Lee Bowyer has stated that Charlton need 45 points to be safe, and then they can re-evaluate.

The Addicks have had a very good start to the season and have already picked up 18 points from their opening 11 fixtures.

This is their first season back in the Championship after earning promotion from League One last campaign with a play-off victory over Sunderland.

Bowyer's side have started very well, and have surprised many supporters and followers of the division. His team have already beaten sides such as Leeds, Brentford and Reading.

The former Birmingham City player has set his side a target of 45 points to ensure that they're safe, before looking onto bigger things.

Speaking to London News Online, Bowyer said: “I’m happy with the way things have gone. Not just the points on the board, we’ve played some top sides and every single game we’ve been in it.

“In two of the three games we’ve lost it has been set-pieces which have cost us. It’s not like we’ve been outplayed or outfought.

“We’ll go for 45 points and then we’ll know we’re safe. We’ll re-evaluate then, see where we are. It might be that we say then: ‘Let’s have a right good go at it’.”

The Verdict

Bowyer has been excellent since he has been in charge at the Valley and he has actually set a fairly low target for the Addicks considering how well they've been doing.

They are a strong outfit, and obviously they want to make sure they stay in the division first and foremost and I can understand that, but if they keep going the way they are, then they'll have a chance at challenging the top-six come the backend of the season.

They entered what many thought would be a sticky patch before the international break, but ended up with a victory over Leeds and a valuable point against Fulham. This showed that they're here for the long-haul and not to be under-estimated.

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