Robinson is trying to appease all sides. He claims ignorance and says how great it is to be at the club to get in the owner and CEO's good books and says he wants to hear from the fans to get them on side. It's not difficult to see what he is trying to do. In the end he'll probably say that he understands both sides but he has a job to do and would prefer to focus on that.
I always hear the lark on the wing, see the snail on the thorn, with my hat assuredly on the side of my head, I take everything for the best in this best of all possible worlds, where every prospect pleases...etc, BUT
Hes basically been smothered by the regime. They put on the best impressions of themselves. On their best behaviour. It's an act.....a perception trick.
Chris Powell didn't have that. The regime just dumped themselves on him without a second thought. Naively, and dis-respectfully.
The regime no longer has that luxury of honesty. They have been found out....so appearing nice is all they can do. Karl has simply been carefully and considerately decived.
Katrien at times has got a lot of support from people that meet her in person. Her skill set is that she can probably either play victim well, or is persuasive. The PR company are in on it to.
Karl Robbo is excited for his new job. He probably wants to put the idea of the protesting fans or the idea that the club has internal issues on the back burner.
I'm not convinced by him to be honest. He is very eager which appears refreshing and it is, as it rubs off on others.
I'm just not so sure quite yet. Well he hasn't had a game yet so that's understandable anyway.
I do like him. He clearly loves football to death.
He rather likes himself too, not a problem though. I think he's a good bloke.
@castrust Well done. Of course, there's no guarantee the letter will actually get to him. I'd be prepared to stand outside the players' entrance on a match day and give him a copy in person if you don't get a response.
Karl Robinson is a Scallywag, It could be 8th time lucky. could be interesting if he meets some of our revolting fans. We need passion back at our club. not just at the protests. Still seems long odds for any success to come to CAFC while 4-4-2 Roland is in charge.
IMO It sounds like he was put on the spot while filling up his motor. He's gonna come over like a nice bloke (he probably is a nice bloke) and he's gonna say anything to defuse a potentially dodgy situation as he doesn't know if you (the op) is gonna start shouting and screaming at him or whatever. I'd probably be the same..
He may well turn out to be just what Charlton need under the circumstances, but for him to say he weren't too sure about the background of the protests, or anything about the last 18 months or so is a bit of a fib IMO.
The old saying; Ignorance is the best form of defense.
IMO It sounds like he was put on the spot while filling up his motor. He's gonna come over like a nice bloke (he probably is a nice bloke) and he's gonna say anything to defuse a potentially dodgy situation as he doesn't know if you (the op) is gonna start shouting and screaming at him or whatever. I'd probably be the same..
He may well turn out to be just what Charlton need under the circumstances, but for him to say he weren't too sure about the background of the protests, or anything about the last 18 months or so is a bit of a fib IMO.
The old saying; Ignorance is the best form of defense.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
Quite right.
I can hazard a guess that he thinks that if he can win around the protesters enough to encourage them/us back then it would be a major step toward success in his role.
Let's hope he says what he means and will take up the trust's offer. I'm sure it won't go down too well with the senior management team.
I can see this fella going the same way as Bob Peeters. Attractive football but not scared to tell people what he thinks.
If Robinson challenges the strategy in a public way, then he will be gone. Riga, Peeters & Luzon all made comments about more investment needed in the squad. They were gone within weeks after. It's a red line for Duchatelet. Let's see how Robinson manages on the reduced budget available to him. Slade looked pretty happy & upbeat when he joined too.
All the positive PR spin is great & all but it's just like warm fluff from the tumble dryer unless anything changes with the owners strategy off the pitch. I will believe that when I see it in practice & actions.
I can't believe how many people believe in this imaginary petrol station conversation.
“I spoke to a guy last night who was part of the fans’ protest. We were in a petrol station. I asked him why; I didn’t disregard him. I had a conversation with him and said, ‘Listen I want to do my best, I want to be inclusive and build a bridge if I can. But you can’t build a bridge with animosity’.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
It is not just the "changes with the owners strategy on the pitch". KM and RD have shown animosity towards the fans. That is difficult, if not impossible, to recover from. By definition of being a Charlton fan it's deep inside you. Being insulted and hurt does not go away easily.
I can't believe how many people believe in this imaginary petrol station conversation.
“I spoke to a guy last night who was part of the fans’ protest. We were in a petrol station. I asked him why; I didn’t disregard him. I had a conversation with him and said, ‘Listen I want to do my best, I want to be inclusive and build a bridge if I can. But you can’t build a bridge with animosity’.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
I can't believe how many people believe in this imaginary petrol station conversation.
“I spoke to a guy last night who was part of the fans’ protest. We were in a petrol station. I asked him why; I didn’t disregard him. I had a conversation with him and said, ‘Listen I want to do my best, I want to be inclusive and build a bridge if I can. But you can’t build a bridge with animosity’.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
Reading that article, Robinson comes across well & is a likeable character. I am happy enough that he is manager. Only trouble is Duchatelet is the owner, Drieson is the heavily involved scout & Katrien Meire is CEO.
Makes me wonder what he might be able to achieve with a decent owner prepared to invest & employ sensible football practices.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
Maybe not in detail but I'd be 100% certain to make sure I found out before agreeing to link myself with them. 30 seconds on Google would have given him enough background to the protests to know what he was stepping into.
A nice article, but I hope Karl won't be too shocked to find out that we're not interested in helping them rebuild the bridges that they burnt in the first place.
I can't believe how many people believe in this imaginary petrol station conversation.
“I spoke to a guy last night who was part of the fans’ protest. We were in a petrol station. I asked him why; I didn’t disregard him. I had a conversation with him and said, ‘Listen I want to do my best, I want to be inclusive and build a bridge if I can. But you can’t build a bridge with animosity’.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
Reading that article, Robinson comes across well & is a likeable character. I am happy enough that he is manager. Only trouble is Duchatelet is the owner, Drieson is the main scout & Katrien Meire is CEO.
Makes me wonder what he might be able to achieve with a decent owner prepared to invest. If Robinson is still around when Duchatelet gets an offer he wants to accept & sells, it would be interesting to see him try. Until that time, he is on a bit of a hiding to nothing.
Great photo of the Taxi
On Driesen is that still the case? He wouldn't have chosen all those signings in the summer.
A nice article, but I hope Karl won't be too shocked to find out that we're not interested in helping them rebuild the bridges that they burnt in the first place.
To build a decent bridge you need a proper plan, decent materials, & decent workman. You also need the skilled staff to carry it out. Also helpful not to have an owner & Head of the works, who know next to nothing about engineering interfering with the design & construction & insisting on cheap materials & rivets that will result in the bridge collapsing.
I fully support CAST meeting Robinson but you can guarantee that Meire won't allow it unmediated or without other handpicked individuals who can be relied on to misrepresent the situation.
As a Trust member, I am very pleased that CAST have offered his meeting and have every confidence in their ability to present a balanced picture of fan perspectives, which I think is important. However, I would insist on this meeting being solely with the Trust (and preferably a few members of the Trust Board rather than a large gathering - as it is more conducive to a clearer exchange of views). No other fans groups or hand-picked additions. Understandable if the club want to field someone to accompany KR but I hope that isn't allowed to become a PR spin.
That is for the Chairman of the meeting to ensure that it doesn't become a spin, and as CAST invited KR to a meeting, CAST should provide the Chairman.
I can't believe how many people believe in this imaginary petrol station conversation.
“I spoke to a guy last night who was part of the fans’ protest. We were in a petrol station. I asked him why; I didn’t disregard him. I had a conversation with him and said, ‘Listen I want to do my best, I want to be inclusive and build a bridge if I can. But you can’t build a bridge with animosity’.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
Reading that article, Robinson comes across well & is a likeable character. I am happy enough that he is manager. Only trouble is Duchatelet is the owner, Drieson is the main scout & Katrien Meire is CEO.
Makes me wonder what he might be able to achieve with a decent owner prepared to invest. If Robinson is still around when Duchatelet gets an offer he wants to accept & sells, it would be interesting to see him try. Until that time, he is on a bit of a hiding to nothing.
Great photo of the Taxi
On Driesen is that still the case? He wouldn't have chosen all those signings in the summer.
Robinson will get to choose ? I wonder how many of Robinson's choices will prove too expensive. There is this player available that we have been looking at that is within budget.........
The noises from the SMT was that the squad is strong enough & no more players are required - that was the start of this season when the squad was clearly unbalanced & undercooked.
Good to see Robinson's enthusiasm & optimism but he has just started. He may find the promises given don't quite match up to the i reality further down the line.
It's such a shame that our forum is dominated by words such as the above. It all could have been so easily avoided.
It's pretty clear to me at least that Robinson is an open, wear your heart on your sleeve type of character who when he met Duchatelet was given assurances and sold a vision of where the owner wanted to take the club. Robinson was suitably impressed and felt he could buy into it.
If there is a vision that tempted KR to take the job, why oh why hasn't the regime tried to sell this vision to us the fans ?
I don't think Charlton supporters are particularly impatient. I feel confident that if we felt that there was a plan and vision for the club we would be a lot more forgiving to mistakes. There would be a goal and we would feel that we could all pull together in achieving it. Much like the feeling around the club when Curbs was building towards that first promotion. It's all we would need.
Instead we have an absentee owner who remains aloof from the supporters and a CEO that has presided over a seemingly non ending stream of PR and mis management disasters. No meaningful communication with the fans and no effort to sell the vision to us. What a missed opportunity. Talk to us !!!!!!!!
We are all desperate for our club to be successful and be able to be proud of Charlton Athletic again.
It really wouldn't be that difficult to start to turn that around Mr. Duchatelet. If you can't see a way of bringing us with you then please try your footballing luck elsewhere and sell at the earliest opportunity.
Bit concerned he seems willing to inject himself into the dispute between the fans and the owners. He seems to have a very sketchy knowledge about the background. And I am not going to judge him on that. Unless I have missed something he has been employed solely as the football coach to the first team with the remit of winning promotion. His experience and achievements as a football coach are the only attributes I am concerned about. I don't won't him to think he has some sort of a PR role to play in rebuilding the trust between the owners and the fans. That would be a distraction and a waste of his time.
Like it or not all football managers have a PR role to play. They are front of house. Speak to the media and cannot divorce themselves from the club politics. It would certainly assist Robinson in his footballing duties if everything at the club was rosy. It's not and I applaud his action to find out why.
To be honest, he should already know what the true situation is and why the fans protest.
People that get interviews for top paid jobs do their research before hand.
Bit concerned he seems willing to inject himself into the dispute between the fans and the owners. He seems to have a very sketchy knowledge about the background. And I am not going to judge him on that. Unless I have missed something he has been employed solely as the football coach to the first team with the remit of winning promotion. His experience and achievements as a football coach are the only attributes I am concerned about. I don't won't him to think he has some sort of a PR role to play in rebuilding the trust between the owners and the fans. That would be a distraction and a waste of his time.
Like it or not all football managers have a PR role to play. They are front of house. Speak to the media and cannot divorce themselves from the club politics. It would certainly assist Robinson in his footballing duties if everything at the club was rosy. It's not and I applaud his action to find out why.
To be honest, he should already know what the true situation is and why the fans protest.
People that get interviews for top paid jobs do their research before hand.
So he's asked about within football circles and seen the stuff in the media. Will that give him the whole picture ? I don't think so. He's now spoken with Duchatelet and Meire and heard their side and wants to speak to fans to hear what they have to say. Sounds very sensible in my humble opinion.
You can try to build a bridge Karl , of course. However , the river banks have been eroded by 2 and a half years of shit and constant 'un-charlton behaviour' by those who are meant to have the clubs best business interests at heart- they have failed to fix said banks and have chosen to ignore them as a problem. This leaves houses and communities on the brink of plunging into the revine!
You've then got the building team. You can build the bridge with great accuracy and amazing materials but be warned , the owner has and will insert several sticks of dynamite into the construction- and has his hand teetering over the plunger , when ever he feels like he's bored or losing!
You've then got the architect! She's never built bridges before (the irony!) but she feels she's good enough to design them! If you ask for Good bricks and cement from England, you'll be sure to have problems getting them - may even have to build the bridge with second hand materials from the continent!
... maybe bridges aren't what the fans want Karl, how about asking them!? The problem doesn't go away no matter how successful you are , because it's rooted into the core of the club! At the moment you are the said paper covering the cracks. You are the oak veneer covering the euro-trash MDF cupboard that's now 3 quarters empty!
I fully support CAST meeting Robinson but you can guarantee that Meire won't allow it unmediated or without other handpicked individuals who can be relied on to misrepresent the situation.
As a Trust member, I am very pleased that CAST have offered his meeting and have every confidence in their ability to present a balanced picture of fan perspectives, which I think is important. However, I would insist on this meeting being solely with the Trust (and preferably a few members of the Trust Board rather than a large gathering - as it is more conducive to a clearer exchange of views). No other fans groups or hand-picked additions. Understandable if the club want to field someone to accompany KR but I hope that isn't allowed to become a PR spin.
KR should come on his own if this is the case he wants to meet. The need of someone from SMT to hold is hand is ridiculous.
Bit concerned he seems willing to inject himself into the dispute between the fans and the owners. He seems to have a very sketchy knowledge about the background. And I am not going to judge him on that. Unless I have missed something he has been employed solely as the football coach to the first team with the remit of winning promotion. His experience and achievements as a football coach are the only attributes I am concerned about. I don't won't him to think he has some sort of a PR role to play in rebuilding the trust between the owners and the fans. That would be a distraction and a waste of his time.
Like it or not all football managers have a PR role to play. They are front of house. Speak to the media and cannot divorce themselves from the club politics. It would certainly assist Robinson in his footballing duties if everything at the club was rosy. It's not and I applaud his action to find out why.
To be honest, he should already know what the true situation is and why the fans protest.
People that get interviews for top paid jobs do their research before hand.
So he's asked about within football circles and seen the stuff in the media. Will that give him the whole picture ? I don't think so. He's now spoken with Duchatelet and Meire and heard their side and wants to speak to fans to hear what they have to say. Sounds very sensible in my humble opinion.
I am not saying he shouldn't meet with CAST or CARD, but should have done enough research to be aware of their views. It has been publicised enough.
Basically he has gone outside the brief of managing the team, therefore if your going to be a Maverick then know your subject.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
Maybe not in detail but I'd be 100% certain to make sure I found out before agreeing to link myself with them. 30 seconds on Google would have given him enough background to the protests to know what he was stepping into.
One of the first things that anyone seriously considering applying for a job (and especially if being interviewed) is research the job and/or business. It's unlikely that KR would have known as little about us as we knew about Coventry before the joint protest.
Frankly, if he hadn't done the most basic research before signing on the dotted line, it would indicate that he lacked awareness and, IMHO, there would be little to no chance of any success either on or off the pitch.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
Maybe not in detail but I'd be 100% certain to make sure I found out before agreeing to link myself with them. 30 seconds on Google would have given him enough background to the protests to know what he was stepping into.
One of the first things that anyone seriously considering applying for a job (and especially if being interviewed) is research the job and/or business. It's unlikely that KR would have known as little about us as we knew about Coventry before the joint protest.
Frankly, if he hadn't done the most basic research before signing on the dotted line, it would indicate that he lacked awareness and, IMHO, there would be little to no chance of any success either on or off the pitch.
That can be an ongoing process though can't it ? He wouldn't have spoken to fans prior to interview and it's obvious the job was sold to him. Now he's in post I think it's good and sensible that he wants to find out as much as he can.
In his defence as an outsider, can any of us truly say that before the joint protests with the Coventry fans, that we all knew the background and reasons for their protests, or Leyton Orients recent CARD like march to the ground efforts.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
Maybe not in detail but I'd be 100% certain to make sure I found out before agreeing to link myself with them. 30 seconds on Google would have given him enough background to the protests to know what he was stepping into.
One of the first things that anyone seriously considering applying for a job (and especially if being interviewed) is research the job and/or business. It's unlikely that KR would have known as little about us as we knew about Coventry before the joint protest.
Frankly, if he hadn't done the most basic research before signing on the dotted line, it would indicate that he lacked awareness and, IMHO, there would be little to no chance of any success either on or off the pitch.
That can be an ongoing process though can't it ? He wouldn't have spoken to fans prior to interview and it's obvious the job was sold to him. Now he's in post I think it's good and sensible that he wants to find out as much as he can.
Of course it can be an ongoing process, but the suggestion that he might, reasonably, not have more knowledge than seems to have been indicated must either indicate that Robinson is much less thoughtful and meticulous than we would wish, or someone is fibbing.
Comments
Have you just been on holiday with Viewfinder
Chris Powell didn't have that. The regime just dumped themselves on him without a second thought. Naively, and dis-respectfully.
The regime no longer has that luxury of honesty. They have been found out....so appearing nice is all they can do. Karl has simply been carefully and considerately decived.
Katrien at times has got a lot of support from people that meet her in person. Her skill set is that she can probably either play victim well, or is persuasive. The PR company are in on it to.
Karl Robbo is excited for his new job. He probably wants to put the idea of the protesting fans or the idea that the club has internal issues on the back burner.
I'm not convinced by him to be honest. He is very eager which appears refreshing and it is, as it rubs off on others.
I'm just not so sure quite yet. Well he hasn't had a game yet so that's understandable anyway.
I do like him. He clearly loves football to death.
He rather likes himself too, not a problem though. I think he's a good bloke.
I think we will beat dons.
He may well turn out to be just what Charlton need under the circumstances, but for him to say he weren't too sure about the background of the protests, or anything about the last 18 months or so is a bit of a fib IMO.
The old saying; Ignorance is the best form of defense.
He is IMO trying to immerse himself in all things CAFC, including the current fans side of things, better that than just saying I'm not interested and only concentrating on the football, he would be criticised if so.
I would rather the club manager look at all the facts, all the arguments and reasoning than sit there in ignorance and make statements based on no prior knowledge.
I can hazard a guess that he thinks that if he can win around the protesters enough to encourage them/us back then it would be a major step toward success in his role.
All the positive PR spin is great & all but it's just like warm fluff from the tumble dryer unless anything changes with the owners strategy off the pitch. I will believe that when I see it in practice & actions.
“Neither can I expect them to say ‘oh, it’s fine now’ because it takes time. If you try and paper over cracks then they become worse underneath and, the deeper they are, the more impossible it is to change. So we have to start right at the bottom.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/12/02/karl-robinson-will-build-bridges-fans-cure-charlton-bad-blood/
By definition of being a Charlton fan it's deep inside you. Being insulted and hurt does not go away easily.
Roland still pushing the "leaving people to manage" line despite documentary evidence to the contrary.
You'll learn Karl, you'll learn...
Makes me wonder what he might be able to achieve with a decent owner prepared to invest & employ sensible football practices.
Great photo of the Taxi in the article.
The noises from the SMT was that the squad is strong enough & no more players are required - that was the start of this season when the squad was clearly unbalanced & undercooked.
Good to see Robinson's enthusiasm & optimism but he has just started. He may find the promises given don't quite match up to the i reality further down the line.
It's such a shame that our forum is dominated by words such as the above. It all could have been so easily avoided.
It's pretty clear to me at least that Robinson is an open, wear your heart on your sleeve type of character who when he met Duchatelet was given assurances and sold a vision of where the owner wanted to take the club. Robinson was suitably impressed and felt he could buy into it.
If there is a vision that tempted KR to take the job, why oh why hasn't the regime tried to sell this vision to us the fans ?
I don't think Charlton supporters are particularly impatient. I feel confident that if we felt that there was a plan and vision for the club we would be a lot more forgiving to mistakes. There would be a goal and we would feel that we could all pull together in achieving it. Much like the feeling around the club when Curbs was building towards that first promotion. It's all we would need.
Instead we have an absentee owner who remains aloof from the supporters and a CEO that has presided over a seemingly non ending stream of PR and mis management disasters. No meaningful communication with the fans and no effort to sell the vision to us. What a missed opportunity. Talk to us !!!!!!!!
We are all desperate for our club to be successful and be able to be proud of Charlton Athletic again.
It really wouldn't be that difficult to start to turn that around Mr. Duchatelet. If you can't see a way of bringing us with you then please try your footballing luck elsewhere and sell at the earliest opportunity.
People that get interviews for top paid jobs do their research before hand.
However , the river banks have been eroded by 2 and a half years of shit and constant 'un-charlton behaviour' by those who are meant to have the clubs best business interests at heart- they have failed to fix said banks and have chosen to ignore them as a problem.
This leaves houses and communities on the brink of plunging into the revine!
You've then got the building team. You can build the bridge with great accuracy and amazing materials but be warned , the owner has and will insert several sticks of dynamite into the construction- and has his hand teetering over the plunger , when ever he feels like he's bored or losing!
You've then got the architect!
She's never built bridges before (the irony!) but she feels she's good enough to design them! If you ask for Good bricks and cement from England, you'll be sure to have problems getting them - may even have to build the bridge with second hand materials from the continent!
...
maybe bridges aren't what the fans want Karl, how about asking them!?
The problem doesn't go away no matter how successful you are , because it's rooted into the core of the club!
At the moment you are the said paper covering the cracks.
You are the oak veneer covering the euro-trash MDF cupboard that's now 3 quarters empty!
Basically he has gone outside the brief of managing the team, therefore if your going to be a Maverick then know your subject.
Frankly, if he hadn't done the most basic research before signing on the dotted line, it would indicate that he lacked awareness and, IMHO, there would be little to no chance of any success either on or off the pitch.