Worth also pointing out re this idea about arriving three hours early, you’d be leaving at ridiculous times to go to games in the north for something that isn’t necessary or wanted most of the time.
When I worked in this area, we’d negotiate with the clubs re coach times. The ‘old bill don’t like coaches being over an hour early’ certainly wasn’t our mantra. There was always somewhere we could put the coaches safely if they turned up early. It’s part of any football policing plan (well it was). I wouldn’t have been happy with these coach pick up times if I’d been at any planning meeting. I really feel for the supporters here.
In 20 years of involvement of running Charlton coaches I never had a "negotiation" with the police. We did get "police instructions", including where to park. The police would only ever say to us "coaches should not arrive more than one hour before kick-off or they will be held at junction X, etc". The only exception was the Emirates where we were told they had to arrive three hours before kick-off, which was obviously a local safety thing.
I respect your different experience elsewhere, but that's mine and it covers many hundreds of Charlton games from 1990 onwards and all the various police forces. Latterly the police stopped issuing instructions at all presumably because we fell down the league and their resources were cut.
There are no current planning meetings regarding Charlton coaches within the club, never mind involving the police (Manchester United being an obvious exception).
Probably because they felt little old Charlton didn’t need it.
When it came to our neighbours, completely different story. Some clubs insisted on coaches only (Cardiff City for example). It was a huge part of match day organisation.
After Theresa May decimated the Met, the football operations were centralised and I can well believe all things that led to the smooth running of these things and valuable relationships that meant these thing’s usually got sorted by a phone call, fell by the wayside.
On such occasions like a bank holiday kick off, you should still be able to have a conversation with the home club about getting the coaches there early. Especially for a club like Charlton. Needs to be a lesson learnt going forward for whomever is left at the club.
Of course I was mindful that Millwall were completely different in replying, but Charlton would have been taking more coaches to bigger grounds, so it was less about “little” old Charlton and more about “nasty” old Millwall - reality or perception.
Doesn’t matter how big we got, or how many more supporters we took. Back in the day, in terms of risk support, it was always ‘little’ old Charlton. And I was very happy to accept that. Better than ‘lowly’ 🙄🤣🤣
Worth also pointing out re this idea about arriving three hours early, you’d be leaving at ridiculous times to go to games in the north for something that isn’t necessary or wanted most of the time.
Not sure anyone expects every away day to have a coach arrive that early. But on a bank holiday, on a notoriously awful motorway, a bit of common sense should have applied. And going forward, someone needs to take ownership of these sorts of things ‘if’ the club are going to offer coach travel.
Worth also pointing out re this idea about arriving three hours early, you’d be leaving at ridiculous times to go to games in the north for something that isn’t necessary or wanted most of the time.
Not sure anyone expects every away day to have a coach arrive that early. But on a bank holiday, on a notoriously awful motorway, a bit of common sense should have applied. And going forward, someone needs to take ownership of these sorts of things ‘if’ the club are going to offer coach travel.
We’re all agreed that wasn’t the right time yesterday, although I’m surprised it wasn’t questioned in advance if it was that obvious. But the wider point is that the accidents, roadworks and weather make all journey times unpredictable. It’s not just about the bank holiday.
Holden said it took the team about 5 hours to get over to Bristol on Thursday afternoon, so the coach company didn’t think to put an extra driver on the coach for Friday.
Worth also pointing out re this idea about arriving three hours early, you’d be leaving at ridiculous times to go to games in the north for something that isn’t necessary or wanted most of the time.
If we left at 3am to go to Accrington we could be up there in time for wetherspoons opening.
Never had this problem with Lewis coaches. Big Eddie driving there and back to far flung northern grounds. Beer and card games on the way up there, arriving in time for a pint if you could find a pub whose locals didn’t want to kick your head in. Stop off at the Blue Boar services on the way home for a piss and read the pink sports paper that had the results but only reports on the 1st half of games.
Where are the details of what happened? did they not make it at all or were very late?
Both coaches got as far as Hook just off the M3 and turned back with less than 2 hours before kick off
That's ridiculous! How/why? I feel for those on board
My mate who was on the coach got told they were turning around as the ETA was showing at 16:20 at that stage, so there was literally no point in continuing
Do we not have a supporters club/group that would be willing to organise coach travel like in the past?, is this something that has already been looked at? Is it doable? I travel by train so coaches doesn’t affect me, but surly it would be better run by fans?
It was run by fans until 2005 when 1) the people who had taken it on from CASC got in a bit of a mess trying to run it too cheap and didn’t pay the coach company and 2) the club had just started running home coaches and the people involved had run the CASC away service, Wendy Perfect in particular, so it made sense to bring it in house. It’s always been a hybrid though - the club doesn’t pay the stewards, who are fans, it just handles the money and books the coaches. I think the club would rather not run it.
The worst thing about running it, as Wendy has always said to me, is having the responsibility for getting people to the game and knowing that if you get it wrong you ruin everyone’s day. The flip side is that there is currently no one with that responsibility. It’s not that no one cares but there is no ownership of it. That’s ultimately why the fact the time was wrong wasn’t challenged.
However, it’s not the full story. I reckon the coaches had lost two hours by the time they stopped for the driver’s break. There’s no way the club would have planned for that. Sometimes you just have to accept that the traffic is impossible.
Yes appreciate the difficulty in organising this but it must be better having a fan lead leadership in this having the knowledge of away travel
Once or twice a week I drive a truck from Sittingbourne to Bristol, setting off at 4:30am and I can just about get there without taking a break, as I manage to beat the on-coming mayhem on the M25. If I leave just an hour later, I know there's no chance and I'll be stopping for a break, so to leave at 10:30 on a bank holiday is utter madness.
Where are the details of what happened? did they not make it at all or were very late?
Both coaches got as far as Hook just off the M3 and turned back with less than 2 hours before kick off
That's ridiculous! How/why? I feel for those on board
My mate who was on the coach got told they were turning around as the ETA was showing at 16:20 at that stage, so there was literally no point in continuing
Not “literally”, they would have seen the last half hour.
Where are the details of what happened? did they not make it at all or were very late?
Both coaches got as far as Hook just off the M3 and turned back with less than 2 hours before kick off
That's ridiculous! How/why? I feel for those on board
My mate who was on the coach got told they were turning around as the ETA was showing at 16:20 at that stage, so there was literally no point in continuing
Not “literally”, they would have seen the last half hour.
What is interesting is that it doesn't seem that anyone that was actually on the coaches has posted on this thread.
Lets assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
What is interesting is that it doesn't seem that anyone that was actually on the coaches has posted on this thread.
Let’s assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
How many lifers go home and away on a regular basis? The ones that have been going for many years would use the coach as a last resort/Cost saving. Train or Car seems to be the preferred method these days
What is interesting is that it doesn't seem that anyone that was actually on the coaches has posted on this thread.
Let’s assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
Most of the people who travel by coach are too old to use the internet - they will probably be meeting with younger members of their families today/tomorrow who can transcribe their experience for them.
Please can anyone explain why Coach 2, starting at Larkfield and picking up at Gravesend before heading directly to Charlton, then backtracks to Bexleyheath and Dartford before heading west towards Bristol? Charlton to Bristol via Dartford is not a logical route and perhaps wasted an hour of travelling time. Noticed that the Larkfield starter always does this pick up order for away matches to the north and west of London. Strange...
What is interesting is that it doesn't seem that anyone that was actually on the coaches has posted on this thread.
Lets assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
I had a horrible time getting back from Morecambe on it. They came down the M11 because there were presumably road closures on the M1 - that's normal.
To get to Charlton though, instead of going via Dartford they went from NE London along the North Circular to Brent Cross (all the time the ETA on my phone going back, not forward), past Lords, crossed the Thames near the London Eye, then crawled through Elephant & Castle, New Cross etc.
We got to Charlton at 4:40 and Dartford at 5:15. So we lost an hour, probably more, due to a total lack of common sense.
I used to get the coach a lot 20ish years ago and it felt like we'd always aim for 13:00 arrival in case of traffic. There were some 60 minute service stops but that's better than the horror show put on on Friday.
Went by train and had to stand in the aisle the whole way there. They blamed it on something wrong with the Oxford line, so people having to get our train to get to Didcot and then a bus replacement service, but don't explain why others had duplicate tickets for our seats
Went by train and had to stand in the aisle the whole way there. They blamed it on something wrong with the Oxford line, so people having to get our train to get to Didcot and then a bus replacement service, but don't explain why others had duplicate tickets for our seats
What is interesting is that it doesn't seem that anyone that was actually on the coaches has posted on this thread.
Lets assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
I mentioned it on the match thread when someone mentioned how bad the game had been I travel to every game by coach and in all the years of doing this has never happened before been late a few times
Most of the people who travel by coach are too old to use the internet - they will probably be meeting with younger members of their families today/tomorrow who can transcribe their experience for them.
No we ain’t your be surprised by the different age group 😃
Comments
Back in the day, in terms of risk support, it was always ‘little’ old Charlton.
And I was very happy to accept that.
Better than ‘lowly’ 🙄🤣🤣
But on a bank holiday, on a notoriously awful motorway, a bit of common sense should have applied.
And going forward, someone needs to take ownership of these sorts of things ‘if’ the club are going to offer coach travel.
Maximum allowed driving time before a break is 4.5hrs, not 3.5, but even with this "extra" hour, they had no chance of getting there for 3pm
Lets assume 90 fans affected? Surprised that not one is a regular poster, or even an infrequent one that might see fit to share their experience or thoughts.
Charlton to Bristol via Dartford is not a logical route and perhaps wasted an hour of travelling time.
Noticed that the Larkfield starter always does this pick up order for away matches to the north and west of London.
Strange...