Another day of intrigue and mystery

Where to begin….

As they say, there is a lot to unpack here.

Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard today appointed four “experienced professionals in senior roles at the club.” (more)

We’ll get into the why’s and wherefore’s in a moment, but today Dean Holden (first team manager), Andy Scott (Technical Director), Jim Rodwell (Chief Operating Officer) and Ed Warwick (Finance Director) were all announced as new appointments on unknown contract lengths with immediate effect. Holden (photo) was witness to training today and will take over team affairs after tomorrow night’s Brighton game.

These roles are not new. Holden replaces Ben Garner, Scott is a replacement for Ged Roddy, Rodwell takes Brian Jokat’s long empty COO chair and Warwick replaces Emma Parker, who coincidently leaves the club at the end of this week .

I know little of Dean Holden other than he was a workmanlike right back in his playing days and did pretty well at Bristol City before getting the sack after 41 games.

The 43-year old has only managed 51 games in all, but did do that at a much higher level than Ben Garner. A snoop around t’internet will unearth various qualities in regard to his coaching abilities. He does sound someone who is knowledgeable and dignified. If you can find it he talks wholesomely of his relationship with Sam Allardyce as an example.

Andy Scott is an interesting one. A former player turned coach and then manager. He had a long association at Brentford where he returned again in 2015 working for Smartodds, the sports betting company owned by Brentford owner Matthew Benham.

This role propelled him onto many other chief scout, technical, sporting director roles at Watford, Swansea and Nottingham Forest. The common denominator being that he hasn’t stuck around for long in any of those jobs.

in October Nottingham Forest sacked Scott along with head of recruitment George Syrianos after signing 22 new players in the summer window at a cost of around £150 million. Sorry to break this to you Andy, but your budgeting goals in SE7 will be, ahem, ‘break even.’

This brings me onto the larger picture, which is about as clear as a Jackson Pollock painting.

What an earth is happening behind the scenes? Despite what Sandgaard is saying through lying gritted teeth, this must signal the end for him and his family. There is a possibility, and we know that Thomas was wrangling for this, that he retains a share of ownership, and thus saves face.

Perhaps of more scrutiny should be Ed Warwick. Listed as the only person working at a real estate investment and management company called Applegarth Partners (sic), with an amateurish website. I can’t see any football relevance except for a property development deal involving Peterborough United.

Four days ago Warwick alongside ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ prized schmuck Charlie Methven filed a new company at Companies House called SE7 Partners.

I don’t see how Warwick or Methven have any real money, despite their Eton College education.

Then that brings us to Jim Rodwell, formerly at Sunderland with Charlie Methven. Since then he has acted mostly as a transition / interim CEO at Peterborough and Hull, where he laid in wait until Turkish owners acquired them.

We can take a pause there. Anything to say Thomas? Raelynn?

Ignoring Holden, but are the other three just on board to put lipstick on the pig to sell to interesting parties. Are they even being paid by Sandgaard?

I reckon 100% Scott, Warwick and Rodwell are not Sandgaard hires, even Dean Holden’s name has been circulating in the background for a while although he looks to have no direct connection with the other three, nor Methven.

The Daily Mail are suggesting all this is a front for a consortium of Qatari and American investors. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour has also been mentioned in dispatches.

We are literally being handed around like some Panini sticker doubles in a school playground! All this while Thomas Sandgaard denies anything is afoot whilst he scurries off to get his guitar.

Meanwhile, I hope you are still following, Peter Varney today recycled his call for a large, noisy and positive atmosphere at tomorrow’s Brighton game where Brighton fans and possible club suitors may outnumber Addicks!

Varney denies any involvement with those mentioned above, which adds more intrigue to the Cluedo Charlton Athletic Christmas Special.

Do you remember what it was like to just to turn up on a Saturday with a silk scarf tied around your wrist, eat peanuts and sing until you were hoarse win, lose or draw? Seems like centuries ago.

Back to Dean Holden, who spoke rather well in his first interview. He himself said he was waiting in the wings, and has clearly watched us play a lot. His playing intent sounds the total opposite of Sandgaard’s ‘total football’ fantasy. Good luck Dean, but excuse me if keep our relationship at arms length. I’ve been here before.