SOBBY CHARLTON
Bowyer reveals his hurt as star striker Taylor refuses to play for rest of the season for relegation-threatened Addicks
LEE BOWYER is deeply hurt by star striker Lyle Taylor’s refusal to play for crisis club Charlton.
Top scorer Taylor, 30, is one of three Addicks players who say they will not return this season because they are out of contract on June 30 and fear getting injured.
But Bowyer, whose side are in the Championship bottom three, insists he would never have made that decision as a player.
The Charlton boss (right) said:
“If it was me, I would play. To the end. You start something, you finish it.
“With Lyle, he’s going to earn money he’s never earned before. He’s got a lot of clubs queuing up waiting to take him and he’s earned that. I half get it. If he gets injured, he doesn’t get this move that’s going to secure him and his family for the rest of his life.
“But I find it difficult because I would play. It’s making my life a hell of a lot harder to stay in the division because with Lyle Taylor we are a different side.
“The first six games of the season before he went away on international duty and got injured, we didn’t lose a game
CHAMPIONSHIP BOTTOM SIX
LFand he scored in five of them. He is massive to us and he knows it. But I can’t force him to play. That’s what hurts me.
“There’s three games left in June. If we win them, that could keep us in the division. But if his heart isn’t in it, there’s no point him being there.”
Taylor, who has 32 goals in 63 league games for Charlton, is effectively in breach of contract, with the club exploring whether to take action against him.
The Addicks are also in a mess off the pitch with unrest in the boardroom, the club up for sale and a series of different parties vying for control.
Bowyer added: “The club is not in a good position behind the scenes. Players can feed off that. But there are no excuses. I try to keep them away from that.”
ADDICKS’ REMAINING GAMES
1966: The Lions recorded their biggest Test win, beating Australia 31-0 in Brisbane.
1987: Ed Moses lost more than a race when Danny Harris pipped him at Madrid – the defeat ended the longest winning streak in track history, 122 hurdles victories since August 1977. 2000: Peter Schmeichel scored from the penalty spot in his 121st international as Denmark drew 2-2 with Belgium.
2003: Manchester City signed veteran former England goalkeeper David Seaman from Arsenal.
1. In which Australian state was England rugby coach Eddie Jones born? 2. Which nation has won the most Six Nations grand slams? 3. What was the first club managed by Jose Mourinho? 4. In the NBA, where were the Lakers based before LA? 5. Who has the record for the highest Test cricket score for England?
FIFA launched a match-fixing probe after a suspect game in Abuja between Nigeria and Argentina.
A second-string Argentina side lost 4-1 to Nigeria. The match contained two dubious penalty decisions and saw large amounts of money change hands on bets based on the number of goals in the game.
The allegations infuriated Argentina FA chief Julio Grondona, a pal of FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter.
Grondona condemned the claims as ‘British media lies’.