By Michael Lynch
January 3 2004

With Nikos Dabizas recently completing his move to Leicester City, he found time to talk to the media about his career at Newcastle and his future at the Walkers Stadium.

 

 

Dabizas blasts Sir Bobby

 

NIKOS DABIZAS: "The last year has been the most harrowing experience of my career.

"Of course things were bad when Ruud Gullit was in charge but that was a purely personal problem and had nothing to do with my footballing ability.

"I was out of the team then but it was a clash of personalities and I was resigned to the fact that I would not be selected, no matter how well or poorly I performed.

"Under Sir Bobby, it has been different. Until early last year he had always showed faith in me but suddenly his attitude changed. That's why it hurt even more.

"I went from being a first choice defender to a player who would only get a sniff if there were three or four injuries. Everything changed within the space of a few months. I just couldn't accept that."

MICKY ADAMS: "Nikos is a proven defender at the very highest level and he's in to bolster our defence. He's experienced and, if he had been any younger, there's no way we would have been in a position to sign him. At 30 he still has a lot of football left in him and he just fits nicely into what we're trying to achieve here.

"He's match fit but I don't think he'll be involved against Manchester City - I'd like to see him in a couple of training sessions before I send him out there.

"If we go down he becomes a free transfer player because we won't be able to afford to keep him here. If we stay up he can sign for another year."

Nikos' Biography:

Nikos Dabizas was born on the 3rd of August 1973, in Ptolemaida in the North of Greece. He spent his childhood in a small village named Valtonero. He spent his days playing football and helping in his father's company. His first contact with football came when he was sixteen, although he never dreamt of becoming a professional footballer.

However Fate had other plans for him. He played for a year as an amateur at the local team of Amydeo called Hermes, which was enough to give him the ticket to a team in the third division and a professional contract.

As a player for Pontioi Verias, where he remained for three consecutive seasons, he played one year on the third division and two on the second. His big career break came when he was 21. He got an offer from Olympiakos, one of the biggest teams in Greece.

He moved to Piraeus, the well-known port of Athens, and helped his new team win the Greek championship twice, something quite impressive considering the fact they hadn't won it for ten years. He also took part in his first Champion's League games. After three and a half seasons with Olympiakos he received an offer from Newcastle United, which opened him the doors to the English football fields and the exciting world of the Premier League.

He has been signed to Newcastle since 1998. His initial four-year contract, which was to expire in 2002, was renewed well ahead of time and was to see Nikos in the team until June 2004.

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