The past few years as a Charlton fan (a lot of things are starting with those few words) have not been easy – we’ve dropped from the top flight to a position where even the most black tinted wearer could not have envisaged.
July 6th 2010 however brought home a few things for me. Namely the notion of naivety. The board, the players, the various managers and the fans have all been naïve over the past few years in my opinion.
The board started it by “allowing” Curbishley to go and thinking we were so safe in the Premiership that a no-mark like Iain Dowie could keep us there.
Alan Pardew was naive by thinking he was the dogs testicles at buying players and building a team ready for promotion.
The board were naïve again by thinking that Parkinson, linked to the Pardew regime, was good enough to save us from relegation to League One.
Last season, in my opinion, certain players thought they were too good for League One and thought perceived skill could be greater than graft. And Parkinson was naïve in thinking Shelvey could not cut it over a long period of time. Naïve.
Throughout the above, fans on the whole realised the situation we were in, questioned many aspects of the club – “we” even set up a Supporter’s Trust that fell by the wayside in anticipation of the crap that seems to be unfolding in front of us now.
Unfortunately it went nowhere. So, do we care? As a group of fans have we become lazy? What can we do? If anything.
The sale of Richardson yesterday highlighted to me (and enraged others) that I think as a group of supporters we have become naïve, people are outraged at the firesale, asking for season ticket refunds, slating everything. But we saw it coming didn’t we? Why have we not stepped up to the plate and tried to do something before now when we seem so far down the well that the chink of light is ever fading.
I know this is a lot of incoherent gobbledegook but I needed to get some things out of my mind and onto paper/screen.
And no, I’m not blaming the fans.
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Nothing has been heard since, so can any of the people who put their names forward on that wet Tuesday night in September, enlighten us if any progress was made, or was the idea scrapped?
Just before the end of the season, Richard Murray told us it was coming if we missed promotion.
And we all knew Bailey would be sacrificed.
And don't suppose Parky is over the moon about losing key players like Richardsson and Bailey.
He's trying to build a team, after all.
I'm in.
This is where it all went wrong. Yes a lot of the fans were naive in thinking that we needed to push on for europe and believing that Curbs would never be given the money to achieve that, me included. But I never envisaged such a stupid decision to bring in Dowie who had one good good season at Oldham and one good one at Palace, not exactly pushing for Europe Premiership material. His failings since Charlton have confirmed he was a poor choice. The choice was made though mainly to mock Palace and everyone took great delight in seeing Jordan given the runaround for a short period of time but where has it got us in the long run.
If they were prepared to give the money to Dowie then they should have givern it to Curbishley end of...and we would not be in the mess we are in now, it certainly not could not be worse.
The lowest point of my Charlton supporting life was a long time ago when we spent one season in Division 3 but we blasted our way out of it with goals aplenty despite a dodgy defence. Even the years at Palace were better because we had hope, we had a squad of fighters and a great manager that instilled belief in the players and the fans. Yesterday became my lowest point as a Charlton supporter, I understand the need to sell but their is no propaganda coming out the club to make me feel that what we are doing is for the best.
Spot on carly burn, it's a simple as that really...
I don't think what's happening is a shock! The decline started in January 2004...
The naivety comes from thinking that our best players would or could be replaced with equal quality, since that time, and many fans have benn expecting the managers to do this with relatively small budgets…
The period just before we gained premier statusl, we were a buying club, and nobody left, unless it really suited the club (ie the likes of Mills)... It's no coincidence we had that success...
It’s easy to just blame it on managers, but the truth is we are a reflection of our board, and it's futile arguing about the mistakes they’ve made, because everybody makes them… The fact is they have their limitations, and they were obvious in the premier, and now painfully so…
What I can never understand is why wasn’t “investment” or “takeovers” on the agenda whilst we had the status of premier football? The first time we heard about that, was when we got relegated to the Championship...
We did, and on many levels... We were buying very good players back then, thanks to Fryer's investment on the team, and with a club which had no ground, doing bloody well on the pitch....
I feel like I've learnt a lot about football outside the Prem over the last few years, a year ago like many I thought the midfield would be too good for League One. Too often since the first relegation it's been suggested we have been a team of talented but disinterested underachievers, but in the end it comes down to players (and managers) not being good enough. Most strikers haven't been up to it, until last season we've always lacked in midfield (though they weren't brilliant last season) and we've had plenty of very average or poor defenders.
AFKA made a good point the other day, can't remember which thread, was about how our players are seen as much better simply because we don't know much about players at other clubs. Last season McCormack is just the kind of player some of our fans would have seen as a "League One clogger", but will he be now he plays for us? Maybe, but it was these kind of signings in the last few years that were seen as better players just because they now played for us. That raised or kept expectations high but like I said, in the end, players generally weren't good enough.
We were as good as relegated when Parkinson took control, although I think the board should have sacked Pardew a lot earlier, probably at the end of our first season in the Championship.
Good point. Every season we have believed this since relegation and every year our expectancy levels have been shot down. Maybe with the sale of a few bigger names it will have a positive effect on whats left rather than a negative one. Maybe the fans levels of expectancy will be so low that to actually win a game will be more of an achievement. In a nutshell, this may be for the best in the long run...although I am trying to convince myself this at the moment
And if there was I'm sure we'd have people on here calling it spin. What fans need to see is people signing contracts, as also happened yesterday, and I'm not sure promises and justifications cut it. Plus the board can hardly call Pardew an arse, even if they think that.
Incidentally, assuming you are talking about 1980/81, we scored only 63 goals in 46 games - eight less than last season - and won only two more matches than in 2009/10. Of course, one more would have done it last season.
It's about time the team reset itself and we got rid of all the 'stars' instead of trying to hang on to them because it hasn't done us any good recently has it? Good experienced pros and youth will play a key part this season.
I'm tired of watching players who think they're too good for our shirt and this has been the story for a while now. I would rather watch under-rated or non-spotlight/low radar (but battling) players giving it their all for our badge.
If we lose because the other team is better then that's fine. Recent times though, we have lost mainly because of a lack of fight and this is what annoys me (as I believe it does most fans that sit in the stands around me).
Personally, I feel the team will benefit from losing Bailey, Sam and Burton - far too predictable/one dimensional with them in the team. The one player I would love to keep though: Semedo (pleaaasssee).
Last year for the first time in years i felt we over achieved. I expected a mid-table finish.
The thing that really worries me is that the actions of the board are clearly about surviving for as many days as possible. The only hope out of this mess is a miracle promotion or a buyer with money. Both possibilities are remote.
To be fair to the board, manager and players they did everything possible last year to give us one more shot to go up. But we fell short and the board must know they will never see their money again.
I'm going to nit pick over the perceived 're-building' of the team i've seen in other posts. A side that finishes 4th does not need to be rebuilt. It needs retention of it's successful components and the addition of quality players to it's weakest areas. I understand our finances did not allow this, but let's be honest, this is not about re-building anymore.
The problem is whether we spend money we haven't got or cut our cloth to our finances we are basically 'doomed' (sorry for the use of that word).
The burden of debt we carry and the cost of retaining the club infrastucture is not feasible outside of the Championship (or possibly even the Premiership).
We need to sell players to survive. I'm assuming we need to bring in 7 million each year just to cover our ongoing debt. We haven't got anywhere near that this year. Even if we survive the next 12 months who could we possibly sell next season?
On the pitch, the churn of players in and out, has as much a detrimental effect, as selling and not replacing your best players. Generally stable clubs flourish.
So promotion is less likely and the debt increases.
This leads me to the depressing conclusion that administration or worse is inevitable.
We can look at where it went wrong, but I think what's the point.
As for fans taking action. We will see that day again. At the moment I think we are proving to be the most understanding and fairest fans in the whole football world.
Parky keeps telling us about his need to sign 'hungry' players - players who will do a job for him and enable a 'competitive' team to be put together. Maybe, what he's also telling us ,,,,,,,,,,,, he wants players who understand what the Third Division is all about and desperate to be part of a winning side?
Isn't that exactly the same philosophy of Lennie Lawrence and Alan Curbishley ......?
Parky gets a lot stick from some on here, but at least he tries to sign players with Charlton values.
Like Lenny and Curbs.
In fact, IMO he's out of the same mould.
i believe Charlie Block and yung -2368 tried to forewarn us of the impending doom and cos it didn't sit pretty in the blinkered rose tinted state of some they were shot down
and then when the mail reporter collins pointed out the harsh realities of what our financial state was, nearly everyone screamed lies damned lies at him cos it didn't make pretty reading and no one wanted to hear that our precious well run charlton might not be the great shining example that we had all been lead to believe ..................
Redfern & Garland have retired though.
I'm not sure naivety is the word i would use to describe the last few down years. From the club / board point of view, i think it is more a case of panic and misguided loyalty, ultimately leading to mis-management.
Appointing Dowie was panic, giving him a large transfer budget was panic, selling Reid was panic, bringing in wave after wave of loan players, some of which we didn't really need was panic (Cook, Sinclair etc).
Giving Pardew unwavering support in the belief he was a top manager who would ultimately succeed was misguided loyalty. Believing that Parky had enough about him to turn around a disappointing start to a Championship season was misguided loyalty.
All of the above mistakes in relation to Dowie and Pardew, and particularly Pardew, were mis-managed financial errors we ultimately could not afford, and were gambles taken on the belief that if successful, then it would financially be worthwhile. It was built around the ethos that to get ourselves out of going backward, we had to either throw further resource at it, or continue to maintain an unsustainable wage bill. The same thing happened last season, and again it failed.
I believe this is the turning point in terms of the approach the board will take.
I am reading it that hard decisions are being taken to ensure there is less waste throughout the squad and that the player wage budget will be dictated on a greater scale to be what remains after costs. ie. The budget will dictate the squad rather than the squad dictate the budget.
Seeing Richardson go yesterday was upsetting and painful, but ultimately understandable. And if it is a necessity that is being done to ensure we get to the stage where we are finally once again operating a break-even operation (excluding outstanding debts), then i back it, because i don't believe we will be in a position in a club to move forward until we get to the stage where we have a manageable, realistic budget.
The sad irony is, if this approach is being taken, then we as supporters by stealth have a greater input into how good / bad things are likely to be. All those people that stop buying tickets etc will ultimately lead to further sales, lower budgets etc. Yet at the same time it is understandable. What are people to do if they don't like what they see ?
Its Catch 22.
Its all very easy saying what a great, loyal season ticket dominated support base we have when the team are doing well and tickets are hard to come by but the support is needed now more than ever and we are currently, what 30% down on season ticket numbers from last season!!!!
By the end of last season a lot of us felt we were finally seeing the kind of performances we could realistically ask for, if not always the results. Maybe we'll just have to be patient and see a side gradually assembled in the way Millwall have done - competitive and hard to beat first, then gradually posing more of a threat. As ever, unearthing a genuine goalscorer is the key but it might take a while yet. Meanwhile, I'll get behind who ever puts in 100%, and with Richardson surprisingly gone (for a v good fee), Solly surely won't be found wanting in that area.
As for us fans - the biggest single thing we can do is keep coming (the second is probably to stay positive and not boo the odd disappointing result). Of course a financial windfall wouldn't go amiss, but not too many in this division are rolling in it so we remain one of the bigger clubs if we all stick together. If we can pull through it, the rewards of seeing home-grown talent and freebies triumph might be even greater.
I didnt check the stats but it felt different then, maybe because i was only about 9 and we had proven goalscorers like Hales, providers like Robinson and quality youth like Walsh. Maybe this is a valid point....that when we were all younger we remember things being much better because of youthful exhuberance and you have seen less of the bad times.
Also back in 80/81 (and 72/3-74/5 inc) we knew no better.
We'd not had 7 seasons of watching the cream of English football at The Valley. That is why it feels worse now for someof us and why we are moaning. Those halcyon days seem a long way off and, for old gits like me, almost uncertainly unattainable again in my lifetime.
I make no apology for feeling depressed by that thought and if that means I am not a proper fan so be it!
I know that I suffered a lot of financial stress to buy my season tickets before March 31 (2 months earlier than normal) to help this club. I didn't get 5 year ones because I simply cannot afford it with a family and resulting financial commitments not because I didn't want to.
All these people talking about not being a proper fan if you don't go away think about this:
The home club gets the gate receipts not the away club. Charlton are skint so, if you don't have a season ticket, put money in Charlton's coffers by coming to home games rather than somebody elses.
A takeover is the only short term way out of this mess, but if any rich arab thought we were a good investment they would have snapped us up
If administration can reduce that debt burden and establish the true value of the club and sell it on on that basis, this must surely be a positive? Without such debt reduction, the club is worth about minus £20m.. with debt reduction far closer to zero..
Football has changed hasnt it? Unless players are in contract they are a worthless comodity and can walk away for nout. You pay a transfer fee, signing on fee, agents fees and pay them a healthy salary. The sum of all this expenditure is they fulfil their contract without even having to produce the goods on the pitch (Francis Jeffers anyone??) and then they walk away a lot richer to find their next club.
Football is a joke of an industry.
I'd rather we cash in on our assets. Our short-term future will probably involve us becoming acustomed to seeing lots of players passing through for only a season or two.
Overall a good 48hrs for Charlton and obviously the sooner the business can 'break even' the better the club will be for the long term.
Me -- ex hooley to some. Boo-er when we are total kak(end of game), swear like a trouper sometimes. etc etc guess that may be a "not real fan"
Me--- Share holder---Valley Gold member number insingle figures when they first came out---still there after 42 years (30 at least ot total KAK). Guess that must mean im a "real fan"
The reason of yet another fire sale is the Board are now attempting to keep us out of admin. The fact that its their basic mistakes that have got us in this position means little as its where we are now.
Moan ? scream? shout? not go? i have no idea what to do, but in my opinion we are now in one ofthe worst positions that we have ever been and im not sure we have yet reached the bottom
Im so glad i laughed at Palarse when i had the chance as im sure they will be laughing at us next season.
Good times ........bad times ...... good times ...... bad times.
It's the cycle of life. And football.
What the club are doing today helps ensure there is a tomorrow.
And so the cycle continues.
Us older ones ......we've seen it all before.
Apart from that Brazilian bloke who used to play for Newcastle. Mirrandinah?