Precisely ,....and how better a message than boycott? KM will be on the blower later "Yeah a fair few held up some posters in the second minute but still cheered the team on and clapped them off so Operation clusterfuck is still well on track my dear leader as the mugs will still turn up next game."
A few tame protests will make fuck all difference to Roland....a bloke who won't even afford fans the courtesy of attending to see his experiment going pear shaped. Liege fans stormed his office and it didn't make a jot of difference.
Dialogue via the Trust and tame protests will not make any difference. If you are genuinely unhappy with the strategy and running of the club then boycott home games.... nothing else with have any meaningful impact and we'll continue to slide.
The protests are still in their 'spreading the word' stage so a boycott will not meet that aim. After the protest today the guy in front of me turned and asked what it was about. He now knows but had I boycotted the match he most likely would not. Once the word has spread sufficiently then a boycott MAY work.
When handing out leaflets today I was surprised by how many fans asked what it's all about. I was surprised how many did not know. If nothing else, today's protest will have got the message out to the masses.
Not a chance Henry, she's too arrogant and believes she knows better than us.
I don't think she does.
She's just unwilling to admit that she needs help.
"Imposter syndrome" is common in new managers and in particular female managers.
She needs help but she feels that admitting that would show weakness. In fact, it would be the opposite.
Exactly, and she believes RD will also think she is weak ...not forgetting that she believes it would weaken her CV.
I fully agree, such an approach would be far from weakness and, in fact, would show great initiative and confidence. The best managers work with the best of their staff and become even better themselves.
Glad it came across better on TV than it did in the ground.
I was stood up with a mate and felt as though I was the only one singing directly around me. Very awkward.
Well done to the organiser though, just a shame that we do have quite a worrying number of fans who seemingly don't care or don't have the bottle to participate.
All that energy, all that enthusiasm, all those skills, all the unpaid commitment.
Wouldn't it be great if the CEO could utilise it all, if she'd work with those fans, really work with them, not pay lip service to the idea.
What an asset that would be to the club.
Your choice Katrien. Swallow your pride and accept some help.
Most consumer based companies pay big money for customer focus groups. Feedback, ideas. Why does a football club turn down such free help. Although KM has little or no business experience, RD seems to have plenty. I can't see why he is not giving her earache at what is happening. Let's keep the pressure up in all sorts of ways and something will change. Manure could ignore their supporters because Ferguson kept winning things and even if 50,000 walked out they probably have 50,000 new ones queing up. Ashley ignores Newcastle fans because there is no competition and they are extremely loyal (and daft). However clubs like Charlton will wither if suporters are completely ignored.
Who the fuck is anyone to tell me to find another club. I was at Derby, MK and Birmingham away and have a season ticket and get told to support this or find another club. I'm not even blaming the result on the protest but I'll say it again, it doesn't help he team.
The football is secondary to a lot of people now I'm afraid, and I don't blame them.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
She probably enjoyed that.
Genuine question - what on earth is the vibrating wand?
Waste of ink for me , the current regime honestly couldn't give a shit what us the fans think , arrogant non football people .
The opposite as far as I'm concerned. Media coverage, no premier league game at lunchtime. Questions asked by certain fans in the ground who had no idea what was going on (Crazy but true).
Media wondering after watching the protest what is the issue from a club 10-15 years ago that was shown to other clubs how to run a successful football club and has gone backwards since then.
Same again against Brighton and Leeds. Maybe a different angle but plenty of time to work on that.
My take on it is that if you have a issue, get involved. If you don't, don't condone those that have. It is very easy to condemn, but those that do seldom stand up for themselves. Good luck to all those that made an effort today
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
She probably enjoyed that.
Genuine question - what on earth is the vibrating wand?
Metal detector, scanner thing.
Good to see there were quite a few around me stood up singing.
I printed off some posters and held mine up at 2 minutes. I gave a couple to some other people to hold up, but very few in the Lower West near me had posters and I heard quite a few calls from some that suggested they weren't in favour of the protest.
Glad it came across better on TV than it did in the ground.
I was stood up with a mate and felt as though I was the only one singing directly around me. Very awkward.
Well done to the organiser though, just a shame that we do have quite a worrying number of fans who seemingly don't care or don't have the bottle to participate.
.....or aren't part of the 2%? Just a thought.
Better to accuse them of not having the 'bottle' to stand up for a minute. Jeez
All that energy, all that enthusiasm, all those skills, all the unpaid commitment.
Wouldn't it be great if the CEO could utilise it all, if she'd work with those fans, really work with them, not pay lip service to the idea.
What an asset that would be to the club.
Your choice Katrien. Swallow your pride and accept some help.
None of us can help with the basic gap which is knowledge of professional football. For that Charlton need a new owner, a new CEO, a new manager and some experienced players.
No, you're wrong. Quite a few fans know about running a football club and one in particular.
Wait, is the aim of this protest to get the club to employ(re-employ in some cases) certain fans in high up positions?
No, not at all.
I was refuting the claim that fans have no knowledge of how to run a football club.
Glad it came across better on TV than it did in the ground.
I was stood up with a mate and felt as though I was the only one singing directly around me. Very awkward.
Well done to the organiser though, just a shame that we do have quite a worrying number of fans who seemingly don't care or don't have the bottle to participate.
.....or aren't part of the 2%? Just a thought.
Better to accuse them of not having the 'bottle' to stand up for a minute. Jeez
They must enjoy us losing every other game by 0-3 whilst having their intelligence insulted then.
Watched on TV and thought the issues facing the club got a lot more airtime than I expected from Sky. Proper discussion of the managerial merry-go-round before kick-off, and then the posters were given plenty of screen time when they were held up after two minutes.
It amazes me that some people will snipe at the Black and White efforts because it won't bring about regime change overnight. Of course it won't, but fans who are unhappy with the way the club is being run are standing up and doing something. It's a start. And it tells the owners that not everyone is going to sit down, shut up, and let this crazy experiment unfold unopposed.
Maybe we don't have a better owner lined up now. Maybe nothing will change any time soon. But let's not snipe at those who get off their arses and make their voices heard in a constructive fashion. Fans like that saved our club in the 80s/90s. You never know when we may have to do so again.
It was a good step in the right direction, and clearly exploded KM's ludicrous suggestion that only 2% of Charlton fans were "negative" about the way the club is being run. Hard to put a number on it but from my position in the East stand it looked like maybe half of the Charlton fans present held up a poster. Make no mistake, KM would have been upset and embarrassed by the clear ridicule of her sub-standard arithmetic, even more so in front of the Sky cameras.
For any business to have even 2% of their "customers" pissed off enough to protest about it would be disconcerting; to have a substantially larger proportion prepared to do it should be thoroughly alarming.
It will be interesting to see if KM tries to play this one down like she has before, or will learn a valuable lesson about how to talk and work with Charlton supporters.
From the CASTrust perspective, they have clearly not sought to adopt or openly/collectively support the protest. I guess they are not wanting to jeopardise the emerging prospects of a more fruitful dialogue with KM/RM. Fair enough - diplomacy does sometimes mean taking a low profile. But it would be good to know, as a Trust member, what effect this and any further protests have on KM's demeanour. She started quite personably but became arrogant, dismissive and isolationist. Potentially, it is in her dealings with the Trust that any change will be detected.
STs not turning up doesnt make much difference, visual demos, food/ merch strike will hurt
Course it will. By sitting in your seat it gives the impression you are consenting to the way the club is being run regardless of whether you hold a poster up for a minute or not. Boycotting sends the message bluntly and is more blatant than turning up and not buying hot dogs.
Attending is enabling them to carry on with the current strategy as it is.
I reckon the attendance is 8/9,000 in home areas today, I don't think an organised boycott would really take those numbers down much more.
Well if that is the case and 8000 are happy with the way things are then I really fear for the future under this current lot. We'll be a Millwall that can't win derbies.
I'm not sure that going to a football match automatically equals approving of the way the club is being run
Well it certainly doesn't equal dissaproval
But lots of people who went to the game today managed to show their disapproval...
And it was forgotten about and not mentioned by the 3rd minute. If those protesting hadn't turned up that's a 90 minute protest that is much more impacting and meaningful as the club knows how hard it is to stay away for fans so would speak volumes and they may actually address things.
Today's protest could occur at every match for the rest of the season and will make very little difference unfortunately despite the commendable and admirable best efforts of those involved.
The protest hasn't been forgotten though, it still being discussed.
It has been picked up by the media. It will continue as long a fans are willing to act.
Whose talking about your personal boycott? Have the media interviewed you? Has KM mentioned your boycott?
No? Well of course not because it is invisable to everyone. The club don't know if you are boycotting or just not coming. If they do know that isn't embarrassing them in public. Other fans cant see it like they can the black and white scarves.
The CEO isn't being giving leaflets in the streets about your person boycott and won't have to respond as she did in today's programme.
That's not digging you out as any genuine boycott where someone is choosing not to come when otherwise they would be attending is laudable but by its nature it is invisable.
Spell It Out is just 6 weeks old. It is not perfect, it won't please everyone as I said at the very beginning but it is something.
It might be that there will need to be more actions, more protests, different avenues of attack and one of those could be a walk out or a boycott but why go for the nuclear option from day one.
Joe @ Addickted2TheReds has done a great job and a lot of fans stepped up to leaflet today. Well done to everyone who helped in whatever way. They are the true spirit of Charlton.
The fight goes on. Nothing has been won yet. The CEO has to deliver on the promises she made as a result of Spell It Out and the car park protests. The CEO has to do a lot more and a lot better so keep the pressure up.
All fair points and I'm not criticising anyone at all for what they did I just fear that it won't be enough and will be too late before they change if they will ever change at all. Easy for me to not go and say what people have done is not enough though from the comfort of my settee. It's just really frustrating because as I said on the post match thread it doesn't need to be like this and they could be the best post Curbishley board so easily if they chose too amend the "our way or nothing approach."
I got a few comments but nothing nasty or abusive but I was surprised at the number who said no thanks and were happy at the way things are going. How can you be happy? Two years on and we are really no better off, ok you might not want to protest, but happy?
There are a whole layer of people that will never protest about anything. There are also a lot of people who come to football as a release from their everyday lives. They don't want to have to protest, or even to think about the politics of the club, for them football is just a bit of passive fun.
The demonstration went about as well as we could have reasonably hoped today and that's thanks to ordinary Charlton fans who put a lot of effort into it. There's no need at all to fret or worry about a handful that won't get involved.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
I went for a gentleman's comfort break in Bartrams at 10.30 and the security were all giving the vibrating wand to the Ipswich guests and directors at the main entrance. I don't know who was there to welcome them, but it wasn't Katrien because she arrived for work today at 11.07, and probably didn't even get started until 11.20 after she'd had the vibrating wand treatment too.
She probably enjoyed that.
Genuine question - what on earth is the vibrating wand?
It's a bit like a Rampant Rabbit only more magical.
It was a bit disappointing but unsurprising from my seat in the West Upper. A handful of people held the sheets up while remaining sitting down. My 15 year old and I stood up throughout the second minute but it seemed like only a few in the surrounding rows joined in.
Meanwhile one of the blokes behind us called us f***ing wankers and to sit down and tried to goad me with a "yeah mate I'm talking about you". (I didn't bite, somehow)
Was good to see the rest of the ground join in but the apathy around me was even worse than I feared.
(cue West Stand Upper jokes .... I sat in the Covered End until six or seven years ago when I moved to give my kids a better view of the game. Next season I feel a move elsewhere may be in order)
Apart from the unpleasantness around me, well done to all and in particular to Joe - but everyone connected in any form today deserves congratulations. As do the majority of those who may have disagreed but didn't resort to calling their fellow fans rude names!
It was a bit disappointing but unsurprising from my seat in the West Upper.
(cue West Stand Upper jokes .... I sat in the Covered End until six or seven years ago when I moved to give my kids a better view of the game. Next season I feel a move elsewhere may be in order)
STs not turning up doesnt make much difference, visual demos, food/ merch strike will hurt
Course it will. By sitting in your seat it gives the impression you are consenting to the way the club is being run regardless of whether you hold a poster up for a minute or not. Boycotting sends the message bluntly and is more blatant than turning up and not buying hot dogs.
Attending is enabling them to carry on with the current strategy as it is.
I reckon the attendance is 8/9,000 in home areas today, I don't think an organised boycott would really take those numbers down much more.
Well if that is the case and 8000 are happy with the way things are then I really fear for the future under this current lot. We'll be a Millwall that can't win derbies.
I'm not sure that going to a football match automatically equals approving of the way the club is being run
Well it certainly doesn't equal dissaproval
But lots of people who went to the game today managed to show their disapproval...
And it was forgotten about and not mentioned by the 3rd minute. If those protesting hadn't turned up that's a 90 minute protest that is much more impacting and meaningful as the club knows how hard it is to stay away for fans so would speak volumes and they may actually address things.
Today's protest could occur at every match for the rest of the season and will make very little difference unfortunately despite the commendable and admirable best efforts of those involved.
The protest hasn't been forgotten though, it still being discussed.
It has been picked up by the media. It will continue as long a fans are willing to act.
Whose talking about your personal boycott? Have the media interviewed you? Has KM mentioned your boycott?
No? Well of course not because it is invisable to everyone. The club don't know if you are boycotting or just not coming. If they do know that isn't embarrassing them in public. Other fans cant see it like they can the black and white scarves.
The CEO isn't being giving leaflets in the streets about your person boycott and won't have to respond as she did in today's programme.
That's not digging you out as any genuine boycott where someone is choosing not to come when otherwise they would be attending is laudable but by its nature it is invisable.
Spell It Out is just 6 weeks old. It is not perfect, it won't please everyone as I said at the very beginning but it is something.
It might be that there will need to be more actions, more protests, different avenues of attack and one of those could be a walk out or a boycott but why go for the nuclear option from day one.
Joe @ Addickted2TheReds has done a great job and a lot of fans stepped up to leaflet today. Well done to everyone who helped in whatever way. They are the true spirit of Charlton.
The fight goes on. Nothing has been won yet. The CEO has to deliver on the promises she made as a result of Spell It Out and the car park protests. The CEO has to do a lot more and a lot better so keep the pressure up.
Well done, Joe, and thanks for the leaflets. I took extras from the kind person at the top of Floyd Rd but largely everyone around me in the Upper West already had them! Pleasantly surprised I was. The singing could have been louder but it was the start and not a one off! Good to see more and more black and white scarves also. What I thought was so sad when I watched the beginning of the game on the tv a few minutes ago, was the empty ground and in particular, the lower west and north stand! That should be as poignant to the CEO and owner as anything. Thank you again to the people who put words into action! Joe.
It was a bit disappointing but unsurprising from my seat in the West Upper. A handful of people held the sheets up while remaining sitting down. My 15 year old and I stood up throughout the second minute but it seemed like only a few in the surrounding rows joined in.
Meanwhile one of the blokes behind us called us f***ing wankers and to sit down and tried to goad me with a "yeah mate I'm talking about you". (I didn't bite, somehow)
Was good to see the rest of the ground join in but the apathy around me was even worse than I feared.
(cue West Stand Upper jokes .... I sat in the Covered End until six or seven years ago when I moved to give my kids a better view of the game. Next season I feel a move elsewhere may be in order)
Apart from the unpleasantness around me, well done to all and in particular to Joe - but everyone connected in any form today deserves congratulations. As do the majority of those who may have disagreed but didn't resort to calling their fellow fans rude names!
TBH, the fans least likely to protest, sing, stand up or do anything, likely sit in the Upper West.
I've sat in the West for some cup games and even then, you get outraged looks if you dare to sing or shout out.
Its certainly true that a large number of fans turn up on a match day, watch the game, go home and their next involvement is the next home game. They don't care who runs or owns the Club, just so long as there is one. That is their prerogative. A fair number also think that we should be grateful for RD and if he hadn't saved where would we be.
On another note, when leaving the East Stand today there were a number of 'leaflets' strewn around in the colours of the Belgian flag with the message 'time to go home' on them. Seems like someone else isn't too happy.
I wore black and white, but did not stand or hold up a poster, as I didn't get one. Luckily I was still able to support the protest from the west lower as lots of black and white balloons came my way so I held them - along with my mate and two kids - and we released them in the second minute. Trying to get the kids to hang on to them until we said they could let them go was tough! From my seat, I'd say at least 50% of the east and north stands held up posters - a very good show.
Comments
I fully agree, such an approach would be far from weakness and, in fact, would show great initiative and confidence. The best managers work with the best of their staff and become even better themselves.
I was stood up with a mate and felt as though I was the only one singing directly around me. Very awkward.
Well done to the organiser though, just a shame that we do have quite a worrying number of fans who seemingly don't care or don't have the bottle to participate.
Let's keep the pressure up in all sorts of ways and something will change.
Manure could ignore their supporters because Ferguson kept winning things and even if 50,000 walked out they probably have 50,000 new ones queing up. Ashley ignores Newcastle fans because there is no competition and they are extremely loyal (and daft). However clubs like Charlton will wither if suporters are completely ignored.
Media wondering after watching the protest what is the issue from a club 10-15 years ago that was shown to other clubs how to run a successful football club and has gone backwards since then.
Same again against Brighton and Leeds. Maybe a different angle but plenty of time to work on that.
If you don't, don't condone those that have.
It is very easy to condemn, but those that do seldom stand up for themselves.
Good luck to all those that made an effort today
Good to see there were quite a few around me stood up singing.
Just a thought.
Better to accuse them of not having the 'bottle' to stand up for a minute.
Jeez
I was refuting the claim that fans have no knowledge of how to run a football club.
It amazes me that some people will snipe at the Black and White efforts because it won't bring about regime change overnight. Of course it won't, but fans who are unhappy with the way the club is being run are standing up and doing something. It's a start. And it tells the owners that not everyone is going to sit down, shut up, and let this crazy experiment unfold unopposed.
Maybe we don't have a better owner lined up now. Maybe nothing will change any time soon. But let's not snipe at those who get off their arses and make their voices heard in a constructive fashion. Fans like that saved our club in the 80s/90s. You never know when we may have to do so again.
For any business to have even 2% of their "customers" pissed off enough to protest about it would be disconcerting; to have a substantially larger proportion prepared to do it should be thoroughly alarming.
It will be interesting to see if KM tries to play this one down like she has before, or will learn a valuable lesson about how to talk and work with Charlton supporters.
From the CASTrust perspective, they have clearly not sought to adopt or openly/collectively support the protest. I guess they are not wanting to jeopardise the emerging prospects of a more fruitful dialogue with KM/RM. Fair enough - diplomacy does sometimes mean taking a low profile. But it would be good to know, as a Trust member, what effect this and any further protests have on KM's demeanour. She started quite personably but became arrogant, dismissive and isolationist. Potentially, it is in her dealings with the Trust that any change will be detected.
I reckon about 95% were accepted, with only about a dozen refusals.
No one was rude. It was a no thanks, except for one guy, who said "I can make up my own mind thanks".
I thought the majority stood up and held up the leaflets, at least 70%. Certainly the vast majority in the North & East.
Not so many sung, but then we know most don't like to sing anyway.
Well done all. Now RD & KM can't hide behind the lie, that most fans are happy with the way the club is being run.
The demonstration went about as well as we could have reasonably hoped today and that's thanks to ordinary Charlton fans who put a lot of effort into it. There's no need at all to fret or worry about a handful that won't get involved.
Doesn't mean that we should scrap elections or that people don't care about how the country is run or when their bins are collected.
Meanwhile one of the blokes behind us called us f***ing wankers and to sit down and tried to goad me with a "yeah mate I'm talking about you". (I didn't bite, somehow)
Was good to see the rest of the ground join in but the apathy around me was even worse than I feared.
(cue West Stand Upper jokes .... I sat in the Covered End until six or seven years ago when I moved to give my kids a better view of the game. Next season I feel a move elsewhere may be in order)
Apart from the unpleasantness around me, well done to all and in particular to Joe - but everyone connected in any form today deserves congratulations. As do the majority of those who may have disagreed but didn't resort to calling their fellow fans rude names!
The singing could have been louder but it was the start and not a one off! Good to see more and more black and white scarves also.
What I thought was so sad when I watched the beginning of the game on the tv a few minutes ago, was the empty ground and in particular, the lower west and north stand! That should be as poignant to the CEO and owner as anything.
Thank you again to the people who put words into action! Joe.
I've sat in the West for some cup games and even then, you get outraged looks if you dare to sing or shout out.
On another note, when leaving the East Stand today there were a number of 'leaflets' strewn around in the colours of the Belgian flag with the message 'time to go home' on them. Seems like someone else isn't too happy.