Fanny Fanackapan has asked this question twice recently with little response.
I've been asked for a response so here are a few thoughts to start the ball rolling.
1 A weekend (Saturday or Sunday) protest at The Valley, which may or may not involve occupying The Valley.
2 A weekend sit down protest outside The Valley, sitting in the roads.
3 A trip to Belgium to protest in St Truiden perhaps outside Mr Duchatelet's property.
All sensible views are welcome, but it's best we offer opinions without arguing.
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I wanted it to be a light case where we give him the benefit of the doubt and just help to push this along....and then all of this becomes history.
Due to the fact that this idea and forward thinking has clearly been rejected by RD.
Then the best option is to just make his life miserable. No holds barred.
Bring him down.
He had a choice. To either work with us to to go against us.
He chose to go against.
So he must suffer the consequences.
I genuinely think we should wait to see how things pan out over the next couple of weeks. There has been a few times in the past when there has been rumoured worst case scenarios (for example, firesales towards the end of transfer windows) that just haven't emerged.
If Bowyer does not stay, there is no doubt that many of us will be completely gutted. The liklihood i assume would be Jackson would then trotted out and there will be a fresh wave of get behind Jacko, he needs our support etc, which will probably split fans further.
If Bowyer and Jacko go then we will probably be back to Jan 16 times and escalated anarchy and widespread protest. But i don't think its worthwhile fearing the worst until it becomes clear that that is the situation imo.
It will at least be clear that if Bowyer doesn't stay, then RD will feel a backlash, which may well cost him more money than giving Lee a decent deal.
So even on a financial level RD needs to be aware of what he is doing.
Statements have come out from various parties over the last few days.
Even if bowyer stays should we not be doing more to see the Belgian off.
I'd love to see some more demonstrations, but sadly I can't see us doing anything much that will register on his radar let alone make a difference. We seemed to lose all sense of direction a couple of years ago when we thought the sale was going ahead and when the rubber-toy demos, that served us so well on the old days, started to feel a little tired. At that point we needed to follow a central decision and go all out for it, either upping the intensity of the demos or going for broke on a boycott. Sadly too many people took a 'you can't tell me what to do' attitude and so nobody ever did dare to tell them. With a lack of direction people drifted back either into passively watching the football or into their football apathy. Collectively, as a fan base, we rolled over. That was fine in May when we were getting our tummy tickled but the trouble is that much worse things can happen when you're in a prone position.
I appreciate the people are now asking the question 'what could we do', but the fact that it is proceeded by 'if Bowyer leaves' still says to me that for some (I suspect the vast majority) that it is more about results than ownership. Sorry to say it, but we are the fickle fans that some of the media spoke about.
In answer to the options above, I could be persuaded to do any of them but I'm not convinced they'd be successful. The best Idea I've heard recently (sorry I can't remember who suggested it) was for the fans to produce their own sales brochure.
Jacko is a good guy, but when Fraeye was appointed the club framed it that Fraeye was the 'mastermind' behind the success of Riga in his first spell.
Well that went well didn't it? Culminating in Laundrybasketgate.
The overall field of conflict next season will be the much higher profile Championship. We will have this one opportunity before our inevitable relegation to get creative and take action.
Passive acceptance would be true Charlton 'Pathetic'.
This does not require an awful load amount of thinking and planning.
He is a one dimensional fruit loop.
His gob opens up before he thinks about what he is saying.
Just bully him out.
He can't function face to face. In person encounters upset him. He always reacts after personal interaction.
The threatening behaviour of Standard Liége fans must be condemned and must not be emulated.
Persistent pressure just the legal side of harassment will bring forward the sale. He understands nothing else.
Bollox, haven't got one.
so I would recommend an open top bus ride on the first day of the new season (ideally or just before if more practicable) through Sint Truiden with all our currently contracted players and as many ex- players and on the bus with a replica of the 3rd place play off.
We can prepare Belgian press with a ’Du Shit’s Shit’ bingo card.
Win, win.
Everyone seems to be raving about him??
Not sure why?
Or have I missed something?
Until we know if Bowyer has signed which has to be in the next week or two at latest.
Football fans are fickle and ours are no different, Blackpool and Coventry fans appear to be the only hard line protesters. As said in one of the pre-play off final threads a Blackpool fan was surprised that we had sold as many Wembley tickets as he thought we were protesting.
We had 3 x big televised games watched by media and fans of other clubs to show what we think of RD yet not one sign of a Black & White item, not a banner nor a protest song sung.
When things are on the up all is forgotten, when things take a downward turn talk of action re-surfaces again.
RD will sell and move on when it suits him, not because we are throwing plastic toys on the pitch or sitting in/outside The Valley. What he does along the way to harm our club has long slipped out of our hands so we may as well buckle up for the ride ahead.
The protests in ST have clearly had a big impact with RD, as proved by his outbursts after said protests, and made him feel very uncomfortable.
But, you have to remember, after all the protesting,he still owns us. He still wants his big wedge for the club, and no amount of protesting has got him to budge.
In some respects , i have a (little) bit of admiration for him and KM, after what has been thrown at them.
I can't remember if previous protests have ever taken place at his companies offices or even in his street/outside his house?