Furious Charlton Athletic boss fires brutal dig at EFL as injuries mount ahead of Portsmouth showdown

Nathan Jones has fired brutal digs at the EFL over Charlton Athletic’s intense fixture scheduling as injuries mount at The Valley.

And the head coach has been left unimpressed that Pompey head to the capital having enjoyed a free week, while the Addicks were in action on Wednesday.

The south London side have had a strong start to the season and currently sit fifth after picking up 11 points from their opening six league matches.

But Jones’ side are winless in their previous three games in all competitions, however, which included heavy defeats to Spurs in the Carabao Cup and to Stoke City last Saturday.

After their midweek draw to QPR, the Addicks are already battling early-season injury issues, with nine players missing the goalless stalemate.

Charlton’s frustrations were compounded when striker Miles Leaburn was forced off due to injury at half-time, adding to their woes.

Furious Charlton boss vents anger at EFL ahead of Pompey game

And that prompted a furious outburst from Jones, who has blamed the EFL for their action-packed start to the campaign, which has seen Charlton play eight matches in six weeks.

Speaking to BBC Radio London, he said: ‘The schedule is crazy. We’ve been on the wrong end of the schedule, we play on Wednesday night, play Saturday for both weeks.

‘We keep having games on a Wednesday. Tottenham wanted the game on the Wednesday, we didn’t. We had to do that then play Saturday and then Wednesday this week. The schedule is mental.

‘There must be more injuries in the Championship than anywhere in the world, it’s like a battlefield at the minute. That’s not just us, I’m talking about everyone.

‘Managers are complaining but no one cares. Tony Mowbray’s come out and said he’s got 13 fit players because of the schedule, Millwall are the exact same.

‘I don’t know who it’s suiting because no one's got their best team out. Everyone’s at full stretch constantly.

‘Wednesday night then Saturday, come on is anyone thinking about anyone or is it no one cares? It’s testing us.

‘For whatever reason, the schedule is brutal and then you’ve got a three week break for international football, where they’ve got four games. It baffles me.’

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Free game week for Pompey after Wolves trip rescheduled

Leaburn had started five of Charlton’s opening six Championship matches before being withdrawn at the break on Wednesday evening.

The 22-year-old is a doubt for Pompey’s visit on Saturday, according to Jones, who is also unimpressed with the Blues being allowed to have a free game week.

Mousinho’s men were set to face Wolves on Wednesday, although that fixture has been pushed back until October 20.

The ex-Southampton boss added: ‘It’s his (Miles Leaburn) groin. It was tight so it was a precaution because we didn’t want to keep him on.

‘With the injuries we’ve got to Charlie (Kelman) and (Matt) Godden, it’s been tough on him. He’s had to shoulder the brunt.

‘With the brutal schedule as well and the travelling, it's tough.

‘You send them to the pool, the ice baths, oxygen chambers but you can’t do anything tactical, you don’t do anything. You literally just roll them out.

‘We’ve got just 48 hours to prepare for a Championship game and bearing in mind the team we are playing against has had a free week.

‘Is there any wonder that physically we’re a little bit off? It’s a joke.’

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