# 2008–09 Charlton Athletic F.C. season

During the 2008–09 English football season, Charlton Athletic competed in the Football League Championship. It was their second consecutive season at this level since relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2006–07 season.

## Season summary

Charlton were tipped to make a strong challenge for promotion, but it all went wrong for the Addicks and by the time manager Alan Pardew was sacked in November the club was in serious danger of a second relegation in three seasons. He was replaced with former Colchester United manager Phil Parkinson, but he was unable to save Charlton from falling into English football's third tier for the first time since 1981, coming in last place, 12 points adrift of safety.

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Nicky Weaver |
| 2 | DF | FRA | Yassin Moutaouakil |
| 3 | DF | CTA | Kelly Youga |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Nicky Bailey |
| 5 | MF | CHN | Zheng Zhi |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Mark Hudson |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Jonjo Shelvey |
| 8 | MF | IRL | Matt Holland |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Andy Gray |
| 10 | FW | BUL | Svetoslav Todorov |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Darren Ambrose |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Darren Ward (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Matthew Spring |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Josh Wright |
| 16 | MF | ENG | Scott Wagstaff |
| 17 | FW | GHA | Chris Dickson |
| 18 | MF | GHA | Lloyd Sam |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Dean Sinclair |
| 20 | MF | FRA | Therry Racon |
| 21 | GK | IRL | Rob Elliot |
| 22 | FW | WAL | Stuart Fleetwood |
| 23 | DF | POR | José Semedo |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Jonathan Fortune |
| 26 | DF | WAL | Grant Basey |
| 27 | MF | ENG | Rashid Yussuff |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Harry Arter |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Chris Solly |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Danny Butterfield (on loan from Crystal Palace) |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Aswad Thomas |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Jack Clark |
| 35 | GK | IRL | Darren Randolph |
| 36 | FW | COD | Trésor Kandol (on loan from Leeds United) |
| 37 | FW | JAM | Deon Burton |
| 38 | MF | TUR | Tamer Tuna |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Luke Varney (to Derby County) |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Jerome Thomas (on loan to Portsmouth) |
| 14 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie (on loan from Sheffield United) |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Izale McLeod (on loan to Millwall) |
| 29 | MF | SEN | Amdy Faye (to Stoke City) |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Martin Cranie (on loan from Portsmouth) |
| 29 | DF | SCO | Graeme Murty (on loan from Reading) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 30 | MF | DEN | Martin Christensen (on loan to Lyngby Boldklub) |
| 32 | MF | DEN | Mikkel Rygaard Jensen (to Herfølge Boldklub) |
| 34 | FW | ALG | Hameur Bouazza (on loan from Fulham) |
| 35 | DF | ENG | Linvoy Primus (on loan from Portsmouth) |
| 36 | FW | ENG | Martyn Waghorn (on loan from Sunderland) |
| 38 | DF | SCO | Jay McEveley (on loan from Derby County) |
| 38 | MF | ENG | Tom Soares (on loan from Stoke City) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Transfer Fee |
| 24 May 2008 | DF | Mark Hudson | Crystal Palace | Free |
| 9 August 2008 | MF | Hameur Bouazza | Fulham | Season-long Loan (recalled 8 January) |
| 13 August 2008 | MF | Nicky Bailey | Southend United | £750,000 |
| 28 August 2008 | DF | Linvoy Primus | Portsmouth | Three-month Loan |
| 27 November 2008 | FW | Deon Burton | Sheffield Wednesday | Loan (made permanent 2 January) |
| 9 January 2009 | MF | Matthew Spring | Luton Town | Undisclosed |
| 30 January 2009 | FW | Trésor Kandol | Leeds United | Loan until end of season |
| 30 January 2009 | DF | Darren Ward | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Loan until end of season |
| 2 March 2009 | DF | Danny Butterfield | Crystal Palace | Loan until end of season |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Transfer Fee |
| 12 June 2008 | DF | Paddy McCarthy | Crystal Palace | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2008 | DF | Cory Gibbs | Free Agency | Released |
| 30 June 2008 | DF | Chris Powell | Free Agency | Released (joined Leicester City on 27 August) |
| 14 July 2008 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Undisclosed |
| 16 July 2008 | FW | Marcus Bent | Birmingham City | £1,000,000 |
| 31 July 2008 | DF | Madjid Bougherra | Rangers | £2.500.000 |
| 14 August 2008 | DF | Ben Thatcher | Ipswich Town | Free |
| 15 August 2008 | MF | Amdy Faye | Stoke City | Undisclosed |
| 15 August 2008 | FW | Jerome Thomas | Portsmouth | Loan (made permanent 21 August) |