I've supported Charlton since the 1960's it's been a constant in my life and always will be. BUT I must be getting a sad old git because I am getting more enjoyment reading post's on Charlton life than supporting the club.
It’s natural given all that’s gone on that some feel this way, stick with it the club needs your support, altho i still think somehow the fans need to own at least part of the club to stop this all happening again and again.
It is Duchatelet's Charlton that is the problem, not Charlton. He will be gone - hopefully sooner rather than later - and we all have a job to do then. For the club we will always love!
@MuttleyCAFC Yes that is very true, I may have been wrong in the words I've used, it is the current situation I've let get to me. I'll always Love CAFC, but its the current experience that seems wrong. Its not just st The Valley, but all the in-fighting and name calling that has got to me as well. We used to be so United, now we are split and the driver behind that split is RD. He goes - I think many will come back, not all, as some have found other things to do, but I look forward to the day when we can.
It is Duchatelet's Charlton that is the problem, not Charlton. He will be gone - hopefully sooner rather than later - and we all have a job to do then. For the club we will always love!
@MuttleyCAFC Yes that is very true, I may have been wrong in the words I've used, it is the current situation I've let get to me. I'll always Love CAFC, but its the current experience that seems wrong. Its not just st The Valley, but all the in-fighting and name calling that has got to me as well. We used to be so United, now we are split and the driver behind that split is RD. He goes - I think many will come back, not all, as some have found other things to do, but I look forward to the day when we can.
The point that has been missed by some is that the protesters have never been the problem. They are people who love the club enough to go to Belgium, go on marches or even let the total mismanagement affect them. No the problem is those that shrug their shoulders and just fill the gap with something else! Not the people who throw beach balls and pigs on the pitch but people who have decided they would rather not be there so don't throw them on the pitch. We all will need to win them back - but we have done it before and we can do it again. We have to get rid if the mad old arrogant fool first though!
Please try and cheer up. Duchatelet will be gone one day and the club will move on. Charlton are effectively part of my family. I'll never fall out of love with any of my family.
If anyone would rather go shopping, cycling, fishing, racing, watching Soccer Saturday or whatever, then good luck to you all.
I will always, without a shadow of doubt, be going to the games to meet my friends and support the team. It's where I bonded most with my kids and it's the biggest bond we have and will always have. You are potentially missing out on an important part of your lives if you let those bonds loosen or never have them to begin with. My life long friendships have resulted in the best times of my life and also helped us all through the hard times in life.
It's what I do, I don't make any decisions about supporting the team. I support Charlton through thick and thin and thinner.
Does anyone recall Wolves in 1986 ? I'm not sure if this was their lowest league attendance, but you get my drift. Wolves v Bury 18th March 1986 attendance 2,205. Just look at them now !
As the person who started this thread, a few further words.
Jessie: glad you are back as you seemed to go missing for a while.
I may be falling out of love with the current set up but I’ll never stop supporting the red and white, even from Dorset and there will be a few away games. Yes I was at Portsmouth and it was the best away games since Carlisle and that was supporting the team and my fellow fans.
Yes RD will go eventually and I suppose what us doubters have to realise is that CAFC is the Valley and us lot, not the owner, the manager or the players as they come and go but we are here for ever, maybe not with love but definitely with support.
Yes RD will go eventually and I suppose what us doubters have to realise is that CAFC is the Valley and us lot, not the owner, the manager or the players as they come and go but we are here for ever, maybe not with love but definitely with support.
That's how I see it. I've done more than my fair share to persuade RD to leave and will continue to do so if it seems appropriate. But I'll never fall out of love with Charlton and I'll support them in person vocally until I'm no longer able.
As StarrInnaddick said, it's too late to change things once the curtains have closed.
First watched the 'addicks 62 years ago. Now just 1 game in the last two seasons, thanks Roland. Tonbridge Angels more my cup tea now. Real blokes giving it all, bit like it was until Sky took things over. The money now, and players behaviour, are just ridiculous.
Sad to read of all the fans that have been turned away by the mismanagement and incompetence of RD. I must admit there were times in the past under RD’s reign that I felt nothing when we scored. Didn’t stop me going and I will always turn up I think, just can’t imagine not going unless I’m ill or have a prior engagement I can’t get out of.
That’s just me though and respect people’s choice either way
best way to stop the "falling out of love" is to go and watch a game where we win ...easier said than done these days i know ! ..easiest way to fall out of love is to keep reading CL
I respect the remainers and the Valleyexiters. What this thread sadly shows is that a lot of sensible people are suffering from this fool’s tenure whether they keep going as regularly, go less often or don’t go any more. Sad times and worse the more I think about it.
If this takeover fails it won't matter if you have or have not 'fallen out of love' - the question will be hypothetical as there probably won't be much of a club left to worry about.
I must admit I’ve cared so little lately that I don’t even watch the transfer window anymore, until douche bag has sold I don’t think it would make any difference. My love for football over all seems to have been drained out of me as well though, finding it difficult to get enthusiastic over the World Cup even. A lot of this may be down to worrying about other things though.
Love for Charlton is absolute. I don't always like them for the sheer pain they put us through. You can change your socks, You can change your pants, You can change your Wife, But you can't change your football team. Charlton till I die.
What’s clear from this thread is how we are stuck in a ‘nothing has changed period’. This thread has been posted, 1, 2, 3 yeas in a row, started by different people becoming increasingly detached, (healthily) challenged by @Covered End and co stating that they will continue going ‘no matter what’.
I think we have to accept that while there remains a number of those, nothing brutally impacting will ever occur, just a depressing continued erosion of the club, its status and its support, probably against a backdrop of continued in-fighting.
Whilst there will be the small number that will go no matter what, we equally have to accept that the amount of people bringing their kids will continue to decline, and those kids wanting to routinely come will continue to decline. You long timers may have come with your dads and got your kids into it, but football is different now and it’s more challenging these days given how big the prem is, with Millwall and Palace on the up as well and the other social options that are available to kids now. Charlton playing second fiddle to the likes of Fleetwood in a turgid game in a 1/5 full Valley amidst a moaning / booing backdrop does not bring them back.
The longer Duchâtelet stays, the longer he tries to squeeze down his budgeting losses, the less likely we are to progress and the harder it is to generate the future support of the club. The (no matter what) brigade at our club are not the youngest (no offence).
Really wanted this to be the season that I came back and bought my kids. But again that is looking unlikely. Don’t know how much longer I can hold out. It will be a real struggle to get them involved the longer this goes on. Can clubs that skip a generation of support survive? Be very difficult
supporting charlton is something which ultimately gives me pleasure in spite of all the crap because shit happens every day and we all have to be strong and resilient enough to deal with it. charlton will see better days and then they’ll see worse.....its the way of things but there is something very human about our collective response to all the good and all the bad and in spite of poor performances there were enough good ones to give me hope. the cliche of it being a metaphor for life is a good one. like i say charlton will see better days not least because of the fans.
Really wanted this to be the season that I came back and bought my kids. But again that is looking unlikely. Don’t know how much longer I can hold out. It will be a real struggle to get them involved the longer this goes on. Can clubs that skip a generation of support survive? Be very difficult
CB, I remember the same thing being said when we played in Croydon, that we would lose a generation of young supporters and how we could have really galvanised young support during our Division 1 years if we'd been playing at The Valley.
From those wilderness years, we, as supporters formed a strong bond and in my opinion was the catalyst for all the good years to come and I genuinely believe that under new owners, this can be achieved again and younger support will once again return.
I have an earlier post on this thread where I basically moan about the 4 years of Charlton bonding that has been stolen from my 12 year old son and I under Duchatelet's ownership, as I only take my son to certain away games and the first leg play off, however, even with this limited amount of football, my son has well and truly got the Charlton bug and as soon as any takeover is completed, then 2 season tickets will be purchased.
My son has started watching Charlton at a particularly difficult time in our history, so for him, the only way is up.
Really wanted this to be the season that I came back and bought my kids. But again that is looking unlikely. Don’t know how much longer I can hold out. It will be a real struggle to get them involved the longer this goes on. Can clubs that skip a generation of support survive? Be very difficult
The damage is not terminal. If he stayed for another 5 /10 years then maybe so.
If we get a new owner that values the fans and has enough money for us to compete in The Championship, we'll be back in our most usual position.
There are thousands of new properties in the area and if the original supporters don't want to know anymore, hopefully they will replaced with new.
The Valley sold out a you tube game last season.
If you have the right product at the right price people will come.
It's possibly even easier than after the Selhurst years, with all the extra possible "supporters".
The only thing that will stop the club rising again if the product is there, will be the supporters who no longer wish to support the club and help it grow in strength, like we did in the target 10,000 days. Even now at our lowest ebb, we are averaging more than 10,000.
I'm not saying it will be easy, of course it will not. But if we all rally around and make it our goal to build the club again it will surely happen.
There is, of course, no correct collective stance upon the matter of staying in love, or falling out of love, with Charlton Ath; it is a very personal choice.
For me personally, I do not have the same level of enthusiasm for CAFC that I had as recent as two weeks ago. The recent developments such as further delays in a takeover and the reported sale of star players has left me numb.
When Kent CCC won their semi final one day game on Sunday, I was so happy and was charging around the living room in pure joy. I cannot remember the last time CAFC invoked that level of pleasure for me.
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BUT I must be getting a sad old git because I am getting more enjoyment reading post's on Charlton life than supporting the club.
We'll be back quicker than a rat up a drainpipe.
Charlton are effectively part of my family. I'll never fall out of love with any of my family.
If anyone would rather go shopping, cycling, fishing, racing, watching Soccer Saturday or whatever, then good luck to you all.
I will always, without a shadow of doubt, be going to the games to meet my friends and support the team.
It's where I bonded most with my kids and it's the biggest bond we have and will always have.
You are potentially missing out on an important part of your lives if you let those bonds loosen or never have them to begin with.
My life long friendships have resulted in the best times of my life and also helped us all through the hard times in life.
It's what I do, I don't make any decisions about supporting the team.
I support Charlton through thick and thin and thinner.
Does anyone recall Wolves in 1986 ? I'm not sure if this was their lowest league attendance, but you get my drift.
Wolves v Bury 18th March 1986 attendance 2,205. Just look at them now !
https://www.11v11.com/matches/wolverhampton-wanderers-v-bury-18-march-1986-140636/
Jessie: glad you are back as you seemed to go missing for a while.
I may be falling out of love with the current set up but I’ll never stop supporting the red and white, even from Dorset and there will be a few away games. Yes I was at Portsmouth and it was the best away games since Carlisle and that was supporting the team and my fellow fans.
Yes RD will go eventually and I suppose what us doubters have to realise is that CAFC is the Valley and us lot, not the owner, the manager or the players as they come and go but we are here for ever, maybe not with love but definitely with support.
COYA
Well out of love with it already. First game was in 95/96 aged 7or 8 also.
I can't wait til we have an owner or group of owners who are willing to do whatever it takes to get back to the promised land.
As StarrInnaddick said, it's too late to change things once the curtains have closed.
That’s just me though and respect people’s choice either way
I don't always like them for the sheer pain they put us through.
You can change your socks,
You can change your pants,
You can change your Wife,
But you can't change your football team.
Charlton till I die.
I think we have to accept that while there remains a number of those, nothing brutally impacting will ever occur, just a depressing continued erosion of the club, its status and its support, probably against a backdrop of continued in-fighting.
Whilst there will be the small number that will go no matter what, we equally have to accept that the amount of people bringing their kids will continue to decline, and those kids wanting to routinely come will continue to decline. You long timers may have come with your dads and got your kids into it, but football is different now and it’s more challenging these days given how big the prem is, with Millwall and Palace on the up as well and the other social options that are available to kids now. Charlton playing second fiddle to the likes of Fleetwood in a turgid game in a 1/5 full Valley amidst a moaning / booing backdrop does not bring them back.
The longer Duchâtelet stays, the longer he tries to squeeze down his budgeting losses, the less likely we are to progress and the harder it is to generate the future support of the club. The (no matter what) brigade at our club are not the youngest (no offence).
Really wanted this to be the season that I came back and bought my kids. But again that is looking unlikely.
Don’t know how much longer I can hold out. It will be a real struggle to get them involved the longer this goes on.
Can clubs that skip a generation of support survive?
Be very difficult
From those wilderness years, we, as supporters formed a strong bond and in my opinion was the catalyst for all the good years to come and I genuinely believe that under new owners, this can be achieved again and younger support will once again return.
I have an earlier post on this thread where I basically moan about the 4 years of Charlton bonding that has been stolen from my 12 year old son and I under Duchatelet's ownership, as I only take my son to certain away games and the first leg play off, however, even with this limited amount of football, my son has well and truly got the Charlton bug and as soon as any takeover is completed, then 2 season tickets will be purchased.
My son has started watching Charlton at a particularly difficult time in our history, so for him, the only way is up.
COYR
If we get a new owner that values the fans and has enough money for us to compete in The Championship, we'll be back in our most usual position.
There are thousands of new properties in the area and if the original supporters don't want to know anymore, hopefully they will replaced with new.
The Valley sold out a you tube game last season.
If you have the right product at the right price people will come.
It's possibly even easier than after the Selhurst years, with all the extra possible "supporters".
The only thing that will stop the club rising again if the product is there, will be the supporters who no longer wish to support the club and help it grow in strength, like we did in the target 10,000 days.
Even now at our lowest ebb, we are averaging more than 10,000.
I'm not saying it will be easy, of course it will not.
But if we all rally around and make it our goal to build the club again it will surely happen.
For me personally, I do not have the same level of enthusiasm for CAFC that I had as recent as two weeks ago. The recent developments such as further delays in a takeover and the reported sale of star players has left me numb.
When Kent CCC won their semi final one day game on Sunday, I was so happy and was charging around the living room in pure joy. I cannot remember the last time CAFC invoked that level of pleasure for me.
For me personally, the jury is still out.