Sheffield Wednesday urged to "give Charlie Methven a chance" if ex-Charlton Athletic chief secures takeover | OneFootball

FLW's Charlton Athletic expert Chris Woodward has urged Sheffield Wednesday to give prospective new owner Charlie Methven a chance.

A group led by former Sunderland and Charlton Athletic chief executive Charlie Methven is interested in purchasing Sheffield Wednesday, who are seeking a new owner to pull them out of administration.

The Owls have already been relegated to League One, following their hefty points deduction, and are still seeking a new owner to rebuild under, having seen multiple takeover bids collapse since the departure of Dejphon Chansiri.

Now, according to The Star, the latest party interested in taking charge at Hillsborough is a group led by the former Sunderland and Charlton CEO Methven, who hasn't got the best track record, particularly from his time at the Stadium of Light.

The 49-year-old became an unpopular figure on Wearside, and was accused of disrespecting the fans and the club, but his time at Charlton showed a different side to him, as he went on to have a hugely positive impact in his role.

Methven could now be set to make his return to football ownership with the financially-stricken club, which has raised questions about whether he is the right man for the job, given the mixed reviews he'd arrive with.

Sheffield Wednesday urged to 'give Charlie Methven a chance' after successful Charlton Athletic stint

In the wake of the reported interest in Sheffield Wednesday from the party led by Methven, Football League World spoke to their resident Charlton expert, Chris Woodward, about what Wednesdayites could expect from their former CEO, should his bid to buy the club be successful.

Chris told FLW: "My message would be to give Charlie Methven a chance.

"We've all seen the clips from the Sunderland documentary, and their fans' opinions of him are very low, so it's understandable that Sheffield Wednesday feel skeptical.

"Charlton fans felt the exact same way when he came through the door. He was with us for 18 months, but we've come out of it far better than before he came in.

"He was on a big salary at the club for his role, and obviously didn't contribute the most financially, but he definitely played his part in helping turn us around.

"The big difference between both clubs [Sunderland and Charlton] is that, at Charlton, he played to his strengths, acting as a communicator between the football operations, ownership, and fans, focusing on the business side of the game and staying well away from contributing to the footballing decisions.

"Despite his unpopular image at the time, he was more than happy to have discussions with fans in public, and didn't shy away from doing club interviews to help keep fans in the mix, explain all decisions the club had made, and answering queries fans had, which he was very good at.

"For his flaws, Methven definitely had some good qualities in the footballing world, and if he is involved in the takeover at Wednesday, if he plays to his strengths, there's no reason why he can't contribute to helping them rebuild and get out of the situation they find themselves in," Chris concluded.

Charlie Methven would have a chance to further redeem himself at Sheffield Wednesday

Let's not beat around the bush. Whoever takes over at Sheffield Wednesday has a mammoth task on their hands to try and rebuild the club from the ground up, after years of irresponsible ownership by Chansiri.

Methven arrived at Sunderland when they were in crisis themselves, and one of the common criticisms of the 49-year-old from Mackems was that he underestimated how much of an enormous task he had on his hands to return the club to where they wanted to be.

Of course, the role he'd be taking on at Hillsborough would undoubtedly be far more challenging than the one he had at Sunderland, and given how that went, Wednesday fans' worries are completely understandable.

However, as Chris said, Methven had a hugely positive impact during his time at Charlton, after they were hugely skeptical of him when he arrived at the London-based club back in 2023, but he went on to play a key role in the club's resurgence.

Methven clearly learned from his failures at Sunderland, and focused on what he was suited to, rather than interfering with the footballing side of the club, which is what earned him his bad reputation on Wearside.

If the former Addicks CEO repeats what he did at The Valley at Sheffield Wednesday, he will undoubtedly be a valuable asset for the Owls, but should he step into footballing decisions, that's where the cracks could begin to show.