We need new year resolution

Here we are again. The run-up to Christmas has not been the most joyful time for Addicks in many a year.

In mid-December 2006 we lost ignominiously at The Valley to Wycombe Wanderers in the quarter final of the League Cup. We were Premiership, Wycombe in the abandon ship of league two. It felt like a real low back then. Now the Chairboys are peering down at us from the top of the division and we’ve just succumbed at home under the floodlights to Crawley Town and Leyton Orient. Football is cyclical they say. For Charlton it still feels like a downward spiral. No wonder the fans are showing their discontent on social media, on the forums and with boos from the stands.

Despite all this, we continue to see commitment: Crawley away on New Year’s Day has sold out. How do you explain that kind of loyalty? Just don’t take it for granted.

We’re now on our third manager since GFP took over and the pattern is repeating itself: a brief bounce followed by a slump heaping pressure on that manager. Yet again we are going into a transfer window feeling that the squad needs significant enhancement while having to face uncomfortable facts that much of the playing budget will have been committed. We can all wallow in the blame game, but the Birmingham and Wrexham matches showed the power of the 12th man, woman and child in getting results when we stick together.

Behind the scenes there are signs of progress under the current ownership. We are seeing a much closer and stronger partnership between the football club and the Community Trust, and real initiatives to build links into the local area. The women are playing their home matches at The Valley. There is slow but steady progress on fan engagement – it will take a while to rebuild trust after all we have been through in the last dozen or so years but there is now much more constructive communication and a plan in place.

Gavin Carter has taken up the role at the helm as non-executive chair of the FC board. One of his main responsibilities is to ensure clear and transparent communications between the club’s executive management team and the ownership group. As a fan himself, he is also in a position to deliver the same between club and supporters. When Gavin was interviewed by CAST in January, he talked about this being a long-term project. That may not be what we want to hear in this world of instant gratification, but it seems he was astute. Keeping relationships on an even keel in the stormy waters of current on-pitch performances and results is a big challenge. It demands calm leadership and a focus on the horizon.

Our eyes now turn to January. What is the plan and what role will Nathan Jones play in that? Recruitment needs to show acumen and prudence in order to regain the faith of the fans. We’ve been here too many times before in recent years. As Addicks get ready for the New Year, we need some proper resolutions.

 

If you are not already among the 2,500 Charlton supporters who are members of CAST, do join today - it only costs £5 annually.