Over the last few games where I’ve been watching Charlton I have felt nothing but feeling completely disillusioned. Not even angry or frustrated anymore.
The football at Charlton has been the worst since I started watching them since the early 90’s. The Port Vale game today, Burton and Cambridge at home recently was as boring as anything. Dreadful football. I didn’t go to the Oxford game at home because I couldn’t bare sitting in freezing cold with a hangover watching poor standard football.
I keep on hearing other fans feeling the same way and some even considering not renewing their season ticket next season. Such a shame to see a club like this but when we’ve had owners shit on us over the years who can blame them. I’m only going because of social reasons but if all of my friends stop I probably wouldn’t go anymore.
This January window has got to be the most important window over the last windows. The standard and management has to improve massively to win the fans back over.
38
Comments
So I've only got to get through another 7 and it will start to get better.
Happy days
I've been a season ticket holder for near on every year since 1989, my lad who's nearly 13 has had one for the last six years and both of us are thinking of not bothering with the season tickets next year.
I used to hate missing matches due to other commitments whereas now it doesn’t phase me at all
So you settle for the positives, the occasional highs, the dreams of whole seasons of highs (we've had a few, come on), and the broader stuff- seeing mates, some fresh air, etc. Totally understand if this isn't enough for some though
Being a Charlton fan in particular I think we know our club is unique and we love it for it's foibles and accept that it is rarely plain sailing.
For me personally, I am no longer the little boy from Abbey Wood who first attended in 1962.
Turning 70 and no longer being able to drive due to a medical condition every game is a day trip from Dorset and this last year has been a travel nightmare of strikes, overtime bans, engineering works and god knows what else.
All for what?
Oohahh always puts it more bluntly and succinctly than I can, but yes it's the worst period in living memory and shows no sign of turning around anytime soon.
We have been used and abused by successive ownerships and fed a succession of dog shit managers and mediocre players, utterly disconnected from the fans. ( We know who the brief and noble exceptions are).
I brainwashed my kids into being Charlton fans despite both being born and raised in Poole/Bournemouth.
Both now in their 30s my daughter gave up years ago and my son clings on, bless him, although I feel I have put a curse on him.
The young boy in me from Abbey Wood would of course shrug his shoulders and ride it out until the good times return.
Not sure how much I have left in the tank now.
Gillingham away was an all time low point for me.
Awful journey and an abject performance lacking any semblance of pride, desire and purpose.
At the risk of being all melodramatic and "look at me", I'm nearly done
If we moved out to Kent then I would consider jacking it in or if we went under I would just give up on football altogether as much as I love the game.
But I'm Charlton and with us through the good times and the bad and have always expected the latter to be more frequent/ the norm.
Feel deflated after every defeat/ throw away draw, dud transfer window/ turgid season and very disillusioned with the conveyor bet of clowns and chancres that seem to be permitted to steward English football institutions with alarming proliferation these days but I'm Charlton, my family is Charlton and will keep going with hope and optimism til I can't.
What else would i do on Saturdays, IKEA? Fuck that. This is in our blood at a club like ours.
Off to get my latest Charlton tattoo in a couple of weeks.
Look at Coventry, Bolton, Luton and Brighton who were all basket cases up til relatively recently and now are enjoying good times. It can all change for the better even if it seems eternally bleak beyond salvation.
Completely understand people turning their backs and not going to games but I do think a more full stadium would help even if only making us feel better. The danger is that too many of us slip away and then the club goes the way of Wimbledon and others.
Then we're just left with favourite cheese threads.
Ironically I think social media and forums magnify and catastrophise everything like we didn't have before the 2000s as everything is micro analysed, assessed and fortune told.
Apart from two Duchatelet years a continual season ticket holder since 1971.
I am disillusioned, if I didn’t have a season ticket I wouldn’t have been to all the games this season.
It hurts to say this, but a £100 season ticket at Dulwich Hamlet next season is quite appealing, more fun, less stress.
The regime has no affinity or idea what being a fan like me feels like, Michael ‘ear cup’ Appleton most of all.
Jeez I wish I could win Euromillions.
OK the football wasn't the best but the players loved the club & gave everything
But this lot don't seem to have the same drive they seem to be more worried about how they look thinking they are Billy big boll@@ks just telling us fans what they think we want to hear
& to be honest it's knocking the love of the team & game out of me
Spent yesterday afternoon at Fisher FC instead and had a much better Saturday because of it.
Can't remember a time when I've ever missed a Charlton game, home or away, simply because I couldn't be arsed. I've found I have to stick a fiver on a Charlton win just to have any interest in the match.
I would have given 10yrs of my life to have pulled on a Charlton shirt, still feel a fraud for wearing a replica as i think the right to wear the shirt should be earned not brought.
So i get livid when i see players give less than 100%.
I will keep going because thats what i have done, through the good times through the bad times.
But i can see us struggle in the future because i just dont see that many kids going.