Nigel Adkins: Charlton Athletic appoint ex-Southampton & Reading boss as new manager
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Nigel Adkins has guided sides to promotion from League One three times since 2007
Charlton Athletic have appointed former Southampton and Reading boss Nigel Adkins as their new manager.
The 56-year-old has agreed a two-and-half-year contract and succeeds Lee Bowyer, who left earlier this week to become Birmingham City's head coach.
Adkins has been out of work since leaving Hull City at the end of his contract in the summer of 2019.
He takes over a Charlton side who are sixth in League One, 10 points off the automatic promotion places.
Adkins led Southampton from League One to the Premier League in back-to-back seasons from 2010 and led Scunthorpe United to the 2007 League One title and promotion from the third tier via the play-offs two years later.
At Hull City he helped the club move away from the Championship relegation places after joining in December 2017 and the club finished 13th in his only full season in charge of the Tigers.
"I believe Nigel is the perfect personality, with the perfect background and the perfect experience to get us to where we want to be," Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard told the club website., external
"Both Nigel and I want us to playing football in the Premier League and I can't wait to see us there."
'Exciting opportunity' with top flight ambition
Charlton came from 2-0 down to beat Bristol Rovers on Tuesday
Adkins - who has also had a season in charge at Sheffield United before being sacked in May 2016 - has a win percentage of just over 42% across his career.
He takes over at a club who appear to be stabilising under the ownership of Danish businessman Sandgaard following a period of turmoil off the pitch in 2020.
"It's a really exciting opportunity for me - something that has happened very quickly," Adkins said.
"I'm really pleased to be here and am looking forward to meeting the players and getting started.
"I had a conversation with Thomas and he highlighted where he wants this club to go.
"It's an exciting and long-term vision. Getting to the Premier League is something that we all want and something that I have done before. I want to achieve that again.
"The team got a great result on Tuesday night and now we need to keep driving on together, because we have got a chance of winning promotion this season."
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