Peeters pays ultimate price for Charlton Athletic slide

Bob Peeters has been sacked as manager of Charlton Athletic, following a recent poor run of no wins in their last eight league games.

The Belgian coach was installed as Addicks manager at the end of last season, when he was appointed to replace compatriot Jose Riga who had quit the role after he had just helped the club avoid relegation to the third tier. Peeters was tasked with the job of making further progress in the second-tier this term, and got off to a fine start as his side were unbeaten in 11 matches.

This prompted optimism amongst fans that Charlton could perhaps push for a playoff place and a long-overdue return to the elite, but their form of late has seen them slip down the standings. The Londoners have not won since 8 November, a run of eight games which includes four draws and four defeats, the latest of which came at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

The Valley side are now 14th in the Championship table, 10 points off the top-six and just eight above a relegation zone they battled so hard to avoid last season. A club statement on Sunday read: “Peeters enjoyed a good start to life in the Championship. However, given the recent downturn in results and performances, the board felt they had to make a change at this time.”

The current favourite to succeed Peeters is Guy Luzon, who led Standard Liege to runners-up in the Pro League last season. The Israeli is well known to Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet, who also owns the aforementioned Belgian club, so it understandable why the 49-year-old has been heavily linked with the newly vacant position despite being relatively unknown in England.

Other names in contention include Tim Sherwood, who remains available despite being linked with several clubs since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, and former Fulham manager and Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen. Brian McDermott, most recently of Leeds United, could also be an option, whilst Martin Jol is also looking for a return to management.

A shock contender could be Alan Curbishley, who managed the club for 15 seasons up until 2006 which included seven successive campaigns in the Premier League and an impressive seventh-place finish in the 2003-04 edition. It seems crazy to think the 57-year-old was ousted when fans believed they had stopped progressing, but he remains popular and would consider a return.

“If they wanted to talk to me I’d have a chat to them,” Curbishley, who went on to manage West Ham United following his departure from the Addicks, told Sky Sports. “But I think they’ve probably got someone lined up. You don’t sack managers nowadays if you haven’t got someone lined up to go in. They are not the club I left. It’s been a long time now but they are still a big club.”

Are Charlton right to sack Peeters, and who should succeed the Belgian? Let us know what you think by joining in with the discussion below.

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