Is there anything lower than rock-bottom?

As this is my first activity on any CAFC blogging website I think it is best that I introduce myself before I rant on. My name is Stefano Valentino, 25, from Bexleyheath. Unfortunately, due to my young age I am not able to boast as many years of loyal support as most of the people reading this blog, for I was only a small baby when we returned home. But I have experienced first hand all the significant highs and lows of the last 20 years, and I was also at Wembley on that day. By writing this piece, I don’t intend to achieve anything other than providing food for thought and a passionate opinion on the current affairs.

Although the hot topic has been, and for the foreseeable future will be, the regime and how much it is ruining the lives of all Charlton fans, I will not be talking about this. Instead I will use this time to call in to question the actions of us, the supporters. For the record, I am a HUGE advocate of the protests, flash protests and making our feelings know about the hierarchy during the game – and long may they continue. Note: my favourite thing so far has been lobbing lots of small leaflets over the Director’s Box, right next to where I sit so whoever that is – please continue. However, there was one incident on Saturday (vs Bristol City) that really got to me and combined with us being overtaken by the penniless, playerless no hopers in Bolton Wanderers, has made me break my silence. I thought that the sarcastic cheer for Morgan Fox when he was substituted was an absolute disgrace. We all know that he’s not the best left back that we’ve ever had at the Valley, but he’s certainly not the worst. Unfortunately for him, he’s in a similar situation to all the daft ‘network’ players at the moment whereby he doesn’t have the required experience to deal with the relegation dogfight. Let us remember that he is not one of the hierarchy’s signings that have only heard of Charlton when they’re in their rented accommodation in Hungary or Spain when they receive the dreaded phone call from Katrien asking them if they fancy a pop at the Championship for a few months. He is a product of our incredible youth academy that churns out some superb players year on year and one that we are all proud of, and we should try him like one of our own.

My point is, the club in it’s entirety is at rock-bottom. So to get on the backs of our young British talents who are on long-term contracts and arguably the future of our club (if Roland DOUCHEatelet doesn’t sell them for a quick buck) is only going to deepen the woes of our football club. God forbid we go down (yes, I still believe we will stay up), then it will be the likes of the average to good academy products that will be left to pick up the pieces, as the hot prospects will have been sold on the cheap and the network players and journeymen swiftly moved on.

Saturday evening to the following Saturday morning is the time where we can reflect on the continual atrocities happening to our beloved club and bemoan the destruction likely to be left behind by the Belgians when we finally oust them out, but we only have a 2-hour period on a Saturday afternoon to really express how much we love our club and all the players that play their hearts out for the shirt. Now would be the worst time to get on the backs of the players and if we really push the boys on to get the results we need to stay up then that would truly show the owners the power that we the fans have.

I hope this amateurish but passionate piece evokes thought in my fellow Charlton fans and resonates with some of you. I’m not trying to be a revolutionary but I hope little by little we can start believing in the boys again.

Yours in collusion, Stefano Valentino

Thanks for reading.