Lee Bowyer

Lee David Bowyer (born January 3 1977 in London Borough of Newham, London) is an England professional football (soccer) who currently plays for FA Premier League side West Ham United F.C.. He has been capped once by England national football team.

Club career

Charlton Athletic

Bowyer joined Charlton Athletic F.C. as a trainee in April 1994. He first drew attention in 1994, when he and a teammate failed a test for cannabis use. Both received lengthy bans but Bowyer went on to became a first-team regular, making 58 appearances for Charlton and scoring 14 goals.

Initially, Bowyer was kept out of the Leeds first team by Alf Inge Haaland and David Hopkin; he eventually replaced Hopkin in the 1998-99 in English football season, and from then on was a first-team regular. He was a key player in David O'Leary's Leeds side that qualified for the Champions League in 1999-00 in English football, and which reached the semi finals of the UEFA Cup in 1999-00 in English football and the Champions League in 2000-01 in English football. He was voted the Leeds player of the year by supporters in 1998-99 in English football and 2000-01 in English football.

Following an incident in Leeds in January 2000, in which an Asian student suffered severe injuries, Bowyer and teammate Jonathan Woodgate were charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray. An initial trial collapsed in April 2001 after an article in a Sunday newspaper and following a second trial, which ended in December 2001, Bowyer was cleared of both charges while Woodgate was convicted of affray and sentenced to community service. Bowyer played some of the finest football of his career during this period and would often drive straight from court to play for Leeds. After being cleared, Leeds fined Bowyer four weeks' wages for a breach of the club's code of conduct. Despite having had the backing of the club during the trial and the club paying his extensive legal fees, Bowyer took exception to the fine and was placed on the transfer list. However, the dispute was later settled and Bowyer removed from the transfer list. In May 2002, he was again placed on the transfer list after turning down a five-year contract. In January 2003, Bowyer signed for West Ham United F.C..

Bowyer made 257 appearances for Leeds in all competitions, scoring 62 goals. Claims that Bowyer would have received a £1 million bonus had West Ham stayed up were denied by the club's then-manager, Glenn Roeder. In the event, Bowyer was hampered by ankle injuries and made only eleven appearances for West Ham. West Ham were relegated and Bowyer was not offered another contract.

In April 2005, Bowyer was in the media spotlight again after an on-pitch brawl with teammate Kieron Dyer in Newcastle United's FA Premier League match with Aston Villa F.C.. This resulted in a red card, plus a further three game ban; Dyer received the same punishment. Bowyer was fined six weeks' wages by the club. Dyer was not fined as Bowyer was perceived to have thrown the first punch. On June 8, 2005, Bowyer was charged in connection with the brawl by Northumbria Police with public order offences, under section four of the Public Order Act 1986. In July 2006 he was fined £600 and ordered to pay £1000 in costs after admitting to using threatening behaviour towards Dyer. He made 22 appearances in the 2006/07 season,. However, Bowyer made a quick and sooner-than-expected recovery and played in several of West Ham United crucial games towards the end of the season.

International career

During his early career at Leeds, Bowyer was a regular in the England U21 team, making 13 appearances for the national side.
Bowyer's form during the 2000/01 season led to calls for inclusion in the England national football team squad; however, the The Football Association ruled that he could not be selected until the court case in relation to an assault on an Asian student was completed. The FA eventually cleared Bowyer for selection following the conclusion of the court case and England manager Sven Goran Eriksson called him into the squad for an international friendly against Portugal in September 2002. Bowyer made his England debut in the game, setting up a goal for Leeds team-mate Alan Smith. It was his only appearance for England.