For Charlton, a win is as dismal as a defeat – what a nightmare
Charlton take three points at home against Chesterfield – but the crowd is still flat, the play disjointed and the anger simmering By Rob Virtue, 08:05, 31 OCT 2016
In a Talksport radio interview with Charlton CEO Katrien Meire in midweek, co-host Danny Murphy was asked for his expert opinion on what it would take to make the fans at the club happy. “Results,” he replied. If only that were true, Danny. Sadly, however, even if this side manage to put together a magical and uncharacteristic run of form to see them romp home with the title, the smell of the rotting corpse of this once great club will still reek across south-east London. As if to amplify that point choruses of “we want Roland out” echoed across the Valley just moments after Lee Novak had headed in a much-needed winner against Chesterfield on Saturday.
Charlton’s anger is not unique. For every Manchester City, Leicester City and Watford under successful foreign ownership, there’s a Leyton Orient, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff lower down the leagues. Foreign owners can bring much to English football if their actions don’t destroy the very foundations a club has been built on – those foundations which mean club fandom is not a choice but an inevitability. At Charlton , the crowd size is visibly shrinking, the players on the pitch are not a team but a poorly stitched together set of men either on their way up in the game and soon to be off or on their way down the leagues. There’s no point in getting close to them. They will probably be gone next year when a new manager gets shipped in. Barring the likes of Chris Solly and Johnnie Jackson, who can remember pre-Duchatelet, these players have no passion for the club.
Little was learned from Meire’s radio interview, an attempt by the under-fire CEO to justify her highly-criticised performance, and questions remain over who she really listens to on football matters. Rather than surround herself with people who know the game and, more importantly, understand Charlton, they are rejected in favour of a Belgian youngster – in the shape of recently uncovered network scout Thomas Driesen – watching players on a screen in his bedroom.
Charlton, like many clubs with rich owners, seem to be nothing but a toy waiting for the big kids to get bored with.
As for Saturday, the performance was disjointed, the result barely satisfactory and the atmosphere flat. And there’s absolutely no sign these will change any time soon.
Five years ago, when the Addicks made their last visit to League One, the fans were there in much greater numbers, supporting players they felt a link with. How times have changed.
Happy Halloween Charlton – the nightmare continues.
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Charlton take three points at home against Chesterfield – but the crowd is still flat, the play disjointed and the anger simmering
By Rob Virtue,
08:05, 31 OCT 2016
In a Talksport radio interview with Charlton CEO Katrien Meire in midweek, co-host Danny Murphy was asked for his expert opinion on what it would take to make the fans at the club happy. “Results,” he replied. If only that were true, Danny. Sadly, however, even if this side manage to put together a magical and uncharacteristic run of form to see them romp home with the title, the smell of the rotting corpse of this once great club will still reek across south-east London. As if to amplify that point choruses of “we want Roland out” echoed across the Valley just moments after Lee Novak had headed in a much-needed winner against Chesterfield on Saturday.
Charlton’s anger is not unique. For every Manchester City, Leicester City and Watford under successful foreign ownership, there’s a Leyton Orient, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff lower down the leagues.
Foreign owners can bring much to English football if their actions don’t destroy the very foundations a club has been built on – those foundations which mean club fandom is not a choice but an inevitability.
At Charlton , the crowd size is visibly shrinking, the players on the pitch are not a team but a poorly stitched together set of men either on their way up in the game and soon to be off or on their way down the leagues. There’s no point in getting close to them. They will probably be gone next year when a new manager gets shipped in. Barring the likes of Chris Solly and Johnnie Jackson, who can remember pre-Duchatelet, these players have no passion for the club.
Little was learned from Meire’s radio interview, an attempt by the under-fire CEO to justify her highly-criticised performance, and questions remain over who she really listens to on football matters.
Rather than surround herself with people who know the game and, more importantly, understand Charlton, they are rejected in favour of a Belgian youngster – in the shape of recently uncovered network scout Thomas Driesen – watching players on a screen in his bedroom.
Charlton, like many clubs with rich owners, seem to be nothing but a toy waiting for the big kids to get bored with.
As for Saturday, the performance was disjointed, the result barely satisfactory and the atmosphere flat. And there’s absolutely no sign these will change any time soon.
Five years ago, when the Addicks made their last visit to League One, the fans were there in much greater numbers, supporting players they felt a link with. How times have changed.
Happy Halloween Charlton – the nightmare continues.