I just have this nagging concern over whether this is actually Driesen - after all, his English is too colloquial for me - after all, who, outside the UK would start their sentence with 'Nahh' - and i'm fairly sure there was a similar word/phrase that was used before that didnt seem right to a non-English first language speaker. There's something not quite right about this.
Well I was suspicious too, for similar reasons (as well as the fact that his Twittering does virtually nothing to promote his supposed professional skills). However if you look back to @LouisMend replies on this thread you see that the guy running this account provided foto evidence (including official Belgian ID card), which matched the fotos from the Belgian article etc. So I think it is him, beyond any reasonable doubt.
But what that means is that he really is not very clever at all, another truly ridiculous vanity appointment by RD who again shows his semi-detached relationship with the human race. I would say that this Twitter account is mainly aimed at us, an shows the maturity of someone even younger than he apparently is. I think it is worth the focus because the entire Driesen story shows the wider world how ridiculous (and damaging) RD is as a football club owner.
I just have this nagging concern over whether this is actually Driesen - after all, his English is too colloquial for me - after all, who, outside the UK would start their sentence with 'Nahh' - and i'm fairly sure there was a similar word/phrase that was used before that didnt seem right to a non-English first language speaker. There's something not quite right about this.
Well I was suspicious too, for similar reasons (as well as the fact that his Twittering does virtually nothing to promote his supposed professional skills). However if you look back to @LouisMend replies on this thread you see that the guy running this account provided foto evidence (including official Belgian ID card), which matched the fotos from the Belgian article etc. So I think it is him, beyond any reasonable doubt.
But what that means is that he really is not very clever at all, another truly ridiculous vanity appointment by RD who again shows his semi-detached relationship with the human race. I would say that this Twitter account is mainly aimed at us, an shows the maturity of someone even younger than he apparently is. I think it is worth the focus because the entire Driesen story shows the wider world how ridiculous (and damaging) RD is as a football club owner.
It is worth repeating that both Driesen and Meire inveigled their way into Duchatelet's confidence by e-mailing him with left-field ideas which Duchatelet has a penchant for picking up and running with irrespective of any criticism this bizarre business approach attracts. This is nothing new of course but it does demonstrate the cavalier attitude which RD adopts when dealing with enterprises beyond his core business.
In a way his appointment of Driesen as a football scout far exceeds and exposes his fundamental lack of nous (and/or his liking to shock those in whose industry he has crash landed in) than that of Meire. At least Meire, with some experience in European competition law, came forward with ideas to assist him with the take-over of various clubs when RD was at Standard Leige whereas Driesen was/is a self-confessed football freak who ensconced himself in his room with packets of Pringles and a laptop and proceeded to create the first purely internet-reliant football scout - no overheads of course - no silly travelling half-way across Europe to some Greek 3rd division encounter only to find it was a wild-goose chase. No - instead hot coffee and hot waffles bought upstairs by his mum to his room at regular intervals and once part of the RD empire a supply of 'corporate' clothing including a Charlton hoodie and a very tasteful Ujpest first team shirt. Somebody's already mentioned it but if Jonathan Acworth had sent that e-mail instead of Driesen......................!!
Seriously though, IMO Duchatelet needs to be exposed for the chancer he is and much moreso in his own country than might currently be the case although its true to say there may be others who are closer to affairs there who may know different -----but we really do need to demonstrate to the Belgian sporting public and more importantly to the Football League that they are harbouring a footballing Dr Frankenstein who, rather than having created and lost control of one monster, has instead spread the results of his ill-conceived experiments across Europe with Meire, now arrogantly running riot and unchecked in her undeserved CEO role here, and the increasingly Twitter-faux pas incompetent Driesen in Belgium, being the most odious of his monster creations.
I asked one of our Belgian journalists, Bart Lagae to take a closer look at Driesen, not least because Driesen follows Bart on that Twitter account. He has done his best. He wrote me
we did some research on Thomas Driesen and tried to interview him. He kindly refused. We believe he was asked by Roland Duchâtelet to remain low profile after his interview with the local paper.
Last weekend he was seen next to Roland at the game in Sint-Truiden. My colleague who covers Sint-Truiden did this piece in Dutch.
(Via Google Translate)
Who was the mysterious guy next Saturday at Roland Duchâtelet Stayen? Thomas Driesen, it appears. A spindle from the football network Duchâtelet. He might well be a more important figure than he would ever admit himself. Because if Driesen speaks scouts, players or agents, Duchâtelet listening.
Striking image Saturday during STVV Charleroi. Besides Roland Duchâtelet was Thomas Driesen, an ordinary man with no name or fame in the world of football. Few at STVV have ever met him in person, but everyone was already in contact with the mysterious scout. How? By mail. Only by mail. But who that young man's exactly remains a mystery. Gradually it leaks information on the right hand of Roland Duchâtelet. Driesen comes from Helchteren, where he himself played for the youth. Beyond that and what futsal he came out of his active playing career. But the youth - just under thirty - was to analyze in his youth hope behind the home PC games, players take a closer look. And it has earned him a permanent job as private counselor 'of Duchâtelet, yet secluded by club scouts. Driesen appears indeed to have a lot of say in the transfers that do Duchâtelet. STVV at first, as is our whispered. Young Driesen gave last summer at Stayen or without its consent regards potential new players who appeared through scouts, coaches and agents on the Sint-Truiden wish list. Duchâtelet almost always followed the advice of Driesen, sometimes against the wishes of other important persons. chance meeting So we wanted to invite Driesen for an enlightening conversation. Soon we were told that this would not be possible. So we sent the mysterious young man an email. Driesen answered indeed. He refused on very friendly tone to allow us to speak: "I have chosen not to answer your questions. The only thing I can tell you and what is relevant is that I'm just a scout as many are in various clubs Roland. He sat next to me, sit down, because we met by chance just before the game. " Would it? Happened to be in the stands next to the big boss? We know that Driesen indeed pivotal figure in the transfer decisions Roland Duchâtelet. Exactly why Duchâtelet want to keep him out of the limelight. In late September Driesen was first quoted in 'London News Online. Because of that interview Driesen got on his thunder Duchâtelet. He had to stay low profile. Driesen has thus understood the message.
Comments
But what that means is that he really is not very clever at all, another truly ridiculous vanity appointment by RD who again shows his semi-detached relationship with the human race. I would say that this Twitter account is mainly aimed at us, an shows the maturity of someone even younger than he apparently is. I think it is worth the focus because the entire Driesen story shows the wider world how ridiculous (and damaging) RD is as a football club owner.
criticism this bizarre business approach attracts.
This is nothing new of course but it does demonstrate the cavalier attitude which RD adopts when dealing with enterprises beyond his core business.
In a way his appointment of Driesen as a football scout far exceeds and exposes his fundamental lack of nous (and/or his liking to shock those in whose industry he has crash landed in) than that of Meire. At least Meire, with some experience in European competition law, came forward with ideas to assist him with the take-over of various clubs when RD was at Standard Leige whereas Driesen was/is a self-confessed football freak who ensconced himself in his room with packets of Pringles and a laptop and proceeded to create the first purely internet-reliant football scout - no overheads of course - no silly travelling half-way across Europe to some Greek 3rd division encounter only to find it was a wild-goose chase. No - instead hot coffee and hot waffles bought upstairs by his mum to his room at regular intervals and once part of the RD empire a supply of 'corporate' clothing including a Charlton hoodie and a very tasteful Ujpest first team shirt. Somebody's already mentioned it but if Jonathan Acworth had sent that e-mail instead of Driesen......................!!
Seriously though, IMO Duchatelet needs to be exposed for the chancer he is and much moreso in his own country than might currently be the case although its true to say there may be others who are closer to affairs there who may know different -----but we really do need to demonstrate to the Belgian sporting public and more importantly to the Football League that they are harbouring a footballing Dr Frankenstein who, rather than having created and lost control of one monster, has instead spread the results of his ill-conceived experiments across Europe with Meire, now arrogantly running riot and unchecked in her undeserved CEO role here, and the increasingly Twitter-faux pas incompetent Driesen in Belgium, being the most odious of his monster creations.
we did some research on Thomas Driesen and tried to interview him. He kindly refused. We believe he was asked by Roland Duchâtelet to remain low profile after his interview with the local paper.
Last weekend he was seen next to Roland at the game in Sint-Truiden. My colleague who covers Sint-Truiden did this piece in Dutch.
(Via Google Translate)
Who was the mysterious guy next Saturday at Roland Duchâtelet Stayen? Thomas Driesen, it appears. A spindle from the football network Duchâtelet. He might well be a more important figure than he would ever admit himself. Because if Driesen speaks scouts, players or agents, Duchâtelet listening.
Striking image Saturday during STVV Charleroi. Besides Roland Duchâtelet was Thomas Driesen, an ordinary man with no name or fame in the world of football. Few at STVV have ever met him in person, but everyone was already in contact with the mysterious scout. How? By mail. Only by mail.
But who that young man's exactly remains a mystery. Gradually it leaks information on the right hand of Roland Duchâtelet. Driesen comes from Helchteren, where he himself played for the youth. Beyond that and what futsal he came out of his active playing career. But the youth - just under thirty - was to analyze in his youth hope behind the home PC games, players take a closer look. And it has earned him a permanent job as private
counselor 'of Duchâtelet, yet secluded by club scouts. Driesen appears indeed to have a lot of say in the transfers that do Duchâtelet. STVV at first, as is our whispered. Young Driesen gave last summer at Stayen or without its consent regards potential new players who appeared through scouts, coaches and agents on the Sint-Truiden wish list. Duchâtelet almost always followed the advice of Driesen, sometimes against the wishes of other important persons.
chance meeting
So we wanted to invite Driesen for an enlightening conversation. Soon we were told that this would not be possible. So we sent the mysterious young man an email. Driesen answered indeed. He refused on very friendly tone to allow us to speak: "I have chosen not to answer your questions. The only thing I can tell you and what is relevant is that I'm just a scout as many are in various clubs Roland. He sat next to me, sit down, because we met by chance just before the game. "
Would it? Happened to be in the stands next to the big boss? We know that Driesen indeed pivotal figure in the transfer decisions Roland Duchâtelet. Exactly why Duchâtelet want to keep him out of the limelight. In late September Driesen was first quoted in 'London News Online. Because of that interview Driesen got on his thunder Duchâtelet. He had to stay low profile. Driesen has thus understood the message.
Good work, Prague. At least RD has put him back in his box.