I certainly felt shocked, and raw when I heard the news of Powells departure that day, hot on the heels of the Sheffield United experience. I certainly felt like lashing out, I felt I wanted to let the club know how I was feeling too. I don't apologise for how I felt and reacted then. I wanted to do something at that time, anything. If there is anybody who wants to pin that moment down to how I am as a supporter, and not consider the other years I have put in, then all well and good. If people want to pin Airman down to how he (and others) felt that moment, and not consider the other years he has put in, then they are simply ignorant.
Airman, no one cares about what you have to say on these petty ideas, we support our club because it's in our blood, that will NEVER be determined by the owner of the club, fair play you worked for the club but you don't anymore, so stop being the ultimate pessimist
I think that this has run it's course. What Airman says is right, it was raised as a suggestion of a temporary measure. If he has now decided to renew it's perhaps a bit clumsy not to have been clearer about his intent, but he's not acting in an official or professional capacity here. I can see why he might see his decision as not being a matter of public interest.
The lesson to learn from all of this is that we are all far too impatient and much too quick to pass judgement on people, whether they be players, managers or owners. Success is never instantaneous, it comes with hard work, lots of effort and normally with a lot of mistakes made along the way. RD is a hard nosed businessman, he knows that to get ahead, to be successful, big decisions, often unpopular decisions need to made. Risks need to be taken and sometimes is is necessary to take one step backwards to move two steps forwards. IMO people were too quick to condemn RD and a big part of that was due to the affection we all held for Chris Powell. RD made a very tough, very brave decision and I believed at the time that it was the right decision for all parties, I think he has now been vindicated. Can we from now on give people a little more latitude. Callam has proved that you should not write a player off after one bad game.
Let's just be happy that things didn't turn out as people feared this season and move on to next year. The sniping doesn't really help things, we should be celebrating.
My view is that we should consider asking supporters to withhold their season ticket renewals for the time being until we get some clarity about what is going on with our club.
Personally I have no confidence in any of the people running it, including the leadership team as well as the board, and season tickets are the one lever we can pull without being accused of damaging the team. It's just an idea and I'd welcome people's input.
Airman, the above is what you said in a thread that you started.
I am generally in support of you & believe that if it wasn't for your past efforts, along with others, the club may well not exist today.I will always be grateful to you for that.
However, I don't always agree with you.
You know what weight your opinion carries on here & elsewhere & it would be disingenuous to say otherwise (not that you have).
The point is, if you start a thread entitled " Season-ticket strike to bring the owner to the table", you know full well that this will carry more weight than most other posters.
Therefore, if you have decided that this was not an action that fans should take in your opinion, then the fairest thing to have done, would have been to start another thread, explaining that this was no longer being considered and fans should renew, or at the very least, make this clear on the same thread.
You should also have told fans that you were proposing to renew, as you have now left yourself open to claims of being a hypocritic.
I presume that the thread must have influenced some people not to renew and therefore it has possibly been damaging to the club. To what degree we can't be sure and that's not to say, that this will not be addressed by people now renewing.
Finally, if you or anyone (and I include myself), starts a thread which may materially effect the club, then I think it's only fair, that it then made clear, if they have had a change of opinion.
I said at the outset that "we" should "consider it", "it's just an idea" and asked for "people's input", which for avoidance of argument let's say was that it wasn't a good idea. Things then moved very quickly on to the group that met in the Royal Oak, which made no reference to it. Indeed, it was discounted before that group even met. I have since published two issues of the Voice which made no reference to or encouraged this idea and not returned to it on here, so I'd assumed the fact I wasn't still putting it forward was fairly obvious by now, but if not then I'm happy to make that clear. In any event, I was always going to buy season tickets, as I have every season since 1975/76, including every one of the 14 years that I worked for the club, it was just a question of when.
I'll live with being criticised for doing so, safe in the knowledge that I'd also have been criticised if I hadn't. With hindsight do I think the suggestion was a good one? No, which is why I moved away from it. But things were pretty raw that morning and I won't ever apologise for being passionate about the future of the club.
To be totally clear, I don't dismiss the original question. Infact I suggested something similar when it looked like I was to be turfed out of my seat re Crossbars.
My point is, you are only telling us now, that this was discounted before the G21 even met & yet many people were no doubt considering not renewing, because of your question.
If you had come back and told everyone that due to the responses and further consideration, it was not something to be pursued, it would have been put to bed there & then.
This was suggested on March 11 and now on May 3rd you have made it clear, that you dismissed the idea soon after, without telling this board.
You really should realise, if you don't already, that your views travel fast & many supporters are aware of what you say.
Can I just say I don't take a blind bit of notice of what Everitt or any of the other members of G21 say. I will decide if I renew my season ticket or not. As will thousands of ordinary Charlton fans who haven't got an ego the size of Gibraltar and have never heard of this self appointed group. Going forward, it is vital to support the club. We are in a good position, a chance to say thanks but no thanks to the likes of Green, Cook, Gower etc. I would hope that RD will splash a bit of cash on quality Championship players and hold on to the likes of Poyet, Morrison and Dervite. The Academy with the likes of Gomez, Ahearne-Grant, Holmes-Dennis, Edwards is in a good place.
Can I just say I don't take a blind bit of notice of what Everitt or any of the other members of G21 say. I will decide if I renew my season ticket or not. As will thousands of ordinary Charlton fans who haven't got an ego the size of Gibraltar and have never heard of this self appointed group. Going forward, it is vital to support the club. We are in a good position, a chance to say thanks but no thanks to the likes of Green, Cook, Gower etc. I would hope that RD will splash a bit of cash on quality Championship players and hold on to the likes of Poyet, Morrison and Dervite. The Academy with the likes of Gomez, Ahearne-Grant, Holmes-Dennis, Edwards is in a good place.
I hope so too. I think the activity in the summer will determine whether I become pro RD or not. The recent transfer activity has been poor. Yes we got a good manager in (good is probably an understatement - Riga is an absolute hero) and Powell's team played a blinder, but no thanks to the transfer activity. Ok we stayed up, but I am looking for the signs that this aspect will now be much better. I also don't want to hear we were going for this player or that player - I want to hear we got this player and that player. We all as Charlton fans want the club to be successful. Anybody who thinks otherwise is deluded.
We have had a few heros on the playing side of late. Some of them are soon to be out of contract - Hamer, Dervitte, Morro & Poyet. A good start would be to start ticking these players off one by one as having signed. And of courser getting Riga signed up too.
All I can say is I thought the 'proposed' season ticket boycott was a narrow minded and uninformed suggestion from the outset and it was always going to have a damaging affect that would not have been good for the club. I think it was started as a result of emotions that were generated after Chris Powell was sacked but it was based on rumours and not facts and that was what was disturbing to me. I understand that people do have opposing views and that is good. However, to start a thread like that on so little, if any, facts was, in my opinion, irresponsible. The irresponsible nature of it was compounded by who made the suggestion. If I had made it or if almost anyone else on Charlton Life had made it we would have been laughed at, ridiculed probably and then it would have died a death. But because it was Airman Brown then it immediately carried more weight and this is where I believe it was a very irresponsible posting. Because he knew people would listen and react to it. And, I repeat, the action would not have been good for the club. You could say that the posting was of the 'rabble rousing' variety.
I, for one, am very glad that Airman Brown is being proven wrong in this regard. Still early days some may say but, so far, there has been absolutely no evidence that 1) we are a feeder club for RD's network, 2) that the manager doesn't pick the team, 3) that RD would want us to go down to save himself 4 million, 4) that the owner has no interest in us and that the communications with fans will be shocking, 5) that the ground will be sold off at a profit, 6) that we will get an artificial pitch, 7) that we will get inferior players from SL and the likes just so we can blood his network, 8) that all of our best players will be sold, 9) that he has no interest in getting us to the Premier League and 10) he's a mercenary bastard who knows nothing about football, is in it for his own amusement and couldn't give a didly about Charlton. Add more to this list as you like.
I appreciate that Airman Brown, in the past, has been at the forefront of making radical moves to fight Charlton's causes. I do have his book 'Battle for the Valley' which is still on my bookshelf and a great read. This really was a worthwhile battle to be fought and some people, at the right place at the right time, will just be perfect for that battle (Winston Churchill springs to mind). However, I think it is damaging to want to fight a 'battle' when there just isn't one to be fought which I think is going on here. In that case, it's not a battle for a just cause anymore but just a drama being raised to create a reaction.
Like I have said, very damaging and when this is happening to the club that I love, that is when I start to take exception. Please, folks, examine your motives. Sometimes it's good just to step back a bit, reappraise things and try to get a clear perspective. Maybe the close season is coming at a good time when we can all regroup, re-freshen our brains and come back positive and geared up for the season ahead. It would be nice for us all to be somewhat on the same page and be looking forwards rather than keep harking backwards on the negative things that have happened in the past. It doesn't serve any good. Let's get behind the Board and Management and trust in the Trust to oversee what is going on because I believe that was one of its purposes..
Here's hoping that the unnecessary negativity can just go away and we can get back to supporting Charlton in the right way.
Let's start with the closing of the G21 group as they're not representative and come together under the Trust banner as the official voice of us fans...
I saw one of the G21 in bartrams on Tuesday before the game. He was drinking tea/coffee out of his own flask rather than purchasing a refreshment from the bar, like every other person in there. G21....not in my name.
All I can say is I thought the 'proposed' season ticket boycott was a narrow minded and uninformed suggestion from the outset and it was always going to have a damaging affect that would not have been good for the club. I think it was started as a result of emotions that were generated after Chris Powell was sacked but it was based on rumours and not facts and that was what was disturbing to me. I understand that people do have opposing views and that is good. However, to start a thread like that on so little, if any, facts was, in my opinion, irresponsible. The irresponsible nature of it was compounded by who made the suggestion. If I had made it or if almost anyone else on Charlton Life had made it we would have been laughed at, ridiculed probably and then it would have died a death. But because it was Airman Brown then it immediately carried more weight and this is where I believe it was a very irresponsible posting. Because he knew people would listen and react to it. And, I repeat, the action would not have been good for the club. You could say that the posting was of the 'rabble rousing' variety.
I, for one, am very glad that Airman Brown is being proven wrong in this regard. Still early days some may say but, so far, there has been absolutely no evidence that 1) we are a feeder club for RD's network, 2) that the manager doesn't pick the team, 3) that RD would want us to go down to save himself 4 million, 4) that the owner has no interest in us and that the communications with fans will be shocking, 5) that the ground will be sold off at a profit, 6) that we will get an artificial pitch, 7) that we will get inferior players from SL and the likes just so we can blood his network, 8) that all of our best players will be sold, 9) that he has no interest in getting us to the Premier League and 10) he's a mercenary bastard who knows nothing about football, is in it for his own amusement and couldn't give a didly about Charlton. Add more to this list as you like.
I appreciate that Airman Brown, in the past, has been at the forefront of making radical moves to fight Charlton's causes. I do have his book 'Battle for the Valley' which is still on my bookshelf and a great read. This really was a worthwhile battle to be fought and some people, at the right place at the right time, will just be perfect for that battle (Winston Churchill springs to mind). However, I think it is damaging to want to fight a 'battle' when there just isn't one to be fought which I think is going on here. In that case, it's not a battle for a just cause anymore but just a drama being raised to create a reaction.
Like I have said, very damaging and when this is happening to the club that I love, that is when I start to take exception. Please, folks, examine your motives. Sometimes it's good just to step back a bit, reappraise things and try to get a clear perspective. Maybe the close season is coming at a good time when we can all regroup, re-freshen our brains and come back positive and geared up for the season ahead. It would be nice for us all to be somewhat on the same page and be looking forwards rather than keep harking backwards on the negative things that have happened in the past. It doesn't serve any good. Let's get behind the Board and Management and trust in the Trust to oversee what is going on because I believe that was one of its purposes..
Here's hoping that the unnecessary negativity can just go away and we can get back to supporting Charlton in the right way.
We are going up!!
I think there is ample evidence for number 7 on your list.
I saw one of the G21 in bartrams on Tuesday before the game. He was drinking tea/coffee out of his own flask rather than purchasing a refreshment from the bar, like every other person in there. G21....not in my name.
I saw one of the G21 in bartrams on Tuesday before the game. He was drinking tea/coffee out of his own flask rather than purchasing a refreshment from the bar, like every other person in there. G21....not in my name.
Name & Shame ?
Ha ha, a real pet hate of mine. That and people who take bikes on trains!
I saw one of the G21 in bartrams on Tuesday before the game. He was drinking tea/coffee out of his own flask rather than purchasing a refreshment from the bar, like every other person in there. G21....not in my name.
Name & Shame ?
Ha ha, a real pet hate of mine. That and people who take bikes on trains!
So why mention it ?
There have been several occasions over the last 26 years where I've seen or been told things. I'm not a WUM (is that correct ?) where I've ever said, on an open football forum, I've seenheard something, but, I'm not going to tell you !
I saw one of the G21 in bartrams on Tuesday before the game. He was drinking tea/coffee out of his own flask rather than purchasing a refreshment from the bar, like every other person in there. G21....not in my name.
Name & Shame ?
Ha ha, a real pet hate of mine. That and people who take bikes on trains!
So why mention it ?
Because I'm opposed to this group and it jarred me seeing one of their members drinking his own poison in a club bar. Doesn't mean I have to name and shame him.
Fellow lifers. I'm going to cut through all this and say, RD is good for our club. I understand those that dislike/distrust him or are in the 'wait and see camp'. For me, I am pro RD.
If anyone didn't buy a season ticket cos of what Airman said I'll eat my own socks
Everyone can see with the academy plans and pitch improvements that good things are gonna be happening
Everyone (well most) can see that the January window was played out awfully but the results were achieved and the gamble on Riga proved a master stroke
The next few months will be interesting to see who we actually end up with as players and manager , not who we nearly got
Fingers crossed that on the footballing side lessons have been learnt by the new regime and we make an impression on the right end of the table next season
I don't find it offensive that some supporters were concerned about the new regime , I was more than apprehensive , it's just I'm a lazy fuck who won't do anything about it, I'd rather they were there prepared for battle than not even if the initial concerns have not materialised but it doesn't mean those worries have completely gone away
I also totally understand why some punters are prepared to be patient and not jump down the new owners throats so in the words of Sade ....Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why? Why can't we live together?
If anyone didn't buy a season ticket cos of what Airman said I'll eat my own socks
Everyone can see with the academy plans and pitch improvements that good things are gonna be happening
Everyone (well most) can see that the January window was played out awfully but the results were achieved and the gamble on Riga proved a master stroke
The next few months will be interesting to see who we actually end up with as players and manager , not who we nearly got
Fingers crossed that on the footballing side lessons have been learnt by the new regime and we make an impression on the right end of the table next season
I don't find it offensive that some supporters were concerned about the new regime , I was more than apprehensive , it's just I'm a lazy fuck who won't do anything about it, I'd rather they were there prepared for battle than not even if the initial concerns have not materialised but it doesn't mean those worries have completely gone away
I also totally understand why some punters are prepared to be patient and not jump down the new owners throats so in the words of Sade ....Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why? Why can't we live together?
Could not agree more OohAah. My initial response to the takeover was cautious optimism, and that hasn't changed, it's just the proportions of caution and optimism have fluctuated with events. It's worth bearing in mind the general elation when the last lot took over, and look how that turned out. I'm not saying that RD is anything LIKE them, but given their "mushroom" communication strategy, it's not surprising that the "wait til the end of the season" thing was treated with suspicion. I think most of us WANT to trust that RD's stewardship of the club will lead us to progress, but given that he's new to English football and the "network" idea is pretty much untried, a degree of scepticism is hardly surprising, and I'd argue utterly justified. For us to get fully behind him, we need to know how it's going to work, and that it isn't going to threaten what makes Charlton special to us (cos let's face it, we're hardly in it for the glory, are we?)
People may not agree with the G21's concerns, or the way they've gone about expressing them, but the personal sniping in this thread is tedious and embarrassing. Play the ball, not the man, eh guys?
Also, another vote for changing the thread title, as it's kind of misleading now
I, for one, am very glad that Airman Brown is being proven wrong in this regard. Still early days some may say but, so far, there has been absolutely no evidence that 1) we are a feeder club for RD's network, 2) that the manager doesn't pick the team, 3) that RD would want us to go down to save himself 4 million, 4) that the owner has no interest in us and that the communications with fans will be shocking, 5) that the ground will be sold off at a profit, 6) that we will get an artificial pitch, 7) that we will get inferior players from SL and the likes just so we can blood his network, 8) that all of our best players will be sold, 9) that he has no interest in getting us to the Premier League and 10) he's a mercenary bastard who knows nothing about football, is in it for his own amusement and couldn't give a didly about Charlton. Add more to this list as you like.
We are going up!!
I think there is ample evidence for number 7 on your list.
I think the evidence is from the stopgap shite which came over to put square plugs in round holes. I would have thought, having seen the way we finished the season, RD will be reconsidering completely this idea.
What has G21 actually done? OK Airman made a suggestion when everything was a bit raw - which he has said wasn't his best one. It was raw with me and the timing of receiving my renewal forms on the day Chrisy was sacked didn't help my mood. I contemplated the idea. On reflection I quickly decided to renew and clearly Airman did too. So some people have a bee in their bonnet about a group of fans meeting to discuss what looked like worrying developments. I assume a similar group of fans and number initially discussed plans to get back to the Valley. It all has to start somewhere.
But if the club start producing some positive developments that will be it - G21 will not be needed. And I would imagine that will please the people who originally met as well as everybody else. It won't be because of G21 but I would hope that RD will be looking at the lessons he needs to learn from the past months. That isn't to say his network model won't work, but his advisers need to get a grip on what the Championship is, which is highly competitive and the 4th biggest League in Europe. Bigger than the Belgian league. And the prize for getting out of it at the right end is much bigger too.
Now is the time for us all to enjoy our finish and calmly look and review the activity to come. How that goes should determine whether we need fans to do something going forwards, or whether we can breath a sigh of relief and watch the club move forwards.
Mr Moderator Please can we CLOSE THIS THREAD for the good of THE CLUB, THE OWNERS and CURRENT MANAGEMENT and most importantly...THE TEAM It really is past time for all parties to MOVE ON !!!!
Coming back to the original point of discussion, I don't disagree with airman's point. During times such as those that club have been going through recently, we need certainty and that's something that has seemingly not been achieved by RD and co.
I do however think it's radical to suggest that supporters should not renew their season tickets and so on, at a time where it seems the club needs it's supporters the most. But I think everyone in this discussion that is getting hot headed about airman's original point needs to backtrack to the time at which he said it was only a suggestion.
I am only a young Charlton fan and I know that there will be things going on behind closed doors at the club that many of you will have much more of an idea about than I do, however I do know that I, myself, felt much happier about the club as a whole before the takeover as I believed there to be much more of a sense of this "certainty" that I seem to keep harking on about than there is now.
And no matter how young I am, it is still of my knowledge of the things that airman has done for our Charlton in the past. I believe without radical action back then, when it was most needed, we may not have our Charlton today, hell we might not even have a Charlton at all, so I don't think that we should be so quick to scrutinise airman for what was only a suggestion regarding the uncertainty of the club that we all love.
Airman, no one cares about what you have to say on these petty ideas, we support our club because it's in our blood, that will NEVER be determined by the owner of the club, fair play you worked for the club but you don't anymore, so stop being the ultimate pessimist
Well you're wrong on that. I for one care what Airman has to say because, whether I agree with the conclusions or not, it's very usually based on sound information.
For example, the coming together of the G21 made me uncomfortable, but not all because I thought the militant message coming out of it wasn't quite right. In some part, it was because it brought together a group of people who had some genuine insight to the club over the years and quite some talent pool to boot. Any suggestion this is a group of people wanting to relive past glories isn't worth the time it takes to read - why would such people feel motivated to come together in the way they did?
I like Jose Riga but that doesn't mean I thought the decision to sack Powell was right. I certainly prefer RD to TJ/MS, but that doesn't mean I should stand by an watch everything that he does without a murmur if it's not to the benefit of this historic club.
My biggest concern about the G21 was the potential for division, but I'm more relaxed about that today because the supporter base is divided along these lines. The only thing that will unite us is a clear picture of what's planned for our club, whether than comes from RD or anyone else. (Also, I'm not convinced, despite the monikers ascribed, that the G21 has any intention of being a permanent organisation in competition with the Trust, supporters club etc).
As for Airman, I felt that in the aftermath of his sacking there were some fairly bitter responses and he was easy to bait. But things have moved on, and a number of us are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If you really think he has an axe to grind with the club itself then you're overlooking years of behaviour that clearly shows his commitment to the well-being of the club. That's his primary motivation from my observation, and he is well qualified to comment on many questions about why the club do certain things.
Despite Addicted's impassioned response to Airman's challenge, I found nothing controversial about what Airman had written - I thought it was objective and focused - note that Addicted didn't actually answer the core question. That says to me there's a greater interest in sniping at Airman than shedding light on the truth, which is a shame.
Airman's initial suggestion of a strike appears to have been rejected. He seems to have accepted that. It doesn't mean, however, that there's not good reason why it's been suggested. Nor does it justify slagging him off at every opportunity. Look beyond the personality and ask yourself about the motivations, both in general and specific to the knowledge driving the suggestion; maybe we'll find a little more unity if we look for the truth rather than reject the messenger.
Coming back to the original point of discussion, I don't disagree with airman's point. During times such as those that club have been going through recently, we need certainty and that's something that has seemingly not been achieved by RD and co.
I do however think it's radical to suggest that supporters should not renew their season tickets and so on, at a time where it seems the club needs it's supporters the most. But I think everyone in this discussion that is getting hot headed about airman's original point needs to backtrack to the time at which he said it was only a suggestion.
I am only a young Charlton fan and I know that there will be things going on behind closed doors at the club that many of you will have much more of an idea about than I do, however I do know that I, myself, felt much happier about the club as a whole before the takeover as I believed there to be much more of a sense of this "certainty" that I seem to keep harking on about than there is now.
And no matter how young I am, it is still of my knowledge of the things that airman has done for our Charlton in the past. I believe without radical action back then, when it was most needed, we may not have our Charlton today, hell we might not even have a Charlton at all, so I don't think that we should be so quick to scrutinise airman for what was only a suggestion regarding the uncertainty of the club that we all love.
Comments
I don't apologise for how I felt and reacted then. I wanted to do something at that time, anything.
If there is anybody who wants to pin that moment down to how I am as a supporter, and not consider the other years I have put in, then all well and good.
If people want to pin Airman down to how he (and others) felt that moment, and not consider the other years he has put in, then they are simply ignorant.
Let's just be happy that things didn't turn out as people feared this season and move on to next year. The sniping doesn't really help things, we should be celebrating.
My point is, you are only telling us now, that this was discounted before the G21 even met & yet many people were no doubt considering not renewing, because of your question.
If you had come back and told everyone that due to the responses and further consideration, it was not something to be pursued, it would have been put to bed there & then.
This was suggested on March 11 and now on May 3rd you have made it clear, that you dismissed the idea soon after, without telling this board.
You really should realise, if you don't already, that your views travel fast & many supporters are aware of what you say.
Whether they agree or disagree.
PS I've had a S/T since 1972 :-)
We have had a few heros on the playing side of late. Some of them are soon to be out of contract - Hamer, Dervitte, Morro & Poyet. A good start would be to start ticking these players off one by one as having signed. And of courser getting Riga signed up too.
I, for one, am very glad that Airman Brown is being proven wrong in this regard. Still early days some may say but, so far, there has been absolutely no evidence that 1) we are a feeder club for RD's network, 2) that the manager doesn't pick the team, 3) that RD would want us to go down to save himself 4 million, 4) that the owner has no interest in us and that the communications with fans will be shocking, 5) that the ground will be sold off at a profit, 6) that we will get an artificial pitch, 7) that we will get inferior players from SL and the likes just so we can blood his network, 8) that all of our best players will be sold, 9) that he has no interest in getting us to the Premier League and 10) he's a mercenary bastard who knows nothing about football, is in it for his own amusement and couldn't give a didly about Charlton. Add more to this list as you like.
I appreciate that Airman Brown, in the past, has been at the forefront of making radical moves to fight Charlton's causes. I do have his book 'Battle for the Valley' which is still on my bookshelf and a great read. This really was a worthwhile battle to be fought and some people, at the right place at the right time, will just be perfect for that battle (Winston Churchill springs to mind). However, I think it is damaging to want to fight a 'battle' when there just isn't one to be fought which I think is going on here. In that case, it's not a battle for a just cause anymore but just a drama being raised to create a reaction.
Like I have said, very damaging and when this is happening to the club that I love, that is when I start to take exception. Please, folks, examine your motives. Sometimes it's good just to step back a bit, reappraise things and try to get a clear perspective. Maybe the close season is coming at a good time when we can all regroup, re-freshen our brains and come back positive and geared up for the season ahead. It would be nice for us all to be somewhat on the same page and be looking forwards rather than keep harking backwards on the negative things that have happened in the past. It doesn't serve any good. Let's get behind the Board and Management and trust in the Trust to oversee what is going on because I believe that was one of its purposes..
Here's hoping that the unnecessary negativity can just go away and we can get back to supporting Charlton in the right way.
We are going up!!
There have been several occasions over the last 26 years where I've seen or been told things.
I'm not a WUM (is that correct ?) where I've ever said, on an open football forum, I've seenheard something, but, I'm not going to tell you !
Everyone can see with the academy plans and pitch improvements that good things are gonna be happening
Everyone (well most) can see that the January window was played out awfully but the results were achieved and the gamble on Riga proved a master stroke
The next few months will be interesting to see who we actually end up with as players and manager , not who we nearly got
Fingers crossed that on the footballing side lessons have been learnt by the new regime and we make an impression on the right end of the table next season
I don't find it offensive that some supporters were concerned about the new regime , I was more than apprehensive , it's just I'm a lazy fuck who won't do anything about it, I'd rather they were there prepared for battle than not even if the initial concerns have not materialised but it doesn't mean those worries have completely gone away
I also totally understand why some punters are prepared to be patient and not jump down the new owners throats so in the words of Sade ....Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why? Why can't we live together?
People may not agree with the G21's concerns, or the way they've gone about expressing them, but the personal sniping in this thread is tedious and embarrassing. Play the ball, not the man, eh guys?
Also, another vote for changing the thread title, as it's kind of misleading now
But if the club start producing some positive developments that will be it - G21 will not be needed. And I would imagine that will please the people who originally met as well as everybody else. It won't be because of G21 but I would hope that RD will be looking at the lessons he needs to learn from the past months. That isn't to say his network model won't work, but his advisers need to get a grip on what the Championship is, which is highly competitive and the 4th biggest League in Europe. Bigger than the Belgian league. And the prize for getting out of it at the right end is much bigger too.
Now is the time for us all to enjoy our finish and calmly look and review the activity to come. How that goes should determine whether we need fans to do something going forwards, or whether we can breath a sigh of relief and watch the club move forwards.
You are right, the previous owners would have have found other ways to keep the club running, it's me that feels silly now
Please can we CLOSE THIS THREAD for the good of THE CLUB, THE OWNERS and CURRENT MANAGEMENT and most importantly...THE TEAM
It really is past time for all parties to
MOVE ON !!!!
I do however think it's radical to suggest that supporters should not renew their season tickets and so on, at a time where it seems the club needs it's supporters the most. But I think everyone in this discussion that is getting hot headed about airman's original point needs to backtrack to the time at which he said it was only a suggestion.
I am only a young Charlton fan and I know that there will be things going on behind closed doors at the club that many of you will have much more of an idea about than I do, however I do know that I, myself, felt much happier about the club as a whole before the takeover as I believed there to be much more of a sense of this "certainty" that I seem to keep harking on about than there is now.
And no matter how young I am, it is still of my knowledge of the things that airman has done for our Charlton in the past. I believe without radical action back then, when it was most needed, we may not have our Charlton today, hell we might not even have a Charlton at all, so I don't think that we should be so quick to scrutinise airman for what was only a suggestion regarding the uncertainty of the club that we all love.
For example, the coming together of the G21 made me uncomfortable, but not all because I thought the militant message coming out of it wasn't quite right. In some part, it was because it brought together a group of people who had some genuine insight to the club over the years and quite some talent pool to boot. Any suggestion this is a group of people wanting to relive past glories isn't worth the time it takes to read - why would such people feel motivated to come together in the way they did?
I like Jose Riga but that doesn't mean I thought the decision to sack Powell was right. I certainly prefer RD to TJ/MS, but that doesn't mean I should stand by an watch everything that he does without a murmur if it's not to the benefit of this historic club.
My biggest concern about the G21 was the potential for division, but I'm more relaxed about that today because the supporter base is divided along these lines. The only thing that will unite us is a clear picture of what's planned for our club, whether than comes from RD or anyone else. (Also, I'm not convinced, despite the monikers ascribed, that the G21 has any intention of being a permanent organisation in competition with the Trust, supporters club etc).
As for Airman, I felt that in the aftermath of his sacking there were some fairly bitter responses and he was easy to bait. But things have moved on, and a number of us are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If you really think he has an axe to grind with the club itself then you're overlooking years of behaviour that clearly shows his commitment to the well-being of the club. That's his primary motivation from my observation, and he is well qualified to comment on many questions about why the club do certain things.
Despite Addicted's impassioned response to Airman's challenge, I found nothing controversial about what Airman had written - I thought it was objective and focused - note that Addicted didn't actually answer the core question. That says to me there's a greater interest in sniping at Airman than shedding light on the truth, which is a shame.
Airman's initial suggestion of a strike appears to have been rejected. He seems to have accepted that. It doesn't mean, however, that there's not good reason why it's been suggested. Nor does it justify slagging him off at every opportunity. Look beyond the personality and ask yourself about the motivations, both in general and specific to the knowledge driving the suggestion; maybe we'll find a little more unity if we look for the truth rather than reject the messenger.