Barmby: Nicholas Jonathan (Nick)

2002-2004 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Right Midfield

Born: Hull: 11-02-1974

Debut v Manchester City (h): 17-08-2002

5’7” 11st 2lb (2002)

Born in Hull, he was educated at Kelvin Hall High School, but he left early to pursue his football career, which had seen him playing for local clubs Springhead and National Tigers, by studying at the F.A. School of Excellence. He was pursued by several clubs, but chose Tottenham Hotspur and duly signed for them on 9th April 1991. He established himself in the Spurs first team in 1992-93, when still only eighteen, and was soon recognised as a future England player. It was while at White Hart Lane that he made his England breakthrough in 1995, when former Spurs boss, Terry Venables brought him on as a substitute against Uruguay. He had already been capped by England at Schoolboy, Youth, four times at Under-Twenty-One and twice at “B” levels. However, the midfielder's international career never really took off, despite scoring three goals in ten games, and it wasn't until five years later that Kevin Keegan brought him back into the squad full-time. In the meantime, Barmby had moved to Premiership yo-yo club Middlesbrough for £5.25million on 8th August 1995, after scoring twenty-one goals, including one from the penalty spot, in eighty-three starts and six games from the bench in League games, five goals in twelve starts and one substitute appearance in the F.A. Cup and twice in seven starts and one game from the bench in the League Cup while at White Hart Lane. The fee shattered the Middlesbrough transfer record by around £4,000,000, when they paid £5,250,000 and Barmby repaid his Manager Bryan Robson’s faith in him with a string of brilliant performances that sealed his place in the England squad and helped Boro reach the upper echelons of the EPL. His most memorable display was probably against Chelsea in the first-ever game at the Riverside, when his telepathic understanding with Craig Hignett helped Boro claim a deserved 2-0 win. Several months into the campaign, Juninho was unveiled and Barmby suddenly found he was no longer the centre of attention. Not only were there two international class footballers, but they played in the same position. His position in the side became less and less tenable, and he was eventually sold to Everton for £5,750,000 on 2nd November 1996. At the Riverside he scored eight goals in forty-two League games, once in three F.A. Cup ties and once in four League Cup appearances, before the Everton took him to Goodison Park after fourteen months at the Riverside. At Goodison he was part of a team that were struggling to avoid relegation and he too sometimes struggled with injuries, particularly in the 1998-99 season. He scored eighteen times in one hundred and five starts and eleven games from the bench, three goals in twelve F.A. Cup ties and three goals in two starts and three games from the bench in the League Cup before he moved to Liverpool for a fee of £6 million on 19th July 2000. Sven Goran Eriksson elected to play him against Spain in February 2001 and Barmby repaid his new manager with the opening goal as England went on to win 3-0 and give Eriksson a victorious debut. He also played in England's historic 5-1 away victory over rivals Germany and seemed the answer to England’s left midfield problem. His fine performances for Liverpool, both domestically and in Europe, kept him in the England frame. Unfortunately Barmby missed the last two months of the 2000-01 season, when Liverpool played three cup finals, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup, through injury. He returned for the start of the 2001-02 season, picking up a Charity Shield Medal, and being immediately brought back into Eriksson's plans, but again injury would blight his season. Barmby was ruled out in mid-October, and would only make three more appearances over the remainder of the season. As Liverpool strengthened for the 2002-03 campaign, Barmby moved to Leeds United for a bargain £2.75million on 8th August 2002, after scoring twice in twenty-three starts and nine games from the bench in the League, once in two starts and three games as substitute in F.A. Cup ties, one goal in three starts and four from the bench in the League Cup and four goals in ten starts and four substitutions in European and other games. The move saw the Hull-born player re-united with Terry Venables, the man who groomed him at Spurs and handed him his England bow. Initially bought to solve the problem of losing Lee Bowyer, unfortunately he was never a favourite of the fans and was tarred with the same brush as Venables, but he never showed his England form at Leeds. His Leeds career got off to a flying start, scoring in his debut against Manchester City at Elland Road but it soon took a downward turn after he was injured in the warm up to the game against his former club, Tottenham Hotspur, at White Hart Lane and he was sidelined for several games. After Venables’ dismissal he was out of favour with Eddie Gray and Peter Reid. After a loan spell with Nottingham Forest in February 2004, where he scored once in six starts, he left for his hometown team, Hull City, after Leeds had lost their EPL status and paid out his contract. Capped twenty-three times, ten of which were as a substitute, by England, he won a League Cup, and a UEFA Cup Winners' Medal in 2000-01 with Liverpool and after signing for them on 8th July 2004, he was a regular as Hull City gained promotion to the CCCL in 2004-05 and he was part of their squad as they gained promotion to the EPL in 2007-08. Up to the end of the 2010-11 season he had scored twenty-five times for the Tigers in ninety-eight starts and seventy-four games from the bench in the League, three times in five starts and two games as a substitute in the F.A. Cup, once in four starts and two substitutions in the League Cup and twice in three games in the play-off finals. With the end of his playing career in sight, on 30th June 2010 the new Hull City Manager, Nigel Pearson, announced that Barmby would take his first steps into coaching, as a member of his coaching staff, which would be combined with his playing duties