Lee Bowyer

Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Personnel
Surname	Lee David Bowyer
birthday	3rd January 1977
place of birth	Newham , London ,  England
size	175 cm
position	midfield
Juniors
Years	station
	Senrab FC
	Charlton Athletic
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
1994-1996	Charlton Athletic	46 0(8)
1996-2003	Leeds United	203 (38)
2003	West Ham United	10 0(0)
2003-2006	Newcastle United	79 0(6)
2006-2009	West Ham United	41 0(4)
2009	→  Birmingham City  (loan)	17 0(1)
2009-2011	Birmingham City	64 0(9)
2011–2012	Ipswich Town	29 0(2)
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
1995-2000	England U-21	13 0(4)
2002	England	1 0(0)
Stations as a trainer
Years	station
2018–	Charlton Athletic
1 Only league games are given.

Lee David Bowyer (born January 3, 1977 in Newham , London ) is a former English football player and current coach.

The midfielder, trained at Charlton Athletic , but slender but strong in tackles, had his best sporting time at Leeds United between 1996 and 2003 and was most recently under contract with Ipswich Town . Although he was already considered highly talented at a young age and temporarily led the English U-21 team as captain, he only made one international match in the senior national team . Bowyer has accumulated the most yellow cards in the history of the Premier League and has repeatedly made negative contributions outside the field through, among other things, racially motivated behavior.

Professional career

In the club

Education: FC Senrab & Charlton Athletic (until 1996)

Bowyer grew up in London's East End and inherited his enthusiasm for football from his father, who took him to the home games of West Ham United in Upton Park at an early age - his early childhood idol was Billy Bonds . Bowyer laid the foundations for his own game and especially the foundation for the tough duel in midfield at the small club Senrab FC , named after Senrab Street in the Stepney district . Players like John Terry , Sol Campbell , Jermain Defoe , Ledley King and Bobby Zamora also matured in this inconspicuous “management workshop” . There he was finally discovered by talent scouts, but - like his idol Billy Bonds - they were in the service of Charlton Athletic and not, as longed for, West Ham United.

He successfully completed the “Addicks” training program and received his first professional contract in the 1994/95 season - a year earlier than usual. The debut in the first team in the League Cup against Swindon Town was followed by the first second division appearance in the home game against Watford FC in the following week . In the following season 1995/96 he made his sporting breakthrough. The fact that he won a regular place straight away was not so unusual, but rather he impressed with a very mature ball control, tackling strength and game overview in midfield. In doing so, he not only aroused the interest of those responsible for the English U-21 selection , but also prompted Leeds United coach Howard Wilkinson to pay the transfer fee of 2.8 million pounds for Bowyer's transfer to Elland Road in the summer of 1996 lay; No club had paid that much for a teenager in British football before.

Athletic high phase: Leeds United (1996-2003)

At his new club, Bowyer fitted in with good performances, scoring a goal against Derby County (3: 3) on matchday one , before the ball hit him in the face so unlucky on his fifth appearance against Manchester United (0: 4), that he temporarily lost sight in his right eye. After a two-month break, he returned under the new coach George Graham without permanent damage and proved in the remaining games as a central component in the midfield of Leeds. At the beginning of his second season 1997/98 Bowyer had to fight for the first time with sporting setbacks, was absent in the first games and was only a supplementary player after returning to the team behind the newly signed Alf-Inge Haaland and David Hopkin . It was not until March 1998 that he fought his way back into the regular formation alongside much more experienced teammates with outstanding performances against Tottenham Hotspur , Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, thus ending press speculation about a possible imminent change.

In the 1998/99 season Bowyer regained his regular place from Hopkin and showed himself to be a "midfield motor" and "all-rounder" dangerous for goals. Although his aggressive defensive work earned him a large number of warning cards, at the end of the season he was one of the nominees in the Young Professional category for England's Footballer of the Year - the winner here was Frenchman Nicolas Anelka . From a sporting point of view, Bowyer did not show the numerous problems that dragged him into the public focus and into the courtroom at the turn of the millennium. Between 1999 and 2001 he reached his footballing zenith, initially in the 1999/2000 season he had a large share in both the Champions League qualification and with five goals for the semi-finals in the UEFA Cup . Arrived in the "European premier class", Bowyer surpassed the previous year's performance there again in the 2000/01 season and scored six goals in 15 Champions League games - his long-range goal for a 1-0 home win against him in the first group stage attracted particular attention the AC Milan . With reaching the semifinals and a total of 15 goals from 54 competitive games, this was probably the best year in Lee Bowyer's career.

Despite an injury that left him sidelined for a few games in autumn 2001, Bowyer remained a key player in Leeds United's midfield, even though the great sporting success - also due to the missed Champions League qualification in the previous year and the resulting austerity measures of the club - now stopped. After his acquittal in the trial of the "beating affair" earlier this year, in which an Asian student was badly harmed in a nightclub in Leeds, Bowyer refused to pay an internal fine - the subject was less the incident itself, but the nightly activity and drunkenness per se. The club then put him on the transfer list, but removed him again when Bowyer gave in. However, there was no further contract extension. Rather, Bowyer played poker in a possible move to Liverpool , which then - Leeds United had already accepted the transfer fee of nine million pounds - but failed after intensive talks in July 2002 because of the veto of the coach Gérard Houllier who worked there . Although Bowyer's time in Leeds was now drawing to a close, he went into the next 2002/03 season and was still "motivated" with two goals in the first four games. When relegation candidate West Ham United was interested in a commitment at the turn of the year , Bowyer moved in January 2003 to the club he had been with in early childhood.

Stagnation: West Ham United / Newcastle United (2003–2009)

Lee Bowyer for West Ham United (2006).

The transfer fee for West Ham United was only 100,000 pounds and since the main financial burden was in the high salary payments for Bowyer, the contract initially only had a fixed term until the end of the 2002/03 season. The debut was delayed by a month due to injury and after his debut against Newcastle United he played ten more competitive games - mostly on the wing instead of in the center - before knee problems caused his season to end prematurely. West Ham rose to the second division and so the club decided in May 2003 not to pull the option of a contract extension due to the high personnel costs for Bowyer.

Free transfer, he went to Newcastle United at the beginning of the 2003/04 season , where he again suffered various injuries. If, after more or less missed preparation for the season, he got fit in time as a result of his foot operation, problems with the hip caused another three-month break from November 2003. Even with the "Magpies" he was now more often on the right wing than in the midfield center and he scored his only two goals of the season in two consecutive matches within half a week. The best performance since his time in Leeds finally followed in the 2004/05 season. Once again he drew attention, especially on the European stage in the UEFA Cup , and scored three goals in his nine appearances. His 2-1 winning goal in the 82nd minute of play against SC Heerenveen is particularly noteworthy. The fact that he was sent off four minutes later, in a certain way, ideally demonstrated the “downside of the coin”, as Bowyer saw three red cards this season. This included a suspension after violent scenes with Kieron Dyer on the pitch - Dyer was his own teammate. After a failed move in the summer of 2005 to Birmingham City , Bowyer went into his final 2005/06 season for Newcastle United. After a goal in the UI Cup against Deportivo La Coruña (1: 2), he sustained a knee injury in the league game against Wigan Athletic . After that, he was unable to earn a regular place until the final phase and, after further knee problems, completely missed the last four games of the season.

Bowyer moved again in June 2006 to the meanwhile first-class hometown club West Ham United . His debut in the 3-1 win against Charlton Athletic received a lot of attention as he prepared all three goals and a goal of his own narrowly failed on the post. Further promising performances were then interrupted again by injuries. His shoulder, which was dislocated on New Year's Day 2007, made a two-month break necessary and even after his return Bowyer no longer played a decisive role in the team. In August 2007 Bowyer scored his first goal against Wigan Athletic (1-1) for the "Hammers" and demonstrated good performance on the right side - outstanding his performance in the 5-0 away win against Derby County with two goals of his own. A groin injury was then responsible for the fact that Bowyer did not play another game in the season, especially after a last appearance in February 2008 against Birmingham City. There followed only seven more competitive games in 2008 for Bowyer and at the turn of the year they agreed with the second division and promotion aspirants Birmingham City on a loan deal until the end of the 2008/09 season.

Comeback: Birmingham City (2009-2011)

Lee Bowyer as Birmingham City player (February 2010).

When he made his debut for the "Blues" on January 17, 2009 he set an equalizer against Cardiff City to 1: 1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time and with his combative attitude he was in the ultimately successful promotion battle - Birmingham City won Second division championship and thus rose to the Premier League - a role model for his colleagues. Although the season ended with a red card against Preston North End , his new club offered him a new two-year contract, so that Bowyer moved permanently to Birmingham in July on a free transfer. That the Blues were able to quickly correct the goal of relegation upwards in the 2009/10 season was also largely thanks to Bowyer, who set accents especially in conjunction with the equally experienced Barry Ferguson . With three winning goals within four games at the end of November and beginning of December 2009, the team catapulted itself to a comfortable midfield position and after an interim series of 15 competitive games without defeat - including twelve league games - Birmingham City landed in ninth place, the club's best placement for half a century.

In the following 2010/11 season, Bowyer won the League Cup, the first major trophy of his career, after defeating the favored Arsenal 2-1 in the final . In the Premier League, however, the previous year's successes could not be continued and so Birmingham City found itself early in the battle for relegation, which ultimately led to relegation to the second-rate Football League Championship . Bowyer also caused a sensation in January 2011 with a kick against Arsenal's Bacary Sagna in the direction of the Achilles tendon, which was only visible through TV analysis and was finally banned for three games.

Ipswich Town (since 2011)

In July 2011 Bowyer moved to the second division side Ipswich Town on a free transfer and signed a one-year contract there. He then ended his playing career in order to dedicate himself more to the active golf sport and to aim for a coaching career in football.

English national team

Between 1995 and 2000 Bowyer played 13 international matches for the English U-21 team and was due to his talent as a promising hope for the future midfield formation of the senior national team . Particularly due to his consistently good form in the 2000/01 season, he played himself in the focus of the senior national team, after he had been nominated for the "Three Lions" for the first time in March 1997 against Mexico . The fact that he was ultimately not taken into account by the "Three Lions" was mainly due to pending legal proceedings in 2000 and 2001, which Bowyer had to face after assaulting an Asian student, and the decision of the English Football Association, to waive him until the matter is finally resolved.

After Bowyer's acquittal, then coach Sven-Göran Eriksson Bowyer called back into the squad and made his debut in a friendly against Portugal in September 2002 possible . There he prepared a goal for his club-mate Alan Smith , but this first full international match was Bowyer's last appearance for England.

Coaching career

Bowyer returned to his youth club Charlton Athletic in January 2017 and served as an assistant trainer in the months that followed before advancing to assistant coach in July 2017. In March 2018, Lee Bowyer was promoted to head coach on an interim basis after Karl Robinson left the club. Bowyer led his team in the promotion play-offs, in which the team but failed in the semifinals at Shrewsbury Town . For the following season, Bowyer was still an interim coach, as club owner Roland Duchâtelet tried to sell the club. At the beginning of September 2018, Bowyer was finally equipped as head coach with a contract until the end of the season.

Scandals / controversies

Bowyer's career was accompanied by many scandals. At the age of 17, he and teammates was Dean Chandler at a doping control the consumption of cannabis proved he therefore been suspended. Shortly after his transfer to Leeds United , he was accused of racist remarks - according to the Daily Mirror report , Bowyer allegedly told a waitress in a fast food restaurant: "I don't want to be served by a Paki!" In the game between Leeds and Tottenham Hotspur , a foul Bowyers against Stephen Clemence led to a mass brawl between the two teams. Both clubs had to pay £ 150,000 for the incident. That same season, Bowyer was banned from one game and paid £ 4,000 for becoming the first Premier League player to receive 14 yellow cards in one season.

Bowyer - like his teammate Jonathan Woodgate - was accused of serious assault after an Asian student was seriously injured in a fight in a nightclub in Leeds in January 2000 . The trial ended in December 2001 with Bowyer's acquittal; Bowyer agreed to a settlement for a payment of £ 170,000 in 2005 prior to a possible civil lawsuit, with Bowyer insisting that it did not imply an admission of guilt.

During his time at Newcastle he made repeated headlines, for example when he and teammate Kieron Dyer fought on the pitch. They were both sent off and suspended for three games. In addition, unlike Dyer, Bowyer was banned from the club for six weeks and had to pay £ 250,000 on charges of starting the brawl.

Title / Awards

• English League Cup (1): 2011

Web links

• Profile at Ipswich Town
• Lee Bowyer in the soccerbase.com database

References and footnotes

1. ^ "Bowyer's recall raises serious questions" (The Telegraph)
2. ^ "Fans unite to protest against new recruit and racism" (The Guardian)
3. ↑ ^{a b} "Lee Bowyer: 'There were times when I overstepped the mark'" (The Independent)
4. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1995-96 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1995, ISBN 0-09-180854-5 , pp. 31 .
5. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1996-97 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1996, ISBN 1-85291-571-4 , pp. 36 .
6. ↑ ^{a b} Barry J. Hugman (ed.): The 1997-98 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1997, ISBN 1-85291-581-1 , pp. 38 .
7. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1998-99 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85291-588-9 , pp. 42 .
8. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1999-2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1999, ISBN 1-85291-607-9 , pp. 41 .
9. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2000-2001 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2000, ISBN 1-85291-626-5 , pp. 43 .
10. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2001-2002 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2001, ISBN 0-946531-34-X , pp. 39 .
11. ↑ Leeds United player understandable: Bowyer pays penalty  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (RP Online)  
12. ^ "Bowyer move collapses" (BBC Sport)
13. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2002/2003 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2002, ISBN 1-85291-648-6 , pp. 51 .
14. ↑ ^{a b} Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2003, ISBN 1-85291-651-6 , pp. 56 f .
15. ↑ The sum of 300,000 pounds initially circulated in the media; only 100,000 pounds were ultimately confirmed.
16. ^ "Bowyer's fresh start" (BBC Sport)
17. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2004, ISBN 1-85291-660-5 , pp. 53 .
18. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2005, ISBN 1-85291-662-1 , pp. 53 .
19. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2006-07 . Mainstream Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-84596-111-0 , pp. 53 .
20. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007-08 . Mainstream Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-246-3 , pp. 55 .
21. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008-09 . Mainstream Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8 , pp. 61 .
22. ↑ ^{a b} Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009-10 . Mainstream Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0 , pp. 72 .
23. ↑ "Birmingham seal deal for Bowyer" (BBC Sport)
24. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010-11 . Mainstream Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0 , pp. 196 .
25. ^ "Bowyer wins a cup medal but no new contract with Birmingham" (The Independent)
26. ↑ "Birmingham's Lee Bowyer receives three-match ban" (BBC Sport)
27. ↑ "Midfielder Lee Bowyer joins Ipswich Town" (BBC Sport)
28. ^ "Ex-Ipswich Town midfielder Lee Bowyer shoots 79 in bid to qualify for Open golf championship" (EADT24)
29. ↑ "Leeds pair in England wilderness" (BBC Sport)
30. ↑ cafc.co.uk: Karl Robinson's backroom staff confirmed (July 1, 2017) , accessed on September 6, 2018
31. ↑ bbc.com: Karl Robinson: Charlton Athletic manager parts company with League One club (March 22, 2018) , accessed September 6, 2018
32. ↑ bbc.com: Charlton Athletic: Lee Bowyer to remain in charge until the end of the season (Apr. 4, 2018) , accessed September 6, 2018
33. ↑ bbc.com: Lee Bowyer to continue as caretaker manager at Charlton Athletic (June 14, 2018) , accessed September 6, 2018
34. ↑ bbc.com: Lee Bowyer: Charlton Athletic appoint caretaker boss as manager (Sep. 6, 2018) , accessed September 6, 2018
35. ↑ Lee Bowyer timesonline.co.uk 2007 ( Memento January 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
36. ^ "Bowyer to pay attack brothers" (Yorkshire Post)