Fancy That ! 10 Surprising facts about Lee Bowyer

Some fans may call him the rat boy, but some fans have been known to be wrong. Badly wrong.

Lee Bowyer remains one of England's most misunderstood and misrepresented players of the modern era, but maybe our 10 surprising facts about him may change a few opinions and soften a few hearts towards the ferret-faced midfielder. Read on...

• 1. If I was to mention the acronym ASBO and Lee Bowyer, nobody would be surprised. Yet Lee is the Honorary Life President of the Appreciation Society of the Berlin Opera (ASBO)!

• 2. Lee's favourite holiday is to go hill walking in the Norwegian mountains, with his old chum, Sir Melvyn Bragg.

• 3. It's a little known fact that the on pitch altercation he had with Kieron Dyer was down to a long running dispute over the discovery of the smallpox vaccine. Dyer refused to believe Bowyer's assertion that it was Edward Jenner who made the discovery. This boiled over in the 2nd half at St James against Aston Villa into a full blown scrap.

• 4. Since his infamous court case with Jonathan Woodgate, Lee has taken a huge interest in the workings of the Koran. Though not finding himself leaning towards Mecca (yet!) he wishes to take on board a wider understanding of theological writings before he makes his point outside night clubs at 3 o'clock in the morning.

• 5. Lee has an irrational fear that the dinosaurs will return. Sitting down to watch an episode of Horizon he accidentally sat on the remote control and inadvertently ended up watching Jurassic Park without realising. He was horrified at what he thought was the flagship documentary series depicting T Rex's running amok. To this day he refuses to believe otherwise.

• 6. It's widely believed that Countdown brain-box Carol Vorderman invented Sudoku. Well she didn't. Lee did. In 2001 on an away trip to Bolton.

• 7. And when he's not polishing off another Sudoku, Lee likes to spend away journeys in the company of a good book, with the Bronte sisters, Frank Baum and Louisa Alcott amongst his favourites. Anything to get away from that wretched card school !

• 8. You might think a poster of some supermodel or pop star would be hanging up on Lee's bedroom wall. You'd be wrong, it's Derek Acorah!

• 9. Lee is adamant that the gun used in the 70s kids game Tin Can Alley could fire real bullets.

• 10. Lee's nickname at a succession of clubs is Norris. It's nothing to do with Chuck Norris. It's Norris Cole off Coronation Street, with whom Lee shares many characteristics. Harry Kewell thought that one up.