This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Charlton Athletic are set to appoint Swindon Town boss Ben Garner as Johnnie Jackson's replacement in the Addicks' dugout.

As per the South London Press, the 42-year-old has agreed to take the managerial vacancy at The Valley.

Garner led Swindon Town to a sixth-placed finish in League Two in 2021/22, with the Robins falling short on penalties to Port Vale in the play-off semi-finals.

With all that being said, we asked three of our writers here at FLW for their verdict on Garner's seemingly impending appointment for the Addicks.

Marcus Ally

It speaks volumes to how badly run Charlton is at the moment, that the best they can attract is Ben Garner.

There is no blame attached to him for taking on the challenge, he will probably receive a significant pay rise compared to at Swindon, but there is no justifying him being worthy of a top League One job - which is what Charlton should be.

It seems like Thomas Sandgaard will be interfering with team selection next season, and in that case, along with some other concerning operations in the boardroom, it is not a surprise to see a modest appointment, like Garner, take place.

The 42-year-old did perform well with Swindon in League Two, but there are a lot of question marks over his capabilities as a League One manager, it is unlikely that he attracts the quality of player that the Addicks need to sign to be competitive towards the top six next season.

 

 

Adam Jones

Considering the turmoil Swindon were in last summer, to get them to a play-off semi-final and only missed out on the final after penalties is an exceptional achievement.

This is why he arguably deserves another chance to prove his worth in League One - and with Conor Washington, Jayden Stockley and Chuks Aneke all potentially at his disposal next season - he should be able to cope without Harry McKirdy.

The Addicks' fans will have high expectations though, unlike Swindon supporters considering previous turmoil, so it will be interesting to see how he copes with that switch.

Playing a decent brand of football, that could help to keep the Charlton fanbase happy, though they may have concerns with his limited managerial experience. It's a gamble - but there have been bigger gambles in the EFL in recent years.

George Dagless

I think it's an intriguing one.

Garner has done a good job at Swindon, especially when you consider the mess they were in when he arrived, and so I can see why Charlton would be interested in him.

The Addicks are in a much more stable position than they have been in recent years but they have underperformed on the pitch, and that is what Garner needs to address in the coming months.

He's shown he's good at working with young players and developing them, too, and that is something that Charlton have always prided themselves on so, providing he gets the time, I think he could be a success at The Valley.