Hopes were raised. Reports suggested Charlton were about to make a Board level statement. Like everyone else, I dared to dream that recent events may have bought about a positive change; Fraeye replaced with a manager with the correct level of competence and experience and...top of my wish list...Meire was leaving her position with immediate effect.
Instead, the hapless media team were forced to put out this piece of rhetoric from regime puppet Mr. Murray: Club strategy and the future of Charlton
One tweet from the club promoting the piece suggested Murray "candidly addresses errors made by the ownership", except nowhere in the piece does this actually happen. He makes reference to certain things, agreed, the underestimation of the Championship to name one (didn't Katrien Meire admit that last season?), but nowhere are they actually 'addressed'.
There was also nothing whatsoever on the protests and widespread fan unrest beyond "patently there are some supporters who don’t like the ownership, but...". In itself, an address so brief and flippant that it could be taken as pretty dismissive of the good reasons behind it. Nothing, either, on the extensive criticism of the club's ownership from media sources and the football community as a whole.
Nothing on the untenable position of our CEO, Katrien Meire and the recent comments made in that seminar video, all of which contradict the idea that we're a club "who can be competitive in the Championship, but has Premier League ambitions". Murray clearly didn't feel a need to clarify the "customer" comments or the fact Meire feels it's weird we feel a sense of ownership to our club. In fact, the piece doesn't mention Meire at all as if to try and deflect us stupid people away from thinking about her insulting ineptitude.
Nothing on Peter Varney, but I guess that's the least surprising.
What's happened to Richard Murray? Go now whilst you still have a small amount of my respect left for better days long past.
All of this is a million miles away from being good enough. Insulting is an understatement. When will this nonsense end, and what will be lft behind when it does?
I reckon the piece was edited by KM, and all references to her, the protests, etc, were removed from the final statement.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to agree. Seems very odd her name isn't included.
DeleteIt brings to mind this Oliver Cromwell quote:
ReplyDeleteYou have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!
Great stuff, Pete. I like that!
DeleteTo slightly mis-quote Churchill....
ReplyDelete"Never in the field of football was so little said to so many by so few..."
A hope that things might just be turning were dashed by the impotent Richard Murray. Just what good he is doing on the Board is a mystery - I thought, and hoped, that he was staying on to act as a link between the owner and his mini-me mouthpiece (who both know nothing) and the supporters (who clearly know a lot more about running a successful football club).
Murray's admission about the lack of strength of the first team squad is something that most supporters saw back in September - only know do the 3 Stooges seem to have cottoned on!
It's not what Murray said in the contrived statement that is important - it's the issues that he didn't raise which are more important...
1. the future of Fraeye and when are the club going to appoint a full time manager,
2. the position of M/s Meire (anyone in the normal commercial world who had made the number of gaffes that she has done would have been sacked months ago),
3. the lack of interest shown by Duchatelet in attending games,
4. the insult to supporters by calling us "customers", 5. the continual selling of our best players and replacing them by un-known out of depth players from obscure European clubs and
6. the decision to use the Academy as a feeder for Premier league clubs instead of a spring-board for the success of our own club.
Incidentally, on this last point, isn't Valley Gold now redundant? The purpose was to produce young players for the benefit of Charlton Athletic - not for a raft of Premier league clubs. On this point I have now cancelled my membership in protest.
Richard Murray has played a very important part in this club over the last 20 years - he does himself no favours in continuing to support Duchatelet and his 'mini-me'... he is fast losing all credibility. I know that he has his investment to protect - but just how will that ever be paid back when we are in division 1 - or, God-forbid, division 2???
Now Richard, if you would like to answer the above 6 points candidly and honestly we may actually start to move forward rather than backwards....