Former Leeds United, Newcastle United and Birmingham City man lifts lid on shock move to Caribbean island

A talented midfielder in his playing days, Bowyer represented the likes of Leeds, Newcastle United and West Ham United before hanging up his boots.

He ventured into management with Charlton Athletic, moving on in 2021 for a stint at the Birmingham City helm.

In the summer of 2023, before Leeds turned to Daniel Farke, he even threw his hat in the ring for the Elland Road gig. However, he ended up making a left-field move onto the international scene.

Speaking on The Football News Show, Bowyer said: “It's very good. something completely different, different to what I’ve done in the past. Obviously being in England, managing in the Championship and League One, this is completely different, there’s a lot of travelling but you get to see different parts of the world and it's good.

“I just felt it was a difficult challenge. I spoke to the president of Montserrat and he told me about the journey they want to go on. We had World Cup qualifiers in the summer and were hoping to reach the knockout stages in the World Cup qualifiers.

“That was a big draw for me, that and working with different levels of players because our players, it's tough we have some who play league football back home in the EFL and some playing non-league who have jobs as well as playing for their team.”

Former Sheffield United forward Lyle Taylor is Bowyer’s captain, while Barnsley prospect Josiah Dyer is among his attacking options.

Bowyer said: “I know back home in England it's day-in-day-out, and there are positives to that because you get to mould your team, but the most important thing is you pass on your knowledge, that's why I'm here.

“I was very fortunate as a player and a coach to work under good managers, and now I'm here to pass on my knowledge to a group of lads who want to learn and improve.”