An exclusive interview with Nikos Dabizas .
This interview took place over zoom on Friday 24th April.
Nikos and I began by discussing him signing for Newcastle United.
Before then moving on to him playing under three different managers, becoming a derby-day hero, competing in the Champions League.
As well as his thoughts on Newcastle United in the present day.
(ED: This epic interview covers a lot of ground and has been split into three parts. This is the first of the three, with the other two to follow in the coming days. Our thanks from The Mag to The Armchair Fan for this top quality interview with Nikos Dabizas)
What did you know about Newcastle United before you signed for the club?
I was a fan of the Premier League and English football in general when I was a player back in Greece as it was on Greek TV all the time when I was playing for Olympiakos.
I’d seen Newcastle United come very close to winning the league under Kevin Keegan in 1996, Alan (Shearer) signed for the club soon after as well, so I knew all about the club and the entertainers. One of the main factors was that I felt the characteristics of the Premier League suited me as a player so I wanted to explore that.
Who from Newcastle United approached you in 1998 with a view to signing and did it take much persuading for you to agree to join the Toon?
I was playing for Olympiakos and we were the Greek champions having won the league the previous year. I’d been playing there for four years. We were top of the league and I was offered the chance to renew my contract but I’d declined the opportunity.
My agent had told me that Newcastle were interested and were sending a scout to watch me in a couple of matches, that was the first indication I had about Newcastle. Kenny Dalglish was the manager but I didn’t speak to him directly. The scout was happy with what he saw and fed that back to Kenny who had also seen some videos of my performances. Kenny was happy enough to make the decision to offer me a contract and that was how the transfer came about.
When you first moved to the North East, was it a surprise just how passionate the city of Newcastle is about the football club?
Oh yeah. I already had experience of passionate atmospheres because I’d played for the Greek national team in some big stadiums and with Olympiakos as well in the Champions League. The atmosphere in Greek football is very hostile.
At Newcastle, the level of the commitment and loyalty of supporters as well as the atmosphere in my first game at home to Coventry was a positive shock to me. The fact that I was part of a vibrant city and a football stadium so full of passion took me by surprise because it was very different from watching on TV from a distance. Now I was a part of it.
Newcastle fans are often described as insular in the media. How welcomed were you when you moved to NUFC?
I was voted man of the match in my first match after coming on a substitute when Stuart Pearce went off injured. I’d arrived in Newcastle on the Tuesday morning to agree the terms of the contract and we had Wednesday off before training on Thursday and Friday. I’d started on the bench but came on after about twenty-five minutes. It
was a 0-0 draw and the fact that I was voted man of the match made a good first impression on the fans and I could really feel that from the crowd. It was really nice to be accepted as a new member of that family. I was not a particularly big name in the sense that I came from a lower standard than the Premier League even though I was a Greek international and was playing in the Champions League. I felt such a positive vibe from the stands and the fans in general.
From day one, it was authentic, just so genuine because of the passion and the love they have for the club which transmits to the players. It wasn’t personal to me, it was towards any individual that serves the club. Nobody is above the club but you feel the commitment, you feel the passion, you feel the special elements that make Newcastle such a unique club. The football club is part of the culture and the area, it’s all joined together. If you live in the area, the majority of people have a connection with the club and that’s the reality of life there.
What was Kenny Dalglish like as a manager?
Kenny was a very special character, he was not very vocal. He was very humble when you consider the fact he was a top, top player. With the human side of things, he was unbelievable. He wouldn’t say much but he was very specific and very clear in his instructions and what he wanted from you as players. He was very close to the players, we would always feel that he would never leave us exposed. He may hammer us behind closed doors or in the dressing room but in the public eye and in the media he’d always defend us. He was a leader.
In May 1998, we reached our first FA Cup final for twenty-four years. What do you remember about the build-up as well as the match itself?
Straight after we beat Sheffield United in the semi-final at Old Trafford, the clock was ticking towards the Cup Final. We weren’t competing for anything else as we were mid-table in the Premier League so we were fully focussed on the Cup Final. We went down to London to play at the old Wembley Stadium and we had all the traditions and the magic feeling that you’re playing in the oldest and most prestigious competition in football so it was all special. We had the ceremony and the atmosphere in the stadium from all the people travelling down from the North-East. It was unique, it was
a great experience.
In the match, we conceded an early goal but after that I had a header that went very close, it hit the bar. It was inches away from equalising and who knows, it could have been a different story. Alan (Shearer) hit the post too. We were
very unlucky because Arsenal were going for the double at that time and you need that element of luck to compete for winning the cup and we didn’t have it.
You became the first Greek to ever play in an FA Cup Final, what did that mean to people back home?
It was an individual honour to be the first Greek to play in the final of such a prestigious competition, the oldest competition in the history of football so it was a special feeling for me. It was special for the Greek community too both in the UK and back home because it was televised on Greek TV so I was their connection to the FA Cup back then.
Which players influenced you the most during your time at NUFC?
I think as a central defender, you always have a very close relationship with the goalkeeper, so Shay Given and Steve Harper who were the main goalkeeping duo in my time there.
After that, I think Gary Speed, who was a top, top player and a complete personality in front of us. I was close to Gary because I admired his professionalism and his personality so he was definitely one of them.
Of course we had Alan Shearer up front who was the leader, he was very demanding as a teammate but you always knew you could rely on him because he was fighting for the team as well as himself. He was captain of the team.
Those players were very important to me and influenced my career at Newcastle.
Issue 122 – May 1999 Photo by The Mag
Is it possible to pick a best match during your time at Newcastle United?
I’d think I’d go straight to the Stadium of Light when I scored the winning goal at Sunderland (February 2002).
Earlier in the match I’d hit the bar and the goalkeeper had made a fantastic save so, I’d had two chances to score before the winning goal.
In that game we’d kept a clean sheet, I’d scored the winning goal and had two more great chances, so that was probably the best game I had in a Newcastle United jersey in combination with the importance of the match as well.
I get asked about that goal every single time I visit Newcastle, I’m always going back to Newcastle and it’s the very first thing that people talk about and ask me about. It is still a very special day for me, even though it is now nearly twenty-five years ago.
(ED: Our thanks once again to Nikos Dabizas and The Armchair Fan, part two of three of this epic interview will go up on The Mag on Tuesday)