Introducing the Fan Podcast Exposing Charlton Athletic's Controversial Owner

For anyone who has spent any amount of time with Charlton fans over the past couple of years, it should be fairly apparent that they are a group of supporters like no other. Formerly known as an unassuming, good-natured bunch from a secluded part of south-east London, they were, in the words of one fan, once "famed for being mild-mannered train spotters" more than anything else. Now, they are better known as one of the most organised fanbases in the country when it comes to protests and demonstrations, all of which are aimed in the direction of their deeply unpopular owner, Roland Duchâtelet. In recent times, they have co-ordinated effective boycotts, a considerable media campaign and various acts of matchday disruption, including flooding the pitch at their home ground, the Valley, with everything from beach balls to foam pigs.

The contentions with Duchâtelet's tenure are numerous, though first and foremost is the fact that Charlton have been relegated from the Championship to the third tier under his ownership. They have experienced 10 managerial changes, whether interim or full-time, since Duchâtelet took over in January 2014, which represents one of the highest – and least sustainable – turnovers in all of English football. His chosen chief-executive, Katrien Meire, has compounded these issues with a series of public relations gaffes, leaving fans feeling sidelined in some cases and in others insulted or patronised. Moreover, there is the issue of Duchâtelet's network of clubs, within which his policy is essentially to trade players and coaches. That policy is widely perceived to have harmed Charlton, with the Valley at times seeming like a part-time foster home for whichever waifs and strays Duchâtelet has taken a shine to.

As well as owning Charlton, Duchâtelet is also the main shareholder in four other European football clubs: Sint-Truidense, FC Carl Zeiss Jena, Újpest FC, and AD Alcorcón. He was previously owner of Belgian club Standard Liege, but decided to sell up in the summer of 2015 after fans organised vociferous protests against him, the motivations for which were not dissimilar to those of Charlton supporters in the present day. On top of sacking managers and alienating fans with his boardroom appointments, Duchâtelet has also become known for corrosive player sales, which is one of the other main reasons that Charlton fans are so disillusioned with his ownership. All in all, his network of clubs resembles a personal fiefdom, and little else.

While much has been written about Charlton's struggles under his ownership, several fans have now taken the task of scrutinising his methods into their own hands. In what is surely a groundbreaking development, a small group of supporters, headed up by journalist Jimmy Stone, have launched an investigative podcast. Titled 'Getting To Know The Network' (GTKTN), it aims to cut through club directives and general rumour, hence actually getting to the bottom of Duchâtelet's methods and manner of running their football club. Jimmy was employed at Charlton as digital content manager until January 2015 and, although he has a professional background in media, he worked on the podcast in his own capacity as a fan and in the hope of producing, in his own words, "a balanced piece of journalism" on the club. Overall, the process took a considerable investment of time and money, with Jimmy suggesting that the overall cost of the project came to somewhere around £1,000.

In explaining the motives behind the making of the podcast, Jimmy says: "We just wanted to present the facts [of Duchâtelet's ownership] as we see them. The club have been so secretive in every way, shape and form, there's a lot of propaganda coming out of their official channels, and they haven't told the fans the truth about what is happening behind the scenes. We took it upon ourselves to just try to present the facts." For fans to take responsibility for scrutinising a club's hierarchy sets a fascinating precedent, even if the process must be handled with care. Jimmy and co. took legal advice before launching the podcast, and he tells me that he doubts a career advisor would have told him to go ahead with the task.

While it's certainly a bold move to create a four-episode body of work investigating a multimillionaire football club owner, it should really be held up as a journalistic endeavour which is, when initiated by fans with close connection to the club, significant and quite unique. It has also had considerable success so far, with only two out of four episodes released. The podcast conveys an impression of a club which has been stupendously mishandled in recent times, with Duchâtelet's approach to strategy and recruitment seemingly a chaotic jumble of intra-network exchange. GTKTN has also drawn a direct and public admission from the usually taciturn Duchâtelet, which would suggest it is having the required effect.

One of the biggest revelations in GTKTN, as evidenced with copies published on the podcast's site, is that Duchâtelet sent emails to then-manager Chris Powell advising him in no uncertain terms on tactics and team selection. One email contains some rudimentary insights on the 4-4-2 formation, not to mention the suggestion that one of Duchâtelet's scouts knew more about the playing squad than Powell himself. While not necessarily showing that Duchâtelet dictated team selection in a concrete fashion, the emails demonstrate that he interfered in managerial duties and did so with remarkably little consideration or personal sensitivity. This disclosure is hugely embarrassing for Duchâtelet and, more importantly, he has been compelled to concede that the emails are genuine in the Belgian press.

For a fan-produced podcast to force an owner into such a concession is seriously impressive, and meaningful in the context of Charlton fans' fight to reclaim their club. Jimmy is keen to point out that, while the content of the podcast may be unflattering as far as Duchâtelet is concerned, GTKTN is not about humiliating the owner. "It's not our intention to damage his reputation," Jimmy says. "The podcast certainly doesn't reflect well on the way the club's being run – or that's my opinion, anyway – but it's supposed to be a balanced piece of work. We would still like to speak to him personally about the situation, get his take and hear his point of view."

As well as revealing much about the inner workings of the club under Duchâtelet – and under its previous owners Michael Slater and Tony Jimenez, whose time in charge also comes across as dysfunctional – GTKTN features wide-ranging interviews with former staff and senior figures within the club, notably Chris Powell himself. While Duchâtelet has claimed that Powell leaked the email exchange between them, Jimmy states that this is "categorically untrue" and that the former manager, and bona fide Charlton legend, was only involved to the point of speaking on record about his time at the helm. Duchâtelet has clearly been ruffled by the podcast, perhaps because it also features chats with former staff from across his assembled network of clubs. "We're obviously glad he's responded, and it does seem to have affected him," Jimmy says.

With the lack of communication from the club another huge frustration for Charlton supporters, Jimmy adds that he hopes Duchâtelet resolves to talk more openly in future. "He should be talking to Charlton fans, and all of this information should really be coming through the Charlton website and official channels." In other words, in an ideal world, it wouldn't take an investigative podcast to inform people as to what's going on at the club.

Considering that there are two more episodes of GTKTN still to be released, there will doubtlessly be more revelations about Charlton to come out in the near future. The podcast has already contradicted the official club line on numerous points, and put the hierarchy on the spot about goings on beneath the surface. For fans to collaborate on a piece of work like this is noteworthy, and might perhaps serve as inspiration for other supporters who feel that their clubs' inner workings have become worryingly opaque. Once again, then, Charlton fans lead the way when it comes to demonstrating – in this case, it's their ability to hold their ownership to account that sets them apart.

You can listen to 'Getting To Know The Network' here.

@W_F_Magee