Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Opposing fans all seem to dislike LB.

24

Comments

  • BR3red
    BR3red Posts: 1,715
    In the Top 50th dirtiest players in the world , so no real surprise ! 
  • I sort of get it. His past is not exactly perfect but he has conducted himself well as far as I can see as a manager. Curbs is seen as the other extreme as he was a creative midfielder but I am sure he could be tough as a manager.
  • Lee Bowyer expects 100% every game and long may it continue.
  • cafctom
    cafctom Posts: 11,397
    If any of those fans were to listen to a Lee Bowyer interview they would probably be quite surprised with how well he comes across, and how mature/intelligent he is. I will admit I was quite taken aback the first time I heard him. 
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 27,091
    If Bowyer hadn’t started at Charlton we would give him the same grief based on his record. 

  • MuttleyCAFC
    MuttleyCAFC Posts: 47,822
    edited August 2019
    My theory on Bowyer shows a similarity between Bowyer the player and Bower the manager. Even though both are/were completely different animals. In life, there are people that can find a way, whatever that way is. He wasn't the biggest of players and being a hard, dirty bastard made him a better player. That isn't to say he didn't go too far at times in his younger days, but to be a hard bastard, maybe you really have to be one. You can't be a soft, kind hard bastard. He was a very talented player and if he was a bit soft, there would have been no shortage of opponents bullying him.

    Now, the attributes that made him a better player are not helpful as a manager. Bowyer in my view can adapt to what is needed as a manager. We looked at Bowyer the player and assumed he was not suitable to be a manager. He found a way as he is one of those people. It seems an obvious thing, but it is only a minority of people that can do this. It is a Chameleon quality.

    I would think he is the right sort of person to be Prime Minister. Again, people would be up in arms if he was, but I reckon he would find a way. It is what he does. He won't be as bullish or open about it as he was in League One, the league is much tougher and we have vulnerabilities caused by our lack of money, but I think the bit of Bowyer that is finding a way is trying to find a way to go up rather than just survive.
  • Exiled_Addick
    Exiled_Addick Posts: 17,230
    edited August 2019
    Bowyer was the classic love him when he plays for you, hate him when he doesn’t type of player. He wound up a lot of fans around the country as a player and he hasn’t shaken that image yet, outside of SE7, but he was always there to win not make friends. 

    Now he’s a manager, he still wants to win not make friends and his teams will do what’s needed. I wouldn’t say we’re especially setup to be a niggly side though, far from it in fact - when we’re allowed to play our natural game, we’re bloody good to watch. However, Bowyer has filled his team with winners who will play nasty if they have to to get a result. Players like Taylor, Pearce, and Pratley have been round the block a few times and do know a trick or two. I don’t think any successful side at this level has not had that side to their game. We don’t have a bunch of divers or anything like that though. 

    If we setup like a Pulis, Allardyce, or Warnock side, where plan A is fight dirty, then I wouldn’t enjoy that, but when you use that side of your game to earn the right to play football, that’s all fair enough and part of the game.

    On Bowyer’s personality, well... I have to admit I was skeptical about his appointment. I’d never condone some of his historical actions, but they were a long time ago and I personally wasn’t too concerned about them as a reason not to employ him. What bothered me more was that he never seemed that bright when interviewed as player and the coaching team he was originally part of wasn’t that successful. He’s blown me away though and showed I seriously misjudged him. Even aside from the fantastic results, he actually speaks quite eloquently now, and is a very honest but fair communicator. I’m sure all the players know exactly where they stand and what is expected of them, which must be a big part of the team spirit he had a fostered. He’s clearly grown up a lot from the McDonalds days. I think he’d win a lot of opposition fans over if he got more media exposure, which he is starting to get. 
  • MuttleyCAFC
    MuttleyCAFC Posts: 47,822
    edited August 2019
    One thing that comes over, is how much his players love playing for him. Williams being a perfect case in point. Bowyer is a winner, and does what is needed to win. All managers will have the same attitude, but some are better than others. We all watch matches our teams are in with bias. I am bemoaning fouls against us and unpunished fouls on us throughout a game but not doing the same for our opponents. They might get the odd and rare begruding admission, that was a foul etc...

    Our penalty yesterday was clear cut - certainly not one you could really argue too much about, but I'm sure a fair number of Barnsley fans will feel passionately that it wasn't. We thought the ref was blowing his whistle too much in their favour yesterday, they thought we were dirty. We were both looking at it from our own biased positions. We are not a dirty side. But we are competitive, which is going to be essential this season. If Barnsley fans feel a bit aggrieved about it, with all due respect to them as we are no different, but bloody great.   I hope we go through the season with opposing fans moaning about us.
  • The great thing about Lee is he's shown you can outgrow your past mistakes. He's probably far less judgemental as a result and a better judge of character.

    Pleased for him at how well he has done.

  • Sponsored links:



  • East_Stand_Loopy
    East_Stand_Loopy Posts: 2,205
    edited August 2019
    The interview on Football Focus was very good.

    One of the things that he said was not being able to control things that are going on off the pitch. He said "I won't let it effect myself or the players". Which means he's being a strong bulwark between the players and any shenanigans going on upstairs.

    They also showed him doing a one-to-one session with a player. (I think it was Bonne, but couldn't really tell, it may have been one of the youngsters.) What's so strange about that? It was after training had finished.

    Solly spoke quite eloquently about what he was like...
  • seth plum
    seth plum Posts: 53,448
    They can hate him as much as they like, what they can't accuse him of is being two faced.
    It is what it is.
  • Rudders22
    Rudders22 Posts: 3,909
    When Bowyer came back and then was appointed Manager I was not very happy. I thought OMG what is this club doing? Loved him as a player. I missed the hat trick he scored against Wimbledon at Selhurst). Shame that is never shown on the TV !. However, within a few games I thought "God, we have a manager that knows what he is doing. Yes, I know it is not hard with the shit we have had but he alone by his tacttic, they way he wants to play the game. he single handly got my enthusiasm for Charlton again. On the back of that I boght a season ticket at the start of last seasonnd when we won at Wembley I thought "what a great decision I had made". I went up to him at the Q&A we had in Bromley and thanked him for bringing my love and enjoymemt back. This was on the back of that last minute dodgy goal by Peterboro. I knew what Bowyer really wanted to say about that ref but thankfully Henry reminded him "Lee, remembe there are children present".  

    When we plated Sunderland away 1st game I feared for us but felt, you know what? I wanna give Bows my full support. At least his teams will play with a bit of purpose and fight. Then in comes Beliek, Cullen from nowhere and by god did our season kick off. 

    It is amazing that for someone who had no interest in coming back, he is doing a fantastic job. 
    I have suppiorted the club since the Lennie days,.  The oustanding managers for me were Lennie (on a shoestring budget), Curbs, and Bows. 
    I liked Powell at lot. He was unlucky with the owner. Bows we have someone special.
    In fact the setup is fantastic.

    Bows - Superb Manager.
    JJ and Marshall excellent coaches.
    Gallen - what a fantastic job he does on recruitment.

    Also a big thank you to Harry Kewell for inviting Bows back at Leeds to do some coaching with him and also Robinson for employing Bows as an assistant. 

    For the first time ever I enjoy going to football and checking to see the fixtures who we have got next.

    I have not done that in a long long time. 
  • Terrible thing jealousy. Lee Bowyer is a winner and is the best manager we have had since Curbs, he backs his players 100 per cent and fights tooth and nail to win every decision to win that advantage that may give you the points.
    F**k em.
  • MuttleyCAFC
    MuttleyCAFC Posts: 47,822
    The thing is, Bowyer will be happy the Barnsley fans think that way - it is the way he wants them to think. You don't want them to be happy. I think their manager respected our performance more. As for the ref, he has been criticised by ours for the complete opposite reasons he has been criticised by Barnsley fans. This might suggest, he actually had a decent enough game. 
  • 25May98
    25May98 Posts: 712
    The longer he is hated by opposition teams - fans the better for us. Why leave Charlton where he is loved and risk going to a club where he might not do well and risk the fans turning on him and bringing up his past. 
  • MuttleyCAFC
    MuttleyCAFC Posts: 47,822
    Money and another club he has affection for.......like Leeds? I think he will do well anywhere. But he strikes me as somebody who wants to enjoy the challenge and as long as he is doing that here, he will probably stay.
  • CAFCOlly
    CAFCOlly Posts: 531
    edited August 2019
    In a strange way it's nice to be the team that people hate, especially for all the right reasons and not for being thugs like the scum down in Bermondsey.

    For too long we were the team that conceded last minute goals, bottling games and falling victim to teams that played the ref and doing the little niggly things that are needed to win games. Most successful teams have an element of 'shithousery' about them. 

    I used to be jealous of teams like that, with Shrewsbury's performance in the play offs springing to mind. Bowyer has given us more bite and whilst other fans won't like that, you can be sure that if their teams were to do the same to win a game of football then they wouldn't be complaining.
  • cafctom
    cafctom Posts: 11,397
    MrOneLung said:
    If Bowyer hadn’t started at Charlton we would give him the same grief based on his record. 

    Before he came in to our management team he was getting grief. I remember numerous games when we came up against him that our fans would be calling him a thug. 
  • stonemuse
    stonemuse Posts: 34,225
    cafctom said:
    MrOneLung said:
    If Bowyer hadn’t started at Charlton we would give him the same grief based on his record. 

    Before he came in to our management team he was getting grief. I remember numerous games when we came up against him that our fans would be calling him a thug. 
    But many of us didn’t. 

  • Sponsored links:



  • I am pleasantly surprised at just how nice a chap the mature Lee Bowyer actually is. As for his team. Can’t say I’ve seen anything that says we’re dirty. Very fit, committed and together but far from dirty or even that physical. Personally I am delighted with these new found Charlton characteristics. Over the 56 years I’ve been going Charlton have mostly been quite a soft touch.
  • Cardinal Sin
    Cardinal Sin Posts: 5,233
    Bowyer has us playing with guts, determination and persistence. Just like he was as a player himself.

    Opposition fans have never liked it.
    But they would all be pleased to have him in their midfield. 
  • TN15
    TN15 Posts: 58
    Dare I say it but Bowyer's team might even show up against Millwall this season. With him as our manager I'm optimistic.
  • Viewfinder
    Viewfinder Posts: 4,923
    edited August 2019
    Well of course Bowyer has got 'istory.  Banned for drugs, admonished by judge in assault trial, fined for trashing McDonald's, sent off for fighting a team-mate...

    I have recently seen him described by fans of other clubs as "a thug" and "a horrible little scrote".

    It may seem trivial, but I noticed at the Welling pre-season friendly soon after he was recruited, that he was smiling and joking while joining in the subs' kickabout at half-time.  It's not that he wasn't taking things seriously - he was simply enjoying being involved with football again.  His exuberance was a pleasure to see.

    We hear that Bowyer is remarkably calm in the dressing room, even when we are losing at half-time at The Valley.  Whatever he says or does has a beneficial effect, because the tempo is upped in the second half - and we almost invariably win.

    I like his calmness that masks a core of steel.  He's a tough guy, who does not tolerate slackers and who engineers our team to play smart, attacking football.

    Our best manager since Curbs, I say.  Tougher than Powell, who recruited a raft of dodgy players - Sordell, Church, et al - and ultimately failed at this level.

     
  • Hastingsaddick
    Hastingsaddick Posts: 4,079
    edited August 2019
    TN15 said:
    Dare I say it but Bowyer's team might even show up against Millwall this season. With him as our manager I'm optimistic.
    Agree to a certain extent.....however they (our fellow south London friends) are gonna be absolutely rilled and wound up IF we are up there and doing well.  Doubt whether I'd get a ticket....but I'm bloody tempted to try and get one.
  • Dippenhall
    Dippenhall Posts: 3,927
    Leeds fans like what he has done for us and already are lining him up to replace Bielsa if he leaves at year end.
    That is absolutely true of some Leeds fans for certain, my general manager is extremely envious of us, and is already talking to various people to get him in. I told him to forget it as he’s Charlton born and bread and loves it here.
    He's his mother's pride.
  • ross1
    ross1 Posts: 51,153
    I wonder how old his critics are and whether they were old enough when he played to know what happened in his career, or only read what happened?
  • The other thing is Leeds were prepared to pay 2.8 for him in 1996 (that is 23 years ago).  He has appeared in the Champions league and scored against Barcelona, AC Milan and Anderlecht. He also got to the semi final of the UEFA cup.  Add to that his hard reputation  and evident man management skills.  In short he has been there, done it and got the T shirt.

    Can you imagine being a young pro and arguing against him?  ... Nor can I. 


  • NapaAddick
    NapaAddick Posts: 4,657
    Oggy Red said:
    Leeds fans like what he has done for us and already are lining him up to replace Bielsa if he leaves at year end.
    What's the fishing like in Leeds?


    Given Leed's current manager makes £6,000,000 per year, even if LB makes a fraction of that, he can fly to Montana to fish on a Gulfstream IV every month in his down time. :D