Even They Want Him Out...

At 2pm I stood close to the front of the huge crowd gathered outside the Liberal Club ready to march to The Valley. A huge helium balloon with Roland's face on it was bouncing around in the breeze above me. As proud as I am of the protest efforts to date, I long for a time we can all return to our former pre-match routines; the one's forged over many, many years of supporting our club. Let's face it, this protesting thing is an essential means to an end, but it isn't fun. It isn't what any of us want to do with our time. The incentive to rattle Duchatelet and Meire enough that they might leave could not be greater, but I dream of a time it will all be over.

 

I may not be able to judge the business acumen of a man who's accumulated millions, but certainly in a football sense Roland will never succeed. It's not that 'Roland doesn't do failure' it's that he simply doesn't recognise what failure is. His stubborn, selfish vision of football is fundamentally flawed and Charlton are dying a painful death because of it. 

 

Rough estimates suggest there was over 5,000 people who joined the pre-match procession. The images shared around on social media portrayed an impressive, unified mass supporting a change in ownership. Within seconds of the match starting, the game was bought to a halt for some 7mins whilst black and white beach balls and balloons swirled around the edges of the pitch. Albeit poor quality, my own footage can be found below.

 

No sooner did the football start again, Brighton scored. Who cared?

 

The football yesterday was completely irrelevant for me. I felt no joy whatsoever at JBG's equaliser, nor pain at Brighton's 2nd and 3rd strikes. I can appreciate there are still some people who came to support the team and enjoy a day at the football, and I respect their view, but I'm afraid I can't share their ability to ignore the catastrophic effects of Roland's ownership. My attendance at The Valley was to add weight to the protest and nothing to do with supporting a group of players I feel little or no attachment to.

Many of them I won't miss when they jump ship after this disastrous season...

According to CAST, Meire and Murray have finally offered to meet with them. The Trust has openly asked both members and non-members how they feel about that before responding. I was pleased to read comments on Twitter overwhelmingly encouraging them to decline the meeting completely on the grounds that the regime / fan relationship is completely irreconcilable.

It's impossible for me to put into words just how much I deeply resent what Duchatelet and Meire has done to my club. Nothing they will ever say or do can heal those wounds. I want a time when I can completely forget about them even existing.  

 

Last word to the fans of Brighton who were hugely supportive all afternoon. There is already a strong history of fan unity between our two clubs, born out of similar desperate times and fuelled further by a shared dislike of Crystal Palace!  Hundreds of Seagulls joined the pre-match walk to The Valley and anti-Roland chants rang out of the Jimmy Seed all afternoon. Many delayed their journeys home to add weight to the post-match protest behind the West Stand. Their support was appreciated. The truth of the matter is, knowing how deeply hurt I feel, I wouldn't wish this destruction of a football club on even our fiercest rivals, and the empathy those Brighton fans showed will not be forgotten. I came across this YouTube footage below this morning: emotional stuff.

 

 

The Seagulls will get my full support as they attempt to secure promotion to the Premier League. Meanwhile, what exactly do I have to look forward to? The long-awaited end of the Duchatelet ownership is all I have to dream about now!

Avoidable. Heartbreaking. Unacceptable.

 

I doesn't matter how much I'd braced myself for it, pretty much since the turn of the year, the confirmation that Charlton will drop into League One still hit like a sledgehammer. The feeling of relegation is not something you get used to, after all. Last night Charlton were relegated for the 9th time in their long and proud history and I've had the misfortune of witnessing first hand four of those. Some have been easier than others to swallow, but this is by a country mile the hardest to accept. In fact, it is totally unacceptable.

 

If ever a relegation was avoidable it was this one.

 

Avoidable but for Roland's stubborn and selfish ownership that has ignored the most obvious signs of a serious and aggressive cancer that has ripped through my club. Obvious at least to everyone with an ounce of care and consideration for Charlton Athletic, but brushed off  repeatedly by Duchatelet and Meire. If left the cancer will become terminal.

 

The official site published this statement soon after relegation was confirmed, attributed to Katrien Meire, but more likely penned by one of her minions whilst she was sunning herself in Dubai. Much like the statement post-Middleborough, I suspect it's sole intention is divert the gaze of the national press who would have expected something. In reality, it is about as hollow, insincere and meaningless as a statement can get, full of relegation response clichés, and only adds insult to the heartbreak.

 

"This is not the time for excuses. We apologise for our mistakes and now need to learn from them", says our hapless CEO. I assume she refers to the same 'mistakes' that have been made time and time again in shameless and arrogant fashion under Mr. Duchatelet's ownership? The same 'mistakes' that have been pointed out to this regime by Charlton fans and the wider football and journalistic community. Those mistakes. Never ending mistakes.

 

And I'm supposed to have faith next season will be different...

 

Actions speak far louder than words, Ms. Meire, and your actions to date are embarrassing, insulting and breathtakingly inadequate. I wish to God Charlton showed the same level of consistency in winning football matches as you do in getting things wrong. Your position has been completely untenable for far too long and I will celebrate the day you and your boss are no longer associated with my club. In fact, I dream of that day.

 

Yesterday I spent the money I'd set aside for next year's season tickets on a new set of garden furniture. I've never done something like that before and it hurts deep inside so much more than I can ever articulate on this blog. There has been absolutely no effort made by the club to convince me (or anyone else) to renew, which leads me to draw the conclusion they arrogantly think I will out of tradition or that they don't care. Both are perfectly believable. I will not be taken for a mug and will not support this flawed regime by providing Roland with a vital, guaranteed up-front income. He'll have to find that shortfall himself over the summer, along with the financial implications associated with the relegation he's caused.

 

But I will not walk away either, and next season I will revert to a pay-on-the-day 'customer'. I will continue to add my voice to the on-going protests, which I expect to be very well supported this Saturday for the visit of Brighton.

 

If I had just one wish right now it would be Duchatelet's immediate departure over instant promotion for next season. The former more important for the long-term future of my club.

Delaying The Inevitable...

 

"I know that there are two stories from today's game and I want only to be involved in the sporting one, but we really felt that the fans were pushing us today for the whole 90 minutes" - Jose Riga

 

It might well be delaying the inevitable, but in a season as woeful as ours, Teixeira's stoppage time winner was rightfully celebrated as if it was the goal that kept us up. And it did matter; regardless of whether it realistically gives us any sensible cause to hope. We, as fans, deserve those all-too-rare moments of delirium. After the game Charlton's other goal scorer, Gudmundsson, stated on Twitter 'what a win this could be for us'. Could being the operative word. Charlton's attempts to pull themselves clear of danger, if judged on an upturn in form and commitment alone, would be encouraging, perhaps even worth getting excited about. Regrettably, determining our own fate seems a million miles away, and requires the collapse of two out of MK Dons, Fulham or Rotherham.

 

I just can't see it happening, even if we won all of our remaining games. It's the hope that kills you...

 

Before an actual Charlton goal had been scored, Addicks metaphorically scored one themselves with another well-executed and well-supported protest. Well played CARD. For nearly 5 minutes the ref was forced to stop the game so ground staff, stewards and even the players themselves could clear away hundreds of small foam stress balls from the pitch. I found this excellent video below of the entire event courtesy of Cameron Walker.

 

 

My own view of the protest action can be found here. 

 

Special mention to the older chap in the East who very deliberately returned the match ball as slow and carefully as he could after catching it in the crowd. Walking along the isle and down the steps, cradling the ball like a baby, he gently pushed it under the gate next to a bemused steward. His literal interpretation of the club's recent warnings against the 'throwing of any objects in the ground' was met with rapturous applause, and the chap duly lifted his cap and bowed to soak up the adulation thereafter.

 

A serious underlying issue it might be, but thankfully humour and no small amount of irony have featured heavily in these on-going protests.  

 

Once again, Katrien, I urge you to take a long hard look at any footage you can find of the 'disruption' yesterday (including the 'excellent CCTV' you boast about in this recent threat statement) . This is not the work of a few young and impressionable lost sheep following the flock. No, the demographic is across the board; young and old, established fans and would-be next generation.

 

You have managed to upset everyone.   

 

Let's hope that another delayed 'inevitable' is the departure of Meire and Duchatelet. Quite how either see a future at a club they have destroyed in such inglorious fashion in little over two years beggars belief.

 

Poor old Birmingham (did I really just write that?) who have the very unwelcome distinction of being the only club Charlton will have completed the double over this season. Yesterday's victory coming after a one-zero reverse last November. On to Ipswich on Tuesday night. Bizarrely, I'm very tempted to make the trip. It's a ground I've always enjoyed going to, despite our mixed fortunes there. Nothing short of a win will be enough, but if Riga is brave, then just maybe...

 

OK, I admit, no matter how unlikely it is, I am dreaming of a miracle! Despite what Roland thinks, I don't want this club to fail. 

My Desire Is Different To Yours, Roland...

I was dreading it's arrival, and today the season ticket renew forms dropped through my letterbox, tugging at my heart strings like lead weights. I picked up my young son's letter first. He would have been made up to have received something addressed to him, especially with Johnnie roaring away triumphantly on the front cover, flanked by two legends he's heard loads about down the years from his old man. But after I took the image for the benefit of this piece, had a quick read through out of sheer curiosity, both pamphlets were put into the recycling bin.

 

Remember that emotional letter sent by Mr. Slater that accompanied the 2011 renewal forms? None of that this time. No reflective or apologetic words from Meire following an utterly atrocious, lamentable and deeply harmful season that will end in relegation. No attempts to make amends and rebuild the bridges she has destroyed through breathtakingly poor management over the last two years.

 

Nothing too from Roland following his demented outburst a week or so back. He's shown just what he thinks of the fans when they threaten the application of his grand plan: whatever that might turn out to be.

 

For the first time in nearly two decades, I'm not renewing.

 

The opening line suggest "Next season we want fans like you to get behind the team more than ever and make a difference". Well, Roland and Katrien, do you know what I want? Do you know what I think would make a difference? For you two to leave my club forever. Until you do I won't allow myself to get treated like a customer or a mug. I will not renew, but I will not walk away either. This is my club and I will not give it up easily. 

 

Sadly, everything coming out of Charlton at the moment is met with cynicism, and the 'My Only Desire' mantra is no exception. Clearly Roland's desire for Charlton is a lot different to mine. 

 

Never has the chasm between club and fans been greater, and it will not improve under this management. So much so, early figures suggest those taking up season tickets are at an all-time low at comparable stages to other years.

 

And all this on the same day that CARD brilliantly took the protests to a new level by targeting a meeting between club and potential sponsors based at both Sparrows Lane and The Valley. By all accounts, the event was poorly attended with just four of the twenty potential sponsors showing up, and two of those were clearly disgruntled and looking for answers. One Addicks who gave up his time to join the picket line was fellow blogger, Brian, and he explains how the day went here.

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.

Early Departure...

I've had far better days at The Valley, but today was up there for an experience that will be remembered for many years to come. Just like that time the fans threw those merchandise brochures onto the pitch in protest at Steve Brown's red card whilst being carried off on a stretcher, or that incredible rendition of 'Floyd Road' soon after we were condemned to relegation by Spurs' second goal in '07, today will be remembered for the actions of the fans more than the action on the pitch. Sometimes wonderfully spontaneous, sometimes choreographed superbly, Addicks should be rightfully proud of themselves tonight. Support and protest delivered effectively, decisively and with relentless passion.

Before the game CARD had set the tone with a superbly executed mock funeral procession that was observed by hundreds if not thousands along the route to The Valley. I followed it down Floyd Road alongside a group of Boro fans who looked genuinely somber at the emotion of it all. They're having a mini-crisis themselves, although I'd settle for their problems right now.

Within seconds of the kick off a barrage of black and white beach balls rained down on the pitch and bought the proceedings to a sudden halt. As the ground staff frantically tried to clear the pitch the Charlton fans stood as one to sing anti-Duchatelet songs in front of a live TV audience. Unsurprisingly, Sky images showed Meire sniggering away, presumably finding the customer unrest weird. The chasm between her and the fans cannot get wider. Her position long-since became untenable and totally unacceptable. Unbelievably there are people out there willing to give Roland the benefit of doubt, but can there be anyone who thinks Meire is doing a worthy job?

The first half came and went without drama other than a mischievous rogue whistler based somewhere in the Covered End. On one occasion, the unofficial referee appeared to stop a dangerous looking Boro attack by blowing up, confusing everyone but Teixeira who cleared the ball away.

And on 57 minutes the most rarest of sights: a Charlton goal! Teixeira scoring a powerful header from a corner. The Valley erupted and for the first time in a very long time I found myself celebrating passionately like the old days. A couple of guys ran on the pitch and eagerly beckoned their fellow Addicks on with them. Nobody followed, thankfully. Meire would have loved it if they did, if only to provide an opportunity to discredit the otherwise peaceful protests.

The clock ticked towards the 74th minute, although we had to guess as much after a suspiciously-timed warning about invading the pitch appeared on the big screen just beforehand as if to distract or confuse the masses. I'm not going to lie, getting up and walking out was very, very hard. Every single bit of me wished I didn't feel the need to make a stand, but I do, so I did. Even if we agree on the harmful effects of Duchatelet and Meire, I know opinion is split on the walkout, just as it will be on the boycott of season tickets. I don't blame people for staying put. Not one bit. The whole thing still doesn't sit comfortably with me even now, and I hate Meire and Duchatelet for putting this on me.

Just as I turned into the West Stand car park, Harriott doubled our lead. Rest assured, despite what some might believe, missing our second goal meant absolutely nothing to me. I won't lose any sleep over that. I'd have happily missed 2 or 3 goals safe in the knowledge they were going to Charlton. 

My reluctant early departure was not a sign I cared less about the result, but all about my grave concerns for the future.

Maximum Exposure...

So Charlton's 2014-15 accounts have been published and it would appear to provide all the evidence you'd need that our absent Belgian owner is loading us up with huge debt by virtue of personal loans rather than actual investment. I know of a few Addicks who, even now, have kept their powder dry on Duchâtelet under the pretence that he 'saved us' from administration. Hopefully this will finally provide the proof to one and all that Duchâtelet's business model is a selfish vision to the complete detriment of our Charlton Athletic.

 

In many ways, the timing could not be better. News of the accounts comes just before Charlton's latest appearance on Sky TV for this Sunday's game against Boro. Normally you'd have every right to dread a live Charlton game, but this is a little different. This is a great opportunity to provide as much exposure as possible to the on-going protests against the owner and his hapless sidekick.

 

With this in mind, CARD have organised a mock funeral procession from the Charlton Liberal Club in Charlton Church Lane from 2.45pm and they are inviting supporters to line the route to 'pay their respects' to the dead soul of the club. Amongst other protest initiatives that will be announced nearer the time, a mass walk-out is also planned on 74 minutes, withy fans invited to reassemble in the west stand car park. 

 

Some will favour more direct and aggressive action, but I continue to applaud CARD for creating effective and innovative protest ideas that will gain national sympathy and positive attention rather than condemnation for angry, unlawful scenes.    

 

I know there will still be a good number of people who will not support the walkout, or even a focus that may well be more on the protests than the football. I can respect the view, but I consider it to be woefully short-sighted when set against the real and undeniable fears for the very existence of this club in the not-too-distant future. 

 

Under the full glare of the Sky cameras, now is the time act, not in the summer when nobody will be around to hear our voices.  

 

I totally get the view that despite the desperate situation we are in on and off the pitch, some still come to watch a game of football and won't compromise that. My view is the football is dead. Simple as that. There is nothing on that pitch that remotely excites me any more and the otherwise perfectly reasonable 'Back the Boys' mantra is completely undermined by too many players who simply don't give a shit. You can convince yourselves otherwise all you like, but if, like me, you braved the cold on Tuesday night to witness an utterly gutless display against MK Dons, you will know the players have given up as well.

 

That said, it's not necessarily their fault. They may well have come into our club with all the best intentions to do well but Duchâtelet's flawed and ever-faltering vision, actioned by the astonishingly inept Katrien Miere, has spread apathy and disillusionment across Charlton Athletic as a whole, and it will only get worse unless we act.

 

If you want change then please support the initiatives outlined by CARD here.