@Covered End As you was there tonight, do you feel positive about the clubs future or do you have a feeling it could be all bollocks again? Or is it a case of waiting till the transfer window to see what they do in that yet again. Really hoping they sign a good few quality signing's in Jan as I'm really dreading this month. Pretty sure we are gonna have a terrible December and the ground is gonna turn toxic again. Hope I'm wrong of course.
I don't know, no fans know. I believe what Rodwell & Scott said, but it's not as easy as playing Football Manager.
I'm hopeful that we'll be in the promotion hunt next season, but can't see how they can do enough in the January window to achieve promotion this season. Although we could sneak 6th & win the play offs (don't think we will).
Appreciate your time to reply here CE mate and for asking the questions, nice one.
Just want to highlight two things you have said though. You say every club wants these players, which is true, but there are thousands of footballers to choose from, its hard to believe we can't find better players in the same league or below or different league's than what we have. To me that's a huge issue if we can't identify players that will improve us.
Secondly I do truly believe it's as simple as football manager. Every player has a price and every club (at our level) will listen to offers. It all comes down to money. It's not easy when you have tight owners, that I will agree on. A few million spent smart could change the trajectory of this club. Based on your info and what I've read on social media, they're already planting the seeds that they won't spend money unless 'the right player come along' how many times have we been fed that now?
There are some outstanding talents in this league who are free agents next summer, I wish they'd just be more honest and say they don't have the cash and are looking to essentially fluke promotion rather than put down the money required to get it done (typically)
Appreciate your time and I'm venting at the situation not yourself, just feels all too familiar
This.
Every player has a price........its just are we (they) willing to pay that price. Or put it another way, what is the price of not succeeding? Of not getting promotion next season (this season is gone imo). Teams like Orient, Wycombe & Fleetwood (to name just 3) are probably "happy" being in League 1 and think paying £1m for a player unrealistic. However, teams like Ipswich & Sunderland think differently & realise you have to push the boat out to get success.
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
Did they? They sold players to pay for a lot of it. They probably had a net spend between 2-2.5m across their last 2 seasons in League 1, and after the first season, when they signed about 20 players and shipped half of them out after that year, a lot of people were laughing and saying "look at that waste of money".
We've spent money on players in that time, Lavelle, Kirk, May and Taylor all commanded fees amongst others. The issue is the quality of players we signed turned out to be poor.
It took Ipswich 3 windows to get the squad right, arguably AS and the team haven't had a full window yet to emulate that, and even if you believe they had the time this summer, that's still 2 windows less than Ipswich managed it in.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
No I am not mate, when I say a few million, I don't mean as in literally bidding a million for a player. I mean wages, agent fees, sign on fees, all the things that secure the better players in this league. We won't get promoted if we don't do that. That's usually the formula unless everything falls into place, Wigan, Blackburn, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich etc all did it previously. It's risk and reward.
Either way we won't sustain as a club just getting by in league 1. I also think it's another myth you need time for players to gel, manager getting his own players etc. In the championship maybe, in the Premier league definitely. This is not a league that a big club spends time in and builds to get out of, it's a complete failure we have been here as long as we have.
You get a good manager, you spend the cash on good players, you have a decent pre-season and you'll get promoted in this league. Pompey have a fairly new manager and signed a thousand new players and they're flying, Stevenage are in 4th ffs and have just come up. It isn't as difficult as made out, we have just become so accustomed to mediocrity that this league now seems difficult.
Of course it's unrealistic by me as we keep getting owners who aren't coming to Charlton with our best interests but only their own.
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
Did they? They sold players to pay for a lot of it. They probably had a net spend between 2-2.5m across their last 2 seasons in League 1, and after the first season, when they signed about 20 players and shipped half of them out after that year, a lot of people were laughing and saying "look at that waste of money".
We've spent money on players in that time, Lavelle, Kirk, May and Taylor all commanded fees amongst others. The issue is the quality of players we signed turned out to be poor.
It took Ipswich 3 windows to get the squad right, arguably AS and the team haven't had a full window yet to emulate that, and even if you believe they had the time this summer, that's still 2 windows less than Ipswich managed it in.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
That net spend is sadly nonsense I'm just saying if you think spending £5-6m per year to tread water makes sense, I'm arguing it doesn't
Ipswich went out and hired the best manager available. They bought a lot of players.
It didn't work.
They learnt.
Have we? Will we? Holden, then Appleton and our last two windows says not.
We all hope it does. I can't stick up for the current set up. I'm not asking for them to be removed- to sell up and bugger off, but I have doubts they'll deliver their rhetoric.
We can all agree to disagree. We all want the best for the club.
Ipswich's owners decided they'd spend money. Ours haven't really. Not since splashing out £12m + to acquire the club.
Kirk, Aneke etc were already here when they bought us. It has saddled them with problems - but they knew all about those problems when they bought us and oversaw the window of Jan 22.
Feel like I’m very much in the same camp as CE about all this.
From the get go, the leadership appear to want to make a success of this. And they believe they have the backing of the owners. How long the owners continue to back them is another question that I don’t know if we will ever get an answer to.
In the mean time, it seems as though a lot of good things are happening in the background - roles being filled that were previously vacant for a number of years, repeatable processes put in place, etc.
We have the words and I believe their actions are tieing in with their words. Do not agree with those who say they are all talk and no action. Stuff is happening.
Unfortunately, having a better run club doesn’t get you three points on a Saturday though. And that’s what we all care about.
Words, tick. Actions, tick. Outcomes, room for (considerable) improvement.
Remember he's passing on highlights of what was said immediately after the meeting so as to give people a feel for what was said.
He's not necessarily endorsing what was said and there was a lot more detail.
Don't shoot the messenger
Rodwell praised what CAST had done on the parking and his response to the potential £1m lost was a mock groan an "Don't depress me".
As for it's as simple as football manager that really is silly.
Scott went into a lot of detail about how he almost becomes a "stalker" when looking to sign players, checking their social media to see if they post about football or going out drinking, speaking to coaches and players who've worked with them, have they moved area before, etc etc.
There is a lot more that I'll post when I can.
I remain to be convinced but what was SAID made sense and wasn't Sandgaard style European football in five years eg aim to be among the top 30 clubs In the county and build from there.
The stated level of engagement of the owners and their willingness to invest was a positive. Yes, again it's just words so far but JR did respond to @Athletico Charlton's question about the sale price by saying yes, it was around £10 to £12m and it was cash up front.
I'll say it again, come to the meetings and hear for yourselves. You'll get a much better feel for way things are put than on here
In other news the raffle raised £350 so more than we paid for the sponsorship so the football club got money and we have cash in the bank to pay the miserable moaning sod who runs the RBL club who I had a full and frank exchange of views with, @Sage was there, and who then spent the evening moaning to all our members at the bar about us not putting the chairs back!!
Other than that a good night and thanks to all the committee for organising, fans for attending, Jim and Andy for coming, especially Jim as he really wasn't well and Tom Rubashow and @Tracey for organising.
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
And rightly so Sam. We’ve been owned and messed around by a succession of chancers and arseholes, been in L1 for 6 out of 7 seasons and showing no positive sign of leaving it, recently had the humiliation of failing to beat a team of local scaffolders and six formers at home on national TV, and just been trounced by Gillingham from the league below.
Absolutely right that patience is in short supply. It’s long been used up.
Can someone ask Andy Scott a straightforward question - Are we going to be able to spend money on transfer fees ( not loans or frees) in the Jan window.
Answered yes. Owners want to move club forward at every opportunity. Aspiring to top 10 Championship in short/medium term & Premier League thereafter.
~Thanks CE - Asked and answered - all we can do now is wait and see whether it happens. I know most people on here tend to be cynical about the owners intentions but I have never believed that the new owners have spent £12m just to lose another £5-7m every year in League 1.
As has been said on here proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
End of January window will likely evidence how much real intent exists behind stated ambitions.
I have more confidence in the club moving forwards on and off the pitch (albeit slowly) than under previous incarnations of ownership but that is an incredibly low bar.
Remember he's passing on highlights of what was said immediately after the meeting so as to give people a feel for what was said.
He's not necessarily endorsing what was said and there was a lot more detail.
Don't shoot the messenger
Rodwell praised what CAST had done on the parking and his response to the potential £1m lost was a mock groan an "Don't depress me".
As for it's as simple as football manager that really is silly.
Scott went into a lot of detail about how he almost becomes a "stalker" when looking to sign players, checking their social media to see if they post about football or going out drinking, speaking to coaches and players who've worked with them, have they moved area before, etc etc.
There is a lot more that I'll post when I can.
I remain to be convinced but what was SAID made sense and wasn't Sandgaard style European football in five years eg aim to be among the top 30 clubs In the county and build from there.
The stated level of engagement of the owners and their willingness to invest was a positive. Yes, again it's just words so far but JR did respond to @Athletico Charlton's question about the sale price by saying yes, it was around £10 to £12m and it was cash up front.
I'll say it again, come to the meetings and hear for yourselves. You'll get a much better feel for way things are put than on here
In other news the raffle raised £350 so more than we paid for the sponsorship so the football club got money and we have cash in the bank to pay the miserable moaning sod who runs the RBL club who I had a full and frank exchange of views with, @Sage was there, and who then spent the evening moaning to all our members at the bar about us not putting the chairs back!!
Other than that a good night and thanks to all the committee for organising, fans for attending, Jim and Andy for coming, especially Jim as he really wasn't well and Tom Rubashow and @Tracey for organising.
Thanks again for another good evening and will definitely attend the next meeting.
I’ll also be looking forward to my Appleton signed shirt which I won in the raffle
Thanks @Covered End and Henry for all the posts. Good communication from the club and it’s important to get these important issues on the record so we can make a fair judgment in the future.
Accountability is important and Andy Scott must know that a big improvements in recruitment is needed in January and this summer if he’s to retain his position.
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
Did they? They sold players to pay for a lot of it. They probably had a net spend between 2-2.5m across their last 2 seasons in League 1, and after the first season, when they signed about 20 players and shipped half of them out after that year, a lot of people were laughing and saying "look at that waste of money".
We've spent money on players in that time, Lavelle, Kirk, May and Taylor all commanded fees amongst others. The issue is the quality of players we signed turned out to be poor.
It took Ipswich 3 windows to get the squad right, arguably AS and the team haven't had a full window yet to emulate that, and even if you believe they had the time this summer, that's still 2 windows less than Ipswich managed it in.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, but I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays.
Having experienced the failings of past administrations, it's understandable, but I agree. That's the impression I get when coming on here.
I think the strategy of promoting youth from the academy is commendable, but it takes time and is hindered when the main stays of the side aren't dependable, or are lacking in the leadership qualities to help the youngsters through.
Above all else in January, we need to improve the balance age, experience, and fitness wise.
You promise to put the chairs back and then you don't, all talk and no action.
Let's see what happens at the next meeting.
Chairs were put back and glasses taken down to the bar. I must admit the 'miserable, moaning, sod' always looks like he's lost a tenner and found a fiver; perhaps it goes with the job? Anyway, a very enjoyable evening.
I liked Rodwells initial comments about wanting to improve all things at the club. Sustainability (the environmental type) and our sponsorship with RSK; diversity; women's football (hadn't realised our team are top currently). I liked the sound of the meeting at The Valley for 240 full time staff about culture and getting motivation etc. All I have heard about the off-field stuff has impressed and I love the idea of us leading the way on some of these things as we have in the past.
But ultimately success on the field is most important. I have no more comfort on that after the meeting than I had before. Both are good speakers, my view is that Andy Scott is very intelligent and a good orator but will tell you what you want to hear.
Ultimately, however, he admitted that him and Rodwell were in charge of the Jan '23 window (Penny, Kane, Thomas and Hector in) and were only involved with the summer window after the acquisition of the club went through (ie did not bring in Alfie May) meaning we can thank them for Tedic, Abankwah and Chem Campbell.
I mean that recruitment is just woefully bad. They blamed the recruitment on the delayed acquisition and said when they arrived there was no infrastructure so they had to start from scratch... Yet that simply can't have been a surprise to them having been around the previous Jan, so why had they not planned better before sealing the acquisition.
Maybe it was simply my personal bias/cynicism towards Scott but I didn't come out with any more faith in him than I did when I went in.
I hope January goes well, I expect CBT and Dobson to be sold, but do think the money will be reinvested.
Yeah, I'm along the same lines. Another point, not sure if I heard correctly (welcome comments if I got it wrong) but I'm sure I heard Andy Scott say that there was a desire/aspiration (not sure of exact words) to NOT using loan players but to use players contracted to CAFC. (Maybe this needed qualification??) For me it might be an aspiration but is no way realistic unless every L1 club has to do the same. Last year JRS saved us from a brush with the relegation fight, there are numerous examples where premier league loans make a massive difference to a team. Look at Jacko's season- we lacked the quality and only had 2 PL loanees that came in Jan and then featured in one or games max. We struggled that season to mid table.
Also concerned at his comments about the summer recruitment at Nott Forest when they got up to the PL. They brought masses of players of dubious quality (imo).
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
Did they? They sold players to pay for a lot of it. They probably had a net spend between 2-2.5m across their last 2 seasons in League 1, and after the first season, when they signed about 20 players and shipped half of them out after that year, a lot of people were laughing and saying "look at that waste of money".
We've spent money on players in that time, Lavelle, Kirk, May and Taylor all commanded fees amongst others. The issue is the quality of players we signed turned out to be poor.
It took Ipswich 3 windows to get the squad right, arguably AS and the team haven't had a full window yet to emulate that, and even if you believe they had the time this summer, that's still 2 windows less than Ipswich managed it in.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
just checked Swiss Ramble
Ipswich Town. Wages+expenses 2021. £17.4 million (13.4 wages +4 expenses) 2022. £26.5 million (£16.4 wages+10 expenses) Profit from player sales was £2.3 million and £2.2 million -basically the same each year
Profit/Loss for those years 2021 £6.4 loss, 2022 £12.6 million loss.
Remember he's passing on highlights of what was said immediately after the meeting so as to give people a feel for what was said.
He's not necessarily endorsing what was said and there was a lot more detail.
Don't shoot the messenger
Rodwell praised what CAST had done on the parking and his response to the potential £1m lost was a mock groan an "Don't depress me".
As for it's as simple as football manager that really is silly.
Scott went into a lot of detail about how he almost becomes a "stalker" when looking to sign players, checking their social media to see if they post about football or going out drinking, speaking to coaches and players who've worked with them, have they moved area before, etc etc.
There is a lot more that I'll post when I can.
I remain to be convinced but what was SAID made sense and wasn't Sandgaard style European football in five years eg aim to be among the top 30 clubs In the county and build from there.
The stated level of engagement of the owners and their willingness to invest was a positive. Yes, again it's just words so far but JR did respond to @Athletico Charlton's question about the sale price by saying yes, it was around £10 to £12m and it was cash up front.
I'll say it again, come to the meetings and hear for yourselves. You'll get a much better feel for way things are put than on here
In other news the raffle raised £350 so more than we paid for the sponsorship so the football club got money and we have cash in the bank to pay the miserable moaning sod who runs the RBL club who I had a full and frank exchange of views with, @Sage was there, and who then spent the evening moaning to all our members at the bar about us not putting the chairs back!!
Other than that a good night and thanks to all the committee for organising, fans for attending, Jim and Andy for coming, especially Jim as he really wasn't well and Tom Rubashow and @Tracey for organising.
Thanks again for another good evening and will definitely attend the next meeting.
I’ll also be looking forward to my Appleton signed shirt which I won in the raffle
I should think so as you bought the last ticket and won😁
Remember he's passing on highlights of what was said immediately after the meeting so as to give people a feel for what was said.
He's not necessarily endorsing what was said and there was a lot more detail.
Don't shoot the messenger
Rodwell praised what CAST had done on the parking and his response to the potential £1m lost was a mock groan an "Don't depress me".
As for it's as simple as football manager that really is silly.
Scott went into a lot of detail about how he almost becomes a "stalker" when looking to sign players, checking their social media to see if they post about football or going out drinking, speaking to coaches and players who've worked with them, have they moved area before, etc etc.
There is a lot more that I'll post when I can.
I remain to be convinced but what was SAID made sense and wasn't Sandgaard style European football in five years eg aim to be among the top 30 clubs In the county and build from there.
The stated level of engagement of the owners and their willingness to invest was a positive. Yes, again it's just words so far but JR did respond to @Athletico Charlton's question about the sale price by saying yes, it was around £10 to £12m and it was cash up front.
I'll say it again, come to the meetings and hear for yourselves. You'll get a much better feel for way things are put than on here
In other news the raffle raised £350 so more than we paid for the sponsorship so the football club got money and we have cash in the bank to pay the miserable moaning sod who runs the RBL club who I had a full and frank exchange of views with, @Sage was there, and who then spent the evening moaning to all our members at the bar about us not putting the chairs back!!
Other than that a good night and thanks to all the committee for organising, fans for attending, Jim and Andy for coming, especially Jim as he really wasn't well and Tom Rubashow and @Tracey for organising.
I really hope that we can do a bit better than aim to be one of the top 30 clubs in the county....
"A few million" @Braziliance mate are you in cloud Cuckoo land? No club in their right mind, in League 1, are going to spend "a few million" on players to get out of this league, because regardless of how much you spend you still need the players to gel, to keep fit and to maintain form to make it work. It's simply way too risky and a very quick way to end up losing tens of millions in a couple of seasons and put the entire organisation at risk
Ipswich did Currently working alright for them But spending is no guarantee However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
And rightly so Sam. We’ve been owned and messed around by a succession of chancers and arseholes, been in L1 for 6 out of 7 seasons and showing no positive sign of leaving it, recently had the humiliation of failing to beat a team of local scaffolders and six formers at home on national TV, and just been trounced by Gillingham from the league below.
Absolutely right that patience is in short supply. It’s long been used up.
Nail on head. Almost seems to be a level of acceptance now amongst fans. We are below where we should be and our fans deserve so much more
“Aspiring for top 10 Championship in short to medium term” is really interesting.
How long is short and medium to the SMT / OG? IMO the January transfer window will answer that question! Given comments that have come before, the whole club focus with changes behind the scenes (performance director + new recruitment / scouting team), the management of resources will likely nod towards a realistic short of 25/26 & medium of 27/28. For short to be achieved, worse case scenario we need to be promoted by end of next season. For medium, worse case scenario, it’s end of 25/26.
Ipswich splashed the cash! Kieran McKenna was a gamble which paid off, he was a fantastic youth coach and he’s doing amazingly well in the senior ranks.
Funny enough, Kieran lost 4 of his first 23 league games and finished mid table. Appleton has lost 2 of his first 12 league games, so tracking pretty similar to Kieran’s start.
Those sites just guess wages tbf. May be right, or may be way off. Although no doubting Ipswich have spent more than us.
The gross wage bills for clubs come from the published accounts. The accounts published are of the previous season. My guess is Ipswich will have splashed even more cash in their last season in league1.
i’m surprised that nobody apparently asked about progress in the fitness/medical area given that the current injury list suggests there hasn’t been any so far.
After all, who was it who said in summer “There’s no point in spending money on good players if we cannot keep them fit and available” ?
Comments
Every player has a price........its just are we (they) willing to pay that price. Or put it another way, what is the price of not succeeding? Of not getting promotion next season (this season is gone imo). Teams like Orient, Wycombe & Fleetwood (to name just 3) are probably "happy" being in League 1 and think paying £1m for a player unrealistic. However, teams like Ipswich & Sunderland think differently & realise you have to push the boat out to get success.
Currently working alright for them
But spending is no guarantee
However "spending " (losing) a minimum £5-6m a year to tread water in mid table League 1 like we have been doing, isn't a great idea either.
We've spent money on players in that time, Lavelle, Kirk, May and Taylor all commanded fees amongst others. The issue is the quality of players we signed turned out to be poor.
It took Ipswich 3 windows to get the squad right, arguably AS and the team haven't had a full window yet to emulate that, and even if you believe they had the time this summer, that's still 2 windows less than Ipswich managed it in.
People claim Charlton are a nice, patient bunch, bit I'd argue it's quite the opposite nowadays
Either way we won't sustain as a club just getting by in league 1. I also think it's another myth you need time for players to gel, manager getting his own players etc. In the championship maybe, in the Premier league definitely. This is not a league that a big club spends time in and builds to get out of, it's a complete failure we have been here as long as we have.
You get a good manager, you spend the cash on good players, you have a decent pre-season and you'll get promoted in this league. Pompey have a fairly new manager and signed a thousand new players and they're flying, Stevenage are in 4th ffs and have just come up. It isn't as difficult as made out, we have just become so accustomed to mediocrity that this league now seems difficult.
Of course it's unrealistic by me as we keep getting owners who aren't coming to Charlton with our best interests but only their own.
I'm just saying if you think spending £5-6m per year to tread water makes sense, I'm arguing it doesn't
Ipswich went out and hired the best manager available. They bought a lot of players.
It didn't work.
They learnt.
Have we? Will we? Holden, then Appleton and our last two windows says not.
We all hope it does. I can't stick up for the current set up. I'm not asking for them to be removed- to sell up and bugger off, but I have doubts they'll deliver their rhetoric.
We can all agree to disagree. We all want the best for the club.
Ipswich's owners decided they'd spend money. Ours haven't really. Not since splashing out £12m + to acquire the club.
Kirk, Aneke etc were already here when they bought us. It has saddled them with problems - but they knew all about those problems when they bought us and oversaw the window of Jan 22.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.twtd.co.uk/amp/news/44710/town-announce-%C3%8212.6m-loss
https://swissramble.substack.com/p/ipswich-town-finances-202122#:~:text=Profit/(Loss) 2021/22&text=Town's pre-tax loss basically,m to £2.3m.
£6.4m losses doubled to £12.6m
So, um.... you were considerably wrong. They spent - is it working. If they get into the Premier League it's worth it.
Our owners are worth a lot. If you asked them - spend (lose) £19m for 2 years BUT be knocking on the door of the Premier League would you do it.
I'm guessing they'd say yes.
Spend probably £10m over 2 years and going nowhere in League 1? I guess they won't be so enamoured.
From the get go, the leadership appear to want to make a success of this. And they believe they have the backing of the owners. How long the owners continue to back them is another question that I don’t know if we will ever get an answer to.
In the mean time, it seems as though a lot of good things are happening in the background - roles being filled that were previously vacant for a number of years, repeatable processes put in place, etc.
We have the words and I believe their actions are tieing in with their words. Do not agree with those who say they are all talk and no action. Stuff is happening.
Unfortunately, having a better run club doesn’t get you three points on a Saturday though. And that’s what we all care about.
Words, tick.
Actions, tick.
Outcomes, room for (considerable) improvement.
They need to act fast and back up these words by getting signings done early in January. Not wait a whole month and sign scraps on deadline day.
Remember he's passing on highlights of what was said immediately after the meeting so as to give people a feel for what was said.
He's not necessarily endorsing what was said and there was a lot more detail.
Don't shoot the messenger
Rodwell praised what CAST had done on the parking and his response to the potential £1m lost was a mock groan an "Don't depress me".
As for it's as simple as football manager that really is silly.
Scott went into a lot of detail about how he almost becomes a "stalker" when looking to sign players, checking their social media to see if they post about football or going out drinking, speaking to coaches and players who've worked with them, have they moved area before, etc etc.
There is a lot more that I'll post when I can.
I remain to be convinced but what was SAID made sense and wasn't Sandgaard style European football in five years eg aim to be among the top 30 clubs In the county and build from there.
The stated level of engagement of the owners and their willingness to invest was a positive. Yes, again it's just words so far but JR did respond to @Athletico Charlton's question about the sale price by saying yes, it was around £10 to £12m and it was cash up front.
I'll say it again, come to the meetings and hear for yourselves. You'll get a much better feel for way things are put than on here
In other news the raffle raised £350 so more than we paid for the sponsorship so the football club got money and we have cash in the bank to pay the miserable moaning sod who runs the RBL club who I had a full and frank exchange of views with, @Sage was there, and who then spent the evening moaning to all our members at the bar about us not putting the chairs back!!
Other than that a good night and thanks to all the committee for organising, fans for attending, Jim and Andy for coming, especially Jim as he really wasn't well and Tom Rubashow and @Tracey for organising.
At least Sandgaard had ambition. And he could pen a nifty riff to boot.
End of January window will likely evidence how much real intent exists behind stated ambitions.
I have more confidence in the club moving forwards on and off the pitch (albeit slowly) than under previous incarnations of ownership but that is an incredibly low bar.
I’ll also be looking forward to my Appleton signed shirt which I won in the raffle
Accountability is important and Andy Scott must know that a big improvements in recruitment is needed in January and this summer if he’s to retain his position.
You didn't put the chairs back!!!!!!!
How many times do you need to be told?
You promise to put the chairs back and then you don't, all talk and no action.
Let's see what happens at the next meeting.
I think the strategy of promoting youth from the academy is commendable, but it takes time and is hindered when the main stays of the side aren't dependable, or are lacking in the leadership qualities to help the youngsters through.
Above all else in January, we need to improve the balance age, experience, and fitness wise.
Anyway, a very enjoyable evening.
Also concerned at his comments about the summer recruitment at Nott Forest when they got up to the PL.
They brought masses of players of dubious quality (imo).
Ipswich Town. Wages+expenses 2021. £17.4 million (13.4 wages +4 expenses)
2022. £26.5 million (£16.4 wages+10 expenses)
Profit from player sales was £2.3 million and £2.2 million -basically the same each year
Profit/Loss for those years 2021 £6.4 loss, 2022 £12.6 million loss.
Wages/Turnover2022 114% 2021 166% (Covid restricted attendances)
Comment- their expenditure on wages in 2021 is more than double ours in recent years.
I'll get my coat.
For short to be achieved, worse case scenario we need to be promoted by end of next season. For medium, worse case scenario, it’s end of 25/26.
Ipswich splashed the cash! Kieran McKenna was a gamble which paid off, he was a fantastic youth coach and he’s doing amazingly well in the senior ranks.
After all, who was it who said in summer “There’s no point in spending money on good players if we cannot keep them fit and available” ?