why?

Crowds at The Valley in 2000 and 2001 were pretty much as bad as they have been at The Stoop in recent years.

Isn't the Valley capacity twice that of Twickenham Stoop? It must have looked practically deserted with 2 - 3K crowds.

Yes it used to.

Attendances have probably been worse at the Stoop. According to the stats in the Gillette RL book in 1999 the average attendance at the Stoop was 2,935 and last year was 3,132. Worst season at Charlton was 3,177 in 2001.

Charlton
1996 5,416 4th
Stoop
1997 5,076 2nd
1998 3,625 7th
1999 2,935 8th
Charlton
2000 3,419 11th
2001 3,177 6th
Griffin Park
2002 3,760 8th
2003 3,546 5th
2004 3,458 10th
2005 4,038 6th
Stoop
2006 4,917 7th
2007 3,395 9th
2008 3,773 9th
2009 3,436 11th
2010 3,380 13th
2011 3.132 12th

Location and performance, style and quality of play, the economy, names in the team and a host of other factors probably affect our attendances. And yes the inevitable. However you've got to admit the most recent period has seen the most sustained slide and that is more on performance and quality on the field. We have some exciting younfg players coming through but they are not big names that will attract people. Winning consistently just might wherever we are.

Stoop next season.

MARKETING






Regardless of the crap served up on the park, the total lack of anything other than "lip service" points to the club still not understanding that regardless of where they play, they have to f""king INVITE people to come and watch

The Twickenham Stoop is not the problem.....but I suspect it will be used as yet another excuse by the club to cover up their total ineptitude.

There will be a least two games next year on the road.

Err are you good at marketing crap then. You can invite anyone, it doesn't mean they'll turn up. On field does matter or do marketeers ignore that fact in planning. After all what are you trying to sell. People only buy crap for so long however you market it. Your alternative is to control the market and strangle the competition.

Copthall?

Horatio Yed in 'play in Barnet because I live there' posting shocker

Special offer for Charlton fans at the moment
[urlhttp://www.cafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10267~2836103,00.html[/url

Some co-operation is obviously happening.

From what I heard yesterday, I will be very surprised if we are at The Stoop next year.

Apparently, Quins have offered us a deal for next year and so far, we have not taken up their offer. Thats from someone with QRU connections.

Other gossip around leads me to believe that too. I will be gutted to leave The Stoop but if it is down to cost, then I accept we will have to move on.

Can't think of anywhere I would rather see my team play though.

Its a bit of a trek for us guys on the east side DSWG but i agree the Stoop is a great stadium. Wherever we go is not going to be as good. But we dont want to be another Bradford and with DH retiring soon getting the running costs down is going to be important even if he going to try and get a new investor. If we cant make a profit/break even then we need to minimise our losses to a manageable level.

I have said all along the decision may be out of The Club's hands at the end of the day, we can't be nothing but a cash till for a union club with an open cheque book.

Agree Snoopy...will be sad to leave The Stoop, but then I don't write the cheques.

Finances got to be a priority.

I guess there is an outside chance that we may got to Quins with an offer from another ground and maybe Quins will come up with better terms. Would be surprised if Quins didn't want us there.

This time round the deal at Quins seems to have been quite reasonable. Are you trying to suggest they are ripping us off ?

People have suggested on here that this club has the potential to be the best club in the world and I can understand their point of view regarding that but on the other hand, there will always be people who aren't satisfied with London [insert pretty name here RL.

Wherever the club put their tent next, its not going to satisfy everyone. Come East and those from Surrey won't be happy at such a journey to a home game, go to far West and those from the East and Kent will have a trek on their hands. Its a double edged sword, really.

Do the club feel shafted by QRU? If they've raised rent prices then yes, there isn't much that can be done but if the rent prices have stayed the same or similar than surely the club must look at why they can't meet those figures anymore.

I'm not sure that they aren't offering us a decent deal but quite simply, if we can get a cheaper deal elsewhere than the CEO is obliged to consider it.

As Moe says, unfortunately, wherever we play is not going to suit everyone. I think the choice of ground will be 95% financial, bearing in mind the money DH has spent this year on players.

Everyone gets so emotional about this subject, at the end of the day it has to be what is best for the club & if there is a better offer we have to take it as long at the ground meets Super League standards.

You ask me if I am suggesting they are ripping us off, well I don't know I have not been in discussions & meetings, but Quins RU have done well out of us, they have had income they would not have received otherwise!

Now it is my turn to ask a question(which some will not agree with

) You state the deal from Quins RU is quite reasonable, if your privy then to this inside information, are you also privy to other offers of grounds on the table and charges, you seem to be well in the know?

jaybs- Our ex-CEO Paul Blanchard said publicly that he thought the Quins deal was very reasonable and if irc, he said it was circa £200,000.

However, that could have changed now and I would guess now we aren't called Harlequins, QRU owe us nothing. Furthermore, they may not need us quite as much as they did 7 years ago so they have all the aces in their hands.

Quins have been good to us in that we have had loads of things going on on their pitch which football clubs may not go along with.

I reckon a lot of people will realise how good The Stoop was when we are no longer there.

The figures I have heard are around £200K per season at the Stoop. However, I also thought we had one year to go on current deal but that for any extension we would want the option of a one year notice to leave. If that is the case I would expect Quins to look for a higher figure.

I don't know what other deals are on the table but I would be quite surprised if there are better options in London, paticularly ones that could be in place for next season.

jbuzza as I said it always gets emotional, just Hope we do what is right for the club, we must be getting close to our last play of the cards in London with Super League.

I reckon it'll be between Orient, Brentford and Gillingham.

Think that's got to be right, Moe.

I bet most on here would like a return to Brentford...the buckets of VB bring back very happy memories