[This post is being reissued as Katrien Meire has paid to have negative articles about her largely cleansed from search engines - no-one should be able to control free information]
As Charlton fans prepare for their first day of protest at the Valley on Saturday at the current ownership and management shambles, I believe Katrien Meire has to become the target of our ire. She is Roland's representation in SE7 and her CV during the last two years includes the following off the top of my head and I am sure you can add more;
- sacking of Chris Powell the season after getting us out of League One
- sacking of Jose Riga after he managed to keep us up that same season
- failure to properly support Bob Peeters when his squad were clearly short of resources prior to January
- failing to tell the truth about the recruitment of Guy Luzon after being undermined by her boss and believing she could lie her way out of it
- refusal to listen to supporter groups or respond to individual fans complaints
- setting a V I P supporters meeting to coincide with a fans protest meeting in Woolwich and then refusing to answer certain direct questions
- deciding not to renew the V I P scheme on the grounds that "we don't need the money" (this when V I P members actually pay more in advance than the match-by-match value of tickets)
- that Northstand lounge pass fiasco
- false economies with Valley Express and tolerating ongoing incompetent management of the service
- cocking up the offer of compensatory food vouchers for West Stand season ticket holders turfed out of their season to accommodate gloating Bournemouth fans in our end-of season humiliation game
- condoning the cheap shot sex-on-the-pitch advertising stunt which probably brought in bugger all additional revenue (she would have said otherwise after the furore)
- closing the ticket office on Thursdays and refusing to sell tickets to fans who arrived unknowingly
- cocking up the mailing out of season tickets and trying to blame Royal Mail
- deciding to stop disabled supporters from using the main lifts in the West Stand to reach their seats on Health & Safety grounds when they really wanted to avoid them inconveniencing Vista Lounge members (it was ok for them to use the service lifts)
- sacking the incumbent programme seller third party without first ensuring an adequate replacement service
- that ridiculous sofa which makes our club look cheap and for what?
- being naive enough to slag our older fans off to foreign journalists, telling them she doesn't care about our history and belittling a complainant
- failing to back Guy Luzon with a competitive first team squad
- publicly backing Luzon a week before sacking 'our Alex Ferguson' (or failing to check with Duchebag first on his intentions)
- sacking Damian Matthew along with Luzon, after all Matthew has done for our club, without any adequate explanation
- sacking David Martane only months after appointing him without any adequate explanation
- appointing yet another Belgian nonentity
- extending the ticket office closure to Wednesdays as well as Thursdays
- now looking at options to develop the club shop for flats
- presiding over a new low point in Club-Supporter relations, which takes some doing given our history and at a time when we have the wealthiest owner in our history
What's next?
She has to go and soon.
As Charlton fans prepare for their first day of protest at the Valley on Saturday at the current ownership and management shambles, I believe Katrien Meire has to become the target of our ire. She is Roland's representation in SE7 and her CV during the last two years includes the following off the top of my head and I am sure you can add more;
- sacking of Chris Powell the season after getting us out of League One
- sacking of Jose Riga after he managed to keep us up that same season
- failure to properly support Bob Peeters when his squad were clearly short of resources prior to January
- failing to tell the truth about the recruitment of Guy Luzon after being undermined by her boss and believing she could lie her way out of it
- refusal to listen to supporter groups or respond to individual fans complaints
- setting a V I P supporters meeting to coincide with a fans protest meeting in Woolwich and then refusing to answer certain direct questions
- deciding not to renew the V I P scheme on the grounds that "we don't need the money" (this when V I P members actually pay more in advance than the match-by-match value of tickets)
- that Northstand lounge pass fiasco
- false economies with Valley Express and tolerating ongoing incompetent management of the service
- cocking up the offer of compensatory food vouchers for West Stand season ticket holders turfed out of their season to accommodate gloating Bournemouth fans in our end-of season humiliation game
- condoning the cheap shot sex-on-the-pitch advertising stunt which probably brought in bugger all additional revenue (she would have said otherwise after the furore)
- closing the ticket office on Thursdays and refusing to sell tickets to fans who arrived unknowingly
- cocking up the mailing out of season tickets and trying to blame Royal Mail
- deciding to stop disabled supporters from using the main lifts in the West Stand to reach their seats on Health & Safety grounds when they really wanted to avoid them inconveniencing Vista Lounge members (it was ok for them to use the service lifts)
- sacking the incumbent programme seller third party without first ensuring an adequate replacement service
- that ridiculous sofa which makes our club look cheap and for what?
- being naive enough to slag our older fans off to foreign journalists, telling them she doesn't care about our history and belittling a complainant
- failing to back Guy Luzon with a competitive first team squad
- publicly backing Luzon a week before sacking 'our Alex Ferguson' (or failing to check with Duchebag first on his intentions)
- sacking Damian Matthew along with Luzon, after all Matthew has done for our club, without any adequate explanation
- sacking David Martane only months after appointing him without any adequate explanation
- appointing yet another Belgian nonentity
- extending the ticket office closure to Wednesdays as well as Thursdays
- now looking at options to develop the club shop for flats
- presiding over a new low point in Club-Supporter relations, which takes some doing given our history and at a time when we have the wealthiest owner in our history
What's next?
She has to go and soon.
Dave - she would have to plead guilty on each and every count, but her plea of mitigation would, sadly, be successful -"just obeying orders, Guv". It's the puppet master who is the enemy, not the loyal glove puppet.
ReplyDeleteDave R
Dave - you are righr of course but she's here and carries the can. Douchebag is ultimately responsible and is next.
DeleteDave, that's pretty decent "off the top of your head!" As lovely, charming and attractive as she seems, this young woman is totally out of her element and clearly should be replaced by a competent, seasoned football executive who knows the ins and outs of running a club on a day to day basis. The thing is though, who in their right mind would want to work for that nut bar from Liege? Josh....you still looking for an English football team to buy?
ReplyDeleteBob - changing owners is a huge risk but how much worse could it get under someone else? There's a saying that 'i'd rather live aday on my feet than a lifetime on my knees.'
DeleteThe point about the sofa really weakens the entire argument. It's not that important is it? All the other points are
ReplyDeleteAnon - it is the weakest and it's not important in the scheme of things but it's symptomatic of where ahe believes she ia adding value and I think her aupport on this is tiny.
ReplyDeleteCompletely 100% agree. Meire has got away with it all up until now, she's been able to hide behind the owner, but she has to be accountable. I suggest we turn the tables on her and use her as the focus for everything that's wrong with the club.
ReplyDeleteI'll be there on Saturday and will do my absolute best to get some chants going, let's make her start squirming in her seat. I want her to feel very uncomfortable sitting up there in the box. Nothing aggressive, just some chants so she knows we want rid of her too.
Dave-this is by far the most comprehensive listing I have seen-good work.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness shouldn't you/we/us also list the positives. I see these as:
1. Buy the club and so as to prevent almost certain administration and its consequences
2. To continue to fund the losses of around £5m (or more) a year
3. Install a new pitch
4. Commit to spending circa £10m on the training ground
Just expanding on 2 above, RD effectively subsidises every supporter attending home games by 50%.
I'm as fed up as everyone with the all the nonsense, but let's be careful for what we wish for!
Buzaboutabit - RD was great news and a welcome relief. He has brought financial stability and sorted the pitch and tarted the ground up. He has also prepared the ground for major investment in the training facilities. However, most of these are investments and he can leverage the cost of against the club of he chooses. He could also decide to cash in on a number of his playing assets and quickly reduce his exposure. Equally he could look to develop part of the Valley for cash etc. What's almost certain is his plan to use his investment to exploit young talent and profit on their sales. What's missing in all of this is what quality of product he is able to serve up on matchdays and around that there can be little doubt he has massively underinvested. We also shouldn't shy away from the idea that things could always be better under someone else. More investment and an owner who cares about results on the pitch. What I am seeing is more and more fans prepared to accept the risks of changing owners. The Big Bad Assumption is that we could go out of business. What many are acknowleging is that they are being forced to give up on going anyway, so are far less concerned about that risk.
ReplyDeleteStrange as ut may sound I don't want Meire to go-well,not yet anyway-RD will only bring in another puppet and he will see it as a perfect oportunity to heap all the blame on her, the new prrson will come in, full of empty promises and we will just continue the cycle. For the future of our club RD has to go.
ReplyDeletePH
Would like to add to the list, proceeding with a family fun enclosure in the middle of November with likely dodgy weather ,when its known that protests against the club is planned in the same area. An attempt to stop the protest by using kids.
ReplyDeleteCharlton supporter
Anon - I believe the Bouncy Castle stuff was planned before the protest, but it is irresponsible for the club not to have postponed it in the circumstances and definitely wrong to have been actively calling Junior Reds parents this week to promote it. She deserves some serious and vocal criticism tomorrow.
ReplyDelete