The somewhat shock departure of Lee Bowyer, has left new owner Thomas Sandgaard with an interesting decision to make. Does he look for an experienced lower league manager, opt for a high profile appointment, or recruit from within the club?
I’ve been going to The Valley for over 40 years and the most successful and popular managers over that period have been Lennie Lawrence, Alan Curbishley, Chris Powell and Lee Bowyer. The common factor has been that they have either been promoted from within the club or, in Powell’s case, had a connection with the club and the fans.
One of the main reasons why it’s been so important to have a level of continuity with managerial appointments, has been due to financial constraints and a need to bring academy players through to the first team. This has resulted in the club selling young talent for a healthy profit which in the case of Robert Lee and Lee Bowyer threw the club a financial lifeline.
In addition to the financial aspect, it’s in the DNA of Charlton fans to want ‘one of our own’ pulling on the famous red shirt. In my first season at the Valley, I saw Paul Walsh and Paul Elliot (who were both sold to Luton Town). Following them we’ve had Robert Lee, Lee Bowyer, Scott Parker, Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Gomez who have all made the journey from SE7 starlet to England international. I’m sure Thomas Sandgaard is aware of this, but no matter how much money the new manager will have to invest in the squad, the fans expect young players to get opportunities in the first team.
One of the plus points of our 12 months of injury and transfer woes, has been the opportunity to see the next crop of academy players make first team appearances. The stand out graduate is Albie Morgan but he is closely followed in the potential stakes by James Vennings, Aaron Henry and Charlie Barker.
The person who needs to be praised for the production line (along with the pivotal Steve Avory) is Jason Euell, who has quietly been developing a crop of exciting academy players and earning a reputation as a promising young coach with ambitions (like Johnnie Jackson) to manage at the highest level.
So, because of our history of success with internal appointments along with the strength of our academy, I would love to see Johnnie Jackson or Jason Euell given the full-time management role, perhaps with Alan Curbishley or Chris Powell having an advisory role.
As always, time will tell.
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Mr Midlife 75 