94: Eddie Newton, Chelsea, Merlin’s Premier League 95 Sticker Collection

Thanks to the ruthless approach of Watford’s owner Gino Pozzo sacking season began early in the 2021/22 campaign. Despite leading the Hornets back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and with the club in a less than shameful fifteenth in the table, Xisco Munoz was relieved of his duties in early October 2021 and replaced with Mr Dilly Dong himself Claudio Ranieri. Not to be outdone by the famously fickle Watford ownership Newcastle United’s not-at-all suspect new paymasters dismissed Steve Bruce later in the same month and were closely followed by Tottenham Hotspur who dispensed with the services of Nuno Espirito Santo barely three months into his tenure. At the time of writing three more Premier League clubs joined in the severance pay shenanigans with Daniel Farke rewarded for finally winning a game with Norwich City with his P45 and Dean Smith booted out at Aston Villa. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was finally put out of his misery by Manchester United a fortnight later with apparent German genius Ralf Rangnick swiftly appointed as ‘interim manager’. 

This term is a relatively new one in football seemingly replacing the traditional ‘caretaker manager’. Perhaps the Red Devils were wary to award yet another lucrative lengthy contract to a new coach following the number of car crash moments endured while Ole was at the wheel. Maybe the famously involved Glazers had flashbacks to when Les Reed served as Charlton Athletic’s caretaker manager back in 2006 and somehow managed to do a worse job than Iain Dowie. There’s an outside chance that United’s top brass had learned a little from their Premier League rivals Chelsea who had given this title to the likes of Guus Hiddink and Rafa Benitez and seen the club pick up the FA Cup and Europa League. The Blues had gone one better back in 2011/12 when they promoted Roberto Di Matteo from assistant to the top job and picked up their first ever Champions League, as well as another FA Cup, although his failure to defend their European title once given the job on a permanent basis saw the Abramovich axe fall swiftly. At Di Matteo’s side throughout this whirlwind ride was his former Chelsea teammate Eddie Newton.

Newton was a product of the Chelsea youth system and made his first appearance for the club back in 1990. After a brief loan spell at Cardiff City he gradually established himself in the first team and made the starting line up for the 1994 FA Cup final against Manchester United. It’s fair to say that he had a shocker at the Wembley showpiece as his foul on Denis Irwin allowed Eric Cantona to open the scoring and a later defensive error allowed Mark Hughes in to score United’s third. Despite their 4-0 defeat Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners’ Cup due to United’s triumph in the Premier League and acquitted themselves well in the greatest of European club tournaments by reaching the semi-finals. Newton well and truly redeemed himself in the 1997 FA Cup final when his goal secured the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough and he was a key part of the side who enjoyed Cup Winners’ Cup and League Cup glory in the 1997/98 campaign. The arrival of Didier Deschamps at Stamford Bridge and a string of injuries limited Newton’s game time in the following season and he left the club for Birmingham City. After brief spells with Oxford United, Barnet and Hayes he called time on his career in the year 2000 due to a persistent knee injury at the relatively tender age of 30.

After gaining his coaching qualifications he was reunited with Chelsea teammate Di Matteo as the Italian took the reins at MK Dons in 2008 and he followed him to West Bromwich Albion a year later. The pair helped the Baggies gain promotion to the Premier League in the 2009/10 season and scored some impressive victories over Arsenal and Everton upon the club’s return to the top flight. However, after a poor run of form around the turn of 2011, the pair were relieved of their duties in February and it was something of a surprise when Di Matteo took over at Chelsea following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas. The rest, as they say, is history and despite the eventual sacking of the Italian in November 2012 Newton remained a part of the club’s backroom staff for the cavalcade of managers who followed.

Unaware of what was to follow in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic Eddie Newton took up the role of assistant manager at Turkish side Trabzonspor in February 2020 as the club fought for the Super Lig title with Istanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas. The season was suspended in March and by the time it resumed in June the Black Sea Storm struggled to maintain their momentum at the top the table. Manager Huseyin Cimsir was dismissed and Newton stepped into the breach. Although he was unable to claim the league title he did lead Trabzonspor to their ninth Turkish Cup success with a 2-0 win over Alanyaspor. Clearly impressed with Newton’s miracle work of converting Alexander Sorloth into a 33 goal a season striker the club’s owners appointed Newton on a permanent basis ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

Sadly Eddie Newton’s reign lasted just seven games, with a solitary victory over Yeni Malatyaspor, and he was sacked in October 2020. As a defensive midfielder it’s likely that Newton was used to being overlooked, especially as Chelsea transformed from fallen giant to global super club in the 1990s, but his determined hard work both on the pitch and behind the scenes certainly played their part in the Blues’ rise to power. With relative youth on his side there is every chance that he may become a very successful manager in his own right but if there are any clubs looking for an interim appointment he could well be the perfect fit.