I said during the week that this was a potentially pivotal match with two aways to follow against lower league opposition and that the result was important. We lost one-nil which will put Robinson under significant pressure and we could be in hot water by the time we have home advantage again. I have to confess to not going again. I really couldn't be bothered and there was 6 Nations on the box. Great to see Scotland beat the Taffs for the first time in ten years.
However, I did get an invite to attend a Q and A with Meire before the match courtesy of a small Messageboard group which had been granted an audience with God. I should say upfront that I don't frequent the said board other than for a laugh on occasions. What does surprise me is that it gets ahead in the queue for Meire's attention before Charlton Life and the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust which have multiple times the audience. It does have anti-protest bent though, which I guess is what swung it, although you wouldn't really have known it from the questions asked today.
What did I learn? Not much really. They (Murray and Meire) seemed to suggest that they had learned their mistakes (yes, again) from chopping and changing managers and that they would be sticking with Robinson, although they were laughing at the notion of learning from their mistakes. That was before today's debacle, so anything could happen from here I guess. Meire also said that Robinson wasn't available in the close season and implied that Slade was a temporary appointment. She also said that they backed Slade and she thought that Ajose, Magennis and Novak would be good "for fifty goals this season." Wrong there clearly and she also forgot that you need a midfield able to operate above strolling pace.
Meire was questioned about ambition for next season and made all the right noises about backing Karl and at not having been able to get the key deals done in January and that one or two clubs were trying to leverage as us for more money as per Robinson's lament etc. I'm not sure what changes between now and close season to be honest but it's a convenient excuse and not one I suspect we will hear from other clubs who secured their targets. Frankly it means nothing because there will be wholesale changes come the end of the season so unless we go big in the market, we are likely to start as we did again this season, hopeful but not really confident.
A question was asked about next year's season ticket deals and Meire said they would be going with a repeat of this season's 'affordable' lower north deal, although the questioner made it clear he would not be renewing his West Stand ticket at £475 if there was no reduction.
She was also asked about the paltry gate for Tuesday's home game and the lacking atmosphere to which she acknowledged that "3,000 season ticket holders don't come each home game." This was an honest admission of the actual attendances but I don't think she meant 3,000 season ticket holders, rather 3,000 in total including club freebies and comps who don't really support the club and don't care one way or the other.
All in all another new Duchatlet-low and we really do need to be looking beneath us with some trepidation. People keep saying we have sunk as far as we can go but that's patently not true. There is a whole division of new-found depth we can yet plumb all the time we have no ambition and no-one who really cares behind the club.
However, I did get an invite to attend a Q and A with Meire before the match courtesy of a small Messageboard group which had been granted an audience with God. I should say upfront that I don't frequent the said board other than for a laugh on occasions. What does surprise me is that it gets ahead in the queue for Meire's attention before Charlton Life and the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust which have multiple times the audience. It does have anti-protest bent though, which I guess is what swung it, although you wouldn't really have known it from the questions asked today.
What did I learn? Not much really. They (Murray and Meire) seemed to suggest that they had learned their mistakes (yes, again) from chopping and changing managers and that they would be sticking with Robinson, although they were laughing at the notion of learning from their mistakes. That was before today's debacle, so anything could happen from here I guess. Meire also said that Robinson wasn't available in the close season and implied that Slade was a temporary appointment. She also said that they backed Slade and she thought that Ajose, Magennis and Novak would be good "for fifty goals this season." Wrong there clearly and she also forgot that you need a midfield able to operate above strolling pace.
Meire was questioned about ambition for next season and made all the right noises about backing Karl and at not having been able to get the key deals done in January and that one or two clubs were trying to leverage as us for more money as per Robinson's lament etc. I'm not sure what changes between now and close season to be honest but it's a convenient excuse and not one I suspect we will hear from other clubs who secured their targets. Frankly it means nothing because there will be wholesale changes come the end of the season so unless we go big in the market, we are likely to start as we did again this season, hopeful but not really confident.
A question was asked about next year's season ticket deals and Meire said they would be going with a repeat of this season's 'affordable' lower north deal, although the questioner made it clear he would not be renewing his West Stand ticket at £475 if there was no reduction.
She was also asked about the paltry gate for Tuesday's home game and the lacking atmosphere to which she acknowledged that "3,000 season ticket holders don't come each home game." This was an honest admission of the actual attendances but I don't think she meant 3,000 season ticket holders, rather 3,000 in total including club freebies and comps who don't really support the club and don't care one way or the other.
All in all another new Duchatlet-low and we really do need to be looking beneath us with some trepidation. People keep saying we have sunk as far as we can go but that's patently not true. There is a whole division of new-found depth we can yet plumb all the time we have no ambition and no-one who really cares behind the club.
"Meire was questioned about ambition for next season and made all the right noises about backing Karl."
ReplyDeleteHe'll be gone next week then..
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ReplyDeleteTo be honest you probably could have precied this whole article with just the last sixteen words.
ReplyDeleteNever been on your forum sunshine.
ReplyDeleteShe asked what can be done to stop the protests, I said "success, give us success on the pitch and the protests will fizzle out" It's not that difficult really!
ReplyDeleteKM does not realise she is entrusted with every Charlton fan's hopes.
ReplyDeleteHow can she successfully nurture them when she herself is hopeless.
....never mind about planning for next season - first we have to maintain our position in league 1...!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I saw Saturday by the end of March we could well be involved in a relegation fight to avoid dropping into division 2.
Robinson alone cannot save the club - he needs support from the gruesome twosome above him to release funds to enable him to buy a complete squad, much as Sir Chris did 5 years ago. Will he be as successful IF he gets the funds? Hopefully, but somehow I doubt it. Robinson seems to be a 'one-trick pony' to me - one up front in a home game??? For that to work you have to get goals scored from mid-field, and that won't happen with the current squad.
We have to survive this season before even thinking about next - and I really can see us facing a second successive relegation with this squad and the manager's un-changing tactics... come on Robbo, where's your plan B when things are going wrong on the pitch??
I personally will not be returning to the Valley again this season after what I saw on Saturday. I have supported the club for over 50 years and like many others I have suffered many seasons of dross interspersed with several wonder seasons. But there is little hope for the club until Duchatelet starts spending money on the team - no matter who is in the manager's chair.
Well done Katrien - this "customer" has had enough and I'm finding more enjoyment these days watching rugby than football, which in my opinion has been ruined by the amount of money in the premier league and the ethos that has taken over. What happened to Ranieri last week at Leicester was the final nail in my football supporting life.