Read an article written by the club's Senior Management Team which is included in Saturday afternoon's Valley Review
The below article is taken from Saturday edition of Valley Review for the visit of Northampton Town
Welcome back to The Valley, it’s great to have football back again.
We’d like to begin by thanking all of those that stuck by the club last season. The relegation really hurt us all and we know it was a difficult year for everyone involved with the club and we’d like to thank you for your support of the team.
We’ve talked about learning from our mistakes but actions speak louder than words and you will have seen a transformation in how we approach everything in and around the club this summer.
We’ve appointed a British Manager on a long-term deal and I am sure you will all agree that it feels like Russell Slade has brought a breath of fresh air to the club. Russell’s appointment together with the new signings we have made represent a change in strategy by the club and the start of a new era. Nicky Ajose, Lee Novak and Ricky Holmes came in at the beginning of the summer and in recent weeks we’ve brought in Declan Rudd, Andrew Crofts, Kevin Foley and Jason Pearce. They are talented individuals who are proven at this level and we have been very pleased with the response we’ve had from the fans and the media on the new approach.
While the signings have been very positive, there is still work to do and we are working around the clock with Russell to add players of the right attitude and quality to our squad. It may take a bit of time to build the team and for the squad to gel and we’ll all need to be patient over the first few months of the season while the players learn how each other plays and how to work best as a team.
We have lost players and we know that can be disappointing for our fans but the players we’ve lost all wanted new challenges and it is very important the members of our squad are highly motivated to play at The Valley and will give their all to help Charlton win.
Our new approach is not limited to the footballing side of things. It includes everything from the way we behave towards each other in the office, to the way the club do business with people externally and also, very importantly, the way we communicate with fans. The new era is about positivity; positivity for Charlton and ensuring that everyone associated with the club is working together to deliver a bright future.
Russell said in an interview last week that the club has a real “heartbeat” and that’s exactly right. The Charlton fans are such an important part of that heartbeat and we haven’t been maximising fully the passion, energy and effort that our fans have.
We’ve received a lot of comments from fans in the past saying that we are not communicating enough. We want to communicate better and more frequently with our fans, therefore this week it was announced that we are launching three new initiatives aimed at directly improving communication with fans. Our commitment is to engage with more Charlton fans than ever before.
Our aim for this season is to launch a promotion challenge. We want to get our club back to the Championship as soon as possible and everyone within the club will be working hard with that in mind. A lot of money has been invested in Charlton and we want the club to succeed. We are embracing the new era, things have changed here and the surnames on the squad list today on the back of the programme, amongst other things, reflect that. We have changed our strategy in recruitment and we are changing the way we communicate with fans. We need everyone to get behind Russell and the team to give us the best chance of getting Charlton back to where we should be.
This is a positive new era for all of us with an exciting season ahead. We don’t underestimate the challenge of getting Charlton back into the Championship and the players, the manager, the fans, the sponsors and everyone else involved at the club need to work together as part of a joint effort to ensure we have a successful season on and off the pitch.
We hope you enjoy today’s game.
The Senior Management Team
Read more at
http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/charlton-senior-management-team-open-letter-3244897.aspx#lqBv0QHK2isjqjc6.99 
Comments
And yes. Actions do speak louder than words - which is why based on your continuing actions I don't believe your attitudes have changed at all, not even by 2℅
Get out of our club.
Highlights the fact that the 'media have said good things about their change in directions' - highlights the fact that she just wants a good image in public (remember the Google clean up) rather than what her own fans/customers think of her!
New era used again for the umpteenth time - I give the new era a few months!
Highlights a change in direction by giving Crofts and foley as an example - but we had naff free transfers of aging last times in the last "eras" (plural) under this regime!
"We’ve appointed a British Manager on a long-term deal and I am sure you will all agree that it feels like Russell Slade has brought a breath of fresh air to the club."
I highly disagree.
Good deeds speak for themselves and you don't need to big them yourself for example top strikers - let them talk in goals.
And Russell, our Club used to have a heartbeat, it's now on life support.
Make us feel bad for not doing our supporting part when they're doing all they can around the clock blah blah.
Pathetic. Glad I'm not there as that programme would be getting slapped around Katriens face with some almighty power.
A blackmail letter trying to gag fans comments on social media was a great start.
The only way things genuinely change is if RD changes his approach, any change below that level is just a surface scratch - it will deem pointless when looking at the bigger picture. A British manager but we sell all our talent and we are running to make a profit for RD. Nothing changes unless it REALLY changes.
"A lot of money has been invested in Charlton and we want the club to succeed"
Publish the books then - how much money has actually been invested and how much has been taken out?
Never will.
GOOOC
Either cos they're thick as planks or kidding themselves cos they WANT to believe.
6k have bought season tickets, remember
New era: played two, lost two.
The drop off in season tickets is now hitting home. There is no last minute take-up, which they were hoping for. They are clearly rattled that the new "British" manager hasn't had an effect on ticket sales and this statement is the result. Shrewsbury on a Tuesday night will be a big shock to them, especially if it's another poor result today.
Sarr
Bergdich
Reza
Ba
Tucudean
Lepoint
Thuram
Polish Pete
Just to name a few. Don't try to dazzles us with bullshit when the fact is , yeah they may have spent a bit of money , but it's all been a waste and the reason we are in this shit league now. Free transfers of aged 30+ English players isn't a step in the right direction however you choose to look at it.
The only way we will progress as a football club is when they fuck Off and for me and thousands of other fans, that day cannot come soon enough.
*shudder*
I would usually be uplifted by the assurances that they want to communicate with fans more. But haven't we heard that somewhere before (repeatedly) and that proved to be utter bullshit.
And please stop banging on about a British manager. The issue, you idiots, was that the ones you brought in were shit and clueless. I couldn't care less if the manager was Albanian if he was good.
As for us trusting you, sorry but no. You squandered that right a long time ago. It's for you to prove to us you have changed by your actions on and off the pitch (and the ABC letter wasn't a good start).
Above all else, as a minimum Meire has to go. The we start discussing fan-club trust.
Actions do speak louder than words, how is the midfield now ? How many 18 year olds on the bench today ? What about that ridiculous ABC letter ? Particularly ironic given on-going the actions of Roger Johnson swearing to high heaven to all and sundry. Not a peep about that.
The club that hates its supporters, who would get rid of all us committed Charlton supporters to change us for these mythical uncommitted, casual supporters who will somehow bother to turn up to watch mediocre lower league football and the occassional premiership star of the future.
Duchatelet really should have bought another club. This regime is bust with no creadability. An outsourced program statement that air brushes reality doesn't change that. The only question is when Duchatelet is going to sell.
"We have been very pleased with the response we’ve had from the fans and the media on the new approach". Er. Can you cite some examples please? Not sure the coverage in today's press is a glowing reference as to how well you are running things.
"We’ve talked about learning from our mistakes but actions speak louder than words and you will have seen a transformation in how we approach everything in and around the club this summer." In other words, we have taken down the netting in front of the North Stand.
"Our aim for this season is to launch a promotion challenge. We want to get our club back to the Championship as soon as possible and everyone within the club will be working hard with that in mind. A lot of money has been invested in Charlton and we want the club to succeed." Pretty much as we promised last season - and that went well - but this time replacing "succeed in the Championship" with get back to the Championship". Still with no real clue how to, though.
"We’ll all need to be patient over the first few months of the season while the players learn how each other plays and how to work best as a team." Stop singing nasty songs about Roland, but most of all leave Katrien alone.
Edited: I've just spotted that the notes from today use the phrase "I'm sure you will all agree." Another proof-reading triumph!