Nathan Jones simply cannot suffer same disastrous Charlton Athletic fate as Lee Bowyer | OneFootball

The Addicks are currently fifth in the Championship table following an impressive win at Ipswich Town.

Charlton Athletic have enjoyed an excellent start to their 2025/26 Championship campaign under Nathan Jones.

The Addicks have carried the momentum gained during their promotion-winning season in League One into the new campaign, and currently find themselves fifth in the Championship table.

Charlton brought in a number of new signings during the summer transfer window to prepare for their return to the second tier, including Thomas Kaminski, Amari'i Bell, Sonny Carey and Charlie Kelman, and their new additions have suitably strengthened the squad to create a highly competitive Championship side.

Since Jones was appointed manager in February last year, Charlton have only lost three of their 35 games at The Valley. The Addicks were unfortunate to suffer their only home defeat so far this season against Leicester City in August, having had the vast majority of the shots on target and only conceding to an incredible long-range effort from Abdul Fatawu.

While their home form will undoubtedly provide the platform for any success they achieve this season, Charlton have also caused problems on the road. Jones' side have already kept clean sheets away against Bristol City, Sheffield United and Ipswich Town, and took all three points against both the Blades and the Tractor Boys.

Jones has a squad of players who have fully bought into the way he wants to play. Only high-fliers Coventry City have kept more clean sheets than Charlton so far this term, while no team has won possession in the final third on more occasions than the Addicks.

Despite ranking 24th in the league for average possession, Charlton have had the eighth-highest number of touches in the opposition box and taken the eighth-highest number of shots on target per match, which Jones will no doubt be pleased with as the manager of a club that was tipped by many to suffer an immediate return to League One.

Nathan Jones must avoid Lee Bowyer fate at Charlton

While Charlton will be delighted with the start they have made to the season, many of their supporters will remember what happened the last time they were in the Championship during the 2019/20 season.

Lee Bowyer had taken the Addicks into the Championship via the League One play-offs, and his side had 18 points after the first 11 games of the season - the exact same record as Charlton have under Jones as things stand this time around.

Charlton beat the likes of Brentford and Leeds United, as well as drawing 2-2 against Fulham at Craven Cottage, during the early months of that season, which resulted in a feel-good factor at The Valley that was similar to what is currently being experienced in SE7.

However, despite their encouraging start to the 2019/20 campaign, Charlton ultimately suffered relegation on the final day following a 4-0 defeat at Elland Road.

Jones must ensure that he keeps the momentum going at The Valley during the remainder of this season, as Charlton simply cannot afford for there to be a repeat of their fall-off six years ago.

Charlton Athletic are in a far better position this season

There is no doubt that Charlton are in a far better position than they were six years ago, so Jones will hope that his side can keep picking up points on a consistent basis between now and the end of the season.

A number of unfortunate factors contributed to the Addicks' plummeting down the table in 2020. Firstly, on-loan striker Jonathan Leko suffered a season-ending injury against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in December, having scored five goals and assisted four in the league up to that point.

The next blow suffered by Charlton saw midfielder Conor Gallagher be recalled by Chelsea in January and sent back out on loan to fellow second tier side Swansea City. The Addicks losing arguably their most important player midway through the season was one of the main reasons why they could not maintain their level of performance for the duration of the campaign.

Another key factor in the Addicks' relegation that year was top-scorer Lyle Taylor's decision not to play once football returned following the break due to the pandemic, as his contract had expired by that point, and he did not want to risk injury ahead of his contract expiring in the summer.

Taylor had scored 11 goals in 22 appearances prior to the break, and Charlton were ultimately relegated by one point, so they would likely have survived had he played those nine games, given the fact Charlton drew three times and also lost by one goal on three occasions during his absence.

While on-loan Southampton defender James Bree has been key for Charlton this season, the Addicks are less reliant on loan players this time around, and their much-improved ownership situation means they should, hopefully, have a more productive January transfer window than they did in 2020.

As long as they do not suffer the same sort of bad luck with injuries, it seems likely that Charlton will build on their tally of 18 points after 11 games in a far better manner than they were able to last time they found themselves in this position.