GFP’s Charlie Methven on his ‘great respect’ for Charlton Athletic boss Dean Holden and ‘relief’ at takeover process completing
Charlie Methven has talked about his friendship and respect for Charlton manager Dean Holden.
Global Football Partners completed their takeover of the League One club via their UK subsidiary, SE7 Partners, at the end of last week.
Methven, who brokered the deal for the Addicks, formed SE7 Partners with Ed Warrick at the end of last year.
SE7 Partners, who entered into their first period of exclusivity with then owner Thomas Sandgaard, advocated the appointment of Holden as manager in December after Ben Garner was sacked.
Now that their takeover has completed it has seen the return of some of the individuals involved at the start of January, with confirmation yesterday that Andy Scott had returned as technical director. Warrick is group finance director with Jim Rodwell the managing director.
“Dean was someone we recommended should be appointed as manager back in December,” Methven, speaking on behalf of GFP, told the South London Press. “Dean is somebody who I’ve known on a very friendly basis for quite a long time. But ultimately Dean’s professional relationships within the club will not lie with me – they will lie with people on the technical side.
“It doesn’t fall to me, or any of the owners, to make decisions about who happens to be head coach. It falls to people on the technical side of the club.
“I don’t think it is any great secret that the people on the technical side of our team have no intentions of replacing Dean. It would be surprising if they were to do so, given they effectively were responsible for his appointment and he went on to perform very well.
“It is a matter of professional discipline that I defer to the technical staff about any comments about who is the head coach or who will be the head coach.
“Dean is someone I have great respect and liking for. My role, as much as anything, is to carry on being his friend. Being head coach can be a tough position and sometimes you need a bit of moral support. But it is certainly not for me to be offering up advice on what players he should have or what formation he should play – or whether he should be head coach in five years time. That’s for other people, professionally qualified, to make those type of decisions.”
SE7 Partners’ initial interest in buying Charlton came in October.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” said Methven. “That (signing an exclusivity period in December) was the end of a negotiation process that started in early November. Probably the very first discussion happened in October.
“So it has been nine months overall. That’s an awful long time to be banging away at the same issue. They often say by the time you get to the end of these type of processes the main emotion is relief. That’s spot on.
“It’s exhaustion. We spent far too long with lawyers and accountants, much as I love them it’s not the reason you get involved in the professional sports industry.
“It’s relief for people on both sides of the process. The process isn’t enjoyable – and certainly not when it lasts for nine months – but you have to believe what lies at the end is worth fighting for. We always believed it was worth fighting for and that’s why we never really went away. There were a couple of other clubs we looked at but we felt while there was still a chance with Charlton, we wouldn’t go and do another club.
“Ultimately if it is what needs to be done to get to your own objective then it it what you have to do.
“We always believed that although there were other clubs pitched to us, subsequent to the original deal falling apart, that while there was still a chance for Charlton it was our prime objective.”
See Friday’s paper for more from Charlie Methven on GFP’s takeover of Charlton Athletic.
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