Today marks the end of my involvement with Charlton Athletic FC, as I cease to be a shareholder and fly out to take up my new position as Managing Director of Mount Pleasant Football Academy in Jamaica. It is a fantastic challenge which I cannot wait to get started on.
But before moving on to pastures new, a few words on two and a half hugely satisfying years in South East London.
In October 2022, I had my first meeting with then Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard, which led to the agreement of a deal to buy the club, albeit a deal which subsequently took rather longer to implement than had originally been hoped! The journey since – from putting together the investor group and a senior management team, to running the club as CEO – has utilised every part of my professional experience.
I don’t say this lightly, as an Oxford fan who has worked at many clubs, but Charlton is a very special place and will always be in my heart. It is a football club with a real soul, from its acclaimed Community Trust and wonderful Academy to a dedicated staff and a devoted fanbase which sticks with CAFC through thick and thin.
It was founded 120 years ago by a group of street kids who, in many cases, lived to see their creation win the FA Cup in 1947. The club remains, to this day, a SE London institution which genuinely gives everybody a chance to fulfil their hopes and dreams.
I looked on with joy – and a little pride – last night, as a united and happy CAFC took the field in the play-off semi-final in front of a packed-out Valley to win through to the final. Hopefully, Nathan Jones and the boys can repeat Charlton’s feats of 1998 and 2018 (sob!) and finish the job at Wembley.
After many years of under-achievement and turbulence, Charlton fans deserve both to enjoy that experience and – regardless of that particular outcome – rest easy in the belief that their beloved club is in a better place than it has been for a while. Up the Addicks!
Today marks the end of my involvement with Charlton Athletic FC, as I cease to be a shareholder and fly out to take up my new position as Managing Director of Mount Pleasant Football Academy in Jamaica. It is a fantastic challenge which I cannot wait to get started on.
But before moving on to pastures new, a few words on two and a half hugely satisfying years in South East London.
In October 2022, I had my first meeting with then Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard, which led to the agreement of a deal to buy the club, albeit a deal which subsequently took rather longer to implement than had originally been hoped! The journey since – from putting together the investor group and a senior management team, to running the club as CEO – has utilised every part of my professional experience.
I don’t say this lightly, as an Oxford fan who has worked at many clubs, but Charlton is a very special place and will always be in my heart. It is a football club with a real soul, from its acclaimed Community Trust and wonderful Academy to a dedicated staff and a devoted fanbase which sticks with CAFC through thick and thin.
It was founded 120 years ago by a group of street kids who, in many cases, lived to see their creation win the FA Cup in 1947. The club remains, to this day, a SE London institution which genuinely gives everybody a chance to fulfil their hopes and dreams.
I looked on with joy – and a little pride – last night, as a united and happy CAFC took the field in the play-off semi-final in front of a packed-out Valley to win through to the final. Hopefully, Nathan Jones and the boys can repeat Charlton’s feats of 1998 and 2018 (sob!) and finish the job at Wembley.
After many years of under-achievement and turbulence, Charlton fans deserve both to enjoy that experience and – regardless of that particular outcome – rest easy in the belief that their beloved club is in a better place than it has been for a while. Up the Addicks!
Thanks CM for the great job you done at CAFC for playing your part in saving the club getting it back on a forward move with a much better future .. bringing owners in that care about the club no matter what league we are in next season we have a bright future again and the club moving in the right direction .. enjoy the sunshine
Today marks the end of my involvement with Charlton Athletic FC, as I cease to be a shareholder and fly out to take up my new position as Managing Director of Mount Pleasant Football Academy in Jamaica. It is a fantastic challenge which I cannot wait to get started on.
But before moving on to pastures new, a few words on two and a half hugely satisfying years in South East London.
In October 2022, I had my first meeting with then Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard, which led to the agreement of a deal to buy the club, albeit a deal which subsequently took rather longer to implement than had originally been hoped! The journey since – from putting together the investor group and a senior management team, to running the club as CEO – has utilised every part of my professional experience.
I don’t say this lightly, as an Oxford fan who has worked at many clubs, but Charlton is a very special place and will always be in my heart. It is a football club with a real soul, from its acclaimed Community Trust and wonderful Academy to a dedicated staff and a devoted fanbase which sticks with CAFC through thick and thin.
It was founded 120 years ago by a group of street kids who, in many cases, lived to see their creation win the FA Cup in 1947. The club remains, to this day, a SE London institution which genuinely gives everybody a chance to fulfil their hopes and dreams.
I looked on with joy – and a little pride – last night, as a united and happy CAFC took the field in the play-off semi-final in front of a packed-out Valley to win through to the final. Hopefully, Nathan Jones and the boys can repeat Charlton’s feats of 1998 and 2018 (sob!) and finish the job at Wembley.
After many years of under-achievement and turbulence, Charlton fans deserve both to enjoy that experience and – regardless of that particular outcome – rest easy in the belief that their beloved club is in a better place than it has been for a while. Up the Addicks!
Good luck to him in Jamaica. CM may well be full of shit but we are in a much better place since he helped orchestrate the sale of the club.
Whilst I am pleased that the owners appear to be making changes to the running of the club which includes the removal of Methven, compared to others who have darkened our door, he is hardly the villain that some portray.
Onwards and upwards and probably time to close this thread!
If today was your last day where have you been for the last two months?
A very hectic period but you as our CEO weren't around. Why didn't the club and owners you praise not want you here and involved?
Credit for brokering the deal but as you have said publically they were already a consortium and looking for a club, you didn't find them, they found you and after a while they found you out which is why you're no longer here.
If today was your last day where have you been for the last two months?
A very hectic period but you as our CEO weren't around. Why didn't the club and owners you praise not want you here and involved?
Credit for brokering the deal but as you have said publically they were already a consortium and looking for a club, you didn't find them, they found you and after a while they found you out which is why you're no longer here.
Also didn’t he previously confirm himself on a podcast some time ago that he’d already left?
He said “cease to be a shareholder”, he probably means he officially sold his shares yesterday? That doesn’t mean he continued working as CEO until then.
He said “cease to be a shareholder”, he probably means he officially sold his shares yesterday? That doesn’t mean he continued working as CEO until then.
We previously had conflicting versions of whether he still held them from Methven and Gavin Carter, via CAST.
Think we have to take Linked in for what it is.CM is just simply just polishing the buttons on his cv .The club is now in a much better place( it's arguable if if that's down to him) and I will wish him well although I am happy to see him move on .
I work to the idiom all too often “our strengths are our weaknesses.”
A couple of Mr Jones’ strengths are his unbridled passion for his work and his faith. I am fine with it but for others it is often a distraction too far. .
Mr Methven has his skills. I suspect they revolve largely around simply opening the right doors. Not to be sniffed at I thank him for his contribution. Did he quite skilfully provide us all with a commentary from the sidelines as to the whys & wherefore and ambitions of a relatively anonymous group of investors before presenting the supporting cast? He did.
Regrettably then positioning himself as the guru of much he pervaded he actually stood front & centre of precisely nothing. He didn’t want to. So I am left wondering just who he is trying to convince. If his contribution was as compelling as he would have us believe then a) HE wouldn’t need to keep telling us about it (marking your own homework is rarely a good look) b) in all likelihood he would still be in the building.
Comments
‘my role is to assist the
or put another way I won’t be getting my hands very dirty or getting too stressed. 😉😆
A very hectic period but you as our CEO weren't around. Why didn't the club and owners you praise not want you here and involved?
Credit for brokering the deal but as you have said publically they were already a consortium and looking for a club, you didn't find them, they found you and after a while they found you out which is why you're no longer here.
A couple of Mr Jones’ strengths are his unbridled passion for his work and his faith. I am fine with it but for others it is often a distraction too far. .
Mr Methven has his skills. I suspect they revolve largely around simply opening the right doors. Not to be sniffed at I thank him for his contribution. Did he quite skilfully provide us all with a commentary from the sidelines as to the whys & wherefore and ambitions of a relatively anonymous group of investors before presenting the supporting cast? He did.
Regrettably then positioning himself as the guru of much he pervaded he actually stood front & centre of precisely nothing. He didn’t want to. So I am left wondering just who he is trying to convince. If his contribution was as compelling as he would have us believe then a) HE wouldn’t need to keep telling us about it (marking your own homework is rarely a good look) b) in all likelihood he would still be in the building.
He isn’t. We move on. Indeed we already have.
Just an FYI for those who worry about these things, he is wearing tan chinos.