My perspective is that the FF has had to give the club more breathing space because of the way it is effectively 'inside the club'. AFKA's letter of a couple of weeks ago was great and set out the concerns of a majority of fans IMO but the FF had an obligation to give the club a little more time to respond and perhaps be more measured if I can put it like that. That time has now elapsed and the letter is the FF way of saying that 'enough's, enough' and reminding the club that we, the long term, paying customers of CAFC do have an huge interest in the future of this organisation.
As Suzi said, I wouldn't expect anything Earth-shattering but as another shot across the bows it'll do the job.
[cite]Posted By: PragueAddick[/cite]The author's, and about 10,000 like minded people. As such, a correct and valuable step.
This is no time for pathetic bickering amongst ourselves.
Sadly Prague it's always time for pathetic bickering. Too many agendas at play here, and I suspect that a lot of people see improving the situation as unimportant or at least secondary to their own interests.
Anyhoo, good work as ever from the FF: it may not get the desired response, but it at least re-opens the dialogue. Hope it's followed up if the club brushes it off.
I've been saying this for six months now and I used to get abuse on here for it, but I suspect now many have come round to my way of thinking: Regardless of whether the takeover goes through, the current board need to step down as soon as logistically possible. They have betrayed the dreams and ambitions of Charlton fans and behaved in the most irrational way; on the one hand petulantly closing down the second best women's team in the country, and on the other giving 1.5m in wages to a player who will never appear for the first team. These are not the actions of the sort of people I want running CAFC.
They took away the fans' elected representative on the board, and the club is lurching towards crisis, administration, relegation and goodness knows what else.
Never give up the right to representation, without a fight.
[cite]Posted By: BlackForestReds[/cite]At the moment we are assuming, very possibly incorrectly, that it's the Club (and factions within the board) that is holding up the sale. Has anyone stopped to wonder if it's this mysterious consortium that is dawdling on their side of the bargain? I'm sure many of us have witnessed protracted negotiations that have been let down because the buyers want to re-negotiate some part of the deal that had already been agreed, maybe that's the case here??
Well in my 'open letter' to David Sumners which I posted here, I hope I acknowledged that possibility; and also that the buyers could in fact be a bunch of dodgy characters who will instantly make us yearn for the sensitivity of cuddly Bob Whitehand. But then I listed the reasons why on balance it currently looks to me that it is more likely to be the selling side that has heels dug in. There were also two further reasons I left out of that letter. That the buyers have apparently been brought to the table by Peter Varney, the person whom I now trust more than anyone with the commercial wellbeing of my club. And that Mike Stevens, one of the original big investors, for whom I had great respect, had resigned from the plc board. I didnt want to shove those two things in David's face (and I trust nobody here will be so childish as to cut and paste my comments into an email to David).
And another general fact which just occurred to me and is quite troubling, is that you are much more interested to get the deal done quickly if you are putting money in than if you are pulling it out (selling up). You want to get on and fix the club to try and make a fist of this season. If you are selling up, you may not care so much about that, as to get the best price you can.
And anyway, all of that is just my current perception, with few hard facts. But I think its important that people who get locked into a big deal like this are made aware of the disquiet among the "customers".
On the other hand BFR you are dead right to remind us that we don't know for sure and have to keep an open mind.
[cite]Posted By: floydandharvey[/cite]I've been saying this for six months now and I used to get abuse on here for it, but I suspect now many have come round to my way of thinking: Regardless of whether the takeover goes through, the current board need to step down as soon as logistically possible. They have betrayed the dreams and ambitions of Charlton fans and behaved in the most irrational way; on the one hand petulantly closing down the second best women's team in the country, and on the other giving 1.5m in wages to a player who will never appear for the first team. These are not the actions of the sort of people I want running CAFC.
Fair enough, but when they injected cash into the club you were more than happy they were there.
For what it's worth I thought it was a good, timely letter. Just because afka sent one doesn't mean the ff shouldn't - stop trying to pour scorn on their work.
I've been both an employee and an intermediary in M&A situations in advertising agencies, whose structure and human characteristics are closer to a football club business than people might imagine. In two cases the buyer and seller got locked in for a protracted period. Smart people on both sides but they got so engrossed that they failed to notice something vital. The clients, and the employees could see that the agency being bought was drifting, and both the clients and key employees gradually left. So the agency ended up being far less valuable. It had less clients, and its key staff had gone.
That is the thing, as a Charlton fan I am most worried about. That whilst all the protracted discussions go on, we lose Fortune, Gray, Bailey, Racon, Shelvey, Dickson etc ... and we're left with a club that is almost worthless on the playing side and we lurch quickly towards Division 4.
Once something like this becomes public knowledge you either close it quickly (I mean - how quickly did Notts County happen FFS!) and get cracking. The longer it goes on, the more uncertain it becomes - current players leave, new players won't join, season tickets don't get renewed, shirts don't get sold, new season ticket members don't join up
WE MUST DO SOMETHING AND SOON - one way or the other
We are an embarrasment now - from the best run club in the country to the worst run club in the country .... in less than 3 years
No doubt that answers are needed but my gut feeling is that this whole thing will reach a conclusion before the answers are forthcoming. I read on a thread here this afternoon posted by Elthamaddick (I think) that a staff meeting for all Charlton employees is being held tomorrow. As pointed out by various posters, this would be very odd given that there is a home match tomorrow evening. If the post is true and why should we doubt Elthamaddick then I suspect that something has happened and news will break very soon. Just my opinion of course.
Fair play to AFKA, the Fans Forum, etc for coming up with well constructed letters to the club voicing our concerns as fans but to me and no offence intended but all of this going on and on and on just seems a massive waste of time?
It's clear the club are in a position where they can't make any comment about any takeover, that may or may not be on the cards. Why keep pestering them into trying to release any information? Ok they've ballsed up recently on appointing Dowie, Reed, Pardew, Parkey, spunking loads of money on crap players but does anyone seriously believe they are not doing what is best for our club? Surely there are more constructive things we can do as fans and let the club get on with it? When they are ready to let us know they will and if we never know then so what? It's not like we're entitled to know or will ever know every single bit of business the club may do.
We just need to chill out some, let the club get on with it and what will be, will be!
I actually do believe that they might not be doing what is best for the club - but what is best for their bank balance....
"Clever" people who have invested in failing businesses - and that is what we are right now, still get greedy and want a much better price than current economic climate, trading results and future prospects actually are ....
Airman Brown CommentTime7 hours ago quote# 33 Personally, I look forward with interest to the statement being made at 7.45pm tomorrow evening and expected to last for 90 minutes, with a 15-minute interval. That may be revealing of itself.
Spot on.
For once I've given up getting into the whys and wherefores of this shambles of a boardroom because at the moment we look like we are in total freefall on the park and that's what I go to watch, not overpaid bankers and financiers on some boardroom ego trip.
And as far as I was concerned the club was always a house of cards until Curbs left and that's not hindsight either.
The club/supporters couldn't even raise £20k for the Sam Bartram statue ffs!
I'm glad I'm away on holiday for 2 weeks I feel Charltoned out and the seasons not begun.
(BTW, how much longer can the OS it's we have a 'youthful look' schlep. It's wearing very thin. . . .)
I think that its worth asking questuons as it seems everyone, fans, club, staff, directors are resting on the fact that there will be a takeover. Talk of when it will happen is cheap when there I'd a possibility it won't, so questions should be asked of the plans for the future if there isn't a takeover. Why contracts haven't been sorted in the interim, what players will join/stay/leave and with a week to go till the start of the season, I have the fear that if it doesn't get sorted, then we're once again behind with a plan like we have been since last october.
[cite]Posted By: suzisausage[/cite]I said a plan not the plan as I don't think there has been one since this time last year!!
That is the very worrying thing suze.We appear to be planless should no investment come along.
It may well be down to us,the supporters,to try and get out of the brown stuff again.That's why we need answers.
not sure there was any plan on or off pitch last year. there is a fall back plan should it all fall through and thats the sale of bailey and JonJo. we raise £3.5 million and that services the debt---no cash for the team --as its survival mode only. we will struggle but we buy time to find someone who can put cash in. If we cant then its admin sometime next year--------thats a plan.unless the supporters trust can raise £2 million before the end of this season.
[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]not sure there was any plan on or off pitch last year. there is a fall back plan should it all fall through and thats the sale of bailey and JonJo. we raise £3.5 million and that services the debt---no cash for the team --as its survival mode only. we will struggle but we buy time to find someone who can put cash in. If we cant then its admin sometime next year
thats a plan.unless the supporters trust can raise £2 million before the end of this season.
good effort mate i think that we are all frustated and some of you lot need your heads bashing together and being left in a room to sort out your differences god some of you are more up your own arses than me ;-)
Just caught up with this thread. Well done FF for asking the questions. People are entitled to their opinions but I would not criticise the fact that they have put up rather than shut up and put these questions out there.
I think some of Suzi's comments are very telling.
As for the mysterious David Smith, well that is an interesting development.
Nobody can deny that being a Charlton fan can ever be boring!
Comments
As Suzi said, I wouldn't expect anything Earth-shattering but as another shot across the bows it'll do the job.
Anyhoo, good work as ever from the FF: it may not get the desired response, but it at least re-opens the dialogue. Hope it's followed up if the club brushes it off.
Never give up the right to representation, without a fight.
Freedom for Tooting...
Well in my 'open letter' to David Sumners which I posted here, I hope I acknowledged that possibility; and also that the buyers could in fact be a bunch of dodgy characters who will instantly make us yearn for the sensitivity of cuddly Bob Whitehand. But then I listed the reasons why on balance it currently looks to me that it is more likely to be the selling side that has heels dug in. There were also two further reasons I left out of that letter. That the buyers have apparently been brought to the table by Peter Varney, the person whom I now trust more than anyone with the commercial wellbeing of my club. And that Mike Stevens, one of the original big investors, for whom I had great respect, had resigned from the plc board. I didnt want to shove those two things in David's face (and I trust nobody here will be so childish as to cut and paste my comments into an email to David).
And another general fact which just occurred to me and is quite troubling, is that you are much more interested to get the deal done quickly if you are putting money in than if you are pulling it out (selling up). You want to get on and fix the club to try and make a fist of this season. If you are selling up, you may not care so much about that, as to get the best price you can.
And anyway, all of that is just my current perception, with few hard facts. But I think its important that people who get locked into a big deal like this are made aware of the disquiet among the "customers".
On the other hand BFR you are dead right to remind us that we don't know for sure and have to keep an open mind.
I've been both an employee and an intermediary in M&A situations in advertising agencies, whose structure and human characteristics are closer to a football club business than people might imagine. In two cases the buyer and seller got locked in for a protracted period. Smart people on both sides but they got so engrossed that they failed to notice something vital. The clients, and the employees could see that the agency being bought was drifting, and both the clients and key employees gradually left. So the agency ended up being far less valuable. It had less clients, and its key staff had gone.
That is the thing, as a Charlton fan I am most worried about. That whilst all the protracted discussions go on, we lose Fortune, Gray, Bailey, Racon, Shelvey, Dickson etc ... and we're left with a club that is almost worthless on the playing side and we lurch quickly towards Division 4.
Once something like this becomes public knowledge you either close it quickly (I mean - how quickly did Notts County happen FFS!) and get cracking. The longer it goes on, the more uncertain it becomes - current players leave, new players won't join, season tickets don't get renewed, shirts don't get sold, new season ticket members don't join up
WE MUST DO SOMETHING AND SOON - one way or the other
We are an embarrasment now - from the best run club in the country to the worst run club in the country .... in less than 3 years
It's clear the club are in a position where they can't make any comment about any takeover, that may or may not be on the cards. Why keep pestering them into trying to release any information? Ok they've ballsed up recently on appointing Dowie, Reed, Pardew, Parkey, spunking loads of money on crap players but does anyone seriously believe they are not doing what is best for our club? Surely there are more constructive things we can do as fans and let the club get on with it? When they are ready to let us know they will and if we never know then so what? It's not like we're entitled to know or will ever know every single bit of business the club may do.
We just need to chill out some, let the club get on with it and what will be, will be!
"Clever" people who have invested in failing businesses - and that is what we are right now, still get greedy and want a much better price than current economic climate, trading results and future prospects actually are ....
Personally, I look forward with interest to the statement being made at 7.45pm tomorrow evening and expected to last for 90 minutes, with a 15-minute interval. That may be revealing of itself.
Spot on.
For once I've given up getting into the whys and wherefores of this shambles of a boardroom because at the moment we look like we are in total freefall on the park and that's what I go to watch, not overpaid bankers and financiers on some boardroom ego trip.
And as far as I was concerned the club was always a house of cards until Curbs left and that's not hindsight either.
The club/supporters couldn't even raise £20k for the Sam Bartram statue ffs!
I'm glad I'm away on holiday for 2 weeks I feel Charltoned out and the seasons not begun.
(BTW, how much longer can the OS it's we have a 'youthful look' schlep. It's wearing very thin. . . .)
Our current situation emphasises this.
That is the very worrying thing suze.We appear to be planless should no investment come along.
It may well be down to us,the supporters,to try and get out of the brown stuff again.That's why we need answers.
good effort mate i think that we are all frustated and some of you lot need your heads bashing together and being left in a room to sort out your differences god some of you are more up your own arses than me ;-)
You're up other peoples arses!!!!!!
I think some of Suzi's comments are very telling.
As for the mysterious David Smith, well that is an interesting development.
Nobody can deny that being a Charlton fan can ever be boring!
What will tomorrow bring I wonder?