10 Players Who Thought They Were Bigger Than Newcastle United

10. Alain Goma

There's a rather tasteless stereotype that goes around Newcastle whenever a French player signs, which tempers the excitement of every signing from across the Channel, and it all comes down to Alain Goma. The Frenchman was left high and dry after Ruud Gullit left soon after signing him, and seemingly decided Newcastle wasn't for him, picking up more mysterious injuries than Marcelino before insisting on a move away from the club. Clearly he'd made some claims while admitting his unhappiness to Freddy Shepherd, who publicly criticised the defender after he'd gone:

"Goma accuses us of lacking motivation and ambition. Well, that's rich coming from a player who played only 39 out of 85 possible games for us. I know the figures because I've had them looked up. He played less than 50 per cent of our games through injuries. That meant he cost us twice as much in wages. "Does Goma think Fulham are a bigger club than Newcastle United? Well, if he can't hack it up here he can go. If he can't play for a manager like Bobby Robson and fans like ours, he's got a problem."