What I’ve seen from here a couple of so called Charlton fans wound them up and thus the gate broke and escalated. Some people not all had a longer walk back ..
That's okay then. There was me thinking that around 20,000 people were inconvenienced and put in harm's way.
I’m sure the people affected will be delighted that the club is going to talk to a selected group on October 16th. More can-kicking.
If I were to seek a less pessimistic interpretation I would suppose that the Club have sought a meeting with Plod about this before coming back to the fans, and plod being plod, that meeting is not happening as quickly as we'd like.
Either way @castrust should be on the Club's case. In the event that the Club in some way confirms the scenario I describe, and say they are reluctant to say anything before such a meeting with plod, the CAST should say "OK we understand you want to stay quiet but the silence is making things worse with the fanbase , so why don't you let us explain that you are seeking that meeting before talking to the fans?"
In other words: the Club may understandably feel constrained regarding their working relationship with the police. They depend on it being at least reasonable. Fans have no such constraint. The police are public servants and accountable to the 20,000 Charlton fans who were there. A democratically organised group of them has every right to demand that the police as well as the Club account for themselves, and if they are the body slowing that process down, they can say so without fear of consequences.
Ultimately it is the level of customer service you get everywhere in today's world. Nobody will admit fault, nobody will apologise, nobody will stand up and say "here's what went wrong", neither will they say what will actually be done to alleviate the problem - "lessons will be earned", "steps will be taken" - but there will be no decision made in the here and now. The can will be kicked down the road, after all, when the fixture comes up next year, someone else might be in charge, so well paid executives won't need to actually earn their wages because someone else will be paying them at the next stop on the merry-go-round.
The irony is, that virtually everyone in the real world actually admires someone who puts their head above the parapet and says "Yes, it was me, it was my fault. I made a mistake, I am totally aware of what that mistake was, and next time we will do A, B and C to make sure that doesn't re-occur".
Not strictly true.
This is an extract of an email I sent to a client yesterday when my team fucked something up while I was away on holiday.
Unfortunately, it appears that having
received the information from your team, a number of issues at our end meant
that we were late in providing you with the draft [redacted] for
your approval. We have addressed these issues internally, but I would like to
take this opportunity to apologise to you and the team at {redacted] for any
inconvenience or disruption this may have caused. We will ensure that all
future [redacted] are reviewed, and responses are sent to the {redacted] team within
the previously agreed parameters.
And in saying "we have addressed these issues" I meant I've given the people responsible a bloody good talking to. It can be done.
I would hate getting that. The phrase "apologise for ANY inconvenience caused" winds me up no end. Of course there was inconvenience - it should say "the" not "any". It's a train service thing. Of course there was inconvenience.
Please be assured that your feedback is important to us. (*drops into the bin)
How often are, the police investigated and no one is ever bought to book for mistakes and negligence.Hillsborough,the grooming gangs in the North of England.Yet if a prison warder has it off with an in mate,they get put in prison(rightly so) ,be responsible for ignoring hundreds of complaints about child prostitution by asians,thats fine,we wont bother with this .Millwall v Charlton was an absolute disgrace,I still cant get my head round the supposed 295 officers on duty.What did that cost double time probably £40. per hour,5 hours per person minimum,£60,000 plus dozens of vans and horses,etc,cant see the final bill being far short of 100k.This was literally for 3 hours work as from 3pm to 5pm what did they do,other than some of them watched the game.This is out of tax payers money,and a supposedly under staffed under funded police force,ridiculous.
An interesting point about police overtime. They like to think of themselves as professionals but what other professional body pays overtime? It is in their interest to draw out events like crowd management for as long as possible to maximise the extra bunce.
It’s a myth to think all the police there are on overtime and double time.
How often are, the police investigated and no one is ever bought to book for mistakes and negligence.Hillsborough,the grooming gangs in the North of England.Yet if a prison warder has it off with an in mate,they get put in prison(rightly so) ,be responsible for ignoring hundreds of complaints about child prostitution by asians,thats fine,we wont bother with this .Millwall v Charlton was an absolute disgrace,I still cant get my head round the supposed 295 officers on duty.What did that cost double time probably £40. per hour,5 hours per person minimum,£60,000 plus dozens of vans and horses,etc,cant see the final bill being far short of 100k.This was literally for 3 hours work as from 3pm to 5pm what did they do,other than some of them watched the game.This is out of tax payers money,and a supposedly under staffed under funded police force,ridiculous.
An interesting point about police overtime. They like to think of themselves as professionals but what other professional body pays overtime? It is in their interest to draw out events like crowd management for as long as possible to maximise the extra bunce.
It’s a myth to think all the police there are on overtime and double time.
How often are, the police investigated and no one is ever bought to book for mistakes and negligence.Hillsborough,the grooming gangs in the North of England.Yet if a prison warder has it off with an in mate,they get put in prison(rightly so) ,be responsible for ignoring hundreds of complaints about child prostitution by asians,thats fine,we wont bother with this .Millwall v Charlton was an absolute disgrace,I still cant get my head round the supposed 295 officers on duty.What did that cost double time probably £40. per hour,5 hours per person minimum,£60,000 plus dozens of vans and horses,etc,cant see the final bill being far short of 100k.This was literally for 3 hours work as from 3pm to 5pm what did they do,other than some of them watched the game.This is out of tax payers money,and a supposedly under staffed under funded police force,ridiculous.
An interesting point about police overtime. They like to think of themselves as professionals but what other professional body pays overtime? It is in their interest to draw out events like crowd management for as long as possible to maximise the extra bunce.
It’s a myth to think all the police there are on overtime and double time.
It’s just not true.
So what % would you put it at then?
I don’t know. However my daughter is a serving police officer and you can’t just get ‘overtime’ for a football match.
Likewise policing protests in Westminster. If you are rostered and it’s your patch then it may simply become your duty / task for that day.
You get told if you have to work beyond your shift it’s not an elective personal choice.
Yes some may have volunteered for overtime but certainly not all.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
U make it sound like it was a one off decision - it happened at our last game against them as well - it’s something that doesn’t happen elsewhere and we shouldn’t stand for it - I’ll be pursuing it further if need be once I get a response from my police complaint as I’ve no faith in cast who completely missed the point
When events like the Millwall game occur, you start to wonder how capable someone could be in the rare joint role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer. I’ve certainly never seen that before.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
How does information get passed on to cast or the fans forum and are they made up of 2 completely separate groups of people? what’s the best way to get some views across at the fans forum ? What’s the contact details assuming only select people can attend in person ?
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
You learn a lot from people’s body language. Normally a good bar
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
You learn a lot from people’s body language. Normally a good bar
Yes that’s true.
I just don’t think there is much to uncover.
A poor decision / strategy that was poorly executed by both parties.
The club were all /only about maximising ticket sales.
Shame really they didn’t persuade Jones to take cup fixtures more seriously and generate some income that way 😉😆
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
You learn a lot from people’s body language. Normally a good bar
Yes that’s true.
I just don’t think there is much to uncover.
A poor decision / strategy that was poorly executed by both parties.
The club were all /only about maximising ticket sales.
Shame really they didn’t persuade Jones to take cup fixtures more seriously and generate some income that way 😉😆
Not much to uncover you think @valleynick66? How about these questions about how stewarding works for a start?
Do we have a senior executive with overall responsibility for safety
Do we have a safety officer to plan and oversee the event day operation
Do we have supervisory stewards to form a link in the chain of command between the safety officer and all other stewards
Do we have stewards performing locational or functional roles
Do we have a named individual with a responsibility for security?
They are some of the basic requirements of the safety licence as far as i can glean and all reasonable questions in light of what happened/ did not happen at the south east corner at the ed of the match.
Does seem some are willing away the possibility of serious answers to serious safety related issues.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
You learn a lot from people’s body language. Normally a good bar
Yes that’s true.
I just don’t think there is much to uncover.
A poor decision / strategy that was poorly executed by both parties.
The club were all /only about maximising ticket sales.
Shame really they didn’t persuade Jones to take cup fixtures more seriously and generate some income that way 😉😆
Not much to uncover you think @valleynick66? How about these questions about how stewarding works for a start?
Do we have a senior executive with overall responsibility for safety
Do we have a safety officer to plan and oversee the event day operation
Do we have supervisory stewards to form a link in the chain of command between the safety officer and all other stewards
Do we have stewards performing locational or functional roles
Do we have a named individual with a responsibility for security?
They are some of the basic requirements of the safety licence as far as i can glean and all reasonable questions in light of what happened/ did not happen at the south east corner at the ed of the match.
Does seem some people on here (various, not just yourself, are willing away the possibility of serious answers to serious safety related issues.
I’m sure we tick all the necessary boxes as a club that are required.
The wrong call was made in most (if not all) people’s opinions and I assume in the clubs too.
Normally games pass without great issue.
A different approach was used for this game which none of us liked and was very badly implemented.
I don’t imagine there is much beyond that in the cold light of day -is my point
Do we need a club scapegoat when as far as I am aware I haven’t seen any reports of violence or serious incidents (Sam Bartram exit aside and separate to the decision to not hold Millwall back) ?
If on the other hand you are seeking answers to the Sam Bartram gate specifically then I speculate this is simply error as ordinarily that exit is not an issue.
That is a genuine lesson learned for the club and police.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
If it was an open Q and A down the club then maybe that would be different
Agreed - that would be more entertaining!
They’d squirm more but you’d still not learn much.
You learn a lot from people’s body language. Normally a good bar
Yes that’s true.
I just don’t think there is much to uncover.
A poor decision / strategy that was poorly executed by both parties.
The club were all /only about maximising ticket sales.
Shame really they didn’t persuade Jones to take cup fixtures more seriously and generate some income that way 😉😆
Not much to uncover you think @valleynick66? How about these questions about how stewarding works for a start?
Do we have a senior executive with overall responsibility for safety
Do we have a safety officer to plan and oversee the event day operation
Do we have supervisory stewards to form a link in the chain of command between the safety officer and all other stewards
Do we have stewards performing locational or functional roles
Do we have a named individual with a responsibility for security?
They are some of the basic requirements of the safety licence as far as i can glean and all reasonable questions in light of what happened/ did not happen at the south east corner at the ed of the match.
Does seem some people on here (various, not just yourself, are willing away the possibility of serious answers to serious safety related issues.
I’m sure we tick all the necessary boxes as a club that are required.
The wrong call was made in most (if not all) people’s opinions and I assume in the clubs too.
Normally games pass without great issue.
A different approach was used for this game which none of us liked and was very badly implemented.
I don’t imagine there is much beyond that in the cold light of day -is my point
Do we need a club scapegoat when as far as I am aware I haven’t seen any reports of violence or serious incidents (Sam Bartram exit aside and separate to the decision to not hold Millwall back) ?
If on the other hand you are seeking answers to the Sam Bartram gate specifically then I speculate this is simply error as ordinarily that exit is not an issue.
That is a genuine lesson learned for the club and police.
There were no "serious incidents" at the Leppings Lane end at Hillsborough .Until there was. Due mainly to complacency and arrogance on the part of the police. The best practice approach is to anticipate potential danger points, with the help of experienced professionals who have worked at the location for many years. Overruling their concerns and imposing an already tried (and failed) process on a venue at the last moment is the very antithesis of best practice.
Yes we should make a fuss, kick up a hornets nest etc.
However, apart from better stewarding of exit gates etc, I'm resigned to the scum being allowed out first again next season and thereafter. It's not a defeatist attitude, it's just ultimately whatever the police want goes.
The reality of the Millwall game is known if we are honest.
The police made the call and the club have to comply.
The club royally mucked up in how they chose to advertise it and steward it post match vis a vis announcements.
The police will have had a rationale for their decision to not keep Millwall back. We don’t like it because it’s unusual / exceptional and feels unjust but is just that a judgement call we don’t appreciate.
Any promise to learn and/or not repeat can’t be taken as a guarantee as circumstances and personnel can change.
There might be some squirming from the club at the fans forum but I doubt we will learn anything new.
Or perhaps the club could have asked for the police inside the ground and paid the bill?
Absolutely this matters, who is attending this meeting and why isn't it an open meeting so all fans can voice their concerns? All opinions deserve to be heard..... Yes its been extensively covered in detail on Charlton life, but not by Charlton, as this thread shows our fans have alot of knowledge and want to help make sure this doesn't happen again and work constructively with the club, all everyone has asked for are clear answers which club have dodged and tried to underplay by a half baked survey and now this supporter forum, which seems a closed shop not open to fans? The meeting on Oct 16th, is of course less than straight forward
Fans needs clear answers from the club. Why were Millwall not kept behind and 20K fans were diverted unsafely with no communication before, during or after (forget the PA announcement most missed), 297 police where were they? Lack of stewarding in ground in particular the Gate violence? The one mercy is no one was seriously hurt but us fans we want to hear what the club plan to do with policing and stewards at future high risk matches in particular next time we play Millwall to make sure this will never happen again. How will this will be communicated to the fans before and during these matches. The supporters forum on Oct 16th is of course less than straight forward...after clicking the link i'm unclear who exactly is attending?
Bi-annual Supporter Forum Based on the historic Fans’ Forum, the Supporter Forum allows all fan groups to send a representative to a bi-annual meeting with the club’s operational executive and business management staff at The Valley. These meetings are organised and chaired by the Fan Advocate role, giving fans the opportunity to feedback on operational opportunities for improvement and development.
Surely it should be an open meeting for all fans, in particular those who have written to the club invited and fans unable to attend should be able join online? Why isn't this an open meeting, surely the club have nothing to hide and want to engage with us fans......don't they?
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
You clearly put this up to provoke a reaction so i won't dignify it by responding .....
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
You can’t have been there then Dubai, to make a crass comment like that, to say was if that bad. Read the room man
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
You clearly put this up to provoke a reaction so i won't dignify it by responding .....
Even signalled it was rage bait with the final sentence.
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
My own journey from the game was significantly disrupted.
I presume from your response you had no change to journey home?
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
You sound as if you live half way round the world and was not at the game.
I think also the club are making a massive mistake thinking just because fans haven't written to club that it doesn't mean 20K fans who attended aren't angry at what happened. Most fans would have been furious that as Home fans they were treated this way & that it created an unsafe situation which thankfully no one was hurt .Our fans have quite rightly asked why Millwall fans were given special treatment to leave rather than be held back like the majority of clubs do with away fans as we are at The Den. The violence in East Stand-Landsdown rd exit would have been witnessed by 100-150 Charlton fans, so of course vast majority didn't see it & also haven't seen it on social media as they weren't looking for it. I found it easily enough but as I was very close to fan who was kicked & punched lying on the staircase by 5-6 Millwall & even closer to our fan who was trying to passively and reason with Millwall fans and then punched, so i've been vocal on here, written to club, survey etc. I wrote suggesting positively that club in future reduce Millwalls tickets to 1000-1500, raise the price to offset lost revenue, put them in centre of JS & police and steward it properly next time & keep them in for 30-45mins till streets are clear. The Club's SMT & Comms of course knew all this but took a calculated decision to not highlight arrangements before or during the match so to downplay it and likewise the violence in East Stand, hoping that it would go away. Thankfully Lifers have been universally vocal in how our fans were treated & it seems a number have written to the club & expressed their views on the Mickey mouse survey... so lets wait with baited breath for some cynical statement from the club passing the buck. It just a real shame as this whole debacle has undone a lot of good work, as its clear the club's SMT don't care and for all tannoy annoucements thanking fans for getting behind the team, social media posts ramping up attendances, videos of Nathan pumping his fists to travelling supporters & Covered End. When it mattered with 20,000 fans safety and violence against our fans within the ground the SMT & Comms have gone AWOL. The club will have seen responses via emails and survey that the fans aren't happy, so lets see on Friday morning if someone finally within the club has the balls and intelligence to say right "we messed up'..... lets put out a proper statement and explain ourselves. Its not too late for the club to do this, but I'm not holding my breath this will happen. Well done to the clubs SMT & Comms for scoring an own goal just when things were going so well .....
Jesus Christ. Take a day off. Enough already.
Out of interest, fellow Lifer, were you at the match last Saturday ?
It's just that I thought you resided too far away to attend regularly....or at all .
Hi Fanny,
Just to respond, I’d like to say that my first experience of CAFC was when my Grandad - hand in hand - walked me down from Shirley House Drive to enter the Valley through the Sam Bartram gate, where he parked me on top of the back wall of the East Terrace, so I could see the pitch.
I was hooked from the first moment. I can’t explain why but Charlton Athletic became part of me.
Still is 70 years later.
Then, as time passed, I was going down the Valley at every opportunity. Not just Saturday but the mid week Combination league and Metropolitan league games.
We used to get a little slip of paper with the team list on it. Remember that?
One time I will never forget from all those years ago, was standing behind the goal, pitch level, in the covered end on a cold, damp, misty night. I think it was the Combination league.
Someone had a shot which beat the ‘keeper but stuck in the mud about 3 foot from the goal line.
Suddenly, out of the fog, this nippy little guy flew in and blasted the ball into the back of the net.
Our eyes met, our yells were loud, our grins were enormous, our celebration was shared in that special moment.
His name was Keith Peacock.
How could you forget a moment like that?
Yes, after 20 years of that, I moved to the Pacific North West. But I promise you, my heart didn’t move from Charlton.
I engaged overseas and domestic fans by starting a website called CAFC Picks. It was an enjoyable few years.
I flew over and had a great meeting with Rick and others at the Valley, to set foundations for an official International Supporters Club. Unfortunately, we were relegated that season, so priorities changed.
I only mention these things (and there are a ton more) because I want to let you know, after all these years, there’s a thing called Charlton that transcends the chancer owners, the useless SMT and the rubbish managers. And I can’t explain what it is. But it is in my heart.
So sometimes I get a little snippy at the snipers, if they keep going on about it.
No. I wasn't at the Millwall game but I do still get over for games from time to time but more importantly, your ‘Tingle’ is still felt all these miles away.
Honestly, was it that bad? I get it, people was put out of there normal match day routine? It wasn't as if there was a huge riot, fans fighting all over the stadium.. There was a few scuffles, that you would expect in a local derby..
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
You clearly put this up to provoke a reaction so i won't dignify it by responding .....
They've got to do something now they don't get attention from being the friend of a source of Charlie.
Comments
Either way @castrust should be on the Club's case. In the event that the Club in some way confirms the scenario I describe, and say they are reluctant to say anything before such a meeting with plod, the CAST should say "OK we understand you want to stay quiet but the silence is making things worse with the fanbase , so why don't you let us explain that you are seeking that meeting before talking to the fans?"
In other words: the Club may understandably feel constrained regarding their working relationship with the police. They depend on it being at least reasonable. Fans have no such constraint. The police are public servants and accountable to the 20,000 Charlton fans who were there. A democratically organised group of them has every right to demand that the police as well as the Club account for themselves, and if they are the body slowing that process down, they can say so without fear of consequences.
When events like the Millwall game occur, you start to wonder how capable someone could be in the rare joint role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer. I’ve certainly never seen that before.
How about these questions about how stewarding works for a start?
- Do we have a senior executive with overall responsibility for safety
- Do we have a safety officer to plan and oversee the event day operation
- Do we have supervisory stewards to form a link in the chain of command between the safety officer and all other stewards
- Do we have stewards performing locational or functional roles
- Do we have a named individual with a responsibility for security?
They are some of the basic requirements of the safety licence as far as i can glean and all reasonable questions in light of what happened/ did not happen at the south east corner at the ed of the match.Does seem some are willing away the possibility of serious answers to serious safety related issues.
Do we need a club scapegoat when as far as I am aware I haven’t seen any reports of violence or serious incidents (Sam Bartram exit aside and separate to the decision to not hold Millwall back) ?
If on the other hand you are seeking answers to the Sam Bartram gate specifically then I speculate this is simply error as ordinarily that exit is not an issue.
However, apart from better stewarding of exit gates etc, I'm resigned to the scum being allowed out first again next season and thereafter. It's not a defeatist attitude, it's just ultimately whatever the police want goes.
Or perhaps the club could have asked for the police inside the ground and paid the bill?
Yes its been extensively covered in detail on Charlton life, but not by Charlton, as this thread shows our fans have alot of knowledge and want to help make sure this doesn't happen again and work constructively with the club, all everyone has asked for are clear answers which club have dodged and tried to underplay by a half baked survey and now this supporter forum, which seems a closed shop not open to fans? The meeting on Oct 16th, is of course less than straight forward
Fans needs clear answers from the club. Why were Millwall not kept behind and 20K fans were diverted unsafely with no communication before, during or after (forget the PA announcement most missed), 297 police where were they? Lack of stewarding in ground in particular the Gate violence? The one mercy is no one was seriously hurt but us fans we want to hear what the club plan to do with policing and stewards at future high risk matches in particular next time we play Millwall to make sure this will never happen again. How will this will be communicated to the fans before and during these matches. The supporters forum on Oct 16th is of course less than straight forward...after clicking the link i'm unclear who exactly is attending?
Bi-annual Supporter Forum Based on the historic Fans’ Forum, the Supporter Forum allows all fan groups to send a representative to a bi-annual meeting with the club’s operational executive and business management staff at The Valley. These meetings are organised and chaired by the Fan Advocate role, giving fans the opportunity to feedback on operational opportunities for improvement and development.
Really question sometimes, do people have nothing better to do, that moan and complain?
Here comes the backlash for this comment.
Terrible effort - D-
I presume from your response you had no change to journey home?
I'll leave it there.
Hi Fanny,
Just to respond, I’d like to say that my first experience of CAFC was when my Grandad - hand in hand - walked me down from Shirley House Drive to enter the Valley through the Sam Bartram gate, where he parked me on top of the back wall of the East Terrace, so I could see the pitch.
I was hooked from the first moment. I can’t explain why but Charlton Athletic became part of me.
Still is 70 years later.
Then, as time passed, I was going down the Valley at every opportunity. Not just Saturday but the mid week Combination league and Metropolitan league games.
We used to get a little slip of paper with the team list on it. Remember that?
One time I will never forget from all those years ago, was standing behind the goal, pitch level, in the covered end on a cold, damp, misty night. I think it was the Combination league.
Someone had a shot which beat the ‘keeper but stuck in the mud about 3 foot from the goal line.
Suddenly, out of the fog, this nippy little guy flew in and blasted the ball into the back of the net.
Our eyes met, our yells were loud, our grins were enormous, our celebration was shared in that special moment.
His name was Keith Peacock.
How could you forget a moment like that?
Yes, after 20 years of that, I moved to the Pacific North West. But I promise you, my heart didn’t move from Charlton.
I engaged overseas and domestic fans by starting a website called CAFC Picks. It was an enjoyable few years.
I flew over and had a great meeting with Rick and others at the Valley, to set foundations for an official International Supporters Club. Unfortunately, we were relegated that season, so priorities changed.
I only mention these things (and there are a ton more) because I want to let you know, after all these years, there’s a thing called Charlton that transcends the chancer owners, the useless SMT and the rubbish managers. And I can’t explain what it is. But it is in my heart.
So sometimes I get a little snippy at the snipers, if they keep going on about it.
No. I wasn't at the Millwall game but I do still get over for games from time to time but more importantly, your ‘Tingle’ is still felt all these miles away.
My best to all.