Sandgaard interview in todays Daily Mail
Charlton's rocking! Jimi Hendrix fan Thomas Sandgaard is the Danish mediCharlton's rocking! Jimi Hendrix fan Thomas Sandgaard is the Danish medi-tech tycoon worth £350m vowing to bring back the glory days to The Valley
- Charlton have endured a tough few years off the pitch with boardroom chaos
- New owner Thomas Sandgaard took control of the London club earlier this year
- The Danish-American owner speaks very highly about the history of the club
- Memories of the disastrous East Street Investments regime are slowly fading
By MATT BARLOW FOR THE DAILY MAIL
The boardroom at the Valley has witnessed a rare degree of chaos this year but Thomas Sandgaard oozes serenity as he arranges his winter overcoat, leather gloves and Charlton scarf on the large oak table and takes a seat.
Around him on the wood-panelled walls are framed images of the club's past glories: the FA Cup win in 1947, promotions, play-off victories and the emotional return to this spiritual home after a seven-year exile in 1992.
His head, however, is swimming with the present: the thrills of a 5-2 win against AFC Wimbledon, and the first game he has seen with fans inside the stadium since becoming owner of the club in September.
New owner Thomas Sandgaard (above) is trying to take Charlton Athletic back to the top
'A very humbling experience,' said Sandgaard. 'To walk into this stadium without fans is impressive, and the messages on social media and all the people emailing me, but to see and hear the response of 2,000 fans is truly humbling.'
Charlton fans applauded his every step as he rounded the pitch for a pre-match interview with the club's new streaming service, and he was overwhelmed as they sang his name during a chat with presenter and former player Scott Minto.
'I don't know if I should cry or not,' said Sandgaard, as he took a few seconds to compose himself and offer a wave of appreciation.
There is little wonder this US-based Danish medi-tech tycoon, with an estimated fortune of more than £350million and a long-burning passion for rock music and English football, is heralded as a saviour in SE7.
He has barely put a foot wrong since releasing the club from the disastrous East Street Investments regime.
It was the first time Charlton fans saw Sandgaard (above) in the flesh since he took over
'We found the club in a very difficult financial situation,' he said. 'A big portion of money being spent on personal things, like the Range Rovers.'
The infamous Range Rovers became a symbol of the largesse of former chairman Matt Southall.
Charlton had a fleet of seven, costing more than £700,000. The police were summoned to retrieve the last two of them and Sandgaard is now raffling one off to a supporter who buys a streaming pass for any game in November or December.
'It's unbelievable what those people did,' said Sandgaard. 'It's incredible anybody can have the nerve, the guts. When you take ownership of a football club, you are taking responsibility for the people there, for people who work there and the players.
'A lot of the players simply had to be sold off to pay the bills. It looked pretty bleak when the season started and we were fortunate with the squad we were able to put together and for them to gel so quickly.
Sandgaard is taking over from a regime that overspent on many things such as Range Rovers
Former chairman Matt Southall (left) oversaw a disastrous system which upset supporters
'But this is a club with such a long history and tradition. Years into the future we will look back and that time will be just a little dent.'
The healing process is well under way. On Thursday, before his arrival in London, Sandgaard hosted a Zoom call with more than 600 members of the Supporters' Trust.
Over 90 minutes, he shared plans to return to the Premier League, fielded questions and offered a glimpse of his musical talent.
'We were waiting for others to log on and I grabbed my guitar, and cranked up the amp,' he smiled. 'I played them the intro to one of my new songs, and played Valley Floyd Road, Jimi Hendrix-style. That was fun.'
Charlton's Danish connection is well established. It started in 1982, with a transfer coup to sign Allan Simonsen, a former European Footballer of the Year, from Barcelona, where he had lost his place to Diego Maradona.
Sandgaard (above) slammed the old regime and praised the history and tradition of Charlton
Sandgaard is a self-confessed music fanatic and is a huge admirer of Jimmy Hendrix
'It ages me, but I am old enough to remember Simonsen,' said Sandgaard. 'His creativity was amazing. He read the game in midfield better than anyone at the time. It was like watching a piece of art.
'That was probably the first time I had heard of Charlton. I noticed them more when Claus Jensen played here and Dennis Rommedahl.'
Sandgaard used to play regularly but no longer has the time. He has taken to waking at 3am since taking control at the Valley to engage in the English working day.
The Danish-American owner is aware of Charlton's history including ex-player Allan Simonsen
'I don't set an alarm, I wake up good to go,' he said. 'That's the passion and motivation you get from something fun. Like today, down 2-1 and seeing the lads score those goals. I was jumping up.'
Lee Bowyer's team scored four in the final half-hour to seal the comeback win and are fifth in League One.
'We can't ask for more at this stage,' said Sandgaard. 'Of course, I am dreaming of the Premier League. I hope we can be there in three or four years, but my job is to put the stepping stones in place.'
Comments
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Just watched the video of Thomas with the upbeats,what a contrast to the other slimy bastard who posed with them before trying to kill their club.If Thomas thought saturday was humbling,just wait till the Valley is full,and we can all show our appreciation.18
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"My job is to put the stepping stones in place". Interesting comment.1
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So nice to have a decent owner.3
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The Daily Mail says 'Jimi' in the headline but 'Jimmy' in the article.
Chite newspaper.10 -
Although he did caveat that a bit. I took that (and hope I'm right) to refer to his commitment to having a decent academy, which Brentford have eschewed in favour of player trading.Rothko said:5 -
the first game when there are no restrictions on numbers attending the Valley and Thomas is there will be some day11
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Upset? We were bleeding furious.0
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Sponsored links:
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That photo of Thomas holding the scarf aloft ... it's upside-down for goodness sake!
@JamesSeed Is this the smoking gun proof that Tommy Boy is really the front of the Aussie consortium?
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Great article.
It is clear that Tommy understands the publicity side of his new project and wants to keep our name in the media and spread the word to all about the marvelousness of our beloved CAFC.
This works effectively because he comes over so well and is so passionate.
Rock on, Tommy.7 -
As usual TS hits all the right buttons about the club. Add to that the comment re MS which will do his CV no good at all ! Everyone's a winner 😁3
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Great interview0
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It really is brilliant to have a guy with passion. Many many clubs have generous owners but how many are actually immersed in the club like Thomas is. It's an absolutely dream come true for us. It's not ridiculous wealth (in football terms anyway) so we won't be going crazy with signings but it should allow for sustainable growth which in turn should be more secure than if someone came in splashing squillions!
It seems he wants to do it in much the way we did it all before - the right way. Not boom and bust and I fucking love it24 -
Why are all the images distorted or squeezed.
Or is the Range Rover a kids version in case one wins it?1 -
I also noticed his wealth value has gone from 550m to 350m in the short time he’s been here.Has Burger Boy been ordering more or has the chip 🍟 percentage gone up too?0
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Because the original piece has the height and width attributes of the pictures hardcoded in, so if you view it in a narrow window it retains the original height but can only use whatever width is available in the window. If you're reading on your phone, try rotating your phone to landscape and see if that helps.
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Tommy back in the Rose of Denmark tonight.2
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Popped.in the museum
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Sponsored links:
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Bloody vandal - putting graffiti on the Museum's posters!!
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Alright alright, keep yer hair on smart arse;)aliwibble said:Because the original piece has the height and width attributes of the pictures hardcoded in, so if you view it in a narrow window it retains the original height but can only use whatever width is available in the window. If you're reading on your phone, try rotating your phone to landscape and see if that helps.1 -
All of the things that he did, I think this angered me the most.thickandthin63 said:Just watched the video of Thomas with the upbeats,what a contrast to the other slimy bastard who posed with them before trying to kill their club.If Thomas thought saturday was humbling,just wait till the Valley is full,and we can all show our appreciation.2 -
Thomas - what a guy you are!
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Failing that. Turn it off and turn it back on again.aliwibble said:Because the original piece has the height and width attributes of the pictures hardcoded in, so if you view it in a narrow window it retains the original height but can only use whatever width is available in the window. If you're reading on your phone, try rotating your phone to landscape and see if that helps.2 -
I hope he's having a "substantial meal" with his pint!ForeverAddickted said:9 -
Oh, Thomas ........ I can't believe you've completely ignored Charlton's legendary Danish signings 'Lille' Viggo Jacobsen and (ex ice hockey player) Johnny Ostergaard signed in 1979,clive said:Charlton's rocking! Jimi Hendrix fan Thomas Sandgaard is the Danish mediCharlton's rocking! Jimi Hendrix fan Thomas Sandgaard is the Danish medi-tech tycoon worth £350m vowing to bring back the glory days to The Valley
Charlton's Danish connection is well established. It started in 1982, with a transfer coup to sign Allan Simonsen, a former European Footballer of the Year, from Barcelona, where he had lost his place to Diego Maradona.
Remember, Simonsen was only good enough to make his Charlton debut in our reserve team. True.
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They give you a £3 sandwich. Keep the plate and happy daysOff_it said:
I hope he's having a "substantial meal" with his pint!ForeverAddickted said:1
