Lee Bowyer was once a name than brought nothing but derision or shaking heads when mentioned in football circles.

He was a controversial player, fighting with his own players or with random people on the streets of Leeds. His apparent lack of personal skills dictated that he would surely not end up in the game after playing, despite his quality in a Leeds United shirt.

He didn't, not at first. He went to manage a carp lake in France and took some time away. He had twins and settled down into a rhythm of life far removed from the bad boy antics of his playing career. With the passing of time came a maturity that fermented with his vast experience and a short while later, he took over at Charlton.

His appointment surely raised a few eyebrows, maybe a shaking head or two from those who remembered him the first time around, but he did know the club. He did play at the highest level and if his temperament had change, it did look like it might be a master stroke.

That is exactly how things turned out, he took over from Karl Robinson, a manager bemoaning his lack of funds, and guided the Addicks to a play off spot.

In the summer he beat off competition from Sunderland for Lyle Taylor and whilst location may have played a part, he still managed to attract one of the most in-demand League One players to the Valley. He clearly sold his vision, the clubs stature and of course, the potential for further development.

Now, to listen to Bowyer speak, it is easy to forget his past, which perhaps we should. He understands the game and is proving it by turning around his club, the side that gave him his first team chance. He talks about recruitment sensibly, not chasing big names he's worked with, not pulling in favours from the friends he has left in the game, but getting the players who fit the bill.

He spoke recently about the need for a new midfield player and was later linked with Bury's Stephen Dawson. He didn't turn to a former team mate in an influential position, he isn't tapping up someone he once mentored elsewhere, he approaching recruitment as a manager should, identifying a player based solely on the job he could do.

There's a long way to go before the football world see Lee Bowyer as something other than the tough-tackling, hot-headed player he once was, but if his rebirth as manager of Charlton Athletic continues, then he'll leave people with little choice but to accept him as a wise and experienced former player with the right approach to football management.

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