Thank you for all the lovely messages. Delighted to do it on a cold Tuesday night in...Manchester. Our club - nothing like it.
#SaveCAFC
#cafc
@CAStrust
Journalists reporting on
#CAFC
: calling something a "notice" or saying that someone has been "ordered" to do something is only really true if a Court has issued the notice or order. If someone writes a letter "ordering" someone to do something...they've written a letter.
Massive win, and buzzing for Jonny! Hard to believe that just two months ago we were fighting for our lives, and I was preparing to try to explain to a High Court judge what this club means. And now: five on the trot, exciting team, invested owner, and so much more to come
#cafc
Many of us said last year that having a club to support was the most important thing, but the thought of Charlton playing in League Two is unbearable. We shouldn't - and don't - have to choose between good governance and ambition. Something clearly has to change, and fast.
#cafc
We protested when we lost our home, when we were called customers, when crooks stole from us, when our club was at risk. Tonight was utterly abysmal and something has to change, but protesting an owner's decision not to sack a manager ten games in is not the one, in my opinion.
When I was 15, Charlton shut down our (very successful) women’s team. I wrote an angry letter and got a reply, saying that money was tight and that was just how it was. For girls now, this is how it is - our amazing, talented, brilliant women are European Champions! So proud 🦁🥹
Delighted to finally be back at our glorious home this morning to represent
@CAST
in helping to launch this great competition (and my career as a car model). A very symbolic moment for us fans, and a brilliant gesture from
@SandgaardThomas
#WeveGotOurCharltonBack
#CAFC
As many others have said, Bowyer gave me and my family one of the best days of our lives, and I will always be grateful for those memories. When the legal shenanigans kicked off, he made clear that if he could help in any way, we only had to ask. Thanks for everything, Bow.
#cafc
I cannot overstate how worried
#bcfc
fans should be about this. Southall not only oversaw millions of pounds of outlandish spending at
#cafc
, bringing us to the brink of insolvency, he then came for the fans, threatening
@CAStrust
with a defamation claim. Do not trust this man 🚩
I could have gone today. There was a time it wouldn’t even have crossed my mind not to go to a home game but, like so many others, I just couldn’t bring myself to be there. Our club is being sacrificed on the altar of one man’s ego. It’s heart breaking.
#cafc
Exceptional commitment from these travelling fans, properly rewarded by them not having to listen to 90 minutes of Matterface and Beckford’s utter nonsense.
#cafc
1/ I have some thoughts about this, so, a short 🧵. The first is that it's staggeringly ill-timed, coming after a bang-average draw to Forest Green on a rainy Tuesday night with the Valley about 1/3 full (if that), where our lack of summer investment was all too apparent.
I know many have concerns about our recent performances, and it's right that those views are aired - that's part of what the fight to keep the club alive was about! But I still can't shake the relief I feel when I think about how different, how terrible, it could have been.
#cafc
Today marks 200 days since Chris Farnell & Paul Elliott failed the Owners’ & Directors Test.
Our EFL status was in doubt, we were under a transfer embargo and there were real concerns for Charlton’s future.
Fast forward 200 days and our main concern is a leaky defence.
#cafc
Some insolvency law Friday facts 👀:
- An unpaid statutory demand does not, without more, permit you to wind up a company;
- It is an abuse of process to present a winding up petition on the basis of a disputed debt;
- The court will not allow such petitions to proceed.
#cafc
What a performance in the face of quality our players have never faced. Them having to bring on Casemiro, Eriksen and Rashford to get the job done says it all. And all you could hear for 90 minutes was our bloody brilliant fans. So gutted not to have made it, but so proud
#cafc
All football fans - especially those of us who live with the fear of this happening to our beloved clubs - stand with
@SilkmenSupTrust
. No matter how many kicks to the stomach, we get up, and we keep fighting for our club - the alternative is unthinkable
#cafc
#saveCAFC
"I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach and I'm not sure I can get up."
It's been a heartbreaking week for Macclesfield Town fans.
Watch more on Football Focus at 12:00 BST on
@BBCiPlayer
and
@BBCOne
#bbcfootball
This is utterly indefensible. When our future was at risk,
@ollygroome
was right there with us all, fighting for the club we love, risking his own livelihood to protect
#cafc
. If this is what has happened to our club, if this is how people are now treated, what was it all for?
Really sad to hear that
@ollygroome
has been made redundant by
#cafc
. Always great to deal with and a long-serving member of staff who is also an ardent and passionate supporter of the club.
Can't quite believe it's been a year since the injunction hearing, but this time twelve months ago, the High Court in Manchester was desperately trying to admit the Judge amid the unprecedented attendance of hundreds of members of the public. Charlton fans: different gravy.
#cafc
7/ Supporter groups have tried time and again to share our combined centuries of knowledge about the club we love. We've mostly been ignored. If you genuinely want to hear our thoughts and learn from our expertise, you know where we are.
I really feel, with
@johnnie_jackson
at the helm, that we’ve got our Charlton back. He is everything I want in a
#cafc
manager and more: talented, hungry, passionate, loyal, Charlton through and through. The stats speak for themselves, and other clubs are noticing. Sign. Him. Up.
Jackson: "I've made my ambitions quite clear - I want to manage. That's always been my ambition since I stopped playing. I think I'll be a success at it - wherever that is. I'd love that opportunity to be at
#cafc
. I love this club."
One of the things that has really stayed with me following last year’s shenanigans is the messages I received from people who had feared they would never be able to take their kids to the Valley. Today, finally, against the odds: we’re going home. Come on you reds!
#cafc
Our players have always been very engaged with the fans, and happily signed merchandise, filmed videos, supported charity auctions, etc. This feels to me like an attempt to take advantage of a very loyal fanbase. It’s also an absolute rip-off! Not a good look.
#cafc
The latest addition to the cast of characters parroting the line that a court order in the Lex Dominus v Panorama litigation gives Lex Dominus control of
#CAFC
. That is categorically untrue. It's another distraction - I'll be taking
@SandgaardThomas
's advice and ignoring it.
Same old story, empty words. It now shows a Craig Freeman of Cardiff as director of Lex Dominus on Companies House.
@SandgaardThomas
is the owner of
#cafc
and Thomas is not going anywhere. Don't worry, Addicks.
Lie after barefaced lie. Ask him whether he has paid the >£100k judgment debt he’s owed for months. Ask him whether anyone has threatened to make him bankrupt. Ask him again whether he’s subject to any disqualifying conditions. And then show him the door.
#DaleNotForSale
#cafc
Meeting with Matt Southall
The Trust met with prospective investor Matt Southall on Wednesday evening in an hour long Zoom meeting to discuss his thoughts on Dale, whilst sharing our own views on the prospect of him getting involved at Dale.
Southall b…
3/ If fans "effectively owned the decision-making", we would have spent some of the Pope + Burstow millions on a striker this summer, we wouldn't have touched the Robots with a bargepole, and the proper Charlton people who have been "made redundant" would still be at the club.
Now my heart rate has stabilised… Yesterday doesn’t happen with VAR. None of us who were there when that fourth Charlton goal went in will ever forget the pure, unencumbered, chaotic joy of that moment. I wouldn’t swap that feeling for any number of correct offside calls.
#cafc
2/ The idea that fans not buying tickets is the problem would be laughable if it weren't so insulting. People are lying awake at night wondering how they're going to pay their energy bills this winter, and tickets are over £30. There are a multitude of factors at play.
It’s a shame this is the focus today, but I think this partnership is a terrible call. NFTs are unregulated, volatile and risky, often packaged as safe investments. I know money talks, but
#cafc
is exposing fans to the risks inherent in these products. We’re better than this.
Not the signing we'd like to be focusing on, but football is nothing without the fans. Charlton fans always make our voices heard when it matters - please sign 💪
#LetFansIn
#CAFC
Fair play to Beckford - most of us don’t make our mistakes on national TV, especially when we’re learning the ropes, and it’s big of him to apologise. Now for one from ITV where they explain why they ever thought it was a good idea to replace Tyldesley with Matterface…
#cafc
My partner is a Chesterfield fan, so I didn’t think supporting Charlton would be a hard sell to our son. The way things are going, we’ll be playing them next season. I’m furious at what decades of negligent & crooked ownership has done to my club. Where do we go from here?
#cafc
6/ It's 30 years since our fans founded a political party, dug weeds with their bare hands, did everything in their power to get us home. I was six months old. 28 years later, I did what little I could to keep our club safe, like so many have done before me. It's what we do.
One year ago today a horrible week culminated in Charlton staff members taking on Chairman Matt Southall in The Valley boardroom.
For the first time, here’s the inside story:
#cafc
5/ The idea that fans are to blame for what we're seeing is deeply concerning. It's out of a playbook we thought had been thrown out. If you can ask us with a straight face "how we are prepared to support our club", you have clearly learned nothing in your short time at our club.
What fantastic news. I was 15 years old when the club decided to abolish the women’s team, and I was devastated. (Ever the lawyer, I wrote a strongly-worded letter.) What a relief to know that it’s finally back where it belongs, and in safe hands 👏🏻
@SandgaardThomas
#cafc
Hope I'm wrong, but suspect
@officiallydale
fans will look back on this as a dark day in their history.
#CAFC
barely survived Southall's time at our club - another club might not be as lucky as we were. As ever, where are you,
@EFL
?
#RAFC
Sandgaard has asked for patience re Jackson. I think that's fair, to a point: taking time to reflect on important decisions is no bad thing. But there really is only one conclusion here, and it needs to be reached sooner rather than later, in my opinion
#AnnounceJacko
#cafc
I know I’m a stuck record and
#cafc
fans would love never to hear about this man again, but it’s unspeakable that this is happening again. When will these people learn that football fans will fight with everything we have to protect and save our clubs?
#RAFC
#DaleNotForSale
We have received a letter from Matthew Southall on behalf of Morton House this afternoon. As you'd expect, we have passed this on to our legal team and we are not planning on making any comment at this moment in time.
I am absolutely buzzing - Christmas has come early! Fantastic news and so richly deserved -
@johnnie_jackson
has given us our Charlton back, and we're very lucky to have him. Here's to 2022 with Jacko at the wheel!
#cafc
A sad day for
#cafc
, and for those of us who have so enjoyed Benjy’s thoughtful, insightful pieces over the past few years. He reported on Charlton carefully and responsibly when other journalists failed to do so. Can’t wait to see what brilliant things he has ahead of him!
The long and the short of it is that it hurts to see Charlton like this, just like it hurt to see the club preyed upon by previous owners. I say it all the time, but it bears repeating: this is a special club, with an extraordinary fanbase, and we all deserve so much better.
Tonight's
@CAStrust
Q&A with
@SandgaardThomas
has put the biggest smile on my face. Hundreds of happy and excited
#cafc
fans hearing about our owner's considered plans for the future, both long- and short-term. Christmas has definitely come early to SE7!
#WeveGotOurCharltonBack
Gutting to come so close and miss out. But after the season we’ve had off the pitch, even to have been among it was an achievement. Onto next season, the proper start of the
@SandgaardThomas
era, and real hope and optimism for the future
#cafc
Heartbreaking news that puts everything else into perspective. I hope Ben’s family are able to take some comfort from knowing that the arms of the whole
#cafc
family are wrapped tightly around them tonight 💔
Charlton Athletic are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of supporter Ben Jay, who bravely battled against a rare form of liver cancer.
The club will pay tribute to Ben ahead of tomorrow's fixture against AFC Wimbledon.
🔴⚪
#cafc
|
4/ Anyone who believes that ticket sales alone could ever give financial sustainability is deluded. On Duchâtelet's (admittedly daft) valuation of the Valley, we would have to sell it out at £30 a ticket (with zero other expenditure) over 60 times to buy it back. See the problem?
Here we go. Hearing at 3.30pm in Medway. Should (🤞🏻) be done by 4pm. Run back to the car, pray to the traffic gods for a clear run, and might just make the second half…
#cafc
Today is the anniversary of Southall's threat to sue
@CAStrust
. Some reflections here on that day, on how much and how little has changed (take note,
#dcfc
fans!), and on the role of supporters' trusts in the future of football
#cafc
It was only four months ago that Bassini was contacting journalists to tell them about all the money
#cafc
owed him, and threatening to wind us up. Look at how that turned out… This man shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near any other football club ever again 🤡
Memories are short:
@ollygroome
risked his livelihood for
#cafc
. He loves our club as much as any one of us. This kind of thing - small and pathetic as it is - is worth calling out. It's cowardly and it's not Charlton.
Attention
#cafc
parents. Forget social media; be careful what your children put in their
@CAFCofficial
profiles. Twenty years on, they will rightly be held to account and asked to justify their questionable responses*.
*To be clear, would still sign Becks.
The
#cafc
accounts are out, covering ESI’s time at the (£522k) wheel. Superb summary here from
@KieranMaguire
, highlighting the staggering mismanagement of our club. A reminder of how easy it is for crooks to destroy football clubs, and how close they came at
@CAFCofficial
.
Charlton accounts for 2010/20 out and for once I will start with the small print. Charlton bought players for £262k in the season but spent £522k on motor vehicles, which is odd.
#CAFC
This week 30 years ago,
#cafc
fans were celebrating the unbelievable work done to get us home. Since then, fans have stepped up time and again to protect our club. I know it’s exhausting to keep doing this, but whatever comes next, we will need to stand united. See you Monday.
📣SAVE TIME & DATE || Monday 12 Dec at 7pm. 🔴⚪️⚽️
Zoom meeting for all who care about
#cafc
. All welcome.
Time for fans to step up again.
Registration details to follow but please block in your diary now.
My dad still talks about seeing Carl score at Old Trafford (a full fortnight after my sister was born...) and I know
@MilesLeaburn
will create many memories of his own. Special story, special club. Massive congrats to the lovely Leaburn family 😍
#cafc
#leaaaaabuuuuurn
Words cannot describe how super proud we are of
@MilesLeaburn
🥰 and was lovely to invite Parksie (who signed Carl) to share his very special day
#cafc
#family
Devastated. But taking comfort from knowing that Sir Chris Powell is there to put his arm around those wonderful young men and tell them how proud they’ve made us all. What a tournament. What a future. This is just the beginning.
Massive congratulations 🍾 to
@TraceyLeaburn
,
@ollygroome
,
@Addickted05
, and
@BenHayes77
for their extremely well-deserved Supporter of the Year awards! So grateful to you for risking your livelihoods for our club - doesn't bear thinking about where we would be without you
#cafc
Meet Naby. He is, of course, hoping for a much-improved defensive performance from
@CAFCofficial
in the second half, as well as a
@nabysarr
-esque last-minute equaliser
#cafc
Another excellent article from
@BenjyNurick
. So refreshing to see thorough, careful, responsible reporting on
#CAFC
among all the clickbait - thank you, Benjy. And exactly the kind of response we've come to expect from our undisputed owner
@SandgaardThomas
#WeveGotOurCharltonBack
So what does Thomas Sandgaard think about “Tooth” Freeman’s attempt to takeover Charlton?
“It’s more entertaining than anything!”🦷
Safe to say Charlton’s owner is not very worried. More from
@SandgaardThomas
👇👇👇
#cafc
Southall in 'baseless threats of legal action' shock. In our case, he threatened to sue
@CAStrust
(i.e., the supporters) for defamation. Here's how we dealt with him, and our reflections a year later: (Spoiler: it went nowhere.)
#DaleNotForSale
#cafc
CACT is delighted to welcome Olly Groome as our Marketing and Communications Manager. Olly will be overseeing the Trust's marketing and communications team helping to raise the profile of our work.
Welcome to the team Olly!
#cafc
For those who haven't seen this awful story, Rochdale's volunteer directors and supporters' trust are having to crowdfund for legal fees. All the details are in this piece, but the short version is that Matthew Southall is involved:
Hopefully unlike the match, it all ends in tears for me in a lay-by on the outskirts of Harpenden. Hideous traffic and with an ETA of 21:30, it’s not going to happen. So gutted but will be keeping everything crossed for some cup magic for you beautiful bunch up there. COYR!
#cafc
There are a lot of questions to be asked about this announcement, but for now, the focus has to be on Jacko - a true club legend who has given his all to
#cafc
for the past twelve years. Thank you for everything,
@johnnie_jackson
🔴⚪️
#CAFC
back to winning ways, third in the table, red and white(ish) tree up, fans back at the Valley on Wednesday - Christmas has come early🎄which begs the question...
Grateful for the opportunity to share our terrible story with
@DCMS
today. What happened to
@CAFCofficial
can never be allowed to happen again. Football matters too much for charlatans and sharks to be allowed anywhere near our clubs.
#cafc
@DanielPascoe_
@SandgaardThomas
@RichCawleySLP
@LouisMend
@CAFCFanAdviser
Nothing to worry about from my perspective. I suspect correcting a mistake in the filings from the time of the takeover - TS isn’t the owner of CAFC, Clear Ocean Capital is. COC should appear on the register for CAFC, and then TS will appear on the COC register. Hope that helps!
Steve was a lovely man, and
#cafc
through and through. When I was co-opted onto the
@CAStrust
board, he was welcoming, kind, and always generous with his advice and wisdom. This is another massive loss for the Charlton family. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.
We are heartbroken to share the news that our wonderful Dad
@Stevec4117
has passed away after a very short battle with cancer. I know he has friends far and wide in the
#cafc
community who I hope will see this message.
Very proud to have joined fans of Bury, Macclesfield, Orient, AFC Wimbledon & Blackpool (among others) to share
#cafc
’s story.
@petercrouch
is doing crucial work keeping the
#FanLedReview
in the public eye, telling those in power that our clubs are precious and must be protected!
Trust Board member
@LaurenKreamer
meeting Peter Crouch and a selection of fans from other clubs at march to Parliament Square showing support for recent Fan-Led Review.
Like so much about this story, "legacy fans" is just sickening. So thankful to have in
@SandgaardThomas
an owner who knows our history, and understands what
#cafc
means to our community. Solidarity with fans feeling helpless and hopeless today; we know that feeling all too well.
According to source, some of those involved in ESL call traditional supporters of clubs “legacy fans” while they are focused instead on the “fans of the future” who want superstar names
*ESL insists modelling shows solidarity payments will be boosted £10bn Euros over 23 seasons)
Have had a few questions about ESI and LD, and their dalliances with the compulsory strike-off process. For those who have better things to do than read what is (fair warning) a very boring thread: none of them have anything to do with
#cafc
any more, so nothing to worry about.
Following the collapse of the Methven-led takeover and today’s statement by the consortium, we consider whether or not we’re heading back to court. Watch out for a house and kitchen analogy.
#cafc
#CAFC
People that know me know monthly I buy tickets and give them to people who cant often afford to get to games, due to COVID I have been doing the same with shirts. I will be doing this for as many kids as possible for Christmas. This is for our future addicks and the club
🏟️ We want you to help
#FillTheValley
for our clash against
@Only1Argyle
on Saturday, November 20th...
Every season-ticket holder will be able to claim up to three FREE tickets to bring along friends and family!
🔴⚪
#cafc
|
1/ Re the
#cafc
'ladies' story, my view is that this is an extremely disappointing decision. I really hope that the voices of the many who oppose this change are heard; it's not too late for a change of heart. This article is an excellent summary of the opposition to the change.
STATEMENT: Read here the reasons why CAST opposes the proposal to change the name of our women’s team to ‘ladies’. Whilst we support the one-club approach, we urge the owner to leave the name as it is
#cafc
Anyone else still have a minor heart attack when they see a tweet from the
#cafc
Board of Directors? Football-induced PTSD aside, good to have this commitment from the ownership and management of the club. We all know the importance of fan involvement in the running of our club.
📝 A letter to Charlton fans from the club's Board of Directors.
"We will be working alongside fellow clubs and owners to continue to find improved solutions to football governance in this country."
🔴⚪
#cafc
|
“I don’t need anybody’s money”, says the man who demanded millions from
#cafc
for “consultancy work”. Remember that time he was going to have Charlton wound up? 👀 Can only hope for
#bcfc
fans’ sake that this is more of the same.
@CAStrust
I cannot believe we're still having to warn people about this man. Our club was left on the brink after his time at
@CAFCofficial
.
@EFL
- it is utterly shameful that he is anywhere near another football club and that you are, once again, silent.
#CAFC
#DaleNotForSale
Just to second this - ‘Persons with Significant Control’ registers allow you to trace company ownership. Clear Ocean Capital is the owner of CAFC, and should be recorded as a ‘Relevant Legal Entity’. TS is the owner (and a PSC) of COC. Will wait for confirmation, but not worried!
@KieranMaguire
@Readingfanman
Nosy insolvency lawyer/Charlton fan here! A petition is how a creditor asks the court to wind a company up. HMRC has to persuade the court to make a winding up order at a hearing, usually in a few weeks’ time, if debt not paid. If order is made, company is then in liquidation.
Hugely encouraging recommendations, as well as express recognition of what
#cafc
fans know all too well: "a number of clubs would not exist today had it not been for the activism of their fans in driving positive change". Good to focus on those positive contributions from fans.
Pleased to publish my interim findings from the Fan Led Review into Football Governance which include recommendations for an Independent Regulator, a golden share on certain heritage issues, much improved governance across football. My full letter is at
What a shambolic take. Football is ludicrously, gloriously, fundamentally important to millions, and too many of us know the hopelessness of seeing our clubs destroyed by people who don't get that. As for the dangerous 'real men' nonsense - 1930 called, it wants its views back.
When I was born, we were heading back to The Valley, and the years that followed gave me and my family some of our most treasured memories. Now we’re heading for League 2, and none of the people who have put us in this position will give it a second thought. It’s just sickening.
Lovely gesture from
@Benjamy99
, honouring without doubt the most loyal fan
#cafc
will ever have. Raising a glass tonight to all those members of the Charlton family we’ve lost in the last year.
Caveat: I am not an employment specialist. But here are some facts about redundancy:
- Redundancies can be made where a specific role is no longer required within a business
- Employers must follow a "meaningful" consultation procedure, even for a single proposed redundancy
UPBEATS GOAL CELES! 🕺
The first team have joined forces with the Charlton Upbeats to launch the start of Upbeats month with a goal celebration competition!
The best dance will be used by the Addicks during a game this season...
🔴⚪
#cafc
|