This Is No Way To Run A Railway

Until two days ago, I had never used the DLR, and after my one experience, I doubt I ever will again. If it is supposed to be a shining example of integrated transport policy, then the 2012 Olympics are going to have big issues.

My journey didn't start well, when the ticket office at Morden underground station told me I needed to go to Crossharbour for the Excel. Now, as those of you that use the DLR frequently will no doubt know, Crossharbour is not the station for Excel, it is Custom House, which I eventually worked out, when I got to Crossharbour. I will spare you the gory details, but to me, the DLR resembled a kiddies Brio railway, put together by a child in a strop, rather than the transport lifeblood of an area being regenerated.

I was also unimpressed at how slowly the area around the DLR appears to be developing. Given how long the DLR has been in operation, I was expecting, perhaps unreasonably, a lot more. I know many Charlton fans use the Jubilee and DLR to get to home games, and frequently complain about its vagaries. After my experience on Wednesday, all I can say is you have my sympathy.

Remember to put the cat out!

And so the club has thanked the 12,000 of us, who have renewed our season tickets thus far. I can't remember what our season ticket base was last season, but I suspect it was in the order of 17,000 - 18,000. Anybody notice anything?

Now I know that season tickets can still be bought, but the reality is that we will probably be looking at a 20%+ drop in our season ticket numbers for next season, which could equate to as much as £2m in revenue, when the "matchday experience" is taken into consideration. Bad news of course, as it adds further financial damage to the club, when it can least afford it.

Come on you lot! How is JT supposed to buy those blingy things for the wheels of his 4x4, if you lot don't stump up the readies?

And So Goodbye

I am informed that the transfer taking Paddy McCarthy to Crystal Palace, has also now been announced by Palace. A friend of mine of the stripey persuasion, has just received a text message from Palace confirming the deal.

I wonder if Colin chatted with Alan Pardew about Hudson, and McCarthy's name, and the possibility of a deal came up then?

Buddy - Can you spare a dime?

I thought this story had long since gone, and it may just be a slow news day down in in the Garden of England, that has caused the Kent Messenger to rehash this, but it would appear that Charlton have been denying speculation that they have been involved (again?) in takeover talks with American billionaire Philip Anschutz.

Given that he owns both David Beckham’s football academy and the nearby O2 Arena in Greenwich, interest in us wouldn't require too much of a leap in the imagination, but I have a feeling that this "interest" is largely a media created phenomenon. It has though, resulted in the statutory dismissal by Steve Waggott who is reported as stating that “there is absolutely no truth in this story,” and. “I really don’t know where these stories come from. Neither do I Steve, neither do I, but I for one would welcome a substantial investment in the club, albeit I would share the nervousness of many, that whoever became the new owner, would retain the ethos and values that make up the core of Charlton Athletic.

Unfortunately, I don't see a takeover happening, in the style of a Manchester United, Aston Villa, or heaven forbid, Liverpool, as our location, support base, and current status just don't lend themselves as strong enough reasons to plough money into a club that is unlikely to make a sufficient return on that investment. I can understand the logic behind investing in a single club city, such as Norwich, for example, but down here, in our part of the world, there are just too many other distractions for peoples entertainment and footballing pound.

Charlton Athletic 1 Dundee United 2

Huzzah - we have a new sponsor, who may not go into receivership before the contract is up.

Given that the deal is only for one year, then hopefully the above statement will not be too much of a commercial challenge for them. This one year deal in part, reflects how difficult it must be to obtain a new sponsor for those outside the Prem, but it mainly reflects the fact that JD are launching a new brand, and have chosen ourselves, and Dundee United to proudly fly the Carbrini flag. This suggests to me, a marriage of convenience, which may not have much in the way of longevity about it, leaving us lot with the prospect of having to buy new kit in a years time. Interestingly, the Dundee United deal signed just over a month ago, is for two years

I wonder if Burnley's one year deal with JD, signed last year, has been renewed?.

Believable

Unfortunately, the rumours surrounding a potential bid from Fulham, and possibly Newcastle, for Zeng Zhi, are a lot more credible than some doing the rounds. For me, Zeng is probably our last saleable asset to the Prem, as opposed to selling at our own Champ level, or lower. The appeal of China's captain, is not restricted, of course, to his ability to play the beautiful game, but the commercial impact his arrival at a Prem club would have, should be significant.

Having said that, I am unclear as to what pure commercial advantage, Charlton have gained from having Zeng Zhi in our midst? At a simplistic level, are there thousands of Chinese people running around in Llanera tops? Even when we were in the Prem, I didn't get the feeling that Zeng was generating significant additional revenue for the club, although I may well be wrong in that, and I am sure his image rights may well have played a part there. The commercial opportunities will also have reduced since our demotion.

I appreciate that his contribution to Charlton beyond filthy lucre, and playing for us, is demonstrable in other ways, but I do wonder if Fulham or Newcastle, if one of them ends up being his destination, might be a little brighter at exploiting the undoubted commercial opportunities he brings.