Bristol City earned a precious 1-0 victory at Charlton
MAYBE Jose Riga, Charlton’s third manager of the season, will in time be able to turn around their season and keep them in the Championship.
Or maybe the Addicks’ woes are unrelated to on-field management, with owner Roland Duchatelet to blame. This is certainly the view of the club’s supporters, who made their discontent at the ownership evident throughout a defeat that condemned Charlton to the foot of the table.
Perhaps the players deserve a share of the criticism for another woeful performance in a season of many.
Riga masterminded survival for Charlton two seasons ago and hope rose that he could do so again when his side recorded their most resounding victory of the season at Rotherham last week in the third game since his return. However, they were at their abject worst against relegation rivals Bristol City.
Riga said: “The main thing why we avoided relegation last time was my positivism, but I am also very realistic. I am not a dreamer. I can see more difficulties than in the past, but more difficult doesn’t mean we cannot do it.
“I cannot manage all the off-field. That is not my job.
“It is a long story and it doesn’t start with this game. We are coming from a big, difficult situation.”
Bristol City too have resorted to managerial firing and hiring in the hope of avoiding relegation. Before kick-off they announced former player Lee Johnson would fill their vacancy, and the erstwhile Barnsley manager watched his new side from the stands.
He witnessed a low-quality game, punctuated only by the home fans’ protests and a lone, controversial goal.
Riga described the incident that prompted the penalty as “just diving” and it only needed a gentle push from Johann Berg Gudmundsson to topple Lee Tomlin.
Tomlin rose to drill his penalty at the unmoved Stephen Henderson, but the Irish goalkeeper spilled the ball over the line, gifting the Bournemouth-loanee his first Robins goal.
Riga added: “The game was about one big decision – the penalty. If you think about contact you can give a penalty every corner or free-kick.
“In this kind of situation the team that has the opportunity to lead, to score first has a big psychological advantage.
“In the Rotherham game we took the lead first and it gave us optimism, confidence in our situation. Here was the opposite.”
Riga insisted his side deserved a draw.
However, ayriad attacks dissolved between the penalty area and the halfway line due to a poor final pass, with Zakarya Bergdich especially culpable.
Bristol City were not much better, but they defended well and Luke Freeman twice forced good saves from Henderson in the nearest either side came to another goal.
City’s co-interim manager Wade Elliott said: “We deserved it. It was always going to be a scrappy game with the league positions of the teams and a swirly wind.
“We defended very well. I’m struggling to remember any opportunities for them and we looked quite lively on the counter.
“They knew the new manager is in the stands. It is difficult to get into the mentality of the 18 individuals and know how they were going to respond, but they were very professional.
“The most important thing is the squad.The new manager is inheriting a good situation. The players are a really good bunch. There’s a lot of ability and some great characters in there. Three points gives him a good start.”