Taking Ownership...

I have no firm idea what the 'fit and proper person' test actually entails for football club ownership, but I would sensibly guess that it includes criteria on the general law-abiding character of the applicant and his/her business and football background. The football background perhaps only relevant if they are proven to have an interest in another club within the Premier or Football League. It's therefore not surprising, sadly, that Mr. Duchatelet passed the test no matter how much we wished he hadn't with the power of hindsight.

 

I would be very surprised if the aspirations of the applicant feature much at all, as, let's face it, nobody in their right mind would say anything that could be perceived as a negative. If a would-be owner had a propensity to asset strip the football club without regard for ambition on the pitch, then he (or she) is hardly going to admit it! Furthermore, there are many ways to spin a story to portray it in whatever light you want, so it wouldn't be too much of an obstacle for any applicant with half a brain.  

 

The argument put forward from Katrien Meire that Mr. Duchatelet is funding the club with his money so he can do as he pleases (and we all just have to accept it) is morally wrong at the very least. My personal opinion is nobody should be allowed to own a football club without accepting a number of set boundaries, much like those in place to protect listed buildings. In the case of listed buildings, the definable character cannot be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the local planning authority, so why cannot this principle in preservation work for football clubs, but with the local planning authority replaced with an elected board of trustees?

 

It would obviously take some careful consideration to interpret the parameters of what the 'definable character' would be, and I don't pretend to have the answers, but to understand how the soul has been ripped out of Charlton would be to understand how it could possibly be avoided if a club had to follow some pretty basic guidelines.     

 

A standard that considers elements like the general infrastructure and running of the club including accountability, plus community, history, tradition and the emotional bond generations of fans have invested in their club should somehow be included.

 

In pretty simple terms, the owner may have the money, but he or she will know from the outset that the direction he takes the club will be judged, approved or halted by Trustees. 

 

It is obviously no guarantee of success and offers no assurances against failure, but in my humble opinion it would ensure that football clubs cannot become the play-things of the mega-rich, who have little or no regard for anything other than their own selfish vision.

 

Let's face it, if a system like this was in place then single-minded people like Roland Duchatelet wouldn't own football clubs and perennial failures like Katrien Meire would be made accountable long before they could cause so much harm. We might have avoided the demise seen at clubs like Blackpool, Blackburn, Villa, Newcastle, Leeds, Cardiff and Leyton Orient amongst others. 

 

After all, Duchatelet doesn't own Charlton because of a love for the club anymore than he has a love of the game. He should be encouraged to take his money elsewhere...

A Step Closer To Nobby Vinegar...

 

The approach for Chris Wilder was serious enough to have been recognised with a rare official Charlton statement, but a short while ago another brief statement on the official site confirmed the deal is off.   

 

I doubt we will ever know the full details, but it's hard not to jump to pretty obvious conclusions.

 

I've seen one or two credible sources suggest that the club (I assume this means Roland and Meire) refused to put into writing that Chris would have full control of football matters including player recruitment, and that's why discussions broke down. Let's face it, that explanation is entirely believable. Chris stood to lose nothing in hearing what Meire had to say, and I think it's pretty safe to assume he wasn't prepared to buy into whatever he heard.

 

And who in their right mind would blame him?

 

Personally I'd not even heard of Chris Wilder until this interview done the rounds on social media last November. I was struck instantly by Wilder's honesty when speaking so candidly during a period Northampton Town were on the brink of going out of business. A man of obvious principles, somehow Wilder led the League Two side not only to promotion but the league title.

 

I mean this with the greatest respect to Chris (and I genuinely mean that), but it is a sad reflection on how far Charlton have fallen that we can't secure the services of a man who's stock may well be high at the moment, but who has only ever operated in the lower leagues.

 

None the less, I wish Chris well. He deserves better than our shambles of a club anyway from what I can see...

 

The latest statement suggests "The club will now continue its search for a candidate to take the club forward". Expect Nebojsa Vignjevic to arrive in SE7 any day now...

 

Absolute joke. It just steadily gets worse.

The Damage Done...

The final home game of the season should be enjoyed, right? Wonderful weather, the glory of a promotion push or the relaxation of knowing you're safe. Instead, what Charlton fans had to endure yesterday was one of the darkest days ever witnessed at the Valley. The discontent and anger is nothing to do with relegation, we all know that. Duchatelet has destroyed a once proud club and the fight to win it back is just getting uglier and uglier.

 

It is a regrettable means to an end, but we can't and won't relent.

 

Pre-match a large group of Addicks had staged a sit-in protest by the entrance of the West stand car park, which, although perhaps not as visually striking as some of the bigger car park protests, was actually very effective. Food for thought, perhaps, if the fight extends beyond the closed-season.

 

Under the full glare of the Sky cameras, the club were obviously keen to ensure the guaranteed anticipated disruption was kept to a minimum, and had taken the step of installing a 20ft net across the full length of the Covered End.  In reality, the fact it was required was hugely embarrassing for a club more intent on battling the fans than healing wounds. In 20 years time when all of this will be a distant memory, I suspect we'll look back on images of that net as one of many symbols of the desperation.

 

You are in the wrong place if you're after a match report, but what I can say is towards the end of the first half came the moment of the match. Two heroic Addicks breached the press gantry to unfurl a huge banner (left) above the directors box. Chants of 'Liar, Liar, Liar' rang around the Valley. Neither Meire or the gutless Murray re-emerged for the second half. Wishful thinking maybe, but perhaps they've both finally got the message. I want them both out of my club.

 

Charlton's loss completely irrelevant, Burnley's victory handed them the title. For the second year running Charlton fans had salt rubbed into their gapping wounds by having to witness the rapture of a victorious club with ambition. I don't begrudge Burnley anything. I wish them well.  

 

At the full time whistle Burnley fans stormed the pitch, completely unchallenged, to embrace their heroes, sparking the same reaction from Charlton fans determined to take their demonstrations onto the hallowed turf. The emotions between the two sets of fans could not have been more contrasting, and yet, respectful of our desperate situation, the Burnley fans took time out from their delirium to applaud the Covered End en-masse. It was a sight I will never forget, and emotions got the better of me for a few brief moments. I've seen three Charlton promotions in 20 years, two of which took us to the Premiership, but this was the first time I'd seen Charlton fans on the pitch, and for all the wrong reasons.

 

How I despise Meire and Roland for what they have done to my club...

 

RIP the Fan's Sofa

At one stage, the infamous and unwanted 'Fans Sofa' that Katrien is so unjustifiably proud of became the target for the angry Addicks, who, like a pack of hungry lions on the savanna, dragged it onto the pitch and began ripping it apart. Pieces of foam and fabric hurled into the air to the delight of the baying crowd. It was a hugely symbolic gesture against this awful regime. 

 

Eventually I left the Valley, feeling as numb as I've ever felt. I made my way to the rear of the West where, alongside many others, I left my season ticket at the feet of Big Sam. The juxtaposition of Sam's huge grin and the sad faces of Addicks below him could not have been more stark. I've held the same East Stand seat for nearly two decades, through occasional highs but many, many lows, and yesterday I gave it up. I walked away heartbroken. I should have met with friends at the pub for an end of season beer, but I just couldn't face anyone. I drove home an emotional wreck, all the while hoping my young son wouldn't see me like that. 

 

To see my club reduced to this level is beyond heart-breaking. Never has the gulf between club and fans been wider: never has it been more evident that under the current regime it is unfixable. Instead of dreaming about days like yesterday from a Burnley perspective, I am reduced to dreaming about the day I hear that Roland has gone. That's all I have left, and I resent Duchatelet and Meire more than I can explain in words.

 

Their cancerous regime must be driven out of Charlton before it becomes terminal, and metaphorically speaking the doctor has just sat down in front of the Addicted, sullen faced, bracing himself before delivering some very bad news.

 

Nearly Over...

I spent Saturday afternoon in the garden with the kids and never gave Charlton a single thought until my phone rang just before 4pm. It was my mum who was genuinely concerned that she'd not heard from me. We send texts back and forth on Charlton matters daily and it has become a long-standing tradition just before kick off to share a 'Come On You Addicks' text. My mum has been there with me through Charlton's highs and many lows and I deeply value that, but the truth is, Saturday meant nothing. I took no pleasure whatsoever in seeing that we'd won the game.

 

Post-match Jose was asked "if you can end well, does that help a lot towards confidence as you look to bounce back next year?", to which Riga answered "Of course". I think we all know it doesn't, Jose. I think we all know it has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on next season. But then again, what else can he say? It was an off-the-shelf football question that filled a column and very deliberately avoided the pricklier subjects that urgently require answers. 

 

I've pretty much forgotten what it feels like to get to this stage of the season with something to look forward to or dream about. I find myself envious of teams with it all still to play for. It's impossible to imagine anything other than abject failure under Duchatelet and Meire.

Apparently, according to sources within Charlton, Mr. Duchatelet is putting £1m a month into the club at the moment. Just let that sink in for a short moment...1 million pounds! I wonder if that statement was made to impress me as if to ram home Roland's commitment. All it has actually done is make me think he's stupid as well as woefully stubborn. The statement also suggests he's not interested in selling up. Instead, with a flawed vision of football, he's just going to plough on making the same mistakes but expecting a successful outcome eventually!

 

It could be quite funny if it wasn't so heart-breaking.  

As things have got progressively worse, Katrien Meire's tactic has remained the same; ignore the actual cause of the problem, very occasionally make cheap comments alluding to change without ever backing things up with action, grin smugly and carry on as if nothing catastrophic is happening around her. Many of the Club's dubious responses in the latest Fan Forum meeting shows how her cancerous management is spreading.

 

I fully understand club employees have mortgages to pay, but how, in the light of such obvious failings, can some people operate under such delusional management? Of course, some can't, although we are lead to believe "it is normal when a club is relegated that people look for positions elsewhere" according to Meire. I wonder if Mel Baroni would agree. 



But it will all be OK as Target 20K are working on an alternative idea to the fan sofa, according to Meire. So let me get this right, as I fear the very future of my club Katrien sees an alternative to the fans sofa as a positive?

By continuing to ignore in such blatant arrogant fashion the legitimate, ever-growing concerns of Addicks let alone her own failings, Katrien Meire has continued to pour fuel on the flames. If you poke a wounded animal enough it will inevitably bite back.



Thankfully this horrendous season is very nearly over, but sadly, for me at least, there is nothing whatsoever to provide hope going forward. After Saturday the exodus of players will begin; many of whom will not be missed by me. Some, however, we will look back on in years to come and envy their success with other clubs, reminding ourselves that they once played for us in what was the most avoidable of relegations. Just imagine the sort of squad Meire will put together for a League One campaign, when she considered Big Rog the answer to Championship safety?

Saturday's visit of Burnley cannot come quick enough...just so it can hurry up and be over!

Charlton players heading for the door post-Burnley

At the time of writing this Burnley, will clinch promotion tonight if they beat QPR and Brighton fail to beat Derby. I genuinely hope they do as Saturday could be very messy. I, like every other fair-minded Addicks, have no inclination to spoil Burnley's big day, but success for us on Saturday will be measured by our impact off the pitch.

The FA have warned of 'dire consequences' if the game is 'ruined' by protestors. There is no indication yet of what those consequences are, but I couldn't care less either way. Nothing is worse than the prospect of Duchatelet retaining ownership. The FA should care a little less about their TV image on a showcase season finale and more about the serious mismanagement of a once proud football club in very serious decline.

The FA, alongside the club, would do well to remember it is not wise to pick a fight with someone with nothing more to lose.   

I can't pretend to remember the full story of Burnley's torrid season that very nearly ended in relegation from the Football League in '87, but I would ask those Claret fans old enough to remember just how desperate they felt, not just about the prospects of going down but in losing the club altogether. Sadly, our relegation has took nobody by surprise other than our owner and his hapless sidekick CEO and our future is very much in doubt. Those two individuals have destroyed everything that Charlton stood for, and I, alongside many, many others, will continue the fight to force them out of my club. Until they do, our demonstrations and protests will be unrelenting, even throughout the summer.

You can expect even less writing from me over the summer so I'll thank you now for talking the time to read anything I've wrote this season and especially if you've taken the time to comment. I'll see you at The Valley next season when I'll be hoping with all my heart we have a different owner and a future again. If not, I'll just be going through the motions, waiting to pick up what's left when Duchatelet finally realises his weird experiment will not work.

I'll end with a much needed joke. Just 2,500 people voted for the Player of The Year award this season. How funny is that?

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.