The Passion that will Never Die

My articles have a sting in the tail. Judging by the response I receive on my latest edition, there can`t be any doubt that writing about the shambles this once proud club has become receives more views than an honest account of a game of football written with the same attention to details as any article from me. Yet with reason not known to me, supporters have no appetite to read how our team have fared, or how our Ladies cup game went at the Valley last Sunday where they thumped Portsmouth 5-0 to reach the third round of the FA cup that really worries me.

The feedback I received from some readers where honest from my last article, and for my part my articles are not designed to provoke a reaction with the views I express, but genuine comments are appreciated. Agree or disagree everyone has their own views why the club so many have chosen to turn their backs on will never be the same again. It should not have happen, but it has, and if I could turn the clock back to the days when Charlton was a household name I would. Many who read my articles will see that I`m very passionate about anything Charlton. It don`t matter if you have only just discovered your club or you have been a supporters virtually all your life just as I have, the passion that develop between you and the club can`t be measured.

When I see what has become to this family club, and before you say, it is all Duchatelet fault, I would like to quote something that every Charlton supporter should be aware of. I quote. There can be little doubt that Charlton Athletic were in financial dire straits when Duchatelet purchased the club. His purchase brought some financial stability which was welcomed by everyone. But it wasn`t a benevolent or charitable act. He made a business decision to buy the club. Whether he did so as a speculative venture or to prove a point or to give himself a new hobby is open to conjecture. Also. Duchatelet swift investment in an improved pitch was timely and welcomed. Also without a new pitch the club would probably have been in trouble with the League. Unquote.

This might not be news, but it has a significant effect that perhaps his intention were honourable and in spite of using the club as a business venture he had the clubs future in mind. We can call for him to be removed, but the reality is who would buy the club. We could finish up getting someone even worse than Duchatelet, he at least done something about the decay and introduced plagues of players from yesteryear around the stadium that to me shows there must be something touching his conscience.

I could verbiage till he cows come home, but we all know we have little choice but to accept what is in front of us, we don`t have to like it, but the fact remains the owner is here to stay and no amount of discontentment is going to change, who is holding the trump card.