Stu, pretty much all of those clubs you list HAD to move because their ground was too old or could not be expanded. The Valley is completely different - it is (3/4) a 21st century arena, with plenty of scope for expansion if it becomes necessary. You can be ambitious and still want to remain at your spiritual home, you know.
Captain, there's being ambitious for the Prem or there's ambitious for being a force in the Prem - 2 totally different things - and i know what i want , i want European Football for Charlton - maybe playing the likes of Bayern or Ajax or PSG or Atletico Madrid - not the likes of Man U one season, and Millwall the next.
My opion on this hasn't changed in nearly 20 years. If Charlton had left the Valley in 1985 and moved into a brand new 40k seater stadium, with underground parking in the current sight of the O2, would anyone have said a word? NO Of course when this became an option, about 1990 IIRC the Back to the valley campain was in full swing and the nostalger and blinkered view of the majority clouded the actual bigger picture. For the same price of 3 sides an a 8k capacity we could of had said ground. It was full of government grants ect. So many people gave so much to get the club "home" a generation later it would be an insult to their hard work to leave now. We shouldn't move, we should oppose a new ground, does the area need 2? But should we have gone "home" in the first place? No we should of brought one of those new houses just up the road which were twice as big, but half the price!
My point is, Stu, that we can do all that whilst still being at The Valley. Look how close Curbishley got us to Europe. It wouldn't be a new stadium that would get us to Europe, it would be good players. And it's not as though the Valley is a crumbling old relic no player wants to call their home ground. And cafc4ever - I'm sorry to sound ratty, but it REALLY bugs me when people write 'would of'. PLEASE correct it to 'would have' in future. Not that I don't think what you have to say is interesting. Were there really plans for a 40k stadium? Given Charlton's average attendances had been sliding throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, I somehow doubt that was a viable option. I guess we'll never agree, as some are ready to move on if it means greater success, and indeed believe that Charlton needs to, and others believe that we should stick to the heart of Charlton, where we have had success in the past, distant and recent, and could do so again in the future.
Stu its a 40000 capacity arena not a stadium so the figures would include those who would be sitting in the pitch area during a concert. that would probably take 10k off the headline figure, and the Valley is not to far short of that already. Secondly its open air and think of those league one grounds we have endured open air accommodation at in recent seasons. Thirdly, living north of the river as i do, i go via the tunnel on matchdays. Frequently there is an event on at the o2 that means those spacious car parkswould be already full and charging a whacking great premium. Lets not talk about traffic congestion! If you look at the footprint of the valley and the opportunity to expand it would be possible to go beyond 40k on the site, and it wouldnt be a venue shared with other amenities that would cause a groundsman problems. Finally, the ground soil on the old tunnel refineries site is almost certainly contaminated like the site of the old paris gas works where they built the stade de france. Unlike the french government i doubt we would have the money to spend cleaning up the ground so that grass will grow properly.
Discussions with us and Greenwich council (Chris Roberts) broke down. Varney was then pretty much as close as can be as having us in kent. Thank Murray we are still here. For now.
Whilst looking at some old links, i noticed this quote from Curbs about us and thouhgt it was pertinent to what I have been trying to get over on this ... 'That's the great thing about this football club - we don't forget. If we start forgetting, maybe we'll end up just like any other football club. While we mustn't forget where we came from though, we've got to remember to keep looking to see where we can go next.' - Alan Curbishley, Team Manager.
