Charlton fans appeal for help

[attila]

Meeting up with a few of their Supporters Trust at the Evening Star on Saturday after the match.
Charlton were perhaps the most enthusiastic backers of Fans United and their decision to field Valley Party candidates in their local council election as part of their Back to the Valley campaign was instrumental in our deciding to do the same as the Seagulls Party. Their campaign deserves our support.

Basically it seems they have become a kind of associated/feeder club for Standard Liege and their chairman/board are Walloons with a fondness for extreme Belgian techno, weird appointments on/off the pitch and a seeming complete indifference towards the fans. This from one Supporters' Trust member...

'CAFC is not in good health and support at The Valley is hemorrhaging as fans walk away in dismay at the way the owner is behaving.

Our Supporters' Trust (I'm on the Board) has found things hard going. Our members wanted us to seek dialogue with management, and this we have done, over months of (frustrating) 'softly, softly' maneuvering. There's now a chink in the door, where the door was hitherto firmly shut. Some fans accuse us of selling out....and I'm sympathetic to that view.

Fans have started a 'Spell it Out in Black & White' campaign, whereby we seek to get the Mad Professor (Duchatelet, CAFC's owner) and his CEO, Katrien Meire, to see sense and to do things in liaison with supporters, rather than solely on management's terms. Black and White is also our club colours with the Red - the life-blood - drained away.

I know that some Albion fans have assisted in Tweeting our plight, and this has been received with great thanks.
I know that respect among supporters of B&HA and CAFC is mutual and I'd like to chat with you and your mates as to how our campaign might gain ongoing support.

See you on Saturday.'

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

most teams have a contingent, I know of Leeds and Wolves supporters groups who go to every home game from Brighton. having some fans from a team south London doesn't surprise me at all.

I even know of a group of Doncaster Rovers fans, who live in and around Henfield, who do much the same thing.

 

[Hastings gull]

Thanks for this Addick. I will be happy to join in anything on Saturday that helps, makes the point etc.

The only set of fans in South London that I would willingly help. Even if it is just to a ring of mass applause as you hold your protest, then at least that is something that the jokers in the Director's Box will hear. Will it make a difference - on its own, probably not, but these things tend to have an attritional effect, and continual relentless campaigning worked for us eventually, albeit allied to the timely emergence of Dick Knight.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Yes I remember our crowds of 30,000 when we were in turmoil.

For Christs sake you lot who have forgotten; read Build A Bonfire or something. Remind yourselves or do some research if you are 16 years old or under!

I don't think it's only a matter of people forgetting. There are a lot of Albion 'supporters' nowadays, why simply weren't around as we were, in the bad old days.

 

[Addick1905]

Meeting up with a few of their Supporters Trust at the Evening Star on Saturday after the match.
Charlton were perhaps the most enthusiastic backers of Fans United and their decision to field Valley Party candidates in their local council election as part of their Back to the Valley campaign was instrumental in our deciding to do the same as the Seagulls Party. Their campaign deserves our support.

Basically it seems they have become a kind of associated/feeder club for Standard Liege and their chairman/board are Walloons with a fondness for extreme Belgian techno, weird appointments on/off the pitch and a seeming complete indifference towards the fans. This from one Supporters' Trust member...

'CAFC is not in good health and support at The Valley is hemorrhaging as fans walk away in dismay at the way the owner is behaving.

Our Supporters' Trust (I'm on the Board) has found things hard going. Our members wanted us to seek dialogue with management, and this we have done, over months of (frustrating) 'softly, softly' maneuvering. There's now a chink in the door, where the door was hitherto firmly shut. Some fans accuse us of selling out....and I'm sympathetic to that view.

Fans have started a 'Spell it Out in Black & White' campaign, whereby we seek to get the Mad Professor (Duchatelet, CAFC's owner) and his CEO, Katrien Meire, to see sense and to do things in liaison with supporters, rather than solely on management's terms. Black and White is also our club colours with the Red - the life-blood - drained away.

I know that some Albion fans have assisted in Tweeting our plight, and this has been received with great thanks.
I know that respect among supporters of B&HA and CAFC is mutual and I'd like to chat with you and your mates as to how our campaign might gain ongoing support.

See you on Saturday.'

Well written Attila

 

[Hornblower]

I don't think it's only a matter of people forgetting. There are a lot of Albion 'supporters' nowadays, why simply weren't around as we were, in the bad old days.

I will never forget the support that the Charlton fans gave us. Also, there was a time in the eighties or nineties (I forget which, old age and becoming a Grandad!) when the clubs were interlinked with player transfers and managers to the point that we called them Charlton and Hove Albion. I will give my support to their campaigning on Saturday in whatever way is appropriate. Oh, and don't for one minute think that this game is a pushover for BHA, any team that gets a one nil away to Brum can't be that bad.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I will never forget the support that the Charlton fans gave us. Also, there was a time in the eighties or nineties (I forget which, old age and becoming a Grandad!) when the clubs were interlinked with player transfers and managers to the point that we called them Charlton and Hove Albion. I will give my support to their campaigning on Saturday in whatever way is appropriate. Oh, and don't for one minute think that this game is a pushover for BHA, any team that gets a one nil away to Brum can't be that bad.

Absolutely, from the late 80's and through the 1990's aIone, and without even really thinking too hard, I can remember Garry Nelson, Alan Curbishley, John Robinson, Steve Gritt, John Humphrey, and Les Berry, coming from, or going to the Valley.

I have been thinking for a while, that our unbeaten run, could come to and end, when we least expect it to. Just as likely to happen this weekend, than against say Derby on Saturday week.

Although of course I sincerely hope not!

 

[Ernest]

And a few years ago their NODDY fans were calling for Curbishley to be SACKED, well that went well didn't it ? Who cares about them ? Let them have a TINY protest whilst we SMASH them on the pitch

 

[Questions]

My scaling the west stand wall days are over but i'm still willing to wear underpants on my head if it helps ...

If you do that R.Slicker will wear his gym slip.

 

[Taybha]

If you do that R.Slicker will wear his gym slip.

Excellent its the 90s all over again , Somebody should contact Citizen Pnut i'm sure he would like one more non arrestable excuse to wear that white fur coat

 

[papajaff]

I don't think it's only a matter of people forgetting. There are a lot of Albion 'supporters' nowadays, why simply weren't around as we were, in the bad old days.

Indeed, that's why I said do some research if you are 16 or under

 

[sydney]

I don't think it's only a matter of people forgetting. There are a lot of Albion 'supporters' nowadays, why simply weren't around as we were, in the bad old days.

one of my first games at the goldstone ...3-2 albion win ...paul clark screamer from 35 yds inti the north stand goal...etched im my memory.

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

I will happily support in any way.

They have a number of decent fans and a fair few of my friends from back home are Charlton fans. They aren't in a massive plight with the risk of losing the ground and the owners have even invested in the infrastructure but you can still understand their plight with the fact they aren't being listened to, are being laughed at and have dross on the pitch week in week out

Also, no matter what happens we all know that we won't smash them. We will draw or win by 1.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I will happily support in any way.

They have a number of decent fans and a fair few of my friends from back home are Charlton fans. They aren't in a massive plight with the risk of losing the ground and the owners have even invested in the infrastructure but you can still understand their plight with the fact they aren't being listened to, are being laughed at and have dross on the pitch week in week out

Also, no matter what happens we all know that we won't smash them. We will draw or win by 1.

Yep, as you say, a draw or a narrow win, it's the Albion way.

 

[Guinness Boy]

It's still going on all over the shop. Bolton haven't paid their players this month and nor have Oldham. Northampton are screwed. Blackpool are still under the Oystons and currently sitting in a relegation spot and below Fleetwood. Charlton's fans are obviously concerned about the current owners and once the dialogue stops and fans cease turning up the only place you can head is downwards. We know this don't we?

It's not necessarily about Fans United or Palace or running coaches advertised at Brighton Station for me. What sticks in my craw is bad football club ownership. Some football fans - not traditionally high earners - face the choice between paying over the odds for poor performances or going off and finding something or some other club that's not going to do it to them.

Fan owned football (including the #twats) is emerging but it's not nearly prevalent enough. We are VERY lucky we have a fan as an owner who is also unfathomably loaded.

 

[Sheebo]

I've got a fiver on 5-0 (50/1 at Sky Bet). Maye if enough other Addicks did the same we could afford to buy our clown of a Chairman out.

Addick1905's summary covers most of it. The sense of disenchantment amongst Charlton support really is huge at the moment. I haven't had a season ticket for a couple of years (for various reasons) but of my mates that still did, half have chucked them in for this season and the half that still have them don't bother to use them - they go and watch Dulwich Hamlet instead even when Charlton are at home. It's reckoned about 50% of our ST holders no longer attend. No-one can see the logic behind what Roland Duchalet is doing. He spent a million quid on improving the stadium (new drainage etc) and there's a six million redevelopment of the training ground in the pipeline, yet we have the third lowest wage bill in the Championship and he refuses to increase it. The CEO alienates fans with one ridiculous thing after another - a fans' sofa by the corner flag, a Belgian hard house DJ in the supporters' bar pre-match, etc - and the whole thing increasingly has the air of some kind of bizarre social experiment rather than a serious attempt to run a competitive football club.

I'm not looking forward to Saturday at all - it will be embarrassing, this is the first game between the clubs where I've refused to have a pint per goal bet with an Albion mate - but at least the women's game on Sunday should be a decent contest (we're currently top of Women's Premier South on goal difference with Albion second)...

Sorry to hear your troubles and I know myself like many BHA like Charlton a lot.

On a footballing side I've been worried about playing you as before Saturday you had a couple of good wins. I know Jackson is injured and Watt has gone but still expecting a tough test as all games are in this league...

 

[BN9 BHA]

Nope. Our time of need was also thru Gillingham. But Charlton were happy to organise free coaches from sussex advertising prem football. As far along rhe coast as Eastbourne.

So **** them.

Was it Charlton FANS that organised the coaches or the owners of Charlton ?

If it wasn't the FANS of Charlton I'm happy to back them, as others have pointed out they supported us at Fans United.
I honestly don't know the answer to my question, but I haven't got a problem with Charlton FANS, I know a few and they are decent people.

 

[BN9 BHA]

judging by the empty seats at their home game at the weekend, they obviously don't give a monkeys about whatever it is they're moaning about, so why should we bother ? Blinkers on and focus on three points, that's all !

Empty seats because the current owners are driving fans away.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Looks pretty good at the valley tbh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aa5CBNYtUA

 

[Questions]

Pop

They were never free. They were initially £5 then £7 and now £8.50 (yep, they still run from Brighton, Worthing. Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings and all over Kent for every home game, although I suspect they don't need quite so many of them these days).

The way Valley Express was spun in the press by moaning Gills Chairman Paul Scally means people have got a slightly twisted interpretation of what it was/is...

Basically, when we ground shared in the mid-80s some branches of our supporters club started running coaches to home games at Selhurst then Upton Park. These continued when we returned to the Valley and covered a fair geographic spread (including our Brighton & West Sussex branch). During the Premier League era the main supporters club closed down (due to in-fighting) and the branches asked the club to take over organising the coaches. This is what they did - Valley Express as it was branded is just a continuation of cheap coaches to home games that have been run from places like Brighton since the 80s. The only difference is that the club now runs them instead of the supporters groups. I actually thought all clubs had supporters coaches like this, and thus am quite surprised by the hostility to the idea of it.

Having said that - yes, sticking up posters advertising the service (and PL football) at Brighton station etc was a scummy thing to do.

Nothing personal Fataddict but you can do one. Coming over here with your posh coaches because you were going well and we were rock f.ucking bottom sits uneasy with me. Thanks for the support during Fans Utd but couldn't give a feck about your plight. Do something about it. Let a fan go to prison, get a game abandon or feck off just because your having a slightly rough period.