I was at Saturdays game. I have renewed my ST, I gave my reasoning on a previous thread, I dont need to justify my purchase, and I totally respect those that haven't renewed and understand the call to stay away.
However two things have occurred to me:-
1) That there was no protest songs inside the stadium on Saturday (there was a muted 'ABC you're having a laugh' started buy the 'AIDS' supporter in the North Lower. To me, The Liar will see this as a win for her, she will be able to say "no protests Uncle Roland, look what Ive done". Also because the cameras only film inside the ground then we wont get the publicity that the national press generates.
2) Does, not buying a ST really affect The Rats money? He probably makes more a week than he has lost with fans not renewing their STs, so he can easily cover the losses.
So could it be counter productive not protesting inside the stadium?
Thoughts, fellow lifers.
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He will sell Charlton if he doesn't make any cash, his whole point is to break even, you cant do that with shit sponsors - loosing games - no fans and a massive stadium with no one in it.
This in turn would take away KM mandate at the club and in result would mean the FA need to act.
I can promise you one thing we will not be on Sky for any home matches this season.
This is a nicer earner which KM wont be able to get hold of.
Two options to cover your concerns (though I expect your response will be for me to "do one"):
a) empty stadium, or
b) protest / game disruption.
That really only leaves a boycott as the only way to hurt him, it doesn't matter what his other companies earn, the more CAFC costs him, the less likely he is to continue with this mad experiment. Is he really going to care what some football fans are doing in/outside a ground that he never even attends?
Anyway, I think in Stadium protest/game disruption work better than boycotting, but understand why people want that option.
There is a lot that can be done online for example.
I don't think the fact that his other companies make money is really relevant, he wants CAFC to break even, there's no way he bought the club for it to be a drain on his resources, the sooner we can show him that's never going to possible, the sooner something has to change. Beach balls thrown hundreds of miles away can be ignored, having to write monthly six figure cheques cannot.
I'd agree with you if I honestly believed our fan base had it in them to 'up' the protests to a level that might make a jot of difference, but we just don't have it.
And lets be honest, the reality is that IF we start doing well in this league, its a possibility, then fans will start coming back anyway, that is the reality.
I attended on Saturday through a freebie kindly donated and I am actively boycotting the matches where it's possible for me to attend (unless there's another ticket going spare).
I will support any protest but there is a bit of my mind wondering if my boycott is a waste of time as they wont be going anywhere in the next 5-10 years.
We had people wetting the bed over KM's parents being given a piece of paper ffs!
If we start doing well, some fans will return, for sure, they, I imagine are the sort of people who are not attending because we are in League One, rather than boycotting.
There is no way we can sustain our budget on even lower crowds. There is barely anyone of monetary value left to sell from our playing staff.
IMO Roland is on his last roll of the dice this season. It is promotion or bust.
We have to wear him and her down, bit by bit.
Every protests, every PR disaster, every FA investigation and fine for pitch invasions and game stoppages, every lost ST or shirt sale, every absent sponsorship deal, every press article like the one in the Sun today knocks their confidence and their delusion that their mad scheme is working.
It won't happen over night, it might not happen this season or the next.
We just have to keep chipping away.
The worry for me though is what if we do achieve it? It will be a great time this season but what next? Back to him trying the break even model all over again?
I'm not saying that I don't want us to be promoted. Of course I do, I'll always want us to win. But the idea of next season if we do is a worry.
I hope this is not the case but the fact that two or three thousand hardcore fans seem to have decided to boycott this season will mean the protects have fewer supporting them and inside the ground will be lower-key, which in turn will perhaps discourage some on the periphery from joining in.
I am not sure what the answer is, but is boycotting (as opposed to not renewing a ST but still turning up on the day) the right approach? Duchatalet has deep pockets and while an inconvenience, I don't think the money will make much difference to him.
We haven't renewed and were not going to go but then I thought why should she spoil our lives.
So, we are going to pick and choose games, blag freebies if we can, not buy anything unless we have to pay for tickets.
To sum up. We are going to do anything we can to get them out.