On Monday afternoon, Charlton Athletic announced Lee Bowyer’s decision to step down from his position as manager amid links to his former club Birmingham, with Aitor Karanka set to be dismissed as Blues boss.
The Addicks have confirmed assistant manager Johnnie Jackson – who owner Thomas Sandgaard has since revealed is among the names being considered – will take the reins for Tuesday’s clash against Bristol Rovers in south London.
Peaks And Valleys
Bowyer’s departure will certainly prove divisive among the Addicks fanbase, though the 44-year-old’s work, the majority of which was conducted under trying circumstances, is there for all to see tangibly.
His tumultuous three-year spell as Charlton boss saw him operate under four separate ownership groups after he succeeded Karl Robinson in March 2018, initially on a caretaker basis. The Addicks academy graduate led his side to the League One play-offs, though ultimately came up short against Shrewsbury Town in the semi-finals before being given the role on a permanent basis four months later.
During his first full season at the helm, Bowyer steered his boyhood club to a third-placed finish, culminating with promotion back to the Championship after a three-year absence.
A penalty shootout victory against Doncaster Rovers in front of the Covered End set up a winner takes all clash with Sunderland at Wembley, where the Addicks recovered from Naby Sarr’s calamitous own goal after five minutes to defeat the Black Cats 2-1 courtesy of Patrick Bauer’s frantic winner with what was essentially the last kick.
Though that looked to be the end of the road for Bowyer, who, in June 2019, rebuffed Roland Duchâtelet’s terms for a new deal. However, a remarkable reversal saw him sign a one-year contract extension.
It wasn’t meant to be for Bowyer and Charlton; a Championship campaign marred by turmoil off the pitch and horrid injury luck on it concluded in the worst possible manner.
The Addicks appeared set to withstand the drop – irrespective of their 4-0 defeat in Yorkshire at the hands of the champions Leeds – before Clarke Oduor’s stoppage-time winner for Barnsley at Griffin Park condemned the south Londoners to relegation on the final day of the season.
But, despite the plummet, Bowyer retained his job, spearheading a bright new era with the ambitious Sandgaard.
This Season’s Struggles
Yet for all the promise that emanated as a result of last autumn’s takeover, Charlton fans can’t escape the underwhelming sense they are filled with now as we begin spring.
Inconsistency has been the Addicks’ Achilles heel this term; an encouraging start – including a six-match winning streak, together with five consecutive clean sheets – was followed by a run plagued by inconsistency, with Charlton yet to win back-to-back league matches since then.
December’s 5-2 victory against AFC Wimbledon would signal the dawn of a host of unwanted statistics on home soil as Bowyer’s men endured an eight-game winless run at The Valley, conceding at least twice in each of those games.
A whole 87 days separated the victory against the Dons and last week’s 2-1 triumph against Northampton and, had it not been for the Addicks’ steady form on the road, Charlton would be out of the play-off picture entirely.
However, as it stands, they sit just two points adrift of the play-off places – albeit having played more games than those in and around them – and, with the bounce of a new manager, could still return to the Championship at the first time of asking. Who that manager will be is an entirely different proposition; Charlton are in the safe hands of Sandgaard, but with this being his first managerial appointment, it s unclear to his modus operandi in this fundamental task.
Birmingham Bound
Bowyer’s return to Birmingham, where he amassed 94 appearances during his two and a half years there as a player, is seemingly imminent, with the former Blues midfielder set to become the club’s 11th permanent manager in the last decade.
The Midlands club are precariously placed in 21st, however, just three points above the relegation places and Rotherham United, who have four games in hand after the recent coronavirus outbreak at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Couple that with the forthcoming four-game run against promotion-seeking Reading, Watford, Swansea and Brentford, and it is certainly an uphill task for Bowyer to preserve their Championship status.
One way or another, it remains a possibility that Charlton will face Bowyer and Birmingham next season, be it in the Championship or League One.
