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30 years ago this month: Charlton Athletic wound up

edited February 2014 in General Charlton
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Not really something to celebrate, but certainly worth remembering - Charlton were wound up in the High Court on Tuesday, February 27th, 1984, which is 30 years ago next week.

For those who don't know the story - and anyone who wants to revisit it - I've adapted an extract from my book Battle for The Valley (written in 1991), and made it available online here.

Comments

  • Putting aside bereavements, this was the worst time for the club. Being pre-internet, most supporters were completely reliant on The Evening Standard or Thames News for any updates. I didn't really know any other Charlton fans in those days (I lived in Middlesex) so I felt especially cut-off.

    I went to the Swansea away game and heard supporters saying it might be the last game but I'd heard that a few times previously and didn't think anything of it (although I knew the situation was bad). To hear the club had actually been wound-up was a massive shock and the next ten days or so were desperate. The club was on life-support and seemingly about to die (for the younger element reading this....there was no such thing as Administration and ten points deduction. God, we'd have bitten the League's hand off for that!)

    We finally found out we'd been saved on the Thursday of the second week. My Dad had heard it on the radio and told me when I got home from school. It was great news...but the sad thing was only 7,600 or so turned up to see us at home to Grimsby on the following Saturday. The truth was, relatively very few people gave a sh*t about Charlton back then.
  • I get wound up every home game!
  • Thanks Rick for posting this, your right this does have to be commemorated as opposed to celebrated. These days with weekly news of clubs threatened with going into admin its hard to remember how close to closure we were.
  • The King is dead, Long live the King!
  • 3-3 draw with Grimsby; Robert Lee's debut (and he scored!).
  • I get wound up every home game!

    Sorry mate. I'll try not to wake you up during the game in future!! ;-)
  • edited February 2014
    Can remember this like it was yesterday.

    For me it puts recent events at the club in to perspective....... Which is why I never really get too stressed about what has / hasn't happend of late (as in since Prem relegation). Whatever happens, it will never be as bad as what happened 30 years ago.
  • Remember it well. Thought we were doomed. We were on the main 6 o'clock BBC news .
  • Vague memories of Steve Dixon being interviewed on the telly, outside the court, with the good news we lived to fight another day.
  • Desperate times - truly believed that we were gonners. My brother and I had even had lengthy discussions as to who we would support.

    As @Simonsen said no one gave a shit about us those days, and the thought of a rebranded AFC Charlton I don't think crossed any of our minds -- maybe some of those young men who eventually helped form the Valley Party, but I personally think we would just have disappeared. That would never happen today I don't think.

    I remember seeing the stop press in the Standard that we had been saved at London Bridge. I saw a Charlton supporting mate on the platform and we had tears in our eyes as we had somewhere to go Saturday.

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  • This event, playing in front of 3,500 in the old 3rd division, a decrepid valley, playing at sellout and upton parks...one look at the valley today and it explains why I came up with the name let the good times roll when I joined net addicks...and they have with just a few blips since...
  • I was one of those fans congesting the court room that day. I remember the barrister representing the consortium asking Justice Mervyn Davies if he agreed that the takeover can proceed. His honour glanced at the masses assembled in the public gallery and with a chuckle replied "do I have any choice?". He obviously meant yes, because from that moment Richard Collins & co beat a hasty retreat in the direction of the Football League offices. It was not until seeing the TV news later that I found out the club had been saved. The back page of The Sun the next day featured a photo of Derek Hales celebrating with the headline "MR MOUTH AND TROUSERS", that being Killer's description of Mark Hulyer.

    Little did I know at the time that this was not the end of "the crisis". In fact it was just the beginning of eight turbulent years until we were a proper football club with our own ground again. Had consequence chose differently however....
  • Move on. Why does he have to wallow in such miserable times so often?
  • I remember that whole period well. With sadness, because my club was in such a perilous position, but also with pride because the way the real fans rallied around the club and fought for it helped to forge the community spirit we still have. It played an important part in our club's history.

    And, having been there once, and so very nearly again under TJ and MS, I for one am very grateful that we now have the financial stability brought about by RD. We may be grappling to understand and accept his business/football model but at least we know we will continue to exist - and the optimistic amongst us can at least dream of steady progression and eventual premier league status again.
  • Stig said:

    1. Because they happened and are part of our history
    2. Because for some people those early trials and tribulations helped bind them to the club
    3. Because looking back at worse times can give a sense of optimism about the future
    4. Because people (like me) who viewed things from a distance can find out what really happened, not just what was reported on the news
    5. Because we can learn for the future

    This, plus no. 6, Because it puts any relegation in perspective - we will still have our Charlton, and hope that better times are just around the corner.
  • edited February 2014
    The winding-up saga is part of a longer narrative including the departure from and return to The Valley. What I am working on at the moment is adding the return to Battle for The Valley. Taken as a whole, the story is uplifting and triumphant - very far from miserable.

    Football, like life, is light and shade. If you don't understand or experience the disappointments, you'll never be able appreciate the highs properly. It's all part of our identity as a club. But even in isolation 1984 was a victory, not a defeat. It was also the most significant thing that had happened to Charlton in my lifetime to that point!
  • Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it
  • W

    Vague memories of Steve Dixon being interviewed on the telly, outside the court, with the good news we lived to fight another day.

    Was in the gallery of the High court that day. Remember being outside with about 10 other fans when Steve Dixon was interviewed. It was a momentous day I'll never forget.
  • Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it

    History is wasted on some. Especially the football fan.
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  • Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it

    History is wasted on some. Especially the football fan.
    But, if you know your history, its enough to make your heart go whooooah..
  • Part of Colin Cameron's huge collection of Charlton papers that have been donated to the Charlton Athletic Museum are the winding up order and various telegrams and other papers related to the event.

    Those that do not know their history are destined to repeat it.
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