed in the match right up to the final whistle.
Player Performance: This match produced two versions of the same player before vs after the red cards
McCallum: Before: high positioning, supporting Brooks, progressive. After: essentially a third CB. In the second half he logged multiple clearances (from team’s 19) and won multiple aerial duels. Had most successful defensive contributions (9), most crosses (9) and had all our accurate crosses (3) as well as most key passes (2)
Brooks: Before: sharpest player on the pitch in first‑half. Season numbers: 0.32 xG+xA per 90 with 45 progressive carries. After: dropped 40 yards deeper, became our entire counter-attacking plan. Carried the ball under suffocating pressure. Overall had most shots (5) with one key pass and 90% pass completion rate.
Seriki: Before: stretch runner, high aggressor. After: pure defensive dog-work. Recovery runs, 1v1 bravery, won several second‑half duels when everyone else looked dead on their feet. Overall most aerials won (4) most successful tackles (4) and most successful dribbles i2)
Where it really goes wrong:
It’s not the tactics, the selection or the structure. It’s the game-state. Two red cards turn a win into a loss.. The only real mistake (beyond discipline) is conceding immediately after the restart. If we survive those first 90 seconds, momentum stalls, frustration builds, and Charlton get desperate.
Half time impact:
If we define “shortly after half‑time” as the 46’–60’ segment, we concede far more than the Championship average in 2025/26. We have conceded 13 goals in 46’–60’ whilst the Championship average is 5.75 conceded; so our 13 is >2× the average. That’s the worst figure in the division for that window based on the league timing table (next highest teams are at 10).
I appreciate with 9 men this game may be viewed as a one off, but it’s a season-long pattern
Strategic Takeaways
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t Charlton outplaying us or a tactical failure. This was a good away performance destroyed by two moments of indiscipline.
It took Charlton 46 minutes, and a two‑man advantage, to break us. Plenty to fix and learn from, but also plenty to take heart from.
UTB
There are defeats you deserve, and defeats that make you want to punch a hole in the dressing‑room wall (or perhaps the referee!)
This was the second kind, because for 35 minutes at The Valley, we were everything we want to be: front‑footed, aggressive, on top, in control. Just lacking the clinical finishing.
Charlton didn’t lay a glove on us.Zero shots. Zero attacks. Zero corners.. Then came the red cards and a second half that wasn’t football so much as an exercise in damage control. So you need to split the game into two (or three)
The First Half (11 v 11 → 10 v 11): All the data confirms we were the better team. 57.9% possession away from home: 10 shots to their 0; 6 shots in the box; 7 corners to their 0: More duels won (54.7%): More final‑third entries (28–22): More forward passes (121–104): Twice as many passes in their half (127–59)
Charlton couldn’t get out, couldn’t press us, couldn’t progress the ball.
But even with all that dominance, xG first half: Charlton 0.00 vs Our 0.42
We were on top, but not cutting through; 10 shots, but only 2 properly threaten the keeper. Seven corners, but not enough genuine chances created
And then Soumaré has a poor first touch, and steps into a challenge on 35 minutes (was it excessive force? The outcome suggests yes, although he never seemed out of control, and I suspect another referee may have been more lenient). With ten men, we drop deeper, tighten the block, and try to get to the whistle. But even with ten men for ten minutes Charlton don’t manage a shot. We’re minutes from resetting at the break, then the second red card and the match transforms
Second Half (9 v 11): 71.9% Charlton possession, 12 v 1 shots, 27 v 6 penalty‑area entries, 9 v 0 corners
But we made 19 clearance, had 66.7% second‑half tackle success; our aerial duels were still competitive (44% vs their 56%) and only one shot on target conceded. With nine men for a full half, we refused to let the game run away. We stayed in the match right up to the final whistle.
Player Performance: This match produced two versions of the same player before vs after the red cards
McCallum: Before: high positioning, supporting Brooks, progressive. After: essentially a third CB. In the second half he logged multiple clearances (from team’s 19) and won multiple aerial duels. Had most successful defensive contributions (9), most crosses (9) and had all our accurate crosses (3) as well as most key passes (2)
Brooks: Before: sharpest player on the pitch in first‑half. Season numbers: 0.32 xG+xA per 90 with 45 progressive carries. After: dropped 40 yards deeper, became our entire counter-attacking plan. Carried the ball under suffocating pressure. Overall had most shots (5) with one key pass and 90% pass completion rate.
Seriki: Before: stretch runner, high aggressor. After: pure defensive dog-work. Recovery runs, 1v1 bravery, won several second‑half duels when everyone else looked dead on their feet. Overall most aerials won (4) most successful tackles (4) and most successful dribbles i2)
Where it really goes wrong:
It’s not the tactics, the selection or the structure. It’s the game-state. Two red cards turn a win into a loss.. The only real mistake (beyond discipline) is conceding immediately after the restart. If we survive those first 90 seconds, momentum stalls, frustration builds, and Charlton get desperate.
Half time impact:
If we define “shortly after half‑time” as the 46’–60’ segment, we concede far more than the Championship average in 2025/26. We have conceded 13 goals in 46’–60’ whilst the Championship average is 5.75 conceded; so our 13 is >2× the average. That’s the worst figure in the division for that window based on the league timing table (next highest teams are at 10).
I appreciate with 9 men this game may be viewed as a one off, but it’s a season-long pattern
Strategic Takeaways
- Be more clinical when on top
- Set pieces matter. Seven first-half corners should mean a goal.
- Protect the cutback lanes at all costs when undermanned.
- A clear outlet pattern for when Bamford is isolated.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t Charlton outplaying us or a tactical failure. This was a good away performance destroyed by two moments of indiscipline.
It took Charlton 46 minutes, and a two‑man advantage, to break us. Plenty to fix and learn from, but also plenty to take heart from.
UTB
