10 Former Newcastle Players Who Criticised The Club
6. Craig Bellamy
No love has been lost between Newcastle and Craig Bellamy with many of his former colleagues having blasted him in the years since his acrimonious exit from St. James Park almost a decade ago. The likes of Graeme Souness, Terry McDermott, Freddy Shepherd and Alan Shearer have spoken of their disdain for the spiky Welshman, who scored 43 goals in 128 appearances, so its probably no surprise that he carries a degree of bitterness regarding his time up north.
''I remember finishing fifth up there and that wasnt enough. Its a great place to be if youre winning but they expect more. After beating Liverpool and after beating Spurs, fans will come expecting to win. They have this idea that they should be bigger than Liverpool or just as big as Liverpool or Manchester United - they arent. They will always be on the outskirts of that. - Craig Bellamy, November 2014.
While Bellamys recent musings may have been laced with a couple of grains of truth, one must concede that it was an unnecessary outburst considering the Welshman surely knew the reaction that it would incur on Tyneside. Then again, that is probably exactly what the man McDermott dubbed the little upstart wanted.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
