Charlton fans quench their head since 2013: what inspires Roland Duchâtelet, a 69-year-old Belgian, to stop pennies in their club? At first they thought their team was to be a donor club for Standard, the club where Duchâtelet then chaired. After the sale of Standard they hoped that he would get rid of Charlton. The opposite is true. Duchâtelet has big plans for the club and wants eventually to the Premier League. But first Charlton to be debt-free and profitable. Heavy investment in players and wages are out of the question, means a modern youth complex high on the agenda. Duchâtelet's intentions are noble, but the speed with which he works, like the procession of Echternach: front three-step, two steps back. This week the club for a big step backward with the likely relegation from the Championship, the English second division. To break even to keep running, Charlton will be forced to sell his best (young) players and to slash costs. How to reconcile it with the Premier League ambitions is not currently clear.
Charlton and his young CEO Katrien Meire have good ideas about fanbeleving but bump into a wall of distrust. Wasted by big money from overseas English football has become haughty and conservative. Modal English footballers earn huge sums, foreign investors are only allowed to pay those wages. The next three season, the Premier League clubs distribute more than 5 billion pounds TV money, an increase of no less than forty percent. It is unclear how Duchâtelet ever be in such a competitive landscape.
Somehow we admire Pullover Armenian businessman that he is, despite all the opposition keeps trying. Duchâtelet but should also be honest and acknowledge that their football ideas can not convince the fans. The Standard supporters spat him out and the fans of Charlton desires him. Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened. The civilized fans of Charlton Athletic are preliminary so far not. We hope Duchâtelet corrects his mistakes for the protest really gets out of hand. A football depends not only on numbers together, a club can only be viable if follow the crowd.
Using the latest Staprix Super Autotranslate computer chip it reads as follows: "Charlton customers enjoy the banter with much-loved owner Roland and his CEO Ketrien Meire as they look forward to life in the First Division."
Damn, if only he had remembered the three steps forward as well as the two steps back
He did - the pitch, the new seats and work on Sparrows Lane. Unfortunately, it was 22 steps back not 2.
Silly me. How could I have forgotten the nice pitch that makes it possible to stage a match, the shiny empty seats and the work on Sparrows Lane that has been stopped?
More leafleting his neighbours. More humiliation on his home patch. This appears to be the most effective way to reach him. His reactions could be hilarious (again). Leave our club and find new toys to play with.
Oh, I can't wait for Sunday evening................ I haven't been on { } OS for ages, I'll get on { } there saturday night before it crashes { } into oblivion.
So, whilst i admit my personal opinion of anything Belgian is slightly tempered by Great Grandaddy Fred being blown to pieces around the 23rd April 2015 at the age of 25 just outside Mons, leaving Great Granny and 4 kids in poverty growing up in Well Hall...
Are this bunch of Belgian twats just an absolute shower of shite or what?
"Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened."
Sad and regrettable to say it (plus there were more factors at play in the Liege sale than just this) but you can't get away from the fact that intervention like this forces change...
"Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened."
Sad and regrettable to say it (plus there were more factors at play in the Liege sale than just this) but you can't get away from the fact that intervention like this forces change...
Except it didn't though, did it?
This always gets brought up, but I thought the confrontation between fans and him happened 2 years before he eventually 'sold', and there are still question marks around whether he has in fact formally sold
"Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened."
Sad and regrettable to say it (plus there were more factors at play in the Liege sale than just this) but you can't get away from the fact that intervention like this forces change...
I agree.
I'd also say that it's equally sad that he's proven himself to be so inept at running a football club - despite owning multiple ones - that the fans felt so powerless as to have to resort to such extremes to remove him.
"Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened."
Sad and regrettable to say it (plus there were more factors at play in the Liege sale than just this) but you can't get away from the fact that intervention like this forces change...
Except it didn't though, did it?
This always gets brought up, but I thought the confrontation between fans and him happened 2 years before he eventually 'sold', and there are still question marks around whether he has in fact formally sold
What this article is referring to is the well published (in Belgium) death threats and such to his family and friends from the liege support.
Not the board room event.
It is amazing what is public knowledge in Belgium isn't known here
Looking at the other articles at the end of the page its disappointing to see that while our papers seem to be full of Kanye West and Katie Hopkins over in Belgium they have stories on "Miss Bumbum".
Comments
Duchâtelet's intentions are noble, but the speed with which he works, like the procession of Echternach: front three-step, two steps back. This week the club for a big step backward with the likely relegation from the Championship, the English second division. To break even to keep running, Charlton will be forced to sell his best (young) players and to slash costs. How to reconcile it with the Premier League ambitions is not currently clear.
Charlton and his young CEO Katrien Meire have good ideas about fanbeleving but bump into a wall of distrust. Wasted by big money from overseas English football has become haughty and conservative. Modal English footballers earn huge sums, foreign investors are only allowed to pay those wages. The next three season, the Premier League clubs distribute more than 5 billion pounds TV money, an increase of no less than forty percent. It is unclear how Duchâtelet ever be in such a competitive landscape.
Somehow we admire Pullover Armenian businessman that he is, despite all the opposition keeps trying. Duchâtelet but should also be honest and acknowledge that their football ideas can not convince the fans. The Standard supporters spat him out and the fans of Charlton desires him. Duchâtelet sold Standard because he and his neighbors were physically threatened. The civilized fans of Charlton Athletic are preliminary so far not. We hope Duchâtelet corrects his mistakes for the protest really gets out of hand. A football depends not only on numbers together, a club can only be viable if follow the crowd.
By Bart Lagae
"Charlton customers enjoy the banter with much-loved owner Roland and his CEO Ketrien Meire as they look forward to life in the First Division."
I want it to be known that I do not desire him in any way!
(*Jack is a businessman from Armenia.. I couldn't find anyone else that I'd actually heard of, and to be honest, it's kinda made my joke suck a bit.)
by....Rol-and Dutc-hate-let? Huh
Anybody got contact details please, I couldn't see any with the article.
Sums up the quality of that particular journalist's research I think.
Are this bunch of Belgian twats just an absolute shower of shite or what?
Sad and regrettable to say it (plus there were more factors at play in the Liege sale than just this) but you can't get away from the fact that intervention like this forces change...
This always gets brought up, but I thought the confrontation between fans and him happened 2 years before he eventually 'sold', and there are still question marks around whether he has in fact formally sold
I'd also say that it's equally sad that he's proven himself to be so inept at running a football club - despite owning multiple ones - that the fans felt so powerless as to have to resort to such extremes to remove him.
Not the board room event.
It is amazing what is public knowledge in Belgium isn't known here
I thought that the current 'owner' has only actually bought a third of the Club, with an option to purchase the rest.