Charlton players are backing Nathan Jones – the fans should too

“What’s going on at Charlton?” That’s a question any Addicks fan would struggle to answer quickly when asked about the club’s latest issues – and with good reason. Charlton actually had an unexpectedly perfect start to the season. The south-east London club won their opening three fixtures – including a 2-1 win at West Ham. A 1-0 victory over Preston put them top of the league and made them the only EFL club with a 100 per cent record. August feels like a long time ago now. Charlton have failed to win any of their nine matches since, shipping 16 goals and scoring just six. A 4-0 loss at Stoke to end the unbeaten league run was an abrupt wake-up call that, unfortunately, wasn’t just a blip. Jones’ sides have always been built on being defensively solid, but even Burnley, Watford and Norwich – all on a torrid run before playing the Addicks – have managed to slice them open, with the latter two recording wins. Despite all this, one source told The i Paper this week that the players believe this is just a bad run, and they are fully behind their manager. However, the 3-1 home defeat to the Canaries on Saturday felt particularly concerning, especially given Charlton went ahead. Jones’s new-look XI had started brightly, scored, then dropped off the press and reverted to type – made a sloppy mistake, conceded, and were unable to get back in the game. What’s gone wrong? The decline in form is complicated to explain. There is no single person or thing to blame. The frustration is that most of the current problems were obvious in the second half of last season.The Addicks have a small budget compared to most clubs in the Championship. Another source told The i Paper that the club’s owners, consortium Global Football Partners, were “basically selling to buy” in the summer window, while some investors “want to put in and others don’t” amid reports of the club being up for sale. The club ended 19 months without a chief executive on Tuesday, appointing ex-Leeds United, Barnsley and Blackpool chief executive Ben Mansford. Charlton are struggling to keep up with the demands of the Championship (Photo: Getty) Charlton benefit greatly from leaning on their famous academy, with their recent front line of Tyreece Campbell, Miles Leaburn and Karlan Grant all coming through Sparrows Lane. There were fees spent on Millenic Alli, Ivan Mesik, Billy Koumetio and Junior Nkeng this summer. However, the lack of an effective No 10 and right winger – unaided by the collapsed move for Crystal Palace forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – and only really otherwise being able to afford injury-prone players, frees and loans has already taken its toll. Charlton have not won since experienced midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah picked up an injury. Summer loan signing Timothy Ouma’s failure to return from international duty with Kenya, and the mutual termination of former captain Greg Docherty’s contract are just some of the other question marks over the summer business. Ex-Brighton winger and free agent Solly March is expected to arrive soon, but it’s a lot to ask a man who has made just 24 appearances in the last three seasons due to injury to fix the Addicks’ attacking issues. Then, there is the manager. Jones under pressure Like him or loathe him, Jones has done a phenomenal job of turning the club’s rapid decline around, taking them from flirting with relegation to League Two to being promoted and securing back-to-back Championship seasons – something Charlton hadn’t managed in 10 years. However, there has been growing fan concern that the Welshman is unable to take his side beyond being defensively sound. Supporters were hugely frustrated by the decision to play five at the back against Watford, who had conceded nine in their previous two games prior. What’s worse, no team had created fewer chances and had fewer shots than Charlton at that point of the season. Another poor away display at both ends of the pitch led to a 2-0 defeat. Jones admits his side look ‘easy to play against’ (Photo: Reuters) Doing the basics, something Jones has always placed emphasis on, has seemingly gone out the window. But there is also a feeling amongst the fan base that there wouldn’t be anyone attainable that would do a better job with the same tools. Not only would any replacement also be putting square pegs in round holes, but it would seem unlikely anyone of greater pedigree would be affordable. In truth, a huge driver in the red part of south-east London, both from the fans and presumably the board, is the fear of going back down to League One. The Addicks spent eight of the previous nine years in the third tier before winning promotion via the play-offs in 2025 – so any feeling of that being a possibility is immediately met with panic, hence some fan shouts for a sacking. People often say there is no easy game in the Championship – and that is certainly true for Jones as Charlton travel to face table toppers Middlesbrough this Saturday. A defeat would not surprise Addicks fans. However, the sides met in similar circumstances in March, with Jones masterminding one of the most enjoyable results in Charlton’s recent history by pulling off a 1-0 win courtesy of a rare Conor Coady goal. That game felt significant – safety hadn’t been secured yet, but fans then felt Charlton were going to maintain their Championship status. Read more EFL: Rotherham United and a crucible of desperation The Journeyman: The football club that died, revived and then pulled off its greatest day It’s fitting that Jones faces the Teessiders when he once again desperately needs a result to push in that very direction. The irony of the current situation is if he were not their manager, Charlton would be looking for a Jones-type to stop this spiral towards the bottom three. He has, after all, turned Charlton’s poor form around three times since he arrived in January 2024. That is the Nathan Jones that Charlton need over the next month – and the Nathan Jones he himself needs for his own survival in SE7.