This tricky Frenchman was a dream for the St. James Park faithful. Rocket free-kicks, curling corners and sumptuous flicked goals, Laurent Robert was the 00s version of David Ginola at St. James Park. He never seemed to score an ordinary goal either - indeed, there was one game against Spurs during the 03/04 season where he scored two blistering long-rangers that rivalled each other in the Goal of the Season competition. However, his brilliance often came at a price, as Graeme Souness was to find out. The two had been at loggerheads with each other throughout the season, with Souness taking issue with the mercurial Frenchmans work ethic, and it all came to a head on the eve of Newcastles second leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final clash with Sporting Lisbon in April, when Robert stated that the club had gone backwards during the last year.
''Are we better this year than last year? No, I dont think so. Are we the same? No, probably worse. We have not played well in the last three games. Weve been very, very bad. We were awful against Aston Villa and we lost at Tottenham. It is difficult to explain why we are playing so badly, but we have to get out of it quickly. - Laurent Robert, April 2005.
While the Frenchmans words may have been on the money, Souness clearly did not value the truth behind his words with the club about to contest a UEFA Cup quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final, labelling his attitude as selfish.
''Once again, weve been sidetracked by a selfish player at a time when this club is playing its two most important games for 35 games. - Graeme Souness, April 2005.
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.
