He's very much a man of the countryside. When he saw that a football club called Charlton was for sale he did a quick search on Google and came up with the image below!! That did it for him; Saturday afternoons on the village green, sipping pints in the Gardeners Arms whilst watching his beloved Charlton, in Worcestershire!! Walloonian buffoon!!
It's probably evolved way beyond what he first wanted / intended
I think a lot of it was coincidence. At the time he had the social experiment idea of utilising different benefits in different countries, we become available. On the face of it, it was a dream proposition to him. Tier 2, which is what he was predominantly after to act as an ideal foil for the club at the top of his pyramid Standard Liege. Plus London based with good growth potential, infrastructure change.
We would 'reap the benefit' from the excess player needs at Liege, bring the UK into the growing European scouting network, and with a strong academy structure in a country where developed academy products can be sold for value, provide potential forward income streams.
It fell down almost immediately with both things going wrong at Liege, and the excess given to us not being good enough / adaptable for English Tier 2.
Plus the structure of an English Tier 2 was a lot more advanced than he first envisaged. I don't think Miere at first was intended to play such a leading, impacting role either, but that also developed over time.
So now he probably has a very different reason for 'why' than what his original one was. I'm sure a major part of it is stubbornness and non-willingness to accept 'failure'.
Why did Roland buy Charlton? Perhaps he looked up the meaning of the name…
Charlton Name Meaning: From Old English Ceorlatun ‘settlement of the peasants’. Old English ceorl denoted originally a free peasant of the lowest rank, later a tenant in pure villeinage, a serf or bondsman.
…and thought it would be easy to lord it over all of us peasants, villains and surfs?
He's very much a man of the countryside. When he saw that a football club called Charlton was for sale he did a quick search on Google and came up with the image below!! That did it for him; Saturday afternoons on the village green, sipping pints in the Gardeners Arms whilst watching his beloved Charlton, in Worcestershire!! Walloonian buffoon!!
He's very much a man of the countryside. When he saw that a football club called Charlton was for sale he did a quick search on Google and came up with the image below!! That did it for him; Saturday afternoons on the village green, sipping pints in the Gardeners Arms whilst watching his beloved Charlton, in Worcestershire!! Walloonian buffoon!!
He's very much a man of the countryside. When he saw that a football club called Charlton was for sale he did a quick search on Google and came up with the image below!! That did it for him; Saturday afternoons on the village green, sipping pints in the Gardeners Arms whilst watching his beloved Charlton, in Worcestershire!! Walloonian buffoon!!
It's probably evolved way beyond what he first wanted / intended
I think a lot of it was coincidence. At the time he had the social experiment idea of utilising different benefits in different countries, we become available. On the face of it, it was a dream proposition to him. Tier 2, which is what he was predominantly after to act as an ideal foil for the club at the top of his pyramid Standard Liege. Plus London based with good growth potential, infrastructure change.
We would 'reap the benefit' from the excess player needs at Liege, bring the UK into the growing European scouting network, and with a strong academy structure in a country where developed academy products can be sold for value, provide potential forward income streams.
It fell down almost immediately with both things going wrong at Liege, and the excess given to us not being good enough / adaptable for English Tier 2.
Plus the structure of an English Tier 2 was a lot more advanced than he first envisaged. I don't think Miere at first was intended to play such a leading, impacting role either, but that also developed over time.
So now he probably has a very different reason for 'why' than what his original one was. I'm sure a major part of it is stubbornness and non-willingness to accept 'failure'.
This sounds credible. Is there also not a social element to it as well? He clearly puts value on the regeneration of Stayen and its role in the community and perhaps saw the opportunity to export his model to the UK?
Sadly he's Flemish, not a Walloon. Furthermore ... I gather you're aware of the fact he's rather tight on the money. The last decade it has become clear (certainly in Belgium) that not only do players gain a lot of money, some brokers or consultants gain even more. I think he wants/wanted to get rid of the go between man by sending players around from one club to another, until some start to play really well, come in the spotlights ... and can be sold with a substantial profit.
It's probably evolved way beyond what he first wanted / intended
I think a lot of it was coincidence. At the time he had the social experiment idea of utilising different benefits in different countries, we become available. On the face of it, it was a dream proposition to him. Tier 2, which is what he was predominantly after to act as an ideal foil for the club at the top of his pyramid Standard Liege. Plus London based with good growth potential, infrastructure change.
We would 'reap the benefit' from the excess player needs at Liege, bring the UK into the growing European scouting network, and with a strong academy structure in a country where developed academy products can be sold for value, provide potential forward income streams.
It fell down almost immediately with both things going wrong at Liege, and the excess given to us not being good enough / adaptable for English Tier 2.
Plus the structure of an English Tier 2 was a lot more advanced than he first envisaged. I don't think Miere at first was intended to play such a leading, impacting role either, but that also developed over time.
So now he probably has a very different reason for 'why' than what his original one was. I'm sure a major part of it is stubbornness and non-willingness to accept 'failure'.
This sounds credible. Is there also not a social element to it as well? He clearly puts value on the regeneration of Stayen and its role in the community and perhaps saw the opportunity to export his model to the UK?
Agree, both your point and @AFKABartram 's excellent summary. He wants to do the same thing at Jena, apparently because he has invested in production facilities nearby for his main businesses. If you ad in his previous disastrous foray into Belgian politics, you get a picture of a man who sees himself as a good person trying to use his riches to put something back into society. The problem arises that his view of society is, er, unique, and he hasn't got a clue how normal people think about things like football. Or washing dishes.
I suspect it was not only the state of the pitch which escaped RD’s “due diligence”. His Stayen model might work reasonably well in a one-club English shire town, with not too many existing hotels, restaurants, etc, and where the majority of fans live locally. However, Charlton, with all the competing facilities and attractions of London on its doorstep, and fans from a wide catchment….. Did he really understand this aspect of the business?
I suspect it was not only the state of the pitch which escaped RD’s “due diligence”. His Stayen model might work reasonably well in a one-club English shire town, with not too many existing hotels, restaurants, etc, and where the majority of fans live locally. However, Charlton, with all the competing facilities and attractions of London on its doorstep, and fans from a wide catchment….. Did he really understand this aspect of the business?
Acworth sent him (and a few hundred others) an email, begging him to save us from the spivs.
Since we'll never have a definitive answer, it's as good a theory as any other.
--- Btw, how did Our Kate and Little Tommy D know Roland's email address (one where he would actually read their messages), when they successfully gissajobbed him?
Comments
He wants to prove you can run a football club in the lower divisions without making a loss.
Working well ain't it
I think a lot of it was coincidence. At the time he had the social experiment idea of utilising different benefits in different countries, we become available. On the face of it, it was a dream proposition to him. Tier 2, which is what he was predominantly after to act as an ideal foil for the club at the top of his pyramid Standard Liege. Plus London based with good growth potential, infrastructure change.
We would 'reap the benefit' from the excess player needs at Liege, bring the UK into the growing European scouting network, and with a strong academy structure in a country where developed academy products can be sold for value, provide potential forward income streams.
It fell down almost immediately with both things going wrong at Liege, and the excess given to us not being good enough / adaptable for English Tier 2.
Plus the structure of an English Tier 2 was a lot more advanced than he first envisaged. I don't think Miere at first was intended to play such a leading, impacting role either, but that also developed over time.
So now he probably has a very different reason for 'why' than what his original one was. I'm sure a major part of it is stubbornness and non-willingness to accept 'failure'.
Charlton Name Meaning: From Old English Ceorlatun ‘settlement of the peasants’.
Old English ceorl denoted originally a free peasant of the lowest rank, later a tenant in pure villeinage, a serf or bondsman.
…and thought it would be easy to lord it over all of us peasants, villains and surfs?
He saved the club. If you think you can do better put your money down or shut up.
We've improved ever since he took over. The atmosphere at the Valley is better and we have undersoil heating.
His Stayen model might work reasonably well in a one-club English shire town, with not too many existing hotels, restaurants, etc, and where the majority of fans live locally. However, Charlton, with all the competing facilities and attractions of London on its doorstep, and fans from a wide catchment….. Did he really understand this aspect of the business?
Since we'll never have a definitive answer, it's as good a theory as any other.
---
Btw, how did Our Kate and Little Tommy D know Roland's email address (one where he would actually read their messages), when they successfully gissajobbed him?