Charlton Athletic have begun a new era today with the appointment of Nigel Adkins as their new manager.
The former Southampton and Hull City boss has been chosen by Addicks owner Thomas Sandgaard to replace Lee Bowyer, who departed from The Valley on Monday having tendered his resignation.
It left Sandgaard to find his own manager for the first time, and having brought in several new players to the club in January, getting in his own man for the job means that it really is the Sandgaard Era.
And in Adkins they have managed to attract a man who has multiple promotions from League One on his CV - three to be exact with Scunthorpe United and Southampton - and someone who has Premier League experience.
Adkins has been out of the game for nearly two years after departing Hull City in June 2019, but he is clearly equipped well enough to take on the task of trying to get Charlton back into the Championship - but that's not all that will be asked of him.
Sandgaard has revealed his long-term ambitions for the Addicks' future and he wants to see them in the Premier League as soon as possible.
“I believe Nigel is the perfect personality, with the perfect background and the perfect experience to get us to where we want to be," Sandgaard said, per Charlton's official website.
"Both Nigel and I want us to playing football in the Premier League and I can’t wait to see us there.”
The Verdict
The American-Dane businessman isn't shy on telling people where he wants Charlton to be, and it's a breath of fresh air for the fans to have an owner who cares a lot and has a lot of ambition.
Sandgaard so far has put his money where his mouth is in terms of backing Lee Bowyer in the transfer window, and now he believes he has the right man in charge to put a string of good results together for the rest of the season and beyond.
Charlton currently sit in the play-off places but teams behind them have games in hand and can overtake them if they're victorious - so Adkins will have to rally all of his experience from these past situations to try and drag the Addicks to a top six finish and then promotion.