‘It was very quiet apart from negative shouting’: Charlton boss Lee Bowyer hits out at his OWN FANS on their return to The Valley after his side slump to a 1-0 defeat by MK Dons
- Charlton welcomed 2,000 fans back to The Valley on Wednesday evening
- But manager Lee Bowyer was unhappy with the atmosphere they created
- Charlton, fourth in League One, slumped to a 1-0 defeat against MK Dons
Charlton manager Lee Bowyer has astonishingly criticised his own fans for ‘negative shouting’ on their return to The Valley for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.
With London coming out of the national lockdown in tier two, The Addicks had 2,000 fans back on Wednesday night to see their side slump to a 1-0 defeat against MK Dons in League One.
Manager Bowyer felt those who got their hands on a ticket should have been more encouraging towards his players.
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer was unhappy with the atmosphere at The Valley with 2,000 fans
Supporters made their gradual return on Wednesday night to see Charlton lose to MK Dons
‘I’m pleased to see them back in,’ Bowyer said after the final whistle. ‘I would have liked it to have been a bit more positive from the fans.
‘They’ve been away so long, I’d rather they get behind the team and try and get them going.
‘Even though it was 2,000 I expected non-stop singing, supporting the players and pushing them. But it wasn’t like that.
‘It was very, very quiet apart from some negative shouting – and I didn’t expect that.’
Bowyer refuted claims that his players felt nervous about having fans in attendance for the first time since March.
‘I don’t believe (the crowd) made a difference,’ Bowyer said. ‘We’ve been wanting them to come back from day one and they’ve been kept away.
‘Listen, the players didn’t really do too much to get people on their feet – but sometimes they need a bit of help, and that’s what our fans are great at.’
Bowyer rejected claims his players might have been nervous about fans coming back
The defeat leaves Charlton fourth in League One and their next home game is December 12
The last time supporters were at The Valley in March, Charlton were a Championship side but were relegated when football eventually returned behind closed doors.
The defeat leaves Charlton fourth in League One with 26 points but are two behind third-place Peterborough with a game in hand.
Bowyer’s side are away at Shrewsbury on Saturday and return to The Valley on December 12 to host Wimbledon.
