“Somewhat erratic” – Ex-Sunderland figure leads group interested in taking over Charlton Athletic: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

A group led by former Sunderland shareholder Charlie Methven are believed to be the closest of a number of parties interested in completing a takeover of Charlton Athletic, according to Football Insider.

Black Cats supporters have been quick to warn the Charlton faithful of the errors that Methven made in the North East, and on the whole supporter reaction to the news has been very negative.

Methven did not come across very well at all in the Netflix documentary Sunderland Till I Die, and the Addicks will be desperate to avoid a fourth straight ownership that feels to deliver on and off the pitch.

We gathered the thoughts of a selection of FLW writers on the news that Methven could be set to take the reins from Thomas Sandgaard…

Toby Wilding

This does feel like it should be something of a concern for those of a Charlton persuasion.

Admittedly, the underwhelming nature of the January transfer window, and the fan frustrations that appear to have grown further on the back of that, mean it does feel like an ownership change may be needed at The Valley.

However, Methven’s spell at Sunderland showed him to be somewhat erratic in his actions as an owner, generating plenty of frustration among supporters for both the way he ran the club – not least in the transfer market – and his attitude towards them.

With that in mind, it doesn’t feel like this would be a takeover that is guaranteed to solve the issues at The Valley, or win the fans over, meaning Charlton may be better off looking to hold out for potential alternative investment from elsewhere.

I think it’s a good thing that there are still multiple interested parties as opposed to just Charlie Methven’s consortium.

First of all, Thomas Sandgaard should be looking to strike the right deal for Charlton Athletic and that means he ought to really take his time with this process and see who has the most to offer the club going forwards, ideally.

Whether or not that is Methven remains to be seen, with the prospective new owner obviously arriving with somewhat of a reputation given his involvement with the Netflix documentary when at Sunderland.

With the fact that his consortium would see buying the club’s training facilities back once promotion is achieved, this could be a good indication of their intent for the club moving forwards, though.

Marcus Ally

Charlton supporters are not new to the kind of existential concerns that new ownership can bring, after East Street Investments failed to satisfy the EFL’s Owners and Directors Test in 2020, but were still able to take control of the day-to-day running of the club.

Sunderland supporters’ concerns should be taken at face value, but the Black Cats did not come close to liquidation in the time when Methven was a shareholder and were actually in a better position than the Addicks are currently under Sandgaard.

Quiz: What club do these 15 ex-Charlton Athletic academy players play for now?

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Joe Pigott?

AFC Wimbledon Burton Albion Portsmouth Sheffield Wednesday

That said, it will be a huge relief to supporters that there are other interested parties, but it does not seem like Methven or his group have the funds to put the club back on an upward trajectory, and instead there could be an alterior motive.

Unfortunately, supporters can only wait and hope that a satisfactory agreement is come to, and that a new regime with the club’s best interests at heart can take control in the not too distant future.