...'The Customer Experience'

My plans to visit the Valley for the Fleetwood game didn't transpire at the beginning of the month.

However following my decision to step away from managing my Son's junior football team (it's not the children, it's some of the parents that seem to suck the fun out of kids football, but that's a completely different story) I now find myself with a lot more time on my hands at the weekend for all of my family and dare I say it? for Charlton.

My Dad first took me to The Valley in 1981 and I've been hooked ever since.  My Son started coming with me and his Nan during the promotion season and was even a match day mascot not long before Duchalet bought the club and began to quite royally bollocks things up.

At the end of last season we decided as a collective not to renew our season tickets and haven't been to The Valley since.

The atmosphere by the end of last season had become pretty horrible.  I've heard and read of further division between Charlton supporters over the course of this season.

Despite all of this I find myself pulled back to the club.

This is for two reasons really. One, apathy aside (something that has afflicted my historical love for the club over recent monthes), regardless of results for some reason I want to walk up the stairs and out into the stadium, looking at the pitch and the vastness of the Valley (albeit quite empty these days.)  The anticipation before kick off, a few beers with people I've not seen for far to long.  And two, to ensure the legacy of Charlton supporters continues within my family.  Duchalet is 70 years old now - so blatantly won't be around for ever.  The idea of my Son becoming a Chelsea/Arsenal/Spurs plastic does not appeal to me at all.

With the exception of the heady premiership years and our briefer spell in the old first division in the late eighties we have always been a second/third tier club (mainly second) during my time as a supporter.  So I don't see why my boy can't enjoy that in the same way I did throughout much of the eighties and nineties.

We are going to try a stand we've not been in before and I have undertaken, that whatever the result, we will be supporting the team, reconnecting with some old and making some new football friends for the rest of this season.

I will be interested to see what the 'match day experience' has become like, and will try and report how I viewed it after the game.

COYR

A return to The Valley...

It's been a while since my last post, but not as long as it is since I've attended The Valley, having been boycotting in protest of Meire and Duchalets stinking regime.

He's further indeered himself to the Charlton faithful by referring both us and SCP as being stupid. What a mug!

However, like many addicktions (do you like what I did there?), I'm finding myself pulled back towards The Valley. It's a combination of things really. Don't get me wrong I'm not about to suddenly become a regime apologist. It's just for a combination of reasons that spark seems to becoming re-igniting.

We've seen both Fox and Lookman sold on, Foley (who I never got to see) released.

Initially I was not a fan of Robinson as manager. Bit of a rent a gob was my initial opinion. However his apparent passion seems to be having a contagious effect upon me. Results have picked up marginally. But I've been going to Charlton for over thirty years so am by no means a glory hunter driven by results.

We won't fully get our Charlton back until Duchalet departs. To be honest when he does go we may find ourselves with someone even worst. (Difficult to imagine I know). I'm not sure we'll ever get back to those wonderful Curbishley days, that is unless Varney is in charge of putting a takeover together. Now there's a man who understands what Charlton is all about.

We've seen the return of Watt, and some interesting signings, a move away from the usual network jetsam and flotsam and out of contract journey men.

I understand the atmosphere at The Valley is still, if not more toxic, than it had become last season. Which was a major contributing factor to me not renewing my season ticket.

It's my birthday weekend when we host Fleetwood so I have decided to take my whole troop, wife included (a Liverpool supporting scoucer) for a birthday day out. I won't be giving Roland's chosen catering contractor my money but will probably go to the all you can eat buffet at the O2 and then find a family friendly pub for a few beers before kick off. (Any suggestions, could be closer to Greenwich than the Valley).

I'll probably regret it come 4.45 on the fifth, but can't help these itchy feet.

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?