Unsuprsing yet shocking all the same..m

So the inevitable has happened and Slade has gone, after just 16 games in charge.

A victim of indifferent performances and a very average start to the season. Now the regime can get back to the actual job in hand of further asset stripping the club that was once Charlton Athletic, taking them to the fourth tier of English football, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE CLUB'S F-ING HISTORY, and reducing the fan base to a sufficient level to maintain League Two football for years to come. What a bunch fuckwits.

Here's t the 1186...

1186 hardy souls turned up t cheer on the boys for the tie in the most ridiculous cup competition ever inflicted on football fans.

I actually managed to remember we were playing last night and lazily checked the half time and full time scores. When I saw the result I did expel a slightly manic laugh.

When you look at it the starting 11 held much of our main squad players rather worryingly.

With every bad result continuing our downwards spiral which began when the idiots took over in 2014 we also edge closer to the fourth tier and the Belguim lots ultimate departure.

I don't think anything can be done to stem this decline until they have gone. I just hope Varney  or Elliott can keep their respective financers interested in a League Two investment opportunity.

Sad days and unchartered territory for this particular Addick...

I'm really going to try and keep this brief.

Two things have happened in the past 24 hours that have shocked me to my core in footballing terms.

The first demonstrates how detached I have become from Charlton Athletic, something that has been such an important part of my life for decades.

I sat on the train this morning opened the sports pages of Metro and saw that we had played at home last night to Oldham Athletic. For the first time ever since supporting the Addicks back in 1980 I hadn't even realised we were playing.  I don't know whether to feel embarrassed, annoyed or resigned that the ridiculous regime and the way it has divided support and created a thoroughly unenjoyable and toxic atmosphere at homes games has finally left me completely apathetic towards my football club.

Back in the days before the internet my Saturdays when we were away from home and before my parents would allow me to go to away games consisted of a ritual of playing Subbuteo on our landing whilst simultaneously watching teletext for updates and listening to LBC for the latest match reports.

All rather shocking and leaving me feeling a touch lost.

The second is the 'interview' with this Dreisden character. (More of a rant really).

What a nutjob !!!

The lunatics have certainly taken over the asylum.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers...(or the straw thats broke the camels back)

When I was a kid one of my favourite films was called 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. To cut a long story short none human invaders would grow a facsimile of you in what looked like a giant marrow, once fully grown they'd bump you (the original) and masquerade as you in your form but in a soulless nature until they completed their dastardly invasion plan.
So you could find your best friend, wife, lover or brother looked like they used to, but on the inside the soul was not the same - in fact they were entirely not the same person you once loved and new inside out.

Sound familiar?

Last season was difficult, attending the Valley with my family, using our season tickets, watching dross that although it looked like Charlton ie.  Same strip, same ground, same red red robin playing the lads out onto the pitch was just a shell of itself. A big red soulless thing.

I was going to approach this season on a pay as you play basis, not renewing, but equally not completely giving up on the Club.

But then today I saw this.



Charlton Athletic simply do not exist anymore.  Not the community club we all loved and fought so hard to keep alive so many times over the years.  That was plucky and punched above its weight numerous times.  Cited as 'the model club' frequently.

I will keep following our results and blogging my opinions (at least with no season ticket and no intention of visiting the ground whilst this bunch of knobheads are in charge they can neither cancel my season ticket or ban me from attending) but will not go and watch this imposter masquerade as Charlton Athletic.

I'm going to try out some of my local none league clubs and see which one I feel I have an affinity with.  At least until the inept opinion police piss off. (Sooner rather than later please you fuckwits!)

With that in mind, as a footnote and message to the board of the football club that was once Charlton Athletic 'YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING...'

Cheers

 

Another home grown talent sold off to line you know who's pockets...

I've written and not posted several pieces to try and get across how I feel about Charlton at the moment.  It's all so confusing.

One things for certain, we could definitely have better owners and a more sensible/competent CEO.

Worries about our inexperienced and paper thin squad were alleviated a touch with the signings of Rudd and Pearce - but then this morning the news Callum Harriott is off to Reading brings us backwards a few steps.

Harriott did really well in Riga's first spell in charge, was then deemed not good enough for the Championship and farmed out to Colchester for half a season.  Riga returns and then he's called back into the first team set up. He then was looking like a natural starter on the flank this season and ends up going to a Championship side (a division not too long ago he was deemed not good enough for) for another undisclosed fee.

I'm still agonising over whether to renew mine and my sons season tickets, the generation up from us has had enough and will not be renewing.  In fact Northampton at home will be their swan song, certainly until the Mad Flem's depart.

My issue is 'why should I let these idiots take away something that's been such a major part of my life since 1981?' But then I think to myself 'well they already have!'

As things stand I'll be buying tickets for the first two home league games and then see where I go from there.

As for my own expectations for the season ahead? I do not anticipate mediocrity. I honestly think it's on a knifes edge and we will simply sink or swim.

A promotion push may well see some supporters come back to the club, the downwards spiral carrying on it's current trajectory and we will see an even more self defeating toxic atmosphere at the Valley than we did even last season. And it was pretty unenjoyable, results aside.

Part of me still has that spark of excitement today on the eve of the new season. Wonder how long it will last?

...Club lurches to yet another disastrous customer relations cock up...

Just seen the ticketing prices for match day purchases.

I've not renewed so this will apply to me. With the £5.50 handling charges it will cost me £34.50 to watch a League One match against the likes of Bury FC, my two kids a tenner and my oap Mum £21. So £65.50 in total just to get in. £1,703.00 for the season.  Last season we paid circa £850 for all four of us to watch Championship football. This time round  season tickets for my lot will cost £1,110. So we will be penalised by nearly 600 quid for not renewing the season tickets, two of which have been dutifully purchased, even whilst at Selhurst since 1980. Several words spring to mind. Extortion being one. Blackmail being the other. And the audacity to class any games as being 'gold' status is ridiculous. Millwall, Gillingham and Sheffield Utd! Really? Gold?

The club (or more likely Katrien) is playing a very dangerous game of poker with those who haven't renewed.

For those of us who have been supporting the Addicks with our purchases of season tickets, match day programmes and other items for decades making the decision NOT to renew and support the regime had actually been really difficult. And I have nearly faltered on numerous occasions.

Be wary StarPricks Holdings or whatever your called. This may well backfire. And the agonising and ongoing internal battle loyal supporters who have not yet renewed have been having with themselves may turn into complete apathy towards what the club has now become.  We may well see a swell in tickets and attendances at the likes of Welling Utd, Bromley and Dartford.

Supporters Divided...

A comfortable 4-1 win at Welling Utd saw new boy Ajose score a hat trick, some low key protests and from what I've read on social media a continually going rift amongst some supporters.

The installation of a Russell Slade as Manager followed by some decent looking signings has been enough for some to call for cesation of hostilities towards the regime, for others this is no where near enough and they demand the protests continue.

For me it's all a bit more complicated and foggy than that.

I'm in no doubt that the current board view us (the supporters) as a bit dim and silly, and the fact they have changed their game plan is more to do with the necessity to stop the downward momentum that has been gathering at a pace over the last two seasons.

Having said this I'm not sure that disrupting every home game will do any of us any favours.

Personally I think the way forward, until we see some drastic re-structuring at board level, would be to boycott programmes and other official merchandise and catering products. Before and after match protests and saving in match disruption for the big games when we will get maximum publicity.

We don't need games such as the Northampton home game disrupted. I'm sure all will agree that despite being owned by The Rat we still want to see Charlton playing decent football and winning on the pitch.