I was there but can understand and not condemn any fans that decided not to bother given in no particular order:
Early start if you have a long way to travel which many do. Thanks for that Sky!
The experience of being treated like common criminals because the Club are too gutless to keep Millwall in like other teams do. The pre and post match routine completely changed as a result of having to play them.
The 99.99999% knowledge that the team would give an insipid, gutless .performance as they have done against this opposition nearly every time we've played them.
Seeing the identity of their Club being sucked away. The traditional Club song being marginalised to an afterthought without the consent of the fans being an example.
I hate Millwall matches.
Don't knock Sky.
If there was no Sky, Charlton and football would have died a long time ago.
Absolute bollocks. Football was here for over a century before Sky turned up and it will still be here when Sky does one.
Thanks Sky for getting Charlton back to The Valley!
Deluded? Ha! No, just old enough to remember. So you're just a kid. That's ok, football in this country was dying on it's feet in the late 80's and early 90's. Sky saved it. Fact. Locked on. End of chat.
If the gate was just shy of 16,000, they are saying there were 13,000 Charlton seats paid for. My guess is that there were no more than 10,000 Charlton fans in the ground, so with 10,000 season ticket holders, it would appear that around 3,000 had other things to do that they couldn't put off. I don't really care whether that's true or not. I'd rather see the real core support there. The ones who won't be put off by Millwall's reputation. The fact is we were charging too much for this match considering it was on Sky. The Club know that Millwall will get close to sell out so clearly decided to take full advantage by charging full rate. Interesting, then that for the first time I can remember, the away section didn't actually sell out (close enough I give you). The monumental cock-up after the match last season will have also cost us several hundred returnees and the early kick-off would also have made the minds up for several hundred others. The biggest negative from the latest gutless showing I suspect, is that there won't be the same appetite for the away game as per recent visits. Also worth saying that I thought we had 3,000 of Millwalls regulars there today, with very few hangers-on. They were pretty respectful and, I thought, well behaved given all the pre-match hysteria of recent years. It was our fans who did the taunting with the Adams Family and Jeremy Kyle songs. You also can't ignore the fact that we are ALWAYS SHIT in this fixture. If we had a normal derby record there would be a lot more interest.
Next 2 home games I'm on wrong shift but usally book off or swap but just can't be bothered the club and players don't seem to be bothered so why should I put myself out? In 40 years I've never felt this way The club seams to realy lost its way with the fans? Maybee its just me but at moment Charlton has lost all its passion heart n soul?
Next 2 home games I'm on wrong shift but usally book off or swap but just can't be bothered the club and players don't seem to be bothered so why should I put myself out? In 40 years I've never felt this way The club seams to realy lost its way with the fans? Maybee its just me but at moment Charlton has lost all its passion heart n soul?
So many people were saying similar after the game.
FRF, agree that the club is in decline and none of us know quite know how bad things will get before it gets better. I went yesterday but don't blame anyone for choosing to stay away. The players always seem to bottle these fixtures and the sight and sound of celebrating Millwall and Palace fans is getting harder to take as I get older. Let's hope we get the chance to moan about this fixture next year though. Personally I think we'll be lucky to stay up without more squad investment by January.
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
Didnt we get beaten in the other football for a fiver game in front of a full house too ?
If we are ambitious and playing entertaining, thrilling football week in, week out, attendances will increase. And vice versa. I'm afraid that 30 quid to watch a predictable lame surrender is way too much. Some of us have to add on up to £150 of travel cost on top.Its not as if it was just a blip. We have been poor at home and in derbies and especially on telly, for far, far too long.
If you are going to try promos like football for six quid, it is not vital to win but it's vital to provide good entertainment or why would any of the casuals return? You can be sure that a good few of the absent supporters yesterday were watching on the box and as a result are even less likely to turn up next time. If they had seen a passionate and entertaining game there is every chance they would want to be there next time, especially if, miracle of miracles, we had actually won.
Look at the FA Cup attendances. We have been utter sh*te for so long that hardly anyone shows up. A turnaround has to come from how we approach and play games at the Valley. Yesterday barely counted as a form of entertainment at all.
Here's an idea. Let's ditch plan A involving five or six sideways passes at the back followed by a big hoof forward and dig out some old footage of Spurs' revolutionary push and run tactics from 1949-50.
To be honest in the hierarchy of priorities Charlton winning is the first, playing beautiful football is very much the second. Until we're doing the former on a regular basis I don't see much point in attempting the latter.
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
Didnt we get beaten in the other football for a fiver game in front of a full house too ?
I think the issue is more about fans sensing that this game matters to the club as much as it matters to the fans. The club's overall behaviour has been the opposite recently.
The 2009 game where we had 21,000 in freezing cold weather, a division below, the side streets of Eltham looking like Siberia, was also an early kick off, I am pretty sure.
To be honest in the hierarchy of priorities Charlton winning is the first, playing beautiful football is very much the second. Until we're doing the former on a regular basis I don't see much point in attempting the latter.
Both would be nice. But if we are not even going to set out to entertain there is little point in a thread titled "where was everyone today?"
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
I never said it guaranteed success, but it's certainly got an impact on players..... Ask any professional/amateur in any sport and they will tell you that.
I think it could of been a sold out cauldron of noise and we still would of lost. So predictable at times to the point i wanted to tear my eyes out. It almost become comical how bad we were.
A shocker of an attendance. I'm guessing it was mainly due to the policing last season as we've got big crowds for midday Sky kick offs before. This should've been the highest attendance of the season excluding the £5 +1 game and a potential decent cup draw (lol).
As for the standard of football, we've seen worse within 5 years and our last home game was a great win against Leicester.
Still, well done.................... Struggling not to laugh about having a snowy drive though.
My drive was fine but my road wasn't - I live in the country at the top of a very steep hill which isn't gritted. I don't have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and to attempt to have driven would have been madness - I wouldn't have got home even if I could have got out.
I think the problem is we have a lot of fans who simply don't care as much as some of us do. That would explain why we can average 15k-18k home support and average less than 1000 away. It also explains that when Millwall come to town, lots shy away for the fear of a delayed journey home or having to take a different route. It could also explain why the atmosphere is so shite.
Being on Sky didn't stop any of us going, just stops those that aren't really bothered in the first place.
I think it could of been a sold out cauldron of noise and we still would of lost. So predictable at times to the point i wanted to tear my eyes out. It almost become comical how bad we were.
Indeed. The bottom line is, we're not a very good football team. We've had, largely, a third division team for two season in the Championship. They're an honest bunch but they need some quality in there.
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
Didnt we get beaten in the other football for a fiver game in front of a full house too ?
I think the issue is more about fans sensing that this game matters to the club as much as it matters to the fans. The club's overall behaviour has been the opposite recently.
The 2009 game where we had 21,000 in freezing cold weather, a division below, the side streets of Eltham looking like Siberia, was also an early kick off, I am pretty sure.
FRF, agree that the club is in decline and none of us know quite know how bad things will get before it gets better. I went yesterday but don't blame anyone for choosing to stay away. The players always seem to bottle these fixtures and the sight and sound of celebrating Millwall and Palace fans is getting harder to take as I get older. Let's hope we get the chance to moan about this fixture next year though. Personally I think we'll be lucky to stay up without more squad investment by January.
This sums it all up for me. Been going regularly home and away now for 45 years, but feel totally dejected after yesterday, coupled with how the club is being run into the ground by the current owners (whoever they are).
I'll always go, the club is too far rooted in me, but honestly going now seems more like a chore then pleasure. The nostalgia threads on here, in regards to past players, the covered end camaraderie etc remind me of how great supporting Charlton used to be. If I was a young fan today, especially with todays prices, I am sure I would not be as committed as I am now.
And you base your theory on what? Do you play in front of crowds like that often? Funny how players are always saying how the crowd helped them. Guess you know more though!
26000 against Barnsley last year. Operation Ewood, Operation Riverside, bigger attendance last year against palace.
Didnt we get beaten in the other football for a fiver game in front of a full house too ?
I think the issue is more about fans sensing that this game matters to the club as much as it matters to the fans. The club's overall behaviour has been the opposite recently.
The 2009 game where we had 21,000 in freezing cold weather, a division below, the side streets of Eltham looking like Siberia, was also an early kick off, I am pretty sure.
Whilst yesterday's attendance was disappointing, it's not surprising that the crowd for the game in December 2009 was higher. And the reasons have nothing to do with who does or doesn't think the game mattered.
We had made an excellent start to the '09/10 season and, before kick-off, were sitting second in the table, behind Leeds, with am impressive 45 points from 21 games. We'd also been playing some decent football, especially in the first ten games when Shelvey and Sam were impressing. Charlton were expected to win. Millwall were also playing well though and, whilst just outside the Play-Off zone at the time of the match, were eventually promoted.
Leaving aside the result (4-4 v 0-1), the game in 2009 provided much better entertainment. It was a pulsating affair between two good sides. Millwall, in particular, played some terrific passing football and it's no wonder that fans, both home and away, turned up in numbers to watch this kind of fayre. Yesterday's tedium was, sadly, entirely predictable. Charlton's home games under Chris Powell simply haven't been particulary entertaining in a pure, footballing sense, except when the opposition has opened the game up allowing us to sit and counter. With Millwall struggling that was never going to happen yesterday.
I'm afraid that crowds will continue to dwindle until the football improves. I'll keep going (until the men in white coats come for me) and so will many others, but the "marginals" will continue to lose interest. In the case of the game yesterday, last season's post match debacle won't have helped of course.
I think people need to bear in mind the club's immediate objective is likely to have been to maximise its revenue from the game. You might disagree that this should be the priority over crowd numbers but you have to factor that in and it isn't necessarily achieved by maximising the attendance.
My guess is that the higher prices did maximise revenue, but only just.
I should think the club is very disappointed by ticket sales, including the fact Millwall didn't sell out, but they tried to maximise home sales by making 10,000 phone calls and sending 5,000 text messages - probably a spend of about £2.5k, according to the programme.
In practice the gate was very predictable based on everything we all know and would have been very difficult to increase in the context of the necessary controls on sales.
Comments
Thanks Sky for getting Charlton back to The Valley!
Some people are painfully deluded.
Most depressing performance for years.
Didn't think the atmosphere was to bad early doors, it evaporated as the team did.
In 40 years I've never felt this way
The club seams to realy lost its way with the fans?
Maybee its just me but at moment Charlton has lost all its passion heart n soul?
If you are going to try promos like football for six quid, it is not vital to win but it's vital to provide good entertainment or why would any of the casuals return? You can be sure that a good few of the absent supporters yesterday were watching on the box and as a result are even less likely to turn up next time. If they had seen a passionate and entertaining game there is every chance they would want to be there next time, especially if, miracle of miracles, we had actually won.
Look at the FA Cup attendances. We have been utter sh*te for so long that hardly anyone shows up. A turnaround has to come from how we approach and play games at the Valley. Yesterday barely counted as a form of entertainment at all.
Here's an idea. Let's ditch plan A involving five or six sideways passes at the back followed by a big hoof forward and dig out some old footage of Spurs' revolutionary push and run tactics from 1949-50.
The 2009 game where we had 21,000 in freezing cold weather, a division below, the side streets of Eltham looking like Siberia, was also an early kick off, I am pretty sure.
As for the standard of football, we've seen worse within 5 years and our last home game was a great win against Leicester.
Being on Sky didn't stop any of us going, just stops those that aren't really bothered in the first place.
I'll always go, the club is too far rooted in me, but honestly going now seems more like a chore then pleasure. The nostalgia threads on here, in regards to past players, the covered end camaraderie etc remind me of how great supporting Charlton used to be. If I was a young fan today, especially with todays prices, I am sure I would not be as committed as I am now.
We had made an excellent start to the '09/10 season and, before kick-off, were sitting second in the table, behind Leeds, with am impressive 45 points from 21 games. We'd also been playing some decent football, especially in the first ten games when Shelvey and Sam were impressing. Charlton were expected to win. Millwall were also playing well though and, whilst just outside the Play-Off zone at the time of the match, were eventually promoted.
Leaving aside the result (4-4 v 0-1), the game in 2009 provided much better entertainment. It was a pulsating affair between two good sides. Millwall, in particular, played some terrific passing football and it's no wonder that fans, both home and away, turned up in numbers to watch this kind of fayre. Yesterday's tedium was, sadly, entirely predictable. Charlton's home games under Chris Powell simply haven't been particulary entertaining in a pure, footballing sense, except when the opposition has opened the game up allowing us to sit and counter. With Millwall struggling that was never going to happen yesterday.
I'm afraid that crowds will continue to dwindle until the football improves. I'll keep going (until the men in white coats come for me) and so will many others, but the "marginals" will continue to lose interest. In the case of the game yesterday, last season's post match debacle won't have helped of course.
My guess is that the higher prices did maximise revenue, but only just.
I should think the club is very disappointed by ticket sales, including the fact Millwall didn't sell out, but they tried to maximise home sales by making 10,000 phone calls and sending 5,000 text messages - probably a spend of about £2.5k, according to the programme.
In practice the gate was very predictable based on everything we all know and would have been very difficult to increase in the context of the necessary controls on sales.
It's pointless blaming people who stayed at home.