Charlton Athletic appointed Ben Garner as the club's new manager on Wednesday after a 36 day hiatus since the dismissal of Johnnie Jackson.

The Addicks endured a well below par 2021/22 season, finishing 13th, and will be keen to avoid a fourth straight season in League One by pushing for promotion this upcoming campaign.

The third tier is set to be very competitive towards the top end once again, and Charlton need to prepare adequately, to which they are in a race against time to do so, to have any chance of pushing for a place in the top six.

Garner performed well with Swindon Town, finishing sixth in League Two last season, but the demand will only increase with the Addicks failing to achieve a play-off finish in both of their campaigns since relegation from the Championship.

Here, we have taken a look at three dilemmas facing Garner ahead of 2022/23...

Backroom staff

Scott Lindsey and Scott Marshall have not yet followed Garner to Charlton, despite discussions between the duo and the club taking place for them to join the new manager at The Valley.

Should Garner be forced to operate without the team behind him that helped him succeed at Swindon, the task instantly becomes a lot tougher.

Jason Euell remains at The Valley as a first team coach, but it is not yet clear what his role will be next season.

Teething problems

Playing out from the back and implementing a possession-based style of play is not easy at League One level, and large portions of the Charlton squad are not suited to the approach.

However, it is important that the Addicks start the season quickly, to crucially get the supporters onside with Garner's bold ideas.

Charlton currently only have two senior centre backs contracted to the club, Sam Lavelle and Ryan Inniss, the latter of which does not suit playing out from the back at all.

 

 

Results

The club have set the bar very low when it comes to starting the season slowly, picking up just nine points from their opening 13 games last season.

However, Garner cannot afford to have Charlton languishing in the bottom half again in the opening months, it may not cost him his job, but supporters' patience is thinner than ever in League One and particularly after the disappointing 2021/22 campaign they suffered.