‘It baffles me how the EFL let people get away with it’ – former Charlton boss Karl Robinson has say on Addicks’ current predicament

Former Charlton manager Karl Robinson said he’s ‘baffled’ that the EFL allow clubs to be ran badly, when asked for his views on the current situation at The Valley.

Robinson’s Oxford side condemned the Addicks to an eighth game without a win after triumphing 3-1 at the Kassam Stadium last night.

Current owner Thomas Sandgaard is reported to be looking to sell the South Londoners after a two-year spell at the helm that has seen the club drop to one of its lowest ever league positions.

The Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust had recently said that fans are ‘losing confidence’ in the Danish American businessman, adding ‘We need an owner with the genuine desire and ability to invest in Charlton’s future.’

Former Sunderland executive director Charlie Methven, who has been linked with a potential takeover at the club, was spotted at the Kassam Stadium last night.

Robinson was in charge at The Valley during the tumultuous Roland Duchatelet era from November 2016 until leaving for Oxford in March 2018. The Addicks are on their fifth manager since then now with Dean Holden recently appointed – four of which have been hired by Sandgaard during the last two years.

“I think it’s poor [what is happening at The Valley]”, said Robinson.

“It’s poor. The manager can’t do anything about that. It baffles me. It baffles me how the EFL let people get away with it.

“I know I’m maybe a bit marmite with some of the fans. I’ve got some of them clapping me and some of them booing me. I don’t know whether it’s nice or not nice. But that football club is such a great club. 18 months there and I loved every second of it.

“Everyone knows it’s family reasons more for me [when he left The Valley]. And I think what we did when I went in there, we settled it down a little bit and we got rid of some of the deadwood. As bad as it is to say, I thought people were just taking a wage in some ways and

“I think it was our responsibility to make sure we stood up to that. I bring in the likes of Bow and Jacko, who knew what it took to play there. I’m sure Dean will do exactly the same, but as some stage it’s got to settle down for the fans. It has to, it’s not fair.

“They can’t all be wrong,” added Robinson, when asked for the continual turnover of managers under Sandgaard.

“It’s just a frustrating thing. Maybe I speak too much about these things and get myself in too much trouble. But Dean’s a good manager and he’ll work hard to try and put it right. But at some stage, the responsibility, it lays with certain people.

“I heard some of the shambolic stuff after Roland left of people taking money and stuff like that, and cars left, right and centre. And it’s not fair. It’s a football club. It’s a sport that we love, and you shouldn’t be going into Charlton Athletic looking to make a few quid. You should be going into Charlton Athletic to buy into the culture and embed yourself into that.

“And if people don’t like that, well it’s tough really because football is a way of life in this country. Oxford United fans love their football club, we all love our clubs, and all of our clubs are the best clubs because it’s ours. I’m the same with Liverpool. But at some stage, that’s got to come to fruition, and when it does, hopefully they’ll go in the right direction.

“I can’t comment on [reports of interference in football matters from the ownership]. When you own a football club, you’re within your rights to ask questions. But fundamentally, you employ a manager to manage. You employ a recruiter to recruit. You employ physios and fitness coaches to get people fit. That’s what you pay people to do. It’s not something that I would like anyway.”