Rick, I for one would like to thank you for taking so much time and trouble to explain the Trust's position and for responding so painstakingly to individual points. Can I now sit on the top table with reams after that grovel? (Joke, by the way, for those who've had a humour by-pass!)
Rik - I thought chippy summed it up nicely. You can't pull the wool over our eyes as easily as you can that moron over on ITTV. Don't think the Royal visit by Raz went unnoticed either on that site. Where is our visit? I was looking forward to him explaining his vision of democratic and proportionate representation. What I thought from the start has happened. The trust have called this meeting in the guise of a public meeting but only trust members and trust 'minions' will discuss trust issues under a trust chair. The trust go on other boards and pander to the weak minded and self obsessed promising them a place at the 'top table' cynically exploiting massive egos with promises to promote the trust. They hold the meeting and recruit more members, (and more subscriptions) so Raz can buy that golden microphone he wants. It's a scam.
Nobody's asked for any money as far as I know. Typical, you want not606 to be represented at the meeting- what viewpoint do you want to be aired on your behalf? Mine is simple- I want to see decent football at The Valley again, but Roland's decisions are making that impossible, we all know what those decisions are. What do you want to say apart from ripping into the Trust and G21? If Nick or Dickp are going to represent us they need to have something to say.
First of all, we do not not need a trust. If we weretop of the league and we're putting messi out each week, Raz and the flying monkeys would still want to form a trust due to the grass not being green enough or not enough Ethiopian stewards in the west stand. Rebels without a cause- don't need them. The trust are also a paid subscription service which is wrong both for democratic and moral reasons. What I have maintained is a simple one love policy throughout. Roly must show his love by buying us the jewels that we want. Like any bit on the side, we want looking after, he must give us players that perform, not cast offs or second hand motor way flowers meant for the wife. If we get decent players and we are still **** that's one thing but getting crap is another. I liken our predicament to a second marriage, In the words of my current wife 'if you can buy that bitch a decent car, you can shove that push bike up your arse" In short, if your gonna have a lot of lovers, Roly you have to splash the cash, and treat them all the same. One love.
They will be asking for something on the door. If anybody would like to say something but can't get there, I will mention it on their behalf, just put it on here or send me a PM.
The trouble is dick- the premise of helping cafc has been replaced here. The meeting is all about 'how do we get the trust nearer the board?' It won't be Roly out, Roly out type deal. It is a stitch up. The trust want a meeting and want non trust members to pay for it!!! I can't agree to any proposals that advocate a season ticket boycott I can't agree to any matches boycotts. I can't agree to anything that promotes the trust as sole representative to the official link between fans and club.
Thanks @dick plumb ( Sensitive) As I've said my interest is in what is planned to show immediate dissent at how we're being mismanaged and treated. As an example every season ticket holder could refuse to take to our seats at the Huddersfield game until 3.07 to signify how many empty seats there could be next season. This thread proves that we can't get a uniformed coherent message to anyone anytime soon; so in the interim we need to show dissatisfaction before the seasons end, and doing this at the clubs golden football for a fiver day where there's such a good chance to raise awareness is too good an opportunity to pass by.
Good idea, Kish, except not at the Udders game because there are too many once-a-year fans there, and the stadium won't be empty enough. Maybe at the following game? I don't see any point at all in trying to get a meeting with Roland or Katrien, they don't listen.
My feeling was to make those once a year fans see what's happening, but you're right it would have more impact at a bog standard game.
You could do it when we are down... Both sets of supporters belting out the football leagues corrupt....
Having been useful in facilitating the meeting, CAST now needs to step back and stop Owing its own trumpet. rik's comment about Charlton Life getting 30,000 match day hits and 606 only 250 was crass in the extreme. So what ? Once again Charlton fans start to act out Orwell's Animal Farm...where all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. If 14,999 Charlton fans end up joining CAST, I am the one who never will. CAST and its spokespeople now need to back off, stop puffing thir chests out about extra lemmings joining their risible cause, and let the meeting take its course. Unless CAST is prepared to put its gonads on the table and advocate a season ticket renewal boycott for its so called 2,000 members, the Emperor once again has no clothes.
I've had a long think today about what I'd like said and done at the meeting, but in the end, I've no message. I think RD is a useless owner. A year ago, he produced a huge amount of movement for us in the january window, and notably weakened the squad by letting Yann go. In the summer, he started well with Igor and Gudd, but his tightfistedness stepped in, and we started filling up with freebies again, and despite the fact we were told he'd learnt from his error strewn january window, he's done equally badly this time. To describe him as blinkered, when his horizon stretches no further than his network cronies barely does credit to how horribly limited and unimaginative his 'network vision' actually is, and that's a rare and damaging problem for a president. He appears to have surrounded himself with yes-men/women, or is so pigheaded he ignores whatever feedback comes. BUT, he's a millionaire owner, he ignored everything, including violence, that has been offered at Liege. Do we really think he'll listen to a bunch of moaning fans when he owns the club and we don't. I accept you don't start a negotiation, or even try to achieve one, by declaring war. But given his track record, I'd be suprised if he even acknowleges a problema or the existence of a protest, and I doubt very much 'getting a fan spokesman on the board', even in the remote event it happens, would achieve anything. I sadly see this meeting as a first step to a battle, but like Typical, I don't want boycotts of matches, which may just strengthen his hand. I hope at least CAFC fans will be united. Judging by the rather crap post on CL by Rikfold about this site, you instantly wonder who will be listened to at a meeting. A lot of fans there will simply show up as individuals, so if he's so quick to write us off on the basis of 250 hits on the match thread, given the levels of despondancy around the club, I wonder who he and the others on the 'top table' will consider listing to. I won't be there as I'm not flying back to Woolwich for this, and I have no message to pass on, except that I don't see Typical's view of writing this off before it starts as being a very good jumping off point. Whether he turns out to be right , however, is up in the air, but the '250 hits' comment suggests the cliques are being built, whatever Rikfold may say.
Basically, it was that it was'nt really necesary to have 'spokespeople' from other Charlton fórums, given the relatively smaller size of them, and as Royston pointed out, the example given was 30,000 hits on the CL match thread for the Middlesborogh game, compared to 250 on here. By no means a reason to 'go outside and sort this out' but a crap comment, and to me, a bit suggestive of how much 'other' opinions will be sought at this meeting.
Then why use the trust to chair a meeting when there are 10's of thousands of fans, but let's be generous and say 5% are signed up to it?
No, if the trust called the meeting, then they're doing the right thing so I don't have an issue with them doing it,`provided it does'nt turn into a recruiting drive/choose the trust or choose Roland type thing. Let's be honest, they've started the ball Rolling, so there is a logic to them opening the meeting. Given some of what I've heard about the G21, Typical's stuff about them just wanting to get back in the director's box is a real worry, but let's at least hope this starts off in another direction.
We have 2 home games before it. Win them both, it will be a damp squib; lose them both things could get very lively, especially if teams below us get their act together.
It's a shame we can't just have one Charlton fans forum but unfortunately it isn't possible. The biggest forum is too much middle-class angst and hand-wringing. The other one is basically a thug's playground. There is a more balanced level of debate on 606 than on either of them. Invitations to different fourms to attend what is a public meeting are irrelevant. The clue is in the word PUBLIC.
Kent - I see you & Typical are copping some flak over on the "thug's playground" ITTV. Reams is claiming that this site only has 12 members - with you being lucky No.13. Shurely shome mishtake....
