Halfway house

The intention of Katrien Meire and Richard Murray to meet with a cross-section of fans is a welcome step forward given the concerns about the direction of the club, but it is only a halfway house: Meeting plans

The biggest omission is the absence of Roland Duchatelet. It is his vision and strategy that determines what happens at the club. Many think that he does not have a vision, but I think that he does, but it is flawed. The central weakness was an assumption that financial fair play would kick in and create more of a level playing field in the Championship, enabling prudent financing strategies to be followed. That was never going to happen and it hasn't.

Richard Murray made a substantial historical contribution to the club, and is still owed a lot of money by it. It was a classic case of making a small fortune by starting with a big one and 'investing' in a football club. However, and it pains me to say this, Richard Murray is perceived in some quarters today as a more of an apologist for the current regime rather than an independent figure speaking up for fans. But, of course, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

Another doubt is the composition of the meeting. First, it will be made up of the various groups represented on the Fans' Forum. I'm not exactly sure which groups those are (although one appears to be the still operating West Sussex branch of the old CASC). However, I recognise some of the names as those of stalwart, clued up and long-standing Addicks.

Selecting fans at random from the database strikes me as typically Rolandesque. It will be his fault if they end up with the likes of Acworth and the Bloke Behind Me or any other professional moaner lacking any focus or constructive suggestions. It would be nice to see one or two of the awkward squad there, but I suspect that they may get black balled, or perhaps I am being too cynical.