As one of the most well-regarded and celebrated teams in British football, Newcastle United’s exploits on the pitch are well known, the team having been a firm fixture in national leagues throughout the team’s 121-year history. Though we’re all aware of the side’s actions over at St James’, the exploits of players off the pitch are far less well known. We decided to do a little digging to find out what strange, interesting and exciting discoveries lurk beneath the black and white veneer.
Moussa Sissoko: French international player Moussa Sissoko made fans angry when he gained two yellow cards during the game against West Ham. Thanks to a errant ball kick and a vicious challenge against Andy Carroll, the well-rounded midfielder received two yellow cards and was sent off. The troubles didn’t stop there for Sissoko though; after the match Pardew was quoted as saying he was in discussions with the player regarding the need for him to give a substantial sum to charity as an apology to fans!
Various Players’ Habits on the Road: Playing for a team as large and famous as Newcastle FC entitles one to quite a large paycheck, and as such football players have become known for glitzy mansions, flash suits and cars that are rarely seen on the roads. That’s all fine, of course, but it recently emerged that players were doing a little more than spending their earnings. An anonymous ex-player recently revealed how, when in the team’s touring bus on drives to away games, he and the team used to enjoy gambling. However this wasn’t a few games being played online at JackpotCity.org, and indeed perhaps JackpotCity’s commitment to responsible gambling would have come very much in handy if the boys had been gambling over the net. Instead, players were regularly stopping off at banks, withdrawing £30,000 and betting and playing casino games on the tour bus itself! This was over ten years ago, so let’s hope these kinds of shenanigans don’t occur as frequently nowadays!
Laura Wareham: Goalkeeper for the Newcastle United Ladies team, Laura Wareham has been quite the force on the city’s female team, and by the sounds of a recent story, a real slugger at that! The player recently collided with a defender, hurting her neck, but decided to play on (until the agonising pain forced her off the pitch). Later, it so transpired that the player had broken her neck, defending her goal despite the injury! If that’s not determination and drive, we don’t know what is!
