Charlton Athletic’s 5-1 home defeat to Southampton on Saturday was a day to forget, especially for Rob Apter, who does not want to relive it anytime soon.
Apter, who cost the Addicks more than £2 million to bring him to The Valley from Blackpool, appeared to have fallen out of favour after starting all five Championship games this season and collecting the club’s August player of the month award.
He has since appeared in only one of the next ten games, remaining an unused replacement in the other nine. Following the November international break, he got the opportunity to re-establish his place in the starting eleven after being selected to face Southampton, starting at right wing-back.
However, the 22-year-old was hooked 24 minutes into the game, shortly after the Saints had taken a 4-0 lead with four goals in the first eight minutes.
Two of those goals came from Apter’s side, but there were warning indications before that, as Leo Scienza was given creative leeway down the left to set up Finn Azaz, whose shot was saved.
It may be a damaging performance for the 22-year-old in an Addicks shirt, but FLW’s Charlton fan commentator, Chris Woodward, believes Apter can regain his form.
Charlton Athletic fan commentator says Rob Apter is being misprofiled.
Woodward feels Apter’s strongest abilities lie in playing forward, and that having people behind him to cover defensively will allow the Addicks to get the most out of him, as they did during his first month at the club.
However, the way Charlton set up on Saturday required the 22-year-old Scot to defend more than he is comfortable with, which exposed him significantly, and Nathan Jones would be wise to use him differently for the time being.
“Rob Apter won our player of the month in August, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he can play at this level,” Chris told ESPN.
“Simply put, Nathan Jones has terribly misprofiled him, and he is one of the few examples where a player’s progress has been stunted under Jones.
“At the start of the season, we had Kayne Ramsey in excellent form, as well as Josh Edwards and Amari’i Bell, both of whom are fit and give fantastic mobility to allow us to switch from a back five out of possession to a back four with the ball.
“They’d shift and allow Apter to have the license to get forward and play like a traditional winger, while just having some defensive responsibilities without the ball.”
Charlton’s injuries have reduced the flexibility at the back, and as a result, Apter’s role does not suit his strengths.
“With Ramsey not at his best, and both Bell and Edwards out, we need our right wing back to be defensively solid first and attack later, which just isn’t Apter’s game,” according to Woodward.
“He definitely tries in the role, but he doesn’t have the defensive awareness, strength or tackling ability at this level, especially going up against players such as Leo Scienza.”
Charlton Athletic fan commentator asks Nathan Jones to rethink how he employs Rob Apter.
Apter was signed for a reasonable fee from Blackpool, and given the quality he demonstrated in his first few months at the club, seeing him on the bench most weeks appears to be a waste.
However, Woodward concedes that until the aforementioned Edwards and Bell return to fitness, or until Ramsey regains his form, he “struggles to see” where the 22-year-old fits in.
“It’s a bizarre situation that we’ve fed so much on a player that Jones refuses to utilise in his best role, and tries to get him to be something he clearly isn’t,” he told me.
“With other players out of shape, I’m not sure how Apter fits into our team going ahead.
“He is a Championship-level player, but we won’t see that unless Nathan Jones seriously changes how he has been used.”
To get the most out of Apter, Woodward believes Jones should employ him in a different role. However, with the Addicks performing well in his system, barring Saturday’s hammering, the formation is unlikely to alter very soon.
As a result, it begs the issue of whether the 22-year-old could be better suited to another position.
Whether this means playing Apter as a striker in his system or simply using him in games when the opposing wingers aren’t as dynamic, the Charlton manager must find a method to get the most out of the former Blackpool player.
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