Ben Garner will take on former club Bristol Rovers next season after finally being announced as Charlton Athletic's new manager.
Reports have circulated for a fortnight that Garner would leave Swindon Town for the The Valley, but the Addicks have taken their time confirming the appointment, criticising "inaccurate" reports along the way. Total Sport Swindon reported on Wednesday an £80,000 compensation fee had been agreed to prise the 42-year-old away from The County Ground.
Garner has put pen to paper on a three-year deal and he has made a promise of attacking, entertaining football to Charlton fans.
“It feels fantastic to be here," Garner told the club's website. "I'm really pleased and can’t wait to get going. Charlton is a massive football club. Both in terms of history and tradition and just as importantly in terms of potential and scope looking forwards.
“Attacking football is what I believe in, that is how I think football should be played and I will be looking to implement that from day one, both home and away.
There is no differentiation in terms of how we prepare, how we will play, we will be consistent and we want to attack.
"We want to have the ball as much as possible, creating chances, scoring goals and being on the front foot, playing with lots of energy without the ball.
"I want the team to be positive and confident, I want the fans to enjoy coming to watch us play."
Garner spent 11 months in charge at Rovers, struggling to imprint his desired style of play at the Mem before being sacked in November 2020.
He would take charge at Swindon the following summer, impressively rebuilding the club at short notice after a takeover on the eve of the season. The campaign would end in disappointment, though, losing to Port Vale on penalties in the League Two play-off semi-final.
But it is his style of play – Charlton were League Two's top scorers and they had more possession than any other team – that has impressed his new employers.
Charlton CEO Thomas Sandgaard said: “We are obviously striving for a much better season. We will have the best chance of success by creating more chances and scoring more goals than we did last season. Ben’s track record for playing attacking football matches that.
"We were also impressed with his history of improving and developing players, his man-management and his wide range of coaching experience in the top four tiers of English football. He's a talented, young manager, who is highly respected in the football world.
“Our intention is to get all our teams, through all the age groups, playing with an attacking style. I’m really looking forward to watching Ben implement that style with the men’s first team next season and integrating our young talent."
Sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive Bristol Rovers content
