My opinion on where it's going wrong....... In my era, we have lost our ground. We formed a Valley Party that stood in a local election and caused a few issues amongst other candidates. We contested every objection to Charlton Athletic returning to it rightful home and eventually returned there. We turned out to clear the pitch, help prepare the ground for the clubs first home game against Portsmouth. We had a seat on the board where an elected member could represent us, Pass on our thoughts etc, etc. Fans paid a lot of money when the club needed it most for long term season tickets. Stood by when players from Hales onwards were sold for the good of the club as well the player, we didn't nessecerily agree but understood the decision was made with the best intentions. Raised money for a Pierre Bolangi memorial gardens after our youth player tragically died while training. Turned out season after season to help our club prepare the stadium for the start of the season, even clearing snow from the pitch on occasions. Raised thousands of pounds for charities from Demelza house to the Charlton Upbeats in the name of Charlton Athletic. We kept that same Charlton feeling despite mixing with the big boys in the premiership keeping our tickets affordable. I think I could go on forever, but I won't.
Along comes RD with Katrien as CEO, questions are asked about RD's intentions and ambition. The question obviously strikes a nerve and is met with a " He will do what he wants" reply. We are referred to as customers, personally if the club wants to refer to me a such I would rather they referred to me as an investor, one that has invested thousands of hours as well as thousands of pounds following the club they made me fall out of love with. Rather than remind me I haven't renewed my season ticket they should be asking themselves why aren't I the only one.
I didn't bother renewing my CAFCplayer subscription which is the equivalent of a Season Ticket for us ex-pats. Lost all my enthusiasm under this new regime - I just can't get excited about supporting a business model.
However I do have the responsibility of ensuring my son follows the Charlton path & doesn't become an armchair Chelsea etc fan..we still talk about Charlton but he is more familiar with the exploits of Clive Mendonca than Christophe LePoint....
I haven't renewed yet after being in the same expensive middle East Stand since 94 and a season ticket holder since the mid-80s.
I will hopefully get around to it, but having a young family of 3 puts pressure on my attendance.
If I do though, it will be in the Family Stand (I'm not changing my username) so that the matches work out cheaper - as I'll miss half of them anyway. Also if my eldest wants to go (or if Ms ET wants us out the house) he has a seat waiting.
As much as it's great to take your children to football it puts a totally different dynamic on the day. I have responsibilities now and a totally different plan from 10/20 years ago - Charlton then was one of the the main parts of the weekend. Now, it's a rushed thing to fit it as every weekend is busy.
In truth though I think I fell out of love with it soon after the drop from the Premier League, as if the project was over. The speed of our decline didn't help!
Renewed this season but uneasy at the way things continue to go. In KM I feel we have somebody who is totally out of her depth, she seems a nice enthusiastic person but I worry about her transfer dealings and her decision making generally. She may be well educated but is she street wise?
A number of people have commented on not receiving replays to emails, what organisations can go on ignoring their customers. Not saying they should take on board everything suggested but at least reply and put their view forward it is only curtesy to do so.
Unless things change dramatically on and off the pitch support will dwindle imho, the food and drink is a shambles, the club shop is hopeless and communication from the club still leaves a lot to be desired.
On a positive note the ground improvements and the planned training ground development are very good news are are very welcome.
For me this is a definning season, I want to see the squad improved and something from the club to show that we are valued customers. Will always support CAFC but I am losing the desire to go each week and after 50+ years of hardly missing a home match (and attending many away) I really hate feeling this way.
I really hope someone at the club reads this thread and can help/persuade the powers that be to understand how so many of us are feeling.
I renewed again for this coming season, having resolved initially to wait until August and assess what had happened over the summer. It's like when you are a bit fed up in a relationship and want it to change, but then remember the happy times and why you loved them in the first place. For me, the good later season form, young Joe coming through and attending the POTY dinner stirred those earlier emotions and I fell for it.
I can't say I'm sorry, exactly, because my trips back to SE London are more than just watching Charlton; they are also about seeing kids and grandkids and reconnecting with my roots, where I grew up. But I do feel that I may have been taken for a bit of a mug again, and I don't like that.
I have renewed my season ticket, but can only echo the feelings of disillusionment on here. It does feel like a certain indefinable quality is ebbing away from the club.
Battling with these feelings as I was at the end of last season, it didn't help when the club saw fit to eject me from the seat that I've sat in for the best part of 20 years, so that an away fan could sit there to cheer the opposition on to victory. Decisions like that only reinforce the sense of alienation that supporters are feeling.
As AFKA so eloquently put it - we do need a good season. My biggest fear is that the owner doesn't care about our club or the things we care about. That this is all part of some big experiment! I don't know I am right and I hope I am wrong. I could be. There have been negatives and positives. But some decisions made have been stupid and ridiculous and that worries me. I find it hard to forgive KM in terms of some of the things she has said. I say to myself- she is inexperienced - but I want to see better from her next season. She could start by respecting the fans with half the respect she clearly and understandably affords her employer. If we slowly lose the things that bind us to the club, well habits form and habits can be lost!
Let’s face it, our owner is a dispassionate man who has shown no obvious signs of ambition, other than to break even and survive. The trouble is football is about passion, its about hope, its about pride and honour … and hopefully - a bit of glory.
RD is financially prudent in running the football factory, but it doesn’t cut it with the casual supporters - and less still in attracting new customers. I wish he could make a positive statement of intent - a bit of inspired leadership could go a long way in regenerating a buzz around the Valley.
I agree with what your saying but what is the point of owning a football and never looking to make a serious profit?
I just don't believe he is on an endless cycle of breaking even and surviving as it is utterless pointless and waste of time and energy that could be used on his actual profit earning businesses.
Maybe the regime goal is just going to take years as in 4-5 instead of 2-3. Some will stay on and some will relax their support somewhat but I just do not believe a successfull businessman does not have a projection of upward performance.
Charlton are obviously missing a spark and I don't disagree with the posts.
But let's bear in mind 2 things.
1 Most of the people commenting here, have had quite a large change of circumstance. So it's obviously not going to be an automatic renewal.
2 A thread for discussion on lapsed S/T holders, will obviously come across as negative.
I'll start a positive thread for any new S/T holders.
No negativity in my post CE, other than repeating someone else's (what I would consider negative) comments. My circumstances have changed as you rightly say, I have more time and disposable income and I would travel further to home games but sobeit. I travelled up to do the sponsored walk with the Upbeats (With Bailey) on a match day I got to the main gates turned around and walked back and on the walk back all I thought about was the delight on the faces of those guys as they took to the pitch again, the match itself never entered my mind. When that happens it's time to draw a line under it my time will taken up with hopefully more visits to the Upbeats as well other autistic children nearer home. Even now I wish the club every success for the future, it was a huge part of my families life and made some great friends who helped me achieve some personal ambitions. I never say never, things change. But for now............... Have I mentioned I have dogs that need walking.
Let’s face it, our owner is a dispassionate man who has shown no obvious signs of ambition, other than to break even and survive. The trouble is football is about passion, its about hope, its about pride and honour … and hopefully - a bit of glory.
RD is financially prudent in running the football factory, but it doesn’t cut it with the casual supporters - and less still in attracting new customers. I wish he could make a positive statement of intent - a bit of inspired leadership could go a long way in regenerating a buzz around the Valley.
I agree with what your saying but what is the point of owning a football and never looking to make a serious profit?
I just don't believe he is on an endless cycle of breaking even and surviving as it is utterless pointless and waste of time and energy that could be used on his actual profit earning businesses.
Maybe the regime goal is just going to take years as in 4-5 instead of 2-3. Some will stay on and some will relax their support somewhat but I just do not believe a successfull businessman does not have a projection of upward performance.
So you think Oysten at Blackpool has ?
I really don't know what to say about Oysten but I think RD isn't anything like him, I know Roland is not perfect but Oysten he ain't.
Charlton are obviously missing a spark and I don't disagree with the posts.
But let's bear in mind 2 things.
1 Most of the people commenting here, have had quite a large change of circumstance. So it's obviously not going to be an automatic renewal.
2 A thread for discussion on lapsed S/T holders, will obviously come across as negative.
I'll start a positive thread for any new S/T holders.
The idea of myself of starting this thread was not to be negative against the club but to get an idea of why people will not renew. So far there have been different views/reasons. Personally I respect all their views.
As I said at the start and no one seems to know or has answered the question yet. How many season tickets did we sell last season and how many so far this pre season?
Previous seasons the club were more than happy to announce how many tickets have been sold. Now silence. Why is that? Something to hide?
Charlton are obviously missing a spark and I don't disagree with the posts.
But let's bear in mind 2 things.
1 Most of the people commenting here, have had quite a large change of circumstance. So it's obviously not going to be an automatic renewal.
2 A thread for discussion on lapsed S/T holders, will obviously come across as negative.
I'll start a positive thread for any new S/T holders.
A fair observation in some ways but a change of circumstance is when loyalty can show through. Not only that I could have bought one of the offers as my ticket is 2 years lapsed now, at a very decent price.
I agree with all the posts. But obviously, in asking for responses, from people who haven't renewed, you're unlikely to get, a really positive response, in favour of Charlton (by definition).
Thanks for starting this thread. The Supporters Trust has been planning a survey of members and non-members on the subject of renewal which is due to go live shortly. We are particularly interested in what people think the club could do now to bring back on board those people (like me, who has been s/t holder for 30yrs, VG since its inception etc etc) but who are wavering. We'd be grateful for as many people as possible (renewers and non-renewers) to respond to the survey
Would @Airman Brown have a table of season ticket figures over the years, it'd be interesting to compare next seasons total against our previous worst in the last say 20 years?
My Season Ticket has lapsed twice since '98 and no inkling to renew at present, paid as i went to maybe 5 games last season despite living closer to the ground than I ever have before........
This is trickier than it should be because of the various ways complimentary season tickets (for staff, players, disabled helpers, etc) and season tickets that form part of commercial and hospitality packages have been counted over the years. I tried to use a base figure that excluded giveaways when I was doing it, but the club might state that it has 10,000 STs in a given season and we wouldn't know if it included 500 or 1,000 given away and therefore was not a like-for-like comparison.
That said (and from recollection) we had about 10,000, 9,000 and 10,000 sold in the three League One seasons and more than 11,300 in 2012/13. The club claimed to have reached 10,000 in 2013/14 (reduced by the price increases), but see above. No figure was given last year, but I suspect it was 9,000 and something. I'd guess this year will be lower.
To find a number lower than that in earlier years you'd have to go back to 97/98, for sure - but current figures would be higher than anything before 1998.
When dad couldn't make it I took a friend or girlfriend. Now he's gone, I can't bring myself to buy one sole ticket, and can't really afford to buy two as my friends don't want to come badly enough to pay. So I want to go, but I'm in a quandary. I guess I'll buy on a game by game basis, but I will miss my old seat.
That's a very honest post mate. I have been going for the social for years. If I didn't have a wingman/men to go with im not sure, in fact I know 100% I'd pick amd choose. I will always keep my season ticket as long as my friends do. If I got rid of it there is a real risk I'd lose the enthusiasm for going. @oohaahmortimer and @AFKABartram make a good job of putting in words how I feel.
I'm not one to have a sulk and Jack it in because we don't win every week or because I'm just having a tantrum but I certainly don't have the same energy in my voice when talking about charlton.
A mate of mine has very recently separated from his wife of 6 years and his partner of 11 because they had become more of a friendship than a marriage. Weren't arguing or anything just the relationship evolved and turned out they at least need time apart from each other for a bit. I tried that last season, the trial separation, and if it was a marriage I wouldn't have gone back. Maybe I felt I went back like parents do for the children's sake. Sacrificed their own happiness to support their kids and be there for them through the bad times and the good.
Haven't renewed. My daughter lost interest in about January and stopped coming and the other one wasn't interested in picking it up. If I felt excited about the team I would have thought about it. I'll still hopefully go to 8-10 homes and a few aways. I don't think I've managed to get to more than 15 home games in the last few years anyway, so there's no financial incentive to get a ST.
I think you need people with Charlton in their hearts on the club's payroll. People like Airman Brown and others. In the early 80s at this level the gates were down to little more than 4-5,000 never mind season tickets. The rebuilding of our support after the return to the Valley did not happen by chance and it must be particularly sad for those who were actively involved in Target 10,000 etc to see us heading back in the opposite direction.
What is a bit perplexing is that at the same time we can more or less sell out for a single game based on pricing i.e. Football for a Fiver. Yet 23 games for £150 doesn't have that effect. It would need someone cleverer than me to sort this out.
I think my views on this are already well documented.
One might also look at the Pozzos at Watford for an example of a networked club that isn't having the problems we appear to be. Something I suggested to RM after contact from Watfords Trust last January, and subsequently.
We've renewed again. Out of habit as much as anything else. These days it feels like an investment in a business plan rather than something I want to do for entertainment. I haven't really enjoyed it for a few years now. Whether that's Charlton, me or football in general I don't know. Probably all three.
I've been around the 'addicks since 1956 and a season ticket holder since our return to the Valley. I agree with many of the sentiments above, but I would go further. For me the whole game has become completely different since Sky took over. Now we have just 4 or 5 clubs that dominate everything, the rest of us are just also runs, from Spurs and Everton down to Hartlepool Utd. We just make up the numbers. Occasionally, one of us might pick up a League or FA Cup, but the FA Cup in particular has no relevance compared to the halcyon days of my youth.
RD certainly wants us to make the Mafia Showbiz, he is also canny enough to know we will never, ever win it. He knows the best bet is just to survive, that's all that's necessary. And after a year or so, if we survive, he will probably flog it to some Arab/American/Russian, or other ludicrously rich mug punter, a bit like Palace are trying to do now.
If he is as clever as I think he is he will bring back Curbs, He knew the score when he said the best Saturdays nights were when he could see our name in the top half of the Division. And we stayed up for years. And the money then was petty cash compared to today.
I think you need people with Charlton in their hearts on the club's payroll. People like Airman Brown and others. In the early 80s at this level the gates were down to little more than 4-5,000 never mind season tickets. The rebuilding of our support after the return to the Valley did not happen by chance and it must be particularly sad for those who were actively involved in Target 10,000 etc to see us heading back in the opposite direction.
What is a bit perplexing is that at the same time we can more or less sell out for a single game based on pricing i.e. Football for a Fiver. Yet 23 games for £150 doesn't have that effect. It would need someone cleverer than me to sort this out.
Well said. I think Airman doesn't get the credit he deserves from a lot on this site.
I'm not renewing this season as I don't feel attached to the club as much as I previously did. it feels as though the passions has been drained somewhere down the line. The revolving doors for managers and players isn't helping either.
The last time I felt like the club could build on something and actually get the passion going again was Chris Powells end of season speech on the pitch after the first season back in the Championship. The passion in his voice, the crowd going mental for the team, and the good feeling.....the Charlton feeling being there.
Always was a walk-up (although regular) punter until I had to get one in 1998 and had ours ever since. Alas the there were many games in the last few seasons that I wasted my Saturday doing something I wasn't going to enjoy but felt I should. It really has been like visiting a sick relative, it's not nice, but it's your duty.
It's also a chance to meet up with my brother who I don't see as much as I would like for a beer and catch up but his shop restricts him to mainly non-Saturday games now, so midweek and BH fixtures seem favourite for the coming season.
I was always dumbstruck when I read Fever Pitch and realised that even the most hardened fans 'take a break'. I feel it's my time now. I'm sure I'll be back, hopefully with Grandchildren in years to come.
Comments
In my era, we have lost our ground.
We formed a Valley Party that stood in a local election and caused a few issues amongst other candidates.
We contested every objection to Charlton Athletic returning to it rightful home and eventually returned there.
We turned out to clear the pitch, help prepare the ground for the clubs first home game against Portsmouth.
We had a seat on the board where an elected member could represent us, Pass on our thoughts etc, etc.
Fans paid a lot of money when the club needed it most for long term season tickets.
Stood by when players from Hales onwards were sold for the good of the club as well the player, we didn't nessecerily agree but understood the decision was made with the best intentions.
Raised money for a Pierre Bolangi memorial gardens after our youth player tragically died while training.
Turned out season after season to help our club prepare the stadium for the start of the season, even clearing snow from the pitch on occasions.
Raised thousands of pounds for charities from Demelza house to the Charlton Upbeats in the name of Charlton Athletic.
We kept that same Charlton feeling despite mixing with the big boys in the premiership keeping our tickets affordable.
I think I could go on forever, but I won't.
Along comes RD with Katrien as CEO, questions are asked about RD's intentions and ambition. The question obviously strikes a nerve and is met with a " He will do what he wants" reply. We are referred to as customers, personally if the club wants to refer to me a such I would rather they referred to me as an investor, one that has invested thousands of hours as well as thousands of pounds following the club they made me fall out of love with. Rather than remind me I haven't renewed my season ticket they should be asking themselves why aren't I the only one.
However I do have the responsibility of ensuring my son follows the Charlton path & doesn't become an armchair Chelsea etc fan..we still talk about Charlton but he is more familiar with the exploits of Clive Mendonca than Christophe LePoint....
I will hopefully get around to it, but having a young family of 3 puts pressure on my attendance.
If I do though, it will be in the Family Stand (I'm not changing my username) so that the matches work out cheaper - as I'll miss half of them anyway. Also if my eldest wants to go (or if Ms ET wants us out the house) he has a seat waiting.
As much as it's great to take your children to football it puts a totally different dynamic on the day. I have responsibilities now and a totally different plan from 10/20 years ago - Charlton then was one of the the main parts of the weekend. Now, it's a rushed thing to fit it as every weekend is busy.
In truth though I think I fell out of love with it soon after the drop from the Premier League, as if the project was over. The speed of our decline didn't help!
Can I ever fall back in love with it?
Renewed this season but uneasy at the way things continue to go. In KM I feel we have somebody who is totally out of her depth, she seems a nice enthusiastic person but I worry about her transfer dealings and her decision making generally. She may be well educated but is she street wise?
A number of people have commented on not receiving replays to emails, what organisations can go on ignoring their customers. Not saying they should take on board everything suggested but at least reply and put their view forward it is only curtesy to do so.
Unless things change dramatically on and off the pitch support will dwindle imho, the food and drink is a shambles, the club shop is hopeless and communication from the club still leaves a lot to be desired.
On a positive note the ground improvements and the planned training ground development are very good news are are very welcome.
For me this is a definning season, I want to see the squad improved and something from the club to show that we are valued customers. Will always support CAFC but I am losing the desire to go each week and after 50+ years of hardly missing a home match (and attending many away) I really hate feeling this way.
I renewed again for this coming season, having resolved initially to wait until August and assess what had happened over the summer. It's like when you are a bit fed up in a relationship and want it to change, but then remember the happy times and why you loved them in the first place. For me, the good later season form, young Joe coming through and attending the POTY dinner stirred those earlier emotions and I fell for it.
I can't say I'm sorry, exactly, because my trips back to SE London are more than just watching Charlton; they are also about seeing kids and grandkids and reconnecting with my roots, where I grew up. But I do feel that I may have been taken for a bit of a mug again, and I don't like that.
Battling with these feelings as I was at the end of last season, it didn't help when the club saw fit to eject me from the seat that I've sat in for the best part of 20 years, so that an away fan could sit there to cheer the opposition on to victory. Decisions like that only reinforce the sense of alienation that supporters are feeling.
But let's bear in mind 2 things.
1 Most of the people commenting here, have had quite a large change of circumstance. So it's obviously not going to be an automatic renewal.
2 A thread for discussion on lapsed S/T holders, will obviously come across as negative.
I'll start a positive thread for any new S/T holders.
Have I mentioned I have dogs that need walking.
I really don't know what to say about Oysten but I think RD isn't anything like him, I know Roland is not perfect but Oysten he ain't.
As I said at the start and no one seems to know or has answered the question yet. How many season tickets did we sell last season and how many so far this pre season?
Previous seasons the club were more than happy to announce how many tickets have been sold. Now silence. Why is that? Something to hide?
Having seen our transfers in the off season to date, had I not renewed already I most certainly would not bother renewing.
Love to all
We'd be grateful for as many people as possible (renewers and non-renewers) to respond to the survey
That said (and from recollection) we had about 10,000, 9,000 and 10,000 sold in the three League One seasons and more than 11,300 in 2012/13. The club claimed to have reached 10,000 in 2013/14 (reduced by the price increases), but see above. No figure was given last year, but I suspect it was 9,000 and something. I'd guess this year will be lower.
To find a number lower than that in earlier years you'd have to go back to 97/98, for sure - but current figures would be higher than anything before 1998.
I'm not one to have a sulk and Jack it in because we don't win every week or because I'm just having a tantrum but I certainly don't have the same energy in my voice when talking about charlton.
A mate of mine has very recently separated from his wife of 6 years and his partner of 11 because they had become more of a friendship than a marriage. Weren't arguing or anything just the relationship evolved and turned out they at least need time apart from each other for a bit. I tried that last season, the trial separation, and if it was a marriage I wouldn't have gone back. Maybe I felt I went back like parents do for the children's sake. Sacrificed their own happiness to support their kids and be there for them through the bad times and the good.
Or am I wide of the mark?
What is a bit perplexing is that at the same time we can more or less sell out for a single game based on pricing i.e. Football for a Fiver. Yet 23 games for £150 doesn't have that effect. It would need someone cleverer than me to sort this out.
One might also look at the Pozzos at Watford for an example of a networked club that isn't having the problems we appear to be. Something I suggested to RM after contact from Watfords Trust last January, and subsequently.
RD certainly wants us to make the Mafia Showbiz, he is also canny enough to know we will never, ever win it. He knows the best bet is just to survive, that's all that's necessary. And after a year or so, if we survive, he will probably flog it to some Arab/American/Russian, or other ludicrously rich mug punter, a bit like Palace are trying to do now.
If he is as clever as I think he is he will bring back Curbs, He knew the score when he said the best Saturdays nights were when he could see our name in the top half of the Division. And we stayed up for years. And the money then was petty cash compared to today.
The last time I felt like the club could build on something and actually get the passion going again was Chris Powells end of season speech on the pitch after the first season back in the Championship. The passion in his voice, the crowd going mental for the team, and the good feeling.....the Charlton feeling being there.
I want that back.
Alas the there were many games in the last few seasons that I wasted my Saturday doing something I wasn't going to enjoy but felt I should.
It really has been like visiting a sick relative, it's not nice, but it's your duty.
It's also a chance to meet up with my brother who I don't see as much as I would like for a beer and catch up but his shop restricts him to mainly non-Saturday games now, so midweek and BH fixtures seem favourite for the coming season.
I was always dumbstruck when I read Fever Pitch and realised that even the most hardened fans 'take a break'. I feel it's my time now. I'm sure I'll be back, hopefully with Grandchildren in years to come.