Can
I add anything useful to what has been said by others in the wake of Ms Meire's
regrettable breakdown yesterday? Always a first time. Start with the obvious:
most of what she said was quite simply factually wrong. "I know what
they're trying to do, to break me down ...". It's all been said before, by
many Addicks, but she doesn't seem to listen or understand. Nobody means you
any harm, we just want you to leave our club as with each passing day you are
in situ you progressively ruin something we care deeply about. It's not because
you are female, or Belgian; it is because from day one you have insulted and
alienated us, ignored us, lied to us, and behaved in a fashion unacceptable for
the head of any organisation, while at the same time you have made countless
mistakes, related to matters both on and off the pitch, which along with the daft
strategies and actions of our owner have resulted in our club progressively
failing, with the prospect of more of the same. Just look at the evidence.
For
the good of Charlton most (but not all) fans want the owner to sell and Meire
is really just a bit part in the unfolding drama. It is sad that she does not
have the insight to realise that she is utterly unsuited to be CEO of the club,
which requires a very different skill set from a legal advisor. And for some
time now it has been cruel of Duchatelet to leave her in the job. Many moons
ago in a post I cited a comparison with the actions of the guy I sold a company
to; he installed his PA and she told him everything that the employees,
including myself, said and did. They in response shunned her, which led the new
owner to complain to me that people were being unfair to her. The fault was
his, he put her in place and kept her there for his own benefit, not the good
of the company. No matter, Meire is ostensibly an adult and responsible for her
own actions and career. We don't know if she has a contract (or who she is paid
by), but if there is one the grounds for her dismissal on the basis of bringing
the company into disrepute should be compelling. Unlike Ms Meire I'm not a
lawyer so I can't tell if what she said constitutes grounds for charges of
libel, but I hope someone is investigating that possibility.
You
have to ask just what was Meire trying to achieve yesterday? To alert the world
to her plight? Surely there's already been enough on that. To rally the media
and football world to her cause? Now that is another area where CARD deserves praise
for ensuring that these two groups remained on our side. Most if not all
football fans who look at the coverage will, like us, be shaking their heads in
bemusement. Besides bringing yet more humiliation on herself, all she achieved
was to, yet again, drag our club's good name through the mud.
Of
all that was reportedly said, there's two sentences that really stands out for
me: "When I started supporting football 15 years ago, whenever there was a
black player they would make noises. That has evolved, why can we not also
educate fans ...." The first sentence is at best just clumsy (even
glossing over the idea of starting to 'support football', as if the sport in
general was graced by her benevolence) and at worst deliberately offensive;
combating racism in football is an ongoing, serious matter and trying to associate
that with peaceful, law-abiding protests against a regime is itself offensive.
But really the insight is perhaps in the second sentence. 'Why can we not ...'
Just who is the 'we'? Her and Duchatelet alone? Or perhaps she means all
intelligent and successful people, or all people in authority, compared with
the illiterate mob that constitutes football fans.
In
addition to not being a lawyer I'm not a psychiatrist. I began by thinking that
any good one could have a field day with what was said by Meire yesterday, but
then perhaps not. Anyone whose studied psychiatry would take one look and point
out the obvious. Just try Googling 'evidence of an inferiority complex'. The
page I went to outlined seven signs:
1.
Hypocritical attitude: people who do not
feel alright about themselves have problems feeling good about others;
2.
Tendency towards blaming: some people
project their weaknesses onto others in order to lessen and ameliorate the pain
of inferiority;
3.
Feeling of persecution: when carried to
the extreme, blaming others can extend to believing that others are actively
seeking to ruin you.
4. Inappropriate response to flattery: some may
refuse to listen to anything positive about themselves, others may be desperate
to hear anything good and are constantly fishing for compliments;
5. Sensitivity to criticism: although people who
feel inferior 'know' they have shortcomings, they do not like other people to
point this out;
6. Tendency towards seclusion and sensitivity;
7. Negative feeling about competition: not
coming first is evidence of total failure.
Does
it all sound familiar? I don't know what in Ms Meire's past made her what she
is today and am well past caring. In the words of the immortal Debby Harry:
'Don't
go pre-fab
'Cause
you been had
Don't
go be sad
Don't
go away mad
Just
go away (go away)
Go
away and stay away'.
Brilliant Post BA
ReplyDeleteGreat post BA.
ReplyDeleteReading on Charlton Life that Doochbag is mates with Pinocchio's dad, which would explain a lot.
Good to meat you last Saturday btw.
Excellent post ! The quote with respect educating fans smacks of condescension!
ReplyDeleteRecent events such as the Hillsborough Inquest evidence that underestimating the intelligence of others is not a clever move. Whilst the office of CEO requires a degree of legal skills competence in many others areas is necessary and you do need to be good at dealing with people and not alienating them.
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ReplyDeleteThanks guys and Dave good to bump into you. I might have added I hope the regime doesn't start to think that we actually enjoy protesting. I'd rather be meeting mates for a glass, discussing the game before and after, singing my heart out, looking forward to the DVD and an end-of-season curry, and before long starting to look forward to the season ahead (OK, that's one's not so easy). It's not a path we have chosen, but is one that needs to be followed, to the end.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, from the start this has been about the lack of proper conduct in the way the club has been run, since the esteemed president took over. The statement the CEO came out with yesterday, comes after a long line of similar "Blame anyone but me and surrogate daddy" speeches and is generally offensive to the fan base that have been at the forefront of inclusion and tollerance in sport and the comunity as a whole, and just speaks to how out of her depth she is in the role that the esteemed president has foisted upon her.
ReplyDeleteI Cant help but draw parallels between the rant delivered by our venerable CEO and the bareley inteligable drivle delivered by a less than welcome contributer (thanks for saving us reading these BA)
In my mind the meessage put forward by both is one and the same, which leads me to question is KM a2c?
Pretty much sums up my view. There's a part of me that thinks RD deserves much more than he gets for hiding behind Ms Meire. There again, Mel Baroni showed what an educated and capable woman can do when her boss puts her in an impossible situation. Really, I cannot see what is keeping Katrien at the Valley.
ReplyDeleteKen Shabby
Is KM a2c? We shall probably never know, but they both do indeed seem to be driven by the same desire to repeat lies about the fans often enough in the hope that someone will believe them. And Anon, I really think that what keeps her here is that notion that resigning would be admitting failure, which goes against her image of herself. I hope I'm wrong because she is a young woman with one would hope a happy and successful life and career ahead of her and you hope that the old motto of 'you can break us but never bend us' doesn't come into play.
ReplyDeleteBut then you have to just laugh or cry at their stupidity. They come in and the message is 'supporters have to accept the way Duchatelet does things, we don't care about the club's history or culture etc'. Now the line is 'we learn from our mistakes, we have had too many managers, we need a manager who will get the players working hard with a good team spirit'. Excuse me, that's what you had when you arrived! I just wish when they came in we had a whip round to send her and Roland off on a 'learn about football' course.
Another excellent post BA
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Meire is that she sees herself as the 'victim'. Like you I'm not a psychiatrist but it seems that she is in denial of her own actions and failings - and, defence being the best form of attack, she now wants to be seen as the 'victim' of those nasty Charlton supporters.
It is her actions (and inactions) that have helped bring about the failings at Charlton, supported by the owner who has been more than ready to move on managers whom he deems to have 'failed' - even though they have taken actions dictated by himself and Meire.
The one constant in all of this is Meire herself - yet she remains in post, no matter what she gets up to.
Her newly appointed Press Officer lasted all of a few weeks before her position was made untenable by the weird public ramblings of the owner and the support of him by Meire. The club have hardly anybody in senior management positions because they have either all left or been pushed out. That fact alone speaks volumes for what is happening under Meire's "leadership".
Never in the history of football was somebody so under-qualified given so much power by one individual.
IF the 'victim' has been the subject of criminal acts as she claims then she should get the police to investigate and take the appropriate action - which could well lead to M/s Meire being subject to charges of wasting police time!
Meanwhile the club continues on its decline....
Good post. A tad harsh regarding the 'from day one'. I thought she had an OK 48 hours at the beginning. However, the only aspect of the protest that worries me is the 'slapper/bitch/witch' stuff (squirrel face is good!) which all distracts from the fundamental truth as expressed in the sheet dropped over the directors' box against Burnley. Although in terms of both politics and my perception of her personality I don't like Karren Brady, she's as affective a CE in football as any man and better than most.
ReplyDeleteIn denial does sound right but in our kind-hearted sympathy let's not overlook the dreadful arrogance that still comes through, while at the regime stumbles at each stage because from day ... OK, day three they refuse to consider the possibility that others may know more than them. If they continue to learn from their mistakes at this pace should only take another couple of decades before they have made every possible mistake and 'learnt' from the consequences.
ReplyDeleteGood post BA but I think you analogy with the PA is a bit off. I get the impression that she does not tell the whole story to RD just the points that reflect well on her. My reason for this is his rant just before the Leeds game when he probably found out exactly the extent of the unrest as opposed to "the 2%" Throughout all her interviews and articles it strikes me she is seeking approval of what she is doing as she has no idea how to run a business. Imposing her personal preferences rather than standard business practice of identifying her core product(The actual game of football), and then trying to improve that product. Other principles are never reduce your prices but try to improve the product, lowering your prices is an admission you have a cheap product, alternatively find a differential advantage over your competitors. Valley express is a good example, ask Gillingham. As supporters, when we were in the premier league, at the beginning of the season we assess the other teams to see if there are three worse than us or where can we get 40 points from. Same in the championship only it is 50 points. Curbs and Keith Peacock are on record as to that is what they did. I think that us fans realised about Christmas that we would not get the required 50 points and that is when the protests started. The reason I feel is that the attitude was we play this way and we wont change as opposed to what are the oppositions weaknesses and strengths. Anyway I could go on just wanted to put my point of view. Keep the blogs coming
ReplyDeleteDon't want to lose sight of the main points..which is she should go..delusions of adequacy etc...totally agree..
ReplyDeleteBut.. I guess the "criminal offences" she refers to is the forged company house resignation etc
Cheers
An Addick from Richmond who refuses to go to give any money to the current regime, but will go to away games!
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ReplyDeleteAnd keep the comments coming too please! But now it is early Friday evening and there is a large glass headed my way full of Cornas that needs to be emptied. Unlike Ms Meire I am a simple creature.
ReplyDeleteThanks BA for this and all the posts.
ReplyDeleteShe did say she would provide a unique fan experience. It's def that now.
I'm cross because I have to decide whether to renew and offend my principles but see more of my dad and sons, or lose that pleasure for who knows how long. And let's be clear its not the incompetence, though she is clearly that, but their contempt for us. I'm not a lawyer but I've worked with them. They think the law is about all that matter and don't know the difference between being clever and wise. Despite being cross I hope KM learns the difference and gets a job more suited to her. For her sake and ours.
'You have to ask just what was Meire trying to achieve yesterday'- a good question BA. Her latest rant was yet another addition to the list of statements and outbursts that can only be interpreted as deliberate attempts to create an unbridgeable chasm between the regime and the fans. It's always difficult to understand intentionality but she is a lawyer and should know exactly the power of the words that she uses and their effects so in my view, having considered the evidence objectively (I have done jury service three times!)she is guilty of implementing a purposeful strategy designed both to alienate and discredit a large proportion of the current fan-base and present herself as the victim in the sorry mess that CAFC has become under this regime. This might seem a bizarre assessment as such a strategy should have no place in the thinking of those charged with managing and developing the well-being of a football club but what else can be concluded when there is a discernible consistency to the inflammatory nature of her language directed against supporters.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff guys, we'll nail the truth sooner or later. What about another possibility? Meire really wants to leave, at least subconsciously, but can't resign and admit failure. So she behaves in a way that would drive any normal boss to sack her. Only problem is she's hitched her wagon to a fool who can't see the obvious. Or can he? Perhaps we've got it all wrong and Duchatelet is punishing Meire by keeping her at The Valley ....
ReplyDelete