Duo’s reunion a painful reminder
BOWYER & WOODGATE BACK IN SPOTLIGHT
THERE will be a warm handshake between the rival managers of Middlesbrough and Charlton at the Riverside tomorrow.
But this will be a reunion even the protagonists themselves will feel uncomfortable about attending.
Next month will mark the 20th anniversary of that fateful night in Leeds when the lives of Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer became intertwined forever. On January 12, 2000, Asian student Sarfraz Najeib was chased from the Majestyk nightclub by a drunken mob through the city centre, cornered and brutally beaten.
Bowyer and Woodgate, both rising stars of English football and destined for the top, were arrested, accused of taking part in the attack and charged, along with others. Following two trials at Hull Crown Court, an all-white jury convicted just one man of grievous bodily harm (GBH).
Woodgate was cleared of GBH and convicted of a lesser charge of affray, while Bowyer was cleared completely, albeit not before the judge branded him “a liar”.
The episode was crushing on many levels. It brought Leeds to their knees at a time when David O’Leary was building a world-class side. It changed the world’s perception of the Yorkshire club and the lives of all those involved. Chairman Peter Ridsdale received hate mail, including death threats, for two years afterwards, while his relationship with O’Leary was damaged beyond repair when the Irishman decided to cash in with a book entitled ‘Leeds United On Trial’ – despite crudely insisting “the book is not about the trial”. Woodgate went to pieces. He lost more than three stone in weight during the trials as he considered the prospect of prison. He became unfit for purpose.
Bowyer thrived, meanwhile. Despite being the victim of a blackmail attempt following the trials, during them he played out of his skin on a weekly basis.
But ultimately the acrimony and damage proved irreparable and despite countless counselling sessions, both Woodgate and
Bowyer had left
Leeds within two years.
Two decades on, while
Najeib now lives privately in South
Yorkshire, the footballing duo who helped thrust him into the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons are now forging managerial careers in the Championship, albeit with mixed success.
Bowyer, 42, led Charlton to promotion in his first full season, while 39-year-old Woodgate is skating on thin ice on Teesside following one win in 12 games.
Having rehabilitated themselves, both should be applauded for taking the brave step into the brutal world of management at relatively young ages.
But despite living and working at opposite ends of the country, their names will never be separated.
Their coming together again is a painful reminder of a difficult past and the reality is that, whatever they might go on to achieve as managers, neither of them will ever have a bigger impact on a single club than the one they once had on Leeds United.