Not really something to celebrate, but certainly worth remembering - Charlton were wound up in the High Court on Tuesday, February 27th, 1984, which is 30 years ago next week.
For those who don't know the story - and anyone who wants to revisit it - I've adapted an extract from my book Battle for The Valley (written in 1991), and made it available online
here.
Comments
I went to the Swansea away game and heard supporters saying it might be the last game but I'd heard that a few times previously and didn't think anything of it (although I knew the situation was bad). To hear the club had actually been wound-up was a massive shock and the next ten days or so were desperate. The club was on life-support and seemingly about to die (for the younger element reading this....there was no such thing as Administration and ten points deduction. God, we'd have bitten the League's hand off for that!)
We finally found out we'd been saved on the Thursday of the second week. My Dad had heard it on the radio and told me when I got home from school. It was great news...but the sad thing was only 7,600 or so turned up to see us at home to Grimsby on the following Saturday. The truth was, relatively very few people gave a sh*t about Charlton back then.
For me it puts recent events at the club in to perspective....... Which is why I never really get too stressed about what has / hasn't happend of late (as in since Prem relegation). Whatever happens, it will never be as bad as what happened 30 years ago.
As @Simonsen said no one gave a shit about us those days, and the thought of a rebranded AFC Charlton I don't think crossed any of our minds -- maybe some of those young men who eventually helped form the Valley Party, but I personally think we would just have disappeared. That would never happen today I don't think.
I remember seeing the stop press in the Standard that we had been saved at London Bridge. I saw a Charlton supporting mate on the platform and we had tears in our eyes as we had somewhere to go Saturday.
Little did I know at the time that this was not the end of "the crisis". In fact it was just the beginning of eight turbulent years until we were a proper football club with our own ground again. Had consequence chose differently however....
2. Because for some people those early trials and tribulations helped bind them to the club
3. Because looking back at worse times can give a sense of optimism about the future
4. Because people (like me) who viewed things from a distance can find out what really happened, not just what was reported on the news
5. Because we can learn for the future
And, having been there once, and so very nearly again under TJ and MS, I for one am very grateful that we now have the financial stability brought about by RD. We may be grappling to understand and accept his business/football model but at least we know we will continue to exist - and the optimistic amongst us can at least dream of steady progression and eventual premier league status again.
Football, like life, is light and shade. If you don't understand or experience the disappointments, you'll never be able appreciate the highs properly. It's all part of our identity as a club. But even in isolation 1984 was a victory, not a defeat. It was also the most significant thing that had happened to Charlton in my lifetime to that point!
Those that do not know their history are destined to repeat it.