THE MANNER of his departure was symptomatic of his reign at Charlton.

Iain Dowie failed to turn up at training yesterday, leaving the players clueless as to his whereabouts. As clueless, in fact, as they had been on the pitch throughout his chaotic time in charge of the club.

They eventually found out what was going on through the media last night. The players were reduced to texting and phoning each others to check if news that their boss had gone was really true.

The complete lack of communication was a sign of the shambles into which the club, formerly known as one of the best run in football under Alan Curbishley, had descended.

The usual raft of former Charlton faces appeared on television to condemn the decision to axe Dowie as being too hasty.

But the reality was that the Addicks board had decided Dowie's dreadfully disappointing reign had to be brought to a swift end before the situation lurched out of control. Just two Premiership wins in 12 had left the club rock bottom of the Premiership. That was bad enough but it was the circus going on behind the scenes that was really worrying the men upstairs.

Dowie's star signing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was brought in to bring experience and goals alongside Darren Bent in the Charlton forward line. Instead the Dutchman brought friction on the training pitch with several of his team-mates unhappy with his outspoken criticisms of their misplaced passes and their all-round failure to live up to his high standards.

Elsewhere sparks were flying in the Charlton dressing room with some players rubbed up the wrong way by Dowie's hardline management style. Others were openly defying him over losing their places in the side.

Dowie's old boss, Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, correctly guessed at what had been going on when he said last night: "Iain is a very strong character and where there are challenges to his authority he doesn't like it."

And it was little wonder that, as Mirror Sport reported last month, when skipper Luke Young held a team bonding session at a London restaurant just three people turned up.

Dowie responded to that embarrassment by holding a meeting which every member of the club was ordered to attend, insisting that whatever troubles existed would have to be kept in house.

He then organised a bonding session himself. The difference being that attendance was obligatory. The club ordered a coach and everybody went to a bowling alley in south London to see if they could at least get on. That particular night, two weeks ago, was rounded off with drinks at the Funky Buddha nightclub in Berkeley Square, central London and yes, a good time was indeed had by all.

But, despite all the refuelling and all the banter, the fact was that the camaraderie so expertly engendered under Curbishley was just not there under Dowie. And it told on the pitch.

He may have spent £12million during the summer transfer window on the likes of Djimi Traore, Simon Walton, Amdy Faye, Andy Reid and Souleymane Diawara - with Hasselbaink a free transfer.

But it has been Darren Bent who has scored seven of their 10 Premiership goals - and everybody is well aware that the last time a Dowie team relied on just one striker for the goals, that man was Andy Johnson at Crystal Palace.

The result? Palace were relegated from the Premiership and failed to return under Dowie's stewardship, leading to the Irishman parting company with the south Londoners.

Charlton chairman Richard Murray swooped for the ex - Eagles boss with almost indecent haste.

Murray even stood up for Dowie when the pantomime season arrived early back in June. Remember that? Jordan served a writ on his former manager - as he gave his opening press conference at Charlton - claiming Dowie had not been honest in admitting he wanted to go to another club.

Now, however, Dowie is free to go wherever he wants while Charlton pick up the pieces of his disastrous six-month tenure.

Same as with PLG, Dowie doesn't become a bad manager just cos he's had a bad few months. Charlton had a tough start to the season but they were picking up and are in the LC QF's. I would have expected Charlton to stick with him even if relegated. It's a very bad sign indeed if they are getting rid so soon.