Divisive ex-player could hurt Charlton Athletic again in April: View

Now that Charlton Athletic’s new owners, SE7 Partners, have chosen to fire head coach Dean Holden in late August and install Michael Appleton in his stead, the club’s supporters are likely feeling pretty good about themselves.

Despite starting the 2023–24 League One season with a win, Holden’s dismissal came after just five league games, making him the first casualty of the EFL season.

Additionally, a manager with expertise in League One was brought in to take over at Appleton. This manager had nurtured young, aggressive players like Brennan Johnson and Kemar Roofe while working at Lincoln City and Oxford United.

The Addicks have only lost twice in the league in ten games since Appleton arrived, earning 16 of a possible 30 points. This is a respectable record considering that Appleton isn’t really leading the team.

Charlton and Appleton will anticipate being in the race for the top six come playoff time, sitting five points out of the play-off spots in 11th place. However, as they battle for that spot toward the conclusion of the season, their opponents will be trying to ruin their fun.

Wycombe Wanderers is one of such teams, and over the past week, the Chairboys have strengthened their offensive line by adding Lyle Taylor, a former Addick.

In addition to having the potential to undermine his former club’s aspirations to finish in the top six, he also presently divides opinion among the fans at The Valley.

Taylor, a striker in the prime of his career who had scored double figures for the Dons in League One the previous two seasons, came to Charlton from AFC Wimbledon in the summer of 2018.
He performed the same with the Addicks, scoring 22 goals to help them advance to the Championship through the play-offs. He then carried over his scoring success into the second division, tallying 11 goals in 22 games.