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**A Message to Fans From Lee Bowyer**

edited May 2018 in General Charlton
Following Sunday's disappointment at Shrewsbury, Lee Bowyer has the following message for fans...

The last two months have been some of the most enjoyable of my career in football and I’d like to thank everyone associated with Charlton Athletic for that.

When I first took charge in late March, we had a real challenge in front of us to make the play-offs and I am grateful for the way everyone at the club and the fans pulled together to help get us there. From my first game against Plymouth there was that togetherness. The players went out there and gave me a great start and I won’t forget that goal from Lewis Page for a long time. The noise that day was outstanding too and a sign of things to come.

Since then, it felt like we were on a journey. The players were superb, I demanded 100 per cent from them every time they trained and every time they stepped onto the football pitch and, to a man, they gave me that.

I’d also like to thank Jacko - he’s been so important. You can see the work he’s done with the defence, we conceded just seven goals in my 12 games in charge and he must take a lot of credit for that. He’s also been outstanding on the training pitches and by my side on the touchline in the games.

The staff around the club have been brilliant too. There are a lot of good people doing great work at Charlton and I am very grateful for the support they have given me.

I think I’ve said it in pretty much every press conference I’ve done, but the fans have been outstanding. I asked them to support the boys and get behind them and they went over and above and that does give the players that little bit extra. I mentioned the Plymouth game and it continued from there, the Portsmouth and Blackburn games especially stick out, and they were brilliant in our play-off games against Shrewsbury too.

Finally, I’d like to thank the owner. He believed in me and gave me the opportunity to take charge.

As well as the thank yous, I’d also like to apologise. I wanted promotion, I thought we would get promoted and it hurts and frustrates me that we didn’t get there. I know how important it was to the fans and everyone at the club and I am truly gutted we weren’t able to get our win at Wembley.

As for my future, you may have seen my comments to the press this weekend. Do I want to be at Charlton? Yes, I love the club. I loved it when I first joined all those years ago and that feeling has only been enhanced by the way people have supported me over the last 18 months.

I can only be honest and, for me, I want to be manager, that’s not an ultimatum or demand, it is just how I feel. But that is for another day and today is about apologising for missing out on promotion and, more importantly, saying thank you to all of you. This is a special club and whether I am here or not, I hope the club gets the promotion the fans and staff deserve next season.

15th May 2018 15:45pm

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Comments

  • Bless his cotton socks !

    SLB ?
  • Top man is Lee. Thank you for the hard work you and the staff have given to the club over these months, especially the last couple.

    Bowyer is a really down to eatrth, hard working, honest man who deserves the job. I fully understand new owners wanting to bring in Powell, but if they can’t, bringing in an experienced head to help out Bowyer and Jackson would be the best move possible.

    Let’s get the takeover out the way. Build again as a club, as a fan base and get that promotion next season.
  • thanks Lee you restored my faith in the team, just need a new owner to hopefully restore my faith in the club
  • Message to Lee.
    Do you have enough detailed knowledge of players managers and systems used in this league, and would you have the managerial stamina to go through the marathon of a whole season, and are you shrewd enough to react to unexpected stuff, and surprise situations? Would you benefit from an experienced guy to help, and I don't mean dear Jacko?
    Lee your basic approach is a lot better than Robinsons, and you are to be congratulated for that, in addition you are easy to like, but could you roll success out over a tough old season where it isn't only grim up north, it's grim everywhere?
  • seth plum said:

    Message to Lee.
    Do you have enough detailed knowledge of players managers and systems used in this league, and would you have the managerial stamina to go through the marathon of a whole season, and are you shrewd enough to react to unexpected stuff, and surprise situations? Would you benefit from an experienced guy to help, and I don't mean dear Jacko?
    Lee your basic approach is a lot better than Robinsons, and you are to be congratulated for that, in addition you are easy to like, but could you roll success out over a tough old season where it isn't only grim up north, it's grim everywhere?

    I believe he could.
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  • That statement sounds a bit of a goodbye to me.
    If it is, at this level, he will be a very tough act to follow.
    I hope he gets the gig and at least 6 quality players.
  • Wow that statement shows the man has class.

    Have to admit i had my doubts when he first came in, was thinking of the kind of player/personality he was when he played for us.
    People learn from their life experiences - we all do.

    Am happy to eat humble pie. But who knows what a new owner will do. If a takeover ever gets done!
  • If nobody else will say it I will, whys he mentioning the owner? He was only ever appointed because RD was never gonna pay anyone else. Surely he knows that. Thought he’d have more backbone than that. Disappointing.

    With no-one at the club it is just possible Roland did offer him the job.
    Cut him some slack
    This is supposed to be a message to the fans, why mention it at all? If he had any real understanding of the situation he wouldn’t have. He was appointed by default whether Roland gave him the job or not.
  • If nobody else will say it I will, whys he mentioning the owner? He was only ever appointed because RD was never gonna pay anyone else. Surely he knows that. Thought he’d have more backbone than that. Disappointing.

    I think amidst all of the superlatives he uses for everything else he says don't you think what he says about the owner is very flat. In this way I think he has said what we all know. Ffs Roland just go. I hope Lee stays, but I worry he may not be given that managers role. The Aussies say they want to listen, can the trust tell them we want bowyer and Jacko to be given a chance next season as I have a hunch that's what most of us want.
  • Best wishes Lee - you're a top fella.
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  • Hope you are at CAFC next season, Lee, but if not, thanks for an amazing lift in club spirit and connection to the fans! Best wishes and many thanks.
  • If nobody else will say it I will, whys he mentioning the owner? He was only ever appointed because RD was never gonna pay anyone else. Surely he knows that. Thought he’d have more backbone than that. Disappointing.

    That's what I thought.

    Other than that small thing a very good statement.

    As i said elsewhere, we were like the middle distance runner who gives there all to catch the leading pack but in doing so leaves nothing in the tank for the final sprint.
  • Great statement. Well said Lee.
  • Nice, as per the other post, under new owners I’d give him a shot at it and the support he needs.
  • Well said. I wasn't sure about LBs appointment at first given his somewhat chequered past, but he's impressed me hugely with the way he's gone about things and the way he conducts himself.
    It's shown also that the old Charlton feeling that's been missing for so long hasn't gone away, but is just below the surface waiting to erupt when the coffin dodging Belgian FAILURE takes his grubby money and goes.
    I am sort of pleased that we lost to Shrewsbury so that this takeover can move on sooner rather than later.
  • Good message. I think Bowyer did everything that could reasonably have been asked of him and came out of it with a lot of credit.

    We had all given up on the play offs before the Plymouth game. I recall a thread opened by a Plymouth fan in which we wrote our chances off in that game. I think whatever happens, we can acknowledge he did a decent job.
  • Thanks Lee, and a well written "farewell" if it is goodbye

    Personally, I'd like him to stay on, but with somebody experienced there as well in a Director of Football type role, someone who knows the league and how to build squads for promotion from this level.
  • Like almost everything else he has done in the last two months a classy message.

    Thank you Lee for making it interesting despite the wider mess of ownership you made me care, cheer, sweat and swear again about our onfield antics.Afeeling that had been ebbing

    Whatever the future holds my family will always have Northampton, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Blackburn to think back on and smile.
  • edited May 2018
    My dream is that they'll appoint Lee, get Curbs in as his experienced assistant manager (less responsibility means he could still do the odd pundit job that he enjoys on a Sunday) and have Jackson working specifically with the defence as a first team coach - no coincidence that our goals conceded record improved massively since he focused on taking charge of that.
  • If I was about to take the club over I would try to have a word with Bowyer if I was entertaining the possibility of him continuing. Sounds like nobody has!
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Roland Out Forever!