Next Charlton Manager Odds: Five names in the frame
Five names in the frame for the Charlton job
After the early dismissal of Dean Holden, the indications are that Technical Director Andy Scott is not overly concerned about the aesthetics with this next managerial appointment at Charlton.
As the chief decision-maker, Scott is not clamouring for a huge name, nor pulsating football, but simply someone who can fit an imbalanced squad into shape between now and January, and someone in whom the club can be confident will keep Charlton competitive.
Here are five names in the frame for the job...
Danny Cowley
Four years ago, the Cowley brothers were billed as the next big thing in the EFL, inspiring Lincoln to two titles in three years, FA Cup history-making, a top seven finish in their first season back in the league, and an EFL Trophy victory at Wembley.
It may be fair to say Danny and Nicky wouldn’t be discussed for a job at a faltering League One club had the last four years gone entirely to the letter, but they’ve been by no means disastrous either.
In fact, Danny Cowley kept Huddersfield up in the Championship in 2019/20, having previously threatened to follow Sunderland’s plummet, and results at Portsmouth were largely competitive.
Six wins in 12 weren’t enough to get Pompey into the top six of League One in their first season, and 73 points weren’t enough in their first full one: both times, there was some misfortune over results elsewhere.
Plus, Cowley’s side began the following campaign superbly, with 20 points from the first 24 available, but then a spate of injuries including four midfielders (including key man Tommy Lowery) and two right-backs sent things massively off course.
That’s not to say the brothers won’t take some responsibility for their part in the decline of one win in 13, but the likes of Kieran McKenna at Ipswich and Michael Duff at Barnsley, rightly lauded for their incredible work that year and now deservedly managing in the Championship, were able to keep their best XIs largely fit and available.
Charlton aren’t going to get good managers when their stock is at its highest, and this is a golden opportunity to get the Cowley brothers at a stage of their journey where they’re doubted, where they’ve learnt lessons from their experiences, and where they’re available in a way they might not be further down the line.
Michael Appleton
Michael Appleton has had to win fans over at all the jobs he’s had, even the successful ones.
Appleton wasn’t popular at Oxford, in his first season, before a fantastic two years saw him gain legendary status, and it was the same initially at Lincoln before he guided them to the League One Play-Off Final in 2020/21.
The Mancunian has an ambivalent attitude towards supporters, and that in itself is not an evil, because fans can be very fickle – there’s something to be said for just focusing on your job, rather than trying to impress people who will cheer you one week and boo you off the next.
There are, though, some situations in which having a relationship with fans is more important than others.
At stable clubs, where supporters are settled and happy with the ownership, it can work for a manager to be tunnel-visioned.
Charlton, though, have just gone through over a decade of ownership unrest, and in that time the gap between club and fans has grown wider.
People like Chris Powell and Lee Bowyer, who do show they care, are the ones who have delivered success, because they’ve been able to foster a togetherness that wouldn’t be there otherwise.
While there’s unknowns over SE7 Partners, who despite their local connection have been quiet since taking over, and especially the involvement of Charlie Methven, Charlton do need a manager who can galvanize people.
Appleton isn’t that, fantastic coach though he is.
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Darren Moore
Darren Moore has far better people skills than Appleton, and is a likeable person who can get people on board – when he was Sheffield Wednesday manager, he’d clap to the club anthem before the games to encourage supporters to create an atmosphere.
And, there are people who work at Wednesday who have said that, in response to the 4-0 loss at Peterborough in last season's Play-Off Semi-Final 1st leg, Moore’s preparation for the 2nd leg was the best, most elite, professional management they had ever seen.
One of the psychological strategies the former centre-back attempted, was to practice penalties in the lead-up, as a way of cultivating the mindset of expecting the game to go to a shootout – perhaps a form of ‘imagery’.
There were players who had very little belief in the first day of training after the defeat, who were brimming with confidence going into the game, and the Owls ultimately won 5-1 after extra-time, then won - yep, you guessed it… 5-3 on penalties, before Josh Windass’ 123rd-minute winner at Wembley.
Moore showed incredible adaptability to so quickly devise a plan to win the tie on aggregate in the second leg, and that skillset is definitely a strength he could bring to the Valley.
On the other hand, he’s not somebody who establishes a clear, discernible style on the teams he manages, and that might be something Charlton would want for the kind of money it would take to bring Moore to South London.
Leam Richardson
It’s surprising that Leam Richardson has taken close to a year, and counting, to go back into management after losing his job at Wigan midway through the previous campaign.
The 43-year-old inspired the Latics to a remarkable survival in League One in 2020/21, at a time of grave financial uncertainty, before the takeover freed up funds, and he oversaw an astonishing title win the following season.
A long-term assistant to Paul Cook previously, Richardson is quieter than the Liverpudlian – well, him and 7,999,999,998 others – but has been able to instil a unity, spirit, and togetherness about his teams.
Richardson’s sides are normally the best in the league when it comes to the intangibles – heart, commitment and work ethic – and that’s something Charlton could use after some passive performances.
And, this is an opportunity for Charlton to get a recent title-winner without having to pay compensation – but the potential stumbling blocks on either side are around geography and youth development.
On the first aspect, Richardson, wife Jade and the three kids are supposedly settled in Yorkshire, so would Leam want to either relocate his family, or have a base in London and be further away from them?
Secondly, part of the remit at Charlton is to maximize their academy, and Holden started four graduates in his final game, yet Richardson’s work at Wigan came with an experienced squad.
Jon Brady
Jon Brady worked wonders at Northampton last season, and managed to get them promoted on the final day, despite a couple of significant hurdles.
Firstly, the Cobblers missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the previous campaign due to events elsewhere, and the hangover of that, after Play-Off defeat, could have hurt them, as well as the psychological aspect at the business end – would lightening strike twice?
Secondly, perhaps more pertinently, Teyn had 10+ injuries at a time throughout the second half of last season, so the achievement was very much a victory for pragmatism and perseverance.
Of course, Brady needed a committed group to achieve what he did – stories like Jon Guthrie bravely playing on with an injury at Carlisle because there was no other centre-back on the bench – but that mentality came from him as well.
The advantage Brady has over more idealistic managers, is that he’s a great choice when a squad’s imbalanced and top-heavy, as Charlton’s is, because he’s so good at finding effective solutions in a very short timeframe.
Brady has evolved the style at Northampton, too, to the point that Brighton midfielder Marc Leonard – who has enormous long-term potential and had his pick of top-end League One or even Championship clubs for his next loan move – choose to return to Sixfields, and surely his relationship with the manager was a huge factor.
Brady deserves huge credit for his work at Northampton over the last three years, having previously been academy boss, and would be deserving of a step up.
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