Lee Bowyer resigns as manager of Charlton Athletic

Lee Bowyer has resigned as the manager of Charlton Athletic.

Bowyer has been in charge of Charlton for around three years, taking over as caretaker manager in 2018 before being given the permanent role later that year.

But Charlton have now announced he will be leaving The Valley.

The club have confirmed assistant manager Johnnie Jackson will take charge of the team for Tuesday’s home game against Bristol Rovers.

What has been said?

Bowyer said: “It was a difficult decision to leave. Everyone knows how I feel about the club. I could have gone before but I felt it was the right thing to do to stay and help the club through the tough times we’ve been through.

“We had some amazing times and some tough times. It has been emotional leaving.

“I’d like to thank all the players that I’ve worked with and the staff for the hours and hours of hard work that they did. I also want to thank the supporters. We wouldn’t have had those great memories without them.

“The club is now in a place with a good owner that cares and wants to improve the place and I hope the club can continue to grow. It will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Owner Thomas Sandgaard added: “I would like to thank Lee for everything he has done for Charlton.

“I have enjoyed working with him and wish him the best for his future. Our focus now is on finding the correct replacement to take this club forward.”

What did Bowyer achieve at Charlton?

Since taking over the reigns at The Valley in March 2018, Bowyer led Charlton to the League One play-offs in consecutive seasons, resulting in the club’s promotion to the Championship in the 2018-2019 campaign.

Charlton were, however, relegated on their first season back in English football’s second tier.

They currently sit eighth in League One, two points off the play-off places with 11 games remaining this season.

What did Bowyer achieve as a player?

A combative midfielder, Bowyer started his career at Charlton but rose to prominence as a member of Leeds’ successful sides in the top-flight at the turn of the century.

He took part in semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Leeds and was voted the club’s player of the year by supporters in both 1998-99 and 2000-01.

Bowyer was a regular feature for a number of Premier League sides with 397 top-flight appearances also spanning across stints at West Ham, Newcastle United and Birmingham City.

In a career that also involved its fair share of controversy, the Englishman got his first taste of silverware when lifting the League Cup with Birmingham in 2010-11 and was also capped once by his national team.

(Photo: James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)