Listened to most of the meeting, and did hear about the 5 year plan.
All very nice, but there are so many flaws in that.
1. That suggests the owners are happy to stump up at least £8m each year, and probably have to pay more once/if we are promoted.
2. If you don't get promoted your better players are either chased by other teams in the division (May and Dobson), or the players/agents look to move higher, so this summer we could easily lose Small, Ramsey, Campbell is we don't go up. And the team has to be re built again.
3. Jones will not want to be in this league for very long. The work he has done with us will have gone some way to re building his reputation after Southampton. Could well be the case that a Champ club go for him if we don't go up. And we have to go through the re build process again.
Going up is the far better option of keeping the current momentum going.
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
Still can't get a drink at half time in the East Stand
I wasn't able to log into this unfortunately due to other commitments but I just wanted to add that a mate of mine is a Black Cab driver and before the Burton game he messaged me to say he had one of the owners in the back of the cab. It was Warren Rosenfeld, and my mate said what a lovely guy he was, and that he was very chatty about all things Charlton and football in general.
Rosenfeld had said that the owners are very happy with how things are progressing and that we were ahead of a schedule in the fact that they wasn't fully expecting us to make the play offs this season but are very happy we have and would love to see us go up. They aparantly have a very good plan for recruitment if we do make the step up and the 5 year plan is the bare minimum they are committed to. He hopes to be a part of huge success for Charlton and they are confident of us pushing on one way or another next season!
He also offered my mate tickets in the directors box for a game next season and has offered to help sort something out for our sons' football team.
Really pleased to see decent people spearheading our club!
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
Definitely not an insider, nor have any more knowledge that any other fan! just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues finances given in one of the online directors q&A on YouTube - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
Especially the fact that the club are working more and more with a supporters trust who look like they want to really help and improve things - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
Listened to most of the meeting, and did hear about the 5 year plan.
All very nice, but there are so many flaws in that.
1. That suggests the owners are happy to stump up at least £8m each year, and probably have to pay more once/if we are promoted.
2. If you don't get promoted your better players are either chased by other teams in the division (May and Dobson), or the players/agents look to move higher, so this summer we could easily lose Small, Ramsey, Campbell is we don't go up. And the team has to be re built again.
3. Jones will not want to be in this league for very long. The work he has done with us will have gone some way to re building his reputation after Southampton. Could well be the case that a Champ club go for him if we don't go up. And we have to go through the re build process again.
Going up is the far better option of keeping the current momentum going.
All 3 points here are as important as each other, valid points too. While it's been a great few months, we really need to win these play offs so we're less at risk of points 2 and 3 above potentially taking us back to square one especially with League One likely to be more difficult to achieve a top 6 finish next season.
As the old saying goes, the next two weeks are crucial.
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
Definitely not an insider, nor have any more knowledge that any other fan! just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues finances given in one of the online directors q&A on YouTube - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
Especially the fact that the club are working more and more with a supporters trust who look like they want to really help and improve things - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
Thanks, you clearly have more knowledge than the vast majority. I think I've worked out who you are. Mum's the word and your privacy assured
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
Definitely not an insider, nor have any more knowledge that any other fan! just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues finances given in one of the online directors q&A on YouTube - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
Especially the fact that the club are working more and more with a supporters trust who look like they want to really help and improve things - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
Thanks, you clearly have more knowledge than the vast majority. I think I've worked out who you are. Mum's the word and your privacy assured
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
Excellent news about buying back The Valley/Training Ground as CM was always fairly clear it was simply discussions around a loner lease rather than actually buying them so this is new news to me.
Higher revenues of the club shop make me think of a regular saying "turnover is vanity,.profit is sanity". So taking on the shop gives us more revenue but does it give us more profit..?
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
Definitely not an insider, nor have any more knowledge that any other fan! just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues finances given in one of the online directors q&A on YouTube - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
Especially the fact that the club are working more and more with a supporters trust who look like they want to really help and improve things - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
Thanks, you clearly have more knowledge than the vast majority. I think I've worked out who you are. Mum's the word and your privacy assured
I wish it was ITK and all that, but I’m just a fan who now lives far enough away (Lincolnshire) that I ended up consuming any & all CAFC content to keep up!
More Charlton geek since moving north, than ITK source 😂
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
Excellent news about buying back The Valley/Training Ground as CM was always fairly clear it was simply discussions around a loner lease rather than actually buying them so this is new news to me.
Higher revenues of the club shop make me think of a regular saying "turnover is vanity,.profit is sanity". So taking on the shop gives us more revenue but does it give us more profit..?
Maybe I’ve over egged the ‘plan’ but it does feel like more consideration to having discussions around buying back or leasing long term, rather than just hoping we can extend the deal.
Fairly certain that’s two write ups (Bromley Addicks, CAST tweets) and watching the directors live YouTube , that have said that building a relationship with Duchatelet is the plan and what’s happening rather than just kicking the fan down the road.
personally having moved up north for work years ago, meant that going to the valley wasnt overly possible so having the communication like YouTube lives, Q&As from supporters trust and fan groups as well as reading CL has kept me in the loop- otherwise I’d be totally lost!
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
Excellent news about buying back The Valley/Training Ground as CM was always fairly clear it was simply discussions around a loner lease rather than actually buying them so this is new news to me.
Higher revenues of the club shop make me think of a regular saying "turnover is vanity,.profit is sanity". So taking on the shop gives us more revenue but does it give us more profit..?
Maybe I’ve over egged the ‘plan’ but it does feel like more consideration to having discussions around buying back or leasing long term, rather than just hoping we can extend the deal.
Fairly certain that’s two write ups (Bromley Addicks, CAST tweets) and watching the directors live YouTube , that have said that building a relationship with Duchatelet is the plan and what’s happening rather than just kicking the fan down the road.
personally having moved up north for work years ago, meant that going to the valley wasnt overly possible so having the communication like YouTube lives, Q&As from supporters trust and fan groups as well as reading CL has kept me in the loop- otherwise I’d be totally lost!
Building a relationship with a bunch of oddities is probably the hardest part.
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
I’d argue we have progressed… unfortunately just not on the pitch!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
You talk as an insider, with more knowledge than the fans. Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
Definitely not an insider, nor have any more knowledge that any other fan! just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
-Club shop back in house and making higher revenues finances given in one of the online directors q&A on YouTube - fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience - therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer - community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day - infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night - commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc - clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better - fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
Especially the fact that the club are working more and more with a supporters trust who look like they want to really help and improve things - owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
Not sure the actual picture is as positive as you paint it.
Retail INCOME is up but it was bound to be as we have brought the shop inhouse. But that means costs are also up, staff etc. What we don't know is whether PROFIT is up.
There have been a handful of new "partnership" deals but we don't know the numbers. And I have it from someone who definitely knows that the commercial income is nowhere near where they want it to be. That will be one reason why Commercial Manager Barry Higson was sacked and why Charlie Methven is no longer around.
The fan zone is a success from the users point of view but a parking space for a season cost £625 and we've given up a lot of spaces in order to house the fan zone. What we don't know is the income v costs.
You say the Fans Bar is improving. I don't use it but I still read complaints on here about cost and service.
Every new ownership talks of closer links with the Community Trust but we rarely see real alignment. Rodwell is not the first member of CAFC staff to sit on the CACT board. Jason Morgan has been a regular at the Valley for decades, that is not something new.
Not sure what was wrong with Andrews or DNEL as sponsors (not going into why the DNEL connection ended). As fans they both contributed more than just a sponsorship. RSK's owner/CEO is also a fan I understand. We also have a deal with an offshore betting company no one has heard of and which seems to get minimum publicity.
The dumping of tickets under Sandgaard was terrible and it is good that doesn't happen to the same extent but other than Wrexham crowds have only really increased, IMHO, due to success on the pitch not due to some clever marketing.
NordVPN is good but we've also lost CharltonTV pre-match shows. There is probably a good financial reason for that but it was still a loss from a fan point of view.
I've dealt with James and Izzy and I've been really impressed and unlike their predecessors they seem to be given time and space to do their job but Supporters Liaison Officers are not a new role. Not heard about the certificates for new fans but that is a good idea.
The new advisory board has been discussed before and I have said that I think the structure is all wrong and the organisations that were part of the fans forum have been sidelined. My own experience is that "fan engagement" has been far from perfect but to be fair to the club they did try to rectify the mistakes that were made. The support for the EPA is also a positive.
The new owners do attend games more than Roland but that's not hard. They probably attend less than Sandgaard or Southall but they are, IMHO, far far better than those two. I'm much more confident that they are in it for the long term and for the right reasons than previous owners since 2011. They also held their nerve when many were calling for Jones to be sacked but took what must have been tough decisions to sack Methven, Scott and Higson as well as Holden and Appleton so it is not just the case of them being afraid to act.
We saw from the accounts from last season that the financial numbers had not really improved since the takeover. I think part of that is that Charlie M overpromised with his "cut losses to £2m" talk but it just isn't that easy and there is a reason that Methven is no longer with us.
Are we moving in the right direction? IMHO, yes, absolutely regardless of whether we go up or not this years but real progress depends on going up and staying up sooner rather than later.
At one point, Gavin Carter repeated that the owners had a five year perspective and that it would be the 3rd season before we'd be out of this league. In that at least, he and Methven have been saying the same thing all along. And as GC said, it means that even getting to the play-offs means we are a bit ahead of the plan, while winning them would be a major acceleration, and will bring challenges just to keep our status once are there.
We'd do well to keep that in our heads. It's pointless telling ourselves not to get carried away, but we have to be prepared for not making it ( I do it by reminding myself how close we came to completely fucking up the Doncaster play off) and not turn against the owners if we are still in this bloody league next season.
I don’t think there is any risk of that. Fans would only react badly if they saw the team bring dismantled subsequently for no reason other than financial. You can’t blame or credit owners for the outcome of individual games.
I do think the five year thing is bollocks though. Not going up this year next year or the following year would be failure by any reasonable measure.
Makes no difference were we play we will always be Charlton Athletic . Owning the ground is no difference in my opinion
I'm with bolloxbolder here. All the while the mad Belgian bloke owns the Valley a shadow hangs over us.
I know this isa very emotional subject but personally I don’t really understand why so many people stress about it. Of course the Valley is our home and I’m 100% sure it will remain so as long as we want. There is absolutely no chance of developing the site there are just too many obstacles in the way planning would never be granted imo. Given the choice I would far rather the cost of purchase was put into building the team that would get us a very long way
Makes no difference were we play we will always be Charlton Athletic . Owning the ground is no difference in my opinion
I'm with bolloxbolder here. All the while the mad Belgian bloke owns the Valley a shadow hangs over us.
I know this isa very emotional subject but personally I don’t really understand why so many people stress about it. Of course the Valley is our home and I’m 100% sure it will remain so as long as we want. There is absolutely no chance of developing the site there are just too many obstacles in the way planning would never be granted imo. Given the choice I would far rather the cost of purchase was put into building the team that would get us a very long way
Given what happened in 1985 I won’t be happy until the Valley is back under our current ownership. I don’t trust the rat as far as I can throw him and that goes for Greenwich Council as well
Makes no difference were we play we will always be Charlton Athletic . Owning the ground is no difference in my opinion
Except if the lease runs out and we have nowhere to play. Just a minor point of course.
I’m not sure the council would allow a site like the valley sit empty and fall into disrepair today is a different world to the 1980’s. What exactly has our Belgium friend got to gain apart from losing £500k a year rent and the site maintained ? He might be mental but he is also a businessman first and foremost. He might not agree to selling it but I suspect if that the case it is a decision based on a rental ROI rather than spite
Comments
All very nice, but there are so many flaws in that.
1. That suggests the owners are happy to stump up at least £8m each year, and probably have to pay more once/if we are promoted.
2. If you don't get promoted your better players are either chased by other teams in the division (May and Dobson), or the players/agents look to move higher, so this summer we could easily lose Small, Ramsey, Campbell is we don't go up. And the team has to be re built again.
3. Jones will not want to be in this league for very long. The work he has done with us will have gone some way to re building his reputation after Southampton. Could well be the case that a Champ club go for him if we don't go up. And we have to go through the re build process again.
Going up is the far better option of keeping the current momentum going.
Just deliver
I agree that Carter is a genuine guy as well as a fan. He saw thru' Charlie M.
I like Warrick too.
And the owners I've chatted to also seem invested, in both senses, for the long term.
And here comes the but; so far we're two years in and the club hasn't progressed.
Yes, there is a "platform" being built, yes, we've improved on last season when we had our worst finish in living memory, yes Jones is now seen by most as the right manager (unlike 6 months ago) but we had a top four or five budget so we've punched our weight this term, not more.
I do think we are moving forward, we have better owners than for years and there is a feel good factor around the club and within the fan base.
Recent attendances show the potential is still there but, as one example, the ticketing for the home play-off semi shows the damage done by years of neglect and under investment. Not a criticism of the ticket office staff BTW.
Now we need to see if we can make the step up from that "platform" and make it to the championship as otherwise, as @JohnnyH2 says, we will lose key players and spend yet another season rebuillding.
- fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better
- therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football
- community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners
- infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows
- commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc)
- clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards)
- fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson
- owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover)
Rosenfeld had said that the owners are very happy with how things are progressing and that we were ahead of a schedule in the fact that they wasn't fully expecting us to make the play offs this season but are very happy we have and would love to see us go up. They aparantly have a very good plan for recruitment if we do make the step up and the 5 year plan is the bare minimum they are committed to. He hopes to be a part of huge success for Charlton and they are confident of us pushing on one way or another next season!
He also offered my mate tickets in the directors box for a game next season and has offered to help sort something out for our sons' football team.
Really pleased to see decent people spearheading our club!
Where does your inside knowledge come from, are you an employee/partner/sponsor/box holder?
just going by what I have heard, read and seen across the season, and the years that have come before!
- fan zone introduced and fans bar getting better fans first hand experience
- therefore fan experience is much better, and not just a mercenary visit to watch football fans turning up almost 3hrs before a game, and enjoying events like ex player talks as well as better food/drink on offer
- community trust brought much closer to the club than under near on 10 years of previous owners ’Valley of Dreams’ initiative as well as having Rodwell on the CACT board. Often see Jason Morgan in and arround the lounges/club on a match day
- infrastructure being invested in, and a believable plan/discussion to buy back The Valley and Sparrows various Q&As with owners/directors, as well as comments made by Warrick and GC at the CAST webinar last night
- commercial partnerships actually thought through and ambitious, rather than the begging bowl to fans (Andrews air conditioning/DNEL/etc) NordVPN as a cheeky way to get round streaming regs, working with meantime brewery and asahi to improve beers etc
- clear thought through marketing for getting fans to the valley, rather than swamping the stadium with freebies (which is also up for an award at the football business awards) Sandgaard just chucked free tickets arround which gave the crowd numbers a boost, but this season having things like ‘welcome to London’ and mark Goldbridge adds to the weight of it. Even down to the general match by match ticketing is better
- fan engagement activations modernised and 100x better under James Bell and Isabelle Rogerson new fans getting a certificate on their seat for their first game, being an approachable and contactable source for fans as well as being more involved in the fans groups is much better than what came before.
- owners who actually attend games (and don’t want to play guitar on the pitch/free Range Rover) fairly clear, Brenner Rosenfeld and Friedman have been to more games in the last 2 months than Roland did in 4 years
As the old saying goes, the next two weeks are crucial.
I think I've worked out who you are.
Mum's the word and your privacy assured
Excellent news about buying back The Valley/Training Ground as CM was always fairly clear it was simply discussions around a loner lease rather than actually buying them so this is new news to me.
Higher revenues of the club shop make me think of a regular saying "turnover is vanity,.profit is sanity". So taking on the shop gives us more revenue but does it give us more profit..?
Fairly certain that’s two write ups (Bromley Addicks, CAST tweets) and watching the directors live YouTube , that have said that building a relationship with Duchatelet is the plan and what’s happening rather than just kicking the fan down the road.
personally having moved up north for work years ago, meant that going to the valley wasnt overly possible so having the communication like YouTube lives, Q&As from supporters trust and fan groups as well as reading CL has kept me in the loop- otherwise I’d be totally lost!
Retail INCOME is up but it was bound to be as we have brought the shop inhouse. But that means costs are also up, staff etc. What we don't know is whether PROFIT is up.
There have been a handful of new "partnership" deals but we don't know the numbers. And I have it from someone who definitely knows that the commercial income is nowhere near where they want it to be. That will be one reason why Commercial Manager Barry Higson was sacked and why Charlie Methven is no longer around.
The fan zone is a success from the users point of view but a parking space for a season cost £625 and we've given up a lot of spaces in order to house the fan zone. What we don't know is the income v costs.
You say the Fans Bar is improving. I don't use it but I still read complaints on here about cost and service.
Every new ownership talks of closer links with the Community Trust but we rarely see real alignment. Rodwell is not the first member of CAFC staff to sit on the CACT board. Jason Morgan has been a regular at the Valley for decades, that is not something new.
Not sure what was wrong with Andrews or DNEL as sponsors (not going into why the DNEL connection ended). As fans they both contributed more than just a sponsorship. RSK's owner/CEO is also a fan I understand. We also have a deal with an offshore betting company no one has heard of and which seems to get minimum publicity.
The dumping of tickets under Sandgaard was terrible and it is good that doesn't happen to the same extent but other than Wrexham crowds have only really increased, IMHO, due to success on the pitch not due to some clever marketing.
NordVPN is good but we've also lost CharltonTV pre-match shows. There is probably a good financial reason for that but it was still a loss from a fan point of view.
I've dealt with James and Izzy and I've been really impressed and unlike their predecessors they seem to be given time and space to do their job but Supporters Liaison Officers are not a new role. Not heard about the certificates for new fans but that is a good idea.
The new advisory board has been discussed before and I have said that I think the structure is all wrong and the organisations that were part of the fans forum have been sidelined. My own experience is that "fan engagement" has been far from perfect but to be fair to the club they did try to rectify the mistakes that were made. The support for the EPA is also a positive.
The new owners do attend games more than Roland but that's not hard. They probably attend less than Sandgaard or Southall but they are, IMHO, far far better than those two. I'm much more confident that they are in it for the long term and for the right reasons than previous owners since 2011. They also held their nerve when many were calling for Jones to be sacked but took what must have been tough decisions to sack Methven, Scott and Higson as well as Holden and Appleton so it is not just the case of them being afraid to act.
We saw from the accounts from last season that the financial numbers had not really improved since the takeover. I think part of that is that Charlie M overpromised with his "cut losses to £2m" talk but it just isn't that easy and there is a reason that Methven is no longer with us.
Are we moving in the right direction? IMHO, yes, absolutely regardless of whether we go up or not this years but real progress depends on going up and staying up sooner rather than later.
All the while the mad Belgian bloke owns the Valley a shadow hangs over us.
Just a minor point of course.