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Bowyer forever linked with Leeds Posted: Friday July 12, 2002 10:52 AMLONDON (Reuters) -- Lee Bowyer is set for a transfer to Liverpool after the clubs agreed a fee Friday, but the midfielder's name will always be linked to the city of Leeds and a night that made unwanted headlines around the world. In January 2000, Sarfraz Najeib, then a 19-year-old student, was beaten unconscious in an attack that led to charges being laid against several men. Bowyer, who had been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray, was cleared by Hull Crown Court when a re-trial delivered its verdict last December. Bowyer's Leeds teammate Jonathan Woodgate was convicted of affray and given 100 hours of community service, while a friend of Woodgate's, Paul Clifford, was sentenced to six years in jail for grievous bodily harm with intent and affray. Though cleared by the court, Leeds handed Bowyer a record fine of four weeks' wages after the verdict for having been out at night under the influence of alcohol -- a breach of club rules. The player was briefly transfer-listed for initially refusing to pay the fine but he relented two days later. Overshadowed The case had overshadowed the Yorkshire club throughout the year, yet it had had no perceptible effect on Bowyer's performances on the pitch. He scored a late winner against Anderlecht in the Champions League the day after the first trial started in February, as Leeds headed towards the 2000/2001 semifinals. Bowyer ended that season with 15 goals in all competitions, further proof Leeds possessed that rare commodity in top-level football -- a genuine goalscoring midfielder. He would almost certainly have won his first England cap during that campaign were it not for the court case and the FA's decision to exclude him from selection. He was nevertheless voted Leeds's player of the season, for the second time since 1998-99, and looked to be on his way to fulfilling his potential. Leeds set a British record for a teenager when they bought the 19-year-old Londoner from Charlton Athletic for 2.6 million pounds (US$4.03 million) in July 1996 and the return on their investment has been impressive, despite an unfortunate start. In December 1996, he was caught on video throwing chairs around a McDonald's restaurant and was fined by both the club and a court, having admitted a charge of affray. Form dips With the Hull trial out of the way, Bowyer's form and fitness both dipped at the start of 2002. In February he was hit by a six-match ban from the Football Association for two separate incidents of violent conduct and using foul and abusive language. He ended the season with a tally of five goals in 25 league games, but without having agreed a renewal of a contract that would have expired next year. Now the 25-year-old is heading for Merseyside, provided he agrees personal terms next week, where his skills as a combative player when defending and his attacking flair moving forward will make him a potent force alongside England's Steven Gerrard. An England shirt of his own, with qualifying for the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal starting in October, will also be among Bowyer's targets this season. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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