A view from afar...

This has been simmering away at me for nearly a year but finally I've decided to try and get this down into something more than 140 characters. It's difficult and rather helpless to sit here 300 miles away knowing that something you have loved for 18 years is being systematically ruined by people that do not understand how special what they own is.

I maybe only get to 2/3 games per season owing to being based in Cornwall at university and thus relying on social media, dodgy streams from the Far East and commentary in order to get a perspective on the games. The only live game I have seen in person this season was the 2-2 draw with Brighton at the AMEX , a game that again highlighted a seemingly regular issue where this Charlton side cannot defend setpieces and then proceeds to concede late on whilst attempting to withstand the Alamo.

It appears I saw one of the better early season displays.... Having spent what seemed like most of the summer attempting to sign Andy Delort from Tours to add an additional option to the strikers the summer transfer window concluded with one of the first of many puzzling statements from the club claiming that 'they couldn't get 2 deals over the line' on transfer deadline day. Then followed the loan move of Michael Morrison to Birmingham - Morrison had been a mainstay of the League 1 winning side as well as the first 2 seasons back in the Championship , however he had been marginalised under Bob Peeters despite being handed a new contract in the summer. Still no sign of that loanee striker required to take some of the weight off Vetokele , although Francis Coquelin showed his undoubted quality during a far too brief loan spell resulting in him now being a regular in the Arsenal midfield.

Skip forward to January and this is where things took a severe turn for the worse in my opinion. Sacking Peeters may have been slightly harsh but no win since November and the usual 3rd round FA Cup exit did not help. However to come out with a statement saying that 'A thorough search for a new head coach will now be undertaken ' and then appointing a manager in Guy Luzon that was sacked from a club within the network in October following widespread crowd violence just 2 days later just is not right. Do they think the fans are stupid and will accept any old excuses that they trot out? That was followed by possibly the most uninspiring press conference ever where Katrien Meire claimed that '20 candidates had been interviewed and Luzon was the best choice' . Or was it that Luzon was the only manager willing to work under the bizarre regime of Duchatalet?

The slightly odd transfer dealings continued - in came Christophe Lepoint from AA Gent and Milos Velijkovic on loan from Spurs - both central midfield players and out went George Tucudean to Steaua , surely moving Tucudean on meant that a striker would be incoming? Nope - instead it appears Roland spent deadline day focusing on Liege where Jose Riga was reappointed out of the blue following his successful rescue mission at The Valley last season and subsequent spell at the madhouse of Blackpool , this was then swiftly followed by Liege adding 2 strikers and a creative midfield player just to rub salt into the wounds... Exactly what the fans wanted here.

That for me re-enforced that Roland simply does not care about the club , we are merely an experiment in a rich mans attempt to prove that FFP can adhered to whilst also having a successful side on the field.... Given that FFP rules for the Championship were recently changed to allow losses up to £13m along with a new record £5bn Premiership TV deal where even the side finishing bottom makes £99m then that makes a tilt at promotion even more lucrative.

Instead we are left with a side in disarray that failed to muster a shot in the 1st half of a home game and a coach that sees it fit to line up 4-5-1 at home and constantly playing long ball without a target man to hold it up - something that we have been crying out for for more than a year .

I honestly fear for this season , I just cannot see where the required points are coming from in order to save us . And if the relegation did come then I suspect we would see an asset stripping of the squad and any players of value shipped off for the highest bidder only to be replaced by the next batch of European loanees that Roland sees fit to put in the shop window.

I just want a side that battles and that fans can relate to - I loved watching the side that got promoted and then battled to 9th with minimal investment , what we are left with now is an empty shell with virtually no identity. The likes of Hughes, Kermorgant and Pritchard that would give 100% for the cause regardless are a distant memory.

Please Roland - either explain what the thought process is behind this seemingly madcap plan or sell up. Statements saying that the fans 'Should put up with how we run things' are insulting and derogatory. The fans are what makes this club special and will be here long after you.