Nathan Jones criticised over handling of £2m Charlton Athletic man - he's been "horribly misprofiled" | OneFootball

FLW's Charlton fan pundit believes that Rob Apter is still a Championship-level winger, despite a poor showing against Southampton

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Saturday's 5-1 home defeat against Southampton was a day to forget for Charlton Athletic, and especially one that Rob Apter doesn't want to re-live any time soon.

After appearing from the off in the first five Championship outings this season and winning the club's August player of the month, Apter, who cost the Addicks over £2 million to bring him to The Valley from Blackpool, had seemingly fallen out of favour.

He has since appeared in just one of the subsequent 10 games, being an unused substitute in the other nine. Now, after the November international break, he had an opportunity to re-cement his place in the starting eleven after being picked 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 gone 4-0 up thanks to four goals in the space of eight minutes.

Two of those goals came down Apter's side, and there were warning signs before then, too, as Leo Scienza had been afforded the creative freedom down the left to set up Finn Azaz, whose shot was saved.

It could prove to be a damning performance for the 22-year-old in an Addicks shirt, but FLW's Charlton fan pundit, Chris Woodward, feels that Apter can get back to his best.

Charlton Athletic fan pundit believes that Rob Apter is being misprofiled

Woodward believes that Apter's best qualities lie in going forward and that having the players behind him to cover defensively is how the Addicks will get the best out of him, as was the case during his first month at the club.

However, the way Charlton set up on Saturday meant that the 22-year-old Scot would have to defend more than he is comfortable doing, which exposed him a lot, and Nathan Jones would be wise to utilise 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 FLW.

"Simply put, Nathan Jones has horribly misprofiled him, and he's one of the rare cases of a player's development being halted under Jones.

"At the start of the season, we had Kayne Ramsey in great form, and Josh Edwards and Amari'i Bell both fit, who offer great versatility to allow us to move 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 meant that the fluidity at the back isn't as consistent, and consequently, the role being asked of Apter doesn't play to 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," Woodward continued.

"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 pundit urges Nathan Jones to change how he uses Rob Apter

Having spent a decent fee to bring Apter away from Blackpool, and given the quality he showed during his first few months at the club, it seems a waste to see him on the bench most weeks.

But Woodward admits that, until the aforementioned Edwards and Bell get fit again, or until Ramsey finds 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 concluded.

"I do struggle to see how Apter fits into our team moving forward, with other players not being fit.

"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 best out of Apter, Woodward feels that Jones needs to use him in a different role. However, with the Addicks playing well in his system, barring Saturday's thrashing, things are unlikely to change anytime soon, formation-wise.

Therefore, it begs the question whether the 22-year-old could fit in a different position?

Whether this means utilising Apter as one of the strikers in his system, or just using him in games where the opposing wingers aren't as dynamic, the Charlton boss needs to find a way to get the best out of the former Blackpool man.