Aug 22
More than 500 Addicks took the The Valley today in continued protests at owners East Street Investments (ESI) demanding that in whatever guises they have, they get out of our club.
Charlton fans broke into the ground to create their own Valley open day sitting in the stands, wandering around pitch side taking photos and sharing videos online. They long occupied the club’s boardroom insisting on owners to come and meet them, but strangely enough no one came.
CAST, CARD and Fans4Fans are calling for all Addicks that are able to get themselves down to The Valley this Saturday at 12.00 midday for one hour.
A CAST statement said: “Unnecessary relegation, transfer embargoes, even the failure to meet the extremely low bar of EFL approval – it is fair to say no-one has come out of this insulting sham of ownership with any credit.
“One pound may not go far for most of us, yet ESI’s £1 investment in ‘our club’ has stretched the realms of audacity and credibility.“
The absolute senselessness continues in SE7 today. Firstly the absolute nonsense of a statement from Matt Southall, who guess what, has given his full support to.. Matt Southall.
“The Club wish to make it clear that Matt Southall has their full support in his role as Executive Chairman and are looking forward to working with him into the future towards a positive end to this current season and beyond.”
That Executive Chairman crap has always stuck in my craw. It’s so crass and conceited. But what staggering bollocks. Roland-esque in fact. Matt mate, we have been paying attention you know. You are a fraud.
On countless occasions I have been proud to stand amongst Addicks but I am in awe of the tireless and selfless work of those at CARD, as well as other groups that led the fight against Roland Duchatelet’s dictatorship.
ROT, WAR and particularly the B20, who really got under Duchatelet’s skin in his own back yard, have all downed weapons and declared peace.
Add to that the many benevolent supporters who backed the efforts either financially or with their time, it was incredible to see Addicks again mobilized into action to protect our little piece of heritage in London SE7.
There were many incredible Addicks involved with the various anti-Duchatelet protest groups, which were connected under the umbrella of CARD. I knew a fair few of the volunteers, some better than others, and many can tell some fantastic, funny and enlightening stories of kinship and fortitude.
It wasn’t only a steely determination that struck me about these Addicks, but it was also their creativity and boundless enthusiasm to find time to help in any small way they could to bring the club back from where Roland Duchatelet and his various hangers on were taking it.
There was a Fans Forum meeting last week. Lievan de Turck (LdT) was again in SE7 full of apologies and shrugs.
This time though Ben Hayes from Bromley Addicks led a much stronger range of questioning of Duchatelet’s puppet and there was some interesting ripostes. CL notes from here and CAFC here.
Oct 31
Huh.
Roland Duchatelet’s interview today with Jim White on talkSPORT started rather sedentary, but by the end of it will have had the vast majority of Charlton fan’s blood boiling.
The man is an out and liar and a grade one delusional fool. If you haven’t listened then click the link but make sure the cat is outside and you are close to a strong drink.
The Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust (CAST) had what they said was a productive meeting with the EFL on Wednesday night. CEO of the EFL Shaun Harvey (photo) plus John Nagle, who has the title Head of Policy and PR head Mark Rowan met the Trust board, and the key points are here.
Harvey admitted that he had met with Roland Duchatelet in Brussels, and plans to meet CAFC staff, who have spoken out about not getting paid their bonuses and with CARD.
Charlton and our friends from Blackpool joined forces today to protest against not just our irresponsible owners, but the many others, outside the EFL offices in west London today. Meanwhile northern based Addicks and a large contingent of Blackpool fans gathered outside the EFL HQ in Preston and loudly made their presence known.
The protests were heavily picked up by the national media as well as Sky Sports and a large crowd made their feelings loud and clear. Two Addicks got to meet EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey, and after, one of them Alan Davis, said that Harvey confirmed the delay in the ‘Australian takeover’ is not as a result of any lack of process of documentation at the EFL. This the reason that Duchatelet, de Turck and Murray have all publicly stated as the reason any takeover has not yet happened.
Dear Tom, I am sure you are a bright fellow. Ambitious, resourceful and proud. But tomorrow morning take a long good look at yourself in the mirror.
Tuesday, and Lievan de Turck, a Roland apologist with no affiliation or official connection to Charlton whatsoever, rocks up to SE7 with a scrappy piece of paper handwritten in Flemish. Ollie Groome makes a quick back exit for the Valley Cafe. Tom does what he is told. Mel Baroni doesn’t even show Charlton on her resume, take a note Tom, and not one of these {…}.
Read it. What an earth does it say? It’s an embarrassment.
I know some people don’t get the protests and there is still a small camp that think CARD are purely trouble makers and throwing things on the pitch is a childish waste of time. However the latest crisps stunt last Saturday reached an extraordinary amount of press and media outlets here and in Belgium, and gave our adversity a huge audience. Yes, throwing a crisp packet, or a pig, or a taxi onto a pitch will not singularly see the club sold, but it raises awareness, and will rattle that old bastard like nothing else.
Heck even the EFL woke from it’s slumber. “Following a number of discussions dating back a number of weeks, the EFL plans to meet with both Charlton Athletic and the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust to gain a full understanding of the current situation that surrounds the club.”
Vitally, this media antagonism of Duchatelet knocks him sideways. It’s the only thing that brings him out of his bunker and he hates it. The Belgian press have also jumped on the bandwagon this week after the crisp protest and Trump-like (come on there is a likeness) he took a swipe at the “unscrupulous media” and of course neither his employees nor us customers have a clue about what happens at the club. This from a man who last watched a Charlton game in 2014.
A desperately dull affair only lifted by a crisp packet invasion which stopped the game after the first minute, and incidentally one of our better chances.
It sounded a game bereft of goal scoring chances, and just about everything else played in a funereal atmosphere with (likely) less than 6,000 in the stadium, not helped by one of the lowest away followings seen since our return to The Valley.
Roland Duchatelet’s arrogance took on an even more evil turn today. Yesterday it came to light that the clubs’ administrative staff had been told that they would not be getting their promised “incentivised bonuses.” They were due 3 weeks ago and were told nothing of what had happened to them until they were informed by the HR department that they would not be forthcoming. Some poor sod in the HR department doing Duchatelet’s dirty work this time.
The club refused to comment until after employees received this email from Duchatelet this morning. Written or at least re-drafted by PR puppet Tom Rubashow, confirming that Duchatelet will renege on his bonus promises.
If only CAFC would have given us this interview with Lee this morning, could have saved a lot of frantic refreshing and roaming charges. You are not the only one on cut backs you know Charlton.
By the way did you see CARD’s latest stunt was to deliver 100 bottles of water to the academy team at Sparrows Lane this morning. Brilliant, and it really caught the imagination of the nation’s media.
Ah, the new football season. League One football returning to The Valley. Who’s excited?
The curtain of the World Cup has been drawn and after watching Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, we have to settle for Nicky Ajose and Naby Sarr. Oh and playing the role of Vladimir Putin is Roland Duchatelet, still owner, all round loon, and cost cutter extraordinaire.
CARD issued a statement yesterday calling for a boycott of The Valley, with renewed protests to follow if the club is still in the hands of Duchatelet by the season kick off at Sunderland on August 4th.
Honestly is there no end to this man’s derangement?
“The fans missed a big chance. I would have been able to bring the club into the Premier League.” (more)
These quotes came from a meeting that Roland Out Today (ROT) had with Duchatelet whilst they were in Sint Truiden recently and bumped into him when they went to RD’s hotel construction site. A full transcript can be found on here.
Following absolute silence on the takeover front on the back of a couple of positive Richard Murray proclamations, that have frankly been pointless. Then with Karl Robinson after the Blackpool game saying that any takeover is nowhere near and it could be next season CARD have called for a day of protests at the Rotherham game on Easter Monday and will follow that up with action at the other 3 home games in April.
I don’t know what people expected from yesterday’s CAST meeting with Richard Murray, but it did instil us with more information and background and importantly final evidence that Duchatelet is going to the sell the club.
CAFC and CAST’s accounts of the 50-odd minute were very similar which is good, with February appearing the date that a transaction may happen.
To 10 questions like:
1) Will fan’s liaison and last remaining mouthpiece Richard Murray follow up on Karl Robinson’s claim that he would address supporters this week.
2) Come on, since Kat left what the f is Tom Rubashow doing all day?
3) Will any transfer money received by RD be pledged towards adding to the squad?
4) When will Ezri Konsa be sold?
5) Will Murray and Keith Peacock make up the numbers on the bench on Saturday?
6) Does the old scrote and the remaining SMT members actually want promotion?
7) Is that a little too over-ambitious for us foul mouthed customers?
8) And how are those half-season ticket sales?
9) Oh, and how are those takeover talks?
10) Can us little people get a timeline please?
Rats and ships.
Rick Everitt has heard what I heard yesterday (from a fellow Blogger) that Charlton CFO David Jones has resigned. Possibly he has a job elsewhere lined up, like Meire apparently.
I was woken by a big storm during the night, our garden furniture took a bit of a battering as the wind howled around outside, but what I was unaware of, was that Santa Claus had reappeared bringing more gifts.
“Katrien Meire has decided to stand down from her roles as CEO and Director of Charlton Athletic and will leave the club at the end of the month.” (more)
Falling badly..
Sadly a not unexpected defeat at Blackburn yesterday. Rovers with their sixth consecutive win and us now without a win in five and stuttering very badly. Goals are a problem and we haven’t kept a clean sheet since October. The game management of Kashi and the directness of Fosu (we have not won since he was injured) are badly missed and relied upon players such as Magennis and Holmes have fallen out of form. Robinson is stuck in his formation and frankly we have been worked out.
I’m a little bit late with this but wanted to expose it to a wider audience and add my kudos. I have been a big advocate of hitting Roland Duchatelet hard on his own soil and now Addicks have set up a political party to contest local elections in Sint Truiden in October, 2018.
CARD plan to honour Addicks’ fans at the 25th Back to The Valley anniversary game by distributing thousands of red-and-white rosettes to fans outside the stadium. The rosettes are to celebrate the part played by fans in the re-opening of the The Valley in 1992, and particularly the role of the Valley Party, whose 60 candidates amassed almost 15,000 votes in the 1990 local elections, changing Greenwich Council policy in the process.
With the risk of the true meaning of the game being lost by the club, I am happy to see the return of CARD for the first time this season. Katrien Meire is on record as not caring about the club’s history and has regularly failed to mention the massive role that fans had in bringing the club back to it’s spiritual home.
CARD issued a statement today which states that there will be no in match protests that could detract from a potentially successful promotion campaign, however other plans are being made.
Possibly the other plans could mean further protests in Duchatelet’s home country and town, which I personally feel at this stage make more of an impact.
I think CARD’s approach is sensible and underscores the mantra of supporting the team (and manager) but not the regime. However everything is still not rosy behind the scenes and I think the inability to bring in another striking option other than an untried Rangers’ reserve shows how much Duchatelet is still stifling ambition at the club. Not for the first time we’ve started well, and possibly have the best looking first XI we’ve seen since Powell left, but again we enter the autumn and winter and the long slog of three games a week with a paper thin squad lacking in experience, depth and options.
A comfortable stroll today in front of protesting Addicks and hundreds and hundreds of stewards. 4 wins and a draw from the final 5 games when the pressure was off. Previous to that when it meant something we had 1 win in 14.
First half goals from the head of Josh Magennis and the foot of Jake Forster Carsley were added to by ‘Player of the Season’ Ricky Holmes in the 2nd half, who finished off a fine move.
Ex Oakwood Park, where my son attends school, pupil Aaron Barnes came on for his Charlton first team debut and Johnnie Jackson was lauded during the game and when substituted, and rightly so, but will be back next season. Chris Solly was also given a heroes farewell when he went off late in the game.
A superbly put together video by The Guardian that will make your Charlton heart beat a little harder. Better public relations than Tom Rubashow can only dream off. It encapsulates simply not just how much Charlton have been ruined by an incompetent owner but many other football clubs as well.
The Valley, Floyd Road, London SE7. Our spiritual home. A home that I first made my own in 1975, and this year for the first season in 42 years, a home that will not have been to, nor to a final home game that I have nearly always made it back for since leaving the UK in 2003.
However this Sunday CARD have plans to get as many of us there as possible, even if you don’t want to part with your money and enter the ground.
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An widely anticipated sharing of the points today as both sets of fans built on their kinship with a joint pre-match march and a plastic pig invasion halting the game twice and forcing the players from the field. An expected pitch invasion before the end of the game which saw Cov relegated was averted by a large presence of stewards and police.
The two clubs have much in common and it is a crying shame to see the Sky Blues relegated and they so obviously need a change of ownership and a caring pair of hands to see them arrest their slide. Nonetheless Mark Robins at least looks like he has the ability to win some football matches unlike our bloke as we were completely outplayed and Declan Rudd was a clear player of the match.
The Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) wants to thank the hundreds of Charlton supporters who made the 500-mile round trip to Sint-Truiden to join Saturday’s Unity Protest march through the town, as well as the many other fans who spontaneously demonstrated their own feelings about the owner and his regime during the team’s 2-1 defeat at Northampton Town
On my way back to Bermuda now and having time to reflect on a historic weekend in Charlton’s history.
Roland Duchatelet would not have liked the fact that 300 ordinary men, women and children, not louts and irate ex-employees demonstrated against him alongside STVV fans on Saturday in the sleepy town of Sint Truiden, where the 70-year old has always felt he had some kind of power over the people of the town and it’s football club.
Stories and tales from those that made the trip out to Belgium are both heartwarming and of legend and memories made will last a lifetime, especially once we rid ourselves of Duchatelet and Pinocchio. There has been much media coverage both at home and in Belgium and the whole thing was beautifully organized, and perfectly executed and makes me proud to be an Addick. And the lazy and misguided PR men at the club should be embarrased.
After much deliberation my brother, my son and I will be at Sixfields this afternoon. My surgeon would not have been hp with me making a drive to St-Truiden so I called the club and bought three of the last available tickets.
Don’t get me started on my two hour drive to The Valley yesterday only to get to the Superstore and be told they had lost my tickets. Gone missing from the ticket office all the way around the corner to the store. Customer service at it’s best! So we now need to pick them up from Sixfields, which you and I know has ‘problem’ written all over it….
The only saving grace was Dave was at home and he makes a cracking cup of tea and brought me up to speed on the Belgium plans. He also reminded me, as if a plant sent by my surgeon, that I needed my head testing flying from Bermuda to go and watch them play. Fortunately I didn’t have my head operated on!
From CARD:
Charlton fans organising Saturday’s Unity Protest against the club’s owner Roland Duchatelet in his home town of Sint-Truiden have confirmed that every seat on the two coaches travelling has now been sold.
Dozens more protestors are travelling to Belgium by Eurostar and local rail services as well as private cars, with up to 250 supporters of the London club expected to march through the town ahead of the local team’s Jupiler League match against Eupen at 8pm local time.
They will be joined by disaffected Sint-Truiden (STVV) fans who recently announced the launch of GrAS, their own protest group, urging Duchatelet either to run their club on a competitive basis or sell it to someone else who will.
Media interest in Saturday’s protest is already high, with both BBC and ITV sending a camera team on board the coaches, and other reporters expected.
I am back in the UK down at my parents in East Sussex arriving early yesterday morning to a grey but promising South Downs day (photo). My trip back was to see family and join hundreds of other Addicks in Belgium this coming weekend, as it turns out it is now one of convalescing after recent surgery which came about very suddenly.
Belgium is still on my and my brother’s mind but we will make a late decision and as an alternative may go to Northampton instead. If my surgeon is reading this then I am at home in Bermuda, sat on the couch reading a book.
I expect the numbers going to Sint-Truiden to swell this week beyond the already committed 250. We were always going to go under our own steam and I expect many others will join up in the Grote Markt on Saturday unannounced.
For more information email charlton.card@yahoo.co.uk
Tom Rubashow must be rubbing his hands at getting his feet under the desk at Charlton. He is set to start work for the club on January 2nd. If I was him I wouldn’t bother.
The mad crackpot Roland Duchatelet has opened his mouth again:
“He (Chris Powell) is not a clever person and those who think the same are also not clever. In principle we were giving them the advice so they had responsibility and could take responsibility and that is how we work. I find it very stupid that a person who is getting help, an important person for the club, does not accept it. I also find that the activists, some activists at the club, who from their reactions think the coach was right, well they are just stupid people too.”
Dave has it all here.
The video interview is here starting at 1.08.30. Watch him squirm.
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Dec 5
Makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
Yesterday a London cab driven, I am proud to say, by one of my best and oldest mates left The Valley for a road trip to take the ongoing CARD led protests to Belgium, the home of our absent and apathetic owner, and his lying and worse than useless CEO.
12 Addicks with the CARD sponsored taxi leading the way took the Eurotunnel to Belgium and drove last night to St Truiden. My mate reported a “proper good and funny night with a few beers” was had before after breakfast they made their way to the town’s main square to spread Addicks’ message for Roland Duchâtelet to sell our famous football club. 2,000 leaflets were handed out and with black and white beach balls rolling around the square, the group made quite the entrance and received a warm welcome with overwhelming support from locals.
The entourage then moved onto Stayen, St Truiden’s ground, where a whole load of birthday gifts for Roland to celebrate his 70th year were delivered including those gorgeous pink pigs. Apparently security were waiting and Roland has already told the local media that “he is very upset.”
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On another day when the divison’s top sides showed promotion qualities, Charlton finally awoke from a slumber to win late against the division’s bottom side. It was a welcome win, and much needed, but can’t conceal another dismal negative performance from Slade’s side.
As one of my commenters told me the CARD flag day was a little flat along with the rest of the atmosphere, but hardly surprising when the real crowd, we are reliably informed, was less than 7,000. Some of the pictures of rows and blocks of empty seats is the legacy that Duchatelet and Meire are building for our great club. Truly shameful.
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Irony may not be one of Katrien Meire’s rare qualities, although blocking Addicks’ fans calling into a chat show was good old English League One irony at it’s best.
The club deny it of course, but the evidence points to Meire or her PR ‘machine’ obscuring the fans’ right to reply on Jim White’s talkSPORT’s show on Thursday. Rick Everitt did get a right to reply today and a stand up job he did again, with Jim White seeing through the veil of Meire spin and deceit and apparently offering every support to Rick and CARD in an effort to continue to question Meire and more importantly Duchatalet’s motives towards our historic football club.
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For me trying to follow the game remotely, the game and therefore the result was a little secondary on Saturday. Greater forces of importance were at play yesterday afternoon in a wonderful coming together of two sets of supporters. Coventry fans take a bow and I really hope you rid yourselves of the imposters that have somehow got themselves to be leaders of your famous club’s future.
As for us, the result, a much needed 3 points, showed again that there is no correlation between full scale protests and the team’s performance on the pitch, in fact to the contrary if anything, it has been a spark provided by fans to give the team a platform to actually show us what they can do.
The first half, a cracker of a goal by Ricky Holmes aside, was pretty uneventful on the pitch accept for the arrival of 3,000 pink pigs thrown on by Addicks and Sky Blues’ fans just after kick off to remind our respective owners that pigs are more likely to fly than they give two snorts about the future of our historic football clubs.
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I’m stuck in Texas unable to get to Miami due to Hurricane Matthew, so I’m catching up with the Charlton news and I see that with 9 days to go until the Coventry protest match, Ms Meire has offered to meet CARD next week in an obvious PR effort to stem fan’s disposition to join the likely huge protests. Before CARD could respond Meire with the help of PR firm Pitch leaked the club’s offer to the media.
And CARD’s response was superb. A firm, detailed and exceptionally passionate response that can be read here.
“You had two years to talk and you declined to do so. Now it is time for you to go” is pretty unrelenting way to sign off. Nothing from Meire of course.
The Coalition Against Roland Duchâtelet (CARD) announced today after last night’s most recent on the field disappointment that they will resume their organized protests at the home game versus Coventry on October 15th.
Whilst away from The Valley anti Duchâtelet and Meire songs, chants and flags have filled away ends, the sparse home crowds have been devoid of the pre, during and post match protests we saw last season, although there was a black and white day to coincide with the visit of AFC Wimbledon.
At the beginning of the season CARD said that they would not organize any protests during the opening month of Russell Slade’s reign as manager, and in that time The Valley faithful have seen just one league win from 5 games and a League Cup defeat.
Many Addicks, myself included, have been calling out for a resumption of the protests, especially since Duchâtelet and the so called senior management team appear to have learnt nothing from their previous mistakes.
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A little apathetic at the moment, not helped unusually by it being the middle of September and I haven’t see us play yet. I have a trip booked home for the middle of November and that, the televised game at Swindon, will probably be my first game. I am not alone, but of course Charlton Athletic still runs through my veins, they just don’t feel my head like they used to, hence why this Blog has been a little bare recently as I’m void of thoughts and opinions.
Anyway, a lot of you are still going, which I respect, so I am interested to how we are playing. It certainly appears that Slade has brought some fighting team spirit back, late goals against Bolton and Fleetwood attest to that, and that is a dramatic positive over last season when if we conceded, which was always just a matter of time, then that was it.
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I too want to give the Covered End Choir protest shirt a plug. It looks magnificent resplendent in black and white halves with a 1940 inspired logo and something that had become a symbol for the protests against Duchatelet and Meire, a beach ball!
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A 3-0 defeat. Probably could have got evens on that before the game. Congratulations to the Clarets on their title.
Anyway enough about the game. What an awesome day for Charlton fans as chaos reigned at The Valley. Despite sniffer dogs, over zealous searches, 100’s of additional security, aggressive stewarding, a net behind the length of the Covered End and more police, with some bazaar crowd control tactics, than SE7 has seen for many a long year, it was a landmark day for Addicks as we thrust our plight into the forefront of the national media and the conscious of fellow football fans everywhere.
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The last miserly game of a torrid and destructive football season. Not one Addick will shed a tear when the curtain falls tomorrow afternoon. Burnley fans will be in celebratory mood whilst Charlton fans mischievous and angry.
CARD have been a little bit low key this week allowing the buzz around what may happen on Saturday fill the space and pose questions. I know however there is a lot planned for the watching Sky TV cameras making life once again uncomfortable for Ms Meire, the self-titled Senior Management Team (sic) and that oaf of an owner Roland Duchatelet, up a little bit earlier than normal from his coffin to get his weekly football fix via a dodgy internet feed.
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Congratulations to Burnley. Proper little club (pop: 87,000), owned by local businessmen with a grounded but forward thinking vision. A club that didn’t flaunt FFP to win promotion last time, and did not risk it all once in the big time, but made friends by playing the right way. Very much like us after relegation in 1999, they held onto players, added astutely and boldly in the case of Andre Gray, but most importantly the owners backed their very bright and visionary young manager.
Part of me was hoping that Burnley would still need to win at The Valley on Saturday. I love the drama. But I’m glad we can park that side story and the Clarets will deservedly be promoted whatever happens. In fact as in now tradition they will wipe the floor with us and win the title.
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Football took second place today at an anarchic Valley as Addicks upped the protests against Pinnochio, Judas and Roland Rat. 5,500 Charlton and Brighton fans marched on The Valley before the game in a fantastic show of fans being united against a noxious owner. The game was less than 30 seconds old when it was stopped for 7 minutes after hundreds of black & white beach balls were thrown onto the pitch as thousands of balloons of the same colour floated around the stadium.
Of course in true Charlton style, Brighton then scored in the 8th minute, which was really the first!
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Whilst relegation has been an obvious outcome to a calamitous season, I am finding it hard to digest. Looking at that League One table and the top of League Two does not scream ‘Ooh a new ground’ it shouts ‘up yours.’
The days after the Bolton game have produced a whole range of stories, with I am sure many more to come. Roland Duchatelet was at The Valley today and meetings continue with what Meire called the Senior Management Team this afternoon in a London hotel. Undoubtedly whilst it should be Meire’s future on top of the agenda I would expect it to be Jose Riga.
It is also understood that Paul Elliott planned to meet with Duchatelet, although there will be no uplifting videos or media meetings. The owner was greeted this morning at The Valley gates by a flashmob of Addicks complete with banners. Good work.
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I blame the fans. {…}
Some of you (and you know who you are) did not go to The Valley this afternoon to the support the team. Oh no. You went to create disorder on the pitch and cheer, sorry, interfere with the players. How bloody dare you {…}
A great result, deserved. Probably too late and it will only mean anything if we take it onto Tuesday but a last minute winner never gets old. Nor does beating Birmingham. The game finished way after every other, mind you it always does, but this time it was due to a 5 minute delay just after the start of the game when the players were each offered stress balls. Little black & white ones.
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Next week’s senile statement missive from Charlton might well mention balloons. 50,000 black and white ones are planned to float around The Valley tomorrow, and I expect lapdog Tony Keohane’s honey to-do list today will include re-writing the list of items banned from bringing into the ground.
In the week of beach ball-gate, the Metropolitan Police have said they are not pursuing a criminal investigation into Addicks’ supporters who accidentally spilled beach balls onto the pitch against Middlesbrough in front of a live TV audience. This should remind us all that the club can do absolutely nothing against lawful and harmless protests.
Also if you haven’t seen this week’s CARD video, it’s a cracker.
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Addicks’ fans took to Sparrows Lane this morning to greet club sponsors and business partners invited by Katrien Meire to give them a tour of the training ground followed by a trip to The Valley in an effort to convince them to renew their corporate packages next season.
It is understood that around 20 different entities were originally invited, although one, Data Techniques, who have made their feelings very clear towards to the owner and CEO, were uninvited. How you can pay £10,000 for an executive box and be treated with such disdain because you disagree with the running of the club is shameful.
The Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) asked for Charlton fans to show up at the gates of Sparrows Lane this morning to show their dissatisfaction of the owner and his puppets and at the same time attempt to convince companies to disassociate themselves from the toxic brand that has become Charlton Athletic.
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Fans from the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) will carry a coffin to The Valley 45 minutes before Sunday’s televised kick-off to symbolise what the club’s owner and chief executive Katrien Meire have done to the Addicks, and they are inviting supporters to line the route to pay their respects.
The mock funeral procession will kick off what CARD intends to be an afternoon of protest and unrest. Other protests are planned that will become apparent during the game, showing live to a national audience.
A CARD spokesman said: “This is not just about the team’s prospects, although they look very grim. It is a measure of the damage being done to Charlton by Duchatelet and Meire, which is unlikely to end with relegation. They are destroying decades of work to build up our club in the name of a soulless experiment conducted by remote control from Belgium. This is not the Charlton Athletic that has been a vital part of so many people’s lives for decades.
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Under a cloak of darkness 20 Charlton fans made their way to Belgium tonight and took the Anti Duchatelet to his homeland and demonstrated at the St Truiden home game against Zulte Waregem.
The 20 Addicks paid for the trip themselves and planned their journey meticulously. They met up before the game to work out how their protest could get both maximum impact, and buy-in from STVV supporters. The group also looked at various scenarios, perhaps expecting that their arrival in the small town had already peeked some unwanted interest.
The 20 Addicks handed out flyers in both English and Dutch before the game and then in the ground and after 15 minutes of the game unveiled a huge banner (photo) along one side of the ground.
Within 5 minutes stewards came down to the Charlton fans to force them to take down the banner. Stragically placed in the stand opposite were two other Addicks who took photos and at the time of the steward kerfuffle opposite starting doing a massive flyer drop to as many fans around them as possible.
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Seeing Katrien Meire walk along Harvey Gardens with her headphones in, holding a Pinnochio mask, and with a CARD sticker attached to her coat was a strange sight. Then by all accounts she approached Rick Everitt selling the latest VOTV (with me in it, plug, plug) and asked him if he was afraid to talk to her!
After seeing this play out on social media my immediate thoughts were – is this woman for real?
A qualified lawyer, even a novice one, will have adopted a very good poker face and an uber thick skin, but we have often seen her crack in front of the camera. However with Roland’s vote of confidence this week – “she is a fantastic lady,” there was a renewed skip in her step yesterday.
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1 point from 2 home games is not good enough. The 4 goals at Rotherham seems like a long, long time ago and Jose Riga has been unable to galvanize the side since then, even with the addition of three new players.
The first half sounded miserable and the crowd only being able to cheer anything late in the game as the Addicks finally threw themselves at the Welshmen following the introduction of Poyet and Sanogo. Before then Cardiff should have pocketed the 3 points, but the point takes us off the bottom, although with our dreadful goal difference we are now 7 points from safety. One plus was that it was our first clean sheet in over 2 months.
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Roland Duchatelet took time out from his busy schedule to visit one of his children this week. He praised his CEO Katrien Meire. “She is a fantastic lady and she has a huge heart for Charlton. Charlton is something she lives for and it hurts her tremendously to be attacked that way by some fans.” and the “very influential” Richard Murray. “Richard is, in my view, the ultimate fan.”
The owner did agree that there maybe more than 2% of the customers not happy. “I think most of the fans are extremely unhappy now, at least a big part of them.”
But fans “don’t understand everything” and have to rely on Roly and his team even though he is “away, far away,” a million miles away the other side of the Channel, and he has “so many other things to do.” Warren Buffet would know what he meant.
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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
