READ and REACT: SLP ARTICLES - RD
Comments
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Respect your view Kings Hill Addick, but I think the percentage of 'fans' that are staying away is of an incredibly tiny proportion in comparison to those who are staying away because of the dozens of negative things highlighted about the club's ownership and management, I also suspect those that 'just want to watch the football' are more impacted by the sh*te that has been served up on the pitch rather than the protests.kings hill addick said:
Having said that I suspect that there are some fans that are not interested in CARD or the protests that are deciding to give up going because of the atmosphere among the support.seth plum said:They want a target 20,000 initiative whilst driving fans away.
How does that work?
Is that what you mean Kings Hill Addick by the concept of wanting the best for the club?
I realise that some of those involved in CARD believe that it is worth almost anything to get Roland out. Losing fans that just want to come along to watch the football and/or being relegated are deemed to be an acceptable price of 'winning the war' for some.
Its interesting you would choose to highlight the protests as such a big negative though. We were struggling in the relegation places before the protests.
To be honest, the protests so far have been mainly on the soft side, largely because there are still a fair percentage of supporters that don't want to negatively impact during games on the team and its performance. This is likely to change as the season progresses, particularly if we get closer to relegation.
Why are the protests so important before the end of this season?
Because for many, many long-term fans this will be the last season-ticket they will possess unless there is change. You're right that CARD may not have any money next season to dress up protests with gimmicks etc, but it also might not have anywhere near as many people on a matchday to carry out those protests because the people just won't be there any more.
Then it will be interesting to see what those that 'just want to watch the football' feel when watching youngsters no-where near ready for League football it in a soulless, near empty stadium.
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RD has the temerity to deny the problems surrounding KM and RM. He then identifies certain other problems (by astutely looking at the league table) and then comes up with absolutely nothing in terms of a rescue plan.
He has zero knowledge of football and refuses to employ the people who have the requisite management skills. IMO he is terrified of having his autocratic rule challenged or even questioned. This weakness will never go away. We need him out.
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I'm by no way backing the owner he has cocked up royally on the playing front from the moment he stepped through the door.
However for a man that's carried out business on a massive scale it seems they made one monumental error when acquiring this club.
I firmly believe he felt the FFP was gonna have a massive impact and that with clubs living within there means he could sustain a healthy club based on this.
As this has firmly been pushed aside or flaunted by several clubs in our division and the weak FA running he has found himself a new proposition that he does not know how to tackle.
Having read the interview there's nothing new or revealing and is just lip service to placate the continually irate fans
We are desperately in need of Roland to put aside more funds or sell up
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It won't happen. There's no toxic atmosphere at Fulham. Yes, they're in a bit of trouble financially, but it's still a good day out by the river. I know neutrals that live nearby that have stopped going to The Valley. Charlton fans or not, these people are football fans and they're no mugs Mr Duchatelet, they know exactly what you're up to. Time to go. You've failed. Again and again.TEL said:I think he wants to turn us into Fulham (they have the tourist/day tripper stand).....and we fell for it with the black and white scarves....
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Can't agree with that, because it's more like 80 per cent of the fanbase that is lined up against him and you can't operate the club in that situation, but he's said nothing that will mitigate that. What he's demonstrated is that far from being a great intelligence behind the project, there's a disconnected fool who understands neither the extent nor the nature of the problem.ValleyMick said:Competent and well executed piece of PR. It's not designed to change the minds of the 2%. In my view it's been done to support KM and RM and to protect RD's business reputation.
RD (or more likely RD's advisers- I don't get the impression he spends much time thinking about the Charlton project) will probably be pleased with the SLP coverage. Presumably it will be used in Belgium too.
I understand the 'we're not planning for relegation' response. It's a Catch 22 question. However if KM hasn't done so already, the financial impact of relegation and any mitigations will worked through.
I agree it's mostly bollocks. Apart from the Academy there's no ambition for the club on show. Lessons aren't being learnt. Roland still doesn't understand how football works. Things will continue to deteriorate with RD, KM and footstool Murray. League 1 is calling us. League 2 will follow if the experiment is repeated with less money.
I picked up a couple of points from RD's direct quotes. First, he accepts his responsibility as owner for our league position, but invites the reader to mostly blame KM and RD. Second, although he is not ready to sell us yet, he does not regard the issue as a no-go subject.
My view is that he'll sell eventually once he realises that the Charlton project won't make money in League 1 and there is a risk of relegation (and increased losses) to League 2. Once he's gone the task of rebuilding the club can begin.
I don't expect him to acknowledge the weakness of the individuals around him, but it is too late for all of them. He would have been better off saying nothing.
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I think she did say that you can't run a football club like a regular commercial enterprise. I agree with Roly there. But it was framed in such a way as to say 'how ridiculous...that you can't run a football club like a regular commercial enterprise'.Miserableoldgit said:"- and it hurts her tremendously to be attacked that way by some fans.
“She didn’t say what some people claim she said. She explained that running a football club is totally different to running another business. And in fact she used the word ‘weird’ in describing the difference between running a regular business and running a football club, because your customers are not really customers.
“Some people, for some reason, turned around 180-degree what she really meant to say. She said you cannot run a football club like a regular commercial enterprise."
So, what did she say ?
They can play with the words now all they like by selecting bits and pieces to quote out of context (which, to be fair, fans have done too) but if you watch the interview, it was quite clear to me that she was ridiculing the differences not acknowledging and respecting them. The use of the word 'weird' is testimony to that (though she now tries to replace that with 'unique' when 'directly quoting' herself at the fans forum).
I work in a business that has become increasingly consumer focused over the past year or two, we've spent a ton of money trying to understand what makes our biggest consumers tick and we would kill for consumers with the kind of brand loyalty that the weirdo customers of Charlton have. Anyone that publicly ridiculed them or described them as weird would probably find themselves seeking new employment shortly afterwards.
The most ridiculous thing is that in so many ways, you could run a football club like one of the more progressive commercial enterprises. You seek to understand and delight your core consumers, you understand the best ways to recruit new ones and how to make them loyal too. There are anomalies for sure but one of the key differences is that football clubs have a group of fanatics that most businesses would kill for. KM has done a fabulous job of repeatedly pissing off that very group that she inherited. On that basis, if Charlton were run like a commercial enterprise as she desires then she'd be making it to a lot more St Truiden home games.11 -
Certainly hasn't changed his tune at all and leaves me feeling no happier about the future of our great club.
On a bit of a seperate note - fair play to Rich and the SLP for running with this - obviously Rich can only write what RD says and perhaps therefore opens himself up to criticism where perhaps people will be upset that Roland wasn't reduced to a quivering wreck, crying that his experiment is failing etc - but the fact is that if this is how Roland feels, that things aren't as bad as they seem etc then no matter what Rich asks, RD is going to continue along saying what he wants to say.
This is a good bit of work from Rich and arguably further exposes RD for the deluded views he seemingly holds.29 -
In reply to AFKA protests next season will have to be coordinated to matches where those of us staying away agree to attend en masse to ensure said protests are successful. If those who say they are not going to renew actually don't then actual dissenters will be very thin on the ground.4
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@Stig
'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.
This is trotted out by RD and KM to deflect from acknowledging their incompetence. Like they don't know the difference between a strategy and an objective they don't know the difference between a virus and the symptoms of flu. Duchatelet is a virus that has infected our club and thinks the problem is a dislike of snotty tissues.7 -
A live interview with him on TV or radio would be good. He'd get torn to pieces.LouisMend said:Certainly hasn't changed his tune at all and leaves me feeling no happier about the future of our great club.
On a bit of a seperate note - fair play to Rich and the SLP for running with this - obviously Rich can only write what RD says and perhaps therefore opens himself up to criticism where perhaps people will be upset that Roland wasn't reduced to a quivering wreck, crying that his experiment is failing etc - but the fact is that if this is how Roland feels, that things aren't as bad as they seem etc then no matter what Rich asks, RD is going to continue along saying what he wants to say.
This is a good bit of work from Rich and arguably further exposes RD for the deluded views he seemingly holds.
Not that he'd be prepared to do that...1 -
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“I have to put something straight. It was an email which he sent and it read as follows ‘can we talk about an investment opportunity in Charlton’. Now, what is an investment opportunity? Maybe they want to invest in a new billboard or I don’t know.
“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. Such enquiries from middlemen we get every couple of weeks”
This email came from Peter Varney, not some west African email asking for a loan while he get clearance on his money.
Peter Varney: remember the guy, who was in charge when we were a beckon of light to the rest of English football and reached 4th in the Premiership on the pitch and 1st off the Pitch ?
Why throw that blueprint away ?
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The first season when Jose came he was really only an interim because that’s the idea we had at the beginning. He was then willing to stay, which was something not really expected but, okay, it was very interesting.
“We seriously considered that possibility too. One of the things which triggered us to take Bob Peeters was that he had an experience of the Championship as a player. He was a young coach and also somebody not afraid at all to play with young players - that was a movement in that direction already.
“Okay it didn’t finally work out. Guy Luzon was a coach who had a track record of working with young players in Israel before - he was very successful with them at Standard Liege also - and that was the reason we took Guy.
“Karel Fraeye has been the academy manager of Gent, who became champions last season in Belgium. He also very good knowledge of working with young players and was willing to do so. He brought in players that other coaches would never have done, I think, and successfully.”
I don't get this at all!! All the above used academy players, they got injured, lost form and confidence, and we had no experienced players to help....his methodology is flawed.....and has been shown not to work by 5managerscoaches. Yet that is his business plan.....good god man you call yourself a businessman? do me a favour!!7 -
Even if it was a new billboard, would the club not bother to listen? They're really concerned about margins on cups of tea but can't be bothered to listen to commercial investment opportunities.soapboxsam said:“I have to put something straight. It was an email which he sent and it read as follows ‘can we talk about an investment opportunity in Charlton’. Now, what is an investment opportunity? Maybe they want to invest in a new billboard or I don’t know.
“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. Such enquiries from middlemen we get every couple of weeks”
This email came from Peter Varney, not some west African email asking for a loan while he get clearance on his money.
Peter Varney: remember the guy, who was in charge when we were a beckon of light to the rest of English football and reached 4th in the Premiership on the pitch and 1st off the Pitch ?
Why throw that blueprint away ?2 -
Do Protests have to be at The Valley? It sounds stupid I know, but having a shit attendance at The Valley for a League 1 match and having them have to shell out money to have stewards bussed over to Sparrows Lane, and police stationed there in addition to The Valley, may be more impactful with regards to costs incurred and press coverage too.LargeAddick said:In reply to AFKA protests next season will have to be coordinated to matches where those of us staying away agree to attend en masse to ensure said protests are successful. If those who say they are not going to renew actually don't then actual dissenters will be very thin on the ground.
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How did she handle it, Roland? Even if she thought it was a billboard, she could have sent a junior member of staff. Instead she listened to Richard Murray, who in turn bragged that he'd prevented them talking to him, then denied all knowledge of the approach when the Voice came out, until it was pointed out to him he was copied into the emails.soapboxsam said:“I have to put something straight. It was an email which he sent and it read as follows ‘can we talk about an investment opportunity in Charlton’. Now, what is an investment opportunity? Maybe they want to invest in a new billboard or I don’t know.
“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. Such enquiries from middlemen we get every couple of weeks”
This email came from Peter Varney, not some west African email asking for a loan while he get clearance on his money.
Peter Varney: remember the guy, who was in charge when we were a beckon of light to the rest of English football and reached 4th in the Premiership on the pitch and 1st off the Pitch ?
Why throw that blueprint away ?19 -
I think the thing with Roland we all agree with is, 'he just don't get it'.
And the fundamental problem is, he never will. He has Richard Murray telling him 'its just a messageboard thing', and Katrien telling him the same, and attendances not really showing a massive impact (largely due to our ST model).
Whether he'll 'get it' when attendances plummet next season, i really don't know. My fear is he won't and incorrectly think its all down to results.6 -
I didn't get a lot of sleep last night so lost concentration.0
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Fair play to Cawley for rocking up in black and white.
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On Glynne's list some time ago I decided, to amuse myself, to describe the regime in terms of STDs... Because they were ruining any hopes I had of enjoying myself at the weekends.Dippenhall said:@Stig
'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.
This is trotted out by RD and KM to deflect from acknowledging their incompetence. Like they don't know the difference between a strategy and an objective they don't know the difference between a virus and the symptoms of flu. Duchatelet is a virus that has infected our club and thinks the problem is a dislike of snotty tissues.
Duchatelet - Syphilis
Meire - Chlamydia
Fraeye - Herpes (though given his abilities, he was probably more of a simplex cold sore).
It was infantile, I know, but it made me feel better for a while....1 -
I wonder if Katrien has dared to share the last Trust survey results with him re season ticket renewal? That might give them an inkling if they take it seriously.AFKABartram said:I think the thing with Roland we all agree with is, 'he just don't get it'.
And the fundamental problem is, he never will. He has Richard Murray telling him 'its just a messageboard thing', and Katrien telling him the same, and attendances not really showing a massive impact (largely due to our ST model).
Whether he'll 'get it' when attendances plummet next season, i really don't know. My fear is he won't and incorrectly think its all down to results.
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I've just read the interview. the bit that made me laugh out loud was him believing that Varneys investment might be for a billboard. to even admit to that and then to admit that your CEO then does nothing to find out what it's about for 5-6 months even after several more follow up emails. what kind of fucking two-bob operation are they running there?7
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Yes, a load of tripe keep the protests going but, unlike you, it is pretty much what I expected!DOUCHER said:Not what I thought was gonna b in it - a load of tripe - now fully back behind the protests
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Trash!0
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I think they are aware and worried hence them bringing old Roly here to speak, but like everything else they have done it has not worked because simply they either dont understand or more likely cant show they understand because it would show how floored the plan is and they will not move away from his plan.Weegie Addick said:
I wonder if Katrien has dared to share the last Trust survey results with him re season ticket renewal? That might give them an inkling if they take it seriously.AFKABartram said:I think the thing with Roland we all agree with is, 'he just don't get it'.
And the fundamental problem is, he never will. He has Richard Murray telling him 'its just a messageboard thing', and Katrien telling him the same, and attendances not really showing a massive impact (largely due to our ST model).
Whether he'll 'get it' when attendances plummet next season, i really don't know. My fear is he won't and incorrectly think its all down to results.
We have to continue to protest to now by ST next year if need be until it is no longer viable for him to be here and sell up.0 -
When a successful business gets into trouble, its rarely down to the staff or junior management. Its down to the Owners / Directors or Chief Exec making the wrong calls in terms of strategy / direction. Everyone makes mistakes but the good businesses spot this quickly and make changes. Ultimately the key person running a business (Chief Exec / Managing Director) has to be strong, know their stuff and sometimes be ruthless.Dippenhall said:@Stig
'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.
This is trotted out by RD and KM to deflect from acknowledging their incompetence. Like they don't know the difference between a strategy and an objective they don't know the difference between a virus and the symptoms of flu. Duchatelet is a virus that has infected our club and thinks the problem is a dislike of snotty tissues.
I am not happy being bottom of the league, but my main reason for being up-happy is the the weak management and poor strategy.3 -
Duchatelet knows full well we're not protesting because of results. This is pure damage limitation from him.2
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I acknowledge that disagreeing with you is like a Catholic arguing with the pope...Airman Brown said:
Can't agree with that, because it's more like 80 per cent of the fanbase that is lined up against him and you can't operate the club in that situation, but he's said nothing that will mitigate that. What he's demonstrated is that far from being a great intelligence behind the project, there's a disconnected fool who understands neither the extent nor the nature of the problem.ValleyMick said:Competent and well executed piece of PR. It's not designed to change the minds of the 2%. In my view it's been done to support KM and RM and to protect RD's business reputation.
RD (or more likely RD's advisers- I don't get the impression he spends much time thinking about the Charlton project) will probably be pleased with the SLP coverage. Presumably it will be used in Belgium too.
I don't expect him to acknowledge the weakness of the individuals around him, but it is too late for all of them. He would have been better off saying nothing.
Of course neither of us know what Roland was trying to achieve. I suspect that most neutrals after reading a few sentences would believe that Roland is a competent, thoughtful, reasonably intelligent owner of a football club. I also suspect that the majority of Charlton's less active fans wouldn't be alarmed by what Roland has said.
So far the SLP interview Is positive coverage for the club and there's no obvious slip-ups. So yes, a competent, well executed bit of PR and if the team can manage a few wins this month, the protests will quieten down for a while.
Most fans will be unhappy about our league position, the prospect of relegation, poor results, lack of quality on the pitch, poor atmosphere and so on. I don't believe that 80% blame the owner and I certainly don't think that 80% are 'lined up against' the owner.
I do agree with those posters that point out that Charlton Life is not representative of our fanbase. We're a minority (anorak ultras) that attach a disproportionate importance to a football club* to which we probably have a slightly irrational attachment to.
The interview hasn't changed how I feel at all, but then the interview wasn't aimed at me- or you.
I'll now go and say a few Hail Marys...
* Edit6 -
FOR blasphemy like that, you might want to add a few Acts of Contrition....ValleyMick said:
I acknowledge that disagreeing with you is like a Catholic arguing with the pope...Airman Brown said:
Can't agree with that, because it's more like 80 per cent of the fanbase that is lined up against him and you can't operate the club in that situation, but he's said nothing that will mitigate that. What he's demonstrated is that far from being a great intelligence behind the project, there's a disconnected fool who understands neither the extent nor the nature of the problem.ValleyMick said:Competent and well executed piece of PR. It's not designed to change the minds of the 2%. In my view it's been done to support KM and RM and to protect RD's business reputation.
RD (or more likely RD's advisers- I don't get the impression he spends much time thinking about the Charlton project) will probably be pleased with the SLP coverage. Presumably it will be used in Belgium too.
I don't expect him to acknowledge the weakness of the individuals around him, but it is too late for all of them. He would have been better off saying nothing.
Of course neither of us know what Roland was trying to achieve. I suspect that most neutrals after reading a few sentences would believe that Roland is a competent, thoughtful, reasonably intelligent owner of a football club. I also suspect that the majority of Charlton's less active fans wouldn't be alarmed by what Roland has said.
So far the SLP interview Is positive coverage for the club and there's no obvious slip-ups. So yes, a competent, well executed bit of PR and if the team can manage a few wins this month, the protests will quieten down for a while.
Most fans will be unhappy about our league position, the prospect of relegation, poor results, lack of quality on the pitch, poor atmosphere and so on. I don't believe that 80% blame the owner and I certainly don't think that 80% are 'lined up against' the owner.
I do agree with those posters that point out that Charlton Life is not representative of our fanbase. We're a minority (anorak ultras) that attach a disproportionate importance to a football to which we probably have a slightly irrational attachment to.
The interview hasn't changed how I feel at all, but then the interview wasn't aimed at me- or you.
I'll now go and say a few Hail Marys...1 -
Still think the most effective protest would be to storm the boardroom and smash the place up.1
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@NornIrishAddick : FOR blasphemy like that, you might want to add a few Acts of Contrition....
Quite right. Bless me Airman for I have sinned....1
