If RD has a plan to sell The Valley or more likely redevelop The Valley, such as a hotel/flats in place of/incorporated into the Jimmy Seed Stand.
Does it make a difference whether we have 8,000 or 18,000 crowds ?
In other words could our boycott be counter productive ?
If we remain in League 1, with tiny away crowds coming from Shrewsbury etc and only 8,000 home crowds. The club could put the away fans in the Lower West, like on Saturday & redevelop the Jimmy Seed, reducing the capacity ?
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Those that cant stop themselves from going will say what you say as a justification angle.
On the flip side, Those that boycott say that you can't really be that outraged as you are still prepared to write a cheque to them for hundreds of pounds and give them credibility and offset their losses.
Only one person knows what the real answer is and he won't tell anyone.
But he's in this for the money and the buzz of business, so yes I think it is possible the boycott could be playing completely into his hands.
Whatever he is up to, it's not about football, so if he can make money without the inconvenience of fans I'm sure he will.
I'm not trying to argue the case for attending, as I've said on numerous occasions, that everyone should do what they need/want to do and I respect everyone's decision.
Duchatelet is extremely disfunctional and who knows why the hell he is involved with a football club at all, particularly when his stated business plan has the affect of driving the club further and further down the leagues.
Trying to rationalise what are basically misguided & irrational decisions is probably a waste of time.
Even if it takes 10 years we will win out.
Assumptions are also being made that planning will be obtained and that former directors will postpone their charges in favour of sales / creation of long leases over the land in question. Many hurdles to be overcome before any redevelopment can take place. Meanwhile hit him where it hurts, on the bottom line.
Tell me, how can he actually gain profit from charlton? Stripping assets? Redeveloping the valley? The training ground?
Let's say he completely just doesn't give a shit about charlton, which evidently appears to be arguably the case, there would have been an owner prior to RD who doesn't give a shit about another club even more.
There would have been an owner prior to RD that has done the whole asset stripping thing to target the apparent real big cheese. I know RD sees himself as Alan Turing, an original thinker, a code breaker or whatever.
But asset stripping a club to the core of everything, for an already rich person, just sounds like so much more effort then what it's worth. So pointless.
So redeveloping the valley...closing a stand and replacing it with hotels in his name. As one example of a possible intention.
Ok.
Getting permission to do that, and all what that involves, don't ask me, I ain't got a f*cking clue, but if he did do that, he would be trying to turn charlton into something it really really, is not.
Charlton is not a holiday destination. It is also unjustifiably probably quite an expensive area to live in. The only thing it offers, apart from the football is easy access into London Central.
Then you have a lovely parade of kebab and betting shops, oh and charlton lido.
Don't get me wrong I still like the place. Mostly because my football club lives within it. The area of charlton is annoying stuck in my heart forever.
Apart from the football ground, in this day an age, it's generally just a bit grey but it doesn't matter. It doesn't need a multiplex or something else to dress it up, that is not it's purpose or destiny.
It wouldn't make any sense to anyone.
There's your block. The soul of the area is more powerful.
The surrounding area of the valley hardly has any space for addons that are not linked with football.
Roland just hurry up and attempt to do what you gotta do so we can all see it f*ck up as quickly as possible, get it over with , fail again, and just sell to the highest bidder.
Don't let your kids have the burden of owning charlton.
Not doing anyone any favours.
I think if the attendence number dropped to say 100 or even lower at each home game then he would definitely consider selling up (well I know it's not going to happen...). Could everyone just stay at home listening to live commentary on the radio or following the match thread on here? I guess it's easier for me to make a suggestion like this as I've never been to a Charlton game and it's how I follow a game nowadays. Obviously there will always be people going to matches but I think the loyalty of our fans is exactly the thing that has been used by this evil regime. They take the supporters' love and passion for this club for granted. It's like no matter what they do, how the club is being run, they know (some) people are going to come.
Some may argue that RD doesn't care about money but I always think he does. If there's zero financial return on investment, it won't be sustainable for him and ultimately he'll have to consider letting go. A complete boycott is the only way I can think of for us to defeat him. It's cruel but what else can we do? I'm sure most of you will be straight back once he's gone so it's not killing the club but rather, a possible way to save it from oblivion.
I have long been afraid of exactly what you are saying CE, however, I don't think it makes the boycott self defeating, it's exactly why it needs to be done. The more money RD loses the less any plan can work. The losses must be adding up faster than he'd ever imagined. starving RD of funds, imo, is the fastest way of getting him out.
Hitting him hard in the pocket may get him to sell and I will go down that route if it will force him out.
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Charlton Athletic fans have succeeded in their attempt to have The Valley listed as an Asset of Community Value.
The application by the Charlton Athletic Supporters' Trust was approved by Greenwich Council, and means the group must be notified if the ground is to be sold.
"An ACV recognises how important The Valley is to the local community," CAS Trust chairman Barnie Razzell said.
"It is our hope that we will not ever have to use the legislation."
What is an Asset of Community Value (ACV) and how does a listing work?
A building, or other land, is an asset of community value if its main use is, or has recently been, to "further the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community" and it could do so in the future
The request must come from a voluntary or community body with a local connection and relate to land in the local authority's area, or in the neighbouring local authority's area.
The listing lasts for five years and also includes should the stadium be put up for sale, a 'right to bid', which can be lodged by the group concerned within a period of six weeks, with finance secured in a period of up to four-and-a-half months
He added: "Fans will now have a right in law to participate in any discussion about the future of football at The Valley."
Showing up at home games is self defeating because it gives them the get out argument that people are satisfied.
Staying away is the surest way to signify to the world that we are unhappy with the stewardship of our club.
I don't think he has plans to re develop the ground, I just think he has no idea how to run a football club never listens to anyone else, his way is right.
I just hope he gives up soon and sells
His ownership of Charlton and indeed his other clubs is to prove a point, that is he can run football clubs differently. I don' t believe that he wants to destroy Charlton but he wants to change Charlton into something unrecognisable from the club we have chosen to follow. That is, a club with no real ambition to reach the Premiership (he has been quoted as saying he doesn't care whether his clubs win games) but rather play at a lower level and break even by producing players that can be sold on. There will an " improved " match day experience with face painting, goal music and big rubber hands. So if crowds drop to say 4000 but the club breaks even he will consider he is been successful. By boycotting you are at least denying him your money to help fulfill his mad fantasies.
I think Mametz is probably right though, in that he doesn't want to dismantle the club but just change it into an also-ran with no ambition other than to create young players, play them, and sell them for big profits.
He probably knows the money it would take, and lack of guarantee, to get CAFC into the Premier League and reap the rewards that way is so high he'd rather run CAFC as a small club with a good academy, developing and selling players on.
However, if the budget is going to be a function of the season ticket (and merchandising and sponsorship) revenue (i.e. if he is going to spend x times the income) then the more fans that don't 'give' money to the club the weaker the squad will be and the more we persuade sponsors to withhold their money the weaker the squad will be.
Before I suffer the usual Dogs Abuse from those who's anger makes them determined for everyone to boycott, I'm not saying this to justify buying a season ticket or a shirt or a burger at the game. I have no idea what his plan is for spending and, frankly, nor does anyone else. It is just not possible for any of us to know, for sure, that withholding money is having no detrimental effect of the squad etc.