An interesting interview with Meire, published just six weeks ago. Translation courtesy of Google. Part one: 26.9.2017 sportmagazine.knack.be by Jef Van Baelen Katrien Meire: A Woman Among Footballers: "Nowhere does the testosterone pump as hard as in football" In South London, stubborn people live, and they are proud of it too. The working-class district of Charlton is east of Greenwich, with its O2 arena, its zero meridian and its Cutty Sark. The London hipster glamour seems a long way from Charlton. The area has one attraction: The Valley football stadium. Sacred ground for the supporters of Charlton Athletic. Literally even, because in a small field behind the corner flag the fanatics among them scatter their ashes after they’ve said farewell to earthly life. The Valley used to be one of the world's largest sports stadiums. 75,000 football fans screamed deafly. Today you can divide that number by three. The fierce Charlton now plays in the League One, the third class of English football. Sport has brought turmoil to the club square since it was taken over by Roland Duchâtelet. In England, they do not see the benefit of his widely discussed network. In March, a few hundred Charlton supporters visited Sint-Truiden to ruin Duchâtelet's 70th anniversary. They rarely see the owner in their stadium, but his mouthpiece gets a rough time in South London. Katrien Meire was almost 29 when she was dropped by Duchâtelet in Charlton in 2014. There they’ve been trying to bully the Tongerse business adviser ever since. The fans already posted her resignation letter to the social media and at a home match they even flew a plane about the stadium with the clear text: 'Duchâtelet & Meire: #TimeToFly.' "Two people got their own protest plane last season: me and Arsene Wenger, so I’m in good company, "Katrien Meire jokes. She can laugh, an uprising seems to be happening at Arsenal too. But it has been tough few years. Like the time a fierce supporter fought her on the train. The video went viral and brought her more criticism. The Sun called the young CEO 'a Night-Meire'. Nobody remains unaffected with so much negativity, right? "I've been able to give it a place," says Meire. "Fortunately, Roland supported me through thick and thin. And you know, it was only words. Not pleasant, but you learn to live with it. I keep a folder with all the hate emails, any message in which I get the most terrible things sent to me. There were death threats, yes, but honestly, I never felt physically threatened. " Once upon a time, Meire was struggling: when fans bothered her family in Limburg. "They gave my parents a pamphlet with all I had done wrong here at Charlton, and hung up here and there in my hometown. That went way too far. I have the idea that they realise that too. The protests have diminished. Our loudest opponents are still coming to each game. They emphasize that, besides the price of the ticket, they will not spend a pound in the stadium. (laughs) Actually, it's crazy: it’s as if being against the board in one way or another is part of their identity as a fan. The season we were relegated, a whole stadium scanned my name, followed by the c-word. It took ten minutes, but it seemed to me forever. " Trainer Karl Robinson comforted his boss in his own way: "Katrien, they only insult anyone who is worth it in their eyes! You are at least someone. Be better known if the Margaret Thatcher or Belgium are nowhere to go over the tongues. ' Flag Quote · Like 2LOL «12» Comments 2:45PM Part two: Did you make mistakes yourself? Katrien Meire: I have underestimated that football here has a different dimension than in Belgium. I am acquainted with STVV. In Belgium I would be considered a fierce fan, but that’s nothing when compared to the intensity of football fans in England. Their club is their Earl. Touch it and you commit sacrilege. Everything you try to change looks like an insult to tradition. For me as a CEO, that's hard, because I have to progress. We want to lure young fans, and maybe they want something new. Refreshing without hitting your old supporters, is a tough story in English football. Herman Van Holsbeeck, your colleague at Anderlecht, does not look back to pictures of five years ago. Football Manager: It's a job that takes its toll. Meire: (laughs) The Brighton CEO warned me, "Oh my god, Katrien, before I started this job, I still had hair!" You can never rest on your laurels, football waits for no-one. That alone is the best motivation. A football club is not like any other company, lose three matches in a row and you think the world is about to end. The CEO must then encourage his employees while he or she is also depressed. Fortunately, I'm naturally optimist. Things can change very quickly, it's the secret of every successful manager. How did you get to the radar at Roland Duchâtelet? Meire: I read in the paper that Roland wanted to sell the media rights of STVV individually, rather than collectively. By chance this is my expertise as a lawyer. I emailed him, "Look, I'm a fan of your club, and I know something about it. If you like, I'd like to advise. That mail has turned my life upside down. Two hours later I had to come by.” I would like to be a lawyer, but I missed the unbreakable passion I found around the football field. Something was in my mind: I always wanted to work in that sector. What happened on Christmas Eve 2013? Meire: Then Roland asked me totally out of the blue, to become a director at Charlton Athletic. There was almost bedtime, but I did not need that either. Who says no to such a chance? In the beginning it was rather vague. Roland sought someone to "represent him within the club." I thought: a couple of times a month on and off to London, why not? (laughs) One day I was a lawyer and the next, I became CEO of a company of 80 people, not counting players. Without management experience, in a sector where women are rare, and in a foreign country. All thresholds. A friend said, I do not know if you are very stupid or very brave. (laughs loud) A combination of the two, perhaps. In the beginning, maybe I was a little naive, especially in my dealings with player’s agents, but that's all right now. A necessary learning school. You need to understand which agents know their profession and which cannot be trusted. Are you also involved in the sporting policy? Meire: More than the average CEO. I do the transfers and negotiate the contracts, you need to understand what it's all about. Is it the right manager? Are they the right players? Can you bring in players the coach asks for, or only ones they do not want? A young woman is a rarity in your job. Have you ever experienced sexism? Meire: I can write a book about it. Sexism exists in all workplaces, but nowhere does the testosterone pump as hard as in football. Being involved in a professional club, very woman who gets a comment. With us at The Valley, it's a part of me, but I'm making it a focal point. Diversity is a strength. Companies with men only, there is a danger that a hard, unfriendly atmosphere will soon arise. Making fun of women, gays and anything that does not fit into the picture, is part of football, but you should not accept that as a fact of life. There have been players agents who said, "Why do I talk to you? You're just a woman, what do you know? " As soon as they realize that they have thrown their own windows, they are different. Flag Quote · Like LOL 2:49PM Part three: The rumor is that you are in the run for a top job at the English Football Association. Meire: There is a job for which they would like a woman for, but I do not qualify. The Football Association wants someone outside of football. The rumour broke out with Charlton fans: they only prove how incompetent they are. (laughs) Their petition collected thousands of signatures. The city of London is planting 30,000 new homes in this area and it is suspected that newcomers will have money: across the banks of the Thames, the banquets of Canary Wharf shine. It was far-sighted for businessman Duchâtelet to buy a football club here. Meire: We must love Charlton, because that makes us unique. Take a look at the London clubs playing Premier League. If you can get a season ticket, it will cost you a fortune. Arsenal ask for more than 1000 pounds (1125 euros) for a seasonal subscription. Who can pay that? Here you will find the authentic English football atmosphere for a reasonable price. This club has a huge potential. Charlton is a sleeping giant. I love England, but it's much more a class conscious than Belgium. Only in England will you count on money. Your portfolio determines where you study, where you live, and for a large part whoever you are. Not in Charlton. Everyone is welcome to us. I realized that the protests focused not only on the man or the woman, but also on the country. Belgian is almost a bad word here. Meire: More and more football clubs come in foreign hands. That's what matters to the English: the football is theirs and that has to be the case. Recently, someone at a meeting said something that was so extremely xenophobic that I got cold chills. 'Belgians are not wanted here.' What matters to you cannot be described. Does the brexit have anything to do with it? Meire: That's partly my fault, that's no different. (laughs) The outcome of the referendum did not surprise me. Everything that comes from Europe or the EU is negatively colored by the media. I do not expect any drama of the brexit. There is a period of great uncertainty, but in the end, it will be fine. That club network that Roland Duchâtelet has built up: what is the purpose of that? Meire: You must ask Roland. (laughs) He does not answer. And you're sitting here for me. Meire: The idea behind it is amazing. You can share knowledge and deal more effectively with costs. Once a year, the network clubs come together to see how we can help each other. The manager of Alcorcón (from the Spanish second class,) wanted a player from Queens Park Rangers. Well, I put the contacts and listened to my ear if that was an interesting purchase. The most interesting cost sharing is, of course, transfers within the network, but that proves difficult because of the difference between the clubs and the owner of each football team. In the beginning, we misjudged that. Then we picked players from Standard. Good footballers, but English football is not given to everyone. You must be quick, the game will not be stopped soon. Charlton plays more than fifty matches a year and a match to Rochdale means five hours on the bus and five hours back. It's also not sexy to play football on a cold Tuesday evening for a few thousand men. I knew players who hung the ears because it was less Do you dream of the Premier League? Meire: When we took over here, we thought to be quick promotion, but it turned out to be naive. Then we still played in the Championship, the English second class. Financially, this is probably the least responsible football game in the world. Every club blows money to go to the Premier League. You have to spend 50 million pounds, just to get a chance of promotion. Your boss has money. Meire: But he does not like to roll over the bar, and he is right, no? Charlton, like any English club, is losing, but in the long term, we would like to be self-sufficient, as much as possible. We think that good governance, our critics will interpret it as a lack of ambition. Roland is not like other owners. Ego or emotion does not play a role with him, and that's his strength. The owner of Everton told me that the football had made him sick: you invest your money, all your passion and knowledge into the club and you are still buried under the criticism. Then you better be more businesslike. Charlton fans accuse Roland Duchâtelet of being never in the stadium. Why does not he just come? Meire: Roland is a busy man, and wants to be with his family on weekends. That is a life choice that you can only respect. It does not mean he does not care about Charlton, why would he invest so much in this club? When the criticism broke out, would it have been nice for you if someone was standing next to share the burden? Meire: Roland has supported me a hundred percent behind the scenes, but, and publicly exclaimed, nobody gets better. Believe me, I know everything about it. (laughs)
Google seems to have a bit of bother translating Robinson's comparison between Mrs Thatcher and the CEO. Both of them are heroines in their own minds.
“75,000 football fans screamed deafly. Today you can divide that number by three.” More like ten. Seriously though, that is a lot of words saying very little.
According to a few of our chums on ITTV, this is Meire dealing a death blow to CARD and all the other 'vinegars'. Reams is slagging CL for having a members-only thread on the subject.
Irony is wasted on that fat Welshman. How is it dealing a death blow to CARD? The unadulterated crap that is posted on that Forum could be gathered up and we could all grow lovely vegetables.
Every time somebody in the regime farts, a simpering apologist on ITTV announces it's a death blow to CARD. As the interviewer points out, 30,000 new homes are being built within a few miles of the Valley. Almost every one of them will be affordable only to millionaire buyers. Guaranteed no social housing. The gentrification of South East London offers great potential for a Club in Charlton's position. And that's why the Valley is being pimped, little by little, into a "family fun" soccer themed leisure centre. Sod a century of tradition, this is progress Nothing personal Charlton fans! it's just business. Sorry KM, but you can stick your progress up here
Meh - just another puff piece so that when people type in “Katrien Meire Charlton” to google you’ll have to sift through these kind of articles before you get to the truth.
What could have persuaded her to break her vow of silence? It's basically same old same old. Despite the eccentric translation, she's quoting our manager as giving her support against abusive fans, which contradicts the praise he heaped on the fans on Saturday. Tom Rubashaw will no doubt be having a little chat with her.
It's a shame squirrel face was gagged. Big bum cannot help herself every time she opens her trap, a combination of porkies and inaccuracies. Wallow in your own ignorance you piece of s***.
Oh the ****ing irony of the fat lump of lard.......this comes from a man who has made his whole site members only. The man is mad as a box of frogs I tell ya!
Robbo is in a Catch 22 situation wouldn’t you say and has to keep all parties on side somehow or another. For him that’s got to be pretty difficult as by nature he’s something of a chatter box who has an opinion on just about everything going on around him. He’s biting his tongue much of the time of that I’m sure. Someday, somewhere along the line, the truth will come out regarding his true feelings over serving under this regime.......it can’t be easy.
True, but nobody held a gun to his head and forced him to take the job. KR is earning a handsome living doing what he loves - which is a lifestyle not available to most Charlton fans. He'll get no sympathy from me if/when he starts moaning about the regime.
I hope you all enjoy these beautiful excerpts from ITTV: I absolutely LOVE Meire for standing up to the CARD c-words. (It's no surprise that CARD in itself is a c-word!) Go Katrien! She's now in her fifth season as CEO - and although thre are some who will never admit it, all the experience she has acquired in such torrid and volatile circumstances over those five seasons means that she is now a huge asset to the club. Do not make the same mistake as Rick Everitt and his brownite acolytes and underestimate this woman. I'm actually very, very proud that we have her at our club. Do not get in a lifeboat with any of these ghastly people, major. Never. Ever. While the rest of us were pulling on the oars as hard as our feeble strength allowed, that lot would be pissing themselves (vinegar or not), pathetically crying 'we're all going to die' and blaming everyone and anyone but themselves. I don't hate these types because hatred gnaws away at the inner being of the hater rather than harming the object of one's contempt. But I was brought up to believe that stoicism was the Great British Virtue and I cannot help but despise the deserters' lack of it and their chronic moral turpitude. Utter poetry.
I see Nigella's still talking to himself. He probably thinks it's the only time he gets an intelligent reply.
Can you imagine getting into a lifeboat with the coward that is IA/Major. He would be throwing the Women and Children in the drink to save himself. Obnoxious excuse of a human being.
He'd be throwing them in whilst telling them that he knows the captain of the ship, Shaun Bartlett and Poseidon.
What is his obsession with lifeboats? And Katrien Meire is now a huge asset to the Club? She is incompetent. Her stewardship saw us relegated after spending 7 months in the Championship bottom 3. Home attendances have halved on her watch. The Valley is now partially closed on match-days because of her. She is the CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER for pity's sake! Running Charlton Athletic is not a game. Not a pastime for the muse of an eccentric old millionaire. In any other business -- a business where the owner had an impartial and professional relationship with his CEO -- Meire would have been sacked for the damage she has done. She is only coming into her 5th year as CEO because her obvious shortcomings and blatant unsuitability are ignored by kindly uncle Roland. And on top of all that, on top of pretending to herself that she is doing a good job when she knows she is out of her depth and totally reliant on the inexplicable and unconditional support of her benefactor... On top of all that, KM has to put up with the gushing adoration of IncorruptibleAddick. For that alone, I feel genuinely sorry for her.
Myth can become reality for some people. As I mentioned on another thread, the myth that Charlton fans forced Curbs out is reality for probably a majority of fans of other clubs. Even when I explained to my Cornish friends about how revered Curbs is, and was, by Charlton fans, who gave him such an emotional send-off, they were not at all convinced. In the same way the CEO, aided and abetted by the ITTV few, hope to create a narrative about how the heroic damsel struggled against the beastly fans to save the club which Roland loves.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...-call-up-will-earn-charlton-250000-liverpool/ The Torygraph seems to be taking the pi55 out of the Nightmare here it seems that Liverpool hoodwinked her over the Gomez transfer and her a massive asset to the Club?
