Being Roland Duchatelet: the real cause for concern
This quote is being analysed on another thread and I suppose it might be thought perhaps of as evidence of the thinking of a hard-nosed businessman with no emotional connection to his portfolio of projects. Of course the appointment and delegation of senior positions at Charlton to those who have come to his attention by way of speculative e-mails, e.g. Meire and Driesen, gives the lie to the belief that Duchatelet is a sound businessman other than in the one area where he has proved to be successful – electrical components.
However, it is something else that Duchatelet said that perhaps should be of greater concern to us.
Duchatelet said that he would like to see fans of both sides coming together to watch matches without segregation.
This is where it gets worrying. Right at the start of his ownership of Charlton Athletic, Weggie Addick produced an analysis of Duchatelet as a man from what was known of him in public. This included of course his self-appointed foundation and leadership of the Vivant political party (and the very telling fact that Duchatelet attended the Paris anti-Vietnam war and anti-establishment protests and riots of the late 1960s.
I am the same age as Roland Duchatelet (69) and lived through that very charged period which left life-long influences on those involved.
In my view Roland Duchatelet is no businessman but an idealist of the most dangerous kind - he thinks he can change the world - or at least a bit of it.
His political movement was/is based on a fairer taxation system for all Belgians (fine, no bad thing – it’s just that it proved to be unworkable in a modern society and his party is now marginalised. He has a pan-European approach to football too which is, like his politics, based purely on his idealised vision of how things should be – the clubs all working together, happy, clappy, jolly good fellow.
In the case of Charlton he thought, arrogantly and mistakenly, that all the other clubs would buy-in to the level playing field created by Financial Fair Play being adopted and he (assisted by Meire) could persuade other clubs to change the landscape. Well, we’ve seen where that’s gone.
Duchatelet has watched on smiling benevolently since 1998 as his initially successful political party Vivant has now been reduced to the status of a less than influential movement or lobbying group. He is still the leader of Vivant.
Duchatelet has watched on since 2014 as his initially welcomed (admittedly not by all) investments and plans for Chartlton Athletic (including initially secretive player farm plans) have collapsed in disarray in a tidal wave of well documented monumental mistakes made across every area of the administration of the club, its relationship with the fans and on the footballing side (culminating in relegation).
Duchatelet will not IMO make business-like decisions in relation to Charlton – in his head he still believes that he can recreate the Summer of Love across Europe 50 years on.
This goes beyond delusion. So, it’s time to bring Duchatelet to his senses – but how? This is going to take a lot of time and work.
Comments
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I didn't blame him for testing a new strategy when FFP was being used correctly - at the time, I supported such an approach. Now that FFP has basically gone due to abuse and selfishness by other clubs, it has no future and a change in strategy is required.
However, RD is an arrogant man who refuses to accept his approach is wrong ... he will not change.
All protests thus far have had no impact on the way that he personally thinks. We have had minor successes and will, ultimately, win. But will we only have the husk of a club by the time that happens?
Personally I am not sure where we go from here. We must keep protesting because silence equates to acquiescence. The club is becoming more unmanageable ... but possible promotion will make RD and the SMT believe that they were right all along, whereas we know the truth, i.e. that all they are doing is putting us back where we were in the first place.
This is not easy and we need to think carefully about next steps - we need to counter the new PR campaign that they have established. The message need to be re-enforced publicly that RD has failed. And the incompetence of the SMT must be further exposed.6 -
Don't care what he says, wants, or does. I just want him out of Charlton!
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A good piece coyotejohn 1947.
"In my view Roland Duchatelet is no businessman but an idealist of the most dangerous kind - he thinks he can change the world - or at least a bit of it."
I could give you 600 million reasons why that is incorrect but i do agree with the sentiments you express.2 -
Interesting post. It reminds me of the quote by C.S Lewis
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
We are Roland's children, we don't understand, we want the club to fail. It all sort of fits with what you say.
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I have believed for a long time that neither pure profit nor pure footballing success was his main motivation ( see my posts passim). As the opening post suggests Roland views himself as a man on a mission to change society and, more pertinently, in our case as a man to change how football is organised and financed. He has chosen our club to be part of an experiment which if it fails, as it is doing, will do immense damage to Charlton.
How best to combat someone with a messiah complex is a real problem10 -
ok,soapboxsam said:A good piece coyotejohn 1947.
"In my view Roland Duchatelet is no businessman but an idealist of the most dangerous kind - he thinks he can change the world - or at least a bit of it."
I could give you 600 million reasons why that is incorrect but i do agree with the sentiments you express.
But two reasons why he isn't (at least in relation to CAFC)
1. appointment of Meire as CEO
2. appointment of Driesen as football recruitment scout0 -
Can someone juxtapose pictures of the stadium crowds in L1 under Cash era with those of Douchebag? I think they might be good ammo for next phase of protests0
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@grapevine49 has recently posted a wonderfully erudite and insightful piece on the Duchatelet 'operation' in the 'RD sneaks out of the club' thread.
If the rump Target 20k committee reject the analysis found there then I'm afraid there is no longer a place for them as credible representatives of the fans - if they had any credibility left that is.2 -
origin-football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/a9/88/0,,10794~166057,00.pdfharveys gardener said:Can someone juxtapose pictures of the stadium crowds in L1 under Cash era with those of Douchebag? I think they might be good ammo for next phase of protests
origin-football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/aa/88/0,,10794~166058,00.pdf
Sorry, I've got numbers instead of poster paint and crayon.
These are for 2010-11, the Parky/SCP season where we finished mid-table (13th):
- 3rd highest average attendance in Division 3 (15,582 - behind Saints and the Massive)
- 17th highest average attendance in the Football League
- 2nd highest match attendance in Division 3 (24,767 - behind Saints)
- 10th highest match attendance in the Football League
Hands up all those who think we might get close to matching those stats whilst RD and KM are in charge? We couldn't even manage those numbers last year in Div 2 ...1 -
Can we find Jim Morrison (on the island that he is hiding on with Buddy Holly and Elvis) and get Jim to tell him that everything is fucked man, just don't bother as the Man has won?2
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Of course they will reject it, or at least they'll try to spin it a different way. Target 20k are nothing more than a handful of nobodies that believe they are somebodies, because they have a line to the CAFC hierarchy. The fact they are just being used by the SMT doesn't seem to faze them, so I doubt Grapevine's excellent post will touch them in any way at all. I can't help wondering if these people are either so stupid they don't see they are being used, or so lacking in self respect they are happy to let it happen. It's odd.Coyotejohn1947 said:@grapevine49 has recently posted a wonderfully erudite and insightful piece on the Duchatelet 'operation' in the 'RD sneaks out of the club' thread.
If the rump Target 20k committee reject the analysis found there then I'm afraid there is no longer a place for them as credible representatives of the fans - if they had any credibility left that is.0 -
Will see if i can weave this into the Brexit thread.Missed It said:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”5 -
Well it certainly sounds like something Boris Johnson would come out with (and pretend he wrote himself)Dippenhall said:
Will see if i can weave this into the Brexit thread.Missed It said:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
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He wants it to be more like rugby.....Mametz said:I have believed for a long time that neither pure profit nor pure footballing success was his main motivation ( see my posts passim). As the opening post suggests Roland views himself as a man on a mission to change society and, more pertinently, in our case as a man to change how football is organised and financed. He has chosen our club to be part of an experiment which if it fails, as it is doing, will do immense damage to Charlton.
How best to combat someone with a messiah complex is a real problem0 -
Then he should bugger off and buy a rugby team.EveshamAddick said:
He wants it to be more like rugby.....Mametz said:I have believed for a long time that neither pure profit nor pure footballing success was his main motivation ( see my posts passim). As the opening post suggests Roland views himself as a man on a mission to change society and, more pertinently, in our case as a man to change how football is organised and financed. He has chosen our club to be part of an experiment which if it fails, as it is doing, will do immense damage to Charlton.
How best to combat someone with a messiah complex is a real problem0 -
The best way to piss him and Meire off quickly would be for all fans to turn up wearing Trump Caps. It would be like holding a cross to a vampire!1
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Make Charlton great againqueensland_addick said:The best way to piss him and Meire off quickly would be for all fans to turn up wearing Trump Caps. It would be like holding a cross to a vampire!
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Beaten to the joke... by 20 minutes too.
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