Charlton have sacked Ben Garner with the club languishing in the bottom half of League One - but allowed him to take training before he departed.
Saturday's home defeat by Cheltenham proved to be the final straw for the Addicks hierarchy, who have opted to make a change less than six months after hiring Garner. Despite that, Garner still worked as usual with his players before telling them of the news himself, according to South London Press.
The 42-year-old was appointed at the Valley in the summer after an impressive season with Swindon. He led the Robins to the League Two play-offs, ultimately losing to Port Vale. Charlton came calling and appointed Garner in June, handing him a three-year deal. However, he lasted just 29 games and leaves the south London outfit in 17th spot, winning five of 20 league games in charge
Owner Thomas Sandgaard said: “We would like to thank Ben for his hard work and commitment to the job. In his time at Charlton, the club have achieved some standout results, including big wins against some of the better teams in this league.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to sustain a consistency of results and our league position and recent form have left us in a situation where we had to act to give ourselves the best opportunity to get the most from this season as well as building a positive and winning environment for future years. We wish Ben the best for the future. Our search for a new manager has begun.”
Charlton won two of their opening four games, including a 5-1 win over Plymouth, who currently sit top of the third tier. That had the Addicks up in sixth for a short period before their form nosedived. Garner oversaw a winless run of eight games before three successes on the bounce gave him some breathing space.
However, they've failed to win their last five games and Garner said after the defeat at the weekend: "I get it, we should’ve won more games and that creates the situation that we are in and the only way to turn it around is to work hard and improve. We have to find a way to do that as quickly as we can."
Garner added: "I don’t think there’s a team in the country who have played more games than us this season and we’re doing that on a small squad with injuries that are having their challenges."
Charlton's next assignment is an FA Cup replay against Stockport, with the winner facing Walsall at home. The Addicks are also one of the lowest ranked sides still in the EFL Cup, with a fourth-round tie to come against Premier League club Brighton later in December.
