There will be no suspension of protests at Charlton this weekend, regardless of the expected managerial change, the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) has confirmed.
CARD has major plans for Saturday’s home game against Sheffield United.
It is calling on its army of volunteers to make a special effort to turn out and Charlton fans in general to make clear they are not taken in by this latest instalment of Groundhog Day.
A spokesperson said: “This will be the seventh ‘fresh start’ the regime has declared in under three years, and this one comes with the pre-announced installation of a Duchatelet network spy on the coaching staff, Chris O’Loughlin.
“At this stage the man who nominally takes charge of the team is barely relevant. Duchatelet has clearly signalled his intention to carrying on interfering in playing matters, which is bound to undermine whoever he appoints sooner rather than later.
“We are resigned to the fact that whoever is appointed will be dismissed before very long and the whole cycle will start again. There is no reason for anyone to believe otherwise. Therefore, our focus remains on removing Duchatelet and his puppets.”
Previously, CARD has interrupted four matches at The Valley just after kick-off. The team has gone on to win three of them – against Middlesbrough and Birmingham City last season and Coventry City in October. Charlton were already relegated when they took on promotion-chasing Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth, last April.
CARD's matchday activity was suspended at the start of the season to allow the new management team and squad an opportunity to show things had changed, but no similar luxury will be afforded former MK Dons boss Karl Robinson, who is set to become the latest to take the ejector seat at The Valley.
The spokesperson said: “Despite all the warm words from chief executive Katrien Meire when Russell Slade was appointed during the summer, repeated to a national radio audience less than a month ago, the regime’s true colours still come shining through.
“Whether it’s the unqualified Thomas Driesen scouting players by computer, the network stooge Chris O’Loughlin being placed at the training ground to report back to Belgium or pressure from Duchatelet himself, the manager will always be undermined. Nothing has changed and nothing will change while the club is owned and run by these people.”
Last week, CARD took its protests to Belgium using a London taxi in a special Charlton protest livery and it plans further activity away from matchdays to embarrass Duchatelet and Meire among their peers.
Fans able to help CARD for an hour or so before the game on Saturday are urged to email charlton.card@yahoo.co.uk.
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Comments
Any success under the current regime will strengthen their hand and weaken ours.
I suspect something much more interesting is in store....
And I'm not in the know!
Inspiration: Cambridge uni 1958 prank
He's essentially asked for the protests to be stopped during the game. Crack on with pre/post match protests and targeting the Belgians personally but when the game starts turn it in.
Some will disagree but I'm fully behind them at this point.
And on i don't want us relegated again, i'm just putting a different opinion across.
We should not be in this league.
When they took over we had an established squad and a couple of extra players, which with Roland's wealth was achievable, we could have pushed for the Prem.
Yesterday only 2 players in the entire squad had played more than 30 games for CAFC and we had yet again no Manager....
We now await the next guy in line for the firing squad, in my opinion it doesn't matter who it is, it's irrelevant.
Last night Leicester won in the Champions League, without a 1st half performance by our goalie we quite easily could have have lost.We were on par with Leicester a couple of years ago. Obviously they have done miracle but look what Roland has done to our club. We are playing in front of a few thousand customers, only 3 years ago in League 1 there were 15000 at the Valley. That is what he has done.
We shouldnt throw anything on the pitch as there is a new guy (possibly) at the helm, give him a chance, it is disrespectful - diddums. Who cares about the new guy?
I want my Chartlon back, will never happen under this Regime.
#Roland out