An extensive timeline of Roland Duchatelet’s disastrous four-and-a-half-year reign at Charlton

The unpopular owner is close to selling the club to Australian businessman Andrew Muir.

Here is an extensive timeline of Duchatelet’s spell in SE7:

January 2014:

Duchatelet completes his takeover of Charlton with the club three points above the relegation zone. Former Addicks chairman Richard Murray is appointed as non-executive chairman.

Speaking about Duchatelet’s arrival, he says: “I look forward to using my long experience in English football to continue to represent the club that has been my passion for many years.

“Charlton can benefit from Roland's experience in many different ways.”

Charlton end January in the relegation zone with Duchatelet selling two of their top performers in Yann Kermorgant and Dale Stephens.

The Belgian tycoon signs Loic Nego, Reza Ghoochanneijhad and Piotr Parzyszek on permanent deals, three players who are untested in English football.

In addition to the new arrivals, he signs Anil Koc and Astrit Ajdarevic on loan with the latter’s only Football League experience coming from an unsuccessful spell with Leicester in 2009.

March 2014:

Fans are wary of Duchatelet’s comments in an interview with the BBC where he says Charlton’s top stars could be sold to his network club Standard Liege.

He says: “This club [Charlton] also needs to make money. It's not to be excluded that some players will be sold to Standard Liege and play in the Champions League.”

Charlton manager Chris Powell rarely uses any of Duchatelet’s January signings as the Addicks continue to fight relegation.

Johnnie Jackson scores a last-minute winner against promotion hopefuls QPR to move his side to within a point of 21st-placed Millwall, who have played three more games.

That game turns out to be Powell’s last at the Valley after he is sacked following Charlton’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to League One club Sheffield United.

The club legend’s sacking prompts outrage from Charlton fans, who adored Powell as a player and manager.

On the day of his sacking, March 11, he is replaced by Belgian coach Jose Riga, who has never managed in England. He knows Duchatelet well from previously managing Standard Liege.

The length of Riga’s contract is not specified.

May 2014:

Duchatelet’s gamble pays off as Charlton end the season in 18th place, seven points clear of danger.

Riga won seven of his 16 games in charge, and similarly to Powell, sparingly used Duchatelet’s January signings.

Despite winning the respect of most Charlton fans, Riga is not kept on as Charlton head coach and is replaced by Bob Peeters, who signs a rolling one-year deal.

Peeters insists he will have the final say on transfers.

The former Millwall striker has managed top-tier Belgian clubs Waasland-Beveren, Cercle Brugge and Gent - and this is his first managerial job in English football.

Charlton assistant Alex Dyer, who helped Riga in the dugout, also leaves the club after two-and-a-half years of service.

Summer 2014:

Charlton’s horrendous pitch is finally improved ahead of the 2014/15 season.

There is a huge turnover of players. Highly-rated midfielder Diego Poyet, who played a major role in Charlton’s survival, rejects a new contract and joins West Ham, while fringe players are released.

Charlton sign seven senior players in the summer transfer window with a fee being paid for Belgian striker Igor Vetokele.

October 2014:

Charlton stun the Championship by going 11 games unbeaten from the start of the season.

That run comes to an end on October 18 in a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

But Charlton respond to the setback in perfect style by beating Bolton three days later at the Valley with Duchatelet in attendance. That is the last time Duchatelet is seen inside the stadium on a matchday.

That result leaves the Addicks outside the play-off places on goal difference.

January 2015:

Charlton sign Tony Watt from Standard Liege at the beginning of the month. The Scottish striker plays a big part in securing their Championship status.

Charlton go from promotion hopefuls to mid‑table obscurity in the space of two-and-a-half months.

There are rumours of a divide between players and staff as Peters is sacked after winning just once in 13 games.

Charlton chief executive Katrien Meire says Peeters had the support of the board “until the very last moment” but that it was important “to make sure this next appointment is the right one”.

Peeters’ replacement is Guy Luzon, who was sacked by Duchatelet at Standard Liege three months ago. He signs an 18-month deal.

Meire aims for stability and says: “I would like him [Luzon] to be the next Sir Alex Ferguson. I know people are a bit worried about the instability. But our recent actions have shown a sense of decisiveness and I hope that Guy will stay for a long time.”

An issue with Luzon’s work permit means Charlton coaches Damien Matthew and Ben Roberts oversee a 5-0 thrashing to Watford.

Meire is confronted and questioned over the appointment of Luzon by Addicks fans on the train back from Watford.

After being granted a work permit, the Israeli takes charge of his first game as Charlton head coach - a goalless draw at Wolves.

February 2015:

Concerned by three managerial changes in less than a year, Charlton fans seek to meet Duchatelet to find out his long-term strategy for the club.

The Charlton Athletic Supporters' Trust (CAST) call a public meeting in Woolwich in an effort to form a united front.

Duchatelet turns down the chance to speak to fans.

May 2015:

Charlton finish the season in 12th place thanks to a drastic upturn in form under Luzon.

Summer 2015:

There is another high turnover of players at the club as Charlton prepare for a fourth season in the Championship.

Charlton sell Joe Gomez for a reported £3.5m fee after his breakthrough season at the Valley.

Simon Makienok, Ahmed Kashi, Patrick Bauer, El Hadji-Ba, Cristian Ceballos, Zakarya Bergdich and Naby Sarr arrive in SE7 with hardly any Football League experience.

Kashi and Bauer end up being the only success stories of the summer transfer window.

August 2015:

Charlton start the new season well with wins over promotion favourites QPR and Hull.

They finish the month outside the play-offs on goal difference.

September 2015:

A weakened Charlton team are thumped 4-1 by rivals Crystal Palace in the Capital One Cup.

Luzon defends his team selection and suggests their upcoming league game against Cardiff is more important. The Addicks lose 2-1 in Wales.

October 2015:

Several injuries start to expose a lack of squad depth.

Luzon is backed by Meire during a sticky patch.

A 3-0 home defeat to Preston sees Charlton drop into the relegation zone on October 20 - and another home reverse by the same scoreline to Brentford four days later spells the end for Luzon.

He is given his marching orders by Duchatelet just hours after the Brentford defeat.

Fans begin to turn on Duchatelet when he appoints Karel Fraeye as interim manager. Fraeye’s most recent job was at third-tier Belgian club VW Hamme.

Charlton players publicly speak about an improved mood around the training ground ahead of Fraeye’s first game against Middlesbrough, which he loses 3-0.

In his post-match interview, Fraeye says he wants the job on a permanent basis.

November 2015:

Charlton remain in the bottom three after losing to relegation rivals MK Dons in Fraeye’s second game in charge.

A protest is organised for the Addicks' next home game against Sheffield Wednesday on November 7, which the hosts win 3-1. It is the first of many protests during Duchatelet’s reign.

During the international break, Meire condemns the protest from Charlton fans. She says: “I want fans to stand up against the negative people.

“I’m criticised for taking a picture while at the same time people are shouting at me and calling me names and giving hand gestures. I don’t wish that on anybody.

“I hope those people will think twice if they are a boyfriend or a father because it was unacceptable.”

Charlton achieve back-to-back wins after beating Birmingham to climb out of the relegation zone.

December 2015:

A 22-minute video is posted on YouTube of the Web Summit 2015 where Meire is a special guest. She infuriates Charlton fans by referring to them as “customers”.

Charlton are winless in December under Fraeye - drawing three and losing three. The poor run of form sees them end the year second from bottom.

January 2016:

Ten-man Charlton salvage a point against Nottingham Forest in their first game of the new year. A large number of Charlton fans gather outside the Valley, before and after the match, to protest against Duchatelet.

They display banners reading “made in Charlton, destroyed by Belgians” and "we want our Charlton back”.

With no win in eight games, Fraeye is under immense pressure - and that pressure intensifies with a shock FA Cup exit to League One strugglers Colchester.

A meeting involving Fraeye, Murray, Meire, Jackson and Stephen Henderson is conducted after the game where the interim boss insists he is still the right man for the job.

It gets worse for Fraeye as Charlton are embarrassed by Huddersfield in midweek, losing 5-0.

The Belgian refuses to speak to the press leaving Henderson to answer questions from the media. In a passionate interview, the goalkeeper is close to tears as he apologies to the travelling fans.

Fraeye is sacked less than 24 hours after the Huddersfield humiliation. He won two of his 14 matches in charge.

Nebojsa Vignjevic, who is managing Duchatelet’s network club Ujpest, is ready to be announced as Charlton’s new manager. But after senior management staff warn Duchatelet about the backlash from fans if Vignjevic takes charge, he decides not to appoint him.

Instead, he reappoints Riga on an 18-month deal, hoping the ex-Blackpool manager can repeat his heroics and keep Charlton in the division.

Charlton are in a worse situation now than they were when Riga replaced Powell in March 2014.

The new manager bounce does not work with Riga as Charlton lose 6-0 to Hull, which means they’ve conceded 11 goals in two games.

Twenty-nine-year-old defender Jorge Teixeira, who played under Riga at Standard Liege, is signed for an undisclosed fee on a four-and-a-half-year deal to help improve the Addicks’ leaky defence.

Charlton boost their survival hopes with an emphatic 4-1 win over relegation rivals Rotherham on January 30.

March 2016:

Despite performances and results slowly improving, Rotherham’s resurgence under Neil Warnock is threatening Charlton’s survival hopes.

A 2-0 win over Middlesbrough is overshadowed by protests before, during and after the game.

A mock funeral is held before kick-off to symbolise “the death of Charlton” under Duchatelet’s ownership, the game is then stopped after six seconds as beach balls are thrown on to the pitch and supporters make their feelings clear post-match.

The unique protests are gaining local and national attention from the media.

Duchatelet releases a statement on Charlton’s website blasting fans for their behaviour on the day of the Middlesbrough game and accuses some supporters of “wanting the club to fail”.

That statement leads to the resignation of Mel Baroni, the club’s head of communications, who was just 46 days into her new job. The bizzare statement is also condemned by former Addicks boss Powell.

April 2016:

Relegation is looking more and more likely after defeats to QPR and Derby.

And Charlton’s return to League One is confirmed following a lifeless goalless draw at Bolton.

Another protest takes place in the home defeat to Brighton. Following pre-match demonstrations the game is halted after just 30 seconds as Charlton supporters throw balloons and beach balls on to the pitch. The game is then stopped two more times.

May 2016:

Charlton fans use the final game of the season against Burnley to protest against Duchatelet.

They stage a sit-in protest in the car park before kick-off and flares, toilet roles and crumpled posters are thrown on to the pitch during the game, which leads to numerous stoppages.

Supporters then invade the pitch at full-time and make their feelings known to senior management staff in the directors’ box.

Riga resigns in his post-match interview.

A few weeks after the end of the season, Meire says fans “crossed the line” with their criticism towards herself and Duchatelet. She goes on to say angry supporters visited her parents’ home in Belgium.

Summer 2016:

Charlton move quickly to appoint Russell Slade as manager - a title Duchatelet has never given anyone before.

Meire says Slade's appointment as manager represents the start of “an exciting new era at the club”.

Murray comments on the verbal abuse he received from protesting fans: “I was disappointed with the treatment I got last year considering what I’ve tried to do for this club.”

Charlton sell first-team stars Jordan Cousins, Callum Harriott, Nick Pope and Johann Berg Gudmundsson but manage to keep Ademola Lookman after late interest from Crystal Palace.

An obvious change in recruitment sees the Addicks bring in experienced players such as Nicky Ajose, Josh Magennis, Jason Pearce, Declan Rudd, Ricky Holmes and Lee Novak.

However, just like in previous seasons, the squad does not seem big enough.

Protest group the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) promise to cease demonstrations at the beginning of the season to give Slade a chance to mount a promotion push.

October 2016:

Charlton fans vow to resume protests following the club’s slow start to the season. Slade has won just two of his first 11 games and his side are out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

The first protest of the campaign happens during Charlton’s 3-0 win over Coventry. Toy pigs are thrown on to the pitch, which leads to a lengthy stoppage.

Another creative protest takes place at Gillingham with Charlton fans hiring a plane to fly over the stadium. It trails a banner that reads: “Duchatelet & Meire #TimeToFly”.

November 2016:

Slade is sacked after Charlton lose 3-0 to Swindon on November 12. The result leaves them in 15th place.

Charlton fans continue their demonstrations against Duchatelet by travelling to his home country. CARD drive in a personalised black cab, which is covered with images of their protests and reads “Taxi for Roland”.

Slade’s no2 Kevin Nugent is placed in temporary charge and manages to take seven points from three games before Karl Robinson is announced as Duchatelet’s seventh manager in under three years.

In Nugent’s final game, a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United, Addicks supporters throw rubber taxis and balls on to the pitch as they chant "we want Roland out".

Red smoke bombs also go off forcing the officials to temporarily stop the game.

New manager Robinson is aware of the distain shown to Duchatelet by Charlton supporters - and wants to unite the fanbase.

The month ends with the release of Getting to Know the Network - a revealing four-part podcast series exposing the running of Charlton under Duchatelet. Episodes one and two have been released with the next two to come in early 2017.

December 2016:

Injuries, once again, are exposing the lack of depth in the Charlton squad.

Duchatelet calls protesting Charlton fans “dumb” and “stupid” on Belgian television ahead of their game with local rivals Millwall.

Robinson wins his first game as Charlton boss at the sixth time of asking.

January 2017:

Charlton go unbeaten in January, but are still six points from the play-offs.

The Addicks sell first-team regulars Lookman and Morgan Fox to Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively.

Robinson is reunited with Brighton midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey, who signs a two-and-a-half-year deal and Stephy Mavididi arrives on loan from Arsenal.

February 2017:

Charlton lose 4-3 to relegation-threatened Shrewsbury despite Holmes netting a hat-trick. Robinson rips into his players in his post-match interview, saying some of them don't deserve to wear the club’s shirt.

March 2017:

Charlton’s promotion hopes are over - they have failed to win a game since January.

Hundreds of fans choose not to attend the trip to Northampton on March 4 and instead travel to Sint-Truiden to take part in a “unity protest”.

April 2017:

Charlton lose to Robinson’s former employers MK Dons on April 4. The Addicks are four points above the relegation zone after winning just three times this year.

They have five games to avoid a second successive relegation.

The Daily Mail reveal an Australian consortium is in talks with Duchatelet regarding a takeover. Charlton respond by insisting the club is not for sale.

Charlton and Coventry fans march in protest against their respective owners ahead of their clash at the Ricoh Arena. Both sets of supporters throw toy pigs on to the pitch during the game.

Addicks fans gather in the West Stand to voice their frustration towards Duchatelet before their final game of the campaign against Swindon. They delay the match by releasing dozens of black and white balloons on to the pitch.

Charlton finish an underwhelming season in 13th place after winning four of their remaining five games.

Summer 2017:

Robinson makes it clear to the board and fans that he wants to challenge for promotion.

The manager does a good job of clearing out the deadwood, which leads to the departures of high earners Watt, Teixera and Ceballos.

Experienced League One players such as Mark Marshall and Billy Clarke are brought in to help Charlton’s promotion push.

Ben Amos and Jay Dasilva are loaned in, while young winger Tariqe Fosu arrives on a two-year deal.

Kashi has returned to full fitness following his injury hell - he has not played a competitive game in over a year.

Robinson wants to buy a proven goalscorer to compete with Magennis and Novak - but never gets one.

September 2017:

Charlton are in the play-off places after winning five of their first six league games. But they have just one senior striker after Novak’s deadline day move to Scunthorpe.

The Addicks end a four-game winless run by beating Fleetwood 3-1 - and Robinson says Duchatelet has given him a guarantee that January funds will be available if Charlton are still in the promotion picture.

October 2017:

Charlton’s performances start to dip but they still manage to grind out wins over Doncaster, Bradford and AFC Wimbledon.

November 2017:

Charlton end the month in sixth place despite winning just once in the league.

Robinson signs veteran striker Leon Best to provide competition for Magennis.

December 2017:

Duchatelet says he is ready to listen to offers for the club: “I have not decided anything, I am open to possible offers.”

Duchatelet hits out at Charlton fans after they form “Roland Out Today” - a political party to run in Sint-Truiden’s local elections next year.

Meire shocks Duchatelet with her resignation as the owner reveals Charlton are in takeover talks with various interested parties.

Charlton hold Wigan to a goalless draw in their final game of the year but drop out of the top six after failing to win a league game in December.

Robinson wants the takeover sorted quickly and is wary of heading into the January transfer window without a chief executive.

January 2018:

Meire begins her new role as Sheffield Wednesday chief executive.

Charlton win three games on the bounce to climb back into the play-off places.

Holmes leaves Charlton for Championship club Sheffield United.

Murray thinks the takeover could happen in February.

Charlton fail to bring in any players on permanent deals - much to Robinson’s frustration - and sign Mavididi, Michal Zyro and Sullay Kaikai on loan.

February 2018:

Charlton drop points after throwing away late leads to Oxford, Doncaster and Bradford.

A defeat to Shrewsbury sees the Addicks drop out of the top six.

Murray says Duchatelet has agreed a price for a takeover with two separate parties and the deal is now with the lawyers.

March 2018:

Charlton are thrashed by promotion rivals Peterborough and then lose in injury-time to Blackpool to make it three defeats in a row.

Speaking after the loss at Bloomfield Road, Robinson is told there is a new delay with the takeover.

Robinson, who has been linked with the vacant Oxford job, has his resignation rejected by Duchatelet.

The Liverpudlian leaves Charlton for Oxford on March 22 with the Addicks five points off a top six place. He says: “Moving on now was not an easy decision for anybody. But it's what's best for the club and everyone involved.”

Robinson’s no2 Lee Bowyer is placed in temporary charge with Jackson assisting him.

April 2018:

Bowyer wins his first three games in charge and is given the job until the end of the season.

Crucial victories over Portsmouth and Blackburn follow as the resurgence under Bowyer continues. The former Charlton midfielder insists he has no details about a takeover date.

May 2018:

Charlton’s proposed takeover will not happen until the end of the season with Duchatelet waiting to see which division the club will be in.

The Addicks clinch a play-off spot after winning six of their remaining 10 games.

Charlton lose 2-0 on aggregate to Shrewsbury in the play-off semi-finals.

Bowyer says he will only stay at Charlton next season if he is offered the manager role on a full-time basis.

Addicks vice-captain Pearce urges the club to sign experienced players this summer when the takeover goes through.

Duchatelet says he would have taken Charlton to the Premier League if fans were on side.

June 2018:

Charlton are yet to sign any players with rival clubs strengthening their squads.

Muir is expected to complete his long-awaited takeover before the end of June.