10 Players Newcastle Should Never Have Sold In The Premier League Era
5. Gary Speed
Signed by Dalglish for £5.5 million from Everton in February 1998 it wasn't until Sir Bobby seized the reins at St James' that we saw the best of Speed as he assumed a more prominent role in the Newcastle engine room, notching a career best 13 goals during the 1999/00 campaign. Anchoring the midfield to release the younger darlings of Robson's free-flowing midfield unit higher up the pitch during our ascent into the Premier League's top-four and qualification to the Champions League, Speed's contributions often went unnoticed in comparison to his headline-hogging team-mates. A proud representative of Newcastle United both on and off the field it was Speed's professionalism, dedication and devotion to helping others that earned our everlasting respect and admiration. In a 2011 interview with the Journal he admitted his regret at leaving Newcastle to sign for Bolton in 2004, saying: "I shouldnt have left when I did. Bobby didnt want me to go, but the club accepted an offer, I wasnt going to be playing every week so I made a decision to go to Bolton."
