There is a big difference between supporting Charlton in the 70s and 80s and now, that difference is the internet. In the previous century we would go to the match, buy the programme to see what the line up was, watch the match , go home, possibly buy a Saturday evening paper and a Sunday one to read the report and the gossip column and that was that. We didn't know what was going on at the club nor anything about the the manager or the players, we just supported the team. Now we have the internet and we can communicate with other supporters and think we know more about what is happening at the club and think that we might do more than just support the club, can we?, I don't know but it is worth a try, but we all should still support the team as we always have done, internet or no internet
I can't wait for fleet wood either. The best seasons are promotions and they can't come without relegation. But that is missing the point. Read all the threads and stop glibly walking into a disaster.
Nice post addicted. I admire your passion and that of others like you.
I am however in the opposite camp. I have "fallen out of love" with Charlton (having attended the first three home games this season) but find it difficult to quantify the reasons on paper. It doesn't seem to me to be the Charlton anymore that I have followed since my first game at The Valley in 1955. I cant relate to the majority of the current players, some of whom are short term loanees who to me are disinterested. I cant relate to the Business Model that is not applicable, in my eyes, to soccer. If the problem was simply one of poor results alone, I would still attend, having, like many people have stated on here, seen worst teams than the current one. The sad thing is I cant see it improving on or off the pitch. I have no hope. I cant see the owners vision for the future and therefore I cant buy into it.
I didn't just turn off an "attendance" switch in my brain. I just suddenly felt I could do more enjoyable activities on a Saturday, and that is sad. I should miss the buzz of getting up on a Saturday, thinking of nothing but the game, setting off from home at 1000am and watching my team; but I don't.
The three games I saw this season followed the same pattern. We would take the lead and sit back and allow the opposition to attack us, attack us and attack us again. I would be constantly looking at my watch, willing it to move to the 90th minute. That cant be entertainment, when you are praying for the "entertainment" to finish.
Today, I will go to my local, watch the early game, go home and watch the results develop on Sky. I will of course be keen to see our result. If we lose, I shall simply feel sad for five minutes and rue what could, and should be. In the past if we lost, I would be upset all weekend at least. The "Charlton" fire in my belly has gone.
I support the actions of the Trust to call a meeting but will defer any comments until I know the outcome, the attendance numbers and the agreed way forward.
That sums up my feelings very well. I do not like feeling this way and I long for the return of how I used to feel on match days. Waking up with a feeling of nervous anticipation and enjoying the day, win, lose or draw.
Now I just feel ambivalent, win, lose or draw.
I am hoping that a spell away from watching Charlton will help me find my mojo.
Totally support this post and it needed to be said and I think this sums up the silent majority. We just love supporting Charlton come what may ; the ups and downs of a football team ...any football team, is a metaphor for life. I think the whole thing has been worked up into a froth and the team needs time to move on with their season . It's a game of football not some political injustice that needs to be stopped.
I think that you should be cautious (as all sides of a discussion should) about claiming a silent majority. I respect Addickted and your view. Life, like football has its ups and down for sure. Charlton as a club does not do well when it settles for mediocre gruel.
Disagree almost entirely with the opening post but it was written brilliantly and I really enjoyed reading it, it's always great to read an opposing view articulately conveyed and that's what I hope "the meeting" will produce - I really hope you attend.
I'm starting to think their are actually two classes of supporter, neither better than the other - fans who support the "team" and fans who support the "club". For the former the feelings of the latter at the moment are seemingly incomprehensible as this post sums up.
This captures the two camps perfectly.
I was in the same camp as Addickted, with exactly the same views when the early "get Roland out" campaign was trying to get up steam. My feelings have changed because I'm starting to think, I don't care any more. I don't care if we win lose or draw because we seem to being run by management that doesn't care and that flows down to the team like rain runs to the sea.
I can either put a lifetime of supporting Charlton behind me, follow Charlton without any pleasure, or get involved in something that might make me look forward with tingle in the toes every time a fixture is coming up. Comes down to what drives your emotions.
There is no justification for those who don't have the same emotions suggesting others with different feelings are somehow odd and should go away.
Disagree almost entirely with the opening post but it was written brilliantly and I really enjoyed reading it, it's always great to read an opposing view articulately conveyed and that's what I hope "the meeting" will produce - I really hope you attend.
I'm starting to think their are actually two classes of supporter, neither better than the other - fans who support the "team" and fans who support the "club". For the former the feelings of the latter at the moment are seemingly incomprehensible as this post sums up.
This captures the two camps perfectly.
I was in the same camp as Addickted, with exactly the same views when the early "get Roland out" campaign was trying to get up steam. My feelings have changed because I'm starting to think, I don't care any more. I don't care if we win lose or draw because we seem to being run by management that doesn't care and that flows down to the team like rain runs to the sea.
I can either put a lifetime of supporting Charlton behind me, follow Charlton without any pleasure, or get involved in something that might make me look forward with tingle in the toes every time a fixture is coming up. Comes down to what drives your emotions.
There is no justification for those who don't have the same emotions suggesting others with different feelings are somehow odd and should go away.
Compelling and persuasive writing - I hope you come to the meeting and put your point no less eloquently - that's the point of it, as Charlton fans how do we all actually feel?
Yet the most persuasive words in this post, the ones why so many feel it's right to have this meeting and its conversation, are those of Peter Gage: "The "Charlton" fire in my belly has gone."
Indifference not hatred is the opposite of love. We should be concerned - all of us, including the board - if anyone is expressing indifference about the club, let alone how many are sharing the sentiment. This is why the meeting is so important, because those who will be there are those who see that if the outcome of "the owner's way" is indifference, then that way will reverse 30 years of all our hard work.
The fire started to go.out in my belly for charlton under Pardew and parkinson I found myself more disappointed and distant from the club during that period than any other
I Think it's a culmination of many years of shit that has reached a crescendo
I think the original post is mainly bollcks I'm afraid. I get mildly irriated by those 'I've been following Charlton since 1825, it was far worse in the trenches, you young 'uns don't know how lucky you are' posts. I also haven't much liked people telling me to be grateful for what I've got since my mother told me to eat my greens because there are people starving in Africa.
The one point I agree with is that Duchatelet won't care what I think & I don't have the power to do anything about it. I do have the power to withdraw my support for his hare-brained scheme however and if he insists on treating 'my' club purely as a business experiment then I can do likewise and withdraw my custom, although I haven't yet decided whether I will.
4 managers in a year, an owner who insists on heavy invovlement in team selection when he known nothing about football, and whose main ambition is to see us become a feeder club, rubbish imports and unwise exports, boring, boring football, no wins since November, relegation threatened. If people don't see that as reason for a little bit of gloom, then I envy their emotional constitution.
@addickted that's one of the finest pieces of prose I've read on here. Well done! I can see and understand your point of view. I guess where we differ is that I can't help but be deeply concerned that's we have an owner who (if this is indeed true) doesn't care about winning.
A good post Addicted. I am sick and tired with the regular response "--- your are entitled to your opion but ---"; We are no lesser fans for holding an alternative view of the current situation. This is no "head in the sands" comment and I am no less a supporter for holding a differing view from other posters. It is over 60 years since I saw my first game at The Valley and there have been times when I have been far more concerned about the situation off the pitch than I am now. I also believe social media can provide a distorted view of the balance of opinion. Discussion with other committed fans (seaon ticket holders who sit near me; fellow travellers on Valley Express; supporters I chat to before the game) helps provide me with a diferent perspective. They may not be a representative sample but they are fans who are turning their backs on sites like Chalton Life, not because they are afraid to express their opinions, but rather that the manner in which many of the views on here are expressed encourages division rather than mutual respect. Just my opinion!!
Nice post addicted. I admire your passion and that of others like you.
I am however in the opposite camp. I have "fallen out of love" with Charlton (having attended the first three home games this season) but find it difficult to quantify the reasons on paper. It doesn't seem to me to be the Charlton anymore that I have followed since my first game at The Valley in 1955. I cant relate to the majority of the current players, some of whom are short term loanees who to me are disinterested. I cant relate to the Business Model that is not applicable, in my eyes, to soccer. If the problem was simply one of poor results alone, I would still attend, having, like many people have stated on here, seen worst teams than the current one. The sad thing is I cant see it improving on or off the pitch. I have no hope. I cant see the owners vision for the future and therefore I cant buy into it.
I didn't just turn off an "attendance" switch in my brain. I just suddenly felt I could do more enjoyable activities on a Saturday, and that is sad. I should miss the buzz of getting up on a Saturday, thinking of nothing but the game, setting off from home at 1000am and watching my team; but I don't.
The three games I saw this season followed the same pattern. We would take the lead and sit back and allow the opposition to attack us, attack us and attack us again. I would be constantly looking at my watch, willing it to move to the 90th minute. That cant be entertainment, when you are praying for the "entertainment" to finish.
Today, I will go to my local, watch the early game, go home and watch the results develop on Sky. I will of course be keen to see our result. If we lose, I shall simply feel sad for five minutes and rue what could, and should be. In the past if we lost, I would be upset all weekend at least. The "Charlton" fire in my belly has gone.
I support the actions of the Trust to call a meeting but will defer any comments until I know the outcome, the attendance numbers and the agreed way forward.
Good post. I think this is pretty much how I feel.
Well said @Mckforester, this is why the proposed meeting is so important - what's said on here, or ITTV, or any other internet forum, is just talk. People who don't know each other, have never met and wouldn't realise if they did - and under those circumstances EVERYTHING gets polarised. The chances are that eventually you will end up with one or both 'sides' accusing the others of being idiotic/not caring/'not real fans' (the football equivalent of Godwin's Law).
At properly organised meeting then the mood can be read and noted far more accurately with the loons and fanatics from all ends of the spectrum more inclined to keep their heads down - people say things safe in their anonymity they wouldn't ever say if people could actually tell who said it.
A good post Addicted. I am sick and tired with the regular response "--- your are entitled to your opion but ---"; We are no lesser fans for holding an alternative view of the current situation. This is no "head in the sands" comment and I am no less a supporter for holding a differing view from other posters. It is over 60 years since I saw my first game at The Valley and there have been times when I have been far more concerned about the situation off the pitch than I am now. I also believe social media can provide a distorted view of the balance of opinion. Discussion with other committed fans (seaon ticket holders who sit near me; fellow travellers on Valley Express; supporters I chat to before the game) helps provide me with a diferent perspective. They may not be a representative sample but they are fans who are turning their backs on sites like Chalton Life, not because they are afraid to express their opinions, but rather that the manner in which many of the views on here are expressed encourages division rather than mutual respect. Just my opinion!!
The spelling in that does my head in as well ;-) . You make some fair points. Stating respect of other opinions, is important as it helps keeps the discussion on a civil footing. It is also important to remember that supporters have a mixture of opinions and are not necessarily in one position or another. We all have the well being of the club at heart and it is important that is a common starting point. We all want an owner who is going to build and invest in the club and make sensible football decisions.
It was good that Addickted was put as an announcement. It is a passionately written piece. I think balance / respect in the discussions is largely being achieved on the site.
@Addicked raises some interesting points (and plenty of nostalgia). But, what does he want for THE FUTURE? If you look at a vast country like the USA it supports a few dozen teams in its sport of choice. Or you get to support a college team. As a club we either have to progress or cease to exist as a professional team. There is too much competition now: computer games, Sky, other sport, etc,etc. The OP expresses his satisfaction with watching League 1 football but for how much longer will that option actually be available to him: it's certainly not a treat that will attact new supporters. It and our current style of play are just too boring for a generation with the attention span of a goldfish. If, in ten years we are not in Premier League 1 or 2 (with the top teams already playing in a Europe-wide league), then we are dead in the water. We either progress or die. There is no retaining the status quo however attractive that might seem. As things stand, the owner is not taking us in the right direction.
That's a terrific post, Addickted, expressed with great conviction and clarity. Bravo!
Like you, I've been supporting Charlton for decades: this is my 50th season of regular attendance. Losing is no longer a disappointment, and my enjoyment of the games is not dependent on winning. I still derive great pleasure from the sense of occasion that surrounds every match: the growing anticipation as I approach the ground, the thrill of the dynamics of a big crowd, and then the convivial post-mortem in the pub with my pal. I'm very fortunate in living just three miles from The Valley, and fully appreciate the disillusionment of supporters who spend a lot of time and money on travelling to watch such bleakly dreary performances on the pitch.
I sit in the Lower North, and in the first half enjoy watching our opponents advance towards me: the quick passes, subtle touches, the accurate crosses and shots. I want them to score. For one thing, going behind should spur our players into attacking action. Even when we typically fail to rise to the challenge and are incapable of threatening in the second half, the exasperation expressed by the crowd provides some necessary drama to the occasion. For three years our fans have been denied excitement: passion, combat, clever play, near-misses, danger - goals.
In the absence of properly skilled players or a tough team spirit - as you say, Addickted, our loving reminiscences of 1980-81 on a parallel thread are pertinent - I won't mind if we are relegated. League One would provide fresh opponents against whom we might actually play attractive football and win - and relegation would deliver a piquant sense of schadenfreude to those like me who despise Duchatelet's meagre ambitions.
As others have said, great post by Addickted but what is happening now is not in any way comparable to anything that has happened in the past and if it carries on we will have no future.
Comments
Love this. I think it covers most of us. Might get some badges made.
Now we have the internet and we can communicate with other supporters and think we know more about what is happening at the club and think that we might do more than just support the club, can we?, I don't know but it is worth a try, but we all should still support the team as we always have done, internet or no internet
Good job that wasn't done at Selhurst to get the valley back.
I always thought some of the supporters too would become an issue
Now I just feel ambivalent, win, lose or draw.
I am hoping that a spell away from watching Charlton will help me find my mojo.
I was in the same camp as Addickted, with exactly the same views when the early "get Roland out" campaign was trying to get up steam. My feelings have changed because I'm starting to think, I don't care any more. I don't care if we win lose or draw because we seem to being run by management that doesn't care and that flows down to the team like rain runs to the sea.
I can either put a lifetime of supporting Charlton behind me, follow Charlton without any pleasure, or get involved in something that might make me look forward with tingle in the toes every time a fixture is coming up. Comes down to what drives your emotions.
There is no justification for those who don't have the same emotions suggesting others with different feelings are somehow odd and should go away.
Yet the most persuasive words in this post, the ones why so many feel it's right to have this meeting and its conversation, are those of Peter Gage: "The "Charlton" fire in my belly has gone."
Indifference not hatred is the opposite of love. We should be concerned - all of us, including the board - if anyone is expressing indifference about the club, let alone how many are sharing the sentiment. This is why the meeting is so important, because those who will be there are those who see that if the outcome of "the owner's way" is indifference, then that way will reverse 30 years of all our hard work.
I Think it's a culmination of many years of shit that has reached a crescendo
I think we all know the answer even if it doesn't sit pretty with some
The one point I agree with is that Duchatelet won't care what I think & I don't have the power to do anything about it. I do have the power to withdraw my support for his hare-brained scheme however and if he insists on treating 'my' club purely as a business experiment then I can do likewise and withdraw my custom, although I haven't yet decided whether I will.
4 managers in a year, an owner who insists on heavy invovlement in team selection when he known nothing about football, and whose main ambition is to see us become a feeder club, rubbish imports and unwise exports, boring, boring football, no wins since November, relegation threatened. If people don't see that as reason for a little bit of gloom, then I envy their emotional constitution.
That does not make the intent of the original post wrong nor does it stop me planning to renew my ST.
I also believe social media can provide a distorted view of the balance of opinion. Discussion with other committed fans (seaon ticket holders who sit near me; fellow travellers on Valley Express; supporters I chat to before the game) helps provide me with a diferent perspective. They may not be a representative sample but they are fans who are turning their backs on sites like Chalton Life, not because they are afraid to express their opinions, but rather that the manner in which many of the views on here are expressed encourages division rather than mutual respect. Just my opinion!!
At properly organised meeting then the mood can be read and noted far more accurately with the loons and fanatics from all ends of the spectrum more inclined to keep their heads down - people say things safe in their anonymity they wouldn't ever say if people could actually tell who said it.
It was good that Addickted was put as an announcement. It is a passionately written piece. I think balance / respect in the discussions is largely being achieved on the site.
But, what does he want for THE FUTURE?
If you look at a vast country like the USA it supports a few dozen teams in its sport of choice. Or you get to support a college team.
As a club we either have to progress or cease to exist as a professional team.
There is too much competition now: computer games, Sky, other sport, etc,etc.
The OP expresses his satisfaction with watching League 1 football but for how much longer will that option actually be available to him: it's certainly not a treat that will attact new supporters. It and our current style of play are just too boring for a generation with the attention span of a goldfish.
If, in ten years we are not in Premier League 1 or 2 (with the top teams already playing in a Europe-wide league), then we are dead in the water.
We either progress or die. There is no retaining the status quo however attractive that might seem.
As things stand, the owner is not taking us in the right direction.
Like you, I've been supporting Charlton for decades: this is my 50th season of regular attendance. Losing is no longer a disappointment, and my enjoyment of the games is not dependent on winning. I still derive great pleasure from the sense of occasion that surrounds every match: the growing anticipation as I approach the ground, the thrill of the dynamics of a big crowd, and then the convivial post-mortem in the pub with my pal. I'm very fortunate in living just three miles from The Valley, and fully appreciate the disillusionment of supporters who spend a lot of time and money on travelling to watch such bleakly dreary performances on the pitch.
I sit in the Lower North, and in the first half enjoy watching our opponents advance towards me: the quick passes, subtle touches, the accurate crosses and shots. I want them to score. For one thing, going behind should spur our players into attacking action. Even when we typically fail to rise to the challenge and are incapable of threatening in the second half, the exasperation expressed by the crowd provides some necessary drama to the occasion. For three years our fans have been denied excitement: passion, combat, clever play, near-misses, danger - goals.
In the absence of properly skilled players or a tough team spirit - as you say, Addickted, our loving reminiscences of 1980-81 on a parallel thread are pertinent - I won't mind if we are relegated. League One would provide fresh opponents against whom we might actually play attractive football and win - and relegation would deliver a piquant sense of schadenfreude to those like me who despise Duchatelet's meagre ambitions.