Charlton v Manchester City

LES REED has mounted a staunch defence of Charlton boss Iain Dowie.

Bottom-of-the-table Addicks host fellow strugglers Manchester City this Saturday at The Valley amid speculation that only a vicvtory will keep Dowie in the job following the club’s worst start to a Premiership campaign.

Reed, the club’s highly respected assistant head coach and former FA technical director, heavily endorsed Dowie’s credentials and insisted that a top-half finish remains a realistic target.

Reed said: “Iain is a workaholic and wants to leave a legacy at the club. What he needs right now is a win. He’s very much hands-on, very much adrenalin-driven. People ask who keeps the manager’s spirits up, well that’s my job.

“We have a good back-room team comprising John Harbin, Mark Robson and myself who all deal directly with Iain and the players. We meet regularly, talk regularly and Iain is receptive to people throwing in ideas.”

Of the immediate future, Reed added: “If we can get ourselves into a mid-table position coming into the new year it will be because we’ve turned things around and that we’re doing things better.”