Valley Gold

Going to keep mine going. With all the people cancelling maybe I'll get to win the big prize again.

Yes, RD won't be here forever, hopefully our club will be.

roseandcrown said:

I am a member of VG and understand it is separate from the club but am considering cancelling this, I feel that by continue to pay into VG it is still helping the Rat.

Anyone else VG and thinking of doing the same?

Roland gets an easy ride when it comes to funding the academy, his investment to our youth system is essentially subsidized by VG and therefore I am cancelling mine today.

I wonder what the point of supporting the Academy is at the moment. The last two proper top class prospects (Poyet and Gomez) have gone after playing no more than 20 games for Charlton. I want to see Charlton players playing for Charlton, not flipped for profit like some 'buy to let' shyster landlord would.

JohnnyH2 said:

se9addick said:

I'm not convinced there's a strong link between VG & RD.

Valley Gold is vital for the future of our club, it was here before Roland and it'll be here long after he's gone - I'm keeping my subscription.

Valley Gold is run by a seperate organisation called Charlton Club. Is it possible for the Charlton Club committee to stop all donations to the club until RD has gone? Supporters could still keep contributing to Valley Gold and those funds could be ring fenced until this mess is sorted out?

Have done some more digging on this and the Committee is made up of KM, the Clubs FD and an assortment of fans. The trust have @rikofold on the committee, is it possible for donations from Valley Gold to the club be suspended?

Not interested after Sheffield United. Can only benefit Belgians. Subsidised player development for his transfer profit. Start again when he is gone.

I am considering cancelling mine for all the reasons above with a view to renewing the minute they have gone.

If we’re being fair and reasonable one of the few good things that RD has done in his time here is push through the planning application for the redevelopment of the training ground, which will give us the opportunity to obtain level one status for the academy and the benefits of that designation are myriad.

Binning Valley Gold seems a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater and actually if we stop investing in youth the consequences will be with us a lot longer than Roland – I think it’s an incredibly short sighted approach but of course I can’t tell anyone else what to do.

I was actually wondering yesterday whether there was any legal way we could delay the training ground redevelopment... as if it's central to RD's plans here then if we could prevent it going ahead while he's here it may encourage him to leave.

The above would only work on the assumption that the planning permission would remain in place for the next owner to run with.

Whether it's a feasible idea I don't know... but just throwing it out there.

JohnnyH2 said:

JohnnyH2 said:

se9addick said:

I'm not convinced there's a strong link between VG & RD.

Valley Gold is vital for the future of our club, it was here before Roland and it'll be here long after he's gone - I'm keeping my subscription.

Valley Gold is run by a seperate organisation called Charlton Club. Is it possible for the Charlton Club committee to stop all donations to the club until RD has gone? Supporters could still keep contributing to Valley Gold and those funds could be ring fenced until this mess is sorted out?

Have done some more digging on this and the Committee is made up of KM, the Clubs FD and an assortment of fans. The trust have @rikofold on the committee, is it possible for donations from Valley Gold to the club be suspended?

For what it's worth, I think this would be a self-defeating target. Valley Gold is a fans' organisation and our donations focus on the Academy, which therefore have long term benefits. Suspending a payment would serve to antagonise but little more - it wouldn't really impact the people we'd need to impact, and it's not enough money (£50-60k) to influence the first team thinking.

I will, however, drop Paul Nottage a line - my fellow supporters' rep on the committee - to gauge his thoughts. We're both fairly direct people who prefer to hold the club to account for the donations they receive, but suspect he will think like I do this is the wrong target for protest action.

(LOL @Halix, btw)

LargeAddick said:

LeaburnForEngland said:

I was actually wondering yesterday whether there was any legal way we could delay the training ground redevelopment... as if it's central to RD's plans here then if we could prevent it going ahead while he's here it may encourage him to leave.

The above would only work on the assumption that the planning permission would remain in place for the next owner to run with.

Whether it's a feasible idea I don't know... but just throwing it out there.

and assuming any new owner would want to run with it

Guys, the plans are good and if he's prepared to plough £10-12m in to deliver them we really would be shooting ourselves in the foot to scupper them. I agree any protest action needs to identify something that would get RD's attention, but this page is full of ideas that hurt the club itself. I think we need to think on.

@lancashire lad, I'm sorry to hear that. I understand and respect your decision, but equally I think it's the wrong one.

Missed It said:

If RD is putting £10-12m in, he will want a return on that investment. It seems to me the plan is turn Charlton into a footballer factory, with the sole intent of milking the academy for cash. He certainly doesn't seem to care how we are doing in the league.

We pay our money every month in the hope that we find another Richard Rufus, a Charlton hero that we can all be proud we played a small part in developing. Not a Joe Gomez who plays 20 games then is flogged for an undisclosed amount.

Absolutely spot on.

The Mad Professor sees the Academy as a cash cow for himself, not to produce Valley legends like Rufus, Parker and Jonjo etc.

mistrollingin said:

Missed It said:

If RD is putting £10-12m in, he will want a return on that investment. It seems to me the plan is turn Charlton into a footballer factory, with the sole intent of milking the academy for cash. He certainly doesn't seem to care how we are doing in the league.

We pay our money every month in the hope that we find another Richard Rufus, a Charlton hero that we can all be proud we played a small part in developing. Not a Joe Gomez who plays 20 games then is flogged for an undisclosed amount.

Absolutely spot on.

The Mad Professor sees the Academy as a cash cow for himself, not to produce Valley legends like Rufus, Parker and Jonjo etc.

@rikofold..... Unfortunately I feel that many VG members are going to start thinking this way. My membership recently ran out and I've been umming n ahhing whether to renew. I keep thinking over things and rightly or wrongly the above is the conclusion I keep coming to.

VG is/has been fantastic, and I, and am sure others are not taking this decision lightly. If it is the case that RD will not be personally benefiting and it isn't going to turn into a tread mill of selling youngsters as soon as possible off the back of the fans support of VG, then it may be that a concerted publicity drive to convince fans will be needed.

Good luck.