So, as we know, Roland doesn't mind if we don't win. He just wants us to be a "nice" club, whatever that means. He's "sad" we are at the bottom, but he's not planning for relegation. They're still working on the "unique football experience" but it seems to be something to do with record breaking winless streaks at home, and who can fail to forget the unique experience of Colchester, Huddersfield and Hull away in the same week.
So, what does "success" look like under Roland? We probably know what it isn't. It certainly isn't winning football matches; it certainly isn't having competent managers ("Head Coaches"), although in the last two years we have had our own Alex Ferguson, and a long line of managerial appointments, each one better than the last, improving our "ranking in the process. It certainly isn't having a competent CEO. It certainly isn't having players with Championship experience, or having a manager (sorry, Head Coach) with Championship experience. It certainly isn't understanding that football is a team sport which requires someone capable of building a team who can play together, complement each other and have "team spirit" (remember that?).
It maybe involves thinking that if you just throw any old combination of players together that it will somehow "do". The "customers" will be satisfied with that, especially if some of those players are the "stars of the future" who go on to grace the subs benches and treatment couches of Premier League clubs.
What we do know is that Roland wants to break even. His experiment is to see if it is possible to own a football club and break even and because he is a visionary, he thinks he know how to do it. And this is where we get to the key part of what success looks like to Roland. It would seem that if Charlton can break even, that would mean that Roland was right all along and everyone else was walking out of step.
Tantalisingly, he probably feels it is just within his reach, this breaking even thing. Now Lookman is signed up to a new deal, this means we can look to sell him at the end of this season for at least £3m (like Gomez), and maybe even more if you add the premium you can expect for a striker. Selling Lookman takes us closer to breaking even, taking us closer to success under Roland.
It doesn't matter if, in the process, we go down.
So, in Roland's eyes, the operation was a success.
He is not concerned that the patient died.
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Comments
- We are not planning for relegation.
- it could be worse, imagine if a Chinese Billionaire owned us.
The evidence for what his ambition for the club is can be gleaned here
( this is from another thread but offers up a picture of Roland's blueprint for running a football club.)
Dreke373 said:
Hi Charlton fans
I'm a fan of one of Roland Duchatelet's teams: K Sint-Truidense VV.
STVV is a club that played for years in the Belgian top flight. In search for extra money (let's say 10 years ago) our Commercial Manager wrote a letter to the top-100 richest Belgians. That's how RD got involved in our club in a sponsordeal. As years went by RD became the president of our club. He managed to buy the football ground and the grounds around it. A few years ago he built a new stand with shops, offices, a hotel etc. The year of the construction we were relegated but got promoted after one year in the second division. Our goalkeeper that year was Simon Mignolet. Yep, now at Liverpool FC.
He took over Ujpest in Hungaria. His son Roderick is president over there.
When Standard Liège was for sale, he jumped on that wagon. Since you can not own two teams in one flight, he "gave" STVV to his wife Marieke Hofte. We got relegated due to a lack of investment and now still play in the second division. A new stand is being built at the moment. Google on "Stayen".
He took over another second division team (Tubize) and a few weeks ago Jena as you all know.
To round up. He owns (or is involved in):
- Standard de Liège
- Sint-Truiden VV
- Tubize AFC
- Carl Zeiss Jena
- Ujpest FC
That is a brief (and incomplete) round up of his history in football.
What I think you all should know:
- He bought the grounds around Staaien for peanuts from the city council. He's transforming the ground into something multifunctional. The benefits go straight into his pockets. No bennefit for the club.
- After huge protest against him in Liège, he announced he would put the club up for sale. Nothing happened since. Of course the results of Standard (first in the league) helps him with that.
- Between Sint-Truiden, Tubize and Standard players switch very often. It's no exception when there are 4 to 5 five players on loan from Standard at Sint-Truiden. None are of real added value.
- The president of STVV is a close friend and businesspartner of Duchatelet.
What I want to warn you for:
- Charlton will be just one link in his football club imperium.
- Duchatelet is often seen as an idiot in football matters. But no one can deny he is a genious in businesses.
- At first, we were delighted to see him arrive at our club. 10 years later, he is the worst thing that could have happened to us. We don't own our own ground any more (it's like a bird locked up in a golden cage), we got relegated to second devision thanks to his policy and now he still has his shadow hanging over us. I honestly believe he wants us to stay there because that's better for him.
- He got me that far that I am doubting to buy a season ticket in the future. I'm disgusted by him and his accomplices who don't fear lieing straight in the fans' faces at supporters meetings.
What I would like to know from you:
- Are there any plans for a new ground at Charlton? Because that's what is importent for him in Sint-Truiden and Liège. I can not speak for Ujpest, Zena and Tubize.
A fiew last remarks:
- I have the feeling that the bigger part of the Sint-Truiden fans have the same view as me. Altough I'm not sure. But there are also people who believe he has saved our club.
- This is only a very brief round up. It is far more complicated than this. So if you have questions, just ask them. I'll try to visit your forum on a regular basis.
- Maybe he brings you back to the Premier League, maybe he destroys you completely. No one knows. Maybe we will see Charlton players in Sint-Truiden, Zena, Liège and Tubize. Or the other way around. No one knows.
- With this post, I only want to prevent you guys from (potentially) misplaced euforia.
- I did my best to express myself in English. That's what we do. :-) Please don't botter on general remarks about Belgians like the ones in a post in this treath. They are short-sighted.
KM told us Roland doesn't do failure.
The only winner at CAFC will be Roland.
If you genuinely believe this is in any way a motive for him or some master business plan then may I suggest you wire me £100K and I will give you £3K in interest, but remember you have to wire me £100K each and every year for me to do this. The upside being that if some time in the future, I win the lottery, you can have all the winnings.
Henderson £250k
Fox £250k
Bauer £500k
Teixiera £500k
Cousins £1.5m
Kashi £500k
Vetokele £1m
Watt £1m
Gudmundsson £2m
Lookman £3m
Then we can release Reza, Motta, Diarra, Fanni, give free transfer to Sarr, Ba, Ceballos and Bergdich, and send back loanees Makienok, Sanogo, Suk-Young, and Poyet leaving us with a squad which consists of -
Pope, Mitov, Phillips, Beeney
Solly, Charles-Cook
Holmes-Dennis, Edwards
Lennon, Johnson, Thomas, Obileye
Jackson, Muldoon, Lapslie, Konsa,
Hanlon, Piggott, Harriott, Umerah, Kennedy, Ahearne-Grant
The annual salaries for that lot will be well within Roland's break even target, so that will be success to him!
Probably can't even do that successfully. More often than not follows through :-)))))))