'We’ve been a shadow' - Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones' admission ahead of Sheffield United test
Nathan Jones has spoken ahead of Charlton Athletic’s clash with Sheffield United
Nathan Jones has conceded his Charlton Athletic side have been “a shadow” ahead of their clash with Sheffield United tomorrow (November 7).
Chris Wilder’s Blades appear to have turned a corner in the Championship, while Jones’ Addicks are reeling after four straight league defeats.
They were beaten by Bolton Wanderers earlier this week having previously been seen off by Middlesbrough, Norwich City and Watford.
Nathan Jones’ admission
“It’s always about us,” said Jones. “Yes, we have to nullify opposition threats but it’s always about us and that’s the thing that we can affect.
“That’s what we haven’t been [doing]. We’ve been a shadow of us over these last three or four games.
“I get paid to do this. This is what I get paid to do Part of that, as the manager, is leading a group and getting the best out of a group. I get applauded when we do well and overachieve, and the buck falls with me when we’re not. So I’m really looking forward to the challenge.
“If my players are as ready as I am, then we’ll be difficult to beat. Some of the performances have been there, but we’ve not been us on a regular basis. If we are us, we can compete.”
Error-prone Addicks
Sheffield United will be looking to capitalise upon Charlton’s error-prone nature, as Jones’ men have developed a nasty habit of gifting goals away.
“First and foremost, you’ve got to put in a full performance,” said Jones. “A full performance means that you don’t make big errors and you don’t gift goals.
“You make people work, and then you can rely on your structure and the work that you do to shut out the opposition.
“When you do the work in possession and all the attacking work, then you just want that to be executed on the day and help us to score goals. We’ve not been doing that enough. When we’ve scored, we’ve not defended. When we’ve made mistakes, we have been punished. But that’s our fault for making mistakes.”