Ben Garner: I hope I am given time to perform the ‘open-heart surgery’ needed to turn Charlton Athletic around
Charlton boss Ben Garner hopes he will be given time to lead the transformation needed at the club.
The Addicks boss was appointed by owner Thomas Sandgaard in the summer but finds his side perched just two points above the League One drop zone a quarter of the way through his first campaign at The Valley.
The South Londoners are winless in eight league games following Saturday’s stalemate at Lincoln City – with just two league victories to their name after 12 outings.
Asked how he assessed the start to his Charlton tenure, Garner said: “Frustration would be the overriding feeling. We had a really good start. We’ve had some disappointments. The end of the window we didn’t get done what we wanted to do, which had an impact short-term.
“We’ve rebounded from that and we just need some wins.
“One win will flood the group with confidence. Then we can get some momentum. If we’re playing poorly, I’ll always be honest and say it. That was not a poor performance today [at Lincoln]. It was a good away performance. We just needed a little bit more in the attacking third. Then we come away and win that and it’s a great result.
“We got the playing style across really early [during his spell in charge] and I was happy with that. Pre-season was excellent. We had a decent start to the season. We picked up injuries, which made it hard. We were down to bare bones. We probably had to play a couple of players who aren’t ready for League One football because we were in that position where we had to do that.
“We’ve made a lot of changes. A lot of progress off the pitch. But there’s still a lot to change. This isn’t a quick fix. It’s open-heart surgery at this football club. There’s lots that needs to change, lots that needs to improve. I want to lead that process. I want to be here for a long time and hopefully I’ll be given the opportunity to do that, because I’m confident I can build success at this football club and get Charlton back where they should be.”
PHOTO: KYLE ANDREWS
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