I'm sure it is no coincidence that since Gavin Carter got more involved , things have started to change. He's identifying where all the money is going and Charlie boys salary and expenses do not add up to money well spent.
There's absolutely no way Charlie Methven walked away with a 'My work is done here' epiphany. Was politely asked to bugger off I should think. Where next? I've absolutely no idea. We know next to f**k all about this ownership group. Literally anything could be on the cards next.
As many have said, we are in a better position now than we have been for a very long time. First time it has properly felt stable.
He is a character for sure but has helped with the above it seems. Good luck to the bloke!
Interesting that you mention "stable" because that actually isn't the case given that we've had three managers and various changes in chairman plus we've lost the Director of Football and now the CEO.
Managers weren't good enough and they acted. Understand they hired them but cant always get it right.
The people we have "lost" were deeply unpopular and people wanted them gone. Cant use that as a stick to beat them with if they acted and got rid. I dont think Charlie for instance was in this for years to come was he? So if he goes now and we can get someone in who wants to be long term part of the project.
Its certainly feels calmer then, if not stable, and given how it has been in the not so distant past.
Agree it seems calmer now rather than stable.
Unfortunately, the previous few seasons have been so chaotic that that is a low bar.
But there are legitimate grounds for optimism on the pitch and in the ownership.
I've had doubts about the SMT without thinking they have been a total disaster. They are no crooks or chancers and do have track records in the game.
Some people are better as firefighters and that may include CM and AS.
What we need now, IMHO, are planners and builders to raise the club up now the fires left by Sandgaard, ESI and in part Roland, have been put out.
Even Charlie said he wasn't cut out to be a CEO and I still think he talks a good show without always being able to deliver on what he promises.
Hopefully the next guy is more understated and more about implementation than ideas.
Wow, just goes to show. Access to the top table is not necessarily a good thing. If you don’t know enough about south all to know if you like him or not then I’m not sure what you need to know.
As for the sand man and his associate the smiling chest, what can be said that hasn’t already been said.
But a little of something that was told to me at the time, she rewrote the staff t&cs handbook and one of the alterations was “Female staff should dress professionally on match days, with appropriate blouse/shirt and knee length skirts “ and was said to me by a female member of staff. ”She’s the one that rocks up with her arse showing and her t*ts out” Was it the worse thing? No! Not by a long way.
It appears to me, to many people had/have blinkers on to the goings on at the club and activities of senior staffowners and for why……….
To protect their relationship with the top table?
I say one things for sure, if I could get the physical proof as to some of the goings on, I’d phone @Tom-of-Se9 myself.
NLA thrown under a bus, because someone threatened to run to GBC, maybe that’s what I should’ve done re: burger boy.
Anyway if he was pushed I doubt he'd then be moving on to working for the academy we've just got a tie up with, he'd want nothing to do with anyone even loosely related to us
Good. I find some of the comments on here hilarious, with people desperate to believe whatever nonsense the club puts out, but never mind.
Shock / Horror - The first sign of something slightly out of the ordinary and Airman pipes up with his giant wooden spoon.
Predictable
Don’t worry. There’s bound to be someone new for you to boost on here soon.
I hardly boost him. I gave him a really hard time when he first got here but he proved he had a plan and has largely executed it. Surely even you can see that we are in a better position than we have been for a while.
And similarly ,I'm sure his replacement will be treated with contempt by you because you fucking hate it when this club does anything right.
Do me a favour!
When things were going pear shaped on the pitch, Methven was lightening quick to point out that his remit had nothing to do with the football side of things and all our woes were down to the 'football people' to coin a phrase.
The only reason we've seen any sort of upturn in this football club in recent months is because the 'football people' have finally got their act together. And by his own admission,that clearly had NOTHING to do with him.
He's just another one of footballs great chancers.Always will be.
Good. I find some of the comments on here hilarious, with people desperate to believe whatever nonsense the club puts out, but never mind.
Shock / Horror - The first sign of something slightly out of the ordinary and Airman pipes up with his giant wooden spoon.
Predictable
Don’t worry. There’s bound to be someone new for you to boost on here soon.
I hardly boost him. I gave him a really hard time when he first got here but he proved he had a plan and has largely executed it. Surely even you can see that we are in a better position than we have been for a while.
And similarly ,I'm sure his replacement will be treated with contempt by you because you fucking hate it when this club does anything right.
Do me a favour!
When things were going pear shaped on the pitch, Methven was lightening quick to point out that his remit had nothing to do with the football side of things and all our woes were down to the 'football people' I think was his coined phrase.
The only reason we've seen any sort of upturn in this football club in recent months is because the 'football people' have finally got their act together. And by his own admission,that clearly had NOTHING to do with him.
He's just another one of footballs great chancers.Always will be.
So why, if he didn't have anything to do with the footballing side of the club, is the lowest finish in 98 years used as something to lord over him with, and held over his head as a failing?
Good. I find some of the comments on here hilarious, with people desperate to believe whatever nonsense the club puts out, but never mind.
Shock / Horror - The first sign of something slightly out of the ordinary and Airman pipes up with his giant wooden spoon.
Predictable
Don’t worry. There’s bound to be someone new for you to boost on here soon.
I hardly boost him. I gave him a really hard time when he first got here but he proved he had a plan and has largely executed it. Surely even you can see that we are in a better position than we have been for a while.
And similarly ,I'm sure his replacement will be treated with contempt by you because you fucking hate it when this club does anything right.
Do me a favour!
When things were going pear shaped on the pitch, Methven was lightening quick to point out that his remit had nothing to do with the football side of things and all our woes were down to the 'football people' I think was his coined phrase.
The only reason we've seen any sort of upturn in this football club in recent months is because the 'football people' have finally got their act together. And by his own admission,that clearly had NOTHING to do with him.
He's just another one of footballs great chancers.Always will be.
So why, if he didn't have anything to do with the footballing side of the club, is the lowest finish in 98 years used as something to lord over him with, and held over his head as a failing?
I respect anybody who chooses to invest their time and money in our club. We all have very different skills and will manage businesses in very different ways. There is never a guarantee someone good at putting deals together has the disciplines to actually run the business. Indeed for some such disciplines are really of no interest whatsoever.
Though the timing of the announcement amidst a promotion run appears a little unhelpful in reality there is, at this stage, very little any CEO can do beyond being a cheer leader. Collectively is the club as at March 10 2025 apparently in a far better position than that of July 2023? It is but only time and the accounts will testify to such position.
As a deal maker he got a deal done though to be honest the “reported” price did seem a little high. The December 2022 - February 2023 dalliance however was beyond bizarre. Whoever put the legal framework behind such intervention needed firing. Nobody runs a business they don’t own for 6 weeks. If intended as “quasi” due diligence exercise it failed horribly.
When the acquisition was completed, at least 4 months late, did it look like anybody actually knew what they were taking over? Heavens knows what business plans were presented to GFP but a dynamic of “just doing things better” in the circumstances was unlikely to produce results in the immediate term. It didnt.
I can respect the intention and the nature of the challenges. That SE7 managed to negotiate the journey is worthy of acknowledgement but they did deliver the worst League position in living memory. Operating “6 months out of kilter” can have consequences.
As we progressed through the changing personnel & roles of Holden, Appleton, Jones, Scott, Rodwell, Methven himself and now Carter all within 18 months I dread to think how many business plans headed stateside. US Investors are rarely the most patient of audiences.
Ultimately for a business of this size operating with a Non Exec Chair, CEO, MD, Director of Football and a Manager for a product of 18 match day personnel performing was always a stretch too far.
From the decisions evidenced after the changes in December I sensed a more compelling clarity of direction.
As an individual I respect Methvens’ skills but his “marketing” management style, for me, was a complete anathema. His “noises from the sidelines” commentary and ultimate podcasts were/ are almost entirely self indulgent and self promoting.
Issues around dumping Holden, the indecision around sacking Appleton, the kerfuffle over Jones, the 888 plan, the Teflon “footballing decision” mantra, the endless spin of the 6th HEADLINE budget and the EFL rules, the alleged “mates” breach of confidential stuff is a lot of noise …largely speaking to one profile……. it was not the clubs.
Charlie Methen, thank you for your contribution, may we all learn from the experience, because as a business CEO you see …you need to lead it, drive it and bloody well own it ……..every bloody part of it!
Can't help that think some are overthinking this, came in, done a job and onto the next venture. We're in the best position we've been in years behind the scenes and possibly the most stable we've been for a very long time too, onto whatever happens next and hopefully a continuation of this growth.
Charlton Life over thinking, drawing conclusions of conspiracy theories who would have thought.
Got to say, a lot of people are reading something into this without any evidence, that being the case I'll give it a go. Following on from Scott's departure, I can't help think that 18 months was the length of an agreement to put the club back together after Sandgaards disastrous ownership. In my opinion, both Scott and Charlie carried out what they were tasked to do, in both cases with varying degrees of success. Were they sacked ? no, but they were not retained as there was no need for them to be retained. Good luck to both of them, as Charlie stated a measure of success at a football club is that when you leave the club, the club is in a better state than when you found it, in my opinion that's where we are.
I can't give too much away but there will be some BIG news coming soon in regards to the club
Are you throwing us your loose change for a challenge on the Premier League then @Radostanradical ? 😉
Funnily enough I was approached during the last round of investment for the consortium we have now, I sat down and analysed the figures. Of course football is a gamble and the only real way I could get any ROI is if we get promoted to the championship and then solidified so we could be sold to a bigger consortium but then I'd also be tempted to hold on and think can I double down then potentially sell if we get to the Premier League. All in all I was within an inch of investing a good 7 figure amount for a stake of ownership but had to pull out last minute as it became uneconomical when I saw on the thread on this website that a large amount of our so called "fans" weren't happy to spend £7.20 for a pint in our own fans bar and would prefer got to Bromley because "ItS onLY £5 A PiNT DeRE". If we lose 100 fans buying pints here thats £220 a round, have you seen how much Chuks eats ? where we going to get the money from. Maybe next year lads.
Comments
Was politely asked to bugger off I should think.
Where next? I've absolutely no idea. We know next to f**k all about this ownership group. Literally anything could be on the cards next.
Unfortunately, the previous few seasons have been so chaotic that that is a low bar.
But there are legitimate grounds for optimism on the pitch and in the ownership.
I've had doubts about the SMT without thinking they have been a total disaster. They are no crooks or chancers and do have track records in the game.
Some people are better as firefighters and that may include CM and AS.
What we need now, IMHO, are planners and builders to raise the club up now the fires left by Sandgaard, ESI and in part Roland, have been put out.
Even Charlie said he wasn't cut out to be a CEO and I still think he talks a good show without always being able to deliver on what he promises.
Hopefully the next guy is more understated and more about implementation than ideas.
You can't have it both ways
Though the timing of the announcement amidst a promotion run appears a little unhelpful in reality there is, at this stage, very little any CEO can do beyond being a cheer leader. Collectively is the club as at March 10 2025 apparently in a far better position than that of July 2023? It is but only time and the accounts will testify to such position.
When the acquisition was completed, at least 4 months late, did it look like anybody actually knew what they were taking over? Heavens knows what business plans were presented to GFP but a dynamic of “just doing things better” in the circumstances was unlikely to produce results in the immediate term. It didnt.
I can respect the intention and the nature of the challenges. That SE7 managed to negotiate the journey is worthy of acknowledgement but they did deliver the worst League position in living memory. Operating “6 months out of kilter” can have consequences.
As we progressed through the changing personnel & roles of Holden, Appleton, Jones, Scott, Rodwell, Methven himself and now Carter all within 18 months I dread to think how many business plans headed stateside. US Investors are rarely the most patient of audiences.
Ultimately for a business of this size operating with a Non Exec Chair, CEO, MD, Director of Football and a Manager for a product of 18 match day personnel performing was always a stretch too far.
From the decisions evidenced after the changes in December I sensed a more compelling clarity of direction.
As an individual I respect Methvens’ skills but his “marketing” management style, for me, was a complete anathema. His “noises from the sidelines” commentary and ultimate podcasts were/ are almost entirely self indulgent and self promoting.
Issues around dumping Holden, the indecision around sacking Appleton, the kerfuffle over Jones, the 888 plan, the Teflon “footballing decision” mantra, the endless spin of the 6th HEADLINE budget and the EFL rules, the alleged “mates” breach of confidential stuff is a lot of noise …largely speaking to one profile……. it was not the clubs.
Charlie Methen, thank you for your contribution, may we all learn from the experience, because as a business CEO you see …you need to lead it, drive it and bloody well own it ……..every bloody part of it!
have any more players.
These bad boys have just hit the club shop...
Reap what you sow lads.