I'm still angry about yesterday and, more importantly, the confirmation of a wasted opportunity of a season. I met with a couple of good West Ham mates earlier today who made me feel marginally better by putting our disappointment into context.
Alan Curbishley spent over £20m this Summer and that follows a similar figure spent when he was first appointed as they fluked their way to Premier League safety. West Ham fans have higher expectations than us but they were confident of a serious challenge for UEFA and their half season up until Christmas looked very promising. West Ham have had a bad injury list for most of the year but it's been improving and their fans have still expected far more than they have delivered. Indeed, I am assured the mood over at Upton Park is black and threatening to turn ugly. They have lost six and drawn one of the last eight games and are 13 points off 6th position. The latest unrest appears to be a piece by AC along the lines of 10th is a respectable finish and they should all be grateful - sounds familiar.
So, back to our own miserable finish and I had to check the last five seasons. Well we have averaged exactly 8 points from the last 10 games in each of the last five seasons. Interestingly enough, last years 11 points during the run-in was actually the best points total in five years and it was , of course , a relegation season. With three to play we are sitting on 5 points from the last 7 games, so have every chance of maintaining our 8 point average.
On another subject, I am informed via the programme that news on season ticket pricing will be published in the Coventry programme. If you are an occasionally reader of this blog you will know that it's a subject dear to my heart. We have been British champions at getting this just right in recent years but I am concerned at the silence this year and fear we might be about to get it badly wrong. Peter Varney leaving does not inspire me with confidence on this topic.
Apart from the disappointing standard of our football at the Valley this year (only 4 clubs have won less games than us at home), the club has actually been discounting match tickets in an attempt to put bums on seats and the net-out has been that it would have been cheaper to pay-per-game than get a season ticket. Whilst this wouldn't personally motivate me (I like the convenience of a season ticket), I believe it might be a good enough reason for several thousand existing season ticket holders to switch to pay-per-game, especially as we all believe there will be plenty more spare seats next season. Without a stimulating new offer, I really fear that we could be about to take a 10-year step backwards.
There was another piece in the programme which caught my eye - from Steve Sutherland -about our plans to replace the defunct Llanera as club sponsors. Steve seems pretty upbeat and alludes to plenty of interest but his piece would indicate that the club might be as interested in a genuinely motivated "community" sponsor as opposed to one who simple piles in a load of cash. Call me a cynic if you like, but this sounds like preparing the ground for a sponsor who has a community interest but who's sponsorship might look cheap. I sincerely hope I am wrong on this account too because we really have enough problems on the field without matching it behind the scenes as well.
Here's to some good news and more positive blogging.
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I will be just glad for this sorry season to finish. I have been a season ticket holder since we moved to Upton Park in 1990. However this season has tested my patience to the limit. For the first time in many years I actually don’t care anymore. The club needs to take a careful look at itself and make sure decisions taken over the next few weeks are right, otherwise a lot of the good work of the last 12 years will be undone,
ReplyDeleteI have been predicting since before Christmas that the crowd will plummet next season. There really is no incentive to purchase a season ticket apart from the convenience of having the same seat at every home game. Therefore there must be thousands of season ticket holders who will think carefully whether they want to commit the best part of £500 to watch a team that plays such awful football week in week out. In all probability season ticket sales will fall by something approaching 4-5,000.
Hopefully I am wrong but I feel that the club is now in a downward spiral. We are going to have to get used to life in the Championship. I cannot see this club repeating the glory days that we experienced under Curbs.
I agree with anonymous and think the glory days are over for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteI also have a theory that the problem is not about the manager, it is something about Charlton. Look at the players that have gone-and some we have been glad to see go-they all seem to be successful at other clubs: Lisbie 16 goals in a poor side, Jimmy Floyd back at Wembley, Hreidarsson playing in the Premiership in a successful side, Dean Kiely probably back in the Premier league, even Marcus Bent is playing in the Premier and leading scorer for Wigan. Whoever the manager is or was we always finished the season badly even when we came up as champions. What is it about Charlton?
PS My theory seems to fall down concerning Amdy Faye!
Aitchy, I've got to disagree. We've had plenty leave us who have under-performed since moving on. Scott parker wasted a couple of years and is struggling to get back to where he was at Charlton. Darren Bent is finding it tough at Spurs. Even Jason Euell who was back on saturday has done nothing over a number of years since going. Lisbie has done well this season although JFH has been poor at cardiff - they are in the final in spite of hime. Herman and Deano have probably only continued their careers with their new clubs. I sincerely hope Wigan cough up for Marcus bent on the strength of his 7 goals this year because I wouldn't bet on him getting 5 in the top flight next year if Wigan survive. Agree 100% of course on Amdy Faye!
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