Hull City 6 (SIX) Charlton Athletic 0
There can’t be a Charlton fan on the planet that expected that. Who an earth loses 5-0 on a Tuesday and then 6-0 the following Saturday? After all that head hanging and soul searching after Huddersfield? Only at Charlton.
I really thought we would at the very minimum fight like our lives depended on it today, but no, another new low. Our biggest defeat in 32 years and we are still waiting on the apology and offers of ticket refunds.
Riga has only been back 5 minutes and I will exonerate him from blame, but although I have been a huge proponent of supporting the team and not the regime, what an earth was that? Where is the professional pride, the self-respect, the ‘oh I need to work my balls off today for the new manager’?
Half a week in a life of a Charlton fan – 11 goals conceded, 0 goals scored, 4 shots on target, 2 managers. Congratulations Roland Duchatelet and Katrien Meire, you can be very proud of your achievements. Meire was absent. Accountability zero. But I have it on good authority that Roly enjoyed his live feed.
CAFC Player wasn’t working, so I listened to the Hull commentary team. They were quite funny, in a gallows kind of way, which is where we sit at the moment. Henderson sounded blameless, although after listening to his interview on Tuesday, I hate to think how his confidence must be shot.
But, it’s ok, huh. We have addressed our errors in recruitment in January and signed Diego Poyet, Roger Johnson and Rhys Williams. Think how bad it could have been without them?
Riga’s interview afterwards was good, calming, authoritive and unapologetic, which is fine, although I really hope that Wim de Corte is not in charge of training next week and Riga is allowed to bring his own people in. I found it interesting when asked about his relationship with Duchatelet, Riga said he came back for Charlton, and no one else.
As others have said, last time round Riga inherited better players, especially defensively, a more together squad and 4 games in hand. Here he has inherited a mess, a team not playing for each other, the worst defence in all 4 divisions, and coached for the last 3 months by a Sunday league manager plus a club rotten to the core and being dismantled day by day.
Next Saturday’s protests need to be loud and nasty. The present is f**ked, but we need to salvage the future.
Addick Blogger waiting for a refund at the KC Stadium: Chris Powell’s Flat Cap;
Relegation watch: Bolton were beaten at Forest 3-0, Rotherham also lost 3-0 at home to QPR but Bristol City beat league leaders Middlesbrough 1-0 with a late, late winner. MK Dons beat Reading and Fulham drew at Huddersfield 1-1.
Chicago Addick 
Strangely CA, I expected that. I don’t think, in this day and age, you can put two centre halves, that have never played together, in the defence and expect it to work. What’s more we have three of them with one at left back.
Vetokele is, clearly, not fit – and hasn’t been for well over a year, and neither of the mentioned centre backs have played much football recently.
What’s more frightening is that I think it will get worse before it gets better – assuming it will, actually, get better.
The only positive is that the gap to safety isn’t getting much, much bigger. It now stands at five points (on the basis that we have a silk goal difference now).
If Riga can get them playing well enough (which I doubt, to be honest) we only need to win a couple of games more than those around us between now and May.
The Belgians need to go or change their whole strategy and unless one of those happens in the next two weeks it’ll be too late to save us this season.
On a positive note… Oh wait, no, there is no positive note.
CA my blog on Thursday was entitled cricket score Saturday so I did think think this would be the score today. We have the worst team by a country mile in this division. Unless we have 8 or 9 new experienced British players next year will be exactly the same .
Do you think that anything us fans is going to have any effect on KM and Roly. He said recently that he’s not like other owners. He dosent care whether we win, lose or draw. KM has absolutely no idea of how to run a football club, and she hasn’t got a clue about “customer” relations. Even if we are just customers or fans, dosent she think that there is such a thing as customer satisfaction? She just dosent have a clue!
I’ve been supporting Charlton for 52 years. I’m 4th generation. My great grandad was a fan. My son is a fan. My two 5 year old grandsons are on their 3rd Charlton kit. One of them is in his 2nd season ticket.
Am I being cruel, encouraging them to support a team who have no future?
I’m lost.
I don’t know the answers any more.
What can we do to get rid of the Belgian Dictators?
I’ll never lose faith though. You can’t pick who you support.
It’s for life.
I’m crying now.
Is that good enough for you Mr Duchatelet?
Owen, your family will be supporting Charlton long after Roland Duchatelet is a long distant stain on our history. No one is bigger than the club and it’s generations of supporters.
COYA
Put the cat out, cancel the papers and food deliveries to the Valley…..I’m frustrated as 99% of any sane person could see the downward spiral we’ve taken since our beloved club was taken over by business people only interested in making money.
They are TOTALLY unaware of how this club was re-born thanks to the fans involvement and I can only hope that Riga has the knowledge, skill and motivation to save us having the best pitch and stadium in League 1.
This club was saved by fans and it seems it’s our duty to do the same again !!!
Depressing times CA. This only strengthens the need to support the team but challenge the regime.
katrienandroland.com
Love the website Tom.
I think the protests have been making a difference. I’m not sure that RM would have been wheeled out had the last lot of protests not happened. The thing is, everything is inextricably linked to the poor performance on the pitch. Two years worth of mismanagement is now coming home to roost. And one thing we do know is that while Roly doesn’t do failure, he did bale out of Liege in the end, no doubt in part due to the vitriol sent his way by the SL fans.
So what do we reckon – 0-7 next time out? I think Riga is going to struggle to sort this mess out if he isn’t able to bring in any more players. And who in their right mind wants to come to us now? Deeply depressing times at the moment.
I’m not sure that keep throwing new players into the mix will achieve anything – that has been a huge part of our problem. I don’t think the players we have are that awful – but there are some newly-arrived who obviously couldn’t give a s*** as long as they get paid. How annoying must that be for the players like Jackson and Solly who do care? Hence the problems in the dressing room no doubt.
One thing CA – I don’t know if its old age and maturity at last creeping in, or just that they have robbed me of caring – but the results don’t spoil my weekend any more. Oh, I’ll be there on Saturday – willing to take part in as many protests as possible. I am relying on the ingenuity of my fellow fans to find a way to get this man out – those cleverer than me – but I’ll do anything I’m asked to.
And Owen my friend – I have felt the same guilt on behalf of my godsons – don’t! Its character-building for them – get them involved in the protests and never give up.
Owen, you’ve got me at it now – that literally moved me to tears.
Keep the faith everyone – it’s hard I know, but we have to keep trying or nothing will change. I’ve emailed VOTV and CAST suggesting a ‘matchday revenue boycott’ where nobody buys a programme, anything from the club shop, no refreshments inside the ground and perhaps nobody buys a matchday ticket (only season ticket holders go).
For me, only this (hitting them in the pocket) will make them take notice – singing songs behind the West Stand is ok, but given the Liege fans rioted (not condoning that of course), are we really having an impact ?
CHARLTON TILL I DIE
Coming round to thinking boycotts won’t make any difference. The financial impact is (relatively) small and it will reduce the vocal opposition to the regime inside the ground. I actually think we need to turn out and be even louder than before, both inside and outside The Valley. It was the protests and the strength of them that finished him at Standard Leige. If Meire is the first casualty then I will be the first to celebrate.
One effective protest for the Blackburn game that all caring fans could participate in is :
A) Don’t take your seat until after the game has begun….say 5 minutes ?
B) At a designated point all fans stand turn backs on the game for one minute in silence.
It will only be effective if the majority of caring fans make a visual protest that KM & RM can see.
The Standard fans got a lot of publicity last season for their huge Red or Dead banner in protest against ex-player Steven Defour who left for rivals Anderlecht over the summer. Now I know this wasn’t anti-Roland banner and it resulted in them getting a fine but as Madamme Miere would say, all publicity is good publicity… How about Roland as the grim reaper over the CAFC badge on a 100ft x 100ft banner?