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Les Reed moved into the manager's chair at Charlton and insisted he was not the man who masterminded the downfall of Iain Dowie.
Reed, 54, was handed the job yesterday, less than 24 hours after Dowie had been informed on the phone by chairman Richard Murray that his short time in charge of the club was over.
Les Reed factfile
Charlton explained yesterday that Dowie had been sacked following a "detailed review" of football matters at the club.
Dowie's coaches and players were consulted before Murray decided to swing the axe in the wake of Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Wigan.
As he promoted assistant manager Reed to the top job on a permanent basis it sparked suggestions that Dowie had been stabbed in the back by those closest to him but Reed strongly rejects the idea that he led a mutiny at the Valley.
Reed said: "Anybody who knows me will tell you that is not the way I operate. I would never do that.
"Football is a cruel game and, unfortunately, opportunities usually arise because of the demise of somebody else. I was out of work for two years after getting the sack at the FA.
"This is not the way I would have chosen to come into the job but I can't dwell on that.
"Iain is a great manager and an inspirational and charismatic person. He has left with dignity and a lot of chairmen must be keeping an eye on his situation. I wish him well and I hope he is successful."
Dowie and Reed left good luck messages on each other's phones yesterday but did not have the chance to speak.
Reed, the FA's former director of youth development, spent his first day at the helm watching Charlton's reserves play behind closed-doors against Bournemouth, a game which saw Souleymane Diawara return to action after injury.
He may be a complete unknown to many Premiership fans but the man tasked with hauling Charlton out of relegation trouble has handled some of the most famous footballers in the country, working the likes of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham as they matured through England's youth system.
Reed said: "My background is unusual but I'm not new to management. I managed a massive department at the FA and have plenty of experience working with international players.
"This job doesn't daunt me but it is a challenge and I'm looking forward to it. Charlton is my club. I was born on the other side of the river but my family worked in the docks and a lot of them came over to watch Charlton and always talked about Charlton."
It was about 6pm on Monday when chairman Murray phoned Dowie to inform him the board were making a change, only 12 games into the Premiership season.
He was invited to the training ground in south-east London to discuss the decision yesterday morning but declined the offer.
The only question that mattered to Dowie was: "Is the decision reversible?" The answer from Murray was: "No." End of conversation.
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