Steve Brown was effusive in his praise on Saturday afternoon, as he offered his immediate post-match reaction to the Addicks’ 2-0 win over Bolton at The Valley.
“You can’t ask a lot more than nine points and zero goals conceded,” he told CharltonTV. “It’s quickly turning into an incredible start for Nathan Jones and his team, and when this happens you can’t wait for the next game to come along.
“You hope the crowds start to swell, from 15,000 to 18,000 to 20,000 if we’re really pushing after 15 or 20 games, but at the moment enjoy the start to this season which has been exceptional.”
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In particular, the former defender was impressed with Charlton’s solidity and willingness to win the ball back. “They huffed and puffed today. You’ve got to understand that teams like Bolton are going to have the lion’s share of the possession, it’s how you negate that,” he explained.
“Defensively, we pressed high up and caused them issues which led to the first goal. Although it was a poor pass out from [Ricardo] Santos, you’ve still got to be on the front foot to intercept, you’ve still got a lot of work to do to turn that into a goal. It was exceptional from Charlton in that respect.
“If they couldn’t press, what I really like about them is how quickly they get into a defensive structure that makes it very, very difficult to break them down. That takes legs, energy, understanding and communication. At this early stage of the season they’re showing that they’re going to be a very, very difficult side to break down.”
Nathan Jones’ side were able to limit the Trotters to half-chances. “How many goals did we see last year from the centre of our six-yard box?” asked Brown. “We’d just sit there going, ‘how can you leave it that wide open?’. That is not the case this year.
“You’re going to have to work hard to breach our goal. We are working hard to get tight to players when they’ve got a shooting opportunity, to push them into wide areas so the shot is coming in from an angle.
“[Will] Mannion has made maybe five saves today - not one of them is a tough one where you’d go, ‘that’s a super save, he’s saved us there'.”
Brown was also impressed with how the Addicks made the most of their own chances going forward: “The two goals - there’s some seriously good quality in both those goals. Whether it be the pass, the technique on the touch, the finish, the movement off the shoulder - there’s a lot to like about today’s performance.”
As the players and gaffer applauded the fans following the game, Brown praised Jones’ bravery.
“He doesn’t shy away,” he said. “I was always told - only be prepared to do something when you win that you’re prepared to do when you lose. The one thing Nathan Jones doesn’t do is shy away.
“It will be interesting when we have a tough period and if we lose a game - will they still circle around [the pitch applauding the fans]? But for now, they absolutely deserve to circle around. Three games, three wins, no goals conceded, and we’ve put a very, very good Bolton side to the sword there today.
“It’s looking good at the moment. Let’s not get carried away, but it is an incredibly good start.”
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