10 Newcastle Heroes Whose Careers Nosedived Since Leaving

2. Habib Beye

A cult hero at St. James€™ Park, former Marseille captain Habib Beye was one of Sam Allardyce€™s only positive signings during his ill-fated time at the club. Having been signed for £2 million, the Senegal defender produced a series of impressive performances at right-back for the Tyneside outfit and quickly endeared himself to the Toon faithful. He was even voted the 07/08 Newcastle United Player of the Year by those same supporters, which is why it was all the more disappointing for them when he decided to leave the club in the wake of their relegation from the top-flight in 2009. Despite both Hull City and Newcastle having agreed a fee for the 31 year old, Beye instead signed for Aston Villa and was subsequently sent off in his third game for the club. It didn€™t get any better for the Senegal international during his time at Villa Park and found first-team opportunities hard to come by. After making just nine appearances for the club, he signed on loan for Doncaster Rovers in November 2011 in a desperate bid at salvaging his evaporating career. Following the cancellation of his Villa contract in February 2012, he penned a permanent deal at Doncaster and played 13 more times for the club before announcing his retirement from the game at the age of 34.