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Roland the MAN!

C4FC4L1f3C4FC4L1f3
edited February 2016 in General Charlton
I thought I would share a story with you guys from the Belgium trip.

Whilst sitting in sint-truiden station waiting for my train I went to the Café/bar to have a coke, I handed the bar man a leaflet to explain my CAFC shirt. There were a few at the bar and a few behind it and they were all very interested. One of them told me a story about Roland. I have no way to verify this but apparently it is very well known in Belgium.

Basically Roland invited the mayor of sint-truiden to the STVV stadium when he was getting it built to show him around. When they were walking around Roland's shoe tore at the sole, he was not very happy apparently, so said excuse me and stormed off, he came back and had wrapped duct tape around his shoe to repair the damage and continued his presentation to the mayor and co.

A Week or so later the mayor returned the favour and invited him to a very classy restaurant "Michelin star" apparently. Anyway they were all sitting waiting for Roland to turn up when he came in with worn jeans a tee-shirt and the same repaired shoes that he had on for the stadium tour.

I remembered the name was Ludwig because of Ludwig Beethoven and low and behold today I found out in 2011 Ludwig Vandenhove was the mayor of sint-truiden. That’s also the time the stadium was under development and stuff. So there maybe truth to this story.

What the guy said to me is that Roland is the most frugal man and is very renowned for it and holds cash above most things in life. The consensus not just from this guy but from most people we met across there is that he is a very good business man but is completely clueless when it comes to football.

Love him or hate him I think we can all agree this man is a man and he can and will be beaten to sell our beloved club!

If he stays he will not change his mind or his plan of that I’m 100% sure! And I’m sorry but in football his plan is flawed BIGTIME! It sounds great but it is a fantasy!

I found it an amazing insight though and hope you do too.
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Comments

  • Weegie AddickWeegie Addick
    Fits with the image of him on the train from his recent visit.

    He won't like you misspelling his name, though - KM always calls him "the owner" because she doesn't think fans can pronounce his name properly - guess it should be "Ro-Lon" with a rolled R. What a shame and another way to annoy him.
  • BowieAddickBowieAddick
    Tight b*stard
  • C4FC4L1f3C4FC4L1f3
    stupid autocorrect- fixed :)
  • Dave2lDave2l
    What a strange person.

    Doesn't make me think anymore or less of him but that is a mental problem almost like a drug.

    Lemonade lifestyle on champagne wages?

    Well then losing 6mil running charlton every year....huh?
  • Hovi's BiscuitHovi's Biscuit
    Ross said:

    He'll be the richest man in the graveyard.

    Someone should tell him that you can't take it with you (although maybe he thinks he has found a way around that too!)
  • Brendan_O_ConnellBrendan_O_Connell
    Someone should tell him about the £200m he'll get by shelling out a fraction of his investment to get us into the Premier League.
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  • RothkoRothko
    Wants to be the richest man in the graveyard, what an achievement
  • MountsfieldParkMountsfieldPark
    I read that he comes from Flemish farming stock. Also, undeniably, he was born into a post-WW2 world where they had Nazis riding around shortly before and where food and materials were still often scarce. Those are the kind of things that leave a mark on a child's character. It's a bit like him living up to expectations because he's from down-to-earth, hard-nosed Yorkshire farming folk. Fwiw, that's my take on it.

    Also, he had 6 kids by two exes, so he probably has plenty of family to provide for by now, and does not necessarily mean to take it with him.
  • soapy_jonessoapy_jones
    Mendonca In Asdas said:

    If we buy him a new pair of shoes , will he bugger off.

    Clown shoes?
  • happyvalleyhappyvalley
    Mendonca In Asdas said:

    If we buy him a new pair of shoes , will he bugger off.

    Or a dishwasher.
  • Covered EndCovered End
    PragueAddick said:

    I certainly believe this story. A story in the press said he does not own a dishwasher. Because washing up together is "quality time" with his wife. What she thought of this, when she has to wash up on her own after breakfast or lunch, was not recorded.

    Ah, but has he got a washing machine, which he may need after he's dealt with the poo parcels ?
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  • Covered EndCovered End
    Goonerhater said:

    so if he is that tight with dosh why not at least listen to an offer that may make him a profit on his investment ( PV) ?

    its ego not dosh with this guy

    Definitely more ego than dosh, but nothing is black & white.
  • TunwellsaddickTunwellsaddick
    Duct tape on his shoes. Classy.
  • GarrymanilowGarrymanilow
    happyvalley said:

    Mendonca In Asdas said:

    If we buy him a new pair of shoes , will he bugger off.

    Or a dishwasher.
    I think if we get him a dishwasher his wife will bugger off
  • GoldyboysGoldyboys
    A glance at his yellow stained teeth tells a story. What's Belgian for Scrooge?
  • GlassHalfFullGlassHalfFull

    IIRC, when RD was first being made known to us he was said to enjoy d-i-y.

    His address as recently given on here appears on Google Streetview as a modest bungalow, not really what you'd expect of a tycoon.

    Maybe this frugality does indeed stem from his family background and in particular the harsh wartime years. Sint-Truiden has always been an important centre for horticulture (food never scarce), and as with the Dutch those hungry years have left an everlasting impression.

    "There were 150 of us living in 't shoebox in middle o' road"....

  • Covered EndCovered End
    Goldyboys said:

    A glance at his yellow stained teeth tells a story. What's Belgian for Scrooge?

    Yes. I was going to say the same. Presumably, he refuses to pay for toothpaste.
  • Dazzler21Dazzler21
    Or he's drinking the blood of kittens and puppies on a daily basis... I know what I believe!
  • seth plumseth plum
    GlassHalfFull said:




    "There were 150 of us living in 't shoebox in middle o' road"....

    Luxury.
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Roland Out Forever!