Is Roland Cracking?

Oh Dear! On Sunday evening Charlton issued this very poorly constructed statement suggesting they were 'deeply saddened by the situation which has led to supporters demonstrating ahead of, and during, the match against Middlesbrough'. The piece, which was not attributed to anyone (and so quite who was 'deeply saddened' remains a mystery) went on to say 'we are determined to do everything we can to work together with supporters to build our relationship with them and make sure they remain at the heart of this club'. All well and good if it was remotely believable rather than the reality of it being a half-hearted release intended to deflect negative press attention after a very high-profile day of Anti-Duchatelet protests. The club could have continued along those same lines (the same promises have been made before, of course) and nobody would have been surprised or expecting anything more than empty words. We certainly wouldn't have held our breath for improvement...

 

Except Roland clearly felt the need to express his true feelings, and yesterday evening this abomination of a statement appeared on the official website. At first glance, I laughed out loud, fully expecting it to have been the work of hackers. Again, posted without being attributed to a specific writer, word soon came about from very well respected sources that the post was allegedly wrote by Roland himself, and against all advice from within the club, he insisted it was posted.

 

The club's own Official Twitter and Facebook accounts make no reference to it, suggesting they hoped it would slip under the radar, but also maybe a sign of embarrassment. The national press will be all over it this morning. It doesn't go down well attacking your own fans, then finishing up by asking for their support.

 

Let's be absolutely clear about this, Mr. Duchatelet, the desperate situation our club is in both on and off the pitch is as a result of the mismanagement of your ownership.

 

Presumably, after pouring petrol on an already raging fire, our megalomaniac owner went off to bed, happy with his latest wonderful contribution to Charlton Athletic. It beggars belief that there can still be anyone out there (other than KM) willing to back this man.

 

I wonder what Katrien Meire made of it all? Roland's continued defence of her is misguided and astonishing, but I can understand, and in part respect, his strong sense of loyalty to someone he obviously thinks a lot of. Outside of football I don't doubt for one minute she has a very bright future, and I hope that happens for her very soon. There can be no doubting that Meire's untenable position has been born out of her own naivety, repeated mistakes and lack of ability to deal with the fallout of each and every gaff. She has to face up to the reality of her situation and do the decent thing regardless of what Roland is telling her.

 

This whole thing is beyond parody. Insulting is an understatement of seismic proportions. Duchatelet might not be on the ropes quite yet, but I can only hope that it is a sign that he is cracking. We will not go away, we will not give up. The fight to get our Charlton back must go on at a greater intensity now.