(a) get to the end of the transfer window without addressing our weaknesses in the final third of the pitch (winger, creative midfielder and experienced goal scorer)
(b) loan out Watt without replacing him
it appears that Roland is willing to risk relegation and will re-run the experiment in L1. God help us.
They want to kill off the support for the club - forcing it to move/fold, and then use the land in SE7 for a housing project. These Belgians are not interested in football - this is a property play, and they will be left with an under-used stadium within inner London, during the worst hosing crisis in memory.
Which is exactly what they want.
So yes - the faster CAFC drops down the leagues the better for them.
What they haven't bargained for ..........(because they frequently make poor decisions).........is that there will be a throng of local residents/fans who oppose them at every step of the way, thus slowing the permission process.
We have to get real - these Belgians are out to finish off CAFC altogether, so let's unite against them.
They want to kill off the support for the club - forcing it to move/fold, and then use the land in SE7 for a housing project. These Belgians are not interested in football - this is a property play, and they will be left with an under-used stadium within inner London, during the worst hosing crisis in memory.
Which is exactly what they want.
So yes - the faster CAFC drops down the leagues the better for them.
What they haven't bargained for ..........(because they frequently make poor decisions).........is that there will be a throng of local residents/fans who oppose them at every step of the way, thus slowing the permission process.
We have to get real - these Belgians are out to finish off CAFC altogether, so let's unite against them.
Do they? That doesn't fit with the talk about flats in a rebuilt Jimmy Seed Stand.
Don't buy that. I don't think there's nearly as much money to be made from redevelopment of the Valley into housing as people seem to think. Clearly he wants to put flats into the ground somehow, but this is just part of his everyday sweating of the asset
I think ValleyMick is spot on in his assessment. He knows his 'vision' for football can't work with a team in the championship now that FFP has been proven to be bullshit. Rather than sell up and admit defeat, he's willing to let us drop down a division or two and try again in a league not quite as crazy with its finances.
All the evidence to date suggests that Katrien's Key Performance Indicator is to keep the losses down to a couple of million - hence the desperation to sell Tony Watt, regardless of the consequences in football terms. The regime will regard Lookman as money in the bank, whilst RD will be hoping that JBG has a good Euro tournament for Iceland in order to stimulate interest in hi services.
A plan to build flats at the Jimmy Seed end of the ground also fits nicely with Roland's grand plan. He will feel that a few years of mediocrity and suffering in League 1 will reduce opposition to those sort of schemes.
Leaving aside, however, the immediate loss of several million pounds per season following relegation, he and his imbecilic management have failed to take into account a number of key factors:
- their incompetence in the transfer market means that the club will - for a number of years - be saddled with players on very long contracts who neither wish to, nor are equipped to, play in League 1
- a 'fire sale' in the Summer will realise rock bottom fees, not least because RD's overt desperation to reduce costs undermines the club's already weak negotiating position
- whatever Academy facilities we have, we are going to be a much less attractive proposition for youngsters and their parents in League 1, especially as our reputation in football is - with every justification - at rock bottom (and no, Katrien, it's not the 'customers' fault)
- players (young and old) in League 1 do not attract large transfer fees
- the loss of supporter goodwill is incalculable and continues to accelerate - as to which, see the Trust's latest survey
- even if RD had a viable strategy for life in the lower leagues, the people he has in charge are wholly incapable of executing it.
You couldn't make some of this stuff up. Lending Tony Watt - our best forward -to a competitor in the hope they'll exercise the option to buy at the end of the season shouldn't surprise us. Perhaps we should be grateful that Bolton couldn't afford to take up KM's offer to them or we'd now be bottom of the pile in 24th.
I'm not generally given to intemperate language, but it's absolutely no exaggeration to say that a state of war now exists between this regime and Charlton Athletic supporters. What a terrible mess he's made.
Maybe Roland has a massive bet on us to go down...
Within weeks of taking over a Business, (is it really only 2 years ago )
You let your Talisman top Salesman (Yann) go off, Even thou your local rival company from 4 miles down the road, are paying their top salesman Scott Macdonald 5K more. And replace him with a Polish lad with a Diploma from a business school in eastern Europe on a 5 year contract.
You let a young 24 year old(Stephens) who is now settled in the south after sorting out his domestic arrangement with his partner(young child as well) who has just had the best 3 month figures of his career Leave.
You let the regular joker(Hamer) and good for morale Salesman leave after a few months despite that he's well in credit despite having a few monthly dips.
You let a solid consistent Salesman leave(Morrison) because a foreign guy wants to work in the UK for a year before going traveling again. (TBH)
You Made sure that you would get a refund if this company dropped off the top 24 businesses in the 2nd tier of Leisure/sport/cinemas/and Restaurants in England in the first 6 months of Taking over.
I dread to think want insurance you now have if we Drop.
change the Menu, and get a new film, Roland Duchatelet as your Customers are Revolting !
Yes. I don't know why but how can any sane person reach any other conclusion!
Because you assume RD is like any other owner or human being. He isn't, he doesn't think like other owners or prioritise like other owners.
He is mad, his plan is mad and his acolytes are blind like KM or uncaring yes men like Tony Cahones.
Yes, they want to stay up.
They expected to stay up because Roland doesn't do failure, his plan will work, he is always right.
They really think they will get away with it again like the last two seasons.
Those two escapes haven't taught them anything.
They think if they change manager, again, buy a few players then we HAVE to stay up Roland doesn't do failure remember.
Going down would mean taking a massive financial hit. They dont want that but they refuse to learn from their mistakes because they don't think they have made any.
As Henry says, he thinks we can escape again like we have done the past two seasons.
If we do manage the Great Escape V3 whether he will have learnt anything at the third time of asking is the big question and I have no more idea on that than anyone else.
As Henry says, he thinks we can escape again like we have done the past two seasons.
If we do manage the Great Escape V3 whether he will have learnt anything at the third time of asking is the big question and I have no more idea on that than anyone else.
And therein lies the problem ... we want to stay up but, if we do, RD will believe it vindicates his approach and we will go again in exactly the same way next season. There is ... now ... only one solution, they have to get out
On meeting with a few staff having recently bought the club Roland said openly that he was not like other owners because he didn't care about winning. He really doesn't give a shit.
I have thought for some time that it is all deliberate. They seem to do things with the aim of winding the fans up and making the team worse . And Meire is 100% aware of that. I can only imagine that they thought they could run the club down quickly but the fan protests are a bit of a bump in that road for them. Sadly I think he will just sit it out till the club dies. And I don't think there's much we can do. Totally depressed about Charlton
Someone on another thread said "They have bought the wrong Club". This is spot on as they obviously don't know that Charlton fans will only put up with so much before they eventually decide enough is enough and set about re-taking their club. That point is now past so WATCH OUT Twoshits (Duchbag & Nightmare) we are on your case and like a Rottweiler on a thief's leg will not leave until the job is done !
They want to kill off the support for the club - forcing it to move/fold, and then use the land in SE7 for a housing project. These Belgians are not interested in football - this is a property play, and they will be left with an under-used stadium within inner London, during the worst hosing crisis in memory.
Which is exactly what they want.
So yes - the faster CAFC drops down the leagues the better for them.
What they haven't bargained for ..........(because they frequently make poor decisions).........is that there will be a throng of local residents/fans who oppose them at every step of the way, thus slowing the permission process.
We have to get real - these Belgians are out to finish off CAFC altogether, so let's unite against them.
Do they? That doesn't fit with the talk about flats in a rebuilt Jimmy Seed Stand.
It's my guess that RD has a 5-8 year window in mind, and property prices in the area will continue to rise. Getting permission for the JS flats still gives RD five years to start work - OR RESUBMIT A REVISED PLAN. My guess is that he is simply 'establishing a mindset' with LBG that there will be housing on the site.
He will still own CAFC when we are playing in L2, sharing with Dag & Red in front of a few thousand and running at a small loss each season. Meanwhile he will redevelop the Valley in conjunction with LBG / Univ Greenw to repay the £70m (?) he will have spent on CAFC since taking over 2 years ago.
I wonder if any of the former debtors have been promised a slice of cake in return for their support ?
This is just my guess - but it is what I would do if I didn't care about CAFC or football, and I think RD has shown us enough evidence on that subject.
What you say sounds totally plausible Valiantphil. In 8 years Roland will be 77. Most normal people would want to be kicking back relaxing but this headcase still wants to be out there doing evil
They should have started in Div 3 where The Rats " program" and his shit cast off players may have worked. A provincial club where the locals had no where else to go
He didn't understand how strong the championship was he didn't care about the history or size of CAFC.
It's ground zero for us---- low low down and rebuild to show his program works------ we know it won't as we know how hellish difficult it will be to get the crowds back
IMO the only way is his death !! Then his family will sell and we might be saved .
He don't care about the money through the gates etc he don't care about the league position. It's all about the plan and the program. He lives in another country he don't care what happens here or what we do . If it was all about profit he would have at least SPOKEN to Varneys people
Don't expect to win this us CAFC but that didn't mean you don't try-- fight we owe that to our Fathers , family. mates and our history
I genuinely do not think any of the Axis of Evil (RD, KM, RM) want us to be relegated. They want us to be in the Premier League. But they lack the knowledge, the skill or the ability to make decisions which will enable the club to succeed. And as with all rich egotists, Roland thinks he knows better and the fawning underlings just pander to his every whim. Do you think anyone actually says to him: "Roland, we've got this wrong."? Not a chance.
We are in effect a rich man's plaything. And there's bugger-all we can do about it other than make life for those he trusts as unpleasant as possible. And hope the Belgian experiment does not kill the club before RD gets bored and finds any toy to break.
What you say sounds totally plausible Valiantphil. In 8 years Roland will be 77. Most normal people would want to be kicking back relaxing but this headcase still wants to be out there doing evil
Interesting point.
Didn't Roland mention only having a certain amount of years left in business?
I heard an employee of the club suggest that this was the case, though I think they were speculating or repeating someone else's theory as opposed to having seen it on a powerpoint in a strategy meeting.
I heard an employee of the club suggest that this was the case, though I think they were speculating or repeating someone else's theory as opposed to having seen it on a powerpoint in a strategy meeting.
Yes. I don't know why but how can any sane person reach any other conclusion!
Because you assume RD is like any other owner or human being. He isn't, he doesn't think like other owners or prioritise like other owners.
He is mad, his plan is mad and his acolytes are blind like KM or uncaring yes men like Tony Cahones.
Yes, they want to stay up.
They expected to stay up because Roland doesn't do failure, his plan will work, he is always right.
They really think they will get away with it again like the last two seasons.
Those two escapes haven't taught them anything.
They think if they change manager, again, buy a few players then we HAVE to stay up Roland doesn't do failure remember.
Going down would mean taking a massive financial hit. They dont want that but they refuse to learn from their mistakes because they don't think they have made any.
I think that this is probably just about on the mark. Roland seems to suffer from megalomania; the very idea that he might be wrong would not occur to him and he surrounds himself with fawning groupies who reinforce his belief in his own omnipotence. Thus Katrien insists that all the changes of manager have been successful despite all the evidence that points the other way. In her view Roland approved the appointments therefore they must be correct.
This is one reason I have problems with supporting the team not the regime. In this case the team and the management of the club are built in Roland's image and it is very much a case of "L'etat c'est moi"
Don't buy that. I don't think there's nearly as much money to be made from redevelopment of the Valley into housing as people seem to think. Clearly he wants to put flats into the ground somehow, but this is just part of his everyday sweating of the asset
I think ValleyMick is spot on in his assessment. He knows his 'vision' for football can't work with a team in the championship now that FFP has been proven to be bullshit. Rather than sell up and admit defeat, he's willing to let us drop down a division or two and try again in a league not quite as crazy with its finances.
Final paragraph is worryingly plausible.
The irony will be that dropping down a division(or two) will see an increase of players based over here.
They are not bothered what Division we are in, as long as we are Charlton Alexandra. Someone has advised them there is a hardcore of 13k who are loyal and will turn up in any Division and they are basing their plans on that. We are being taken for mugs.
Not sure they want us relegated, but they certainly don't care if we are. The fantasy is that every year there will be enough academy players sold to keep things ticking along. As RD said early on, to him it doesn't matter which division you are in. It's like Woodward at Man Utd, he seems to behave as if his priority is maximising the "brand"with football success as a bonus. RD sees as a footballing baby farm with nuisance customers attached.
Yes. I don't know why but how can any sane person reach any other conclusion!
Because you assume RD is like any other owner or human being. He isn't, he doesn't think like other owners or prioritise like other owners.
He is mad, his plan is mad and his acolytes are blind like KM or uncaring yes men like Tony Cahones.
Yes, they want to stay up.
They expected to stay up because Roland doesn't do failure, his plan will work, he is always right.
They really think they will get away with it again like the last two seasons.
Those two escapes haven't taught them anything.
They think if they change manager, again, buy a few players then we HAVE to stay up Roland doesn't do failure remember.
Going down would mean taking a massive financial hit. They dont want that but they refuse to learn from their mistakes because they don't think they have made any.
I think that this is probably just about on the mark. Roland seems to suffer from megalomania; the very idea that he might be wrong would not occur to him and he surrounds himself with fawning groupies who reinforce his belief in his own omnipotence. Thus Katrien insists that all the changes of manager have been successful despite all the evidence that points the other way. In her view Roland approved the appointments therefore they must be correct.
This is one reason I have problems with supporting the team not the regime. In this case the team and the management of the club are built in Roland's image and it is very much a case of "L'etat c'est moi"
One of the problems is that 90% of Roland's plan is right. It is just the crazy 10 per cent is the important bit. You need to get the right man in and back him. He has had opportunities to do this with Powell and Riga and passed on them. Even Peeters and Luzon could have achieved something with a bit more autonomy and backing. Sorry but Fraye was a complete joke of a manager beyond hope. That he was made manager at all tells you what you need to know about he 10%.
Comments
If we:
(a) get to the end of the transfer window without addressing our weaknesses in the final third of the pitch (winger, creative midfielder and experienced goal scorer)
(b) loan out Watt without replacing him
it appears that Roland is willing to risk relegation and will re-run the experiment in L1. God help us.
These Belgians are not interested in football - this is a property play, and they will be left with an under-used stadium within inner London, during the worst hosing crisis in memory.
Which is exactly what they want.
So yes - the faster CAFC drops down the leagues the better for them.
What they haven't bargained for ..........(because they frequently make poor decisions).........is that there will be a throng of local residents/fans who oppose them at every step of the way, thus slowing the permission process.
We have to get real - these Belgians are out to finish off CAFC altogether, so let's unite against them.
I think ValleyMick is spot on in his assessment. He knows his 'vision' for football can't work with a team in the championship now that FFP has been proven to be bullshit. Rather than sell up and admit defeat, he's willing to let us drop down a division or two and try again in a league not quite as crazy with its finances.
Katrien's Key Performance Indicator is to keep the losses down to a couple of million - hence the desperation to sell Tony Watt, regardless of the consequences in football terms. The regime will regard Lookman as money in the bank, whilst RD will be hoping that JBG has a good Euro tournament for Iceland in order to stimulate interest in hi services.
A plan to build flats at the Jimmy Seed end of the ground also fits nicely with Roland's grand plan. He will feel that a few years of mediocrity and suffering in League 1 will reduce opposition to those sort of schemes.
Leaving aside, however, the immediate loss of several million pounds per season following relegation, he and his imbecilic management have failed to take into account a number of key factors:
- their incompetence in the transfer market means that the club will - for a number of years - be saddled with players on very long contracts who neither wish to, nor are equipped to, play in League 1
- a 'fire sale' in the Summer will realise rock bottom fees, not least because RD's overt desperation to reduce costs undermines the club's already weak negotiating position
- whatever Academy facilities we have, we are going to be a much less attractive proposition for youngsters and their parents in League 1, especially as our reputation in football is - with every justification - at rock bottom (and no, Katrien, it's not the 'customers' fault)
- players (young and old) in League 1 do not attract large transfer fees
- the loss of supporter goodwill is incalculable and continues to accelerate - as to which, see the Trust's latest survey
- even if RD had a viable strategy for life in the lower leagues, the people he has in charge are wholly incapable of executing it.
You couldn't make some of this stuff up. Lending Tony Watt - our best forward -to a competitor in the hope they'll exercise the option to buy at the end of the season shouldn't surprise us. Perhaps we should be grateful that Bolton couldn't afford to take up KM's offer to them or we'd now be bottom of the pile in 24th.
I'm not generally given to intemperate language, but it's absolutely no exaggeration to say that a state of war now exists between this regime and Charlton Athletic supporters. What a terrible mess he's made.
You let your Talisman top Salesman (Yann) go off,
Even thou your local rival company from 4 miles down the road,
are paying their top salesman Scott Macdonald 5K more.
And replace him with a Polish lad with a Diploma from a business school in eastern Europe on a 5 year contract.
You let a young 24 year old(Stephens) who is now settled in the south after sorting out his domestic arrangement with his partner(young child as well) who has just had the best 3 month figures of his career Leave.
You let the regular joker(Hamer) and good for morale Salesman leave after a few months despite that he's well in credit despite having a few monthly dips.
You let a solid consistent Salesman leave(Morrison) because a foreign guy wants to work in the UK for a year before going traveling again. (TBH)
You Made sure that you would get a refund if this company dropped off the top 24 businesses in the 2nd tier of Leisure/sport/cinemas/and Restaurants in England in the first 6 months of Taking over.
I dread to think want insurance you now have if we Drop.
change the Menu, and get a new film, Roland Duchatelet as your
Customers are Revolting !
He is mad, his plan is mad and his acolytes are blind like KM or uncaring yes men like Tony Cahones.
Yes, they want to stay up.
They expected to stay up because Roland doesn't do failure, his plan will work, he is always right.
They really think they will get away with it again like the last two seasons.
Those two escapes haven't taught them anything.
They think if they change manager, again, buy a few players then we HAVE to stay up
Roland doesn't do failure remember.
Going down would mean taking a massive financial hit. They dont want that but they refuse to learn from their mistakes because they don't think they have made any.
As Henry says, he thinks we can escape again like we have done the past two seasons.
If we do manage the Great Escape V3 whether he will have learnt anything at the third time of asking is the big question and I have no more idea on that than anyone else.
Sadly I think he will just sit it out till the club dies. And I don't think there's much we can do.
Totally depressed about Charlton
Getting permission for the JS flats still gives RD five years to start work -
OR RESUBMIT A REVISED PLAN.
My guess is that he is simply 'establishing a mindset' with LBG that there will be housing on the site.
He will still own CAFC when we are playing in L2, sharing with Dag & Red in front of a few thousand and running at a small loss each season.
Meanwhile he will redevelop the Valley in conjunction with LBG / Univ Greenw to repay the £70m (?) he will have spent on CAFC since taking over 2 years ago.
I wonder if any of the former debtors have been promised a slice of cake in return for their support ?
This is just my guess - but it is what I would do if I didn't care about CAFC or football, and I think RD has shown us enough evidence on that subject.
He didn't understand how strong the championship was he didn't care about the history or size of CAFC.
It's ground zero for us---- low low down and rebuild to show his program works------ we know it won't as we know how hellish difficult it will be to get the crowds back
IMO the only way is his death !! Then his family will sell and we might be saved .
He don't care about the money through the gates etc he don't care about the league position. It's all about the plan and the program. He lives in another country he don't care what happens here or what we do . If it was all about profit he would have at least SPOKEN to Varneys people
Don't expect to win this us CAFC but that didn't mean you don't try-- fight we owe that to our Fathers , family. mates and our history
We are in effect a rich man's plaything. And there's bugger-all we can do about it other than make life for those he trusts as unpleasant as possible. And hope the Belgian experiment does not kill the club before RD gets bored and finds any toy to break.
Didn't Roland mention only having a certain amount of years left in business?
This is one reason I have problems with supporting the team not the regime. In this case the team and the management of the club are built in Roland's image and it is very much a case of "L'etat c'est moi"
The irony will be that dropping down a division(or two) will see an increase of players based over here.