Friday 26 February 2016

Wear The Scarf With Pride, Yann

I did intend when resuming posts to try to come up with alternative themes to avoid falling into the trap of this blog being just an endless stream of anti-Duchatelet rants. But it's hardly my fault that he and his board are the only game in town and keep providing ample ammunition for any sane person not to be able to let pass without criticism (or without an ever-deepening desire to see the back of them).

One of the themes was going to be some recollections of moments or games, perhaps not the obvious ones, involving upcoming opponents. A wizened old git like me should have enough stored. But for the life of me - and it's no reflection on them - I can't think of anything much with respect to us and Reading, except perhaps that we sold Richie Bowman to them (now there was a midfield terrier). If there have been great moments/classic encounters, even strange incidents, I can't recall them. All of which leaves me with the thought that perhaps the most memorable incident has yet to happen but may take place tomorrow, for obvious reasons.

I could never bring myself to wish for anyone to score against us (I did come dangerously close last season when Scottie Parker was coming in for crazy booing at The Valley, apparently repeated recently), or cheer any opposition goal. But as others have already commented, if Yann buries one (just the one then, when we've already won the game) the reaction of the crowd will be at least sympathetic. I'd happily settle for an iconic image of Kermorgant on a lap of honour wearing a black and white scarf, just as we cheered him to the rafters at the promotion/champions celebration game when he wore his Breton beret. In the interim, I hope the crowd, in addition to dreaming of a team of Kermorgants, will pick up on the "deluded" tag for our owner (and his board).

If Duchatelet and Meire don't understand why the man is held in such high regard by supporters, I'm not going to explain why. They should ask someone, and listen. That way they would learn something they didn't previously know, something which might help them to do their jobs better .... Whistling in the wind. When Duchatelet talks about learning from mistakes he means himself and his lackeys discussing amongst themselves what aspect of their masterplan might have been undermined by some external factor. Suffice to say that in the years to come we will still sit around and talk with affection about the time that Yann got clattered and was back up again, when he was harshly sent off just for accidentally kicking someone, or whether he really meant that volley as a shot or an attempt to square it, when anyone mentioning Duchatelet or Meire will get blank stares and be told to go and wash their mouths out.

Deluded does just about sum it up. I remember that when a valued employee informed me that he/she was resigning to take another job (usually for a much higher salary than I was paying them, the ungrateful bstards) I would feel lousy, thinking about how long it would take to find and train a replacement, how much extra work would be involved etc. But after a day or two, when you've come to terms with it, I'd have persuaded myself that the person leaving was a waste of space, that the next in would be a marked improvement, and that I couldn't wait for the change to come. So when Duchatelet describes Kermorgant as a player who "wanted to leave" he may simply have persuaded (ie deluded) himself that this was indeed the case, nothing to do with him (Duchatelet) screwing up and making an awful decision based on ignorance and arrogance. The difference is that even at the time I knew I was kidding myself and just trying to make the best of a bad job; I'm not sure that our owner is capable of distinguishing fact from his own fiction.

We all know the significance of tomorrow's result; Riga and the players may with justification talk of positives from a performance but as each round passes and the gap to safety either widens or gets no narrower the need for a win and nothing else increases. I am in the 'stranger things have happened' camp, not out of any sense that we are likely to avoid relegation (let alone will avoid it) but that it is still feasible. I wrote back in January, following Riga's return, that in light of the fixtures if we are still in the bottom three after playing MK Dons on 8 March we would surely be set for the drop. I guess now even as the eternal optimist we would need to win our next three games, including the MK Dons one, to have an outside chance of being out of the bottom three by then. Adjust and adapt. The gap by then just has to be materially narrower than it is now. Starting tomorrow.


16 comments:

a2c said...

I spect many fans are gettin fed up with readin all them negative blogs n posts n all, iss ardly elpin the players n team improve n win games n yourn aint givin the board any constructive advice as to ow to turn things rahnd juss bile n vitriol. Ow do yourn know Kermorgant didn't want to leave or if e wanted to try n get more money above wot e's worth cos thass wot them players agents do nahadays still nothin like inventin facts on ere is they.

Anonymous said...

I can see a2c is going to be the last one left in the valley, still sticking up for this vile regime when everyone else has gone. There's not going to be a club left soon. Don't forget to turn out the lights a2c!

Anonymous said...

a2c= well known WUM.

Burgundy Addick said...

It must be a thankless task for him having to trawl various blogs to try to turn back the tide, to pretend that we are all right-wing zenophobes, just anything to muddy the waters. For the record a2c, if you want to get into epistemology I've got a degree in it stashed somewhere. Your are of course right; it is possible - to the extent that the assertion can be denied without contradiction - that Kermorgant was just a money-grabbing over-the-hill professional, that he, Powell, Dyer et al are all just disgruntled ex-employees spinning us a line. But look into the nature of empirical evidence and basis for knowledge and you just might accept that such assertions fly in the face of all the evidence we have and all that we might reasonably infer from what we have experienced of these individuals.

As for constructive advice, there was no shortage of that through 2014 and much of 2015, when the board went out of its way to avoid any meaningful engagement with supporters. At some point you have to conclude - in light of experience and the evidence available - that the other side is simply not listening.

a2c said...

Yeah well we aint all atred filled exenophobes, there the ones destroyin the club them types of fans not the board who are tryin ard to turn things rahnd. There will be loss of new fans next season n all.

Anonymous said...

Can someone please identify to me what dialect a2c is using? I will then see if Google translate can offer some help. I can only assume he / she thinks it is funny. Wrong. Just sad.

a2c said...

Aint that wot yourn are wot with all the moanin n groanin. Still least I support the team players n owners unlike some who are appy to destroy our gaff, thass wot I call sad.

Burgundy Addick said...

You see a2c, you draw 'conclusions' that simply don't fit the facts. I have yet to meet a single Addick who is interested, in any way, shape or form, in destroying our club, let alone being happy doing so. There are plenty of lifelong supporters who have concluded that the only way to save our club is to do everything possible to get a change of regime. Trying to label this as 'moaning and groaning' deliberately misses the point.

As for the 'dialect', I can only assume that he/she is getting ready to fit in with all the new supporters next season, as they will all be around 10 years old and fresh out of nappies.

Anonymous said...

I hope that the Valley is filled with Yann's song tomorrow - because what the club really needs above all others is a team of Kermorgants.... a team full of skilful, committed players not the dross that we are seeing week in and week out.
The other thing I'd love to see is Yann walking out of the tunnel wearing a black and white scarf... now THAT would really stick it to the regime!!

As for upping the ante of the protests - the televised Middlesbrough game is the ideal opportunity to have a match boycott..... imagine the Valley having only A2C and his few mates in the home stands in front of the Sky cameras! THAT would prove as much of a talking point as whatever little goes on on the playing surface. Worth a thought CARD?

a2c said...

There seem to be plenty of exenophobes on the boards who want violent protests n I reckon someone will get urt, wot next throwin flares missiles attackin people etc. When wallmart went dahn lass season theirn didn't attack their board or chant yanks ahrt. I reckon milloanires are put off when they see wot them aggressive fans are doin even if they was considerin buyin our gaff so we're lucky with wot we've got n I've every faith they will turn things rahnd cos thass wot appened before when ourn went dahn to L 1, we soon came up again after a few years. I ope ourn can still stay up but if all some are doin BA is fermentin protests n a bad atmosphere ow will that elp the team n players get ahrt of it, they've said as such.

Ardly there's loss of fans of all ages who will carry on supportin the team next season n don't forget loss left when ourn went ahrt of the Premier League so thass wot appens in football, fans come n go.

Lungrot said...

I'll never forgive Duchatelet for selling Kermorgant, but apart from that I was willing to give him a chance at first. The trouble was that he never made his plans public and it's only this season that his plans for the club have become more obvious. Players and coaches are being recruited at the lowest cost possible and youth players are thrown into the team before they're ready for Championship football. Trying to save money is fair enough, but this policy is only going to lead to relegation followed by relegation. We could easily end up in the Conference. We certainly won't come back up. Some supporters may be happy with that (on the evidence of this thread), but most will not. If Duchatelet's plans had been made clear before he bought the club, I'm not sure if the previous owners would have sold to him. It was nice of him to save us from bankruptcy but now he needs to be persuaded to sell. And it's got nothing to do with xenophobia. I don't care where the next owners come from, I just want them to have some ambition and invest in a better playing squad.

Burgundy Addick said...

a2c, fans may indeed come and go but this is different, by a mile. I went to Selhurst Park, I've supported us three times in the third flight. But I did not renew my season ticket for this season. I will be back like a shot when they go. As ever this has nothing to do with nationalities. As for your talk about 'violent protests', you really should be ashamed of yourself. Nobody is either suggesting, in any way encouraging, or would in any way condone anything violent, that is not Charlton.

Lungrot, I agree with some of what you say but not all. I think Jiminez and his lot would have sold us to any Tom, Dick or Harry they could, just as Duchatelet probably will end up doing. I don't think bankruptcy was on the cards and that Duchatelet saved us from it, just that the price the previous owners were asking for would have progressively come down until someone came in (if I remember correctly their original de facto sale document was asking for over £40m). And I think Duchatelet's original plans for us - which were bad enough, being part of his network and relying on FFP to deliver a level playing field - went out of the window and they had to come up with something new, an adaptation. As you say, it's got nothing to do with xenophobia, just the future of the club we love.

a2c said...

Ere are I don't think you read all the sites BA, there's some on them advocatin violent protests n against Katrien n revellin in it so peraps there the ones you should be attackin. Least I speak ahrt against it n the exenophobes with their anti Belgian chants n will carry on doin so n all.

I did my football coachin so know a bit abahrt it. Players ave agents Lungrot so iss worth askin Kermorgant's agent why e didn't accept wot the club offered im to stay. Then we would ave the full facts on ere cos iss all to easy to aim a partin shot when you aint gettin wot you want.

Anonymous said...

a2c is like blight or mildew on bloggers comments. I suggest a trip to the garden centre for some pesticide. Should do the trick ! Charlton supporter

Anonymous said...

C2A

Ere a2c I reckon you shud fink about speaking to katrien abarht a job dahn our gaff. We need mor positif folk like your ilk dahn our gaff. If uve dun coachin, ow abarht given Jose a and. U culd keep us up dis season mate. U wuld becum a cafc legend like Lennie Lawrence or Curbs.

C2A

CA Addick said...

Sorry a2c but frankly you are an idiot!

People are entitled to opinions but yours is so rediculous on every evidential front that you are either RD's best friend or KM in disguise.

Nothing can hide from the multiple mistakes including many several times over.