I wasn't able to attend the meeting at Woolwich Grand Theatre on 8th February this year as I was out of the UK. I am prepared to be corrected, but the feeling I got was that a sensible crowd assembled with a common cause and the Club responded in some way, at least. Of course, that blighter, RD, got off the hook a bit as the energy was sucked out of those attending that meeting because the results magically changed and relegation quickly turned from a "real danger" to "a threat" to "no sweat".
We're only into the third month of the season, but the tone of discussions has changed rapidly on CL over those three months - from cautious optimism to over-optimism to cautious optimism to a mix of despair and "it'll be OK as soon as everyone's fit".
The meeting called at Woolwich Grand Refrigerator Theatre seemed timely and had a significant number of people ready to make their points and show the club what it thinks. This time, though, I sense (and maybe wrongly) a feeling of "que sera sera" and a lack of energy. Are we just unable to summon the energy to show our feelings as another season seems to be slipping down the pan with or without the end result of relegation?
For me, some of the life has disappeared from the club. I don't know why. I can't put all the blame on RD, I can't put all the blame on the manager or the players. Perhaps, I am just an aging supporter who finds it hard to follow a football club in 2015 - I don't think for one moment that Charlton is the only Club that has disenchanted supporters. For me, the changing personnel and the disparity between Premiership and the rest drive me round the bend. Could you name three players that will be here in two years' time with any degree of certainty?
So, are we planning to re-convene at Woolwich Grand Theatre on 18 February 2016 and get up another head of steam? Or, will it be too late? Or, will Vetokele and Big Mak come back from injury and see us around the promotion spots soon so that some of us can say "You didn't need to panic" and others will wonder why they were in a panic as early as 18 October? I just feel uncomfortable about where we are. There's a big difference between a bumpy ride and a slippery slope - I hope it's the former.
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As for Charlton. RD's plan is working, so why would he be bothered ?
Sell off everything you can to try and break even. If you are successful, you're reward is almost certain relegation.
Anyway, we have insufficient decent players, but are playing a load of kids, on low wages, so job done.
If you're not happy with that, at least you can have a good laugh looking at the sofa.
or not bother going and just watch the life being slowly sucked out of us as the training facilities at sparrows lane improve
We have to like the RD regime - or lump it, until he sells (which will be about money and not about supporter influence).
Bad times ahead.
1. It will be warmer than Woolwich grand Theatre last year.
2. It will be good to go up north again.
3.The wind should blow away, any apathy
RD is playing his fiddle while Charlton burns.
Roland will invest just enough to make sure we stay in the Championship. At some stage we will have our injured players back. We will hit some form and go on a decent run. There'll be some smiles and excitement now and then. But, underlying the occasional highs, there will be the grindingly monotonous dirge that life under Roland and Katrien has brought us.
Individually, we either put up with it and ride out the next several years. Or we don't - and they had better be a lot better at attracting thousands of new fans than they have at keeping us long term fans engaged.
Best part of a year on, perhaps people are showing their feelings through their attendance. Several thousand season ticket holders missing every week, beyond the usual profiles, and the club is noticing. Results are always a big influence, of course, but I'm clearly not alone in sensing a general malaise, an apathy, that's the product of the fans being overlooked for so long. Lip service doesn't cut it, PR campaigns without substance won't change a thing, telling us everything's rosy won't cut it.
Respect us, understand we have a track record of helping to build the club and have always been ready to do so again, and talk to us openly about what you're trying to achieve. Charlton fans with a genuine stake are formidable friends to say the least.
If they were going to have meaningful dialogue with us it would have been long ago.
micPint, getting opinionsand remember to invite KM this time
That said I would rather have RD and KM at the helm than the previous owners. Be careful what you wish for!
Treatment of long term hospitality facilities users
Willingness to sell out a 110 year history of club ethic with stunts like the centre circle video disgrace, pitch side sofa and general adoption of crystal palace Approach to the "match day experience"
Slowly eroding a consultation pyramid that previously was superb in making fans feel part of the club
These are things that have pissed me off no end. Far more important to me than results which can not excuse these strategic decisions but compound them when you are getting tanned and serving up shite to your stakeholders
Club could get 16k comfortably in the Championship IMO. Go back to the community based approach of the target 10K mentality and that's probably 18k-20k with a half decent product on the pitch.
But no we get shagging in the centre circle. 1 million you tube hits from Troy in Texas and Kim in South Korea who usually spend their time looking at funny cat videos. Absolutely zero appeal to the true fanbase
Since then, not a dicky bird. Long term the Olympic stadium is a factor, but short term and the here and now, is the owners who will take us down to League One very shortly.
Why the silence eight months on?
I don't much like Mr D's Master Plan, and have voiced this at numerous times. But the club's management has to recognise that the fans pay (a large proportion of) the wages and should not be fobbed off with sofas, cheerleaders, price 'freezes', slogans and it's all the Post Office's fault. The management has the time and the budget to engage with us, the fans. They have our dosh quick enough.
Can we have some proper discussion, please, Katrien?
There were many , like me , who even though results were good felt that this boring Belgian experiment made us feel different about our club but it was hard to say why because the whole set up is all so weird
Who knows what we can do
It's still the bores club
But those who were prepared to do something were ridiculed as results turned
And even if results turn again in the near future , unless there is a dramatic change of plan , things at Charlton still won't sit pretty with me