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Newcastle United Players Who Came Back For More

12 years ago
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Which players have returned to Newcastle for a second spell and been a success, will Andy Carroll be added to that list?

I remember as a kid, my mate’s dad raving about John Craggs when he rejoined Newcastle in 1982 alongside a certain Kevin Keegan. We were told we’d now see a proper full-back, instead we saw a washed up veteran stumble around a dozen times, significantly failing to impress.Hardly surprising really as his previous spell at St.James’ Park was 1966-71, giving you the answer if anybody asks you to name a Toon player who appeared for us in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Peter Beardsley undoubtedly takes the title of most successful player in both spells at Newcastle, scoring 67 times in 147 matches (1983-87) before spectacularly returning to hit 47 goals in 129 (1993-97) and almost inspire United to Premier League glory.

The two Terrys, McDermott and Hibbitt, both put in decent spells on two occasions, as they were given the opportunity late in their careers to finish off the jobs they started at Newcastle United.

Robbie Elliott also had two extensive spells at United and never let us down, maybe surprisingly he was at Newcastle for a total of eleven seasons with 139 appearances spread over the years.

While Nobby Solano came back and showed us he certainly hadn’t lost his silky South American skills.

One player who undoubtedly found things better second time around was Mark McGhee. Arriving to chaos in 1977 he only lasted a season, scoring 5 times in 28 games. Returning 11 years later though he formed a formidable partnership with Mickey Quinn and scored 24 goals in 67 matches, just failing to help lift Newcastle back into the top division.

In modern times Olivier Bernard came back but never recovered from injury to play even a single match on his return, while the likes of Lee Clark, Tommy Wright and Pavel Srnicek all had low key spells at a club they all loved.

Should players return to the scene of past glories?

Peter Beardsley more than proves it is possible….though there again, not every player is Peter Beardsley.

Appearances with goals in brackets.

John Craggs 1966-71 52(1)   1982-83 12(0)
Terry Hibbitt 1971-75 138(7)   1978-81 90(5)
Nobby Solano 1998-2004 183(37)   2005-07 58(8)
Olivier Bernard 2000-05 102(6)   2006-07 0(0)
Lee Clark 1990-97 195(23)   2005-06 22(1)
Peter Beardsley 1983-87 147 (61)   1993-97 129(47)
Tommy Wright 1988-1993 73(0)   1999 3(0)
Pavel Srnicek 1991-98 149(0)   2006-07 2(0)
Mark McGhee 1977-78 28(5)   1989-91 67(24)
Terry McDermott 1973-74 56(6)   1982-84 74(12)
Robbie Elliott 1991-97 76(9)   2001-06 63(2)

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