Hope at Christmas

Hope is the eternal message of Christmas and for once there may be some for desperate Charlton fans.

Just a week ago we gift-wrapped three league points for a very ordinary looking Bristol Rovers side and readied ourselves for a potentially humiliating 4th Round League match again Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion. But before we took to the field against the Albion, we had a rash of club announcements and supporter discoveries which gave us an inkling of hope. The appointment of a permanent manager, a Technical Director to oversee January transfer business, a would-be Finance Director and a Chief Operating Officer spelt a big change. Though announced by Sandgaard as his work, it quickly became clear that it was anything but.

'Break-Even' Sandgaard was not splashing the cash, but someone else had taken the risk of doing so ahead of an announcement that they have successfully completed a takeover from Sandgaard. News that the initial contract of Andy Scott, the respected Technical Director, was only for six weeks was explained by Scott as a window in which he could complete the transfer business that is being planned. He also alluded to an extension of that deal, which suggests the six week contract is merely an expedient to ensure the takeover goes ahead and we are not left with stranded resources Sandgaard can't afford in the event something goes wrong.

The logical assumption at this point, is that whomever is behind the takeover, they envisage it being completed early in January. They won't want to be spending money on bringing in players if they don't have effective control of the club. They could be waiting on EFL approval but my guess is that they are still thrashing out the finer details with Sandgaard and will be confident that they and their deal will pass muster with the dullards at the EFL. In short, we should know fairly quickly and maybe before thousands of Charlton supporters head north to Manchester in hope of causing a quarter-final League Cup upset.

If you want any further reassurance, Thomas Sandgaard flew in on Monday for business but didn't even stay for the biggest game of his tenure at home to Brighton on Tuesday. He has given up and is effectively gone! Hip-hip hooray!

I won't dwell on who might be in the frame to replace Tommy-Boy because I suspect there is as much chance of it being someone we haven't yet heard of as it being one of the rumoured buyers. It will only matter when we know who it is, what we hear what they have to tell us and just how ambitious they are in January.

In the meantime, unexpected Cup Fever is gripping the fan-base after the brilliant victory over Brighton. People are planning their travel, booking hotels and hoping against all hope that we could spring another upset.

I have booked a hotel for a couple of nights (pretty sure the game will go ahead on Tuesday 10th January) and plan on being there for the biggest game in ages. The fact that Sky TV have somehow decided on not showing the game tells you an awful lot about just how poorly our club is thought of at the moment and just how pathetic Sky TV are. They obviously think the game will be over in ten minutes as a contest so have plumped for Newcastle v Leicester and Southampton v Man City. Our initial task at Old Trafford is clear. I also hope City go two-up at Southampton in record time.

In between times, we face a Peterborough side that has lost five in-a-row on Monday in Dean Holden's first game - we are going to win that aren't we?

We then go to Oxford on Friday in a fixture I am far less confident about but who knows what a win over Peterborough and an upcoming Old Trafford visit might do for morale? In any event, I am much more hopeful now than the past year or so - I have even bought a ticket for Peterborough.

Merry Christmas to everyone who still visits this site to share their troubles with me! Here's hoping we are smiling heading into New Year and that our collective fortunes may finally be turning.