High risk fans put on a train ... that's good Floyd Road closed to home fans after game ... makes sense in that this was planned and announced... In a parallel universe somewhere CAFC actually win London derbies at home! But closing all other routes to Woolwich Road including some NOT announced? There is plenty of time for this issue to be discussed and agreed in time for next season... and I applaud the efforts of Henry, the trust and others to gather supporters views on the way forward.
I think it an interesting justification of the plan and execution that nothing happened... as a one off that is fine... but is this for every time against Millwall, Palace and any other London club?
Club is in a bloody poor state as far as I am concerned. We have had many games with high risk fans before & we have never been treated like this so why now.
Because seats, smokebombs and flares were thrown at Millwall and because the toilets were wrecked and seats smashed at Palace (amongst other things).
Absolutely 100% correct. We had posters on here defending/downplaying what went on at those two games in particular and having a pop at posters like yourself, myself, Len and many others as 'happy clappers' when pointing out that it was likely to have consequences - we'll now we know what they were don't we? Yet I suspect (and this isn't aimed at anyone in particular and I haven't checked) that most of those same posters are now up in arms at the 'liberty' taken with their rights as the home supporters.
I don't agree with much about the way the club/police have handled this at all and questions need to be asked and points made but if nothing else comes of this I hope it serves as a reality check for some of the morons we seem to have collected along the way that what you do in the name of our club has implications for us all.
Club is in a bloody poor state as far as I am concerned. We have had many games with high risk fans before & we have never been treated like this so why now.
Because seats, smokebombs and flares were thrown at Millwall and because the toilets were wrecked and seats smashed at Palace (amongst other things).
Absolutely 100% correct. We had posters on here defending/downplaying what went on at those two games in particular and having a pop at posters like yourself, myself, Len and many others as 'happy clappers' when pointing out that it was likely to have consequences - we'll now we know what they were don't we? Yet I suspect (and this isn't aimed at anyone in particular and I haven't checked) that most of those same posters are now up in arms at the 'liberty' taken with their rights as the home supporters.
I don't agree with much about the way the club/police have handled this at all and questions need to be asked and points made but if nothing else comes of this I hope it serves as a reality check for some of the morons we seem to have collected along the way that what you do in the name of our club has implications for us all.
So, having seen the writing on the wall and having another engagement, Mrs Lout and I chose to leave 10 minutes early (something I hardly ever do, honest). At that time the police had set up their roadblocks and wouldn't let the few fans that were drifting away through them - jobsworths the lot of 'em. It said in the program that these measures would be in place AT THE FINAL WHISTLE. The reason for closing Ransom Walk I thought was because it couldn't accommodate the number of fans that would want to use it given the other road closures - so why couldn't the small number of fans leaving early use it?
I have to support Henry's suggestions as they focus on how we go forward........ I am asking for the Police to explain their rational for the methods they used and to answer question from fans. If that means a public meeting at the Valley (which the Croydon police did after the game there) then so be it.
I would like those people to push for answers and for improvements.
Some of the above people I know personally and I'll speak to them. Others I don't but we can all inbox them or ask them to take some action here.
It also echoes what Razil's comments are..... Richard Wiseman Trust interim secretary can be contacted on secretary@castrust.org, and is dealing directly with this area, we have published accounts and articles concerning the Policing of CAFC fans, and calling for better communications.
It is time for the club to communicate better with it's fans, which was something that Steve Bradshaw wanted to do after the palace game. ( when I spoke to him) There needs to be a clear communication policy in how to notify fans, and when, in these situations. There also needs to be a clear policy about complaints, inside and outside of the Valley, and for away games. I would suggest that the football supporters federation participate as well as other interested parties, because they have the expertise and people who deal with exactly this type of situation. I know there officer is happy to come down to the Valley and discuss these issues. If of course she is invited?. We are not the only club in this situation, and although our incident/s are for us to have specific agreement's where possible in place, we need to be part of a co-ordinated approach.
Thanks Henry, we would prefer it was done under the auspices of the Fan's Forum though, and obviously we will work within that if at all possible. In the interim we should send a letter asking for a review on that basis.
It basically was that and how Mick E would send me further details. It's on my work computer so can't see it at mo. it didn't have anything else new.
I guess what I would be interested in - because I have already got my FOI request in to the Met - is whether Bradshaw repeats that the police decided they would not hold Millwall back, and if so, when they told the Club this.
This season - there have been a couple of games where away supporters who wished to attend the game went via controlled transport (coaches). Whilst it might have been harder to arrange given the space available behind the Jimmy Seed, was this something the club considered? If not why not ? Given the geography of both clubs fan bases I am sure something could have been arranged. Additionally, Millwall also had to collect their tickets for the Leeds clash via a Service Station.
Thankfully I wasn't inconvenienced at all from last Saturday, except have to park in a different location. I was at both Palace and Millwall and I don't accept that the lighting of a flare and a smoke bomb at Millwall or the actions of a minority at Palace mean we have to go over the top. Palace didn't do anything of the like for their fans did they ?Saturday appears to have been a complete over reaction and amazingly, the club decided it best to inconvenience their own rather than put Millwall fans out. Shame on you Charlton.
I'm sorry but that is a typically whitewash corporate response from ME. Complete and utter garbage. The fact is that OUR fans were treated like dirt to convenience Millwall supporters and the club has only ended up in alienating a huge section of its own customer base. This, added to the FA Cup debacle and patronising warnings to 'behave' published in the programme is pushing the boundaries of my loyalty to this football club.
And if there had been a mass punch-up in Floyd Road after the match then what?
Would you be criticising the decision not to cordon it off?
Sometimes it's best to be safe than sorry. It's not about appeasing Millwall fans or treating our fans like dirt but adopting a safety first attitude. Sadly after the away game and Millwall's record the chances of further trouble were always going to be high.
The issue of the problem with Millwall has never been addressed or tackled by those that would have had the authourity to do something about it , this goes back over decades of problems and issues, which now leaves us in the position we find ourselves in today. The farcical situation is illustrated by the treatment of Charlton fans at the last but one visit to The Den when we lost 4-0 and those that wanted to were prevented from leaving the ground early, which surely would have been a good thing from a Policing point of view. Instead we held back for 30-45 mins after the final whistle with the Millwall tannoy telling us that we are being held back "for your own safety" - surely this must be classed as Millwall publicly admitting it has a problem. Compare and contrast to what happened at The Valley last week. The key issue is that the core problem at Millwall has never been addressed or dealt with, and is still being ignored today. What happened last week wasnt Charltons fault, perhaps certain issues could have been handled differently, but the current situation has been caused by years of inaction and by definition condoning attitudes and behaviours by that inaction.
Comments
Floyd Road closed to home fans after game ... makes sense in that this was planned and announced... In a parallel universe somewhere CAFC actually win London derbies at home!
But closing all other routes to Woolwich Road including some NOT announced?
There is plenty of time for this issue to be discussed and agreed in time for next season... and I applaud the efforts of Henry, the trust and others to gather supporters views on the way forward.
I think it an interesting justification of the plan and execution that nothing happened... as a one off that is fine... but is this for every time against Millwall, Palace and any other London club?
I don't agree with much about the way the club/police have handled this at all and questions need to be asked and points made but if nothing else comes of this I hope it serves as a reality check for some of the morons we seem to have collected along the way that what you do in the name of our club has implications for us all.
I am asking for the Police to explain their rational for the methods they used and to answer question from fans. If that means a public meeting at the Valley (which the Croydon police did after the game there) then so be it.
I would like those people to push for answers and for improvements.
Some of the above people I know personally and I'll speak to them. Others I don't but we can all inbox them or ask them to take some action here.
It also echoes what Razil's comments are.....
Richard Wiseman Trust interim secretary can be contacted on secretary@castrust.org, and is dealing directly with this area, we have published accounts and articles concerning the Policing of CAFC fans, and calling for better communications.
It is time for the club to communicate better with it's fans, which was something that Steve Bradshaw wanted to do after the palace game. ( when I spoke to him) There needs to be a clear communication policy in how to notify fans, and when, in these situations.
There also needs to be a clear policy about complaints, inside and outside of the Valley, and for away games.
I would suggest that the football supporters federation participate as well as other interested parties, because they have the expertise and people who deal with exactly this type of situation. I know there officer is happy to come down to the Valley and discuss these issues. If of course she is invited?. We are not the only club in this situation, and although our incident/s are for us to have specific agreement's where possible in place, we need to be part of a co-ordinated approach.
OK, that's me done
Thankfully I wasn't inconvenienced at all from last Saturday, except have to park in a different location. I was at both Palace and Millwall and I don't accept that the lighting of a flare and a smoke bomb at Millwall or the actions of a minority at Palace mean we have to go over the top. Palace didn't do anything of the like for their fans did they ?Saturday appears to have been a complete over reaction and amazingly, the club decided it best to inconvenience their own rather than put Millwall fans out. Shame on you Charlton.
'Put up or shut up', I think was the gist...
Would you be criticising the decision not to cordon it off?
Sometimes it's best to be safe than sorry. It's not about appeasing Millwall fans or treating our fans like dirt but adopting a safety first attitude. Sadly after the away game and Millwall's record the chances of further trouble were always going to be high.
Damned if you do...
What BFR said
Never thought that would ever happen