Bowen spent 25 years with the club, playing and managing while also serving in important off-field duties. The Welshman served as Head of Football Operations during a pivotal period in the club’s history, assisting Ruben Selles during the penultimate year of Dai Yongge’s rule. His career at the club ended in somewhat contentious circumstances after the Football Association accused him with betting breaches. The Norwich City icon, who has not played since leaving Bearwood in September 2024, was appointed Director of Football at National League Forest Green Rovers last week.
In his first aired interview since taking over at the New Lawn, Bowen discussed how chats with Royals midfielder Savage, who had a loan spell in Gloucestershire in 2022/23, helped reinforce his decision. “I took Charlie Savage into Reading and knew his dad, Rob, very well after taking him to Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers when I was there,” he told the BBC’s Gloucestershire affiliate. “My initial point of contact was to ask Robbie what he knew from being down here with Charlie. I chatted with Charlie and had nothing but positive things to say about the club. That contributed to it. Nobody I spoke with stated anything negative about the club.
“It’s an ambitious club with a big name because of Dale [Vince] and what it represents. I asked if there were any issues about the club; there was no hostility from anyone.” At the club during a turbulent period, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the former Premier League regular wanted to make certain before returning to the game. “I had four really stressful and difficult years at Reading in difficult circumstances, so it was important to me, wherever I was going to go, that it was a club on a good footing and a club that was ambitious to move forward.”
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