He was offered a new contract at the end of the season, but chose to leave the club, following former assistant manager at Newcastle, Nigel Pearson, to Hull City. He played at Hartlepool United for a season in 2011 before retirement. He started his managerial career at Newcastle Banfield in 2012 as the part-time first-team coach before becoming a full-time manager at Universitario de Deportes. In December 2012, Solano left the post having guided the club from the relegation zone to the top half of the table.
RM – Charles N’Zogbia
Signed as a youth player in 2004 from Le Havre, Charles N’Zogbia played 118 times for Newcastle, scoring on 9 occasions. The French international found himself playing less regularly in 2006/07 falling behind Damien Duff in the pecking order. In 2007 he refused to be used as a substitute in a game against Watford.
However a few months later, N’Zogbia signed a 5-year contract. A year into his contract, N’Zogbia announced his desire to leave the club. “After four years at Newcastle, I want to reach a higher level of ambition. I don’t think that is possible here.” The winger apologized to fans and announced he would never again play for the club while Joe Kinnear was manager. This followed a Kinnear interview in which he mispronounced N’Zogbia’s name as ‘insomnia’. In January 2009, N’Zogbia left for Wigan Athletic. While there he picked up awards for Wigan’s ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ and ‘Supporters’ Player of the Season’ for 2009/10. In 2011, Wigan accepted a £9.5 million bid from Aston Villa for N’Zogbia and he subsequently moved to his current club.
CM – Emre Belozoglu
Emre signed for Newcastle in 2005 from Inter Milan. He proved to be a popular player amongst the Toon Army faithful, showing his ability to win games through his goals and assists, one of which came in the Lillestrom game to put Newcastle 3-0 up. However 3 injury hampered seasons meant fans never really saw what the Turk was really capable of.
In 2008 Emre moved to Fenerbahce, a move that proved unpopular amongst Galatasaray fans. Galatasaray, a team for which he used to play, are deadly rivals with Fenerbahce and “anti-Emre” campaigns were started. His consistent displays saw Emre awarded ‘Super Lig Player of the Season’ for 2009/10. In 2012, Emre moved to Spain and Atletico Madrid before returning to Fenerbahce in January of this year.
CM – Scott Parker
The tough tackling midfield powerhouse signed for Newcastle in 2005 from Chelsea. He quickly became a first-team regular and was named the second best player in England in 2006 by Sky Sports and Opta Index. He led Newcastle to the Intertoto Cup before signing for West Ham United in 2007 for £7 million. In 2008/09 the Englishman played a major part in West Ham’s season and was named ‘Hammer of the Year’.
Following terrific displays for the Hammers and an England recall, Parker was nominated for the 2011 PFA Player of the Year Award. Following reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Parker handed in a transfer request and moved to White Hart Lane in 2011 for £5.5 million. Parker became an important player for Spurs as they vied for Champions League qualification but was sold to Fulham at the start of the 2013/14 season as Tottenham reinvested the Gareth Bale money.
LM – James Milner
Newcastle United took advantage of Leeds’ financial difficulties to snap up young English prodigy, James Milner. He was a regular starter under Bobby Robson but when Robson was sacked and replaced by Graeme Souness, game time came less regularly. In 2005, a clause in Nolberto Solano’s contract meant that when the Peruvian signed, Milner was to join Aston Villa on loan. Following a successful loan spell at Villa and a decent return season at Newcastle, Aston Villa signed Milner for £12 million in 2008. In 2010, Milner was sold to Manchester City for £28.5 million + Stephen Ireland as the Citizens looked to invest their Middle Eastern money. He went on to win the Barclays Premier League at Man City where he continues to play.
ST – Shola Ameobi
The only other survivor from 2006, Ameobi, who has been at Newcastle his whole career, scored twice in the game against Lillestrom. Since signing from the youth set-up in 2000, Ameobi has played 288 times for the club, scoring 51 goals. He hasn’t been a first team regular lately, being used mainly as an impact substitute. In 2011, Shola’s younger brother, Sammy, joined Newcastle United.
And not forgetting the three substitutions that were made…
Craig Moore left in 2007 for Australia, playing for Brisbane Roar and Sydney United. He also played for Kavala in Greece before retiring in 2011.
Nicky Butt joined South China in 2010 and retiring in 2011. He is now Manchester United’s Reserve Coach.
Matthew Pattison signed for Norwich in 2008. He has since played for Mamelodi Sundowns, Engen Santos and Bidvest Wits in South Africa. He continues to play for the latter, playing alongside Benjani.
So there we have it. It just goes to show how much football can change in such a short space of time. Newcastle went on to win 4-1 on aggregate.
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.