Roland Duchatelet has delivered what is in effect a Christmas message to Charlton fans through an interview on Belgian TV and it is not one designed to win friends and influence people.
Apparently, he thinks that those who have opposed him are 'stupid people'. From what I know of the CARD activists, a number of them are high calibre individuals and this is reflected in the ingenuity and sophistication of their campaign. Roland once again comes across as arrogant and obdurate. Admittedly, there is a view that business skills can be applied to any activity, including running a country, but in my view football requires very specialised forms of knowledge and some direct experience of the game.
According to Roland, the campaigners are not real supporters but activists motivated by considerations other than the true interests of the club. In the past it has been suggested that this might include disgruntled ex-employees and those opposed to a woman holding senior office in a football club.
Duchatelet criticises Chris Powell for not accepting help and advice in the form of the largely useless players that were shipped over from the network. It quickly became clear that Duchatelet and his advisers had no conception of the strength and quality of the Championship which many analysts would rank as just behind the top four European leagues (or perhaps even better than France's Ligue 1).
In response to one question, there is at least a hint that he might not go on for ever. Charlton may represent a mere 1.5 per cent of his empire, but perhaps it is beginning to take up too much of his time and emotional energy.
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