We want our Charlton back!

[seriouslyred]

I read a piece today by Matthew Syed in the Times absolutely slating Mourinho. And contrasting his style to that of Fergerson and United.
The key word was narrative with Mourinho scapegoating all around whereas Ferguson chose to draw on the club history and spread his values. And this reminded me that this is what we had under Lennie Lawrence and then Alan Curbishley.

We were underdogs, spending within our means but there was no paranoid siege mentality. It was all about OUR club, OUR ground, OUR players especially OUR academy.

In contrast, today we have KM being interviewed about fans complaining and we have fan collectives like CL, VOTV and the Trust viewing OUR club leadership with suspicion. If somebody of influence wants to dismiss OUR history then that is their problem and not mine. Like 50% of OUR support I've followed CAFC since before we left the Valley and I recognise we have 30 somethings and teenagers in our fanbase who make up the other 50%.

Due to things being done properly in a sustainable fashion at OUR club we were able to enter and stay in the FAPL without tens of millions of debt. Surely that approach at OUR club should be valued today?

Well that can be changed and this site can set the tone. We can recognise the facts and what iz good about OUR club and identify what's different about OUR new approach. Before we condemn the approach I suggest we look to do a few things:
1) Accept that the new owner is filthy rich so we are not going bust
2) Appraise the decent players at OUR club and evaluate what is this data driven approach - can it work and what is the gap to a decent contender
3) Recognise that Gomez was the biggest player sale for years and equivalent to one years losses. IF that can be repeated then OUR club is sustainable
4) Understand that we can't really change anything day to day but we can embrace what works and recognise how far we have moved from a dysfunctional club in freefall losing £7-10m a year. And that was more than the owners could afford at that time.

This is not about ignoring issues or mistakes but simply stating that we should embrace OUR club, sing its praises and seek to understand and engage. Whisper it quietly but this approach is not only liberating but it's also quite popular with fans.

There's enough people from other clubs slating us so please don't embarass OUR club by attacking players, coach and executives 24/7. Other service providers offer that facility!

Another article today alluded to the data approach with all top clubs paying for Prozone and/or Opta stats. These in turn influence training, preparation for the oppo AND boardroom appraisals of the signings, gaps and coaching performance.

It's too early to draw conclusions but many of our players are top performers on Squawka which is driven by Opta data. I posted before that I've heard from two sources that the Prozone data used by the club tells the same story about OUR players as Opta. For sure, some of OUR players are not cutting it and some make errors. But a very significant number are presenting statistics which place them as top eight club players!

Put another way, early days but we could be set to double last season's total score and that will place us about 8th or 10th in the rankings!
And if this continues then we have the makings of something. I don't want to say more until we play more games and I get a chance to discuss this with a football expert. But there is a chance that the approach at OUR club will deliver something quite innovative.

I'm releasing this now because I'm fed up with a negative narrative about OUR club and also because the stats for yesterday (and the rest of the season) suggest that OUR club is on a very exiting journey.

Bottom line is that it's up to us to support OUR club and write OUR narrative because nobody else will. If you want that narrative to be full of distrust and cynicism about the board then buy VOTV or post on CL. But this site has always struck me as one where we can discuss the football, the direction of OUR club and steer clear of lectures to the professionals.

If you got this far, I thank you

[reamsofverse]

We want our Charlton back!

The most cringeworthy and over used statement of the last decade. How many times have we heard it said?

[Deleted]

I think the rapid turnover of players and managers over the past 18 months has been draining. Not to say we haven't/have improved but the sheer amount of players has left a feeling of bemusement. This is maybe harsh as it has resulted in improvements in some areas and potentially the transition is largely behind us as shown by the fact that key players are signing long contracts. I guess the next half season and summer will determine this.

RD deserves credit for the financial stability imposed but, whilst obviously very important, I think you'll struggle to find many fans that really care about the finances. I'd say the majority only really care about the success, good performances and most importantly the affinity they develop for certain players. We could potentially have 1 and 2 but we need time and stability to develop 3. My dad is quite a good example of this, he was fond of a lot of the 2012-14 team but can't even name our previous owners.

I'm not sure what I think really, I find it all so puzzling. I don't know as much as you or Mundell about the strategic side of the club but think the Gomez deal was a bit of a one off and RD will have to carry on funding £3-4mil a year losses. Even if we do sell the higher value types, like Gudmundsson and Cousins, I think its a strategy that risks squad strength and sets back player affinity from the fans.

[wellingaddick]

What exactly does 'we want our Charlton back' mean anyway.

I have supported the club since 1968 when I was first taken down to the Valley by my parents. I remember the crumbling terracing, the embarrassment of a main stand that was in existence until the eighties, 4k crowds in Division 3, Selhurst and Upton Park. A lot of the good old days were no such thing!

Do we really want to be like some clubs in this division, £100m+ in debt and gambling more to try to reach the promised land. We have to accept that RD is going to be prudent and doing things his way. Who knows if he is going to be ultimately successful or not, but until he sells up, he is the present chapter in the history of our club and pining for the past is just a waste of energy and time.

[bexleyboy]

What's our Charlton ?

The old days in the 70s when we played to very low crowds and jumped between 2nd or 3rd tier

People will look back to the premership days but was that really our Charlton

Charlton means a lot to a lot of people for diff reasons one person may say the 70 another 90 .....

Good looking back but football as changed in a big way of the pitch and we have had to move with it like 95% of clubs or there would not be a Charlton to get back

[Deleted]

Excellent comments by serously red.

I took the thread title to be deliberately ironic, as 'we want our Charlton back' is a stupid phrase used by boneheads like Royston to advocate a UKIP policy of replacing foreign players/managers/owners with English ones and by Rick Everitt (for whom it means 'I want my job back') and his discredited G21 lot and which became a bit of a rallying cry at the CAST protest meeting, at which it was never quite clear what they were rallying in favour of or protesting against.

I think SR means it in the sense of getting back to the days when supporters supported the club rather than the demonisation of owners, staff and players and the attacks on every little thing the club does, from cheerleaders to the pitchside sofa.

We all like a moan, but it seems to have reached a fever pitch of navel-gazing and self-loathing. Think back to, say, the mid-80s. There's Rob Lee one on one with Dave Beasant at Plough Lane and falling over his own feet so he never even gets a shot away, and Andy Jones missing from two yards out and ending up flat on his arse. If we'd had social media back then people would have been posting 'disgrace', 'never should be allowed to wear a Charlton shirt again', 'not a footballer and never will be' and all the other kinds of abuse that we read every day of the week now. My recollection is that back then we groaned at the error - and then got on with cheering the unfortunate player even louder.

SR will correct me if I've got him wrong, but that's what I took him to mean, not that we should return to rattles, bobble hats, half-time mugs of Bovril and Johnny Summers turning up for a match on the same bus from Eltham as the fans with his boots in a brown paper bag....

[Deleted]

Too many on here play FIFA set at Semi Pro level and expect the same performance at the Valley every game..... a nice analogy I thought....

I dont want "our Charlton back", the old "clique", the old faces, the struggle financially on and off the pitch, this is the first time in many years we have been solvent and may it continue.

[squareball]

Oct 5, 2015 21:39:40 GMT seriouslyred said:

I read a piece today by Matthew Syed in the Times absolutely slating Mourinho. And contrasting his style to that of Fergerson and United.
The key word was narrative with Mourinho scapegoating all around whereas Ferguson chose to draw on the club history and spread his values. And this reminded me that this is what we had under Lennie Lawrence and then Alan Curbishley.

We were underdogs, spending within our means but there was no paranoid siege mentality. It was all about OUR club, OUR ground, OUR players especially OUR academy.

In contrast, today we have KM being interviewed about fans complaining and we have fan collectives like CL, VOTV and the Trust viewing OUR club leadership with suspicion. If somebody of influence wants to dismiss OUR history then that is their problem and not mine. Like 50% of OUR support I've followed CAFC since before we left the Valley and I recognise we have 30 somethings and teenagers in our fanbase who make up the other 50%.

Due to things being done properly in a sustainable fashion at OUR club we were able to enter and stay in the FAPL without tens of millions of debt. Surely that approach at OUR club should be valued today?

Well that can be changed and this site can set the tone. We can recognise the facts and what iz good about OUR club and identify











what's different about OUR new approach. Before we condemn the approach I suggest we look to do a few things:
1) Accept that the new owner is filthy rich so we are not going bust
2) Appraise the decent players at OUR club and evaluate what is this data driven approach - can it work and what is the gap to a decent contender
3) Recognise that Gomez was the biggest player sale for years and equivalent to one years losses. IF that can be repeated then OUR club is sustainable
4) Understand that we can't really change anything day to day but we can embrace what works and recognise how far we have moved from a dysfunctional club in freefall losing £7-10m a year. And that was more than the owners could afford at that time.

This is not about ignoring issues or mistakes but simply stating that we should embrace OUR club, sing its praises and seek to understand and engage. Whisper it quietly but this approach is not only liberating but it's also quite popular with fans.

There's enough people from other clubs slating us so please don't embarass OUR club by attacking players, coach and executives 24/7. Other service providers offer that facility!

Another article today alluded to the data approach with all top clubs paying for Prozone and/or Opta stats. These in turn influence training, preparation for the oppo AND boardroom appraisals of the signings, gaps and coaching performance.

It's too early to draw conclusions but many of our players are top performers on Squawka which is driven by Opta data. I posted before that I've heard from two sources that the Prozone data used by the club tells the same story about OUR players as Opta. For sure, some of OUR players are not cutting it and some make errors. But a very significant number are presenting statistics which place them as top eight club players!

Put another way, early days but we could be set to double last season's total score and that will place us about 8th or 10th in the rankings!
And if this continues then we have the makings of something. I don't want to say more until we play more games and I get a chance to discuss this with a football expert. But there is a chance that the approach at OUR club will deliver something quite innovative.

I'm releasing this now because I'm fed up with a negative narrative about OUR club and also because the stats for yesterday (and the rest of the season) suggest that OUR club is on a very exiting journey.

Bottom line is that it's up to us to support OUR club and write OUR narrative because nobody else will. If you want that narrative to be full of distrust and cynicism about the board then buy VOTV or post on CL. But this site has always struck me as one where we can discuss the football, the direction of OUR club and steer clear of lectures to the professionals.

If you got this far, I thank you

Beautifully scribed SR . For me the OUR club thingy doesn't exist in reality. Its more a nostalgic craving for times when money and greed didn't dominate the game and a time when people were less sensitive and precious. Nowadays the corporate beast, advertising tv rights and the like have taken over peoples lives. They've become super precious and over demanding and care nothing for anyone but themselves. A simple defeat can bring that into the light as players and staff are kicked from pillar to post.
Demands must be met nowadays . Spend spend spend is the only way . A new breed of fan is here now who demands these routes be taken at any cost and the price to pay is severe criticism of anyone and everything connected to their club should their demands not be met.
A cry for OUR club is a cry for the old times when fans supported the team , a time when we could afford to bring our kids to the game without being ripped off and when our game and players weren't driven by money and greed.
Sadly thats where football is now . Fans are so blinded by greed and a desperate craving for success that they've lost the ability to support their club sounding more "anti" their own club as they rip into their own players who failed to reach up to the fans own false expectation levels.

[The Flying Monk]

Sorry to ruin the vibe, guys, but I actually found SR's post to be a tad too condescending.

Squawka stats point towards an 8th-10th finish. Does that translate to league standings? Will we actually finish in the top half of the table? If not, the production of stats mean very little to the average fan on a Saturday afternoon/Tuesday evening.

We are advised not to criticise the players and the executives, but if we really must, we should head over to other outlets. Why? So there can be a love-in on this site? How every quaint, I must say.

Embrace all that is good about the club, including our owner's wealth, the new catering, and the youth academy investment - just don't criticise what really matters: performances on the pitch, which are nothing to write home about.

And the point about not lecturing the professionals is bizarre. KM is a pro-lawyer, yet I wouldn't entrust her with the task of securing an agreement with my milkman.

Sorry it's not what you want to read, but I'm just not that enamoured with the current hierarchy. And yes, I've supported the club since 1981 and know only too well the trials and tribulations of supporting Charlton Athletic. It's not always been pretty, comfortable or even enjoyable, but it's been far less sterile and contrived as it stands today.

[Deleted]

"WE WANT OUR CHARLTON BACK" has a different meaning to different people but to me it's about heart and passion. Back in the curbs days when we were doing relatively well in div one and climbed our way to the premier league, even when we got relegated, the team and staff showed that heart and passion, they seemed to genuinely care about the fans and about performances, the fans seemed to have more heart too, not only bigger crowds but louder and more passionate. It felt like a football "club" not "company". When curbs left and we had crap manager after crap manager, the team started dwindling away and so did the support, the passion and drive left in the existing team was near on zero and we started to plummet in the league, our finances suffered etc etc. Our heart, our passion, our drive and desire had gone, the experience of watching Charlton was more pain than pleasure, the faces around the ground told that story.

The return of Chris Powell helped inspire some passion back because he was one of the passionate players and he came back caring about the club unlike his predecessors. I'm not for one minute getting into the CP debate again but just trying to illustrate my point. Although a lot of the passion came back it was never as it was due to hostility towards the owners, winning league one I think was more euphoric than passionate and we all know that didn't last long.

The overall feel of the football club by fans is shaky now, one minute we trust and praise our owner and head coach etc, the next minute we doubt their intentions and decisions, the same with players, even the most respected like Johnny Jackson and Chris Solly are being continually criticised by groups of fans. There's no trust anymore as fans we have become sceptical of everyone. We have even turned on each other, the arguments between different sets of fans is becoming more frequent, even on these forums there is bickering and disjointment. This is all down to uncertainty within the club itself and players being merely members of staff rather than part of a team, if the very club we support can't be united in itself and passionate about its campaign (success rather than money too) then how can us as supporters be united and enthusiastic and everything that made it feel as before "our Charlton"?

How do we get "our Charlton back"? No idea, we may have to face that that Charlton that so many refer to as "ours" has gone it's a thing of the past maybe it was just the old regime? It will never feel the same again, but, different doesn't need to be a bad thing. When I say I want "our Charlton back" I don't wasn't the old regime I just want a team I can rely on to bring it every week and win or lose, they try their best, I want a manager not a flaming head coach, one that makes decisions on and off the pitch but also cares about success and cares about the fans, I want directors that care about the supporters and communicates more with us so we don't feel so pushed out. But mostly I want to be able to watch a match and thoroughly enjoy it the way I used to, the atmosphere, the unity and mostly the football.

[seriouslyred]

Thanks for feedback from all and yes, "our Charlton" was meant to be both ironic AND to point to the fact that it is OUR club today with OUR players and executives / board with a new approach. They are not the enemy and they are simply not trying to destroy value even if we are a tad frustrated with a lack of coherent communication. And that it is possible to attain the same congruence as the 90s with sustainability and players giving their all at the core.

The difference is today is that Gudmundsson (and others) might give their all to ensure a big money deal into the FAPL and that his fee might enable us to carry on but that's the same as Lee Bowyer. Many of Sadie's points do apply today and Luzon has as much at stake as anybody so I was delighted that he was able to deliver a decent performance the other day.

Most importantly it has become apparent from Mundell's musings that the tools to assess our club's progress may actually be within our grasp! Yes, we have it in our power to provide our own narrative about OUR club.

Unfortuately the Squawka message I conveyed earlier was not clear enough and I welcome the challenge above, so please allow me to be more precise. Last season we finished 12th but we had the 20th highest Squawka score. There appears to be a general alignment between Squawka scores with the table and good footballing sides attain higher scores.

The clubs themselves use Prozone and Opta (upon which Squawka is based) so we can now see what they see. And that is key. For we can now appraise the board strategy and execution in terms of the finances and player development / performance, using the same technology and vocabulary. Put another way, we don't need sound bites in the SLP

We are only ten games in so it probably needs at least another five/ten to make a decent sample? The early indication is that we are somewhere between sixth and twelth best side in the Championship. That guarantees nothing in the table nor the cup but it is now possible to appraise the rate of improvement of our players in an analytical fashion together with a comparison between players who have left vs new acquisitions who replace them.

Totally agree that the stats might not be of interest to a typical fan and some football traditionalists might dismiss the data approach out of hand. But it is the approach taken by OUR club so I wish to find our more. Of course goals win games but football is more complex so looking at some of the detail might help shine light on the question as to whether our club is better placed, what should be done next and whether the board do in fact know what they are doing?!

What's clear to me is that there is a need for a football narrative since it is, after all a football club! If we are playing Moneyball then the club might be more open about that. As they are not then we as fans are free to discuss in an adult fashion the facts, opinions and general direction. I respect those who hold a different opinion and I would be fascinated to know the weight of fans' views on whether they think the football performance is better.

Since I wrote the OP, it now appears we have three decent players coming back from injury after the international break and we probably need more games to assess where we are, so the scene is set for us all to discuss the unfolding drama. I look forward to it.

[reamsofverse]

The play-off final and the 12 months before it were the best I have ever had as a fan as were the two or three years after it because we had a set of players who would run through brick walls and sweat blood for you, you felt like you were supporting your mates because there was a real connection between them and us.

We had no real stars just a team of honest hard working players that played with a passion and their success allowed us to gradually then bring in bigger names like Mendonca, Hunt, Kishisev and a year later Jensen, Kiely and Bent.

We also had a blend of young players coming through like Parker and experienced players like Matt Holland, it was a great time to be a Charlton fan.

What happened then however is Curbs left and Murray started looking like a rabbit caught in headlights, out of his depth with no idea and soon we would be in free fall.

I'll always want that Charlton back but it will never happen, Murray's later years followed by Jimez and Slater ignorance drove a wedge through the club and it's never been the same since.

What we miss today is Englishness or even an Arab or two who want that Englishness as much as we do.

[The Flying Monk]

Will it be considered a victory if we finish first in the Squawka table but last in the Championship table?

I need to head out for some fresh air.

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2015 10:01:26 GMT The Flying Monk said:

Sorry to ruin the vibe, guys, but I actually found SR's post to be a tad too condescending.

Squawka stats point towards an 8th-10th finish. Does that translate to league standings? Will we actually finish in the top half of the table? If not, the production of stats mean very little to the average fan on a Saturday afternoon/Tuesday evening.

We are advised not to criticise the players and the executives, but if we really must, we should head over to other outlets. Why? So there can be a love-in on this site? How every quaint, I must say.

Embrace all that is good about the club, including our owner's wealth, the new catering, and the youth academy investment - just don't criticise what really matters: performances on the pitch, which are nothing to write home about.

And the point about not lecturing the professionals is bizarre. KM is a pro-lawyer, yet I wouldn't entrust her with the task of securing an agreement with my milkman.

Sorry it's not what you want to read, but I'm just not that enamoured with the current hierarchy. And yes, I've supported the club since 1981 and know only too well the trials and tribulations of supporting Charlton Athletic. It's not always been pretty, comfortable or even enjoyable, but it's been far less sterile and contrived as it stands today.

I'm always thinking of the Squawka stats when we're playing!

[The Flying Monk]

Oct 6, 2015 18:28:57 GMT @elfsborgaddick said:

Oct 6, 2015 10:01:26 GMT The Flying Monk said:

I'm always thinking of the Squawka stats when we're playing!

Yep. I love 'em.

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2015 18:40:28 GMT The Flying Monk said:

Oct 6, 2015 18:28:57 GMT @elfsborgaddick said:

I'm always thinking of the Squawka stats when we're playing!

Yep. I love 'em.

[seriouslyred]

Oct 6, 2015 18:53:18 GMT @elfsborgaddick said:

Oct 6, 2015 18:40:28 GMT The Flying Monk said:

Yep. I love 'em.

Well done lads, I knew you'd get there in the end lol

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2015 19:46:00 GMT seriouslyred said:

Oct 6, 2015 18:53:18 GMT @elfsborgaddick said:

Well done lads, I knew you'd get there in the end lol

I like a man with a sense of humour

[Deleted]

A fascinating post seriouslyred - the title works as a hook, and it is interesting how much attention it seemed to draw - detracting from the content of your message in some cases.

"Our Charlton" is like the "West Ham Way", a kind of myth. Harking back to an imagined golden age, but there's nothing too wrong with that. We cannot be romantic about the present, but if we are also denied a bit of sentimentality about the past then life surely becomes just too bloody miserable.
Doesn't matter if it was ever real.

I agree with some of what you argue for, though I am no lover of crunching masses of data to achieve something which has been done before by natural talent.
Also it's fairly obvious I have no time for our current owner or the way he goes about things.

But walking the line between opposing a regime I feel to be wrong, and risking that opposition harming the club that I always will support, is not something I am always going to get right.
I don't want to capitulate, abandon my values. But when I stop to think about it I don't want to make things worse either - even with the intention of a better outcome in the long run. Sometimes my opinions have strayed too far in that direction.

A longer term view is perhaps needed; something which does not come easily in a time where everything is virtually instant.

[DFT]

What is "Our Charlton"?

The 1960's second division club forever and a day?

The 1970's yo yo between Divisions 2 & 3 with ever dwindling support?

The 1980's leaving The Valley, playing in the top flight in front of our smallest "home" support ever and losing a whole generation of fans?

The 1990's back to second tier, glorious return to The Valley and finally The Premier League?

The new century and the glory years of Premiership football and regarded as a well run model for other clubs to copy?

Just what is "Our Charlton"?

[Deleted]

As I said further up in the thread (don't want to sound too repeatitive) the term "our Charlton" means something different to everyone.

[seriouslyred]

Bump - a discussion last year about "our Charlton". Another thread has emerged - perhaps somebody can merge?

I expect we all want a winning team where the fans feel some sense of identity with the head coach and squad.

We have stopped losing badly. Will we start winning?

Many fans have many ideas about how the club can be improved. Some make shrewd suggestions while others write in authoritative and patronising tones about all those who work for the club.

Some have chosen to leverage the losing streak to launch CARD. It flew high and burnt bright but now not so much.

[tonymontana]

Feb 14, 2016 17:10:02 GMT seriouslyred said:

Bump - a discussion last year about "our Charlton". Another thread has emerged - perhaps somebody can merge?

I expect we all want a winning team where the fans feel some sense of identity with the head coach and squad.

We have stopped losing badly. Will we start winning?

Many fans have many ideas about how the club can be improved. Some make shrewd suggestions while others write in authoritative and patronising tones about all those who work for the club.

Some have chosen to leverage the losing streak to launch CARD. It flew high and burnt bright but now not so much.

As you love stats SR I will put it this way.

We have won 16% of our league games.
40% of those wins came in the first three games aka we have won 11% of our last 28.

We need to double our points tally in less than half the games it took us to gain the first 24.

Unfit and crap loan signings won't make much of a difference.

We need a a fit and ready creative mid and striker who are capable, in on loan, something that we won't get.

You can go on and on about how we have improved. The only improvement is we won't be relegated till early April at best rather than early March.

[Mundell]

I posted earlier today on the other 'Our Charlton' thread and I won't repeat my comments here. What I will say is that I recall the Matthew Syed article and really enjoyed it. It was a fascinating insight into the way Alex Ferguson operated at Manchester United while being completely scathing about the loathsome, cynical and manipulative Jose Mourinho.

However, in my view the link between what Syed said and the 'we want our Charlton back' narrative is tenuous to say the least. Moreover, Jose Riga has yet to demonstrate that he's making any improvements. Let's not forget that Karel Fraeye won two of his first four games and one of those was a very impressive tactical triumph against promotion chasing Sheffield Wednesday.

To be fair to Fraeye, the debacle at Huddersfield and subsequent pasting at Hull (where Riga, not Fraeye was in charge) were not representative of his time as head coach and nor do those defeats justify the suggestion that simply avoiding a similar fate in our subsequent matches represents progress.

[Deleted]

Feb 14, 2016 17:10:02 GMT seriouslyred said:

I expect we all want a winning team where the fans feel some sense of identity with the head coach and squad.

I would LIKE a winning team. I WANT to feel some sense of identity with the head coach and squad.

Many a time I've left The Valley after a defeat thinking; we were unlucky but at least the guys busted a gut. Knowing also that the manager felt gutted as well by the loss.

I still enjoyed the football if not the result.

It seems that apart from two or three guys on the pitch, no one gives a shit as long as their pay cheque hits the bank on time.

I want to get back to the feeling "we're all in it together" (and I don't mean the crap rhetoric that Cameron spouted).

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2015 9:10:29 GMT @spottydog said:

Too many on here play FIFA set at Semi Pro level and expect the same performance at the Valley every game..... a nice analogy I thought....

I dont want "our Charlton back", the old "clique", the old faces, the struggle financially on and off the pitch, this is the first time in many years we have been solvent and may it continue.

what a difference 6 months makes, I was certian he had the culb at heart with investment ! how very wrong I've been proved ! 

[funkythings]

Feb 15, 2016 8:28:30 GMT @spottydog said:

Oct 6, 2015 9:10:29 GMT @spottydog said:

Too many on here play FIFA set at Semi Pro level and expect the same performance at the Valley every game..... a nice analogy I thought....

I dont want "our Charlton back", the old "clique", the old faces, the struggle financially on and off the pitch, this is the first time in many years we have been solvent and may it continue.

what a difference 6 months makes, I was certian he had the culb at heart with investment ! how very wrong I've been proved ! 

funny, 2 years back we were intitially worried about becoming a feeder club for other clubs in the network actually became a dumping ground for the whole of europe.