Thomas Sandgaard trashing his reputation

It's reached that stage unfortunately. After the initial euphoria of his takeover two years ago, Thomas Sandgaard's grand plans for taking Charlton Athletic back up the leagues and bringing the good times back have failed. It looks increasingly likely that he has run out of ready cash required to continue investing in the club and is now looking to cut his losses by finding someone else to take on the responsibility of running the club. The Zynex share price remains well down on the price when he bought us and the business continues to limp on in the wake of accusations of mis-selling and loss of their largest single customer.

His latest 'break even' plan has seen us fail to start the season with a balanced squad and performances have since confirmed that the freebies brought in from the lower leagues are not going to make us highly competitive in League One. Blunt cost-cutting around the club has not been handled well and staff have been alienated as loyal club servants have been sacked and treated shabbily. 

The latest noises suggest that Sandgaard is also scrimping on the Academy having failed in his flawed bid to get Category 1 status. Tales of families having to wash their own kit and coaches being asked to provide their own balls harks back to Duchatelet's own cost-cutting when bottled water was removed. 

Comms and marketing have been absolutely dire under Sandgaard. He either took very poor advice when he came in (from Duchatelet?) about who to trust, or his ego was so big that he thought he knew better. "Football is easy" remember. Either way, we have got just about every decision wrong since he arrived. The u-turns, the apologies and the 'we've learnt lesson' messages have continued throughout, proving that he has not been listening or learning. Even yesterday, when the club is still trying to flog £30 seats for Monday's televised Sky game, bundles of freebies are again appearing on social media.

Those willing to defend him are disappearing as fast as the actual gates in recent weeks. The next step will be outright opposition and public humiliation at matches. I don't think he's too naive not to see that coming and he really won't want it. In the circumstances, he must be working furiously in the background to find another buyer. The sort of petty cost-cutting being made around the ground is, ironically enough, not sustainable and he will know that. It's simply expedient because he knows he has to take a bath on the cost of his failed ownership as he writes off debt to pass the club on and wants to save what he can whilst that happens. 

Once more, as Charlton supporters, we face an uncertain future. Almost certainly there is active interest which will again not be straightforward because of the involvement of Roland Duchatelet, who has cursed the club since 2016. My guess is that the attraction of getting involved in an English football club on the cheap will be far greater than anyone prepared to meet Duchatelet's high price to acquire the assets and attempt to control the future of the club fully. 

It looks very much to me like we will see another Sandgaard throw their hat in the ring and effectively say what he did two years ago. US interest in investing in English football is strong and I can see Sandgaard preferring to do a deal with a like-minded American. 

Whatever happens, we have to hope that the next owner has the money and gets it right. There is certainly a growing body of evidence and case example of how not to do it and I think the honeymoon period for the next owner will be even shorter if they start to repeat the mistakes of the past.