C'est Roland qui parle

I have been listening to Roland Duchatelet being interviewed on Talksport, not helped by the fact that it kept cutting out online. We do better at Radio Scilly! However, he didn't really say anything new. There is a Part 2 to come, but I doubt whether it will be very revealing.

It was really the same old line: relationships with the fans were spoilt by poor communication, and protests by the fans were stopping the club being sold. Asked why he didn't sort out the communications team, he said that Katrien did make some changes. As I recall, that involved the departure of experienced and trusted staff. It was the message that was the problem, not the way that it was conveyed.

VOTV editor and former comms supremo Rick Everitt has commented: 'but chose to have no head of comms for two years from time he arrived. When one was finally appointed she walked out after seven weeks because of his incoherent public rant at fans after the Boro game.'

Roland denied that he was involved in team matters, saying he didn't have the time but 'my people did suggest to play in some ways'. Presumably that included the likes of Thomas Dreisen.

On Chris Wilder, Richard Cawley of the SLP has tweeted, 'RD blaming Wilder for not coming on negative reaction from fans - and mentions Charlton Life messageboard - over his appointment. My understanding has always been he played off Charlton interest with knowledge Sheffield United situation was developing.' Anyway, Cawley added, 'Also on Wilder, he had the chance to go to Sheffield United or Charlton - a very easy decision when you looked at the state of both clubs at that point.'

Former pitch announcer Big Dave Lockwood has tweeted: 'Less than 2 minutes in and he's lying already. I know he interfered in team selection, I've seen the emails!'

Asked if he was scared to go to The Valley, Roland said that he wasn't, but there were times when it wouldn't have been very appealing. As we know, he enjoys a 'live feed' (of moules et frites).

On the bonuses issue, Roland said that the club had made a huge loss and it was not normal to pay bonuses in such circumstances as the word bonus meant 'extra'. Well, perhaps it does in Flemish, but my understanding was that the bonuses were not linked to profit targets. Apparently the 'contractual' bonuses have been paid, but not the 'discretionary' one.

Roland confirmed that Charlton still represented two per cent of his business empire.

Roland said that he had decided that he had to tell 'the truth' and he didn't care how people reacted, the interviewer having suggested that Charlton fans hated him, later adding that they were decent people too. This exchange would seem to imply that Roland had been economical with the actualité in the past.

Roland claimed that it was not easy to sell a club during 'the competition' as potential buyers reacted to wins or losses. It's difficult to believe that a 1-0 loss at Rochdale would lead a serious buyer to demand a discount.

Roland argued that the protests were a real problem for a new owner. The interviewer suggested that as he was a wealthy individual why didn't he just sell the club. In a bizarre conclusion, Roland kept repeating 'That's what I tried to do.' But at a realistic price?