Charlton Athletic owners asked to do more amid Charlie Methven departure | OneFootball

Despite a lack of direct communication with the owners, Charlton Athletic supporters appreciate senior figures' efforts to update the fanbase

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been claimed Charlton Athletic fans want to hear more directly from their owners, although some senior figures at the club have been praised for their transparency.

Addicks supporters were shocked by the news that Charlie Methven would be quitting his role as CEO at the end of the campaign, with the former Sunderland executive leading SE7 Partners’ takeover of the club in 2023.

As such, fans hope that a similar level of updates and transparency will continue upon the appointment of his replacement.

More direct transparency from Charlton Athletic owners would be appreciated

After years of strife under previous owner Roland Duchatelet, life at The Valley has been much calmer in recent seasons.

Although Duchatelet’s successor, Thomas Sandgaard, brought calmness to the club, he was unable to steer the Addicks any higher than seventh in League One during his tenure.

Under SE7 partners, Charlton look set to finish in a play-off finish this term, with the Addicks currently fifth with 11 games remaining in their season.

And whilst there is certainly a feel-good factor in Charlton’s corner of London, Football League World's resident Addicks pundit Emma Harknett would like to hear more from the club’s current owners.

When asked by Football League World whether the owners at Charlton were transparent enough with the fanbase, Emma responded: “I'd probably say no - I'm not really aware of the owners much.

"To be honest, we don't hear from the owners and I'm not 100% sure really of who they actually are.

“I believe the two money men are Gabriel Brener and Joshua Friedman, but we tend to hear more from the senior management team, which was obviously headed up by Charlie Methven, Jim Rodwell and Gavin Carter.

“It would be nice to hear from them, but the senior management team does communicate with us on a regular basis, they do a regular show on Charlton TV and update us on revenues, where the clubs at, player recruitment.

“So we're kept in the loop in that way, but in my opinion, it would be nice to maybe hear from the owners themselves and actually have a clear understanding of who actually owns us outright.”

Outgoing Charlie Methven leaves with “a lot of good wishes”

Earlier this week, it was announced that key figure Charlie Methven would be stepping down from his role as chief executive at the Valley.

Methven arrived at Charlton with baggage from his role at Sunderland, where he frequently provoked ire amongst Black Cats supporters.

However, Emma felt that despite his run-ins at his previous club, Methven had been a success with the Addicks.

She continued: “Obviously Charlie Methven is stepping down from his role as CEO, which is happening in May.

“He's going to the Mount Pleasant Academy and overseeing some football business in the States.

“It's actually a real shame for me, to be honest, because I really believe that Charlie has done a good job with us.

“I know he wasn't really liked at Sunderland, but he has increased our revenues by 30%. We've had the new fanzone installed there have been lots of changes within the club.

“We seem more stable on and off the pitch, getting a good manager in like Nathan Jones.

“We've really turned our season around, and maybe he feels he's leaving the club in a really good place, but I think he leaves the club with a lot of good wishes from fans which obviously didn't happen for him at Sunderland.

“We'll just have to see who the owners get in next.”