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Posts from the ‘Thomas Sandgaard’ Category

Jan 25

17 Comments

Do the owners twist?

The owner group known as Global Football Partners (GFP) and made up of a handful of individual investors, mostly stateside, have been widely liked by the Addicks fan base since they collectively bought the club in July 2023.

I mean it is though a very low bar, even Thomas Sandgaard has been proven to be a complete wrong-un. I mean those sparkly white teeth, fake tan, guitar, and sparkly jackets were always going to hide a lot of sins. At least I sold my Zynex shares at break even.

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May 23

7 Comments

Club shop back in club hands

Good news to see that The Valley shop has come back under club control.

It’s the little things isn’t it, and for me the demise of the club shop under third rate, third party control mirrored the whole leadership of the club under third rate, third party control.

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Dec 20

6 Comments

Charlie Kirk off payroll

“Charlton can confirm that Charlie Kirk has left the club by mutual consent.” (more)

This means that Kirk can get himself onto the free agent market and it gives Andy Scott more money to play with in January.

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Jul 21

15 Comments

Farewell Thomas Sandgaard

Thomas Sandgaard has penned an open letter to Charlton fans.

Words are easy, and to someone like Sandgaard they often belied the truth or at least the facts. I didn’t really like the way he ran our football club or the way he appeared to treat people. I can forgive naivety or inexperience, but not bullying and bullshit.

Farewell Thomas. You arrived like a tornado and left like bit of heavy rain.

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Jun 26

2 Comments

Charlton TV

Late last night I had an email from Charlton saying they had “successfully taken £220.00 from my credit card” which was very kind of them. This is the video pass for the new season 2023/24.

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Jun 5

11 Comments

SE7 Partners deal moves closer

“Charlton Athletic can confirm that a deal has been agreed for SE7 Partners to purchase the football club.

A share purchase agreement (SPA) has been signed by the club’s current owner Thomas Sandgaard and SE7 Partners. The club and SE7 Partners will work with the EFL to meet its requirements before approval for the takeover is granted.” (more)

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May 23

17 Comments

Storrie’s promise

“With all the parties we’ve been speaking to, we’ve had exactly the same message that we need to get this club into the top six next season. Therefore, the budget has been increased on the players side and the targets are there. Dean and I, along with Steve Gallen, are working hard towards putting those together and it doesn’t matter what happens on the ownership side; this is the way is club going forward and fans should be well aware of that. Obviously for legal reasons we can’t name the players we’re looking to sign before July 1st, but we’re well advanced in the squad that we’re putting together with the simple aim of making sure that this club is, at the very minimum, challenging for the top six next season.” Peter Storrie.

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May 16

16 Comments

The end for Thomas Sandgaard closes in

I have been closing my eyes and hoping for the best in relation to the takeover. Dave has been far more on top of it, but it sounds as if we are very close to a set of new owners after Rich Cawley announced this afternoon that Joshua Friedman and Thomas Sandgaard have agreed to a price and signed a SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement).

The price is reported to be £12m, but Cawley also mentions that Sandgaard is continuing his talks with other parties, which appears very irregular, but that just about sums Sandgaard up as he seeks I am sure a last minute better offer.

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Apr 28

1 Comment

Takeover hits “roadblock”

Relax everyone. You can hit your beds tonight safe in the knowledge that guitar man is still at the Charlton Athletic wheel.

Rich Cawley as always with his finger on the button describing a “roadblock” in the way of Marc Spiegel completing the takeover of the club. Not a bump, or a traffic jam, but a block.

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Apr 27

6 Comments

Takeover tomorrow?

Lots of takeover talk this week. I have been applying my enthusiasm to things closer to home and those I can control recently, but the Evening Standard printed an article today saying that co-founder of Rubicon Global (which sounds a lot more grand than it really is) Marc Spiegel expects to complete the takeover of Charlton from Thomas Sandgaard on Friday.

We are past the allocated exclusivity period which was the Dane’s cue to banish the last lot, but possibly Spiegel will gain control of the club for what is thought to be £11.6m.

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Mar 7

7 Comments

Holden’s agent

Dean Holden’s agent has been busy, and I don’t blame him.

Holden has said all the right things since being installed as the temporary manager of Charlton just before Christmas. His mates have all disappeared, but it does sound like he wants to grasp the opportunity to manage the club and stay.

It is a turnaround job, but possibly both parties have found someone to believe in, and belief has been in short supply in SE7 for some while.

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Feb 15

10 Comments

Sandgaard appoints Peter Storrie as CEO

That wily old fox Thomas Sandgaard has been saying for years how he has NO need to appoint someone to provide senior leadership at The Valley, and manage the day to day running of the business. You know it’s not important to have someone experienced and knowledgeable to fill this role.

Hang on everyone. Thomas’ lips moved.

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Feb 13

7 Comments

Disruptive

Another murky day of mystery, intrigue and disruption at Charlton.

It appears club staff have been told of the appointment of Peter Storrie as the new CEO. Storrie had a less than storied career at West Ham, Southend, Notts County and Portsmouth.

Once arrested for corruption alongside Harry Redknapp, and later cleared, he was also exculpated of tax invasion due to the sale of Addicks’ legend Amdy Faye. He took Pompey into administration and left citing personal abuse from supporters who blamed him for the club’s demise.

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Feb 11

10 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Fleetwood Town 2

Painful to watch that, and we even had to suffer almost 20 minutes of injury time.

No one came out of that with any credit. Despite a week’s break they all looked knackered and more than anything the decision making all over the pitch was dreadful.

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Feb 10

13 Comments

Methven deal off

Thomas Sandgaard said today that the sale of the football club to Charlie Methven and his consortium is off.

Sandgaard’s reasoning is that there were “some very specific terms that were very clear at the end of January and coming into February that they didn’t comply with.”

Methven’s group say that a price was always agreed at £8.5million for a 90 per cent stake in the football club and that a deposit (£850,000) was paid and banks funded. It is not thought that the EFL had yet given it’s approval.

In a nest of liars, who to believe?

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Feb 1

9 Comments

More lies and BS. But, what now?

I was considering what my final thoughts were on the January transfer window following on from the speedy but worthy comments from Albury and Drinking.

It is noticeable that every player we released went to clubs below us, O’Connell to Wrexham being the oddity. They were replaced by players that have played at a higher level, ignoring whether they are anywhere near fit to play.

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Jan 12

13 Comments

Is Kane able?

Following hot on the heels of the signing of Macauley Bonne, Coventry’s Todd Kane has signed on loan until the end of the season.

Kane and Dean Holden give their thoughts here, but also there is a bloke called Thomas Sandgaard, who appears from the abyss, and shares his broad footballing knowledge with us fans. How we have missed his opinion..

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Dec 30

8 Comments

Methven and Sandgaard

Charlie Methven was seen at last night’s game at Oxford, probably wearing one of those half and half scarves.

This after it came to light yesterday thanks to investigative work by Rick and Dave, that Methven and his ‘group’ have signed a deal to purchase the club, not the real estate assets, from Thomas Sandgaard.

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Dec 29

8 Comments

Oxford United 3 Charlton Athletic 1

Where do you start. Or put another way, where does it end?

That was shocking. A first 45 minutes up there with the worst I have ever seen. Slightly better 2nd half, but we are so fragile, well and useless, at the back that Oxford scored from their first real attack after the break and it was another straightforward loss.

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Dec 23

16 Comments

What do we know?

Not for the first time, the festive season has us looking out for Charlton Breaking News!

So, what do we know? That something is cooking behind the scenes is without doubt, and it looks as if there are at least two interested parties. The appointments of Messers Rodwell, Scott and Warwick with Methven as a go-between are obviously one party, although it is unclear to where that money has come from because I don’t expect Sandgaard has contributed a cent.

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Dec 20

34 Comments

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)

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Dec 11

10 Comments

Time is up for the Sandgaard’s

Time is being called on Thomas Sandgaard’s reign as Charlton’s owner. His support network diminishing rapidly as focus turns to Sandgaard and his family’s mismanagement of the football club and ill-treatment of it’s employees.

On Monday at 7pm UK time CAST are holding an online meeting with a goal of bringing the fanbase together to agree how supporters proceed from here. The Zoom call is open to all supporters and you can register here.

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Dec 6

13 Comments

Ben Garner post mortem

Ben Garner strikes me as a reasonably smart bloke, he always carried an honest opinion post games, which was refreshing, but in recent weeks and even months the narrative had become a lot more barbed.

In front of the owner on Saturday he pretty much wrote his suicide note by playing a team and formation that issued a ‘what else am I meant to do’ plea.

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Dec 5

31 Comments

Garner sacked

Ben Garner has left the club it has been announced on the Official Site.

“Charlton Athletic can confirm the departure of Ben Garner as the club’s men’s first-team Manager” (more)

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Dec 5

6 Comments

30 year old memories

Happy 30th anniversary Back to The Valley Day.

We’ll ignore how the team did their very best to bury any memories of a wonderful time in our history on Saturday. A penny for the thoughts of those real Charlton legends including the peerless Roger and Heather Alwen who had to sit through that tosh.

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Oct 31

6 Comments

Tails are up in spite of Sandgaard

I’m still pumped after Saturday. Very memorable day, even for those who attended but were on their way to their cars when Dobbo looped that header in.

Sunday’s Charlton Live is well worth a listen this week, as is the podcast Not The Top 20, who spend plenty of time in homage to the game.

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Oct 9

13 Comments

Joachim Sandgaard

Another nobody having a dig at Charlton fans yesterday on Twitter. Another son on Daddy’s payroll echoing the thoughts of the owner just as non-executive director Leo Rifkind did recently.

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Sep 27

18 Comments

Can Garner turn it around?

When asked in the absence of certain players, whether not signed or injured, how he was going to get results, Ben Garner has always answered that it will be hard work and improvement on the training ground.

I understand that. His number one KPI is to improve the players individually and collectively, although I always sigh when manager’s say that they’ve had a great week on the training ground.

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Aug 30

13 Comments

Two in, three out?

“Yeah, of course. We’re looking to see if we can stretch the other defence a little more – someone able to run in behind and create that confusion. We’ve seen that already, that it has been a little too easy for opposing defences to cut us off.”

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Aug 28

18 Comments

Big week

We have had some very depressing transfer deadlines with players sold from under our noses. The noises coming from within the club have been pretty honest in that it’s very apparent that we have to sell before we buy, and many players look to be on the block this week.

Charlie Kirk, Jake Forster-Caskey, Alex Gilbey, Craig MacGillivray, Jayden Stockley, Albie Morgan and Sean Clare could all be subject to bids this week. The squad is already paper-thin so making sure we have replacements is the most basic principle.

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Aug 16

32 Comments

Sandgaard makes Olly Groome redundant

For many years Olly Groome was the most honest and trustworthy link between the football club, it’s players and it’s supporters. Last night that ended.

Thomas Sandgaard has made Olly Groome redundant in further cost cutting measures. Olly was more than an advocate and a lifelong fan, for years throughout terrible working conditions he was one of a very small loyal band of people that kept the club whole, even functioning.

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Jul 17

4 Comments

Open to offers for Davison and JFC

Hot on the news of the club open to selling Jake Forster Caskey, it is also appears that Josh Davison could also be gone by the time the transfer window is closed.

JFC was only offered a new contract a few months back after fighting back from another long-term injury. None of us really know if the 2020/21 POTY can rediscover that form, but central midfield is an area where the squad is more than adequate and it looks as if Ben Garner would rather move JFC on over Albie Morgan and Alex Gilbey.

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Jul 14

18 Comments

Fill The Valley

Slightly bemused by today’s match day price tickets announcement. Between £29 to £34 per home game for a seat in the majority of the stadium on the back of a horribly rising cost of living. Not to mention petrol prices and increasing interest rates. Do I need to go on. £34 for League One football? Where is Thomas getting his advice from?

All this on the back of the disastrous efforts to fill the 18,000 or so empty seats last season. No bad idea filling The Valley but a) make it a worthwhile product and 2) have a knowledge based marketing strategy and 3) price it accordingly.

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Jun 27

12 Comments

More back room staff leave

And by all accounts not of their own making. COO Brian Jokat, appointed by Thomas Sandgaard fell on his sword last week because he didn’t play well with interference from Raelynn Sandgaard, allegedly.

Raelynn seems to be ‘lady’ with no portfolio at the club and I’m intrigued seeing her influence grow. Today other members of the commercial team were made redundant, some employed recently by Jokat, others hired by Sandgaard.

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Jun 24

11 Comments

One change and one no change

Remember this guy ⬅️?

Brian Jokat was appointed as Chief Operating Officer 8 weeks ago, and now news reaches us that he left the club this week.

We are now counting on our second hand the amount of senior level hires that Thomas Sandgaard has made and then dispensed with

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Jun 18

7 Comments

An upgrade in optimism

After seeing some of the good work going on at Sparrows Lane I decided to leave off picking on Thomas Sandgaard for a while. The investment the owner along with Valley Gold has made at Sparrows Lane is transformational. The new buildings and great improvement to the infrastructure at the training ground is impressive, even more so knowing that the land and the facility is owned by Roland Duchatelet.

The new environment can’t help but to bring fresh optimism, culture and ambition when Ben Garner meets his players for the first time in person next week.

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Jun 8

21 Comments

Welcome Ben Garner

Well that’s a surprise.

Despite various denials, indecisiveness and fluff, two weeks after the cat was out of the bag, the club have finally confirmed that Ben Garner will be Charlton’s new manager, signing a three-year contract.

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Jun 5

19 Comments

The update is no update

The club’s communications team broke from their Jubilee weekend to update fans via the Official Site.

“In an effort to update our fans, while the club remains focused on finding the right manager we are still not at a point where a final decision has been made.” (more)

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Jun 4

8 Comments

Garner to be appointed? Not according to Mrs Sandgaard!

The soap opera, because that is what we have become, surrounding the appointment of a new manager continued tonight.

32 days after Johnnie Jackson was sacked by Thomas Sandgaard today the senior sports reporter at the Swindon Advertiser plus Talksport and even The Athletic all reported that Ben Garner had signed a 2-year deal with the Addicks.

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May 30

6 Comments

Ben Chorley

An interesting development at Swindon Town today. Director of Football Ben Chorley has suddenly resigned.

Chorley originally served as a free-lance recruitment scout before last July moving into the role of director of football at the County Ground the same day that Ben Garner was appointed as manager.

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May 30

5 Comments

Viva España

The Addicks players will embark on a pre-season camp to Spain leaving on June 17th, after the squad returns for pre-season testing.

Thomas Sandgaard said by then that “we’ll have a new manager band new players.”

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May 27

18 Comments

It’s all gone quiet over there

After Rich Cawley announced on Wednesday that Ben Garner was done and compensation agreed with Swindon there was pretty much a universal sigh of ‘who?’

Now two days later and nothing has been announced Addicks’ fans are now asking ‘what is going on?’

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May 25

8 Comments

Ben Garner to be appointed. Possibly.

At least according to Rich Cawley, who get’s very little wrong but there are some murmurings tonight that Thomas Sandgaard has denied Garner’s imminent appointment. Nothing is ever clear cut is it.

If Cawley is correct then Sandgaard has agreed both terms with Ben Garner and compensation with his club Swindon Town. I guess we may find out more tomorrow. Possibly.

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May 10

15 Comments

Conor Washington released

The club today issued their released and retained list.

Chris Gunter, Conor Washington, Adam Matthews, Ben Watson, Pape Souare and Stephen Henderson all leave following the expiry of their contracts.

Whereas all of the loan players return to their parent clubs, that is Akin Famewo, who we did have an option to buy, Elliot Lee, Jonathan Leko, Mason Burstow, Nile John and Juan Castillo.

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May 4

9 Comments

Decision time

Still saddened about Jackson, but now we wait to see what Thomas does next.

It was a decisive and bold decision to kick Jackson through the door, and the question is now, as it has been in my mind for some time, is whether Thomas is capable of making a right decision?

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May 3

28 Comments

Sandgaard closes door on Jacko chapter

“Charlton Athletic can confirm the departure of Johnnie Jackson as the club’s Manager. Jackson was announced as Caretaker Manager in October 2021, before being appointed as the club’s permanent Manager in December 2021.

Charlton Owner and CEO, Thomas Sandgaard, said: “I would like to thank Johnnie for everything he has done for the club. He is a Charlton legend who has given his all for this club as a player, captain, coach, assistant manager and manager.” (more)

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Apr 25

8 Comments

Thomas makes new appointments

Hopefully this is a pre-requisition of an active summer player window as Thomas Sandgaard has had a busy week with three new senior staff appointments.

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Mar 7

6 Comments

Knowing math, and knowing football

This Blog has often questioned Thomas Sandgaard’s grasp of football club ownership. It’s never questioned his intentions, his enthusiasm nor his business acumen. I would also say too much communication is far better than none at all. Thomas meet Roland.

If you listened to Zynex’s recent investor call (I did as I am a shareholder, which so far hasn’t proven to be one of my most astute investments), then Thomas can come across as a driven single minded head of a company and entrepreneur.

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Feb 20

1 Comment

Karl Robinson

Karl Robinson has never been short of a word or three but his assessments of Charlton and Johnnie Jackson in particular before and after their win over us yesterday was insightful and interesting.

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Feb 15

6 Comments

Planning, or the lack thereof

If you word searched this Blog over the last decade of posts the words ‘plan, or the lack thereof’ would feature heavily when it comes to Charlton Athletic.

Any form of a plan was taken out of the Charlton dictionary around about 2013.

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Feb 11

Sandgaard laughs off Bassini threats

That man of the people Laurence Bassini has threatened to wind Charlton Athletic up unless he is paid the £1.7m he thinks he is owed by the football club after he ‘helped’ bring in ESI to rescue the club from Roland Duchâtelet.

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Jan 31

18 Comments

Burstow leaving

You could not make this up.

Mason Burstow is not in tonight’s squad as he and Thomas Sandgaard explore a potential sale to an unnamed Premier League club.

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Dec 24

2 Comments

New role for Gallen. Roddy ‘resigns’

Happy Christmas Eve all, and a busy Charlton news day it was too.

Ged Roddy had become a bit of cult figure amongst Addicks’ fans, not for anything that he’d particularly done, but for what he had supposed to have done. He gave one early interview when he came across as knowledgeable and excited about the role, but ever since whispers of his baneful operating style out-noised any responses from the man himself.

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Dec 17

11 Comments

Jacko appointed

Boom 💥

The news we have been waiting for came today when Johnnie Jackson became permanent Charlton manager signing a deal “which will automatically renew at the end of each of the next two seasons based on success on the pitch for the Addicks.”

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Dec 16

7 Comments

This week?

Unless Jacko signs a contract on Friday, Saturday will be his 58th day and 10th league game as caretaker manager. There’s a been a few additional cup games as well.

Negotiations are clearly happening, but sticking points I presume revolve around control, contract length and salary. Jason Euell is an interesting pawn in proceedings as well.

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Oct 21

8 Comments

Sandgaard removes Adkins

Just a little over 7 months after Nigel Adkins arrived via a Zoom call and talk of Premier League ambitions, Thomas Sandgaard closed the chapter on Adkins’ Charlton managerial career last night with us sat in a League One relegation place.

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Oct 19

10 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Accrington Stanley 3

There’s not much else to say is there?

My biggest concern as I get ready for bed, is that when I wake four hours after many of you is that Nigel Adkins will still be the Charlton Athletic manager. I feel sick at that thought.

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Oct 19

8 Comments

Sandgaard flies in

Thomas Sandgaard will be in attendance tonight to see for himself what all the doom and gloom is about in SE7. Enjoy the game Thomas and don’t forget Nigel’s mid term appraisal after the game.

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Oct 12

5 Comments

Ronnie Schwartz’s contract cancelled

This is harsh lesson for Thomas Sandgaard.

Ronnie Schwartz was openly courted by the owner, and eventually captured as our banner first signing in the January transfer window for a fee posted in the £500,000 range. Today Ronnie Schwartz has had his contract cancelled with 22 months remaining and has left the club.

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Sep 28

11 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Bolton Wanderers 4

No way back for Nigel Adkins now surely.

After Adkins made his 23rd team change in four games we started well. Davison finished clinically from a Leko cross and those two supported by Blackett-Taylor and Lee actually aroused the senses for 30 minutes, but we ran out of legs and ideas and Bolton equalized just before half-time with another long range pot shot with Matthews again culpable.

Half-time and all to play for, but for the love of god what does Adkins say to them during the break?

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Sep 26

9 Comments

One year on

A year ago yesterday Thomas Sandgaard rode into SE7 like a knight in shining armor with a guitar slung over his shoulder.

It has been a difficult first year for Sandgaard, but I for one would not forego difficult for non-existent, because that is where we were heading under a series of crooks and chancers that followed the negligence of Roland Duchatelet.

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Sep 24

5 Comments

Defiance

A pretty defiant press conference from Nigel Adkins yesterday, and who would blame him on the back of the best 45 minutes, by far, we have seen us this season, plus a valuable point.

Question is, is this the start of a journey or are we on the night bus to nowhere. That used to be the N199 🚌, not sure it still is.

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