12 Managers in 10 Years

With Garner gone, the average lifespan of a Sandgaard manager is just over 6 months. Sandgaard is now looking for his 5th permanent manager since his takeover, and Charlton likely face a record-breaking 4th consecutive year in the 3rd tier.

In the last decade (Since January 2012), Charlton have employed 12 managers on a permanent basis, the 10th highest total in the entire Football League. In League One, no one has hired and fired more, with only Barnsley matching the Addicks.

Across the rest of the Football League, the average club has had 7.66 managers in 10 years. Clearly, the trend across all football is towards shorter managerial appointments but this does not excuse Sandgaard’s actions.

Like him or loathe him, Garner came to Charlton with a clear view on how football should be played, but to do so he needed players that could play his way. Certainly some of the existing squad could do so, and he was likely tasked with getting more out of expensive assets like Fraser and Kirk. However, with just 7 signings, a strong argument could be made that Garner was not given the tools to do the job. After all, 62% of 2022/23 league minutes have gone to players that were with the Addicks last season. Not exactly ringing in the changes.

Personally, I struggle to believe that Sandgaard sacked Garner purely on results, the club had spent too much political capital on promoting his “style of football” in club media. I suspect that a personal falling out behind the scenes forced his hand somewhat. In recent weeks Garner has been increasingly antagonistic in interviews, perhaps promises were broken or Project Breakeven was taking an even bigger toll than expected. Regardless, 12 managers in 10 years isn’t good, lets hope the next 10 won’t be as volatile.

SouthNorwoodAddick

	Club	No of Managers in 2012-22
1	Watford	18
2	Hartlepool United	14
3	Leyton Orient	14
4	Barrow	13
5	Crawley Town	13
6	Leeds United	13
7	Nottingham Forest	13
8	Sunderland	13
9	Barnsley	12
10	Charlton Athletic	12
11	West Bromwich Albion	12
12	Birmingham City	11
13	Blackpool	11
14	Chelsea	11
15	Derby County	10
16	Doncaster Rovers	10
17	Huddersfield Town	10
18	Reading	10
19	Stevenage	10
20	Swansea City	10