Charlton will today begin the search for a new manager just six months after appointing Iain Dowie as the successor to Alan Curbishley.

The Addicks are currently bottom of the Premiership, winning only two of their 12 matches.

Further comment is expected later today, after a short statement was posted on the club's official website.

"The Addicks announced on Monday night that head coach Iain Dowie had left Charlton," it read. "The club will issue a further statement on Tuesday morning."

Despite their terrible league form, Charlton had last week reached the last eight of the Carling Cup where they will face Wycombe.

But the London club's predicament at the foot of the Premiership proved too much, which appears to have prompted chairman Richard Murray and his fellow board members to act.

When Dowie - who agreed a three-year deal - was unveiled as the Addicks' first new manager in some 15 campaigns following the summer departure of long-serving boss Curbishley, Murray was at pains to point out the importance of retaining top-flight status.

Now it seems that factor has proved critical in the decision to part company with the 41-year-old, who had wasted little time in spending the best part of £10million on new additions to the squad.

Charlton are likely to put assistant Les Reed in charge for the weekend Premiership clash at Reading.

The likes of Billy Davies, now at Derby, and Peter Taylor were among the 20 candidates interviewed for the post, before the late availability of the former Northern Ireland striker.

Curbishley himself wasted little time ruling himself out of a return to Charlton last night.

He said: "I left Charlton for a new challenge. Going back would not be good for me or for the club."  PA