Working in London around the dates of the meeting so will make it. So encouraging that the fans are taking action in this measured way. The dream is to form a fan backed club, with fans on the board. Whether that can ever be an attainable reality, I don't know. But it's the only way for clubs like ours to truly strive IMHO.
I agree @AFKABartram... Very worrying! I have half a dozen mates who hardly go anymore but none of it is to do with the current ownership. They stopped coming for various reasons over the past few seasons and fear there is a general malaise setting in
Taxi Lad - if you can't see the link between the owner, his Network Policy and the revolving door for temporary playing and managerial appointments, and the "general malaise setting in," frankly you're wasting your time on this thread.
the 'football for a fiver' game will be a massive telling on what the fans and the public think of what's happening , whether we sell out or not is anyone's guess!
I don't think there's much chance of it selling out.
Can't see it even getting anywhere near even 20k despite footy for a fiver and Chrissy P's homecoming. People just aren't bothered, that's part of the general malaise many are talking about. Whether the heart is being ripped out if the club or not, the fact is it's a bore and for me at least, a chore to Attend Games Right Now. VIVE LE REVOLUTION!
Let's stop the bickering between ourselves. I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton. Duff managers can be appointed eg Dowie but the intention when appointed was to advance Charlton. ( or maybe a bit of Murray getting on over Jordan) At present things are very wrong. Protest to let RD know this is not the way CAFC should be run is the correct thing to do. Protest needs to be coordinated and effective. Publicity will be gained if it is wide scale. Let's get behind the Trust and help CAFC, as it's the supporters that are the heart of CAFC not RD.
Good stuff Taxi_Lad. Then not sure why you don't understand. Perhaps it should be of sufficient concern, that tens of lifelong supporters are claiming that they will stop attending. That in itself should be enough to concern you, if nothing else.
It is a concern of course but i honestly bellieve those who feel like walking away do so ultimately because of results. They may have wound each other up to the point of hating RD, the network and all things Belgique but ive yet to hear a single valid reason for feeling this way that is not team performance related, player ability related, manager related etc.
Maybe its because we are all different. I would feel that way if my club's existence was being put in danger, or losing The Valley (for which we fought so hard to win back), or changng our name/team colours. That sort of thing in my opinion would be 'ripping the heart out of our club' and require mass action but this????? Not for me. I turn up with a burning desire to see the 11 wearing the badge play better than and beat the other lot. I long to see us again challenging at the top and maybe returning to the Prem. For me that is supporting the team. Walking away because things arent going swimmingly is a bit naff to be honest but hey each to their own.
I would rather see everyone getting togther to improve the atmosphere on matchdays and help those 11 players get some confidence back and start winning games and scoring goals again. The ability level is much maligned on here but those same players got us off to a good start, so for me ability is not in question. As for Guy Luzon, i give him a clean slate and hope he can build on the 2 draws. As i said on the 'being positive' thread runs like this dont go on forever and im sure some of the clubs hovering above us are due for a bad run too
You are getting boring now. You are like their mouthpiece. Yes we get your point. Most don't agree with you so that is that.
I dont agree with him but he is entitled to his opinion.
How will I be able to recognise other lifers and know who to sit with? I'd quite like to put a face to some names but I'm pretty sure the likes of @ValleyGary doesn't look like a snail and @MrLargo isn't a despicable looking villan I for one don't look anything like Steve Claridge, so if anyone thinks they're going to meet someone with 907,548 clubs and 147 goals then they'll be mightily disappointed.
In all serious well done to the Trust for suggesting and mobilising it. I hope to be there
Ive changed my profile pic so you know what i look like.
I've also changed mine to the real me. Please go easy on me as I do have the clubs best interests at heart.
I have approached my doctor and sadly I will not be able to make the meeting, it is too soon after my heart issue. I also understand the potential problems of putting the meeting 'live' on the web/video conference, therefore all I can ask and plead is that it does not become a 'shouting' match between those who have differing opinions. The agenda should clearly state that people will get 'x' amount of time to make their point to the assembled group and that each person has the right to be heard without being shouted down. We need the meeting to be calm, organised and regulated to show we are not just a 'baying' mob. If you can find the right venue, how about a round tables sitting 15 per table with a microphone passed around so everyone can be heard. I went to a recent work conference (last July) set up like this - it had nearly 500 participants and it seemed to work very well. Just a thought.
Can't see it even getting anywhere near even 20k despite footy for a fiver and Chrissy P's homecoming. People just aren't bothered, that's part of the general malaise many are talking about. Whether the heart is being ripped out if the club or not, the fact is it's a bore and for me at least, a chore to Attend Games Right Now. VIVE LE REVOLUTION!
Agreed, it won't sell out, but providing the effort has been made to market it beyond the normal fan base it should still get to 20,000 because it attracts a tranche of people who are not supporters and won't be plugged in to developments.
Well @Taxi_Lad there were just 11,000 through the turnstiles on Saturday for a Saturday game that could have took us to 12th in the championship. When we were relegated from this division 6 years ago we averaged 21,000. Three years in league one we averaged 17.6. 15.6 and 17.4.
The alarm bells shouldn't just be that people with 20, 30, 40, 50 years support are saying on here they think they have reached the end of the line due to a multitude of reasons surrounding the club / spitting their toys out of the pram (however you want to interpret it), it should also be that thousands have already walked away.
Whilst understanding the point you're making the examples are using different criteria eg turnstile count/tickets sold. Not that I agree but one could counter argue that all the doom and gloom about has resulted in us averaging 16.4k this season which is only just over 1k less than our multi record breaking championship winning season when we were giving away many more freebies and (it seemed) more football for a fiver matches. One could also say 6 years prior to your 21,000 ave example we averaged over 26k so when did it really start?
Well @Taxi_Lad there were just 11,000 through the turnstiles on Saturday for a Saturday game that could have took us to 12th in the championship. When we were relegated from this division 6 years ago we averaged 21,000. Three years in league one we averaged 17.6. 15.6 and 17.4.
The alarm bells shouldn't just be that people with 20, 30, 40, 50 years support are saying on here they think they have reached the end of the line due to a multitude of reasons surrounding the club / spitting their toys out of the pram (however you want to interpret it), it should also be that thousands have already walked away.
Whilst understanding the point you're making the examples are using different criteria eg turnstile count/tickets sold. Not that I agree but one could counter argue that all the doom and gloom about has resulted in us averaging 16.4k this season which is only just over 1k less than our multi record breaking championship winning season when we were giving away many more freebies and (it seemed) more football for a fiver matches. One could also say 6 years prior to your 21,000 ave example we averaged over 26k so when did it really start?
Complex subject - although you are correct that AFKA's comparison is not like for like. In 2011/12 there were two Football for a Fiver matches and a deal on Hartlepool, plus various smaller price offers. However away support is a big issue. It usually averages 1,500 in the Championship and was only about 600 in League One in 2011/12.
I have the turnstile count figures for 2011/12 but not to hand. Off the top of my head there were probably 14,000 in the ground on average, which allowing for the differential in away fans is a 4,000 decline to 11,000, but this will not be the average. The gap between the announced gate and the turnstile count - not itself completely reliable - will vary from match to match.
..... I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton.....
I appreciate that I appear to be in a very small minority and that the non-communicative stance taken by the Club is both unhelpful and stupid but, amongst all the heat generated and vitriole vented in multiple threads on this forum, particularly since Luzon's appointment, I have seen not a shred of hard evidence that "suiting RDs circumstances" and the best interests of Charlton (at least in terms of long-term success on the pitch) are mutually incompatible or that Luzon's appointment was driven by anything other than RD's sincere view (whether astute or misguided, we need more than 2 games to determine) of the best appointment for preserving CAFC's league status. I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
..... I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton.....
I appreciate that I appear to be in a very small minority and that the non-communicative stance taken by the Club is both unhelpful and stupid but, amongst all the heat generated and vitriole vented in multiple threads on this forum, particularly since Luzon's appointment, I have seen not a shred of hard evidence that "suiting RDs circumstances" and the best interests of Charlton (at least in terms of long-term success on the pitch) are mutually incompatible or that Luzon's appointment was driven by anything other than RD's sincere view (whether astute or misguided, we need more than 2 games to determine) of the best appointment for preserving CAFC's league status. I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
Just a thought and if its been covered already I do apologise. Will their be any communication with local media such as BBC London, maybe even Sky Sports News to cover this. It seems there was quite a media interest in the battle for the valley, and especially if we end up with a lot of fans outside the venue, we would make a lot of noise and some coverage will put the spotlight on RD, something he would not want.
It won't be a ST boycott, it will be fans deciding they have better things to do on a Saturday. The reality is that different fans have different levels of commitment.
The Kuwaiti owner sacked City Ground favourite Stuart Pearce and replaced him with Dougie Freedman at the weekend. Chief executive Paul Faulkner then quit while Forest are on a full transfer embargo for failing Supporters have reacted angrily but Al Hasawi has had enough. He responded to Twitter comments asking if he will ever walk away by claiming: "I will soon from everything." Al Hasawi is also considering suing fans who have abused him according to close friend Emad Alqahtani, who said: "We now have all the accounts that did swear to him and abused him for a week all captured and ready to take legal action. "It's hard to know what goes on his mind these days but trust me on this one. The guy is so damn upset from the abuse he got from many."
..... I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton.....
I appreciate that I appear to be in a very small minority and that the non-communicative stance taken by the Club is both unhelpful and stupid but, amongst all the heat generated and vitriole vented in multiple threads on this forum, particularly since Luzon's appointment, I have seen not a shred of hard evidence that "suiting RDs circumstances" and the best interests of Charlton (at least in terms of long-term success on the pitch) are mutually incompatible or that Luzon's appointment was driven by anything other than RD's sincere view (whether astute or misguided, we need more than 2 games to determine) of the best appointment for preserving CAFC's league status. I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
Whatever it takes to get new owners
Be careful what you wish for. Lower ticket revenues are most unlikely to force RD to sell but, even if they did, the more the finances of the Club have been damaged (and I accept that that may occur irrespective of any ST boycott) the more likely it is that the main (but undisclosed) interest of a buyer would be in the real estate. If we had a wealthy genuine fan interested in a takeover he'd surely have surfaced over the past few years. Sadly, there are likely to be many more Slater & Jimenezs, Hulyers and Sunleys out there than Murrays - but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.
..... I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton.....
I appreciate that I appear to be in a very small minority and that the non-communicative stance taken by the Club is both unhelpful and stupid but, amongst all the heat generated and vitriole vented in multiple threads on this forum, particularly since Luzon's appointment, I have seen not a shred of hard evidence that "suiting RDs circumstances" and the best interests of Charlton (at least in terms of long-term success on the pitch) are mutually incompatible or that Luzon's appointment was driven by anything other than RD's sincere view (whether astute or misguided, we need more than 2 games to determine) of the best appointment for preserving CAFC's league status. I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
Whatever it takes to get new owners
Is that any new owners? Maybe the chuckle brothers can buy it back at a knock-down price?
I've been in the 'wait and see' camp ever since RD took over - but even I am now having feelings of concern. What we can realistically do about it is another matter and I would use the words of caution 'be careful what you wish for'.
last two posts are spot on. how do we know any other owner would be better? would you want a new owner who sees £££ signs in The Valley and moves us to the Peninsula or elsewhere? imo we are in general, definately financially, in a better state under RD than we were under the Two Spivs.
..... I think we all agree that RD does not appear to be running the club in the way we as CAFC expect or want. The appointment of Luzon is a prime example, he has been appointed to suit RDs circumstances not the best interests of Charlton.....
I appreciate that I appear to be in a very small minority and that the non-communicative stance taken by the Club is both unhelpful and stupid but, amongst all the heat generated and vitriole vented in multiple threads on this forum, particularly since Luzon's appointment, I have seen not a shred of hard evidence that "suiting RDs circumstances" and the best interests of Charlton (at least in terms of long-term success on the pitch) are mutually incompatible or that Luzon's appointment was driven by anything other than RD's sincere view (whether astute or misguided, we need more than 2 games to determine) of the best appointment for preserving CAFC's league status. I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
Whatever it takes to get new owners
Be careful what you wish for. Lower ticket revenues are most unlikely to force RD to sell but, even if they did, the more the finances of the Club have been damaged (and I accept that that may occur irrespective of any ST boycott) the more likely it is that the main (but undisclosed) interest of a buyer would be in the real estate. If we had a wealthy genuine fan interested in a takeover he'd surely have surfaced over the past few years. Sadly, there are likely to be many more Slater & Jimenezs, Hulyers and Sunleys out there than Murrays - but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.
We must have been typing at the same time - great minds and all that!!
Comments
At present things are very wrong. Protest to let RD know this is not the way CAFC should be run is the correct thing to do. Protest needs to be coordinated and effective.
Publicity will be gained if it is wide scale. Let's get behind the Trust and help CAFC, as it's the supporters that are the heart of CAFC not RD.
One could also say 6 years prior to your 21,000 ave example we averaged over 26k so when did it really start?
I have the turnstile count figures for 2011/12 but not to hand. Off the top of my head there were probably 14,000 in the ground on average, which allowing for the differential in away fans is a 4,000 decline to 11,000, but this will not be the average. The gap between the announced gate and the turnstile count - not itself completely reliable - will vary from match to match.
Not sure there will be a 'vegetarian option' as well.....
Would you like to help out on the event?..... I am sure we will need some people to help out.
Let them eat cake, they will just have to accept it
I offer my services for a bit of home baking if needed, just down blame me if you get a bit drowsy
I support the planned meeting but I strongly urge you not to take steps which seek to damage the finances of the Club. If you want a change of ownership, an ST boycott or the like will do little to disrupt RD's plans or hurt his wallet but could easily serve to deter prospective buyers.
The Kuwaiti owner sacked City Ground favourite Stuart Pearce and replaced him with Dougie Freedman at the weekend.
Chief executive Paul Faulkner then quit while Forest are on a full transfer embargo for failing
Supporters have reacted angrily but Al Hasawi has had enough. He responded to Twitter comments asking if he will ever walk away by claiming: "I will soon from everything."
Al Hasawi is also considering suing fans who have abused him according to close friend Emad Alqahtani, who said: "We now have all the accounts that did swear to him and abused him for a week all captured and ready to take legal action.
"It's hard to know what goes on his mind these days but trust me on this one. The guy is so damn upset from the abuse he got from many."
Not as hard as RD then.
Be careful what you wish for. Lower ticket revenues are most unlikely to force RD to sell but, even if they did, the more the finances of the Club have been damaged (and I accept that that may occur irrespective of any ST boycott) the more likely it is that the main (but undisclosed) interest of a buyer would be in the real estate. If we had a wealthy genuine fan interested in a takeover he'd surely have surfaced over the past few years. Sadly, there are likely to be many more Slater & Jimenezs, Hulyers and Sunleys out there than Murrays - but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.
I've been in the 'wait and see' camp ever since RD took over - but even I am now having feelings of concern. What we can realistically do about it is another matter and I would use the words of caution 'be careful what you wish for'.