Reaction to the news

So after all the speculation for as long as anyone can remember, the prospect of a takeover in the near future has been swept off the table. In true Charlton style, those few with the financial means in their wallet and CAFC in their hearts have again stepped up when the club needs it most.

But perhaps more importantly than the £7 million that has been put into the club, the board has been restructured. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the two main men in Richard Murray and Derek Chappell, and their relationship with one another, and whilst this may be unfair, now that the shuffle has occured, fans may feel more at ease with Murray at the helm on his own. For some reason, fans did not take to Chappell, although this may because his time coincided with a terrible time on the pitch. Murray has made mistakes, but he still has the support of the majority of fans.

The decision making process has been streamlined with fewer bodies having as big a say. Hopefully this will lead to clearer decisions and better communication. Fans have already started to speculate how this restructuring is "clearing the way" for a buy out by Murray and Hatter, but time will tell how true this is. From what has been said in the past, I was of the opinion that Murray no longer felt he had the finances or the energy to continue for too much longer, and was the main reason why the club was up for sale. I don't think that the good start to the season would have revitalised him in a way that he is willing to continue for longer than he originally planned. I think therefore that the £7 million and boardroom shuffle is a short term fix, maybe banking on the club getting promoted this season, and being a more attractive prospect for buyers next season. That the club have said that no players need to be sold certainly backs this up as being the absolute aim this year.

There are other points and questions to be raised, but I will leave that to other bloggers and writers. I am far from being financially minded enough to be able to discuss them in any great detail. What is clear though, is that in the short term at least, this news is very good news, and whilst it isn't the glamourous takover that many were hoping for, we do know that the investors very much have our great club's interests at heart.