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Is it time for us Boycotters to return?

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  • Can't see me ever returning now.

    On Saturday, I went to the dump, changed a fuse in a lamp that hadn't been working for a while, took the dog for a walk.

    Life is simply too hectic now.

    Thanks a lot Roland you odious, rancorous old sow.
  • It will be interesting to know how many of the people who've stopped going in the last few years are pure boycotters (i.e. will be back straight away) and how many are more "disillusioned" types (i.e. crap football, 3rd division etc)

    After all, it's not as if our away attendances have soared, with loads of extra people going to away watches instead.
  • I see no reason to end my boycott. In the words of The Who "I won't get fooled again". In practice, the only change is that we now have a rudderless ship without a CEO. In the short term, a rudderless ship is better than a ship that has a rudder but has a captain (or is it a helmsman?) steering the ship through unsafe water towards rocks on a regular basis. That will soon become a problem if RD stalls on selling.

    I am afraid I don't trust Roland an inch. Others are welcome to trust that he will sell the club to suitable buyers with no strings attached. I'd rather wait until it's all signed and sealed and we at least have a picture of what's what.

    There has been talk of Roland selling for some time now. It's clearly going to be too late for the January window unless there is a lot going on behind the scenes. It's easy to convince yourself that it will happen in good time for next season, but I suspect that he is not an easy man to deal with and any prospective buyer might walk away until he or she has signed on the dotted line.

    Frankly, I'd rather reserve judgement rather than let the feelgood factor of three wins against modest opposition take hold. Make no mistake - even if we go up, the chances of staying up would be slim if there's not a change.
  • the only attending away games is a complete myth and always has been ive done them for the last 8 years and have been at Blackburn when there's been about 200 no wanky owners were around then apart from blackburns, were just not a well travelling supported team.

    we have mk dons away possibly on 17th feb thats localish family freindly drivable, i think well take about 800, pompey away we should be selling out but dont think we will will be close to maybe 12/1300.
  • colthe3rd said:

    There are numerous bad owners and it's quite possible we'll have them again in the future - boycotting as far as I can see doesn't touch RD as he's minted.

    A boycott with an owner who was really desperate for income might work but this current boycott for me has not been effective.

    If every football fan whose club had a bad owner boycotted football would soon disappear. Bad owners are a fact of life.....

    One of his reasons for selling is the losses he continues to accrue, therefore dwindling crowds are adding to that so not sure where your logic comes from.
    People have been boycotting for years and he's still here - I seriously doubt the losses affect someone with his level of wealth. I also question how many boycotters will actually return?

    His experiment has failed and that's why he will sell up.





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  • Those saying people are boycotting because of bad owners is underplaying the situation somewhat. At a very base level yes I guess that is the case but given what's gone on and the fact this is the worst ownership in the club's history means that these are a special set or circumstances where people have felt like they had no choice.
  • Ive attended many of the protests and stopped going at the end of last season, when he sells I will be back and will give my full support to both team and new owners.
  • Macronate makes a good point, which is other things have filled the vacuum on a Saturday, so creating the 4 or 5 hours needed for travel, attending, travel home is going to be hard to find now.
  • PeterGage said:

    As a 2 year boycotter, I feel insulted that someone should ask the question. I like many others have made a huge sacrifice and feel that remainers should boycott.

    I dont accept the tired mantra "support the team and not the regime". The two (regime/team) are inextricable linked by the proverbial umbilical cord.

    I cant get my head around the bitch, bitch, bitching about Roland on here by people that go each week and give him money.

    Rant over (ah, I now feel much better

    I have a carer I no longer need, I could send her round. ;)
  • It will be interesting to know how many of the people who've stopped going in the last few years are pure boycotters (i.e. will be back straight away) and how many are more "disillusioned" types (i.e. crap football, 3rd division etc)

    After all, it's not as if our away attendances have soared, with loads of extra people going to away watches instead.

    Impossible to say until he's gone.

    Of the seven of us with seats in the most expensive area of the East stand just one still has a season ticket and that is in the cheapest part of the ground (Covered End) so as to give Roland the least money. He'll move back to the expensive seats as soon as Roland's gone as will I.

    Three of those were youngsters and are now working or in my son's case away at uni but he attends when he's in town and goes to away games.

    One is moving to Spain but would have bought a ST in the past few years. He and one other still go when there is a spare ticket going and then donates £20 to the fighting fund.

    So of that seven three will be back on a regular basis, others will attend when free but that drift way from the others would have happened anyway ie my son at Uni would have happened regardless.

    There is always be similar churn as fans die or move or just have other priorities.

    The challenge for the new owners will be to get the best advocates for the club (that's us fans) back onside so that we not only buy tickets and others stuff at the ground but bring our family and friends. @Rothko @buckshee and @oohaahmortimer have young families so they are real target audience for the new Business development group that will have to replace the lap dog Target 20k group set up and then forgotten by Meire.

    The boycotters will be back (I'd guess 1000 to 1500 to of them) but it will take time, real commitment and some spending from the new regime and management to get the crowds back up the premier league standards.

    But the 16k we were getting in the championship can be achieved relatively easily with some thought and a decent team playing in the Championship or even at the top of league 1.

    I've seen very little about it on here or twitter but there were a whole lot of local school kids at the Walsall game screaming their head off in the East Stand. OK, we've always given free tickets to local schools since 1992 so what of it?

    These were local school football teams who've been given Hummel kits with huge Charlton badges on them to wear when playing. So every week dozens of local kids wearing a Charlton badge on their shirts, advertising the club. Great for Hummel and great for us.

    just one example of how we can rebuild the support over the long term, not one game or one season but over a decade.
    The area where I sit in the East Stand (towards the middle rear), a fair number of long term people are still attending, whether through STs or buying match day tickets. Not Brian Cole though, I wonder what he's doing these days :smile:

    I noticed the school kids as well. More shockingly, they actually saw a good game of football and a Charlton win, and appeared really excited after the match, that second half performance may have won over a few of them
  • Football for a Fiver on February 24th looks well timed to me. I reckon the issue will be moot by then.

    I won't believe it until Doucher confirms it on 25 February
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  • Football for a Fiver on February 24th looks well timed to me. I reckon the issue will be moot by then.

    God I so hope you are right.

  • Don't be conned by Roland. Telling us he is prepared to sell gives him an excuse not to invest for a promotion charge. All he has to do is keep the price at a silly high level until the end of January. When he is gone, we go back, not before.
  • I've seen some comments which imply that boycotters are boycotting mainly due to the standard we are playing in. I think that is probably nonsense. There are obviously people who will come to higher standards of football but I don't think they are the boycotters. Stories like the one from @T_C_E above are the reason I don't go. It's not as though there is one thing; the list of reasons to despise this regime is endless and doesn't need repeating here.

    Football clubs can bounce back and Charlton will. These dark years might make us more appreciative of a reasonably well run club in the future. I just wish it would come sooner rather than later.
  • edited January 2018
    Boycotting is boring, I miss getting to the valley a few times per season, but at the same time as saying that, I actually do sometimes have better things to do than get down the Valley on a cold afternoon/evening... image
  • edited January 2018

    Football for a Fiver on February 24th looks well timed to me. I reckon the issue will be moot by then.

    Don't start raising my hopes again.

    Mind you, if you predict it often enough one day you'll be right :wink:
  • I think it's pretty clear - no return until Duchatelet is gone. Close the thread.
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Roland Out Forever!