Lee Bowyer facts for kids
Bowyer playing for Birmingham City in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 January 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Canning Town, London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Montserrat (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Senrab | |||
| Charlton Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1996 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | (8) |
| 1996–2003 | Leeds United | 203 | (38) |
| 2003 | West Ham United | 10 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Newcastle United | 79 | (6) |
| 2006–2009 | West Ham United | 41 | (4) |
| 2009 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2009–2011 | Birmingham City | 64 | (9) |
| 2011–2012 | Ipswich Town | 29 | (2) |
| Total | 489 | (68) | |
| National team | |||
| 1994–1995 | England U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 1995–2000 | England U21 | 13 | (4) |
| 2002 | England | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2018–2021 | Charlton Athletic | ||
| 2021–2022 | Birmingham City | ||
| 2023– | Montserrat | ||
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Lee David Bowyer (born 3 January 1977) is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently the head coach of the Montserrat national team.
As a player, Lee Bowyer was a midfielder. He played for several well-known clubs over 18 years. These clubs included Charlton Athletic, Leeds United, West Ham United, Newcastle United, Birmingham City, and Ipswich Town. He played in 397 matches in the Premier League. He also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League with Leeds. In 2011, he won the Football League Cup with Birmingham. Bowyer played once for the England national team. His career had some memorable moments both on and off the field.
After retiring as a player, Bowyer became a manager. He has managed two of the clubs he used to play for. He was in charge of Charlton Athletic for three years. In March 2021, he became the manager of Birmingham City. He left that role at the end of the next season. In September 2023, he was appointed as the head coach of the Montserrat national team.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Charlton Athletic
Lee Bowyer was born in Canning Town, London. He started playing football for a youth team called Senrab. Later, he joined Charlton Athletic as a schoolboy. He became a professional player in April 1994.
Bowyer became a regular player for Charlton's first team. He played in 58 matches and scored 14 goals. A special moment was when he scored three goals in a 5–4 win against Wimbledon FC. This happened in a League Cup match in September 1995.
Time at Leeds United
In 1996, Leeds United bought Bowyer for £2.8 million. This was a record fee for a British teenager at the time. He became a regular starter for Leeds in the 1998–99 season.
Bowyer was a key player in the Leeds team that reached the Champions League in 1999–2000. They also made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2000 and the Champions League in 2001. During the Champions League run, he scored important goals against big teams like A.C. Milan, Barcelona, and Anderlecht. Leeds fans voted him their Player of the Year twice, in 1998–99 and 2000–01.
After a disagreement with the club, Bowyer was put on the transfer list. A £9 million move to Liverpool was almost agreed. However, the Liverpool manager decided not to sign him. In January 2003, Bowyer joined West Ham United. He played 265 matches for Leeds and scored 55 goals.
Returning to West Ham United
Bowyer signed with West Ham United in January 2003. He joined on a short six-month contract. Some West Ham fans were not happy about his signing.
Bowyer had ankle injuries and only played in eleven matches for West Ham. The club was relegated from the Premier League that season. Because of this, he was not offered a new contract.
Playing for Newcastle United
After West Ham's relegation, Bowyer joined Newcastle United for free in July 2003.
In April 2005, Bowyer had a disagreement with his teammate Kieron Dyer during a match. This led to both players being sent off. The Football Association fined Bowyer and gave him an extra ban. The club also fined him.
Bowyer played 98 matches for Newcastle and scored 11 goals.
Second Spell at West Ham United
Bowyer returned to West Ham United in June 2006. He said he had "unfinished business" with the club he supported as a boy. He played 22 matches in the 2006–07 season. This season was interrupted by a shoulder injury.
He quickly recovered and played in important games at the end of the season. Bowyer became a regular player again in the 2007–08 season. He scored his first goals for West Ham against Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough. He then scored two more goals in a 5–0 win against Derby County.
Moving to Birmingham City
In January 2009, Bowyer joined Birmingham City on loan. He made his debut on January 17, scoring a late goal to draw the game 1–1. After his contract with West Ham ended, Bowyer signed a two-year deal with Birmingham in July 2009.
He scored winning goals in back-to-back Premier League matches. These wins helped Birmingham move up the league table. The team then went on an amazing run of 15 games without losing. This included a club record of 12 unbeaten matches in the top league. Birmingham finished in ninth place, their best finish in over 50 years.
In September 2010, Bowyer apologized for an incident with a fan. In November 2010, he scored the only goal in a surprise win against champions Chelsea. He then scored a late goal to draw against Manchester United. In January 2011, Bowyer received a three-match ban for a challenge during a game.
By the end of 2010, Bowyer held the record for the most yellow cards in the Premier League. He had 98 yellow cards and five red cards.
In February 2011, Bowyer played in his first major final. He started for Birmingham as they beat Arsenal 2–1 in the League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. After Birmingham was relegated, Bowyer left the club when his contract ended in 2011.
Final Club: Ipswich Town
On July 10, 2011, Bowyer joined Ipswich Town for free. He signed a one-year contract. He scored his first goal for Ipswich against his former club, West Ham United. He was released at the end of the 2011–12 season. After scoring two goals in 29 matches, Bowyer retired from playing football.
International Career
Early in his career at Leeds, Bowyer played for the England under-21 team. He made 13 appearances for the national youth side.
His good form in the 2000–01 season led to calls for him to join the senior England squad. However, the Football Association decided he could not be picked until a court case he was involved in was finished. After the case, the FA allowed him to be selected. England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson called him up for a friendly match against Portugal in September 2002. Bowyer made his England debut in that game. He helped set up a goal for his Leeds teammate Alan Smith. This was his only appearance for the England national team.
Managerial Career
In late 2015, Bowyer spent a month coaching Watford's under-21 team. He worked under his former Leeds teammate Harry Kewell. After coaching at Charlton Athletic, he became their assistant manager in July 2017.
Managing Charlton Athletic
On March 22, 2018, Bowyer became the caretaker manager of Charlton Athletic. This happened after the previous manager left. His first game as manager was a 2–0 win against Plymouth Argyle. After winning his first three games, he was given the job until the end of the season.
In his first full season, Bowyer led Charlton to finish third in League One. They then played in the play-offs. Charlton won the away leg against Doncaster Rovers 2–1. After a thrilling second leg, Charlton won the penalty shootout 4–3. They earned promotion to the Championship by beating Sunderland 2–1 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. This brought them back to the second tier of English football after three seasons away.
In June 2019, Bowyer initially turned down a new contract. However, he later changed his mind and signed a new one-year deal. In October, he received a three-match ban from the touchline for his conduct. In January 2020, Bowyer signed a new three-year deal. Charlton was relegated on the final day of the 2019–2020 season.
Bowyer resigned as Charlton manager on March 15, 2021.
Managing Birmingham City
On March 16, 2021, Bowyer became the head coach of Birmingham City. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. After 16 months in charge, Bowyer was sacked on July 2, 2022. In his last season, Birmingham finished 20th in the EFL Championship.
Coaching Montserrat
Bowyer took charge of the Montserrat national football team in September 2023. He won his first game 3–2 against Barbados.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 1994–95 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | First Division | 41 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 14 | |
| Total | 46 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 14 | ||
| Leeds United | 1996–97 | Premier League | 32 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 35 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 9 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 33 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 48 | 11 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 38 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 54 | 15 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 7 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |
| Total | 203 | 38 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 13 | 265 | 55 | ||
| West Ham United | 2002–03 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2003–04 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 39 | 7 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 2 | |
| Total | 79 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 98 | 11 | ||
| West Ham United | 2006–07 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Total | 51 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 5 | ||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2008–09 | Championship | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2009–10 | Premier League | 35 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 42 | 6 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 35 | 5 | ||
| Total | 81 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 94 | 12 | |||
| Ipswich Town | 2011–12 | Championship | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |
| Career total | 489 | 68 | 32 | 5 | 28 | 9 | 55 | 17 | 604 | 99 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Managerial Record
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Charlton Athletic | 22 March 2018 | 15 March 2021 | 157 | 64 | 37 | 56 | 40.8 |
| Birmingham City | 16 March 2021 | 2 July 2022 | 59 | 17 | 16 | 26 | 28.8 |
| Montserrat | September 2023 | Present | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 28.6 |
| Total | 230 | 85 | 53 | 92 | 37.0 | ||
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup: 2010–11 (Winner)
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2008–09
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 1995–96 First Division
- Leeds United Player of the Year: 1998–99, 2000–01
As a Manager
Charlton Athletic
- EFL League One play-offs: 2019 (Winner)
Individual Manager Awards
- EFL League One Manager of the Month: November 2018, April 2019
Images for kids
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Bowyer playing for Birmingham City in 2010
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Bowyer with Leeds United in 2001.
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Bowyer playing for West Ham United in 2006
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Bowyer playing for Birmingham City in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Lee Bowyer para niños
