Lee Bowyer eager for Charlton to clear last promotion hurdle after proving people wrong with management start

Impressive start: Lee Bowyer has led Charlton to a play-off final in his first full season in charge
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Giuseppe Muro24 May 2019

Lee Bowyer admits he has surprised a few people. Even those who know him did not think he would make the transition from player to manager, so the remarkable job he has done at Charlton has been unexpected to many.

There was genuine excitement last summer when Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard led a group of still young former players taking their first steps into management with Derby and Rangers. There was interest, too, about how Joey Barton would fare at Fleetwood.

Bowyer’s full-time appointment at Charlton attracted less attention, but there is now an argument he is up there with the most exciting of the next generation of English coaches.

Bowyer is one step away from guiding Charlton back to the Championship. They meet Sunderland in the League One Play-Off Final at Wembley on Sunday, a feat which looked unlikely last summer and speaks volumes for the job Bowyer has done.

“A lot of people who know me probably thought I would not have wanted to come back into the game, because I just loved playing and training,” he says.

“But I always believe in everything I do, because I know I will give it 100 per cent.

“I just want to be the best I can be. I am the same as I was when I was a player, I am a winner. Nothing will ever change there. That is just the person I am.

“When I first took over, I thought I would see how it goes. But I have loved it. To see things come together, that is why I am enjoying it so much.

"No one tipped us to be in the top six, to do what we have done or to play the way we have. But I believed we would push for promotion and I have not been wrong. This is the last hurdle now.”

Appointing Bowyer is one of the few decisions owner Roland Duchatelet has got right during his troubled five-and-a-half years at The Valley.

There have been many mistakes and failures in that time, but Bowyer — ably supported by his assistant, Johnnie Jackson — has been an unqualified success.

He has breathed new life into the club. Working against a constant backdrop of uncertainty about a proposed takeover that has been ongoing since he first took over as caretaker manager in March last year, Bowyer has built an exciting young team that have reconnected the club with their supporters.

Charlton finished third in League One — and that is despite Bowyer not spending a penny in the transfer market and losing top-scorer Karlan Grant to Huddersfield in January.

With talk of a takeover back on the cards, promotion on Sunday could be the start of an exciting new chapter for the south-east London club.

After beating Doncaster, Charlton will head to Wembley to try and secure a return to the second tier
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“The big change is not just on the pitch, but off the pitch,” says the 42-year-old, who started his career at Charlton more than 20 years ago.

“It was unreal to fill The Valley up with over 24,000 last Friday [for the second leg of their play-off semi-final]. It was emotional for me seeing everyone come together.

“It is unreal how far the club has moved. I am proud of that because that was my aim at the start of the season. I had two goals: to bring the club back to what it was like before I left it and to get promotion. I feel like I’ve achieved the first thing, now for the second one.”

Bowyer still smiles when thinking back to that crazy night at The Valley when Charlton beat Doncaster on penalties to reach Wembley after a 4-4 draw on aggregate.

“I came home and had a couple of glasses of wine on my own to try and bring the adrenaline down,” he says. “But I was up until 4.30 in the morning and I was still wide awake in bed!

“I was over the moon but I did not really celebrate. It has always been about whether we go up. Get the right result Sunday, then I will celebrate. I know the lads are going to give me everything and I trust them.

“I have told the players to enjoy the moment and grab it. These are the occasions why you play football. I wish I was still a player for this but I will be fine because I believe in them.”

As for Bowyer, he is out of contract next month and Charlton have yet to agree a new deal with him. Talks are set to resume next week, but he could be even more in demand should he achieve a promotion for his CV.

“We are going to speak again after the game,” he said. “The last couple of weeks we have wanted to focus on getting back into the Championship, because that is the most important thing.

“If we get the right result on Sunday, then I would love to lead this team into the Championship. This club should not be in League One.

"Promotion would open up new doors and new pathways for the club. I am sure we will agree for me to stay. I want to stay, I love the club."

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