The 'official' attendance was announced as 9,088 last night, but from these images (lifted from Rick Everitt's twitter page) it's hard to imagine the true figure much higher than 4,500. It is a truly shocking indictment of Duchatelet's regime and Katrien Meire's complete and utter failure at understanding the depth of feeling amongst the fanbase she serves.
As I've said before, quite what Meire honestly thinks when she looks out across the vastness of the Valley on night like this I would love to know. Her shameless approach would suggest she will convince herself the problems lay elsewhere. Perhaps she still thinks this is all down to results.
The official figure will include season ticket holders who never went, so that goes some way to explain a ridiculously inflated gate figure, but that in itself is shocking. I saw countless examples on the CAFC hashtag last night of individuals openly saying they won't be going despite committing to ST's at the start of the season. If you assume they won't renew next season, we can at least expect a fairer reflection of actual gates.
In fairness, it would appear that those in attendance got behind the team, and they were rewarded with a much-needed win. For now at least, fears of relegation fade a little...
I never went. For the third game running I felt no urge to. I should have felt a bittersweet feeling at missing the dramatic late winner, but in truth I felt nothing.
Talking of Katrien Meire, I understand whilst writing this that she has been interviewed on Radio 4 this morning to comment on the Government's plans to involve more women in football. I should say that I never listened myself, but I did notice one or two people on twitter suggest she was complaining that she believes her 'treatment' is partly based on the fact that she's a women. Sadly ignorant people will pity her on that point, but Addicks will be of the opinion that being very bad at her job doesn't help her case. At the time Roland bought the club I was proud to support one of the few teams with a black manager and who had a young, ambitious woman at the very top. It felt 'proper Charlton' to be that different.
My pride in Sir Chris remains.
I have for a long time now, in the absence of any alternative cogent plan from Roland, believed that the falling attendances at The Valley is part of his long term financial intentions for CAFC
ReplyDeleteAs a retired property developer of over forty years, I have long identified our Club owned ground as the biggest and potentially most lucrative reason for any commercially aware owner investing in Charlton. As a residential site, The Valley estate, with the appropriate consent would be worth anything north of £50 million
Of course, such a value would be very difficult to extract if, on a regular basis 20-25,000 turned up to watch a successful and thriving club. However, for a League Two or even National League side attracting less than 5,000 the argument for its retention would be less compelling
Again, a commercially minded owner may overcome local planning resistance by offering to relocate the club to a fine all new 10,000 seater stadium in a less valuable part of the borough, the cost of which would still show a healthy return on the land deal and, crucially, recoup his previous investment in the club.
In effect the purchase and running of the club for, say, five years would have been nothing but a massive land deal with little or no regard to the football club and it's footballing history
Far fetched perhaps, but nothing I have seen so far from Roland deters me from my cynical developers instincts I sincerely hope that those instincts prove to be wrong
Thanks for the comment, Glynn. I too hope your instincts are wrong, but I suspect your professional judgement is right. Little else can explain such an obvious disregard for the soul of the club and the fans. Worrying times.
DeleteBeing in The Valley last night and sitting in the West Stand looking across at the east, there seemed hardly more than a few hundred supporters. You could make out the full white writing of The Valley in a way that was never possible in the old days unless the stadium was empty. There was a good atmosphere though for such a tiny crowd and there were 'We Want Roland Out' songs as well. Having been to Selhurst's away end a few weeks ago with mates from up north, it's sad that they have the Premier League team and the 3rd division ground and we have vice versa. Duchatelet doesn't need the money he'd get from selling The Valley, but I can't see what he's doing here. He has no interest in the club or the history. If he does have any sense of history he'd see a huge difference in last night's East Stand and what it was famed for once upon a time; having some of the biggest crowds in London.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Paul. Very well put. I just wish we had an understanding of Roland's plans.
DeleteThis is the first season, I haven't been to a game in 40 odd years and I have no intention of going before the season ends.
ReplyDeleteI can't see myself going back until this regime goes.
Even though my heart and soul have been ripped out by Duchalet and Miere, it's impossible to divorce myself completely and I still avidly follow the match thread on charlton life, even though results and performances have been dire.
Our club is truelly in a shocking state of affairs and being preyed upon by parasites, it's unbelievably cruel, alsmost sadistic, what these people are doing, to OUR club!
So sad to read this, Martin. I'm like you, I had no desire to go last night (after 20yrs of regular attendance) but still find myself following the game and exchanging texts with my Addick mum. I suppose all hope will be lost when I forget we're even playing!!
DeleteLet's hope it doesn't get to that.
Sad indeed, and like so many on here despair of the way that the owner has run the club. Hopefully we will avoid relegation, but frankly it really did not have to be like this. So many of the fans were prepared to get behind the club, and go forward and create a sound financial business and a winning football team. From my perspective both of these goals seems to be a distant aspiration. I fear for our future, otherwise the race to the bottom will continue, not only our league position, but our cherished community reputation. Sad times indeed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Ken. Very well put. Sad times indeed.
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