According to BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/football/teams/d/derby_county/newsid_1800000/1800770.stm

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Answers

Not certain i'm happy about this one....I still think he could've done a job for us this season and for the sake of 500k he should've been kept for emergencies....lets hope it doesn't shoot us in the foot!

I'll be very interested to see if he's fit to play for them against the Mackems...that'd suggest that his injury stories for us were cos of his contract dispute....maybe...

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Let's see. So we buy a midfielder to strengthen the team and then we sell one....

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

It's looking towards the future though. Speed's back and Dyer's injury isn't the worst, and now we also have Jenas and a re-blooded McClen, along with Acuna, so we should have ample cover. Half a million is useful, even if it won't buy a top player. We've got the training facilities to fund as well.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Yo Kegsy....glad your home? :))

It's gonna be a case of wait and see on this, I hope it doesn't cost us points...it kinda makes sense to cut him off the wage bill and make a bit of cash for him before he becomes a free agent...

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Thanks for the memories Rob. Thanks for the £500,000 Derby. Good luck for the rest of the Season to both - especially on Saturday.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Yeah glad to be home, and looking forward to getting into clean clothes :-)

I understand that it will save us about a million but we have a first choice midfield of Dyer and Speed. One of whom is injured. We have a new young signing as back up (though hopefully this will change) and we have Acuna and McClen. Personally I would say that Lee is more value than either McClen or Acuna. 1 million pounds IS a lot of money but not if you compare it to possible CL revenue.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

I buy Pete's argument. I also think that the £500k was despeartely needed by FS as part of the deal to land Jenas. It would appear that as well as the £500K and £250K for Wozza, Derby have done us a huge favour in cutting the wage bill for both as well. Canny biz if you ask me (not that anybody did, mind).

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Robert Lee played 369 games for us, scoring 56 goals. Only Frank Clark, Bobby Mitchell, Davy Craig and Jackie Milburn have played for the club more times since the war. The guy has been a true servant to the club.

He joined us in the September of our promotion season having already played nearly 300 games for Charlton. He came as a winger, and was an ever present from the day he arrived. At the end of that season he scored the best goal in the 7-1 win over Leicester.

Keegan eventually recognised that he would be better used in central midfield and bought in Ruel Fox to set Lee free.

In our first away game in Europe he scored an amazing first half hat trick in Antwerp, to show to the world that our attacking style could work at that level too.

The best game I saw him play was in 1996 when we played a good Forest side, with Collymore and co still performing. He seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, supporting defenders and attackers alike.

He managed to get a few caps for England and never let them down, without ever setting the world alight.

His performances began to be less consistent after 1997 and a replacement was found in Hamman. Lee stuck around though. Gullit clearly didn't like him and dropped him out of the first team altogether. It took Bobby Robson to get a few extra games out of him.

The highlight of his career and the one moment I'd like to remember him for is the goal at Wembley against Chelsea in the Cup semi. A good goal, not a great goal, but a goal that produced a reaction I've not seen before or since. As Ben said over a year later, "I've never seen so many men crying".

Robert Lee would always be in my team of Newcastle greats, he may not have been good enough to get us to win anything but he was the best we've had. Thanks Robert and good luck for Saturday !!!

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Hearlity agree with Macb's words. A legend indeed. Still adamant that someone who's been paid 'x'million over the years should NEVER have had a testimonial, especially then to demand a move so soon after, but hey, that's another argument and I'll forgive him. He did us proud and I'll cheer him to the rafters if he ever comes back to SJP.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

I'm not sure we should have let him go at this point but we need to look to a new era. Thanks, Rob, for everything.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

I must admit I am very surprised he has signed for Derby. I thought he would have waited to go to WHam in the summer. At this point in time they seem to be well on the way to securing Premiership football next season whereas the same cannot be said of Derby.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Astute piece of work by Gregory. Lee has plenty to offer for this season at least and should help steady a rapidly sinking ship.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Best of luck to him at Derby. With Gregory serving a touchline ban, mebbe there's an opportunity for a managerial coup by Lee and Barton? ;-)

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

In a backs against the wall situation, Barton and Lee will contribute more than most, especially in the changing room....fnar.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

lee might have been useful to nufc in the run in, but in spite of all his great service to nufc he chose to feign injury and basically go on strike unless he got a transfer or a new contract. all this rather than try to win a championship and take his chances at the end of the season.

i'm not obsessed with player loyalty and i do understand the economic considerations, but in this case i would have stayed around to see what happens.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Good luck and thanks Rob. Have we got a policy of strengthening Derby before Saturday's match? :-) Well at least the Mackems will have something to shout for against.

Some comment about whether this is a wise move given our midfield cover. Who can say? We are never in possession of all the facts but we do know that Lee asked for a transfer and we do know he has been injured recently. Some have even queried whether he may have been malingering to get the move sorted. Well I don't wish to cast nasturtiums at a player who has served the club superbly, but if his heart is no longer in it, then picking up half a million plus relieving the wage bill of a sizeable chunk has to be seen as good deal from both a football and a business point of view. If he is fully fit and was yearning to be part of a club challenging for the title then it's probably a poor move in a football sense. Make your own minds up.

So all trace of the Keegan era is almost completely gone. Only Shearer remains. Be nice if some remnant of that era could win something this season ...

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

There's Robbie Elliot still around, and I suppose Harper, who were both in Keegan's squad.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

There's Robbie Elliot as well. If we bought back Batty we could have the spine of Keegan's team for the nostalgia value.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

And there's Robbie Elliot of course. ;-)

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Have you forgotten Robbie Elliott?

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Definitely one of my all time favourites, but if we needed the cash to land Jenas then it's absolutely the right decision. Mind you, I bet he'll be looking longingly at us from his relegation dogfight as we scrap it out for the title. Real shame he won't be around if we do win it.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Not to mention Elliott Robert.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

We really are approaching closure on the Keegan era. It's taken a long time, but it's happening.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

and it will be a real B*gg*r if we lose at Derby and it costs us the title

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Nobody's mentioned Robert Elliot for a while..

What do you mean 'wearing thin'?

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

The Man City game coupled with us finishing in the top 4 and the departure of Lee and Barton really should close the Keegan era.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

I would just like to add my good wishes to Rob Lee. One of the best players and servants Newcastle has had. One of Keegans best aquisitions.

He wants to be loved and thinks John Gregory will give him that. He will certainly get 1st team football at Derby where it would be very restricted at N'cle.

I think the team is now too fast for him even when he is fit. He slows our game down too much these days so I don't subscribe to the thoughts we should be hanging on.

Good luck to him and Derby

We can win the PL without him only a shame he won't be there to join in the celebrations

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

If we won the PL Rob Lee would get a winners medal as he has played more than 10 league games for us.

He has played his part this year, and although he will be missed, he is past his best and his wages are now no longer a burden.

Anyone know how much Jenas is on per week?

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Paul - I bet its less than Bobby Lee.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Oh and then there's Robbie Elliot.

Elliot is a Robson signing. As a KK player he came through the yoof system. There are still a number of KK yoofs in the squad (Ameobi, Harper, Hughes, Chopra I think, possibly others - I don't have signing dates). I assume that these players are signed with very little involvement of the manager. I think all those players would have been here whether KK was the manager or not. It's good to know that his famous youth policy didn't end their careers though, :-)

I think Shearer is the only player left that KK went out and paid money for.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

It was on the cards really. If we put a business hat on it was either buying an asset for £5m that should last 5-10 years, costs less to run and even after those years could be sold on at a handsome profit or continue with the current asset that costs a lot to keep going and has no scrap value, if we dispose of it now, we get £300k and from an antique restorer in the midlands.

It would be nice to offer Rob lee a new contract but he's always been a high earner, I'm sure he wasn't going to take a pay cut & to be honest Speed soes a better job. I thought he'd go to City to team up with KK though.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Cheers Lee thanks for all you did. Just a shame he's gone just before his 10 years mark. Now he won't get a testimonial.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

Yeah but if he had managed the ten years he would have given all the money to a charity like Niall Quinn (sic)

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002

But Niall Quinn isn't a charity though

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002

Who's this Robbie Elliott geeza who keeps cropping up on this thread?

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002