How ex-Newcastle United man convinced 130-goal hero to join Sunderland in £325k deal

Kevin Phillips has revealed how a former Newcastle United figure persuaded the striker to join Sunderland in 1997.

The former Sunderland hero netted an astonishing 130 goals in 235 appearances during his prime at the Stadium of Light between 1997 and 2003 after joining the club from Watford for a fee of £325,000, potentially rising to more than £600,000. The striker also bagged 30 during his first season in the Premier League and became the only Englishman to win the Golden Shoe after forming an imperious partnership with Niall Quinn.

Ahead of his transfer move to Wearside, however, Phillips recently revealed that he had serious doubts about moving so far north when Sunderland's initial interest was put to him by his agent. The future England international sought the counsel of former Newcastle United man Glenn Roeder.

Roeder played for Newcastle United 193 times in the league between 1983 and 1989 and would later manage Phillips at Watford. Roeder encouraged Phillips to take a chance and move to the North East but warned the player about the intensity in the region when it comes to football.

“Honestly, if it weren't for me agent, really, not convincing me, but, you know, semi-convincing me that it'll be a good move for you,” Phillips told the Undr The Cosh Podcast. “But as soon as I got home, I rang Glenn Roeder. He had been sacked from Watford. I got on really well with him. I knew he spent a lot of time in the North East with Newcastle. 

“I just said, ‘I've got a chance to go to Sunderland.’ And his words were, ‘Go!’. He didn't even think about it, he said, ‘Don't think about it.’ He said, ‘Because I'm telling you now,’ he said, ‘It's a big football club, a great fan base.’

“And he said, ‘It's an unbelievable place to play football but I'll warn you.’ I was like, right, warn me, what? He said, ‘It's a great place to play football and it's going well but it's a bad place to go when it's not going well.’ It is, it's unbelievable and the best decision I ever made.”