Well, I am not very surprised and as a consequence I'm not all that disappointed.
I held off criticising the manager or the players last week, but it currently looks like we do not have what it takes to compete at any level, again. I say again as this is exactly what we witnessed after Pardew left last season. I am not going to get on the manager's back, but all of his posturing and claiming that it is his responsibility seems very shallow less than a week after he grabs himself a new contract which, I presume, guarantees him a bigger payoff if we sack him.
To be fair, I did say that I couldn't care less about losing to a non-league side in my preview of this game, so I can hardly complain if the players felt the same. I would call most of them liars if they tried to suggest that they did care after that performance.
However, we need to look at the facts. Some of the players might have salary increases if we win promotion, which they must think is a possibility - even after our recent form. Even if they were guaranteed all the oil in the Middle East for winning the FA Cup they would be no richer come the end of May than they are now. We are sadly mistaken if we believe that the majority of the players at our club care about anything other than themselves. Their reputation being tarnished by being in the first Charlton side to lose to non-league opposition probably doesn't bother them in the slightest, just as long as they pick up their several thousands pounds for this week's work.
I made it clear that I would rather progress in the JPT as we might make it to Wembley in that one. I see no reason as to why any of the players should give a toss about the FA Cup. It is debatable if any players do these days. Those that are at a club that can realistically expect to win it have priorities that put the FA Cup below the level of consolation, and those that can't possibly win it can't be bothered to go through the motions. That is why we would have had a two thirds (or more) empty stadium had we been at home. It is childish for us to get all hot and bothered under the collar about the result now.
Sure, we played badly, but the players were playing for literally nothing. Really I ask you, what difference does it make to their lives if they don't win this game? As best it is a weekend off, at worst it means that the manager will make it a little awkward at work for a couple of days.
So, on the whole I am not really all that bothered. As for there being any chance of me being embarrassed by my friends following this, you only need five minutes on Google to find a dozen other things that they could throw at me from the last three years, so they are hardly short of ammunition.
As I have said before I'm only really interested in the league this season and if we beat MK Dons on Saturday I will have forgotten all about today.
One thing I will mention though is McLeod. I have said before that I am happy for him to be allowed to leave on a free. he is just not good enough at this level, and with his salary we can't afford him now, if we fell enough divisions for him to be good enough his salary would probably send us into Administration. I know he puts in effort, and for that reason I think I've held back. His tendency to take his shirt off every time he scores is bad enough - all be it not too much of a problem on the basis that he scores so, so few goals. However, his elbow 'attack' from the kick off of the second half was disgraceful. Franky he is lucky that we lost otherwise that would have been the only thing the watching public remembered of our side.
Other than that it was great game.
I'll even go as far as to say that I would sacrifice the JPT for a return to winning ways in the League. Let's see what next weekend brings before we panic too much.
Up the Addicks!
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