Roll up, roll up, it's the Charlton circus

[Bobbin']

Not to be rude mate but where have you been for the past three years?

'Progress to be made'? We were a mid table Championship side when they bought the club and started selling players, we're now a mid table League One side. Some progress.

For three years, players have been sold and money not reinvested in the squad.

This is my point, their soul intention is to sell our assets, they are not interested in reinvesting or where the club is heading, it's just about making money. I'm really not sure what there is to not understand.

 

[blade1889]

Watching my team in league one repeatedly sell players to teams in higher leagues, so apologies if I don't have much sympathy with that particular gripe.

 

[Bobbin']

Watching my team in league one repeatedly sell players to teams in higher leagues, so apologies if I don't have much sympathy with that particular gripe.

No need to apologise over something you have no understanding of.

I'm not sure what else to say if you can't differentiate between what the actual 'gripe' is and the one you think it is.

 

[Lamby]

No need to apologise over something you have no understanding of.

I'm not sure what else to say if you can't differentiate between what the actual 'gripe' is and the one you think it is.

You have no understanding of it either. Every club is a selling club, what's not to get about that? The money made doesn't have to go all back into the transfer kitty, as per what happens on FM.

 

[JJH]

If they're that rich that they don't even care about the money they make from Charlton Athletic as they claim they'd put back every penny back into the club in some way or another, not just for transfer fees, but they're not doing that.

 

[PuB]

I don't see much wrong with that either, other than you would normally expect a chairman or someone in that position to say, 'we want to keep them at the club as long as possible,' or, 'we don't need to sell.' That, at the very least, gives a better bargaining position.

 

[Bobbin']

You have no understanding of it either. Every club is a selling club, what's not to get about that? The money made doesn't have to go all back into the transfer kitty, as per what happens on FM.

Lamby in completely misses the point shocker.

I get that clubs sell to teams in higher divisions and this is part and parcel of football and has always been the case. I was watching Charlton when we sold the likes of Rob Lee and Lee Bowyer etc but there are varying reasons why this happens, club is in financial trouble, need money to reinvest in the squad, player is unhappy or whatever.

Let's be clear about this:

Roland is estimated to be worth more than €800m, we DO NOT NEED to sell.

Money made from these sales IS NOT being put back into the playing squad.

The players are generally NOT UNHAPPY and DO NOT want to leave, in some cases including Nick Pope they have actually wanted to stay.

We are selling only because Roland wants to. What's best for the football club doesn't even enter the equation.

I have no problem with selling, it's the reasoning behind the sales that is the concern.

 

[Sheffsteel]

You're missing the point.

I don't have a gripe about selling players to the PL, it's a reality for lower league clubs and one we've been on the end of probably more than most.

Our gripe is that the Belgians have focused their whole business plan around this, their soul intention is to make money from these assets. The future or direction of the club is irelevant.

If the directors have no intentions to target promotion.
Then why would they appoint one of the most highly rated coaches in the lower divisions.
Karl Robinson is young and ambitious so why would he agree to work with terrible bosses when in recent seasons he's reportedly turned down Leeds and I believe Sheff Utd.

I can only assume he must have received investment promises and be getting paid a massive salary by league 1 stadards. In fact in his interview after Boxing Day he said that he hoped to bring in several players during the JTW.

The impression I get with CAFC (and Coventry for that matter ) is that the owners don't care about PR or respect for the fans. It's their contempt and arrogance which is getting them into trouble.

Tradionally we all support and love our local footballl clubs BUT when an outsider comes along and makes it clear that the football club is simply a BUSINESS vehicle to make profit for the owners then it takes away the romance and good feeling towards that club.

But the problem is that these days football is all about business and making money. Some clubs are lucky enough to have benefactors. Other clubs show ambition but ambition is a GAMBLE and if it doesn't work it creates debt that affects future campaigns.

I've hear fans of some clubs say the FL need to do something about bad unfit owners but they fail to define specifically what a "bad owner" is.

At Sheff Utd we have double or treble the income of every other club in league 1 but we still sell off our best or most promising player every season. Walker, Naughton, Slew, McDonald, Maguire, Murphy, Calvin-Lewis etc and we are currently in our worse spelll (6th season in league 1) in our entire history but we always hear the same mantra about it being so financially damaging in league 1 and the need to balance the books.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Let's be clear about this:

Roland is estimated to be worth more than €800m, we DO NOT NEED to sell.

Money made from these sales IS NOT being put back into the playing squad.

The players are generally NOT UNHAPPY and DO NOT want to leave, in some cases including Nick Pope they have actually wanted to stay.

We are selling only because Roland wants to. What's best for the football club doesn't even enter the equation.

I have no problem with selling, it's the reasoning behind the sales that is the concern.

The above is almost identical to Sheffield United.

We are told that the club MUST be run as a self sustaining business.
If Roland doesn't want the best for the club then it doesn't explain why he's just appointed one of the highest rated and most expensive managers in the lower leagues.

I do have massive sympathy for Coventry City because even though they get decent crowds their income is low (due to not owning the stadium so no off field income streams) and their expenses are high (due to paying a high rent they're struggling to afford on the stadium).

So it's not a level playing field and I would imagine Coventry City have one of worse balance sheets in league 1 meaning incredibly for a club of CC's size it's hard for them to compete.

Normally owners would recognise they are in the sh**** so would bail out of a lost making operation but for some weird reason SISU choose to stay and sell off the football clubs assets in order to keep the business afloat. But what happens when all the assets have been sold?

I think the example at Coventry applies to all struggling clubs "big clubs with potential" in the lower leagues. Do they run themselves as a business and risk slowly downsizing with dwindling gates or do they gamble (pay salaries they can't afford) to realise their potential to enable promotion back to the higher leagues.

 

[Bobbin']

If the directors have no intentions to target promotion.
Then why would they appoint one of the most highly rated coaches in the lower divisions.
Karl Robinson is young and ambitious so why would he agree to work with terrible bosses when in recent seasons he's reportedly turned down Leeds and I believe Sheff Utd.

It's amazing how your stance can change once you're unemployed isn't it?

It's all good and well appointing a respected League One manager but utterly worthless if you're not prepared to back him. Russell Slade was a respected/rated League One manager, he wasn't backed properly and has already been sacked.

Of Russell Slade, the same could be said for him. If Charlton and Coventry are so bad, why did he agree to work for both? Could it be that he was also unemployed on both occasions?

I can only assume he must have received investment promises and be getting paid a massive salary by league 1 stadards. In fact in his interview after Boxing Day he said that he hoped to bring in several players during the JTW.

Well of course he was, as was Russell Slade who later found out it was all bollocks and Chris Wilder who didn't trust them and saw through it. This lot aren't exactly known for their honesty.

What Karl Robinson hopes to get and what he will actually get are two very different things. We heard the same all through the summer, Slade didn't get nearly as many players as he said he wanted and the ones he did get he had to fight for, more than twice the amount of players left the club and that is why we're now left with a threadbare squad. Even with the 3 or 4 that Robinson said he wants, that still leaves us desperately short and that's before taking into account that Lookman and Fox are pretty much already gone and who knows who else.

The impression I get with CAFC (and Coventry for that matter ) is that the owners don't care about PR or respect for the fans. It's their contempt and arrogance which is getting them into trouble.

Roland doesn't care about the club, and has said as much himself. The club represents only 1.5% of all his businesses so in his own words he 'has other things to care about'. He hasn't even been to watch a game since October 2014. CEO Katrien Meire has also already stated that she's not interested in the history or past of Charlton Athletic because it doesn't matter.

If Roland doesn't want the best for the club then it doesn't explain why he's just appointed one of the highest rated and most expensive managers in the lower leagues.

If Roland was really that interested, we wouldn't even be in the lower leagues.

 

[Lamby]

If Roland was really that interested, we wouldn't even be in the lower leagues.

So now you're blaming him for relegation even though it's the players faults? Just f*ck off.

 

[Camborne Gills]

How can it be the fault of the players? A manager can only work with what he has got or who he can AFFORD to bring in (if at all).

Your fellow supporter has explained this all at length, and you piss all over it in one foul mouthed sentence. Idiot!!

God I wish I had voted in the 1FF awards, cos you would have won at least two awards, for the wrong reasons.

 

[Bobbin']

So now you're blaming him for relegation even though it's the players faults? Just f*ck off.

You really are properly dense aren't you?

Who was it that took over the club and immediately started to dismantle the side that had finished 9th the season previous and won the L1 title with a record points total the one before that?

Who was it that then thrust upon the club, numerous below par players from his network to replace the championship quality players he sold?

Who was it that oversaw the sacking of 5 managers in 2 seasons?

In that same Web Summit video, Meire stated that the club 'were not prepared to compete' in the Championship, not that they were unable to but NOT PREPARED to, I'm not saying that Roland had to throw all his money at it but not wishing to compete financially can only fall at the owner's feet.

We are in the division we are in because we deserve to be after our performances on the pitch last season but let's be honest here, with the squad we had when Roland took over and the resources he has, it was the most avoidable relegation ever.

 

[Camborne Gills]

I would have thought that when clubs find themselves in a certain situation, the supporters of that team would rally together and not act like complete douches. We are all in L1 for a reason after all, regardless.

There are certain teams I am not fond of, but for the most part their supporters on here are decent folk and get it. You just cant tell some people.

 

[Bobbin']

Lots of rumours flying about today that Roland is to hold talks with Red Bull over a potential takeover tomorrow.

About the only thing that could be worse than Roland in my opinion, the whole indentity of the club would be gone, at least it's still hanging by a thread at the minute.

 

[Millwall_Matt]

The Red Bull Robins does have a bit of a ring to it. Very marketable.

 

[Bobbin']

The Red Bull Robins does have a bit of a ring to it. Very marketable.

Someone has already put on Twitter 'When red red bull Robin goes bob bob bobbing along'

I really hope it is just rumour.

 

[Millwall_Matt]

They could buy Bournemouth instead?
"Red Bull, it gives you Mings".

 

[Shrimpurh]

They could buy Bournemouth instead?
"Red Bull, it gives you Mings".

Hope it didn't take long to think of that..

 

[PuB]

How long before Lamby turns up and claims this is the most brilliant idea he's ever heard?

 

[Bobbin']

How long before Lamby turns up and claims this is the most brilliant idea he's ever heard?

If it means the Belgians leaving, he'll probably hate the idea.

 

[Reading-Gills]

Funny how easy it is for fake news to spread

 

[Lamby]

Lots of rumours flying about today that Roland is to hold talks with Red Bull over a potential takeover tomorrow.

About the only thing that could be worse than Roland in my opinion, the whole indentity of the club would be gone, at least it's still hanging by a thread at the minute.

Considering he wanted £75M off them I doubt this is true

 

[Bobbin']

Funny how easy it is for fake news to spread

I think the subsequent replies show how seriously people were taking it.

 

[Bobbin']

That's a very good point, look at the assets that Charlton have sold on to be able to afford these players. Gudmundsson, Pope, Cousins etc all went for a fee, and it looks like they'll be getting £10m in January for Lookman. Let's see if any of that gets invested back into the club or first team...

Obviously that's a minor issue in the current problems at Charlton but for those looking at the situation and mentioning the money they've spent on their squad it's worth looking at how much they spent as opposed to how much they've raked in.

Every club has to make money to progress, the easiest way to do that is sell players. Of course it'll be part of a business plan. Once you start selling these players it'll be interesting to see where the money goes...that's when the gripe could be realised. Until then it's nowt different to anyone else.

With the window now shut I thought it would be a good time to revisit this.

Outs:

Ademola Lookman - £7.5m (rising to £11m)
Morgan Fox - £700k
Nicky Ajose - Loan
Kevin Foley - Released

Total: £8.2 million (up front)

Ins:

Jake Forster-Caskey - Undisclosed
Lewis Page - Undisclosed
Stephy Mavididi - Loan
Jay Dasilva - Loan
Nathan Byrne - Loan

Total: Obviously can't say for sure but JFC was coming to the end of his contract at Brighton and Page a 21 year old from West Ham. I'd be surprised if the two cost us any more than £1m.

Let's be generous and say combined they cost £1.2m. I make that £7m in Roland's pocket, add that to the rough figure of £4.5m that was made and not reinvested in the squad in the summer (already mentioned in the thread) that's £11.5m, not bad for old Roland eh?

You look at those ins and outs and it's blindingly obvious to anyone what Roland's plan is. To sell key players for millions, replace them with short loans to just keep the club going and then repeat the following transfer window. There is no ambition and there is no intention to compete.

Robinson wanted 4/5 players in, we needed them! The squad is so bare, the result is that we now actually only have one extra player.

New episode of Getting to know the network was released yesterday. Bob Peeters was on there, when he took the manager's job in 2014 he was told by Roland to just stay up, as long as you're not relegated you'll be fine. We went the first couple of months unbeaten, Peeters went and saw Meire and told her that with 3 or 4 decent signings, we could finish in the top 6, he was flat-out told no, not happening. That's it, as long as we're a professional club with assets to sell, that's good enough for Roland. Further backed up by the transfer policy this window. We are merely existing to act as Roland's marketplace.

 

[Bobbin']

http://charltoncard.tumblr.com/post/157319558581/hundreds-set-for-sint-truiden-protest

Around 200 Charlton fans are expected to travel to Belgium on 4th March to protest against Roland.

No Lamby, I'm not going but have nothing but respect for the ones that are.

 

[PuB]

Picking up in Kent again are you...

Seriously though, I hope it draws more attention but I don't think a guy like him will give a shit.

 

[Lamby]

I hope the coaches go off the road and up in flames.

 

[Bobbin']

Picking up in Kent again are you...

Seriously though, I hope it draws more attention but I don't think a guy like him will give a shit.

I'd be worried if I were Karl Robinson. The last time they took the protests to Belgium (albeit on a much smaller scale) Roland copped the right ump and sacked Russell Slade while they were over there.

In fairness, he hates being shown up in his homeland, he went on a massive rant to the press there last time so it obviously does get under his skin. Will be interesting to see what happens when such a big contingent go.

 

[Bobbin']

https://twitter.com/airmanbrown/status/840664121532121088

This guy isn't one to start bullshit rumours, pretty itk.

I'm not entirely sure what 'movement over ownership' means but I think I've just done some sex wee!