Hospitality evening at The Valley

HandG said:

AddicksAddict said:

Steve and Charlie gave some details about the hospitality packages available next year and a bit about the general long-term plans for the club, fed us, and had a Q&A with Nathan. Entertaining, nothing groundbreaking, but everyone came over very well. 

You have to be seriously posh to attempt that get up.

Or an ice cream salesman.

Only question from the floor surrounding player transfers and contracts related to strategy around loans - NJ - will be fewer in number - focus on perms as far as possible going forward and Small - he is locked down - period not quoted, but suspect that confirms that the extension trigger is at our discretion. 

Perhaps this time the difference is, on recent form, the manager looks like he has a clue?

IdleHans said:

He's looking a bit Delboy in that picture

Corrected

se9addick said:

How does the pricing on next seasons packages compare with this season?

It's changing slightly but from what I could see the ticket I have now will be staying around the same price as this season but will now have a slightly different name.

It was a good evening and it was really good to have a chat with Nathan and for him to then do a brief Q&A.  Funnily enough he was just as open and transparent as you would expect him to be.  Comes across very well

As did Charlie.  In fairness I gave him a hard time at the beginning but he's always very erudite and honest with me and I firmly believe he is in this to succeed.  He is the conduit between the money men and the senior management team.  He is also not too proud to call upon the experience of previous senior staff and he said he's regularly in touch with Richard Murray, Roger Alwen, Martyn simons and Peter Varney for their opinions.

I must also say it is starting to look like this might be an exciting few years coming up.  Hopefully we continue moving forwards on the pitch but there are also a lot of good things happening behind the scenes with coaching and the medical team etc.  We are getting the right people in the right jobs - when was the last time we said that about Charlton??

AFKABartram said:

Swisdom said:

seth plum said:

Why is Methven there?

He says the running of the club is for others.

No.  Running the team is for others.  He doesn't get involved in the playing side of things.

He was there because this is very much under his remit as it related to the income of the club and he oversees the strategic thinking of the club.  With the likes of Steve Sutherland reporting in to him.

Isn’t that the remit of the Managing Director (Rodwell)? 

Maybe a football vrs commercial difference? 

Not too sure why anyone would be alarmed by the presence of CM at these types of things. If he is hatching a dastardly plan, he can do that from Boccacabana Beach Sea Front, he's not got to personally turn up down the ground to push the hospitality side of things.

AFKABartram said:

Swisdom said:

AFKABartram said:

Swisdom said:

seth plum said:

Why is Methven there?

He says the running of the club is for others.

No.  Running the team is for others.  He doesn't get involved in the playing side of things.

He was there because this is very much under his remit as it related to the income of the club and he oversees the strategic thinking of the club.  With the likes of Steve Sutherland reporting in to him.

Isn’t that the remit of the Managing Director (Rodwell)? 

It's the remit of the whole of the senior management team I suppose.  Jim Rodwell was present but didn't speak.  Hospitality is something Charie is well versed in and has worked on it for Arsenal and Spurs amongst others so clearly this evening was more in his wheelhouse than anyone else hence he did a lot of the talking

I know I sound cynical but just baffles me that a heavy loss making club our size has above department heads a Managing Director, a Sporting Director, a Technical Director, a Finance Director and above all that a Minister Without Portfolio corporate shmoozer! 

Still, at the end of the day it’s not my money. Just find it massively too heavy. 

In summary - Thomas called in Charlie to help him and advise him.  Charlie suggested hiring good quality people at the top of the business to make better strategic decisions.  Thomas' ego wouldn't go for that as he wants to do everything himself - but realised he can't so he decided to sell. 

Charlie gathered together a group of investors.
Sold the idea of Charlton to them - "8th best academy in the country, best community trust in the country, 12th best womens team in the country, large ground in good condition, space to expand the stadium if that's the desire (more so than many clubs).  All things that make us appealing and unique as well as some stats about our catchment area and potential fan base.  They can see a huge amount of potential growth.

So the management structure is split to allocate specific roles and responsibilities to specific people without spreading people too thin.  It's basically the opposite of what Thomas was trying to achieve which was just bottleneck.

Whether it is TOO top heavy remains to be seen.  Whether there are too many chiefs and not enough indians remains to be seen.

Swisdom said:

AFKABartram said:

Swisdom said:

AFKABartram said:

Swisdom said:

seth plum said:

Why is Methven there?

He says the running of the club is for others.

No.  Running the team is for others.  He doesn't get involved in the playing side of things.

He was there because this is very much under his remit as it related to the income of the club and he oversees the strategic thinking of the club.  With the likes of Steve Sutherland reporting in to him.

Isn’t that the remit of the Managing Director (Rodwell)? 

It's the remit of the whole of the senior management team I suppose.  Jim Rodwell was present but didn't speak.  Hospitality is something Charie is well versed in and has worked on it for Arsenal and Spurs amongst others so clearly this evening was more in his wheelhouse than anyone else hence he did a lot of the talking

I know I sound cynical but just baffles me that a heavy loss making club our size has above department heads a Managing Director, a Sporting Director, a Technical Director, a Finance Director and above all that a Minister Without Portfolio corporate shmoozer! 

Still, at the end of the day it’s not my money. Just find it massively too heavy. 

In summary - Thomas called in Charlie to help him and advise him.  Charlie suggested hiring good quality people at the top of the business to make better strategic decisions.  Thomas' ego wouldn't go for that as he wants to do everything himself - but realised he can't so he decided to sell. 

Charlie gathered together a group of investors.
Sold the idea of Charlton to them - "8th best academy in the country, best community trust in the country, 12th best womens team in the country, large ground in good condition, space to expand the stadium if that's the desire (more so than many clubs).  All things that make us appealing and unique as well as some stats about our catchment area and potential fan base.  They can see a huge amount of potential growth.

So the management structure is split to allocate specific roles and responsibilities to specific people without spreading people too thin.  It's basically the opposite of what Thomas was trying to achieve which was just bottleneck.

Whether it is TOO top heavy remains to be seen.  Whether there are too many chiefs and not enough indians remains to be seen.

 Has the dynamic changed at all with the arrival of Jones?
Andy Scott has been noticeably quiet since he arrived. Was the rumour that that the investor group pulled rank on their SMT and pushed for Jones?

seth plum said:

I am now assuming that on either an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis Charlie Methven somehow gathers his underlings and demands to know what they have been thinking…strategically, and then in his role as overseer goes ‘OK I have investigated your strategic thinking, heard about it, thanks guys’.
And then what?
Exercises no decision making of his own?
Or does he control the purse strings, as in ‘I have now overseen your strategic thinking, but have unilaterally decided we can pay for this thing, but not that thing’. None of which are his own ideas or plans.
If I am right the bloke who says he is a mere minority shareholder is actually in charge.

Is this really worth being remotely important……I am going to stick my neck out here and say no one gives a fuck whether he was there or not …..except you that is. 😴