Season with NUFC: 1998/99 Appearances: 31, Goals: 5 To an undiscerning eye Didi Hamann's solitary season in black and white is looked upon as a nothing more than a stepping stone. An introduction to English football, if you will. Perhaps that is true but what Hamann brought to St James' Park was natural quality in midfield and a break in the mediocrity that had engulfed us during Kenny Dalglish's tenancy. The Germany international had come to Dalglish's attention when starring for his country at the World Cup and was swiftly snapped up from Bayern Munich for a bargain £5.5 million. A rare success in the transfer market for the hapless Scot. Though the 1998/99 season ranks as one the least memorable in our 20 years as a Premier League club Hamann was a rare bright spot, combining a sublime range of passing with a tendency to score remarkable long-range goals that endeared him to the Toon faithful. There were few that begrudged him a move to Merseyside when Liverpool waved £8m under our noses and he remains one of a small number of players to leave the Club with their reputation and relationship with supporters intact.
