Sunday was obviously a great day out, and a fantastic result, but to me it felt even more than that. It felt like a turning point.
We are clearly in for exciting times next season. There are some big games coming up, and based on the euphoria generated by promotion, we should be able to get close to (or exceed?) 20,000 average attendance. The commercial impact of this increase should be huge. The whole atmosphere next season should be terrific.
We will be a much more attractive proposition for advertisers and sponsors.
We will be a much more attractive proposition to new (additional) investors. The investors have witnessed first-hand at Wembley the potential of the club, and we are just one good season away from the Premier League.
We will find it easier to retain and attract players. Having Phil Chapple involved with recruitment feels like a great move. Yes, we need some serious strengthening, but I feel much more confident about this now.
Gavin Carter feels like a great fit for the club.
If the club (owners and other senior management) get it right, and we survive next season, it feels like it could be the start of something big.
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Early indications will be the transfer window.
It could be is the only answer.
Charlie boy kept saying we were in discussions, and I hung on his every word.
In both 2012 and 2019 the manager had the rug pulled up from under them by the owners not investing.
Powell still got us to just outside the play-offs and Bowyer was one goal away from staying up despite the crooks Southall and Amis being in charge.
There are no guarantees and it is a very tough division but with the right manager, the right recruitment, the right investment, the right fitness regime along with some luck there is a base to build from.
"3 nil down, who gives a fuck, we're Charlton Athletic and we're going up"
Same for Brum away loss, same for Rotherham. We bounced back each time.
The Elephant in the room remains we are renting the Valley and Sparrows so staying up and buying the club back from the ageing Roland Duchatelet would be a turning point and would go down as the best season for 18 years if we stay in the Championship and own the land.
Yes good point Guru ✅ I got carried away 🤷🏻♂️❎
Palace haven't spent much money on their old crappy ground in recent years but have invested in their player recruitment and their training ground in Beckenham for the first team and their academy.
Not only that, when Roland Duchatelet expires soon, Roderick Duchatelet may be glad to sell up for the going rate and not put the price up once a fee is agreed.
Staying up is paramount for the 25/26 season and all resources need to go to that and then we can kick on as our very rich owner Friedman decides he's enjoying the kudos of this journey and feels very philanthropic 🤞🏻
With this ownership, manager, coaching team, medical/fitness/sports science and very recent new hires in recruitment we're in a good position to build on this promotion.
On the squad, we don't have many out of contract and only a couple of loanees who joined as squad players. Many players have improved over the past year or so and some should improve further.
We're continuing to bring through academy players and have various promising players on the fringes, I'm sure at least 2 or 3 are going to make an impact in the first team in the next year or so.