10 Newcastle Players Who Really Weren't Worth The Hassle

5. Carl Cort

The story of Carl Cort doesn't surround 'tapping up' affairs that was dragged through the courts. It doesn't involve unprofessional attitude, or constant demands to leave. The former Wimbledon hotshot's time on Tyneside is simply a sorry tale of how a consistent spate of injuries can destroy a career. It seems almost unfair to label him a 'hassle' - for all we know he could have been the consummate professional at Newcastle. But football is a business and the fact of the matter is that the club got a return of 22 appearances and seven goals on their £7 million investment. Hamstring injuries and surgeries kept him from the pitch, as the St. James Park faithful began to forget who that striker they had signed from Wimbledon in 2000 was. Sold at a £5 million loss in 2004, the club accountants will surely wish to erase any memory of the unmitigated disaster that yielded a goal for every million that was splurged on him at the turn of the millennium. At least he the infirmary will remember him fondly, having spent most of his Toon tenure on the treatment table. Forking out bill after bill for operations in a futile bid to ameliorate his flailing condition, one can't help but feel that Newcastle chiefs were pulling their hair out over Cort's situation.