It’s the traditional Charlton season curtain raiser today v Welling. Like many long term Charlton fans interested in the team and the club, I’ve been to many of these fixtures over the years. Today - I won’t be there. My motivation to watch a load of kids and triallists getting a fake run out in our shirt, is zero. Another consequence of this tedious, narcissist’s takeover.
I have decided to go to Welling to run the rule over the team I will be watching this season. Welling. I am totally pissed off with all things Charlton. The protracted Takeover, the decimation of our squad, the lack of investment in our squad. This close season has shown, to me, what is wrong with our Club and some of the people who support us.
Some people thought the #metoo hashtag was created to promote anti sexism. It actually exists to describe a small element of our fan base.
Maybe there's some sort of stand-off, with both sides waiting for the other to blink first. Logic would suggest that the aforementioned losses would make Roland more likely to blink, but normal logic goes out the window where roland is concerned. He could conceivably adopt a scorched earth policy, selling any player, however small the fee, until the squad is completely valueless. I've always said it's about saving face for him.
While some people are openly fantasising about ingratiating themselves with the Aussies - let’s focus on the important thing - the team. It’s a sobering thought that we kick off away to Sunderland 3 weeks today. Ben Amos signed for Millwall this week, reunited with our goalkeeping coach. Every single critical indicator at the club is now in the RED. The finances, the lack of staff, ST sales, the state of the team. But we’ve got a takeover thread with 1,000 pages and the Aussies love their sport, so hey ho. The Aussies and their so called “consortium”are the wrong type of owner.
Attendance at Welling today down from 3,500 in previous years to 1,020. Real, long term fans apparently not enthused by this takeover.
I don't see the connection between the low attendance at Welling and the take-over. The low attendance is far more likely down to the utter non-event which has been our summer closed season. Despite Bowyer's empty words ANOTHER summer of our best players leaving, and a raft of journeymen and oldies about to retire being touted, behind the fig-leaf of one decent player they have duped into signing. The take-over is just an excuse, the same as it was an excuse to persuade fans not to rock the boat last season. RD and his regime is still 100% in control of CAFC. The neglect of our Club at all levels now - even the academy - it entirely his fault. Attendances for league games at the Valley could well be down below 6,000 in August if this friendly is anything to go by. Season ticket sales must have dried up completely. But it isn't the Australians putting fans off in my opinion, it is the undisguised disinterest and cost slashing of our current owner, who has abandoned even a pretense of taking his stewardship of the Club seriously. I can't understand how Lee Bowyer can allow himself to be used like this. Unless there is a take-over within days he is going to be judged just the latest of RD's gullible fools.
Systemic disillusionment with this shambles of a takeover and this shambles of a club. If we had a credible new owner in place two months ago we would have signed new players and there would have been the usual 3,000 plus there today Long term fans are losing interest in this sh1t show.
Article from Rich Cawley this bit says it all for me. Anyone who claims to have a timeline on negotiations would need to have the inside track on the machinations at work. Deadlines have been mooted and missed, mooted and missed. In the meantime, Charlton Athletic fans are set to be the ones who suffer. And the indications are that even more will stay away until Duchatelet has finally sold up. https://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/...ot-the-key-ones-need-for-addicks-to-progress/
But it’s ok though because we’ve got a takeover thread with 1080 pages & we are having some more unfunny fish puns and really, really important Charlton fans will be getting roles if the Aussies finally scrape the funds together...
Something that puzzles me about Andrew Muir’s pathetic attempt to buy Charlton with 167 mates. Despite the NDA, he turned up at the Play Offs in a very “look at me” manner, now familiar with this group. He also was content to let it be known he was very hopeful...and next Friday...and next week etc etc. Why can’t his camp now adequately explain the delays, ones which are doing so much damage to the club we have supported for so long ? Does anyone know ?
With hindsight, TFM was a trailblazer. The first of many who constantly spammed Charlton social media, predicting a takeover which has never happened. [To be fair to TFM, he also did it with charm & humour, unlike ]
All the ITK people have gone very quiet about the Takeover. Is it ever going to happen? I feel that ordinary Charlton fans have been badly let down by the people promising that it is a done deal, imminent etc. To constantly have your hopes raised and then dashed is cruel. If a takeover doesn't happen this Clubs slow death will continue. 5000 to 6000 crowds will become the norm. Long standing Charlton fans are already not going and more will follow. Players will be sold. WE NEED A TAKEOVER and we need it NOW. We need to know the reason, from the Aussies, why it is being delayed, instead of hiding behind an NDA.
Got some third hand gossip from a member on ITTV called Redjohn (11posts); He says somebody on CL has said the Take-over deal is finally done, but it needs approving by the FA. The final delay was over one investor who had some link to another Club that the EFA weren't happy about. Assuming it gets that FA rubber stamp, the take-over will be announced after the Norwich pre-season friendly at the Valley on Saturday July 28th (10 days time). Make of that what you will. It's another deadline for the collection I suppose. This is the first time I have heard that the take-over might need FA approval as well as EFL approval. But I hardly know anything about these things. The EFL appears to have been very thorough. Wouldn't the silly old sods at the FA just nod it through? EDIT: Actually doesn't KM work at the FA these days? Perhaps she could sign it off for old times sake.
