Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer talks about Birmingham City job link

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer says being linked to the hotseat at rivals Birmingham shows how well his players have done amid the turmoil of recent months.

The former Blues player, who played 94 times for them from 2009-11, scoring 12 goals, is third-favourite for the manager’s job at St Andrew’s, with odds of 4/1.

And he said: “It is always nice to be recognised for the hard work we are doing.

“I am not surprised to be linked to the Birmingham job because I played there. It is automatic in the circumstances.

“But I am just focusing on Charlton. This is my task. The link will not take away my concentration.

“It is the players who have to do it on the pitch – that is why I’ve said ‘we’ not ‘me’.

“They are the ones who have gone out and done what I have asked of them, day in, day out – not just on match days.

“It is something we have earned the right to – being recognised. That is why our players have gone on, unfortunately, to bigger and better things: Joe Aribo, Karlan Grant, Krystian Bielik, Anfernee Dijksteel. It shows we are doing the right thing – improving players. And they are buying into it.”

PICTURE BY PAUL EDWARDS