Speaking personally ( not on behalf of CAST, since I'm across the pond and struggling to keep up with all correspondence) I do like the overall name, and the visual impact it can create. It's a straightforward rallying call which just about everyone can identify with. Good idea, Henry. Also good that you encourage people to take it forward in their own way. That's all very Valley Party.
Inevitably people will find it harder to agree on the four demands, and indeed whether at some point the club claims it has already met them. But that's not a reason not to get behind this simple and visual rallying call. I've even got my scarf ready, it's the Swans one I picked up on that visit 2 years ago. It's a good way to show each other that we are all worried about the direction of our club.
The Trust AGM is next Thursday so rather than tweet or mailing, come along in person and have your say. There's going to be a top quality national journalist in attendance, who is very interested in the whole RD setup.
I think that it's key that this is kept going even if we get a win on Saturday. This happened last season and cannot continue to happen year in, year out. This is a good foundation, but we need keep it going and growing.
I have written a poem for Katrien, hope it helps the campaign...
Charlton are red but you make us blue It seems to us all that you have not a clue Why not invest in a Championship squad Names with vowels that do not sound odd A team to admire and pick out a pass To honour the beauty of that lovely grass And if you are reading and stifle a scoff You and the Belgian can just go fuck off.
I’m all for fan activism and ultimately, whilst we remain outside the Premier League, if we are united we are by far the clubs largest financial stakeholders which probably gives us more clout than we realise.
My big worry is that all four aims of this movement, an understanding of the business plan (even a clue!), the desire for a two way dialogue, responsiveness, working together to improve attendances have been issues from this regimes start. They were issues in February when the public meeting in Woolwich was held and it felt like there was a real groundswell of “enough is enough – we want some answers” but then the team went on a winning run and all was forgiven. When we were beating QPR and Hull at the start of the season nobody saw the need for a fans protest movement, and if we beat Brentford on Saturday and go on a decent run then will we still want the four goals ? Personally I would, but the real key to this is to divorce the performances on the pitch to answers about the governance off the pitch – the alternative is that this will lose momentum and in late 2016 we’ll be having another Woolwich/Black and White moment.
Hello again @se9addick . It was just over three years ago that you and I met together with @razil@PopIcon and @Pico . I recall there were 20 fans at my first gathering and within three months we had a fully incorporated supporters Trust with 100 members and a few hundred subscribers.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
I’m all for fan activism and ultimately, whilst we remain outside the Premier League, if we are united we are by far the clubs largest financial stakeholders which probably gives us more clout than we realise.
My big worry is that all four aims of this movement, an understanding of the business plan (even a clue!), the desire for a two way dialogue, responsiveness, working together to improve attendances have been issues from this regimes start. They were issues in February when the public meeting in Woolwich was held and it felt like there was a real groundswell of “enough is enough – we want some answers” but then the team went on a winning run and all was forgiven. When we were beating QPR and Hull at the start of the season nobody saw the need for a fans protest movement, and if we beat Brentford on Saturday and go on a decent run then will we still want the four goals ? Personally I would, but the real key to this is to divorce the performances on the pitch to answers about the governance off the pitch – the alternative is that this will lose momentum and in late 2016 we’ll be having another Woolwich/Black and White moment.
Hello again @se9addick . It was just over three years ago that you and I met together with @razil@PopIcon and @Pico . I recall there were 20 fans at my first gathering and within three months we had a fully incorporated supporters Trust with 100 members and a few hundred subscribers.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
I’m all for fan activism and ultimately, whilst we remain outside the Premier League, if we are united we are by far the clubs largest financial stakeholders which probably gives us more clout than we realise.
My big worry is that all four aims of this movement, an understanding of the business plan (even a clue!), the desire for a two way dialogue, responsiveness, working together to improve attendances have been issues from this regimes start. They were issues in February when the public meeting in Woolwich was held and it felt like there was a real groundswell of “enough is enough – we want some answers” but then the team went on a winning run and all was forgiven. When we were beating QPR and Hull at the start of the season nobody saw the need for a fans protest movement, and if we beat Brentford on Saturday and go on a decent run then will we still want the four goals ? Personally I would, but the real key to this is to divorce the performances on the pitch to answers about the governance off the pitch – the alternative is that this will lose momentum and in late 2016 we’ll be having another Woolwich/Black and White moment.
Hello again @se9addick . It was just over three years ago that you and I met together with @razil@PopIcon and @Pico . I recall there were 20 fans at my first gathering and within three months we had a fully incorporated supporters Trust with 100 members and a few hundred subscribers.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
So throw your weight behind the campaign then. I'm a CAST member and would be happy to see CAST involved in this. I would actually like to see ALL of the supporters groups involved. It's something that everybody can do collectively and as I've said before, we need to get to a stage where all groups are working together and forget about who's who and which group has more members. I really would not like to see this become an ego trip for the trust (or any other group_, I would like to see all groups meeting as equals and pushing this campaign collectively rather than it being the baby of one group in particular. The only thing that matters is having everybody united and this campaign seems a very simple way to spread the word within the stadium. There are so many people that don't use forums or social media who may also want to see some changes to the way things are run but feel they have no voice. With the support of the Trust and the other fans groups, this could become a campaign that the owners and board cannot ignore. They may not meet all the demands of the campaign, but they may meet some, and that in itself will be a win.
I’m all for fan activism and ultimately, whilst we remain outside the Premier League, if we are united we are by far the clubs largest financial stakeholders which probably gives us more clout than we realise.
My big worry is that all four aims of this movement, an understanding of the business plan (even a clue!), the desire for a two way dialogue, responsiveness, working together to improve attendances have been issues from this regimes start. They were issues in February when the public meeting in Woolwich was held and it felt like there was a real groundswell of “enough is enough – we want some answers” but then the team went on a winning run and all was forgiven. When we were beating QPR and Hull at the start of the season nobody saw the need for a fans protest movement, and if we beat Brentford on Saturday and go on a decent run then will we still want the four goals ? Personally I would, but the real key to this is to divorce the performances on the pitch to answers about the governance off the pitch – the alternative is that this will lose momentum and in late 2016 we’ll be having another Woolwich/Black and White moment.
Hello again @se9addick . It was just over three years ago that you and I met together with @razil@PopIcon and @Pico . I recall there were 20 fans at my first gathering and within three months we had a fully incorporated supporters Trust with 100 members and a few hundred subscribers.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
So throw your weight behind the campaign then. I'm a CAST member and would be happy to see CAST involved in this. I would actually like to see ALL of the supporters groups involved. It's something that everybody can do collectively and as I've said before, we need to get to a stage where all groups are working together and forget about who's who and which group has more members. I really would not like to see this become an ego trip for the trust (or any other group_, I would like to see all groups meeting as equals and pushing this campaign collectively rather than it being the baby of one group in particular. The only thing that matters is having everybody united and this campaign seems a very simple way to spread the word within the stadium. There are so many people that don't use forums or social media who may also want to see some changes to the way things are run but feel they have no voice. With the support of the Trust and the other fans groups, this could become a campaign that the owners and board cannot ignore. They may not meet all the demands of the campaign, but they may meet some, and that in itself will be a win.
To be honest I don't think any single fans group can do this on their own, it will take a concerted effort from across the spectrum of Charlton supporter base, committed to achieving the four objectives HI presented in his opening post. Time to put the petty squabbles behind us and work together.
I’m all for fan activism and ultimately, whilst we remain outside the Premier League, if we are united we are by far the clubs largest financial stakeholders which probably gives us more clout than we realise.
My big worry is that all four aims of this movement, an understanding of the business plan (even a clue!), the desire for a two way dialogue, responsiveness, working together to improve attendances have been issues from this regimes start. They were issues in February when the public meeting in Woolwich was held and it felt like there was a real groundswell of “enough is enough – we want some answers” but then the team went on a winning run and all was forgiven. When we were beating QPR and Hull at the start of the season nobody saw the need for a fans protest movement, and if we beat Brentford on Saturday and go on a decent run then will we still want the four goals ? Personally I would, but the real key to this is to divorce the performances on the pitch to answers about the governance off the pitch – the alternative is that this will lose momentum and in late 2016 we’ll be having another Woolwich/Black and White moment.
Hello again @se9addick . It was just over three years ago that you and I met together with @razil@PopIcon and @Pico . I recall there were 20 fans at my first gathering and within three months we had a fully incorporated supporters Trust with 100 members and a few hundred subscribers.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
So throw your weight behind the campaign then. I'm a CAST member and would be happy to see CAST involved in this. I would actually like to see ALL of the supporters groups involved. It's something that everybody can do collectively and as I've said before, we need to get to a stage where all groups are working together and forget about who's who and which group has more members. I really would not like to see this become an ego trip for the trust (or any other group_, I would like to see all groups meeting as equals and pushing this campaign collectively rather than it being the baby of one group in particular. The only thing that matters is having everybody united and this campaign seems a very simple way to spread the word within the stadium. There are so many people that don't use forums or social media who may also want to see some changes to the way things are run but feel they have no voice. With the support of the Trust and the other fans groups, this could become a campaign that the owners and board cannot ignore. They may not meet all the demands of the campaign, but they may meet some, and that in itself will be a win.
To be honest I don't think any single fans group can do this on their own, it will take a concerted effort from across the spectrum of Charlton supporter base, committed to achieving the four objectives HI presented in his opening post. Time to put the petty squabbles behind us and work together.
It has to be clear that this not led by a specific group. That's then the perfect get-out for KM as she'll use her old excuse of not engaging with one specific group of fans. It has to be obvious this represents the entire fan base.
Comments
Inevitably people will find it harder to agree on the four demands, and indeed whether at some point the club claims it has already met them. But that's not a reason not to get behind this simple and visual rallying call. I've even got my scarf ready, it's the Swans one I picked up on that visit 2 years ago. It's a good way to show each other that we are all worried about the direction of our club.
The Trust AGM is next Thursday so rather than tweet or mailing, come along in person and have your say. There's going to be a top quality national journalist in attendance, who is very interested in the whole RD setup.
@CAFCBlackNWhite
Charlton are red but you make us blue
It seems to us all that you have not a clue
Why not invest in a Championship squad
Names with vowels that do not sound odd
A team to admire and pick out a pass
To honour the beauty of that lovely grass
And if you are reading and stifle a scoff
You and the Belgian can just go fuck off.
The team did indeed go on a winning run back in February and the CEO did offer to talk to various people but the Trust is still around run by fans for fans.
You may recall that after 18 months hard graft including surveys, the ACV campaign and various other initiatives we grew from 100 to 1,000 members, 1,700 subscribers and 2,500 twitter followers. We had a website and a fanzine too and started to cover the business side of the Championship and CAFC.
And some board members like myself stepped down... and others like @rikofold took up the challenge.
We also knew that 50% of the fanbase had stated no interest in Trusts, supporter groups, Valley Gold etc.
That body still exists and still has one of its core objectives "to be the voice of the fans and represent their interests in the running of the club"
How convenient then that fans are throwing out campaigning ideas and tactics just as CASTrust holds its third AGM and plans for its fourth year.
I suggest that all those concerned with the future direction of our club join up and attend the AGM with a view to discussing the vision and tactics required to grow the movement and include all concerned fans.
I won't comment on colour schemes, tactics and I won't share my views on the root causes and possible solutions to our current malaise just yet. No, rather than presuming I have some or all the answers ready to post on here, I will respect the direction chosen by the elected leadership of 1,000 paid up members and a further 3,000 twitter and email followers.
If the Trust leadership put something worthwhile together then numbers will grow. If fans cannot unite and steer such an organisation towards a successful campaign then why on earth would any club owner take the supporters seriously?
That is the simple challenge which M.Duchatelet has set all of us. To hold the Trust leadership to account and to assist them in articulating a powerful, mature and popular vision of how the fans of our club can assist delivery of progress.
I will simply add that anyone wishing to take a leadership role in this endeavour should seek nomination to the Trust board. Perhaps a contested election might even provide for a democratic basis for the Trust to decide direction and approach.
Obviously fans can choose to set up their own thing but they may wish to consider whether this adds to the general confusion and dilutes the fan message? Here's the thing: if fans support collective action then help shape up the fans collective which already has the capability and mechanism in place.
But if you don't support collective action then sit back and watch. But if fans take an interest then the Trust will be around for years to come, long after RD and KM have cleared out.
Good stuff everyone.
Also, the original link for black and white scarves has sold out! (Good sign)
Please use this link from now on if you would like to make a difference http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004S7CQ94/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1445464919&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=result+team+scarf+white+black&dpPl=1&dpID=31FXrHq96vL&ref=plSrch
https://www.missguided.co.uk/clothing/category/monochrome
To most fans, I suspect not.
More than happy for the Trust to play as big a part as they want.