Former Charlton ace urges Thomas Sandgaard to make quick decision to avoid making same mistakes as last summer

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Former Charlton ace Paul Mortimer has urged the Addicks to avoid the same mistakes made last summer when planning for the season ahead.

Uncertainty currently surrounds the future of Johnnie Jackson, despite the manager signing a new deal less than two months ago.

The contract is performance-based and will automictically renew at the end of the season if a certain threshold is met in terms of finishing position in the League One table.

Jackson has averaged 1.66 points per game since taking over from Nigel Adkins in October – a return that would translate to over 76 points over the course of a season. That would be enough for a play-off place during most years.

Owner Thomas Sandgaard can also use his own discretion to confirm Jackson’s security for next year before the end of the season, if he so pleases.

Mortimer, who made over 200 league appearances during two spells at The Valley, said the ambiguity surrounding the managerial post will hamper Charlton’s hopes of making a push for promotion from League One next season.

“It’s difficult for Johnnie Jackson because his contract has a performance related aspect to it,” said the former midfielder when speaking to BBC Radio London’s Phil Parry on The Far Post.

“Until he knows he’s going to be there – there’s at least 14 players out of contract – he can’t do anything about preparing. If that’s the case, we’re going to have the situation we had at the start of the season with Nigel Adkins where all of the players came in half-fit, late. Which is why Charlton found themselves in this situation.

“What the chairman has to do is he has to make a decision quickly so they can prepare properly. Because a lot of teams, the last month of the season, even before that, they start to look at their targets and sometimes have them in place. You can’t really do it in the summer, it’s too late then.

“You have to have it done early. If they don’t, they’re going to be in the exact same position that Nigel Adkins had which left them starting the season behind the eight ball and put them where they are now. Charlton should really have been in and around the play-offs. They really should have. It’s not been a great season. They have to learn from those, let’s say mistakes, and make sure they don’t make them at the end of this season.”

PHOTO: KYLE ANDREWS