Archive for tag: Lee Clark.

From another era – interview with a former Toon player!

October 5th, 2009 | 14 Comments |

Living the dream!
Living the dream!
Back in the day, when all I had to worry about was hiding my hickies in a rollneck top, Jolly Ranchers were poisoning us with watermelon flavoured boiled sweets and a young Take That were barely a twinkle in the eye, a young man was trying to make his way in the hard knock world of professional football.

John Watson was an apprentice when I was a young whippersnapper following eagerly in his path at Wallsend Boys Club and trying to follow in his footsteps at the Toon school of excellence. John was generous enough to help out the younger lads and along with Lee Makel, Tommy Heron and Alan Thompson, he imparted his knowledge and experience on us and helped out with training sessions.

Some years later in the twighlight of his career and with me on my way towards my own premature retirement, our paths crossed again when he played in the same team as me at Annfield Plain in the Wearside League. Mine was but a fleeting pipedream but John Watson actually lived that dream of playing for his hometown club, albeit by his own admission, for a fleeting moment in time. But like Chesney Hawkes sang just as John was realising that dream, no matter how short a period it was, he played on that hollowed turf, in those famous stripes and ‘you can’t take that away from him’. (more…)


Lee Clark hails Toon’s “mag-nificent” Chuckle Brothers.

August 27th, 2009 | 17 Comments |

Toon's dynamic duo at work.
Toon's dynamic duo at work.
Huddersfield manager and Toon old boy, Lee Clark, a figure still held in much esteem on Tyneside, has paid tribute to the managerial dynamic duo of Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood. Speaking after his side’s nailbiting encounter with the Magpies, he said of the pair:

“Chris and Colin have done a magnificent job to focus on the players, and the players have to take credit as well.

“With all that’s happening around the club, they have focused on the job at hand. And they have got to do their job and hopefully get them back in the Premier League”.

Toon, who’s revolving door manager policy of last season eventually resulted in relegation, have made a good start to their Championship campaign, despite an ever dwindling first team squad. Although the competition is undoubtedly much inferior to last season, mostly in terms of technique and pace, Toon at least seem to be finding the consistency they lacked with the ever changing leadership of last year. Yet Hughton, a man who enjoyed great success with the Republic of Ireland and Tottenham as a player, and continued success as a first team coach, assistant manager and caretaker manager (twice) at ‘Spurs, has had difficulty gaining the respect he deserves on Tyneside, and which he still enjoys at the North London Premiership club. (more…)


Clark’s dangerous Terriers eventually put doon by Toon.

August 27th, 2009 | 7 Comments |

Nolan strikes again.
Nolan strikes again.
I didn’t realise that I’ be travelling up from London to SJP to cover this match, so it was all a bit of a rush, and I felt a little disoriented to find myself back inside the mothership at such short notice after some time away. Observations on my return were that the mighty SJP can be a bit of a big, echoey barn when there isn’t a huge crowd in there, though of course, 20,000 plus (a rough guesstimate) is of course more than respectable for a Championship team in a midweek Carling Cup match. Returning old boy and ‘Udders manager, Lee Clark got a friendly reception as expected, and things seemed to be happy enough at this stage.

Nee Stevie Tayla, not even on the bench was the word when the teams trotted out, though the also absent Collocini received less mention, despite a decent performance last time out. The crowd sounded in fairly good voice anyway, despite the stadium being half empty. I was looking forward to having a look at Kadar again, in what was to be his debut start, along with wor Kazenga LuaLua. The much anticiapted young Slovenian destroyer, Haris Vuckic, who was rumoured to be playing a role tonight, was only on the bench though apparently. On a gossipy note, the latest ownership candidates, Barry Moat and latecoming Uncle Fester-a-like, Graham Sheard, didn’t seem to be in attendance this evening. (more…)


Newcastle United – News Roundup – 13 August 2009.

August 13th, 2009 | 28 Comments |

Newcastle draw Huddersfield
Newcastle draw Huddersfield in the Carling Cup
Newcastle have a home draw against League One’s Huddersfield in the second round of the Carling Cup.

Huddersfield are currently managed by Geordie Lee ‘Jigsaw’ Clark who played for us between 1990-1997 and 2005-2007, the latter period including time as first team coach and reserve team manager under Glen Roeder.

I don’t think it’s fair to once again mention the ‘Sad Mackem Bastards’ T-shirt Lee Clark wore to the 1999 FA Cup final whilst he was a Sunderland player, so I won’t.

According to The Chronicle, Mike Ashley and Barry Moat are both due at a dinner in aid of The Newcastle United Foundation at St James’s Park on Saturday, although they’re apparently forbidden to discuss anything to do with Moat’s alleged bid for the club (why?).

Les Ferdinand reckons that home games are our key to success in The Championship this season. He says: (more…)