Genuine question but did anyone within the supporter base know Gavin Carter or seen him at a game before he appeared on Twitter defending Sandgaard junior?
Just curious to know how someone who the club puts out as 'lifelong supporter' and yet I have not come across anyone who remembers seeing or going to games with him from years gone by.
Varney, Simmons, Bobe and White were very known/seen as supporters before they officially got involved with the club.
I’ve thought the same since he was first announced. I expect he was more likely a West Stand home fan, that rarely went away (pure speculation based on the fact not one person have said they recognize him).
I suspect there are lots of people on here who wouldn't be recognised either. If I suddenly became wealthy and bought a stake in the club I think there's a handful of people who would be able to vouch for me. We have a big stadium and take a decent amount away usually, it's easy to stay anonymous
Exactly. If you go to lots of away games you’ll be known and if you sit in The Covered End every game as well.
If you rarely go away and sit in the wastelands of The West, you could quite easily not be recognised.
You could sit in the north upper for just about every home game and not being recognised frankly.
Genuine question but did anyone within the supporter base know Gavin Carter or seen him at a game before he appeared on Twitter defending Sandgaard junior?
Just curious to know how someone who the club puts out as 'lifelong supporter' and yet I have not come across anyone who remembers seeing or going to games with him from years gone by.
Varney, Simmons, Bobe and White were very known/seen as supporters before they officially got involved with the club.
I’ve thought the same since he was first announced. I expect he was more likely a West Stand home fan, that rarely went away (pure speculation based on the fact not one person have said they recognize him).
I suspect there are lots of people on here who wouldn't be recognised either. If I suddenly became wealthy and bought a stake in the club I think there's a handful of people who would be able to vouch for me. We have a big stadium and take a decent amount away usually, it's easy to stay anonymous
Exactly. If you go to lots of away games you’ll be known and if you sit in The Covered End every game as well.
If you rarely go away and sit in the wastelands of The West, you could quite easily not be recognised.
I was just going to dig that back out, @Scoham, so thanks for posting it.
I’ve had a reasonable amount of interaction with Gavin Carter via CAST in terms of setting up the fan engagement plan and advisory board. He is genuinely a fan while always being conscious of his role now within the ownership group. We’ll have to see how it all works out. He’s a realist and has a track record in business success. Certainly plenty of challenges.
@Weegie Addick could cast seek a meeting with Gavin to discuss fans concerns about the style of play and poor decisions made by the SMT?
It was GC who was gushing positive energy all over the 8+8+8 power point presentation that looked like it had been created by an 11 year old
The 888 plan gets mentioned a lot but isn’t it mainly a plan around how the budget is spent. I can’t imagine well run clubs don’t have something in place. We’ve spent our budget badly, but if our signings were doing well the academy players would be less of an issue, they wouldn’t be getting as much game time and would be playing in a stronger team.
You could spread the money equally around 20-25 players (that doesn’t feel right to me), or have bigger earners which then have to be balanced out by cheaper players (academy graduates in our case, and 8 is probably too ambitious).
The big mistake with the 888 thing was releasing it to the fans. As @scoham says, having a plan is sensible and I would imagine that in reality it's much more flexible than we've been told. It's just turned into another stick to hit the SMT with because it seems ridiculous and it's very easy to see that we don't have 8 elite players
Even if it wasn't made public, it was still a complete waste of time.
It's not exactly a 'plan' to decide we need at least 8 very good players at the club. Makes you question everything if that's ever been a talking point among management.
It's just not something you discuss or have to explain at a professional level. It's like planning to go on a road trip and explaining to your passengers that you are gonna need a car and petrol to make it happen.
I'd be willing to wager there's a lot of that behind closed doors. The act of appearing busy.
I genuinely find it funny that anyone who was part of that discussion, and made that powerpoint may have been paid to do so. Proper amateur stuff. The type of shenanigans that have been going on for years of the Valley.
Meet him a few times and in communication with him over various things including the ex-players association, the museum and transfers.
No doubt that he's a fan but he left the UK in 2007 to further his career and sits in the posh seats so unsurpringsly I and most others wouldn't have recognised him before his appointment or even now.
Most fans wouldn't recognise me or anyone else on here either but we're all fans so I think that was an unfair insinuation to make.
He has been very influential in getting the new EPA off the ground for which he deserves credit.
Is he too close to the SMT or a "patsy"?
He comes across as a quiet, considered, person with his own mind but he keeps his views close to his chest. He certainly doesn't do the big "look at me, I'm a director" bit but he was happy to do a podcast with Mod Mag and a Q&A with Bromley Addicks where he said that we don't have the 8 elite players mentioned in the 888 plan.
He wasn't brought in by Charlie but inevitably GC spends time with CM but also with Steve Brown and Paul Elliott.
He believes, as I do, that Charlton works better with Charlton people involved.
His role has changed but he was always on the club board while also being a "small" owner. He is in communication with the "big" owners.
What he feeds back to the big owners, I don't know.
We know that CM is also feeding back to the owners.
The mantra from CM has been that it takes time to turn the ship around, there is no easy, quick fix but rather 100 smaller things need to be improved.
Steve Brown reminded us recently just how much TS gutted the infrastructure at the club.
I think GC leans towards this being a long term project and that the "big" owners do too. That is a good thing in my opinion as we don't want the big money men jumping ship.
My gripe is that while I agree there is no "silver bullet" and it takes time to rebuild the club, I can't see even the smallest evidence of improvement on the pitch. I also have doubts over the make up and competence of the SMT.
Whether Gavin agrees or not he is, rightly, too diplomatic to say but he has long term Charlton supporting mates from his time before he left the UK plus other fans reminding him as well as the evidence of his own eyes.
Even if it wasn't made public, it was still a complete waste of time.
It's not exactly a 'plan' to decide we need at least 8 very good players at the club. Makes you question everything if that's ever been a talking point among management.
It's just not something you discuss or have to explain at a professional level. It's like planning to go on a road trip and explaining to your passengers that you are gonna need a car and petrol to make it happen.
I'd be willing to wager there's a lot of that behind closed doors. The act of appearing busy.
I genuinely find it funny that anyone who was part of that discussion, and made that powerpoint may have been paid to do so. Proper amateur stuff. The type of shenanigans that have been going on for years of the Valley.
A little less conversation a little more action.
It's a budgeting tool and they're important in running any business. It's not to tell you to sign 8 players, it's to say we have X amount of budget and if we spend X amount on 8 elite players, Y amount on 8 L1 players and Z amount on 8 academy/academy graduates we won't go over budget and it should be a strong enough squad.
It obviously relies on good recruitment, where we have been poor, and good coaching, which hasn't been good enough
Genuine question but did anyone within the supporter base know Gavin Carter or seen him at a game before he appeared on Twitter defending Sandgaard junior?
Just curious to know how someone who the club puts out as 'lifelong supporter' and yet I have not come across anyone who remembers seeing or going to games with him from years gone by.
Varney, Simmons, Bobe and White were very known/seen as supporters before they officially got involved with the club.
I’ve thought the same since he was first announced. I expect he was more likely a West Stand home fan, that rarely went away (pure speculation based on the fact not one person have said they recognize him).
I suspect there are lots of people on here who wouldn't be recognised either. If I suddenly became wealthy and bought a stake in the club I think there's a handful of people who would be able to vouch for me. We have a big stadium and take a decent amount away usually, it's easy to stay anonymous
Exactly. If you go to lots of away games you’ll be known and if you sit in The Covered End every game as well.
If you rarely go away and sit in the wastelands of The West, you could quite easily not be recognised.
Quite by chance I found myself sitting next to him at Lincoln, not having a clue who he was. Strangely enough he has close ties with Lincoln and spent sometime living there where his father is (or was) a major high ranking clergyman attached in some way to the cathedral. We were too intent on watching the game of course but I can only say he came across as a thoroughly decent fella in the short time I spoke to him. In fact, I didn’t know he was our new chairman until a few days later I saw some pictures of him on here, he simply introduced himself as Ed. 😂😂😂
Are you sure you weren't sat with finance director Ed Wawrick? He has links to the area as he grew up a Peterborough fan and I'm sure his dad was something to do with the clergy
Quite by chance I found myself sitting next to him at Lincoln, not having a clue who he was. Strangely enough he has close ties with Lincoln and spent sometime living there where his father is (or was) a major high ranking clergyman attached in some way to the cathedral. We were too intent on watching the game of course but I can only say he came across as a thoroughly decent fella in the short time I spoke to him. In fact, I didn’t know he was our new chairman until a few days later I saw some pictures of him on here, he simply introduced himself as Ed. 😂😂😂
Are you sure you weren't sat with finance director Ed Wawrick? He has links to the area as he grew up a Peterborough fan and I'm sure his dad was something to do with the clergy
He was last weeks chairman.
Ed last week, Gav this week, Charlie Red Trousers gets the Xmas week to go full red outfit, Headphones Norm gets the first week in Jan.
Let's give Gavin a chance, he's been in the new role a couple of weeks, yet some are not giving him an opportunity to show what he might be able to do. Let's not shoot him before he gets going! Please!
I know nothing about Gavin but although I share the hope his "promotion" means the Powers That Be are taking a more direct handle I think it's important to be realistic about the time and extent we'll see any big impact.
The SMT have their snouts firmly in the trough and won't give that up easily, it doesn't sound like GC has the (direct) power to just get rid of them on a whim either.
Hopefully it is still a good sign but even if so we won't know for sure straight away.
Quite by chance I found myself sitting next to him at Lincoln, not having a clue who he was. Strangely enough he has close ties with Lincoln and spent sometime living there where his father is (or was) a major high ranking clergyman attached in some way to the cathedral. We were too intent on watching the game of course but I can only say he came across as a thoroughly decent fella in the short time I spoke to him. In fact, I didn’t know he was our new chairman until a few days later I saw some pictures of him on here, he simply introduced himself as Ed. 😂😂😂
Are you sure you weren't sat with finance director Ed Wawrick? He has links to the area as he grew up a Peterborough fan and I'm sure his dad was something to do with the clergy
Ha ha ha…….yes of course…..doh. You know I am getting very worried about some of the mistakes I am making lately. I’ll be 77 in a few weeks time and without question I am fast becoming “not’ the sharpest knife in the draw.😒
Even if it wasn't made public, it was still a complete waste of time.
It's not exactly a 'plan' to decide we need at least 8 very good players at the club. Makes you question everything if that's ever been a talking point among management.
It's just not something you discuss or have to explain at a professional level. It's like planning to go on a road trip and explaining to your passengers that you are gonna need a car and petrol to make it happen.
I'd be willing to wager there's a lot of that behind closed doors. The act of appearing busy.
I genuinely find it funny that anyone who was part of that discussion, and made that powerpoint may have been paid to do so. Proper amateur stuff. The type of shenanigans that have been going on for years of the Valley.
A little less conversation a little more action.
It's a budgeting tool and they're important in running any business. It's not to tell you to sign 8 players, it's to say we have X amount of budget and if we spend X amount on 8 elite players, Y amount on 8 L1 players and Z amount on 8 academy/academy graduates we won't go over budget and it should be a strong enough squad.
It obviously relies on good recruitment, where we have been poor, and good coaching, which hasn't been good enough
I can't believe you've given your log in details to Charlie Methven mate
I think Ed Warrick is a Peterborough United fan, and is something or other to do with finances at Charlton.
I read somewhere that he is a church warden for what I presume is his local village CofE church, so that might tie in with him having ecclesiastical connections. Lincoln is not far from Peterborough and both have impressive cathedrals so there is likely to be a world out there where churches, parishes, Bishops, Vicars, collections, finances, Church commissioners, accountants and sundry other people have connections and know each other. Ed’s beloved Peterborough United beat Crawley at home on Saturday, something of course our beloved Charlton Athletic failed to do.
Quite by chance I found myself sitting next to him at Lincoln, not having a clue who he was. Strangely enough he has close ties with Lincoln and spent sometime living there where his father is (or was) a major high ranking clergyman attached in some way to the cathedral. We were too intent on watching the game of course but I can only say he came across as a thoroughly decent fella in the short time I spoke to him. In fact, I didn’t know he was our new chairman until a few days later I saw some pictures of him on here, he simply introduced himself as Ed. 😂😂😂
Are you sure you weren't sat with finance director Ed Wawrick? He has links to the area as he grew up a Peterborough fan and I'm sure his dad was something to do with the clergy
Ha ha ha…….yes of course…..doh. You know I am getting very worried about some of the mistakes I am making lately. I’ll be 77 in a few weeks time and without question I am fast becoming “not’ the sharpest knife in the draw.😒
An easy mistake to make, only rang a bell for me as I live near Peterborough. Not sure I would remember much of a conversation that happened during a rubbish football match a few weeks ago!
The problem us fans have is that we play poorly so often, many of us no longer go into games expecting anything else. That has to change as it is the perfect recipe to lose fans. If you know with some certainty that it is going to be frustrating and shit, why go?
I do not know Mr Carter. I am not sure of his specific duties in his new role of Non Executive Chairman. Few such roles are ever the same. In all honestly a Non Executive Chairman, A Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director sounds like a lot of oversight and voices. This is not the Post Office.
It doesn’t mean it won’t work - doesn’t mean it will.
It does however speak to instability of thought, action & deed. In the 19 of the 24 months this investor group, board and SMT have been in the building (the Dec 2022 / January 2023 dalliance was bizarre) it is the 5th key appointment change.
The 8+8+8 declaration was foolish. I hate labels. Fiscal theory is just about where it should end ….but it hasn’t has it? As an operational discipline it is borderline destructive yet the bodies of the 3rd “eight” are in the building and proudly declared on the OS. Even the EFL doesn’t require players born post 01/01/2003 to be included in squad restrictions.
We even have the occasional executive aside of “footballing decisions”, “ too many players” and “exposure to senior football” just to flavour the debate.
If Sandgaard deconstructed the business, after no external investment under the 9 months of ESI permutations and years of Staprix “skeletal funding” I don’t doubt this, after escaping the clutches of the judiciary, is a business resurrection of biblical proportions. I respect anyone’s attempt to contribute to the club.
Can such circumstances demand a greater clarity of alignment, expectation and communication of purpose to investors, the executive, management, staff and supporters? They can. If Mr Carter can meet such demand it will be a service to us all.
I would suggest it was the Spivs who smashed the club infrastructure up, if you look at the long list of long-serving employees who left during and as a result of their tenure. No doubt Katrien and Ssndgaard contributed further damage and failed to put it right, but it’s been a basket case of an organisation for over a decade.
I suppose the question is, do the current ownership have the ambition to restore the infrastructure of the club ? They say they’re in it for the long haul so perhaps given exactly what they’ve inherited we should cut them a bit of slack and give them time. The sharp end of the business is disappointing though and although there’s lots to do back of house there’s at least as much to do front.
Genuine question but did anyone within the supporter base know Gavin Carter or seen him at a game before he appeared on Twitter defending Sandgaard junior?
Just curious to know how someone who the club puts out as 'lifelong supporter' and yet I have not come across anyone who remembers seeing or going to games with him from years gone by.
Varney, Simmons, Bobe and White were very known/seen as supporters before they officially got involved with the club.
I’ve thought the same since he was first announced. I expect he was more likely a West Stand home fan, that rarely went away (pure speculation based on the fact not one person have said they recognize him).
I would suggest it was the Spivs who smashed the club infrastructure up, if you look at the long list of long-serving employees who left during and as a result of their tenure. No doubt Katrien and Ssndgaard contributed further damage and failed to put it right, but it’s been a basket case of an organisation for over a decade.
Comments
You could sit in the north upper for just about every home game and not being recognised frankly.
https://www.castrust.org/2024/02/gavin-carter-its-a-long-term-project/
I’ve had a reasonable amount of interaction with Gavin Carter via CAST in terms of setting up the fan engagement plan and advisory board. He is genuinely a fan while always being conscious of his role now within the ownership group. We’ll have to see how it all works out. He’s a realist and has a track record in business success. Certainly plenty of challenges.
You could spread the money equally around 20-25 players (that doesn’t feel right to me), or have bigger earners which then have to be balanced out by cheaper players (academy graduates in our case, and 8 is probably too ambitious).
It's not exactly a 'plan' to decide we need at least 8 very good players at the club. Makes you question everything if that's ever been a talking point among management.
It's just not something you discuss or have to explain at a professional level. It's like planning to go on a road trip and explaining to your passengers that you are gonna need a car and petrol to make it happen.
I'd be willing to wager there's a lot of that behind closed doors. The act of appearing busy.
I genuinely find it funny that anyone who was part of that discussion, and made that powerpoint may have been paid to do so. Proper amateur stuff. The type of shenanigans that have been going on for years of the Valley.
A little less conversation a little more action.
No doubt that he's a fan but he left the UK in 2007 to further his career and sits in the posh seats so unsurpringsly I and most others wouldn't have recognised him before his appointment or even now.
Most fans wouldn't recognise me or anyone else on here either but we're all fans so I think that was an unfair insinuation to make.
He has been very influential in getting the new EPA off the ground for which he deserves credit.
Is he too close to the SMT or a "patsy"?
He comes across as a quiet, considered, person with his own mind but he keeps his views close to his chest. He certainly doesn't do the big "look at me, I'm a director" bit but he was happy to do a podcast with Mod Mag and a Q&A with Bromley Addicks where he said that we don't have the 8 elite players mentioned in the 888 plan.
He wasn't brought in by Charlie but inevitably GC spends time with CM but also with Steve Brown and Paul Elliott.
He believes, as I do, that Charlton works better with Charlton people involved.
His role has changed but he was always on the club board while also being a "small" owner. He is in communication with the "big" owners.
What he feeds back to the big owners, I don't know.
We know that CM is also feeding back to the owners.
The mantra from CM has been that it takes time to turn the ship around, there is no easy, quick fix but rather 100 smaller things need to be improved.
Steve Brown reminded us recently just how much TS gutted the infrastructure at the club.
I think GC leans towards this being a long term project and that the "big" owners do too. That is a good thing in my opinion as we don't want the big money men jumping ship.
My gripe is that while I agree there is no "silver bullet" and it takes time to rebuild the club, I can't see even the smallest evidence of improvement on the pitch. I also have doubts over the make up and competence of the SMT.
Whether Gavin agrees or not he is, rightly, too diplomatic to say but he has long term Charlton supporting mates from his time before he left the UK plus other fans reminding him as well as the evidence of his own eyes.
It obviously relies on good recruitment, where we have been poor, and good coaching, which hasn't been good enough
The SMT have their snouts firmly in the trough and won't give that up easily, it doesn't sound like GC has the (direct) power to just get rid of them on a whim either.
Hopefully it is still a good sign but even if so we won't know for sure straight away.
You know I am getting very worried about some of the mistakes I am making lately.
I’ll be 77 in a few weeks time and without question I am fast becoming “not’ the sharpest knife in the draw.😒
Ed’s beloved Peterborough United beat Crawley at home on Saturday, something of course our beloved Charlton Athletic failed to do.
It doesn’t mean it won’t work - doesn’t mean it will.
It does however speak to instability of thought, action & deed. In the 19 of the 24 months this investor group, board and SMT have been in the building (the Dec 2022 / January 2023 dalliance was bizarre) it is the 5th key appointment change.
The 8+8+8 declaration was foolish. I hate labels. Fiscal theory is just about where it should end ….but it hasn’t has it? As an operational discipline it is borderline destructive yet the bodies of the 3rd “eight” are in the building and proudly declared on the OS. Even the EFL doesn’t require players born post 01/01/2003 to be included in squad restrictions.
We even have the occasional executive aside of “footballing decisions”, “ too many players” and “exposure to senior football” just to flavour the debate.
If Sandgaard deconstructed the business, after no external investment under the 9 months of ESI permutations and years of Staprix “skeletal funding” I don’t doubt this, after escaping the clutches of the judiciary, is a business resurrection of biblical proportions. I respect anyone’s attempt to contribute to the club.
Can such circumstances demand a greater clarity of alignment, expectation and communication of purpose to investors, the executive, management, staff and supporters? They can. If Mr Carter can meet such demand it will be a service to us all.