I keep seeing Richard Murray telling us that we wouldn't have to sell all our best young players now that Roland was the owner.
I don't know about other Charlton fans, but the years under this owner have made me tired of fabricated success stories. If our youth teams will never bring promotion closer then they are not worth any more attention than the other ways our Club raises money. Some fans like to buy merchandise or a programme, or have a beer or two at the ground, or a pie maybe. Fair enough. But to me, our academy is of no more interest than a replica shirt or a programme, or the expensive food and drink on offer on a match day. I can take any of that or leave it; basically I don't care. All I care about is how well the First Team is supported by the board and managed by the coaches. How much passion and commitment and fight those First Team players show when the whistle blows at 3pm. How well they play for each other and how much pride they bring with every victory. When Charlton got £11m for Ademola Lookman there were apologists practically having multiple orgasms over what a fantastic piece of business it was; what a masterstroke the Club had achieved. When Ezri Konsa is sold those same people will be reaching for the Kleenex again, and venerating the regime for such wily acumen. They accuse protesting fans of wanting the Club to fail, yet they celebrate the most humiliating expression of that failure - inflicted directly by Duchatelet and Meire - as if it was something to be proud of. What kind of fan celebrates when the Club sells its future? Only a gullible, misled fool.
According to the recent VOTV there has been minimal progress with the building work on the Academy. Perhaps AHLL can confirm this. If so it gives the lie to KR's stuff about the Lookman money going towards building for the future. The money is subsidising the losses incurred by Roland's incompetence.
I'd prefer us to keep hold of our young starlets for longer, but to be honest, we've always been a selling club, just like over 80 other professional sides. Money talks and it always has. Our youth set up has been particularly successful over the past few years and I for one, always show an interest in any of our ex youth players who go on and are successful. It was great watching the Newcastle v Liverpool game the other day with three of our ex academy players playing. With regards those from a young age, off the top of my head, I'm sure Poyet joined us at 7/8. The most disappointing thing is the lie about the Lookman money going on infrastructure. As far as I'm aware the only work carried out recently was the drainage trenches and a water storage facility that has leaked all of the water it was supposed to contain to save on water bills. The Club have given us no update since the early summer.
What justification will be given for selling Konsa in January ? Betty in the canteen needs a new tea urn ? The training bibs could do with replacing maybe? Incidentally, did anyone else notice that the kitman with 12 years service left on Saturday
