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The 20 Questions

1.
Favourite Player of all time?
Maradona
 
2.
Best Player Played Against?
A close one, Zidane probably edges out Rivaldo.
 
3.
Best Player in Your Position?
Roberto Carlos, by a mile.
 
4.
Best Captain?
Tony Adams, a natural leader.
 
5.
Best Mate in the Game?
Hate to say it, but Peter Swan.
 
6.
Best Atmosphere Experienced?
Newcastle 3 Barcelona 2, Champions League 1997
 
7.
Best Fans (other than own clubs)
The Glasgow teams, both Rangers and Celtic fans are fantastic.
 
8.
Favourite Ground?
St.James Park, Newcastle.
 
9.
Biggest Regret?
Leaving Newcastle when I should have stuck it out.
 
10.
Team Supported?
I'm a blade, Sheffield United.
 
11.
Team I Love to Hate
Not a club team, but Germany.
 
12.
Best Goal Scored
It was a goal against Man Utd at Old Trafford in my last season at Portsmouth. Schmeichel punched a ball out and it came to me a few yards outside of the box, I hit it on the volley and it screamed into the net. I tried to get a copy of the goal from Man U, when I got the video, all you see is Schmeichel punch and then the ball flying back and into the goal - it could have been anyone hitting the shot!!
 
13.
Best Match and Why?
Newcastle 5 Man Utd 0 1997 for the best football, everything clicked that day. But as I've mentioned, the Barcelona Champions League match was also a fantastic occasion.
 
14.
Worst Match and Why?
The Charity Shield in the same season, August 1997. Man U easily beat us 4-0 and all the expectation was for nothing. It was such a let down, we felt sorry for ourselves but even more for the fans.
 
15.
Funniest Football Incident?
This is cruel, but you had to see it to believe it! I was playing at Barnsley when a lad called Darren Foreman went down with a serious injury, the whole ground knew it was nasty and he had actually broken his leg. The St.John's Ambulance men eventually managed to gently place him on the stretcher and as they carried him off, the crowd and players applauded him. Then, they just dropped him! You can imagine the pain he was in. This wasn't particularly funny, but what happened next, well we couldn't believe it. As they put him back on, the applause started again, they got off the pitch and approached the tunnel…and the stretcher wouldn't fit!! They made the poor guy get off the stretcher before he was able to get back on when inside the ground!!
 
16.
Best Manager?
Kevin Keegan
 
17.
Favourite Foreign Club
Barcelona, I went over there as a kid, bought the Maradona shirt and was just blown away by the place!
 
18.
Best transfer at any of your clubs?
The best was probably Peter Beardsley returning from Everton to Newcastle. He was great for us and his partnership with Coley (Andy Cole) was phenomenal. It was so important to bring both his experience and skills to the club at that time. We did very well on our retutn to the top flight, but if Peter hadn't picked up an injury that kept him out for quite a few of the early games, we'd have done even better.
 
19.
What was your ambition in football when you signed your first professional contract?
To play for England. I made it through all the levels and captained England Youth, but could only get as far as the bench at full international level. I've no complainst about my career, it's been great, but l;ets just say that if I've played in the team, I'd have died a happy man.
 
20. Best advice given?
This wasn't directly given to me, but Sting was being interviewed at about the time he released 'An Englishman in New York', he basically said "Have no regrets, be who you are". I thought this was appropriate to me and especially as a footballer. You should never lose track of who you are and not let either positive or negative opinions or attention ever get to you.