Ex-Newcastle United and Leeds United midfielder lands surprise management role as he earns 3-2 win

A former Newcastle United and England midfielder has landed a surprise role in international management which will see him take over the 179th ranked nation, according to FIFA.

Lee Bowyer arrived at Newcastle from West Ham on a free transfer in 2003 in a deal which was viewed as something of a coup at the time after his performances at Leeds. 

Bowyer was a key member of the Whites side which reached the 2001 Champions League semi-final and he was awarded the club’s Player of The Season award on two occasions.

Bowyer spent three years of his career in the North East and scored six goals in 79 Premier League appearances as the Magpies reached a UEFA Cup and FA Cup semi-final.

But his time at Newcastle is often overshadowed by controversy and he is best remembered for his on the pitch fight with fellow team mate Kieron Dyer, with the pair both seeing red against Aston Villa in 2005.

After his departure in 2006, he went on to play for the likes of West Ham, Birmingham City and Ipswich before retiring from football in 2012.

Bowyer has enjoyed managerial stints at former clubs Charlton Athletic and Birmingham, but he has been out of football since October 2022 when he was dismissed from his role at St Andrew’s Stadium.

Bowyer was linked with former club Charlton, but he has instead opted to move into international management with the Montserrat national team.

The North American outfit are one of the newest in international football and they played their first international in 1991 when they suffered a 3-0 defeat to St Lucia.

They are currently ranked 179th in the world and their most notable international and all-time leading scorer is Lyle Taylor, who played under Bowyer at both Charlton and Birmingham. On Saturday, they came from behind to beat Barbados 3-2 with Taylor scoring a 97th-minute winner.

The nation is yet to compete in a major tournament in their history but Bowyer will be hoping to guide the nation to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico as the tournament welcomes 48 teams for the first ever time.