Charlton Athletic handed huge Nathan Jones concern as Championship club sack manager

Charlton Athletic may be sitting nervously after a Championship club decided to sack their head coach on Sunday. Cardiff City have had a disastrous start to the season that has seen them pick up just one point and scoring only one goal.

The Bluebirds were expected to kick on from their top half finish last season, but they have done anything but, and just months after handing head coach Erol Bulut a new contract, Vincent Tan and the Cardiff board have decided to sack him, opting for a fresh start after reports of a fallout between the now former Bluebirds boss and his assistant, while there has also been internal criticism over training sessions this season.

A Cardiff statement read: “Cardiff City Football Club can confirm First Team Manager Erol Bulut has been relieved of his duties and will leave the Club with immediate effect. The Board of Directors wish to thank Erol for all of his hard work and wish him well for the future.

“First Team Coach Nikolaos Karydas will also depart and leaves with the Club’s best wishes. Further backroom staff confirmation will follow in due course. Omer Riza will take charge of the First Team on an interim basis, while the Club look to recruit a new permanent First Team Manager.”

The news could be an issue for Charlton, with manager Nathan Jones having been linked with the role previously. The Welshman was favourite to get the job at various points in the summer, when Cardiff were still undecided over giving Bulut a new contract, and he is also emerging as one of the early favourites in the wake of Sunday’s news,

Jones’ situation

Jones took over the Addicks in February, arriving on a long-term contract. It was a disappointing season all round last season, but Charlton have started well this term, picking up 13 points from seven games, currently sitting fourth.

Jones said when he took the Charlton post back in February: “I am extremely excited by the challenge in front of me at Charlton. It is a club that I have fond memories of from my time here and I want to play my part in moving the club forward.

“I have been approached by a number of clubs to get back into management but I have been waiting for the right opportunity. From my conversations with the Board and given the long-term nature of the contract, I can see there is a real appetite to build something here which I am really looking forward to being a part of.”