Can’t remember if I’ve ever been this optimistic going into a season, granted I haven’t been following the club as long as the rest of you. Of all the times to be at each others throats, now isn’t the time I expected.
We can’t predict, we can only hope this is the one that works
We’ve all been hurt by the happenings the last decade or so, but let’s not look for negatives that aren’t there.
The gaffer wants a United fan base, a United club, we’re all Charlton, so enough with the childish attacks on each other. Was a waste of 20 minutes reading it all and it totally deflates all the good going on at the moment
Have a drink, have a laugh, have a smoke, have a cry, whatever you need to do, just relax
Honestly, you have a night out and miss 150 posts. What do you come back to? A load bickering kids all trying to wave their dicks harder than each other.
Here's an idea why don't we see what happens. Actions will drive my opinion. The transfer window so far is all I have to go on and that is an improvement on the last two already so at the moment they are in credit.
If they actually start asset stripping, mugging off staff and fans then perhaps the flaming torches can come out.
On the midst of a new dawn, The Sandman is on his way out, we have just signed the best striker in the world (Alfie May) and we are hammering our keyboards (touch pads for you Tories)
I have to echo what a few others have said and that there is a bit of a pile up culture on here at times, suppose that's the internet for you.
One feature I do find harmful on this site is the 'Lol' feature. It's used in a condescending way frequently and more often used to disagree with someone's post I'd say than actually finding a post funny. I'm a bit more strong willed than your average internet surfer (grew up on 4chan and forum based games as a teen) but even I find some of the pettiness tiresome, especially when people make well reasoned responses. I like a healthy debate and conversations, but some people do come across borderline aggressive in the manner that they type, again the dangers of internet culture I suppose.
Like I know some sick fucker will be tempted to lol this post because I've suggested the Lol feature encourages negative behaviour.
I'm not going to claim to be optimistic. Experience over the last 15 years or so makes me cynical about all owners who announce exciting-sounding plans. I'm going to need to see how things work out before I can consider being actually optimistic.
On the other hand: am I more optimistic now that I was when TS was in charge? God, yes. And TS himself was an improvement on what we had before.
At least this post was measured, polite and well constructed. With all due respect some of your previous posts came across, to me at least, as angry, rude rants which I'm sure with hindsight you might be inclined to regret. There are so many subscribers with far more impressive credentials than me but my first match was in 1966 and I've been a season ticket holder since our return to the Valley apart from two seasons during the Duchatalet era when I refused to renew. Rick is of a similar age to me and he has contributed so much on so many occasions that it could be argued, without him and his campaigning fellow supporters this club might have gone into administration many years ago. He was part of the Management Team when the club went through its golden period in the Premiership. Since then we've had a much discussed shit period during which we've been owned and mismanaged by various parties with suspect judgement and questionable ambitions, I won't bother elaborating on specific weaknesses of those regimes because others have done so, eloquently in earlier posts. During this same period we've witnessed the progress at clubs like Bournemouth, Brentford and most spectacularly Brighton (there are others) which on the surface at least, become very successful football clubs but that would have been deemed to be much smaller clubs than CAFC during my time being a supporter. We were once held up as being a glowing example of how to be a successful well managed smaller football club. I think I'm right in saying that we went through a period when we had over 200 consecutive match day attendances of over 20,000. We've since encountered continuous decline and I deliberately won't judge the new owners for 12 months to give them a chance but I'm wary of is their ultimate ambitions for the Club. In the interview with Richard CM suggests that he has a long term commitment and if that transpires, with some significant investment then I'll probably be content. However there is a risk and again it's been discussed on here in some detail, that the investors are looking for a quick return on their money by flipping the Club, a model that CM previously adopted at Sunderland. Some posters have stated that they would welcome that model if it resulted in promotion and short term 'success' but I can't agree with the business principle. It will be some time before we are able to determine which path they will pursue but I'm frustrated that we can't seem to attract an owner like the recently deceased John Berylson (RIP) who was committed to the long terms development of Millwall. I yearn for a time when we have some stability and an owner who cares and respects the supporters or indeed a very rich individual who wants to become part of a community, maybe like Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham? Many might suggest that I'm niave hoping for some well intentioned beneficiary and they could well be right but I would find it difficult to condone owners who treat our club as an opportunity to make a quick profit. I hope that the prospective new owners do have a long term plan but at the moment I'd say that I'm 70% suspicious of their intentions but I hope that they persuade me otherwise during this coming season. I've got my season ticket anyway.
If you could all keep arguing that would be greatly appreciated, I need the page numbers to get up into three figures so that I can accurately tap them on my iPhone.
If I accidentally open page 24 again I think I’ll lose it.
Happy to hear the deal is basically done and TS will be gone. I don't hate the guy, he certainly made a mess of running the club, but I don't think it was done intentionally and he did, therefore, at least clear the very low bar set by ESI 1 & 2. The Roland to ESI change of ownership should always be a stark reminder that, even if it is already bad, it can, and often does, still find a way to get worse. I don't think that's lost on many people and, for many, will be tempering any hope and excitement this new regime brings.
That being said, they are a new broom and we must hope they will make improvements. I have my reservations, but time will tell if I'm right or not. I thought TS was going to be good for us, and I got proven wrong about that.
I have a lot of sympathy with those who want to preach caution about what this new lot may be bringing or planning for the club but, nonetheless, I think those of a more trusting/optimistic persuasion should be allowed to enjoy this rare moment for optimism. It would be less antagonistic to allow those people to enjoy the moment for a few days and resist the urge to piss on everyone's chips - at least for the time being.
Well done those who hounded out of CL @AirmanBrown - a man who knows more about CAFC than anyone else, and who is entitled to his opinion, as we all are - but this targeting of him today is a disgrace
Anyway, give yourselves a pat on the back
Twats
Airman is a big boy. He’d make mincemeat out of most of us who post on here regarding Charlton. If he intends to back away that’s his choice. Trust me nobody would drive AB away if he wasn’t keen to go.
He the only one who can confirm or deny what you have posted here
But how has this thread descended into ‘open season’ for some on Rick ??
It’s not on at all IMO
I’m willing to see how this takeover pans out, but, like Rick, I have been a Charlton for a very long time (since 1976 - me, not Rick), and I have lots of scars as a result, so I get his reservations
If any of those who have had a pop at him today can produce a book better than ‘Battle for the Valley’ or decades of VOTV - go on then, but you will fail
Shameful behaviour
Do me a favour with your 'shame'. He's a veteran local politician. Leader of Thanet. Skin thicker than a Rhinoceros.
I'm very skeptical about the long term from these new owners also. Like Airman Brown, I can't see how it works for them, but short term it's looking good as they're clearly ready to invest for this season and who knows, maybe the next. I also worry what happens when they realise its not stacking up financially.
I felt much more positive when Sandgaard took over because he seemed to be willing to spend money for his passion of football, not for a return. And look how that turned out.
I guess just enjoy having a season where we might compete.
I don't follow your logic.
Your assessment is based solely on what you think the new owner's motives are. If TS was seriously minted and said he would fund Charlton for ever regardless of losses and never sell the club because he was passionate about football, we would all be positive I'm sure - but it didn't happen.
I was positive about TS, and had great hopes, probably because he saved us from extinction. But on reflection, you can't ignore the fact he was a one man band whose wealth came from a single source and he could only fund Charlton buy selling shares in his own company - his children's inheritance. Illiquidity has caused TS to sell up, not a loss of passion. He clearly wanted to make a profit, not a loss, but couldn't sustain losses over more than a couple of years.
That illiquidity is less of a risk if you have a number of investors with a significant combined wealth. That's a plus for the new investors, if what we hear is true..
The new investors, according to CM, have simply got a long term horizon for a return on their investment. To me that's more credible a statement than a 5 year horizon for Premiership and Champions League.
For a wealthy investor making a small investment relative to his wealth he is not reliant on the success of that investment to keep him wealthy (for TS it clearly was).
As to not "seeing how it works" do you get how the National Lottery works? As I posted recently, it's all relative. Why do people buy a £2 lottery ticket with a 300 million:1 chance of success? Losing £2 over one week is no different to losing £10m over ten years if you can afford to. Having to chase your investment with top ups is comparable to being addicted to buying a lottery ticket every week chasing your dream, when you don't win the previous week.
What is said, and whether you believe what is said, are two different things. At this stage there is no more reason to disbelieve what we are hearing via CM than disbelieve what TS said when he came on the scene and can't see why anyone thinksTS was more credible.
You don't follow my logic, yet your logic is to compare it to the National Lottery?
On the National Lottery you can multiply your investment by literally millions of times by winning.
By taking Charlton to the premier league you could sell it for maybe 150 million? But losing 10m per year plus transfer fees it could feasibly cost in the region of 50-100 million if things go well.
Sorry, I don't follow the logic of your comparison?
My logic is that our best chance is someone, like John Berylson, who is willing to lose money on something he loves. At first I thought that was TS - it wasn't.
hmmm I now realise why I left the other thread 13,000 posts before it closed. Was hoping to see a lot more positivity, rather than doom and gloom and then the inevitable taking sides.
Good on those giving the new regime a chance to show what they want to do. Lets hope for a brighter footballing future......if not the dooms day merchants can have their day.
I just want to watch Charlton playing football....At least we now know we still can.
Usual bollox , unless you think everything is rosey you’re a wrong un , let’s suck the genitalia of anyone who buys our club . 10 seasons in 15 in league one 4 in the previous 74 years it’s a proper crock of shit we’ve been living through in recent times .That’s why punters are fucked off with it all no matter what crank wants to own us .
If they make money legitimately out of charlton I’ll eat my chocolate underpants
Play off failure for those who don’t know about it , 2010 Charlton lose on pens to Swindon , 1996 we lost to palace in the semi
still a good hour and a half speed reading on the bog to catch up , a deja vu of every time airman tentatively accused previous clownership of heading south , the same blinkered few wouldn’t have it . He’s more cautious than most on the new lot , well to me (a genuine pessimist) it carries a lot more weight than anyone else’s opinion but if I was of an optimistic persuasion I would glide past it with an online Nescafé wave ✊ on the way through , like I do to most posters on here in my fucked up head .
Well done those who hounded out of CL @AirmanBrown - a man who knows more about CAFC than anyone else, and who is entitled to his opinion, as we all are - but this targeting of him today is a disgrace
Anyway, give yourselves a pat on the back
Twats
Airman is a big boy. He’d make mincemeat out of most of us who post on here regarding Charlton. If he intends to back away that’s his choice. Trust me nobody would drive AB away if he wasn’t keen to go.
He the only one who can confirm or deny what you have posted here
But how has this thread descended into ‘open season’ for some on Rick ??
It’s not on at all IMO
I’m willing to see how this takeover pans out, but, like Rick, I have been a Charlton for a very long time (since 1976 - me, not Rick), and I have lots of scars as a result, so I get his reservations
If any of those who have had a pop at him today can produce a book better than ‘Battle for the Valley’ or decades of VOTV - go on then, but you will fail
Shameful behaviour
Do me a favour with your 'shame'. He's a veteran local politician. Leader of Thanet. Skin thicker than a Rhinoceros.
Comments
We can’t predict, we can only hope this is the one that works
We’ve all been hurt by the happenings the last decade or so, but let’s not look for negatives that aren’t there.
Have a drink, have a laugh, have a smoke, have a cry, whatever you need to do, just relax
On the midst of a new dawn, The Sandman is on his way out, we have just signed the best striker in the world (Alfie May) and we are hammering our keyboards (touch pads for you Tories)
I have to echo what a few others have said and that there is a bit of a pile up culture on here at times, suppose that's the internet for you.
One feature I do find harmful on this site is the 'Lol' feature. It's used in a condescending way frequently and more often used to disagree with someone's post I'd say than actually finding a post funny. I'm a bit more strong willed than your average internet surfer (grew up on 4chan and forum based games as a teen) but even I find some of the pettiness tiresome, especially when people make well reasoned responses. I like a healthy debate and conversations, but some people do come across borderline aggressive in the manner that they type, again the dangers of internet culture I suppose.
Like I know some sick fucker will be tempted to lol this post because I've suggested the Lol feature encourages negative behaviour.
On the other hand: am I more optimistic now that I was when TS was in charge? God, yes. And TS himself was an improvement on what we had before.
Rick is of a similar age to me and he has contributed so much on so many occasions that it could be argued, without him and his campaigning fellow supporters this club might have gone into administration many years ago. He was part of the Management Team when the club went through its golden period in the Premiership. Since then we've had a much discussed shit period during which we've been owned and mismanaged by various parties with suspect judgement and questionable ambitions, I won't bother elaborating on specific weaknesses of those regimes because others have done so, eloquently in earlier posts. During this same period we've witnessed the progress at clubs like Bournemouth, Brentford and most spectacularly Brighton (there are others) which on the surface at least, become very successful football clubs but that would have been deemed to be much smaller clubs than CAFC during my time being a supporter. We were once held up as being a glowing example of how to be a successful well managed smaller football club. I think I'm right in saying that we went through a period when we had over 200 consecutive match day attendances of over 20,000.
We've since encountered continuous decline and I deliberately won't judge the new owners for 12 months to give them a chance but I'm wary of is their ultimate ambitions for the Club. In the interview with Richard CM suggests that he has a long term commitment and if that transpires, with some significant investment then I'll probably be content. However there is a risk and again it's been discussed on here in some detail, that the investors are looking for a quick return on their money by flipping the Club, a model that CM previously adopted at Sunderland. Some posters have stated that they would welcome that model if it resulted in promotion and short term 'success' but I can't agree with the business principle. It will be some time before we are able to determine which path they will pursue but I'm frustrated that we can't seem to attract an owner like the recently deceased John Berylson (RIP) who was committed to the long terms development of Millwall. I yearn for a time when we have some stability and an owner who cares and respects the supporters or indeed a very rich individual who wants to become part of a community, maybe like Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham? Many might suggest that I'm niave hoping for some well intentioned beneficiary and they could well be right but I would find it difficult to condone owners who treat our club as an opportunity to make a quick profit. I hope that the prospective new owners do have a long term plan but at the moment I'd say that I'm 70% suspicious of their intentions but I hope that they persuade me otherwise during this coming season. I've got my season ticket anyway.
If I accidentally open page 24 again I think I’ll lose it.
That being said, they are a new broom and we must hope they will make improvements. I have my reservations, but time will tell if I'm right or not. I thought TS was going to be good for us, and I got proven wrong about that.
I have a lot of sympathy with those who want to preach caution about what this new lot may be bringing or planning for the club but, nonetheless, I think those of a more trusting/optimistic persuasion should be allowed to enjoy this rare moment for optimism. It would be less antagonistic to allow those people to enjoy the moment for a few days and resist the urge to piss on everyone's chips - at least for the time being.
On the National Lottery you can multiply your investment by literally millions of times by winning.
By taking Charlton to the premier league you could sell it for maybe 150 million? But losing 10m per year plus transfer fees it could feasibly cost in the region of 50-100 million if things go well.
Sorry, I don't follow the logic of your comparison?
My logic is that our best chance is someone, like John Berylson, who is willing to lose money on something he loves. At first I thought that was TS - it wasn't.
Good on those giving the new regime a chance to show what they want to do. Lets hope for a brighter footballing future......if not the dooms day merchants can have their day.
I just want to watch Charlton playing football....At least we now know we still can.
10 seasons in 15 in league one
4 in the previous 74 years
it’s a proper crock of shit we’ve been living through in recent times .That’s why punters are fucked off with it all no matter what crank wants to own us .
If they make money legitimately out of charlton I’ll eat my chocolate underpants
Play off failure for those who don’t know about it , 2010 Charlton lose on pens to Swindon , 1996 we lost to palace in the semi
still a good hour and a half speed reading on the bog to catch up , a deja vu of every time airman tentatively accused previous clownership of heading south , the same blinkered few wouldn’t have it .
He’s more cautious than most on the new lot , well to me (a genuine pessimist) it carries a lot more weight than anyone else’s opinion but if I was of an optimistic persuasion I would glide past it with an online Nescafé wave ✊ on the way through , like I do to most posters on here in my fucked up head .
5% Automatics
47% 3rd-6th
47.5% 7th-12th
0.5% Bottom half
100% hate Charlton fans
It got 80 likes and a promote.
Only AFKA then removed the promote and closed down the old thread to stop people reading it.
That has caused this bickering and the blinkered views.
For that reason I'm out.
PS I also said last week that the takeover would be finally announced today, Thursday.
I've been numb for years.