There was a lot more traffic to this site yesterday than expected following another drab Bank Holiday defeat. Approximately 2700 more visits than anticipated and they all came looking to know more about Katrien Meire and why she is so universally despised at Charlton Athletic Football Club. I doff my cap to the Owls fans who did far more due diligence than their owner.
Today she begins the process of interviewing 28 candidates for the vacant managers seat. Let's hope for Owls-fans sake that she makes a much better job of it than she managed at the Valley, in six or seven attempts. What she didn't say yesterday as part of her fawning introduction to her new supporters was that she was about to scour the planet for the best football manager there is before appointing the bloke the owner knows from down the road first-thing the following morning and then having the bare-faced cheek to tell us she interviewed all the other candidates (on a Sunday evening) and Guy Luzon was the best. Like all the others he quickly proved not to be.
My warning to Wednesday fans is that she is charming and will come across as an open-minded enthusiast. However, what you have is a serial incompetent who struggles to work in a team and who's judgement is so suspect that she fails to realise when to stop digging in public. Those of you who watched the VIP Fans Q & A with her will have spotted the body language from a Director and the Captain sat alongside her when she was lying outrageously to supporters and believing she could carry it off, just because she was the Chief Executive. She was asked the question did she think she had been a success at Charlton thus far and her answer was "I must be, the owner appointed me." When ridiculed about the seven managerial appoints in less than two years she told us that "they were all successful, the rankings proved it." There was a stony silence of disbelief in the room because the rankings proved we were further down the Championship table and headed for League One.
This is who are you are dealing with. It would be impossible for her to be as poor a Chief Exec as she was here and I expect she will try to keep a lower profile but I am a firm believer in not rewarding failure and that's what your owner has done. She simply doesn't deserve the position at Hillsborough because she isn't anywhere near competent enough to hold it.
She admitted when she landed the job at the Valley as a naive 29 year-old that she had zero experience of football or business. Don't be fooled by her law degree either (Competition Law). Her negotiation skills have left us with a host of overpaid hopelessness on long contracts. The current owners negotiations to sell the club appear have not been going too well by all accounts (and how long it is taking). Probably due to his stubbornesss and desperation not to lose face and a huge chunk of cash in the process. Former Directors have first-call on loans totalling £7m in the event of a sale. Normally you might expect them to acquiesce or defer but when a billionaire with no interest in your club is selling, why not insist on your cash back? As supporters we have been debating this point for several years on every thread about mismanagement, club debt and takeover, but it would appear the Belgians may have been unaware of it which would be typical.
Elsewhere, proof that Roland Duchatelet is going to keep his hands firmly in his pockets once again this transfer window starts with news that the experienced goal-scorer we are absolute desperate for, won't be signed. Instead we have gone back for Stephy Mavididi from Arsenal, a young player whose first team action has been limited to 15 appearances for Arsenal, Charlton and Preston. He is a winger-cum-striker although he has yet to score a first-team goal. Giving him a loan to a club with only a few other strikers who also can't score will be a big confidence booster for him.
On New Year's Eve Igor Vetokele posted a picture of himself in a Charlton shirt from when he was first here which caused a social media stir that he would be returning. As a network employee making the odd appearances between injuries at St. Truiden that is always likely, especially when Duchatelet has free reign over both end of the transfer arrangements. With takeover imminent I fully expect us to pick-up some network slack before it's complete.
Today she begins the process of interviewing 28 candidates for the vacant managers seat. Let's hope for Owls-fans sake that she makes a much better job of it than she managed at the Valley, in six or seven attempts. What she didn't say yesterday as part of her fawning introduction to her new supporters was that she was about to scour the planet for the best football manager there is before appointing the bloke the owner knows from down the road first-thing the following morning and then having the bare-faced cheek to tell us she interviewed all the other candidates (on a Sunday evening) and Guy Luzon was the best. Like all the others he quickly proved not to be.
My warning to Wednesday fans is that she is charming and will come across as an open-minded enthusiast. However, what you have is a serial incompetent who struggles to work in a team and who's judgement is so suspect that she fails to realise when to stop digging in public. Those of you who watched the VIP Fans Q & A with her will have spotted the body language from a Director and the Captain sat alongside her when she was lying outrageously to supporters and believing she could carry it off, just because she was the Chief Executive. She was asked the question did she think she had been a success at Charlton thus far and her answer was "I must be, the owner appointed me." When ridiculed about the seven managerial appoints in less than two years she told us that "they were all successful, the rankings proved it." There was a stony silence of disbelief in the room because the rankings proved we were further down the Championship table and headed for League One.
This is who are you are dealing with. It would be impossible for her to be as poor a Chief Exec as she was here and I expect she will try to keep a lower profile but I am a firm believer in not rewarding failure and that's what your owner has done. She simply doesn't deserve the position at Hillsborough because she isn't anywhere near competent enough to hold it.
She admitted when she landed the job at the Valley as a naive 29 year-old that she had zero experience of football or business. Don't be fooled by her law degree either (Competition Law). Her negotiation skills have left us with a host of overpaid hopelessness on long contracts. The current owners negotiations to sell the club appear have not been going too well by all accounts (and how long it is taking). Probably due to his stubbornesss and desperation not to lose face and a huge chunk of cash in the process. Former Directors have first-call on loans totalling £7m in the event of a sale. Normally you might expect them to acquiesce or defer but when a billionaire with no interest in your club is selling, why not insist on your cash back? As supporters we have been debating this point for several years on every thread about mismanagement, club debt and takeover, but it would appear the Belgians may have been unaware of it which would be typical.
Elsewhere, proof that Roland Duchatelet is going to keep his hands firmly in his pockets once again this transfer window starts with news that the experienced goal-scorer we are absolute desperate for, won't be signed. Instead we have gone back for Stephy Mavididi from Arsenal, a young player whose first team action has been limited to 15 appearances for Arsenal, Charlton and Preston. He is a winger-cum-striker although he has yet to score a first-team goal. Giving him a loan to a club with only a few other strikers who also can't score will be a big confidence booster for him.
On New Year's Eve Igor Vetokele posted a picture of himself in a Charlton shirt from when he was first here which caused a social media stir that he would be returning. As a network employee making the odd appearances between injuries at St. Truiden that is always likely, especially when Duchatelet has free reign over both end of the transfer arrangements. With takeover imminent I fully expect us to pick-up some network slack before it's complete.
haha - yes the Relegation Roger contract (second one) was shocking in it's ineptitude.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent (as usual) analysis of Nightmeire Dave. Heard two blokes talking about her on our coach home yesterday - they have met her several times and wax lyrical about her charm. and articulation skills, but know deep down what she is like.I only met her once, and she just talked out the time allocated to our meeting, without saying very much or leaving herself open to questions. All chat and no substance, and those early TV interviews show her true feelings for football fans
ReplyDeletePembury Addick