Two former Portsmouth managers to be interviewed as Charlton Athletic start manager hunt

Two former Portsmouth bosses could be in line to join their League One rivals Charlton Athletic, with both set to hold interviews with them over their managerial vacancy.

The Addicks are on the search for a new manager after parting company with head-coach Dean Holden on Sunday following their slow start to the 2023/24 campaign. Charlton had won one in five matches, and sat 19th in the league standings at the time of his sacking, and had been eliminated by Newport County in the Carabao Cup.

He was the first managerial casualty of the season in the third tier of English football and now Charlton are on the hunt for his successor. It was reported that Chris Powell was offered the role on an interim basis but now the club will begin the process of finding a new manager.

Sunday Mirror Sports journalist Darren Witcoop has thrown five names into the ring for the vacancy at The Valley, and it includes two men who have managed Pompey. He said: “Managerless Charlton expected to hold interviews with candidates. Danny Cowley, Mark Hudson, Michael Appleton and Leam Richardson believed to have shown early interest or be of interest.

“Lee Bowyer would be keen on a return but looks unlikely at this stage.”

Danny Cowley has been out of work since Pompey parted company with him in early January. He revealed last week he had job offers but is still yet to find the job that works for him. Cowley has been working as a pundit recently, and was commentator for BBC Solent, for Pompey’s draw with Stevenge.

‘I think we’ve had some offers and we’re trying to wait for the right one, whatever that looks like,” he said to BBC’s Andrew Moon.

‘Ultimately, for us, it’s just trying to find a club that I think is self aware enough to know where it is today, has a clear vision of where it wants to go and I think once you know the start point and the destination then, you know whether you can come in and affect and influence and then hopefully help that club.

‘That’s what we’re looking for and time will tell, I suppose, if we can find that.’

Meanwhile, Michael Appleton is another candidate, and has been out of a job since being sacked as Blackpool head coach in January. The 47-year-old was manager of Pompey from November 2011 to November 2012, and he had a 25.5% win percentage. In a further develolpment, South London Press confirmed that Appleton would be interviewed this week over the vacancy. He said that he was ken to get back into management earlier this month, and was open to being an assistant manager or a coach.

Should either Appleton or Cowley be successful then they could face Portsmouth when the two sides meet on Saturday, November 11, at Fratton Park.