Reluctant Roeder lets Bowyer go home
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has admitted he allowed Lee Bowyer to leave St James’ Park reluctantly.
The 29-year-old returned to former club West Ham last night with Roeder – the man who took him to Upton Park from Leeds in January 2003 – admitting he would have liked to have kept him on Tyneside.
Roeder told the club’s official website, www.nufc.co.uk: “Lee did well for me for three months at the end of last season.
“I tried to persuade him to stay in the north, but he was extremely keen to move back to London, and in my experience, you do not get the best out of players in those circumstances.
“So I consider it the best thing to let him return to the south. There is no point in keeping any player who may be unhappy for whatever reason.”
The move ends an eventful three-year stay on Tyneside for the Canning Town-born midfielder, who made 99 appearances for the club and scored 11 goals.
