An article about Lee Chung Yong, a Bolton legend who gave everything for his club
I think the news has finally sunk in. The Blue Dragon, Lee Chung Yong is no longer contracted to Bolton Wanderers. Earlier this week, he joined Premier League outfit, Crystal Palace.
To start off my tribute to the Korean midfielder, I`d like to start by writing about his Whites career. So here we go: the Three Phases of Chung Yong Lee
1. Chung Yong Lee joined us an unknown talent. At 2.2 million for someone with so little experience, it was somewhat of a risk. However, it certainly paid off. Reportedly, when named on the bench during his first game he fell asleep in the dugout due to jetlag.
He was almost always deployed as a winger, and certainly took the Premier League by storm. Everyone will remember the way he left opposition full backs in his dust. He would just ease past them and put in pinpoint crosses for the likes of Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander to attack. Pure class. He also worked very hard to track back and support his fullback.
This phase lasted from the Summer of 2009 (when he joined) to the Summer of 2011
2. Phase 2 starts with the incident. I`ve written in depth over my time here about the incident and how it means that Lee`s career really is a case of ‘what could have been`. Prior to the incident he was linked with 10+ million pound moves to some of the biggest clubs in the world. However, that wasn`t to be. He missed pretty much the entire of our relegation campaign.
The next year he was a totally different player. He`d shy away from tackles and never really seemed to have the confidence which was a huge factor in his earlier form. He often drifted out of matches, and some forgot he was even on the wing.
This phase lasted from the Summer of 2012 to October 2014
3. The fairytale ending to his time at Bolton was Neil Lennon`s arrival. The former Celtic manager instilled Lee with so much confidence. He also played him in a freer, more central role. While I don`t think his recent renaissance is due to him playing in the centre, as he`d done so in the 2014 World Cup without success, it certainly turned him into a different player.
He wasn`t the Chung Yong Lee that would out-pace everyone down the right. Nor was it the Chung Yong Lee who got lost during games. He became the Chung Yong Lee who could dominate a match. He drifted around the pitch with ease and slipped his team mates in behind the opposition defence countless times.
This phase began in October 2014?
Throughout his time at Bolton, Lee has conducted himself terrifically and is a credit to Bolton Wanderers and to Korea. His fighting spirit has been incredible. To anyone questioning his loyalty, following his move to the Premier League, he could have very easily joined a Premier League club when we were relegated. I know he was injured, but such was his reputation that he really could have.
The Korean community at Bolton has been tremendous since the arrival of Lee. Although he has moved on, I really would love to see them all stay. It is amazing to see such devotion for a fellow countryman and it would be nice to see more of that.
Lee has given us so many incredible memories. I found it really hard to pinpoint one, however after much deliberation I have decided?
It was during some of our best times in recent years, with the likes of Kevin Davies and Stuart Holden really shining.
Lee Chung Yong has offered our club so much, and his farewell letter was another touch of pure class. His humility and passion is incredible. I presume you have all read it already- if you haven`t it can be found here: http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/lee-chung-yong-bolton-fans-message-2251476.aspx
While he will be playing in a Crystal Palace shirt for the foreseeable future, he is and always will be, in my eyes, be a Wanderer.