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Is it wrong to feel that Charlton is no longer your priority on a match day

Never would I have felt like this in the 45 years I have supported our team. My Saturdays consisted of watching our beloved club home and away, numerous rows with her indoors as all plans had to be scheduled around match days from August to May. 
I dread to think how many of teams of thousands I have spent watching us in the 80 s and 90s when we were dire, standing on a terrace in a grim town up north on Tuesday taking two days off of work.
Even my wedding took place in close season so I wouldn’t miss any fixtures on the day or on our honeymoon, was even cheesed off as we had Welling away that day as well. In America I would set the alarm at silly o’clock to listen the games whilst in holiday.

Now I no longer plan my days on a Saturday around our club,maybe do eight to ten away days a season, even have agreed to go to the in laws on Boxing Day. Normally I would make all the excuses under the sun to swerve going to see them but on a match day? 

On a Saturday now I think when we are at home and half a season ticket, given I also have a three round trip, I no longer have that enthusiasm and think I won’t bother today. Even the good lady is now getting the hump because she doesn’t lose me for 10:hours on a Saturday after my post and pre match drinks which enables us to chew the fat in what we have been up to.

Is anyone else starting or now feeling like this, or is it just a sign of getting old ?
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  • edited November 2022
    "Sorry lads, got my taxes to file" EDIT well now the title's been fixed, what's the point of this? Guess I'd better answer the question: now I live in the borough of Barnet, perhaps Charlton is even MORE my priority on match days, because I have to spend half the bloody day getting there and back. 

    The big difference is away games, which I don't even so much as stream unless a) my girlfriend is away or b) it is one of my roughly 2 in-person away games a season
  • Never would I have felt like this in the 45 years I have supported our team. My Saturdays consisted of watching our beloved club home and away, numerous rows with her indoors as all plans had to be scheduled around match days from August to May. 
    I dread to think how many of teams of thousands I have spent watching us in the 80 s and 90s when we were dire, standing on a terrace in a grim town up north on Tuesday taking two days off of work.
    Even my wedding took place in close season so I wouldn’t miss any fixtures on the day or on our honeymoon, was even cheesed off as we had Welling away that day as well. In America I would set the alarm at silly o’clock to listen the games whilst in holiday.

    Now I no longer plan my days on a Saturday around our club,maybe do eight to ten away days a season, even have agreed to go to the in laws on Boxing Day. Normally I would make all the excuses under the sun to swerve going to see them but on a match day? 

    On a Saturday now I think when we are at home and half a season ticket, given I also have a three round trip, I no longer have that enthusiasm and think I won’t bother today. Even the good lady is now getting the hump because she doesn’t lose me for 10:hours on a Saturday after my post and pre match drinks which enables us to chew the fat in what we have been up to.

    Is anyone else starting or now feeling like this, or is it just a sign of getting old ?
    I think that depending on other commitments your involvement can ebb and flow.  The football is on the whole poor imo at the moment but that won’t stop me going to the home games, even though I’m not as behind them as I was say under the Bowyer season.  

    There might also be something in when you are younger you may eat, sleep and breath football, but that level of intensity is hard to keep up.  

    I had a period from the start of 98 until the start of the 02-03 season only missing one game, home and away including cups because I was ill.  Other than that it was my life.  Then when I got to Uni and was going to away games and getting the supporters club coach from Canterbury and all my mates were out on Sat evenings, I made the decision at the start of my 2nd year to say, enough is enough on the away games, I’m missing out on some real memories not being out with my mates 
  • Moving 200+ miles away from The Valley has constrained my commitment - and over the last few years I haven't tried that hard to overcome those constraints. One home game and a couple of away games is it so far this season, and I have to admit to not missing it too much.

    If I was back down south that would possibly change (note: only possibly).
  • It's your free time, you should do what you want with it. Hopefully soon Charlton will be playing entertaining, competitive, winning football and you'll want to plan your days around matches again. Until that time though you should feel free to pick more entertaining or at least, less frustrating, pursuits. There are no medals for going to football. 
  • For those within sensible travelling distance of the ground,
    Home game: yes. 

    Away game: depends. 
  • edited November 2022
    My interest in Charlton has also dropped hugely in recent years.

    I think being 14th in League one every season does that to you.

    We’re unfortunately a boring club to support. 

    We never go on good cup runs and don’t have the squad to compete for a top 6th spot…which would make our season exciting. Often we’re out of the league picture and all cups by Feb and the last half of each season consequently tends to be a  pretty dull ‘playing for nothing’ situation….sadly.
  • I think the Covid years, together with general antipathy with our recent owners have compounded matters. I still love my football, but rarely go to away games (having racked up over 90 different league grounds watching Charlton), and miss a few games front and back of the season due to cricket commitments (which used to take second place thirty years ago...).

    Still, when we are on a ten game winning streak in February/March, and end up at Wembley, all that love will come flooding back!
  • edited November 2022
    NO (How can it be, it's your choice, you don't need permission!).

    As some have said the football has been dreadful, ambition, despite TS, zero and I reserve the right to go or not and I don't give a shit if that makes me a fly by night supporter.

    I've done my time, I've served my probation and I wont be, Charlton till I die, though I may go to confession and repent when I'm on my deathbed.

    Haven't we had a similar thread to this before.
  • I am also in the camp where putting in a 4 hour round trip to see a home game just isn't desirable. In my 54th year of watching Charlton games and I can't remember my motivation to go being this low, in fact whilst continuing to have a season ticket I have only watched one live home game this season.
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  • Assume that this is really a rhetorical question, but it's interesting nonetheless. 
    When I was very young and first started going to Charlton with my Dad, I was absolutely nuts about them. The thing was all consuming and remained so for many many years.
    But my Dad, who was a wise bloke, also made me aware of what sort of football club I was getting involved with.
    I wish I could remember exactly the phrase he used, but the sentiments he expressed realistically summed up the Charlton supporting journey and is as relevant now as it was back then.
    So although apathy has set in for me too, I believe Charlton will come again and it reenergise our support, which I think is holding up pretty well considering.
    We are supporters of a unique football club and none of us would swap it.
  • i used to do a lot more home and away games than i do now several factors. 

    my job i do now is a lot more hours in a week i used to be on the tools so home early afternoon most days, now i often work into the evening. 

    the costs involved last saturday to port vale rt train from barnehurst match ticket, beers and food for the day £200.00 

    i do other things charlton are no longer my no 1 priority. 


  • No wonder your wife's gutted.

    Very difficult for her to continue her decades long affair with you mooching about the house.
  • Not sure i've ever felt more disconnected to this team and club. We are going no where this season and for the foreseeable. 

    All comes down to TS, as long as he here, we will never be successful. 
  • As pissed off as I get after losing  when I'm trudging off to bed at 4.30am on Sunday morning, for me being 10,000 miles away from the Valley I still feel I just have to make the effort. 

    Thanks to the legitimate use of Charlton Tv, I do get to see most of the games each season and every now and again, getting up at 2am is well worth the effort. 

    I Was fortunate to see us play well and win against Exeter and Portsmouth in person but hated seeing the Valley so empty. It reminded me of the 70's during the power strikes when we often only had 3-4K in the ground. 

    I really don't want to see us being so poorly supported but what with media sources and to a large extent social media, I can see the bigger picture of why people no longer bother.
    I dont agree with it, but it's the world we live in now.... it's far too easy to spread apathy by negative posting here and on fb and I think that's really to blame as we as people are far too easily influenced by what we read. 

    2am to 4.30 on a Sunday morning I'd much rather be asleep, but it's my club and I'd feel that I'm letting us down by not bothering. So as much as I might bleat, I'll be setting my alarm for 1.50am when we play in a Sunday. 
  • I think it’s the cavalcade of c***s who’ve owned us since Murray went —spivs, RD, crooks, and now TS who doesn’t know how to undo the damage but persists in believing he does — that’s been dispiriting. That and the crap football. And, yes, getting older and not fancying the drive.
  • Macronate said:
    No wonder your wife's gutted.

    Very difficult for her to continue her decades long affair with you mooching about the house.
    Perhaps you should enlighten me more....only the right thing to do if you are aware of something as serious as someones wife playing around ?

  • edited November 2022

    I am going through a similar thing now. My enthusiasm for football seems to be mirroring my enthusiasm for anything at the moment.

    Think it’s a mix of age and priorities with kids doing more and the trains for away games being a real pain. I would normally do 15 odd aways a year think Port Vale was my third this season. Because of the trains being as they are at the moment drove which took away the normal pre match beer and then the football was awful.

    Don’t think it helps to much in that we don’t seem to have that big game at all that gets everyone up for it, no derbies or big games and then we get a cup run and even that is just ok, we will end up going out to Brighton a team we have played fairly recently and not even a day out.

    I don’t particular relate to anyone in this team or feel that connection. They are all bang average like us as a club at the moment.

    I still will go to all home games and will be going Saturday as it’s what I do and don’t think that will ever change.

    I am sure things will change back again soon but this season already feels boring.


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  • Macronate said:
    No wonder your wife's gutted.

    Very difficult for her to continue her decades long affair with you mooching about the house.
    Perhaps you should enlighten me more....only the right thing to do if you are aware of something as serious as someones wife playing around ?

    Lighten up, you'll know from the tone of virtually all my posts that I was not being serious.

    If it fell flat, I apologise, and will delete.
  • For the past 2 years we have been living 135 miles away from The Valley, meaning a three hour drive. That has made it much easier for me not to make the effort to go to games. Somehow most match day I seem to find myself somewhere like Oslo or Hawaii and watch the game on Charlton TV. Given this season's results I thank my lucky stars I have lost the urge to attend games in person.
  • times change, priorities change, tastes change .. any guilt over losing a deep passionate love for CAFC should be banished from your psyche NOW if not sooner  o:)
  • edited November 2022
    It’s amazing what a few good results and a something to play for top six position will do. 
    And when do you see that happening?
  • edited November 2022
    Circumstances change in life and other people and things need your time away from football or the person/people you went with no longer go so you don't fancy it on your tod and sundry other things get in the way.

    If you do fancy it on the day KAT comes into play along with Sadiq Khan's nasty charge for driving into the area and other economic pressures in this day and age.


  • I don’t watch the games like Tel but just the highlights on YouTube the morning after.  Being highlights of course you see mainly the good stuff.  It’s just enough fanning of the flames to keep the dream alive.  Watching from afar, other side of the world, has advantages.

    Then I might spend a few minutes daily reading another page of Valiant 1000 to reflect on times past.  

    I have followed Charlton for over 70 years.  Cann’t see that changing.
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