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. The first part went up on Monday, the second part on Tuesday, this is the final one of the three. Our thanks from The Mag to The Armchair Fan for this top quality interview with Nikos Dabizas)
How much of a regret is it, that Sir Bobby Robson was unable to bring silverware to the club despite having a brilliant five years in charge?
Yeah it was a shame, it was a pity because first and foremost the club deserved that and he deserved that but we can’t change the past. We needed specific elements to be a complete team and we were missing them, which was a shame. It was a stressful situation going to finals but not being able to win the silverware, at least though we gave it our best. We don’t have any regrets because we were trying to do our best. Sometimes you get it and sometimes not and that’s what makes football so special, but we gave one hundred percent effort and commitment in every single game and
tried to represent the club in the best possible way from our point of view and Sir Bobby’s point of view.
What was the highlight of your time at Newcastle?
I spent six years at Newcastle and played almost two-hundred games, scoring some important goals throughout my time there, playing in Cup finals and in the Champions League as well trying to win the Premier League, so it was a combination of things.
Obviously, individually it was that game against Sunderland but the bigger picture is the longevity I had in a very special place like Newcastle and the club in general. Earlier on in the season than the Sunderland goal, I scored against Man United and that was a brilliant game. We were winning but got pegged back, my goal made it 3-1 but then they started to dominate the game and scored two goals in two minutes to equalise the game and we managed to score the winning goal in the last phase of the match through Alan Shearer, although it might have been a deflection but it doesn’t make any difference. It was a great game, one of the best games we’ve played. They had such a team with Veron, Van Nistelrooy, Beckham, Giggs and Roy Keane. They were very, very strong. We had some great games over the years.
Photo by The Mag
Did you know you would be leaving the club in January 2004, or did you still feel you could still do a job for Newcastle United?
It was a mixture of things. The most important part of my decision was that I needed gametime ahead of the European Championships in Portugal. I’d picked up an injury in a car crash so I was out for three months. When I came back the club had signed Jonathan Woodgate and it was difficult to get the gametime that I wanted ahead of the European Championships, so I had a feeling that I might need to take that decision. It was something that I had to do and in football that happens but I don’t know if I would have taken that decision to leave if it wasn’t for the European Championships.
Greece actually won Euro 2004 which was a huge surprise, nobody expected that, it was one of the biggest shocks in world football and I’m very proud to have been a part of it.
Do you still spend any time in the North East and follow the fortunes of Newcastle United?
Oh yeah, always! This year I’ve been back to watch five or six matches.
I always have great times there and come back throughout the years so I have a very strong connection with the club as well as the city in general. It feels like home whenever I go back and I’m planning to attend the last home match of this season too. The fans call players who embrace the culture of Newcastle ‘adopted Geordies’, I want to declare myself the ‘Chairman of adopted Geordies’! (laughs). The winner against Sunderland will always be there!
What was your perception of Mike Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle United?
Not the best, there were some strange decisions not just towards the club but towards ex-players too. We were not welcome when we wanted to come back and watch a game, the club said we couldn’t be allocated a ticket. The board made a decision that ex-players couldn’t just attend like we used to. It wasn’t about the money or that we would have to pay, what was a disgrace was the lack of respect.
It’s the opposite of what is happening now where we are invited back and made to feel welcome. It was all negative from every aspect. There was a lack of respect for the fans, it’s not just me and you saying this, it was a common perception at the time. It’s in the past but let’s learn from the mistakes of the past so we can have a bright future. The club is in safe hands now and moving forward.
Do you think our current owners will bring sustained success to the club in terms of both silverware and regular participation in the Champions League?
Yeah, there are restrictions in terms of how you can spend your money these days in terms of sustainability rules but the intention is there, the financial power is there, so I think it’s a matter of trying to be stable throughout the club from the academy through to the first team to try and achieve the best possible outcomes, both on as well as off the pitch. We need that stability as well as the financial power that we now have. It’s a combination of things, you need to be clever, you need to be wise, you need to be patient. The fact we’re now moving in a completely different direction from the past is a positive but we must be patient because there are specific restrictions that are not allowing the club to spend the money it has so it’s more complicated than it used to be. Fingers crossed we have that patience in every department
from the top to the bottom of the club so we can be sustainable on and off the pitch.
Do you think Eddie Howe is the right man to continue to take us forward?
Yeah, I think Eddie Howe has done a remarkable job. I think he has the backing of the players as well but football is a results-driven industry and every single individual is judged by that. I think at the end of the season, every single person needs to sit round a table and have a big discussion and make some big decisions. If Eddie wants to be there and feels he can do the job then he has to do it his own way and if the board feel he is the right man then they have to support him and make that decision. It’s not for me to say if he is the right man or not, sometimes from the outside it looks easy to say yes or no but from the inside, it’s the most difficult decision to make. I have total respect for Eddie and for what he has done for the club over the last four years.
Did you watch the 2025 League Cup final and how did you feel when Newcastle won a major trophy for the first time in fifty-six years?
I was there at Wembley as I was commentating for Greek TV. I was screaming on live TV (laughs), I’d actually attended the previous final against Man Utd that we lost, I was there in the stands with the fans wearing my Newcastle shirt. I wasn’t in the executive box, I was with the Newcastle supporters. I was one of the Geordies so I went home unhappy but the next time I was, as a commentator, very happy so it was a very special day. When the goals went in I was shouting, cheering and screaming! (laughs).
Who was the most gifted player you played with on Tyneside?
In terms of being technically gifted, I’d say Nolberto Solano was the most gifted with the ball at his feet but the most complete personality, the most complete football player as a professional I think was Gary Speed.
Issue 169 – 21 April 2003
(The mention of Gary Speed brought about a conversation between Nikos and I about the importance of the PFA supporting former players with their mental health after they finish their playing career. Gary tragically took his own life in November 2011).
There’s a large percentage of ex-players suffering from alcoholism, addiction, drugs and gambling. This is something that happens in all top-level sports, NBA, NFL etc. The last person on Earth that you think would commit suicide was Gary Speed, the last person on Earth. When I found he’s passed away I thought it was a car accident but when I heard it was suicide I thought ‘this is not happening, it’s not possible’. It’s a very sensitive topic but the authorities need to be pro-active, before you stop playing you need to be prepared for what you are then going to go and do in your career. As footballers, we finish our career at about thirty-five years old and there needs to be a plan B. The government and the authorities need to be pro-active and that is where they have to focus on supporting former players.
(If you or anyone you know is affected by mental health, anxiety or suicidal thoughts then please speak to your GP or call the Samaritans anytime 24/7 on 116 123, you are not alone).
If you had to choose a best XI of your NUFC teammates, who would you pick?
That’s a tricky question!
Let’s say Shay Given in goal, I’d have Olivier Bernard at left back and Aaron Hughes on the right. Should I leave myself out of it or have me and Sylvain Distin in the centre of defence? Central midfield would be Robert Lee and Gary Speed with Laurent Robert on the left and Nolberto Solano on the right with Craig Bellamy and Alan Shearer up front playing four four two. That’s pretty much the team that qualified for the Champions League in 2002.
Issue 194 – 11 June 2005
Would any of Newcastle’s current players get into the above team?
I think Bruno for sure. He is a very special player for us.
What is your best or funniest Sir Bobby Robson story?
There was once a pre-match meal where we had a choice of tomato soup or a tomato-based sauce with spaghetti. Instead of having the soup, he chose the spaghetti sauce without any spaghetti by mistake. He thought it was soup. He ended up eating a bowl of spaghetti sauce as if it was a soup! (laughs). He was saying “this soup is great”, we were all laughing and saying “Gaffer, that’s not soup it’s the spaghetti sauce!” he replied “really? It’s still great” and carried on eating it! (laughs).
What was the proudest moment of your career?
Winning the European Championship with Greece was a major honour but also spending years at Newcastle, being a part of such a special club and such a special city brought me the most satisfaction in my career. It’s something I’ll have with me forever. That was very, very, special for me. Not just a specific game or an individual moment but the whole time. Being part of such a special place and such a special club. I don’t isolate the club from the region, Newcastle United is not just the football club, it’s the region in general. The people who support the club, they are Newcastle United. Being a part of Geordieland and being a Geordie for all those years is a very important achievement for me. We went to Cup Finals, qualified for the last-sixteen of the Champions League and challenged for league titles. Every season had its own success
story.
(ED: Our thanks once again to Nikos Dabizas and The Armchair Fan, this is the third and final part of this epic interview on The Mag, the second part went up on Tuesday, the first part went up on Monday)