Charlton Athletic F.C.

Charlton Athletic F.C. were formed on 9 June 1905[1] by a group of 15- to 17-year-olds in East Street, Charlton, which is now known as Eastmoor Street and no longer residential. Charlton spent most of the years before the First World War playing in youth leagues. They became a senior side in 1913 the same year that nearby Woolwich Arsenal relocated to North London.[1] After the war, they joined the Kent League for one season (1919–20) before becoming professional, appointing Walter Rayner as the first full-time manager. They were accepted by the Southern League and played just a single season (1920–21) before being voted into the Football League. Charlton's first Football League match was against Exeter City in August 1921, which they won 1–0. In 1923, Charlton became "giant killers" in the FA Cup beating top flight sides Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, and Preston North End before losing to eventual winners Bolton Wanderers in the Quarter-Finals. Later that year, it was proposed that Charlton merge with Catford Southend to create a larger team with bigger support.[2]^:30 In the 1923–24 season Charlton played in Catford at The Mount stadium and wore the colours of "The Enders", light and dark blue vertical stripes. However, the move fell through and the Addicks returned to the Charlton area in 1924, returning to the traditional red and white colours in the process.[2]^:33

Charlton finished second bottom in the Football League in 1926 and were forced to apply for re-election which was successful. Three years later the Addicks won the Division Three championship in 1929[3] and they remained at the Division Two level for four years.[1] After relegation into the Third Division south at the end of the 1932–33 season the club appointed Jimmy Seed as manager and he oversaw the most successful period in Charlton's history either side of the Second World War. Seed, an ex-miner who had made a career as a footballer despite suffering the effects of poison gas in the First World War, remains the most successful manager in Charlton's history. He is commemorated in the name of a stand at the Valley.[4]^:19 Seed was an innovative thinker about the game at a time when tactical formations were still relatively unsophisticated. He later recalled "a simple scheme that enabled us to pull several matches out of the fire" during the 1934–35 season: when the team was in trouble "the centre-half was to forsake his defensive role and go up into the attack to add weight to the five forwards."[4]^:66 The organisation Seed brought to the team proved effective and the Addicks gained successive promotions from the Third Division to the First Division between 1934 and 1936, becoming the first club to ever do so.[1] Charlton finally secured promotion to the First Division by beating local rivals West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground, with their centre-half John Oakes playing on despite concussion and a broken nose.[5]

In 1937, Charlton finished runners up in the First Division,[6] in 1938 finished fourth[7] and 1939 finished third.[8] They were the most consistent team in the top flight of English football over the three seasons immediately before the Second World War.[1] This continued during the war years and they won the Football League War Cup and appeared in finals.

Charlton reached the 1946 FA Cup Final, but lost 4–1 to Derby County at Wembley. Charlton's Bert Turner scored an own goal in the eightieth minute before equalising for the Addicks a minute later to take them into extra time, but they conceded three further goals in the extra period.[9] When the full league programme resumed in 1946–47 Charlton could finish only 19th in the First Division, just above the relegation spots, but they made amends with their performance in the FA Cup, reaching the 1947 FA Cup Final. This time they were successful, beating Burnley 1–0, with Chris Duffy scoring the only goal of the day.[10] In this period of renewed football attendances, Charlton became one of only thirteen English football teams to average over 40,000 as their attendance during a full season.[1] The Valley was the largest football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000.[1] However, in the 1950s little investment was made either for players or to The Valley, hampering the club's growth. In 1956, the then board undermined Jimmy Seed and asked for his resignation; Charlton were relegated the following year.[1]

Chart showing Charlton's table positions since joining the Football League

From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a mainstay of the Second Division before relegation to the Third Division in 1972[11] caused the team's support to drop, and even a promotion in 1975 back to the second division[12] did little to re-invigorate the team's support and finances. In 1979–80 Charlton were relegated again to the Third Division,[13] but won immediate promotion back to the Second Division in 1980–81.[14] This was a turning point in the club's history leading to a period of turbulence and change including further promotion and exile. A change in management and shortly after a change in club ownership led to severe problems, such as the reckless signing of former European Footballer of the Year Allan Simonsen, and the club looked like it would go out of business.[2]^:141-150

In 1984 financial matters came to a head and the club went into administration, to be reformed as Charlton Athletic. (1984) Ltd.[1] although the club's finances were still far from secure. They were forced to leave the Valley just after the start of the 1985–86 season, after its safety was criticised by Football League officials in the wake of the Bradford City stadium fire. The club began to groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park[1] and this arrangement looked to be for the long-term, as Charlton did not have enough funds to revamp the Valley to meet safety requirements.

Despite the move away from the Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985–86,[15] and remained at this level for four years (achieving a highest league finish of 14th) often with late escapes, most notably against Leeds in 1987, where the Addicks triumphed in extra-time of the play-off final replay to secure their top flight place.[1] In 1987 Charlton also returned to Wembley for the first time since the 1947 FA Cup final for the Full Members Cup final against Blackburn.[2]^:156 Eventually, Charlton were relegated in 1990 along with Sheffield Wednesday and bottom club Millwall.[1] Manager Lennie Lawrence remained in charge for one more season before he accepted an offer to take charge of Middlesbrough. He was replaced by joint player-managers Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt.[1] The pair had unexpected success in their first season finishing just outside the play-offs, and 1992–93 began promisingly and Charlton looked good bets for promotion in the new Division One (the new name of the old Second Division following the formation of the Premier League). However, the club was forced to sell players such as Rob Lee to help pay for a return to the Valley, while club fans formed the Valley Party, nominating candidates to stand in local elections in 1990, pressing the local council to enable the club's return to the Valley - finally achieved in December 1992.

In March 1993, defender Tommy Caton, who had been out of action due to injury since January 1991, announced his retirement from playing on medical advice. He died suddenly at the end of the following month at the age of 30.

In 1995, new chairman Richard Murray appointed Alan Curbishley as sole manager of Charlton.[16] Under his sole leadership Charlton made an appearance in the play-off in 1996 but were eliminated by Crystal Palace in the semi-finals and the following season brought a disappointing 15th-place finish. 1997–98 was Charlton's best season for years. They reached the Division One play-off final and battled against Sunderland in a thrilling game which ended with a 4–4 draw after extra time. Charlton won 7–6 on penalties,[17] with the match described as "arguably the most dramatic game of football in Wembley's history",[18] and were promoted to the Premier League.

Charlton's first Premier League campaign began promisingly (they went top after two games) but they were unable to keep up their good form and were soon battling relegation. The battle was lost on the final day of the season but the club's board kept faith in Curbishley, confident that they could bounce back. Curbishley rewarded the chairman's loyalty with the Division One title in 2000 which signalled a return to the Premier League.[19]

After the club's return, Curbishley proved an astute spender and by 2003 he had succeeded in establishing Charlton in the top flight. Charlton spent much of the 2003–04 Premier League season challenging for a Champions League place, but a late-season slump in form and the sale of star player Scott Parker to Chelsea, left Charlton in seventh place,[20] which was still the club's highest finish since the 1950s. Charlton were unable to build on this level of achievement and Curbishley departed in 2006, with the club still established as a solid mid-table side.[21]

In May 2006, Iain Dowie was named as Curbishley's successor,[22] but was sacked after 12 league matches in November 2006, with only two wins.[23] Les Reed replaced Dowie as manager,[24] however he too failed to improve Charlton's position in the league table and on Christmas Eve 2006, Reed was replaced by former player Alan Pardew.[25] Although results did improve, Pardew was unable to keep Charlton up and relegation was confirmed in the penultimate match of the season.[26]

Charlton's return to the second tier of English football was a disappointment, with their promotion campaign tailing off to an 11th-place finish. Early in the following season the Addicks were linked with a foreign takeover,[27] but this was swiftly denied by the club. On 10 October 2008, Charlton received an indicative offer for the club from a Dubai-based diversified investment company. However, the deal later fell through. The full significance of this soon became apparent as the club recorded net losses of over £13 million for that financial year. Pardew left on 22 November after a 2–5 home loss to Sheffield United that saw the team fall into the relegation places.[28] Matters did not improve under caretaker manager Phil Parkinson, and the team went a club record 18 games without a win, a new club record, before finally achieving a 1–0 away victory over Norwich City in an FA Cup Third Round replay; Parkinson was hired on a permanent basis. The team were relegated to League One after a 2–2 draw against Blackpool on 18 April 2009.[29]

After spending almost the entire 2009–10 season in the top six of League One, Charlton were defeated in the Football League One play-offs semi-final second leg on penalties against Swindon Town.[30]

Former Charlton player Chris Powell returned to the club as manager between 2011 and 2014

After a change in ownership, Parkinson and Charlton legend Mark Kinsella left after a poor run of results. Another Charlton legend, Chris Powell, was appointed manager of the club in January 2011, winning his first game in charge 2–0 over Plymouth at the Valley. This was Charlton's first league win since November. Powell's bright start continued with a further three victories, before running into a downturn which saw the club go 11 games in succession without a win. Yet the fans' respect for Powell saw him come under remarkably little criticism. The club's fortunes picked up towards the end of the season, but leaving them far short of the play-offs. In a busy summer, Powell brought in 19 new players and after a successful season, on 14 April 2012, Charlton Athletic won promotion back to the Championship with a 1–0 away win at Carlisle United. A week later, on 21 April 2012, they were confirmed as champions after a 2–1 home win over Wycombe Wanderers. Charlton then lifted the League One trophy on 5 May 2012, having been in the top position since 15 September 2011, and after recording a 3–2 victory over Hartlepool United, recorded their highest ever league points score of 101, the highest in any professional European league that year.

In the first season back in the Championship, the 2012–13 season saw Charlton finish ninth place with 65 points, just three points short of the play-off places to the Premier League.

In early January 2014 during the 2013–14 season, Belgian businessman Roland Duchâtelet took over Charlton as owner in a deal worth £14million. This made Charlton a part of a network of football clubs owned by Duchâtelet. On 11 March 2014, two days after an FA Cup quarter-final loss to Sheffield United, and with Charlton sitting bottom of the table, Powell was sacked and leaked private emails suggested that this was due to a rift with the owner.[31]

New manager Jose Riga, despite having to join Charlton long after the transfer window had closed, was able to improve Charlton's form and eventually guide them to 18th place, successfully avoiding relegation. After Riga's departure to manage Blackpool, former Millwall player Bob Peeters was appointed as manager in May 2014 on a 12-month contract. Charlton started strong, but a long run of draws meant that after only 25 games in charge Peeters was dismissed with the team in 14th place.[32][33] His replacement, Guy Luzon, ensured there was no relegation battle by winning most of the remaining matches, resulting in a 12th-place finish.

The 2015–16 season began promisingly but results under Luzon deteriorated and on 24 October 2015 after a 3–0 defeat at home to Brentford he was sacked.[34] Luzon said in a News Shopper interview that he "was not the one who chose how to do the recruitment" as the reason why he failed as manager.[35] Karel Fraeye was appointed "interim head coach",[36] but was sacked after 14 games and just two wins, with the club then second from bottom in the Championship.[37] On 14 January 2016, Jose Riga was appointed head coach for a second spell,[38] but could not prevent Charlton from being relegated to League One for the 2016–17 season.[39] Riga resigned at the end of the season.[40] To many fans, the managerial changes and subsequent relegation to League One were symptomatic of the mismanagement of the club under Duchâtelet's ownership and several protests began.[41][42]

After a slow start to the new season, with the club in 15th place of League One, the club announced that it had "parted company" with Russell Slade in November 2016.[43] Karl Robinson was appointed on a permanent basis soon after.[44] He led the Addicks to an uneventful 13th-place finish. The following season Robinson had the team challenging for the play-offs, but a drop in form in March led him to resign by mutual consent. He was replaced by former player Lee Bowyer as caretaker manager who guided them to a 6th-place finish, but lost in the play-off semi-final.

Bowyer was appointed permanently in September on a one-year contract and after finishing third in the regular 2018-19 EFL League One season, Charlton beat Sunderland 2–1 in the League One play-off final to earn promotion back to the EFL Championship after a three-season absence.[45] Bowyer later signed a new one-year contract following promotion, which was later extended to three years in January 2020.[46]

On 29 November 2019, Charlton Athletic were acquired by East Street Investments (ESI) from Abu Dhabi, subject to approval from the English Football League (EFL).[47] Approval was reportedly granted on 2 January 2020. However, on 10 March 2020, a public disagreement between the new owners erupted along with reports that the main investor was pulling out,[48] and the EFL said the takeover had not been approved.[49] The Valley and Charlton's training ground were still owned by Duchâtelet, and a transfer embargo was in place as the new owners had not provided evidence of funding through to June 2021.[50] On 20 April 2020, the EFL announced that the club had been placed under investigation for misconduct regarding the takeover.[51] In June 2020, Charlton confirmed that ESI had been taken over by a consortium led by businessman Paul Elliott,[52] and said it had contacted the EFL to finalise the ownership change.[53] However, a legal dispute involving former ESI director Matt Southall continued.[54] He attempted to regain control of the club to prevent Elliot's takeover from going ahead, but failed and was subsequently fined and dismissed for challenging the club's directors.[55] On 7 August 2020 the EFL said three individuals including ESI owner Elliot and lawyer Chris Farnell had failed its Owners' and Directors' Test, leaving the club's ownership unclear;[56] Charlton appealed against the decision.[57] Meanwhile, Charlton were relegated back to League One at the end of the 2019–20 season after finishing 22nd.[58] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final games of the season were played behind closed doors, which will remain the case indefinitely for the following season.

Later in August, Thomas Sandgaard, a Danish businessman based in Colorado, was reported to be negotiating to buy the club.[59] After further court hearings,[60][61] Elliott was granted an injunction blocking the sale of ESI until a hearing in November 2020.[62]

On 25 September 2020, Sandgaard acquired the club itself from ESI, and was reported to have passed the EFL's Owners' and Directors' Tests;[63] the EFL noted the change in control, but said the club's sale was now "a matter for the interested parties".[64] However, on 12 November 2020, doubt was cast on Sandgaard's ownership after Elliott's company, Lex Dominus, was granted ownership of ESI after Nimer failed to provide documentation to the High Court.[65]

The sponsors were as follows:[78]

In 1985, Charlton was forced to ground-share with Crystal Palace after safety concerns at The Valley. They played their home fixtures at the Eagles' Selhurst Park stadium until 1991. The arrangement was seen by Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades as essential for the future of football, but it was unpopular with both sets of fans. Charlton fans campaigned for a return to The Valley throughout their time at Selhurst Park. In 2005, Palace were relegated by Charlton at the Valley after a 2–2 draw. Palace needed a win to survive but with seven minutes left Charlton equalised, relegating their rivals. Post-match, there was a well-publicised altercation between the two chairmen of the respective clubs, Richard Murray and Simon Jordan. Since their first meeting in the Football League in 1925, Charlton have won 17, drawn 13 and lost 26 games against Palace. The teams last met in 2015, a 4–1 win for Palace in the League Cup.

Charlton are closest in proximity to Millwall than any other club, with The Valley and The Den being less than four miles (6.4 km) apart. They last met in July 2020, a 1–0 win for Millwall at the Valley.[79] Since their first Football League game in 1921, Charlton have won 12, drawn 26 and lost 37. The Addicks have not beaten Millwall in the last twelve fixtures between the sides and their last win came in March 1996 at The Valley.[79]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  WAL Chris Gunter 3 DF  ENG Ben Purrington 4 DF  ENG Deji Oshilaja 5 DF  ENG Akin Famewo (on loan from Norwich City) 6 DF  ENG Jason Pearce (captain) 7 MF  ENG Diallang Jaiyesimi 8 MF  ENG Jake Forster-Caskey 9 FW  ENG Jayden Stockley (on loan from Preston North End) 10 FW  ENG Chuks Aneke 11 MF  ENG Alex Gilbey 12 MF  SCO Andrew Shinnie (on loan from Luton Town) 13 GK  ENG Ben Amos

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 FW  NIR Conor Washington 15 MF  ENG Darren Pratley 16 DF  WAL Adam Matthews 18 MF  ENG Matt Smith (on loan from Arsenal) 19 MF  ENG Albie Morgan 22 DF  NED Ian Maatsen (on loan from Chelsea) 24 DF  ENG Ryan Inniss 26 MF  ENG Ben Watson 27 FW  CAN Liam Millar (on loan from Liverpool) 29 FW  DEN Ronnie Schwartz 30 GK  AUS Ashley Maynard-Brewer

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF  TUR Erhun Oztumer (on loan to Bristol Rovers) until 30 June 2021 21 MF  ENG Marcus Maddison (on loan to Bolton Wanderers) until 30 June 2021

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 FW  ENG Josh Davison (on loan to Forest Green Rovers) until 30 June 2021 33 MF  ENG Ben Dempsey (on loan to Woking) until 30 June 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 31 GK  ENG Nathan Harness 34 FW  ALG Wassim Aouachria 35 MF  ENG James Vennings 36 MF  ENG Jay Mingi 37 MF  ENG Johl Powell 38 MF  GNB Junior Quitirna 39 DF  ENG Luca Vega 41 GK  ENG Joseph Osaghae

No. Pos. Nation Player 42 FW  ENG Charles Clayden 43 MF  ENG Eddie Allsopp 44 FW  LBN Hady Ghandour 45 DF  ENG Lucas Ness 46 DF  ENG Billy French 47 FW  ENG Richard Afrane-Kesey 49 DF  ENG Kasim Aidoo

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 48 DF  ENG Charlie Barker 50 MF  ENG Aaron Henry 52 FW  IRL Dylan Gavin — DF  ENG Mo Buhari — DF  ENG Tyrone Kirunda

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  ENG Charlie Moore — DF  ENG Sam Nwosu — MF  ENG Ryan Godding — MF  ENG Euan Williams — FW  ENG James Gody

• Clayton, Paul (2001). The Essential History of Charlton Athletic. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1020-3.