This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal comments from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more.
Despite a promising start to their Championship return, Charlton Athletic have endured two crushing back-to-back defeats.
Since their last-gasp triumph over West Brom in early November, the Addicks have lost three consecutive games, beginning with a 1-0 loss at Wrexham.
However, Charlton have been leaking goals at an alarming pace in the last two games, losing 5-1 at home to Southampton and 3-0 to Stoke City in midweek, giving them a combined aggregate score of 8-1 over the last two games.
In their defeat at the Bet365 Stadium, Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski received harsh criticism for his role in conceding two goals. He was caught off guard by a wicked delivery from Sorba Thomas that flew into the back of the net, and he failed to deal with a routine cross from the Welshman, allowing the ball to squirm under his gloves in a deeply embarrassing evening.
On X, many Charlton fans have been asking for the return of goalkeeper Will Mannion, who was replaced by Kaminski’s signing from Luton Town this summer.
Mannion helped Charlton win promotion back to the Championship last season, starting the first 14 third-tier games before suffering a hamstring injury.
On his comeback, he was replaced by Ashley Maynard-Brewer, but a groin injury allowed Mannion to re-enter the lineup as the Addicks won promotion through the play-offs.
With supporters calling for a change in goal, FLW’s Charlton Athletic fan commentator has expressed his thoughts on whether Kaminski should be dropped and Mannion returned to the starting lineup.
Charlton Athletic encouraged to show tolerance to Thomas Kaminski following Stoke City’s howler.
Speaking to Football League World, Charlton Athletic fan pundit Chris Woodward feels Nathan Jones should not be forced into replacing Thomas Kaminski after one disappointing performance, but concedes a change may be necessary if the pattern continues.
Chris said: “When you concede eight goals in two games, I think everyone’s first instinct is to look at the goalkeeper and think that’s where the problem is, especially after two very poor games, with emotions running high among the fanbase and people looking for someone to blame, and Kaminski has been a victim of that.
“He had no control over the opening goal against Stoke. It’s pure luck from Sorba Thomas, and there is no positional error from Kaminski, so it’s unfair to criticize him on that one.
“The third goal is clearly a horrible piece of goalkeeping, but to put it in context, it’s the first goal we’ve conceded in 17 games where Kaminski should have completely avoided the goal and was the main offender.
“Kaminski hasn’t been very good at commanding his area and has struggled with crosses, but that’s not why he was signed. He’s a seasoned shot-stopper at this and higher levels, having made crucial saves against Ipswich and West Brom.
“The problem is that we don’t give up many chances, especially high-quality ones, with the exception of the Southampton game, where he was forced to make these types of saves, so his shot-stopping skill has gone unnoticed.
“Will Mannion demonstrated last season that his strengths are where Kaminski struggles, in terms of claiming crosses and commanding his area, which is why supporters want to give him the opportunity to earn that number one spot, but because of our solid defence last year, the fact he was only fit for just over half of the season, and him having very few games at a high level before, Mannion’s shot-stopping is an unknown quantity, and he may potentially concede certain goals that
“I don’t think we throw Kaminski under the bus after one poor game and back him to shake it off and go again, but I’m not against Mannion being given a chance if Kaminski’s levels do start to dip, because quite frankly, he didn’t put a foot wrong last year.”
Charlton Athletic cannot afford many more Thomas Kaminski blunders.
Charlton Athletic have conceded as many goals in their last two games as they did in their previous 12 combined.
And when you’re going through a bad spell, the last thing you want is your goalie to have some wobbly moments, which is exactly what Thomas Kaminski did against Stoke City.
There’s considerable sympathy for the first goal. Kaminski’s positioning for the goal isn’t bad at all; he expects the ball to be whipped into the penalty area, and with it moving so quickly, it’s impossible for any goalie to readjust in time to make the stop.
However, Stoke’s third goal was a result of poor goalkeeping. The cross is enticing, but he should be able to deal with it quite easily after it avoided the oncoming Stoke attacker, and it’s a mistake the Belgian cannot afford to make again if he wants to keep his spot in the long run.
You can appreciate the clamor for a change between the sticks because these errors are costing Charlton valuable points, but Kaminski should be allowed another game to see if he can turn it around and produce a more consistent performance.
It will also be a test away to league leaders Coventry City, where they are likely to have less of the ball and create more opportunities, and if any additional blunders occur, Will Mannion should be considered for a recall.
xz
