The signing of Allan Simonsen in 1982 was the catalyst of a period that led to Charlton’s administration in 1984 and the decision to leave The Valley, their stadium of 65 years. The lasting legacy however was a throbbing financial headache that saw Charlton Chairman Mark Hulyer battle the Inland Revenue over a £145k tax bill along with bankruptcy petitions and winding up orders from disgruntled creditors.
The cherry on top of all this was that Simonsen’s contract stipulated that if Charlton’s situation worsened (and why would it? They had signed a European Footballer of the Year!), he could leave on a free transfer which he duly did, opting to go back to his childhood club, VB, in Denmark and once more spurning the top clubs across Europe.Īnd what happened to Charlton? Well they finished 18th, five places lower than the previous season, avoiding relegation on the last day. In 1983 Charlton’s total income amounted to about £269k. Unfortunately however, he only played 17games, scoring 9 goals, before his astronomical wages and transfer fee nearly bankrupted Charlton. He returned to the Valley as Manager of Fredericia as recently as 2012 to great support. Simonsen undoubtedly became a Charlton cult hero. Which strangely was a wage greater than anyone else in Division Two, including a certain Ronnie Moore, who would bang in 22 League Goals for Rotherham United that season. Coupled with this, Simonsen was drawing in about £82k a year. Secondly the fee, a cool £324k, was twice as much as Barcelona had paid for him and much more than Charlton could afford.
There were however some slight speed bumps in this story.įor a start, Simonsen went to Charlton Athletic who despite having the largest stadium capacity in England at the time, were languishing in the English Second Division and pulling in crowds of about 6,000. A stadium fit for 75,000 people and a Club that had won domestic leagues and cups.
Shunning Real Madrid and Spurs, Simonsen went to the largest stage in England and one of the largest in Europe. The Bernabeu or White Hart Lane may have sufficed for some, but a star needs a platform to showcase his skill. A man of Simonsen’s quality needed a stage on which to shine. Would Simonsen dazzle crowds in London or Madrid? When Barcelona decided to sell him due to La Liga’s restrictions of two foreign footballers per team, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, among others, came knocking. He was Danish royalty, eventually ending his international career with 20 goals in 55 games for Denmark. The only man ever to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners’ Cup finals. This was a man who in 1982 had the football world at his feet.Īllan Simonsen, by October of 1982, had established a reputation for class. Oh yes, today you’re in for a treat, for today we will look at a Danish genius, a dynamic striker who in 1977 beat both Kevin Keegan and Johan Cruyff to win the FIFA Ballon D’or, who graced Barcelona’s Nou Camp for three seasons before finally being replaced by Diego Maradona.
A move so strange it would have broken Football Manager.
And to kick off the series, we begin with a personal favourite of mine.