Well congrats to the SLP for getting the scoop, and well done to them for publishing all that. He might have tried a little contrition to get people on board, but the bottom line is that didn't give one single thing that suggests a change in tack. Frankly, to not be planning for League 1 now is perhaps the most stupid thing he's (n)ever done. That's where we're heading, Roly. You've done nothing to stop it and now you're shutting your eyes and pretending it's not happening. A bit like how you've treated the fans' unrest for months on end. Pathetic!
Frankly the best thing in those reports was this picture:
He looks really haunted. A man who's bitten off more than he can chew. He is a failure and he seemingly has no answers but to whistle in the dark hoping for a change of fortune. Well Roly, expect things to get worse, because there's nothing you've said there that will make those ghosts go away.
He looks like someone just asked him what the A in CAFC stands for
Genuinely worried about League 2 now, it's February, we're bottom & he's not thinking about League 1. So when we go down, we'll be under prepared for that.
That interview is worse than I imagined it would be, games up, it's over, we're done.
What a load of bollocks. Oh well we might be heading towards being in League 2 with a 11 man squad made up of Belgian teenagers, with the manager being the former U14s coach at St. Gilloise, but at least we'll be "nice".
I think he genuinely believe he is the nice guy in all this. Giving young Cruella a go because she enjoys it and has a good heart, making the idiot Murray "president" because he had put so much money in and providing opportunities for the local youth to get into the team.
I share everyone's views of the inadequacy of what RD has had to say, so I'm not going to repeat it.
3. The fact that he has now put himself,rather than RM and KM, as the spokesman for the club is an opportunity. Communication is two-way, and we could now approach him directly with our measured response to his comments and raise other issues of concern that he did not address. Is this not an opportunity, maybe for the Trust, to engage with him directly in the absence of KM failing to meet her commitment to the establishment of a strategy group?
We are considering what we should say in public about what we have been doing since the turn of the year. Suffice to say, it won't improve anyone's mood.
I fantasied that the report would contain the news that a new CEO was to be appointed and that big lessons had been learned from mistakes and that he was going to run the club in a way that suited us, the fans or even best of all that he would consider selling!
How disappointing to read the actual content of the report. It seems that he doesn't really appreciate the depth of feeling and unrest and seems to think that it is mostly because we are bottom of the league when actually the unrest pre-dated the slide into the bottom three.
If they hoped this report would appease the majority of fans then they are mistaken. I suspect tomorrow will see a huge escalation in protests.
Why does the SLP think it is good for them to print this garbage
Because with each statement in Black and White, by the CEO, and now we have smoked out the Owner, To put down his views. We know for certain that he wants us to be The Crewe Alexander of the South. (heading for League 2 )
The B + W Campaign have shown yet again that Cafc folk, can think outside the box.
Lots of "sympathy" for the fans but not a single apology or hint of one.
The league position is because of injuries and the protests are because of the league position.
We don't agree with what he's doing because we don't know/understand everything (he's a visionary genius, how are us mere mortals supposed to understand?)
We're not as big as a supporter of Murray because we haven't invested as much as him.
Katrien has a great heart and is doing a great job for the club she loves.
Thank goodness he's cleared all that up. Disband CARD and call the protests off, everything is ok after all.
Was disgusted when Roland pretty much said that him and Katrien love Charlton as much as we do... We really are being taken for idiots, what association do they have with the club? - Katrien has admitted she's a St-Truiden fan!!
Really tired of all of this peddling of Katrien's love for the club. It's complete bullshit. She's a key player in a regime that is destroying it from a footballing aspect, she clearly has no time for the fans and thinks nothing of its history. That's what makes a club, there's nothing left to love.
What she probably actually loves is rather than being based in Ypres poring over corporate electronic component licensing contracts for Melexis (or whatever the hell they do there), she turns up every day to this shiny big stadium which she feels like she owns, she lives in the most exciting city in the world and she has a senior position in an industry that many would give their right arm to work in. She loves the club as a vehicle for what it has delivered to her. I've seen little or no evidence in anything that she's said that she has any genuine affection for the club. If she departs from her role tomorrow, under any circumstance, happy or otherwise, would anyone seriously expect to see her back at The Valley in the future, watching the club she loves. Not a chance.
'they [fans] don’t know all the information that I have about what is going wrong'
So, it's actually worse than we think, is it? Blimey.
'It is even more of a reason for them to be frustrated because they are not in a position to understand everything and to do something about it'.
You admit that you're in a position to do something about it then.
'I’m far away - this is totally true. I have so many other things which I do. But I’m ultimately responsible in this team'.
So, you're responsible but you choose to do other things in other places. Sounds like you've bitten off more than you can chew.
'I still believe we can make a big success out of this and that Charlton can regain the importance in London of one of the nicest clubs in the country'.
Nice! Biscuits are nice. Football clubs should be successful and/or entertaining.
'At other football clubs you have also seen some turmoil. The main thing is that one acts upon it so that we can sort out everything which needs to be sorted out and we can move forward in the right way'.
What have you acted upon then?
'The main reason [they are unhappy] is that we are now bottom of the league. That’s a very concerning situation for all of us'
No, no, no, no no. The main reason we are unhappy is because of your completely incompetent stewardship. Being bottom of the league is a symptom of the much bigger Malady du Duchatelet.
'We got into trouble mainly because we had so many injuries and the squad size was not sufficient to cope with that high number in the first place'.
Switch that sentence around so that an insufficient squad is the primary reason and you'll be a little closer to the truth. All clubs get injuries, it's just that ours wasn't prepared to cope with them.
'We are not spending time on planning for relegation. That’s not something we want to do'.
Then you are even more stupid than I ever imagined.
'We think we have a significant chance still to stay in the league. With the help of the fans we can do that. If they stay behind the team then we can do it'.
That's it, start getting the excuses in early. If we go down you're going to say it's the fans fault for not getting behind the team, aren't you?
'There are two aspects to solving the problem. The first aspect is very short term - to put all the chances to stay up in the Championship on our side. That’s the main priority'.
What chances?
'And the second part of it is the lessons learned. What we did wrong this year and see how we improve for the next seasons'.
Why did you not learn these lessons in the previous season?
'We have sometimes made the same mistakes again. But in my businesses we have a culture of learning from mistakes. This is very common in industry. If you don’t do that you are stupid'.
You said it!
'The main point here is that we don’t have enough leeway to cope with our mistakes. Other clubs have much bigger squads and even if they make the same mistakes as we do, they still can cope because of that'.
Don't make it sound as if it's by chance. It's down to your mismanagement.
'We chose in the beginning to not have such a large squad for two reasons. One to give enough chances to the academy players. The second reason is that if your squad is too big...that means only one in three players are happy at the beginning of the game'.
And your secret reason, that you think we haven't guessed, because players cost money.
'It’s a balancing act between a smaller squad - more opportunity to play and the risk of injuries - or having a very large number of players and creating this frustration'.
Don't make it sound like it's an either/or situation. There's a Goldilocks scenario here and your porridge was too cold.
'We thought when we had a lot of injuries we would fix that with loan players. But that appears to be quite difficult too'.
Especially if you don't have the first clue about football and have no proper scouting network in place.
'It’s better to have your work in order at the beginning of the season rather than to rely on loans'.
No shit, Sherlock. I'm sure we can all rest assured that you'll get it right next season then, won't you.
'I fully understand their feelings. But the conclusion that I should sell is a bit too quick'.
Just 'a bit' too quick. This is the best news of all. It's so good to hear that your not planning on a long term future here.
'Now we’re in a crisis situation and it is the right time to get to learn each other - to work together'.
So, if there was no crisis situation you wouldn't want to learn or to work together?
'I still feel I have the ability to be a very big asset to the club'.
In what way? There's been precious little evidence so far.
'I diverted this email to my CEO to handle it. It is only five or six months later it became clear that what he wanted to talk about was a takeover of the club'.
Why did it take her 5 months to establish that? She could have done it with a 5 minute phone call. And why did you not have the professionalism to explain that to Mr Varney?
'I can certainly say she never meant to hurt anybody'
You admit she's hurt people, then. When's she going to stop hurting people?
'Charlton is something she lives for'
Don't talk bollocks. When she came here she told us she was a St Truiden fan. Since then we've seen no evidence that she understands anything about football. If she 'lives for Charton', why is she poncing 'round the planet going to media conferences and pretending she's some sort of leadership guru? If she really lived for Charlton, why does she not bother even responding to the emails of Charlton fans?
'She has done extremely good work so far in all sorts of things. I’m very happy with it'.
What good things? What! You are happy with this mess?!?!?!
'Richard is, in my view, the ultimate fan - because he also put money where his mouth and his heart was'.
Oh, do fuck off! If there is an 'ultimate fan' it is Seb Lewis. But the truth is that there are thousands of us who spend more time thinking about Charlton, supporting Charlton and who spend a far bigger proportion of their disposable income on Charlton than Richard Murray. And we do that because they genuinely love the club, not because they want to claw their loan money back. I don't want to knock what Mr Murray has done in the past, but don't insult us by calling him the ultimate fan. Anyway, doesn't he support Wolves?
Well congrats to the SLP for getting the scoop, and well done to them for publishing all that. He might have tried a little contrition to get people on board, but the bottom line is that didn't give one single thing that suggests a change in tack. Frankly, to not be planning for League 1 now is perhaps the most stupid thing he's (n)ever done. That's where we're heading, Roly. You've done nothing to stop it and now you're shutting your eyes and pretending it's not happening. A bit like how you've treated the fans' unrest for months on end. Pathetic!
Frankly the best thing in those reports was this picture:
He looks really haunted. A man who's bitten off more than he can chew. He is a failure and he seemingly has no answers but to whistle in the dark hoping for a change of fortune. Well Roly, expect things to get worse, because there's nothing you've said there that will make those ghosts go away.
He looks like a sickly child who's just been sent to his room.
If there's one thing this lot are occasionally able to do, it's give a highly controlled interview.
The only problem is that the reality they offer has always been miles away from the things they say and the gap is only ever going to get larger at this rate
I'll leave others to pick it apart. I'm even more depressed. He doesn't worry how many mistakes he needs to make before he's an expert football club owner - and the club destroyed in the process. He should have gone to a football school, not bought Charlton as a learning project.
These interviews betray how little he understands of football.
Recruiting academy managers as head coach because they're good with kids is a bit like asking teachers to run your business because you want to encourage apprentices.
Building a squad in the way he's described is like imagining that your business can be happily run by the apprentices if you lose your senior staff.
He's swallowed Katrien's guff saying this is all about results.
Hands up whose ambition is limited to being the nicest club in London?
No plans for relegation? Then that will be a horrible surprise for him in May won't it.
Didn't understand the investment opportunity but no-one bothered to ask Varney in 3 months? Yeah, that's Varney's fault alright - even so, does that excuse her handling of it?
And so on. I've never been more convinced that we need a change in ownership.
All this rubbish about unhappy players. I would rather have unhappy players with ability waiting to come in rather than youngsters who blatantly aren't ready. He is pretty stuck on that philosophy which is worrying-our squad is always going to be below par....
Well congrats to the SLP for getting the scoop, and well done to them for publishing all that. He might have tried a little contrition to get people on board, but the bottom line is that didn't give one single thing that suggests a change in tack. Frankly, to not be planning for League 1 now is perhaps the most stupid thing he's (n)ever done. That's where we're heading, Roly. You've done nothing to stop it and now you're shutting your eyes and pretending it's not happening. A bit like how you've treated the fans' unrest for months on end. Pathetic!
Frankly the best thing in those reports was this picture:
He looks really haunted. A man who's bitten off more than he can chew. He is a failure and he seemingly has no answers but to whistle in the dark hoping for a change of fortune. Well Roly, expect things to get worse, because there's nothing you've said there that will make those ghosts go away.
He looks like someone just asked him what the A in CAFC stands for
That was a proper LOL here absolutely brilliant ;-) Exactly the right expression on his face. They say if you don't laugh, you'd cry eh...
Well congrats to the SLP for getting the scoop, and well done to them for publishing all that. He might have tried a little contrition to get people on board, but the bottom line is that didn't give one single thing that suggests a change in tack. Frankly, to not be planning for League 1 now is perhaps the most stupid thing he's (n)ever done. That's where we're heading, Roly. You've done nothing to stop it and now you're shutting your eyes and pretending it's not happening. A bit like how you've treated the fans' unrest for months on end. Pathetic!
Frankly the best thing in those reports was this picture:
He looks really haunted. A man who's bitten off more than he can chew. He is a failure and he seemingly has no answers but to whistle in the dark hoping for a change of fortune. Well Roly, expect things to get worse, because there's nothing you've said there that will make those ghosts go away.
There's a caption competition in that there photo.
Agreed re Crawley's handling of the interview. Never was the phrase "Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself" more apt. Congratulations Richard, top top work.
To be honest he said what I expected him to say. He wouldn't give an interview with the SLP to completely change his philosophy, however flawed it might appear to everyone else.
On saying that their "not preparing for relegation", isn't that what every owner/Chairman/manager says? Behind the scenes I'm sure he IS aware of the financial implications
I am determined that this bastard who does a poor impersonation of a human will not destroy our club. It means so much to so many people and to have him and that patronising shitbag of a CEO come along and f*** it all up is too much. I don't know how we will get through to him though as he seems completely devoid of feelings.
Q. Why did your CEO not find time for a 30 minute meeting, with Peter Varney; a man who was in charge of the day to day running Of CAFC when they reached 4th in the premier League, and were held up in the football world as a good example of a well run club. Also was that your decision to string him along for 3 months, or was that your CEO Call.
It's ironic as his comments are exactly what I would have predicted. I never thought he would sack KM or apologise. I also didn't think that they would be planning for League One - I don't think many clubs do. As it happens I think he, actually, said all the right things. Short of sacking the only person in the club he trusts, or promising to spend millions or pounds, I can't think what he could have done that would have been more appealing to those protesting. I suspect that those that are not sure, or that are fed up/bored with the protests will like what he has said.
What is ironic is that I could also have predicted the reaction, on here, to his comments.
It is now going to be a drawn out battle between him and those running the protests. My prediction, as unpopular as it will be here, is that the CARD will run out of money long before he does and the longer it goes on the more fans will give up with the protests as they won't see any appreciable result.
I know my thoughts will be unpopular but I'm not sure we have a representative sample of all of the fan base on Charlton Life and I think that there are quite a few people that are relatively happy to hope for the best while doing nothing, personally, to affect change. I also think that we are seeing a wider split in the fans as I read/hear of more disagreements, and rows, between protesters and fans that 'just want the best for the club'.
There is also a new, and undesirable, anger towards any fans that don't agree with the protesters views. I've read a lot of spiteful and, in come cases, aggressive comments, aimed at those that have a different opinion and the tone of some of the posts is a million miles away from the family club that we used to be.
Not when you take out the loans at other clubs, the with little or no experience or the injured.
Then take away the players who only just joined and aren't fit (RF and Sonogo) or deemed not good enough by Riga (RJ and DP)
How many left?
Yes I agree with you when you take the players out on loan the squad is thin. But they are still Charlton players. The powers that be could decide not to put them out on loan and instead let them fight for a place in the first team. RD has made the squad thinner by putting the players you marked out on loan. Obileye is still with us. The main thrust of my point is that with the players out on loan or not the squad is still lacking in quality.
My prediction, as unpopular as it will be here, is that the CARD will run out of money long before he does and the longer it goes on the more fans will give up with the protests as they won't see any appreciable result.
The fans that give up the protests will likely give up on the club. Unfortunately, I think this is a war of attrition, there can be no real winner, even if the protests stop then Roly will lose. The sooner it can be brought to an end the better. I genuinely believe that otherwise we will be looking another 'lost generation' of fans and a significant chunk taken out of the club's core support - that is significant.
The club should be built around its core fanbase, attracting daytrippers is unsustainable.
Comments
Genuinely worried about League 2 now, it's February, we're bottom & he's not thinking about League 1. So when we go down, we'll be under prepared for that.
That interview is worse than I imagined it would be, games up, it's over, we're done.
How disappointing to read the actual content of the report. It seems that he doesn't really appreciate the depth of feeling and unrest and seems to think that it is mostly because we are bottom of the league when actually the unrest pre-dated the slide into the bottom three.
If they hoped this report would appease the majority of fans then they are mistaken. I suspect tomorrow will see a huge escalation in protests.
by the CEO, and now we have smoked out the Owner,
To put down his views. We know for certain that he wants us to be
The Crewe Alexander of the South. (heading for League 2 )
The B + W Campaign have shown yet again that Cafc folk,
can think outside the box.
What she probably actually loves is rather than being based in Ypres poring over corporate electronic component licensing contracts for Melexis (or whatever the hell they do there), she turns up every day to this shiny big stadium which she feels like she owns, she lives in the most exciting city in the world and she has a senior position in an industry that many would give their right arm to work in. She loves the club as a vehicle for what it has delivered to her. I've seen little or no evidence in anything that she's said that she has any genuine affection for the club. If she departs from her role tomorrow, under any circumstance, happy or otherwise, would anyone seriously expect to see her back at The Valley in the future, watching the club she loves. Not a chance.
So, it's actually worse than we think, is it? Blimey.
'It is even more of a reason for them to be frustrated because they are not in a position to understand everything and to do something about it'.
You admit that you're in a position to do something about it then.
'I’m far away - this is totally true. I have so many other things which I do. But I’m ultimately responsible in this team'.
So, you're responsible but you choose to do other things in other places. Sounds like you've bitten off more than you can chew.
'I still believe we can make a big success out of this and that Charlton can regain the importance in London of one of the nicest clubs in the country'.
Nice! Biscuits are nice. Football clubs should be successful and/or entertaining.
'At other football clubs you have also seen some turmoil. The main thing is that one acts upon it so that we can sort out everything which needs to be sorted out and we can move forward in the right way'.
What have you acted upon then?
'The main reason [they are unhappy] is that we are now bottom of the league. That’s a very concerning situation for all of us'
No, no, no, no no. The main reason we are unhappy is because of your completely incompetent stewardship. Being bottom of the league is a symptom of the much bigger Malady du Duchatelet.
'We got into trouble mainly because we had so many injuries and the squad size was not sufficient to cope with that high number in the first place'.
Switch that sentence around so that an insufficient squad is the primary reason and you'll be a little closer to the truth. All clubs get injuries, it's just that ours wasn't prepared to cope with them.
'We are not spending time on planning for relegation. That’s not something we want to do'.
Then you are even more stupid than I ever imagined.
'We think we have a significant chance still to stay in the league. With the help of the fans we can do that. If they stay behind the team then we can do it'.
That's it, start getting the excuses in early. If we go down you're going to say it's the fans fault for not getting behind the team, aren't you?
'There are two aspects to solving the problem. The first aspect is very short term - to put all the chances to stay up in the Championship on our side. That’s the main priority'.
What chances?
'And the second part of it is the lessons learned. What we did wrong this year and see how we improve for the next seasons'.
Why did you not learn these lessons in the previous season?
'We have sometimes made the same mistakes again. But in my businesses we have a culture of learning from mistakes. This is very common in industry. If you don’t do that you are stupid'.
You said it!
'The main point here is that we don’t have enough leeway to cope with our mistakes. Other clubs have much bigger squads and even if they make the same mistakes as we do, they still can cope because of that'.
Don't make it sound as if it's by chance. It's down to your mismanagement.
'We chose in the beginning to not have such a large squad for two reasons. One to give enough chances to the academy players. The second reason is that if your squad is too big...that means only one in three players are happy at the beginning of the game'.
And your secret reason, that you think we haven't guessed, because players cost money.
'It’s a balancing act between a smaller squad - more opportunity to play and the risk of injuries - or having a very large number of players and creating this frustration'.
Don't make it sound like it's an either/or situation. There's a Goldilocks scenario here and your porridge was too cold.
'We thought when we had a lot of injuries we would fix that with loan players. But that appears to be quite difficult too'.
Especially if you don't have the first clue about football and have no proper scouting network in place.
'It’s better to have your work in order at the beginning of the season rather than to rely on loans'.
No shit, Sherlock. I'm sure we can all rest assured that you'll get it right next season then, won't you.
'I fully understand their feelings. But the conclusion that I should sell is a bit too quick'.
Just 'a bit' too quick. This is the best news of all. It's so good to hear that your not planning on a long term future here.
'Now we’re in a crisis situation and it is the right time to get to learn each other - to work together'.
So, if there was no crisis situation you wouldn't want to learn or to work together?
'I still feel I have the ability to be a very big asset to the club'.
In what way? There's been precious little evidence so far.
'I diverted this email to my CEO to handle it. It is only five or six months later it became clear that what he wanted to talk about was a takeover of the club'.
Why did it take her 5 months to establish that? She could have done it with a 5 minute phone call. And why did you not have the professionalism to explain that to Mr Varney?
'I can certainly say she never meant to hurt anybody'
You admit she's hurt people, then. When's she going to stop hurting people?
'Charlton is something she lives for'
Don't talk bollocks. When she came here she told us she was a St Truiden fan. Since then we've seen no evidence that she understands anything about football. If she 'lives for Charton', why is she poncing 'round the planet going to media conferences and pretending she's some sort of leadership guru? If she really lived for Charlton, why does she not bother even responding to the emails of Charlton fans?
'She has done extremely good work so far in all sorts of things. I’m very happy with it'.
What good things? What! You are happy with this mess?!?!?!
'Richard is, in my view, the ultimate fan - because he also put money where his mouth and his heart was'.
Oh, do fuck off! If there is an 'ultimate fan' it is Seb Lewis. But the truth is that there are thousands of us who spend more time thinking about Charlton, supporting Charlton and who spend a far bigger proportion of their disposable income on Charlton than Richard Murray. And we do that because they genuinely love the club, not because they want to claw their loan money back. I don't want to knock what Mr Murray has done in the past, but don't insult us by calling him the ultimate fan. Anyway, doesn't he support Wolves?
Im done! Rolland the protests we have planned - you fully deserve now!
Prepare to feel the force of the dark side and all that!
If there's one thing this lot are occasionally able to do, it's give a highly controlled interview.
The only problem is that the reality they offer has always been miles away from the things they say and the gap is only ever going to get larger at this rate
Recruiting academy managers as head coach because they're good with kids is a bit like asking teachers to run your business because you want to encourage apprentices.
Building a squad in the way he's described is like imagining that your business can be happily run by the apprentices if you lose your senior staff.
He's swallowed Katrien's guff saying this is all about results.
Hands up whose ambition is limited to being the nicest club in London?
No plans for relegation? Then that will be a horrible surprise for him in May won't it.
Didn't understand the investment opportunity but no-one bothered to ask Varney in 3 months? Yeah, that's Varney's fault alright - even so, does that excuse her handling of it?
And so on. I've never been more convinced that we need a change in ownership.
They say if you don't laugh, you'd cry eh...
Agreed re Crawley's handling of the interview. Never was the phrase "Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself" more apt. Congratulations Richard, top top work.
It was £3m
On saying that their "not preparing for relegation", isn't that what every owner/Chairman/manager says? Behind the scenes I'm sure he IS aware of the financial implications
I don't know how we will get through to him though as he seems completely devoid of feelings.
with Peter Varney; a man who was in charge of the day to day running Of CAFC when they reached 4th in the premier League, and were held up in the football world as a good example of a well run club.
Also was that your decision to string him along for 3 months,
or was that your CEO Call.
A. ?
Can beat politicos, can't beat ego.
What is ironic is that I could also have predicted the reaction, on here, to his comments.
It is now going to be a drawn out battle between him and those running the protests. My prediction, as unpopular as it will be here, is that the CARD will run out of money long before he does and the longer it goes on the more fans will give up with the protests as they won't see any appreciable result.
I know my thoughts will be unpopular but I'm not sure we have a representative sample of all of the fan base on Charlton Life and I think that there are quite a few people that are relatively happy to hope for the best while doing nothing, personally, to affect change. I also think that we are seeing a wider split in the fans as I read/hear of more disagreements, and rows, between protesters and fans that 'just want the best for the club'.
There is also a new, and undesirable, anger towards any fans that don't agree with the protesters views. I've read a lot of spiteful and, in come cases, aggressive comments, aimed at those that have a different opinion and the tone of some of the posts is a million miles away from the family club that we used to be.
The club should be built around its core fanbase, attracting daytrippers is unsustainable.