What a season 2018/19 was for Charlton Athletic and specifically Lee Bowyer who pulled off a minor miracle to get the Addicks out of League One and back into the Championship. 

There is a very strong case to be made for Bowyer being the Football League's manager of the season.

Being able to deal with one of the most infuriatingly stingy owners around is one but to get your side promoted at the same time is something else.

Onlookers were therefore baffled on Monday night then when the club released a statement saying that they had failed to agree a deal with the former Leeds midfielder.

It was a joke of a statement which has since been deleted, with the club blaming Bowyer for the current contract situation whilst taking no responsibility themselves.

Fans went to bed rightly furious.

But then, in the morning, they were ecstatic when it is was announced that Bowyer had now signed on the dotted line in what appeared to be one of the quickest ever u-turns from one of the involved parties.

Here to try and make sense of it all is FLW writer Louie Chandler...

Have you ever seen anything like this before? 

"I am struggling to think of any similar case.

"We have heard plenty of times managers who reject a deal only to sign another one but there is usually a sizeable gap between the moments.

"This happening just over 12 hours apart seems incredibly strange."

What do you think has gone on behind the scenes?

"I would absolutely love to know.

"If I were to put a bet on it, I would say it was a breakdown of communication. That is not to excuse the club for the quite frankly dreadful press release from the night before but I believe that may be why there was such a sudden change.

"In the statement the club seemed adamant that they would not be increasing their offer and, given their spending history, I would be surprised if that changed."

How big a boost is this to Charlton?

"It may have just saved their season.

"I feel like the Charlton owners very much stumbled across a quality manager in Bowyer so I would absolutely not back them to replace him adequately.

"Convincing him to stay is huge for the fans and players alike and may well keep them in the Championship."

What will the players be thinking? 

"I imagine they will be baffled but buzzing.

"We saw from the aftermath of their Wembley celebrations just how strong the bond between the manager and his players is and I imagine many would have been shocked and saddened reading last night's press release.

"But that will have subsided this morning following the update."

What now? 

"I guess attention can well and truly turn to the transfer window.

"Macauley Bonne has already arrived from Leyton Orient in what looks like a clever signing and Bowyer will not want it to be the last.

"A few important loan players will not be returning to the Addicks and will need to be replaced so the owners must now be persuaded to part with some cash."

Will the relationship last?

"I very much doubt it.

"Considering how much the club struggled to offer Bowyer an adequate deal after what he achieved last season speaks absolute volumes about them.

"If he continues on the same trajectory he will be snapped up by a bigger, more stable club in the very near future.

"Although I hope for the fans' sake it is Duchatelet that goes first."