Middlesbrough Charlton was offered the job as manager of
Second Division club
Middlesbrough on his 38th birthday in 1973. He declined to be interviewed for the position and instead handed the club a list of responsibilities he expected to take, which, if agreed to, would give him total control of the running of the club. He refused a contract and would never sign a contract throughout his managerial career. He took a salary of £10,000 a year despite the chairman being willing to pay a lot more; his only stipulations were a gentleman's agreement that he would not be sacked, assurances that he would have no interference from the board in team affairs, and three days off a week for fishing and shooting. He decided first to repaint
Ayresome Park and to publicise the upcoming league campaign to generate higher attendance figures. Charlton took advice from Celtic manager
Jock Stein, who allowed him to sign right-sided midfielder
Bobby Murdoch on a free transfer. Besides Murdoch the club already had ten players who Charlton moulded into a championship-winning side:
Jim Platt (goalkeeper),
John Craggs (right-back),
Stuart Boam and
Willie Maddren (centre-backs),
Frank Spraggon (left-back),
David Armstrong (left midfield),
Graeme Souness (central midfield),
Alan Foggon (attacking midfield),
John Hickton and
David Mills (forwards). Some of these players were already settled at the club and in their positions, whilst Charlton had to work with some of the other players. He moved Souness from left midfield to central midfield to compensate for his lack of pace and coached him to play the ball forward rather than side to side as was his instinct. Foggon was played in a new role which Charlton created to break the offside trap set by opposition defenders, an extremely fast player he was instructed to run behind defenders and latch on to the long ball to find himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Middlesbrough secured promotion with seven games still to play of the
1973–74 season, and Charlton told his team to settle for a point away at
Luton Town so they could win the title at home but his players ignored his instruction to concede a goal and the title was secured with a 1–0 win at
Kenilworth Road. They won the title by a 15-point margin (at the time only two points were awarded for a win); in contrast promoted
Carlisle United (3rd) finished only 15 points ahead of
Crystal Palace (20th), who were relegated. He was named Manager of the Year, the first time that a manager outside of the top-flight had been given such an honour. He continued to manage and change every aspect of the club. He decided to disassemble the club's scouting network to instead focus on local talent in
Northumberland and
Durham. His only major new signing of the
1974–75 season was
Terry Cooper, a former Leeds United teammate. Building for the
1975–76 campaign, he signed
Phil Boersma from
Liverpool to replace Murdoch, but Boersma never settled at the club and was frequently injured. Despite the team's steady progress, the club's board voted to sack Charlton in July 1976 after becoming increasingly concerned that he was overstepping his authority in negotiating business deals on behalf of the club and choosing the club's strip. The club chairman overruled the decision and Charlton remained in charge. Middlesbrough finished the
1976–77 campaign in 12th place, and Charlton left the club at the end of the season on the belief that four years was an optimum time with one group of players and that he had reached his peak with them – he later regretted his decision. He stated that he could have led the club to a league title if he had stayed and signed two more top-quality players.
Sheffield Wednesday In October 1977, he replaced
Len Ashurst as manager at
Sheffield Wednesday, who were then bottom of the
Third Division. He appointed as his assistant
Maurice Setters, who had experience managing at that level but had effectively ruled himself out of another management job after taking
Doncaster Rovers to court for unfair dismissal. The two agreed that while the standard of football in the division was low, the work rates were high. So, the best way to make progress would be to play long balls into the opposition penalty area while recruiting big defenders to avoid being caught by opposition teams with similar tactics. His priority in the summer of 1978 was to find a target man for
Tommy Tynan to play alongside. He found it in
Andrew McCulloch, who arrived from
Brentford for a £70,000 fee. He signed
Terry Curran as a winger but eventually moved him up front to play alongside McCulloch. Charlton's major acquisition for the
1979–80 campaign was signing
Yugoslavia international midfielder
Ante Miročević for a £200,000 fee from
FK Budućnost Podgorica. Miročević proved unable to handle the British winter but otherwise added flair to the team in fairer weather. Wednesday went on to secure promotion with a third-place finish, and Curran finished as the division's top-scorer. As the
1980–81 season came around Wednesday had young talent such as
Mark Smith,
Kevin Taylor,
Peter Shirtliff and
Mel Sterland breaking into the first team. Wednesday pushed for promotion in the
1981–82 season, but it ended just one place and one point outside the promotion places and would have been promoted under the old two points for a win system that was replaced by the three points for a win system at the beginning of the campaign. In building for the
1982–83 campaign, Charlton signed experienced defender
Mick Lyons from
Everton, and by Christmas Wednesday were top of the table. In March 1984,
Malcolm Allison left
Middlesbrough and Charlton agreed to manage the club until the end of the
1983–84 to help steer the club away from the Second Division relegation zone. He was unpaid except for expenses and only took the job as a favour to his friend Mike McCullagh, who was the club's chairman.
Newcastle United Charlton was appointed manager of
Newcastle United in June 1984 after being persuaded to take the job by
Jackie Milburn.
Arthur Cox had left the club after leading the "Magpies" to the
First Division and key player
Kevin Keegan announced his retirement. His first action was to release
Terry McDermott from his contract, who refused to agree to Charlton's offer of a new contract. He had little money to spend in preparation for the
1984–85 season, though he did have young talents in
Chris Waddle and
Peter Beardsley. The "Toon" finished safely in 14th place, and a teenage
Paul Gascoigne was on the verge of breaking into the first team. Charlton resigned at the end of pre-season training for the
1985–86 campaign after fans at
St James' Park started calling for his dismissal after the club failed to secure the signing of
Eric Gates, who instead joined
Lawrie McMenemy at
Sunderland.
Republic of Ireland Charlton was approached by the
FAI to manage the
Republic of Ireland in December 1985. His appointment was controversial in Ireland at the time due to his status as an Englishman. His first game in charge was on 26 March 1986 against
Wales at
Lansdowne Road which ended in a 1–0 defeat. In May 1986, Ireland won the
Iceland Triangular Tournament at
Laugardalsvöllur, in
Iceland's capital of
Reykjavík, with a 2–1 victory over
Iceland and a 1–0 win over
Czechoslovakia. By this time, Charlton had developed his tactics, which were based on the traditional British 4–4–2 system, as opposed to the continental approach of using deep-lying midfielders, as he noted that most of the Ireland international players plied their trade in England. Crucially, he instructed all members of his team to pressure opposition players and, in particular, force ball-playing defenders into mistakes.
Euro 1988 Qualification for
Euro 1988 in West Germany meant winning
a group containing Belgium,
Bulgaria,
Luxembourg and
Scotland. The campaign opened with Belgium at the
Heysel Stadium, and though Ireland contained danger man
Nico Claesen, they had to settle for a 2–2 draw after conceding twice from corner-kicks;
Frank Stapleton and
Liam Brady scored the goals for Ireland. They then dominated Scotland at
Lansdowne Road, but failed to find the net and instead drew 0–0. The campaign faltered with a 2–1 loss in Bulgaria, though Charlton was furious with referee
Carlos Silva Valente as he felt that both of
Lachezar Tanev's goals should not have counted as
Nasko Sirakov allegedly pushed
Mick McCarthy in the build-up to the first and he felt that Sirakov was outside the penalty box when he was fouled by
Kevin Moran – Valente instead gave a penalty. They picked up another point after a 0–0 draw with Belgium in
Dublin. They ended the campaign with a 2–0 home win over Bulgaria,
Paul McGrath and Kevin Moran the scorers, though Liam Brady (an ever-present in qualification) picked up a two-match suspension after lashing out late in the game after being repeatedly kicked by Bulgarian midfielder
Ayan Sadakov. Despite the victory the Irish had to rely on a favour from the Scots in order to qualify, who duly obliged with a 1–0 victory, courtesy of
Gary Mackay – a substitute earning his first cap – in
Sofia to keep Bulgaria one point behind Ireland in the table. The first match of the tournament was against
England at the
Neckarstadion, and Charlton reasoned that the threat posed by English wingers
Chris Waddle and
John Barnes could be nullified by allowing the English defence to feel comfortable on the ball without allowing them a pass; this made the build-up play slow and containable. His game-plan worked and Ireland claimed a 1–0 win after
Ray Houghton secured an early lead. He then compensated for a series of injuries by playing
Ronnie Whelan and
Kevin Sheedy in central midfield, and was rewarded with a great performance and a good point in a 1–1 draw with the
Soviet Union at the
Niedersachsenstadion, Whelan scoring the goal. To qualify they only needed a point against the
Netherlands at the
Parkstadion, and Charlton devised a time-wasting plan with goalkeeper
Packie Bonner that he was forced to abandon after referee
Horst Brummeier was less than impressed. Ireland lost the game 1–0 after
Wim Kieft scored an 82nd-minute goal.
1990 World Cup Qualification for the
1990 World Cup in Italy required Charlton to mastermind a top two finish in
a group consisting of
Spain,
Hungary,
Northern Ireland and
Malta. The campaign started on hostile ground at
Belfast's
Windsor Park, and he had stand-in goalkeeper
Gerry Peyton to thank for the point gained from a goalless draw with Northern Ireland. A series of injuries left only a skeleton squad to face Spain at the
Estadio Benito Villamarín, leaving a recall for defender
David O'Leary, and Ireland were beaten 2–0. They then left
Budapest's
Népstadion with a point from another goalless draw. However, they were criticised for not taking all two points after dominating the game. Qualification for Ireland's first World Cup was assured at the
Ta' Qali National Stadium after
John Aldridge scored both goals in another 2–0 victory. Ireland's
group opponents in
Italia '90 were England,
Egypt and the Netherlands. Charlton felt that England's four-man midfield of Waddle, Barnes,
Bryan Robson and
Paul Gascoigne did not offer enough protection to the back four, and he was proved correct when Kevin Sheedy cancelled out
Gary Lineker's opener to secure a 1–1 draw in the group opener at the
Stadio Sant'Elia. A poor performance against a negative Egyptian side at the
Stadio La Favorita meant that neither side scored a goal in a dour draw. They ended the group with a 1–1 draw with the Dutch,
Niall Quinn cancelling out
Ruud Gullit's opener in the 71st minute, after which both sides settled for a stalemate as a draw meant that both qualified ahead of Egypt. Ireland then defeated
Romania in the Second Round match at the
Stadio Luigi Ferraris which went to
penalties after a 0–0 draw, before the whole team had a meeting with
Pope John Paul II at the
Vatican. One of the most iconic moments from Ireland's unexpected success in
Italia 90, (the 1990 FIFA World Cup), took place at
Walkinstown roundabout, Dublin on 25 June 1990 after Ireland beat Romania on penalties. Crowds emerged from the nearby public houses of the Kestrel and Cherry Tree and invaded the roundabout to celebrate the win. Amateur footage of the joyous scenes became synonymous with Ireland's success that year and epitomised the sense of hope which prevailed throughout the country, especially after a decade of economic recession. After Charlton died in 2020, fans gathered at the roundabout to recreate the moment and pay their respects to the past manager. Ireland eventually went out to the host country,
Italy, 1–0 in the quarter-finals at the
Stadio Olimpico. A lapse of concentration meant that Italy's
Salvatore Schillaci scored on 38 minutes. Ireland failed to build up enough chances to find the equalising goal. After returning to
Dublin, over 500,000 people turned out to welcome the team back.
Euro 1992 qualifying Qualification for
Euro 1992 in Sweden left Ireland facing
a group of England,
Poland and
Turkey. They opened in style with a 5–0 home win over the Turks and then drew 1–1 home and away with the English; Ireland were the better team than England in both encounters, and Charlton said that they "twice let them off the hook" after Houghton missed easy chances in both games. A 0–0 draw at home with Poland followed, and they were then leading 3–1 in the return fixture in
Poznań but conceded two late goals to end the match at 3–3. Ireland beat Turkey 3–1 in
Istanbul despite the intimidating atmosphere of the
İnönü Stadium, but were denied a place in the tournament as England scored a late equalizing goal in Poland to secure the point that would take them above Ireland in the group.
1994 World Cup To
qualify for the
1994 World Cup in the United States, Ireland had to finish first or second in a
seven-team group of Spain,
European champions Denmark, Northern Ireland,
Lithuania,
Latvia, and
Albania. Lithuania, Latvia, and Albania proved to be little threat to the Irish, and both home and away matches against these three teams earned Ireland the maximum of two points. The two most difficult fixtures – Denmark and Spain away – ended in goalless draws. John Aldridge had a goal disallowed for offside against the Spanish which even Spain manager
Javier Clemente said should have stood. Ireland then beat Northern Ireland 3–0 at home before settling for a 1–1 draw with Denmark. The final game was in Belfast against Northern Ireland during a tense period of
The Troubles. When Quinn scored Northern Ireland assistant manager
Jimmy Nicholl shouted "Up yours!" to his counterpart
Maurice Setters (Charlton's assistant); in response to this Charlton approached Northern Ireland manager
Billy Bingham at the final whistle and told him "Up yours too, Billy". He scheduled difficult matches before the tournament and Ireland picked up positive results by beating both the Netherlands and
Germany away from home. Ireland opened
the group stage of the tournament by beating Italy 1–0 at the
Giants Stadium, Ray Houghton scoring the winning goal on 11 minutes. They then fell to a 2–1 defeat to
Mexico at the
Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, during which Charlton had a pitch-side argument with an official who was preventing substitute John Aldridge (who went on to score the consolation goal) from taking the pitch minutes after his teammate Tommy Coyne had left the pitch and sat down on the bench. For his arguing, Charlton was suspended by
FIFA for the final group game against
Norway, and had to watch from the commentary box as Ireland qualified with a 0–0 draw. They faced the Netherlands in the Round of 16;
Dennis Bergkamp put the Dutch ahead on 11 minutes after
Marc Overmars took advantage of a mistake by
Terry Phelan, and
Wim Jonk scored the second and final goal of the game from 30 yards after Packie Bonner fluffed an otherwise routine save. For his achievements Charlton was awarded the
Freedom of the City of Dublin in 1994 by
Lord Mayor Tomás Mac Giolla, the first Englishman to be given the honour since 1854.
Euro 1996 qualifying Ireland failed to
qualify for
Euro 1996 in England, despite a strong start to
the group, when they won their opening three games, including a 4–0 win against Northern Ireland. The Republic's next game was also against Northern Ireland, although the result was a 1–1 draw. From that point onwards, the Republic stuttered badly as injuries struck down key players
Roy Keane,
Andy Townsend, John Sheridan and
Steve Staunton. After beating the highly fancied
Portugal, the Irish then endured an embarrassing 0–0 draw to
Liechtenstein (this was Liechtenstein's only point in their ten matches), before losing twice to
Austria, on both occasions by three goals to one. Although they defeated
Latvia, Ireland needed to beat Portugal in
Lisbon to qualify outright but lost 3–0. They finished second in the group, ahead of Northern Ireland on goal difference, but as the worst performing runners-up they had to win a play-off game at
Anfield against the Netherlands; Ireland lost 2–0 after a brace from
Patrick Kluivert. Charlton resigned shortly after the game. ==Personal life==