I know, will only be able to get there for 8, as I've pencilled a meeting that finishes at 7:30 ... at least the Hastings crew will be home 15 minutes earlier
I think the club are recording any feedback regarding the kick off times, so if you have a preference either way, the best thing to do would be to email them.
Preferred 8pm personally - I am driving down from North Essex and its a nightmare getting there in time. Do I take Blackwall tunnel or Dartford Tunnel?
[cite]Posted By: suzisausage[/cite]I think the club are recording any feedback regarding the kick off times, so if you have a preference either way, the best thing to do would be to email them.
I e-mailed the supporters' director but he never got back to me : - )
Means I have to leave here by 5.30pm to get to the ground in good time for a 7.45pm...it does make a difference....the traffic has been abysmal for recent evening games...
But the attached poll proved that fror everyone saying they find it hard to get there in time for 7.45, there will be someone saying 8pm is too late for their kids / miss their connecting train home etc.
I've never bought the "too late for the kids" line myself. Can't see how 15 mins makes a difference to their bedtime in the slightest. Train connections I can understand, but that is something to take up with Southeastern, not the club. Southeastern (and connex before them, despite being a community scheme sponsor) have an abysmal record of understanding people might need trains to get too/from the ground. There should never be planned engineering works on a match day, but there has been in the past, equally it wouldn't cost them much at all to run an extra train on a weekday match, just one in both directions would do the trick for the vast majority of fans.
[cite]Posted By: Carter[/cite]Do you cut it that fine that 15 minutes makes that much difference?
15 minutes is 15 miles on the M2 (assuming it's behaving itself), which is approaching half the journey (35 miles one way) so it does make a difference in that with an 8:00 kick off I can leave work, drive home and drive straight back up with my daughter and still get there just about. 7:45 I have no chance.
I know, but if the club don't know individual reasons other than "like a pint before" or "like a pint after" they can't constructively comment on the issue.
They can also see from records the gate size at kick off and final gate size, but without knowing individuals circumstances then they'll never know.
the club did a survey some time ago when we were in the prem regarding these games, and as we had sky games at 8pm midweek they decided to keep the games the same instead of the confusion, since in this league there are many more midweek kick offs, there has been more reason for this debate to be re-opened.
I think in this day and age, someone working set hours is pretty rare.
I really can't believe there are that many places left where if you wanted to leave 15 minutes earlier, you can't, even if you had to make up the 15 mins elsewhere.
[cite]Posted By: AFKA Bartram[/cite]I think in this day and age, someone working set hours is pretty rare.
I really can't believe there are that many places left where if you wanted to leave 15 minutes earlier, you can't, even if you had to make up the 15 mins elsewhere.
The uneven train service to Charlton, however, means that calculation's not so easy if you're travelling from town - and there's great huge gaps between trains between 6 and 7. (Unfortunately, I know that timetable backwards after 6pm, from daily experience - at one point in that hour it's actually easier/quicker to go to Lewisham and get a bus rather than hang around for a train, it's that bad.)
People would have built up habits for an 8pm kick-off, and then have to rewrite them all and pick up new ones (which'd be torn up again if we go up and revert to 8pm kick-offs).
Yes, it is the fault of the train company for running trains to suit themselves rather than people who might want to go to a football match/whatever, but CAFC should recognise they operate in the real world where train companies are greedy leeches rather than organisations with the public in mind.
The kids argument is surely irrelevant. Even if you live in Harvey Gardens bedtime is going to be 9.35 or 9.50. If you have an hours journey (guessing that as an average) its 10.35 or 10.50. It really makes sod all difference.
The point for families with young children is that midweek games are a problem whatever the time. I speak as a parent.
We have also experienced quite a few road works on the A2/M2 which havent helped as they seem to want to start coning at around 10 pm just as the mass of traffic is emerging.
IS, most people would probably be better gettin to North Greenwich and jumping on any of the 200 buses that go to Charlton from there. I do the journey in 40mins any time of the day, must be better than a poxy train.
You can get from London Bridge after 6.30 trains at 6.38, 6.42, 7.02, 7.14 and 7.20 that all get you in for KO. That's five trains in a 40 min spell. The 7.14 gets in Charlton at 7.30. I don't think that is bad coverage.
The more likely possible argument is that 15 mins earlier means there is more liklihood of the A2 getting snailed up, particularly if there is an accident like last time.
I personally think its all pretty irrelevent. No one would think twice about it if it was an away game what time the KO is.
Comments
Both are equally pants at this time of day
I want everybody to give me positive karma so that my anti inflammatories work so I can go to the game tonight.
If they don't work I won't be capable of walking to the ground from where I park and will have to give the game a miss.
I e-mailed the supporters' director but he never got back to me : - )
Hope you are OK Len. Maybe give the chippy a miss tonight : -)
http://www.charltonlife.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=12171&page=1
15 minutes is 15 miles on the M2 (assuming it's behaving itself), which is approaching half the journey (35 miles one way) so it does make a difference in that with an 8:00 kick off I can leave work, drive home and drive straight back up with my daughter and still get there just about. 7:45 I have no chance.
They can also see from records the gate size at kick off and final gate size, but without knowing individuals circumstances then they'll never know.
the club did a survey some time ago when we were in the prem regarding these games, and as we had sky games at 8pm midweek they decided to keep the games the same instead of the confusion, since in this league there are many more midweek kick offs, there has been more reason for this debate to be re-opened.
I really can't believe there are that many places left where if you wanted to leave 15 minutes earlier, you can't, even if you had to make up the 15 mins elsewhere.
The uneven train service to Charlton, however, means that calculation's not so easy if you're travelling from town - and there's great huge gaps between trains between 6 and 7. (Unfortunately, I know that timetable backwards after 6pm, from daily experience - at one point in that hour it's actually easier/quicker to go to Lewisham and get a bus rather than hang around for a train, it's that bad.)
People would have built up habits for an 8pm kick-off, and then have to rewrite them all and pick up new ones (which'd be torn up again if we go up and revert to 8pm kick-offs).
Yes, it is the fault of the train company for running trains to suit themselves rather than people who might want to go to a football match/whatever, but CAFC should recognise they operate in the real world where train companies are greedy leeches rather than organisations with the public in mind.
The point for families with young children is that midweek games are a problem whatever the time. I speak as a parent.
We have also experienced quite a few road works on the A2/M2 which havent helped as they seem to want to start coning at around 10 pm just as the mass of traffic is emerging.
I will email club and vote for 8pm.
The more likely possible argument is that 15 mins earlier means there is more liklihood of the A2 getting snailed up, particularly if there is an accident like last time.
I personally think its all pretty irrelevent. No one would think twice about it if it was an away game what time the KO is.