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Charlton sack their manager; top six favourites to replace him named

Charlton Athletic sack their manager Nigel Adkins with immediate effect following a shocking run for form in League One this season.

The Addicks have won just two of 13 matches and are in the relegation zone in the third tier of English football, a huge concern to their fans.

Adkins was at the club for seven months and won nine games out of the 26 games he was in charge of since replacing Lee Bowyer.

CLUB STATEMENT:

Charlton Athletic can confirm the departure of Nigel Adkins as the club’s Manager.

Johnnie Jackson will take the role of Caretaker Manager and will be assisted by Jason Euell.

Owner Thomas Sandgaard said: “Nigel joined us at the end of last season and had an immediate impact, as we finished the season well, just missing out on a play-off place on goal difference. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to carry that form into this season.

“I’d like to thank Nigel for his hard work, positivity and continued professionalism during his time at the club. We are all disappointed that it hasn’t worked out this season and we wish him the very best for the future.”

Jackson took one game in his previous role as Caretaker Manager in early March, when the Addicks beat Bristol Rovers 3-2 at The Valley. He will take training on Thursday morning and will speak to the press on Thursday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sunderland.

Manager Nigel Adkins spoke to CharltonTV following his side’s 3-2 defeat against Accrington Stanley in SE7 on Tuesday night.

Harry Pell fired the visitors ahead with an outstanding free-kick from range on nine minutes, before the Addicks levelled proceedings soon after the half-hour mark thanks to a David Morgan own goal. However, two quickfire goals from Pell and Ethan Hamilton after the interval restored Stanley’s advantage, with captain Jayden Stockley’s strike 12 minutes from time ultimately going unrewarded.

“Well obviously it’s a poor result for us,” Adkins told CharltonTV. “We’ve started the second-half really well; Corey Blackett-Taylor has got us off on the front foot. Until they’ve scored we’re in it, we’re the team dominating really. It’s a poor goal. We’ve stopped the player coming into the penalty area and there’s a player in the box, just mark your man and he leaves him.

“And then all of a sudden the game changes,” he added. “We’ve pushed and pushed, we had a few kicked off the line. The players showed a lot of spirit in the second-half.

“I’m disappointed with the first-half, I alluded to it in the programme notes, we knew Accrington Stanley under John Coleman, the way they are,” explained Adkins. “They are a big side, they get the ball forward. Yes, they will settle to play out from the back and if you allow them they will. It’s a competitive game.”

So, who are the top six favourite to replace Adkins?

Chris Powell – 12/1

Chris Powell is an English football coach and former player, who is currently the assistant manager at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and a coach for the England national team. As a left back, Powell played for Southend United, Derby County, Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Watford and Leicester City. He also made five appearances for the England national team.

With Charlton he had three spells as a player over eight seasons and in the 1999–2000 season was part of the squad that won the First Division to be promoted to the Premier League.

After finishing his playing career at Leicester in 2010, Powell became first team coach. He then returned to Charlton Athletic as manager. In the 2011–12 season, Charlton were promoted to the Championship as League One champions in Powell’s first full season as a manager. He has also managed Huddersfield Town from 2014 to 2015. He was assistant manager at Derby County from 2016 to 2017, including a spell as caretaker manager. He then managed Southend United from January 2018 to March 2019.

Powell served as chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association from November 2005 until he retired. In October 2009 Powell was named as one of 50 ambassadors for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

Neil Harris – 8/1

Neil Harris is an English professional football manager and former footballer who played as a striker. He was most recently the manager of Championship club Cardiff City.

Harris is Millwall’s all-time record goalscorer, with 138 goals in all competitions. He broke the previous record of 111 goals, held by Teddy Sheringham, on the 13th of January 2009, during a 3–2 away win at Crewe Alexandra. He has made the fourth most appearances for the club, with 432. He also played for Cambridge City, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest, Gillingham and Southend United. Harris retired from professional football in June 2013 and took up a coaching role at Millwall. Having briefly acted as caretaker-manager after the dismissal of Steve Lomas in January 2014, Harris was given the same role following the dismissal of Ian Holloway in March 2015 and was confirmed as permanent manager of Millwall on the 29th of April 2015. He moved on to become manager of Cardiff City in November 2019, but was sacked in January 2021. The Bluebirds had initially only won three of their opening 13 fixtures, inviting pressure on Harris. A 4-match winning streak was undone by 6 straight defeats that sealed his fate as manager.

Michael Laudrup – 8/1

Michael Laudrup is a Danish professional football coach and former player. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

During his playing career, Laudrup won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, although he was also capable of playing in other offensive positions. A world class playmaker, he was a member of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” at Barcelona, where he won nine trophies, including four successive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994 and the European Cup in 1992. Laudrup moved to arch-rivals Real Madrid in 1994, with whom he won his fifth La Liga title in a row.

Laudrup made his debut for Denmark on his 18th birthday in 1982, and scored 37 goals in 104 appearances. He starred in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and from November 1994, he captained Denmark for a total of 28 matches, including the victorious 1995 Confederations Cup tournament. He played alongside his brother Brian in the Denmark team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, and retired as an active player after the tournament.

In 1999, Laudrup was voted the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football over the preceding 25-year period[8] and in April 2000 he was knighted, receiving the Order of the Dannebrog. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA’s Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Denmark by the Danish Football Union, their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was officially named the best Danish footballer of all time by the Danish Football Union (DBU) in November 2006. He was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players at a FIFA awards ceremony in 2004. In April 2013, he was named by Marca readers in the “Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid’s history”.

On the 16th of October 2021, at a show celebrating the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark’s 125th anniversary, 125 candidates for the title of the greatest ever Danish sports star had been reduced to eight, and Laudrup was named the winner.

After retiring as a footballer, Laudrup took up coaching, became assistant manager of the Denmark national team, got his first manager job at former club Brøndby in 2002, whom he guided to the 2005 Danish Superliga championship, but then chose not to extend his contract with Brøndby in May 2006. He took over as coach of Getafe and had notable success there. He brought the club comparative success in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup, and the team’s attacking style received plaudits. On the 15th of June 2012, Laudrup was appointed the manager of Premier League club Swansea City on a two-year contract. In his first season in south Wales, he won the League Cup, the first major English trophy in Swansea’s 100-year history. In February 2014, he was sacked by Swansea after a “significant” slump in the Premier League, leaving them two points above the relegation zone. Laudrup then managed Qatari clubs Lekhwiya and Al Rayyan between 2014 and 2018.

Jason Euell – 7/1

Jason Euell is a former footballer who is now a first-team coach at Charlton Athletic. He played as either a forward or a midfielder. He has also been capped three times by Jamaica.

He spent much of his career playing in the Premier League, with all but one season between 1995 and 2007 in the top flight — firstly with Wimbledon, where he spent six years, including one season in the First Division, then Charlton Athletic for five years, before a season with Middlesbrough.

He then dropped to the second tier of football in England, initially with Southampton, where he spent two years, before his move to Blackpool in 2009, where he was part of the team which won promotion to the Premier League. In 2011, he rejoined Charlton Athletic – by now in League One – for a second spell and helped them win promotion to the Championship. Later that season he was loaned to AFC Wimbledon, the successor to his first club.

Michael Flynn – 5/1

Flynn resigned on the 1st of October 2021 after nine league matches of the 2021-22 season with Newport sitting 15th in League Two. Newport’s assistant manager Wayne Hatswell was appointed as caretaker team manager.

The 40-year-old had been in charge since 2017 and had a contract that ran through until the end of the season.

Flynn, who had three spells as a player with Newport, spearheaded County’s great escape from relegation in 2017 when they were 11 points adrift with 12 games to go.

He came agonisingly close taking the club up to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1987 only to suffer controversial playoff final defeats to Tranmere Rovers in 2019 and Morecambe last season.

Flynn’s teams saw plenty of strong league performances as well as cup runs that brought much-needed income into the club.

In 2018, they knocked out then-Championship club Leeds United to earn an FA Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur, with Harry Kane’s late equaliser denying County a famous win but leading to a lucrative replay at Wembley.

The following year the Exiles knocked out Leicester and Middlesbrough to set up a tie with Manchester City in Newport, with Pep Guardiola’s side winning 4-1.

Last season, County also earned victories against Swansea and Watford in the Carabao Cup before being knocked out on penalties by Newcastle, then they suffered a shootout defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup.

The campaign ended in controversy against Morecambe – with the Exiles denied one clear spot kick before the solitary goal came from a disputed one – and Flynn failed to get the promotion he craved for his hometown club.

Mike Flynn Press Interview on becoming Newport County AFC Manager - YouTube

Johnnie Jackson – 4/1

Jackson is an English former professional footballer who last played for Championship club Charlton Athletic as a central midfielder, a left sided midfielder or as a left-back. He currently the club’s assistant manager.

He’s previously played for the likes of 1999–2006 Tottenham, Swindon, Colchester, Coventry, Watford, Derby, Colchester, Notts County and Charlton Athletic as well as England U17, England U18 and England U20.

Shortly after having his contract triggered for another 12 months at the end of the 2016–17 season, local newspaper KentLive reported that Jackson was appointed as new first-team coach. Jackson became Robinson’s backroom staff, alongside Lee Bowyer and Steve Gallen.

After Robinson’s departure as Manager on the 22nd of March 2018, it was announced that Jackson would assisting Bowyer as the Caretaker Manager despite initial reports that Jackson was expected to be appointed as Caretaker Manager instead.

On the 15th of March 2021, Bowyer resigned as Charlton Athletic manager. On the same day, Jackson was put in caretaker charge of the club.

Jackson was named caretaker manager of Charlton Athletic for a second time on the 21st of October 2021 following the departure of former manager Nigel Adkins.

Fans gave their reaction as Charlton sack their manager and the top six favourites to replace him named…

@DavidMurphy27: I am sorry it didn’t work out for Nigel Adkins. I was so hopeful it would. He seems a very decent man, so I wish him all the best in the future (except when we play him).

@SamSamcarter11: Gutted for him as he seemed a lovely guy and I wanted it to work, but we needed to change. We now need to get the next appointment bang on and save this season as best we can.

@IR7VS: I really thought he got the Ethos of the club and everything the club was working towards, league 2 football and potentially the ability to play in the FA Trophy in a few years seemed ambitious but he had belief, I don’t think the new guy will have the same drive as him.

@RyeSavage_: As I said before – CHRIS POWELL! Unfinished business #cafc

@killerandflash: Nothing against Nigel as a person, who’s a decent bloke, but it hasn’t been working this season, and worse still there’s been no sign of improvement. Two weeks off for the international break, and instead the team were even worse

@BillyWalford12: Get Brucey in

@Montague_Streek: Shame it hasn’t worked out. Genuinely nice guy. Big job to turn it around now

@connorfawdry: Nice guy but the football was terrible and he was tactically clueless. Had to happen, right appointment is crucial now #cafc

@JonnersJ: Bye bye Nigel, had so much time for you up until September, seemed like such a lovely lovely man but the results have just not been anywhere near the standard. Good luck for the future, let’s get behind JJ and JE now and push on!

@happycharlton98: You’ve done the right thing Thomas, maybe should have been sooner, it needed to be done, it wasn’t working out.

@DaveCook86: Right decision wish @TheNigelAdkins well for the future

@natediazisking: Well, onto the next. Lets see how fucked we really are.

@ChrisHa65312520: Shame it didn’t work out, as Nigel seemed a genuinely good bloke. But we needed to move on; we can now all look forward with renewed positivity.

@EvansEsquire: Good luck Nigel, thanks for the great run of form at the end of last season, shame we had to let Chuks leave, his goals would’ve saved you your job

@Leon3196: Shame it didn’t work out but the right decision in the end. Seemed like a genuinely nice bloke. Just wasn’t the right fit. All the best for the future. Let’s get this season back on track.

@QwentyJ: Didn’t get the hate for Nigel, seems like a top bloke, just wasn’t working out and wish him nothing but the best for the future.

@lukefuller__: Appalled! He had legend status at his feet. Sangaard out!

@marcDcafc: Thank god for that!!!! Well done Thomas for making the first monumental decision of your chairmanship, it’s damn tough in this league and we can’t carry anyone

@jazcunners83: About 4 games too late!!!

@THEMIND1972: @TheNigelAdkins absolutely love the passion for life and your morning chats were uplifting. Shame it never worked out for you. I wish you well in the future.

@CafcFacts: The right decision has been made. Time to buckle down and get moving up the league table starting this Saturday

@BenH93_: Boom 💥💥💥 Only 6 weeks too late but we got there in the end. #cafc

@JonN_zey: Adkins is a nice guy, but the situation just could not continue. We all need to get behind Jackson and give him time.

@Jackosaysrelax: Good for a temporary appointment. Don’t want full time though. Need a total shake up.

@keithjnewman65: Good luck JJ and JE. You know us fans are all behind you

@SamLegg0: 100% effort Saturday, all we ask.

@millieedmund17: Come on Jacko! Make us proud🤝

@PJN1960: Jacko’s the man! Someone we can really get behind. Hopefully he’ll get it full time, he’s good enough!

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