“He’s red, he’s white, we signed him from the shite”… Ste Speed profiles an ex-Red who crossed the Park and enjoyed ‘treble’ success in his first season at the club.
There have been a number of transfers between Everton and Liverpool over the years but between 1959 and 2000 all of those transfers involved players moving from Anfield to Goodison Park. The most famous player to make this transfer was Peter Beardsley in 1991 but there have been other notable players such as Kevin Sheedy and David Johnson who have made the move from Liverpool to Everton.
For some strange reason players moving from Liverpool to Everton have never been made to suffer by the fans but there has always been a big stigma when a player goes in the opposite direction. A transfer between two teams who are each others biggest and nearest rival will always be a cause for controversy but Everton’s fans seem to take it far more bitterly and personally than Liverpool fans do when the reverse occurs. In 1991 the anger over Peter Beardsley’s move was not directed at the player himself but more towards Graeme Souness and the Liverpool board for allowing him to leave. In 2000 when Nick Barmby became the first Everton player to join Liverpool since Dave Hickson in 1959, the anger and hatred he received from the Everton fans was so severe it was incredible. The public chants of ‘judas’ were so loud and often that you’d have thought he’d stood in the middle of Goodison Park and set fire to a blue shirt.
Nick Barmby was born in February 1974 in Hull. He was a talented footballer when he was growing up and he played for a number of local sides before gaining a place at the F.A’s School of Excellence. As a teenager he was courted by a number of clubs including Liverpool, with whom he had a two week trial in 1991. Despite the advances of many clubs to sign him, Nick eventually decided to sign for Tottenham Hotspur as a trainee in 1991.
When Nick signed for them, Spurs had just finished the previous season as F.A Cup winners and their manager Terry Venables had built an exciting side that included Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Nick was a popular player with Venables and he didn’t have to wait too long to make his first team debut as an eighteen year old in 1992. He went on to play alongside quality strikers like Jurgen Klinsmann and Teddy Sheringham and he started to gain notice as a player of tremendous ability. During this period Nick was a regular in the England under 21 and B sides and eventually made his first full England appearance in 1995 under his old manager Terry Venables.
After over one hundred appearances for Spurs, Nick moved to Middlesborough in 1995 for £5.25 million. Nick played really well under Bryan Robson and after just one and a half seasons at The Riverside he was on the move again when Everton manager Joe Royle paid £5.75 million to take him to Goodison Park. Nicks first three seasons were marked with inconsistency as he struggled to maintain his previous good form for long periods. He did however have an excellent season for Everton under Walter Smith in 1999/2000. His form during that season earned Nick a call up to Kevin Keegan’s England Squad for the 2000 European Championships. Nick never managed to get off the bench during the tournament but his performances the previous season had brought him back into the spotlight and he was once again linked to other clubs.
After the European Championships finished the announcement was made that Nick was to join Liverpool for £6 million. The shock and anger from the Everton fans was so strong that the Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier seemed shocked, saying at the time; “He has not changed his religion”. The move was always going to be a controversial one, especially as it was the first such transfer for forty one years, but it seemed to be made worse when it emerged that Nick had been actively seeking the transfer to Liverpool rather than Liverpool having to convince him to move. Nick described the move as a “dream come true” which is a comment that would obviously upset those on the blue half of Merseyside who had put a lot of their hopes in him for the following season after he had been so good in the previous one. Since the Nick Barmby transfer there has been one other transfer from Everton to Liverpool. However the player involved on that occasion was Abel Xavier. The Everton fans were happy to see him go and the Liverpool fans were the ones upset that we were signing a player who, with all respect, was seen as a bit of a joke.
Despite the controversies off the field, Nick began his Liverpool career with some great form as he was a regular starter. He was given an advanced role on the left and right sides of midfield and played really well. Early in the season he started in the first Merseyside derby since his transfer. He seemed to be inspired by the hatred from the Everton fans, who were chanting “Judas” and holding signs against him. Predictably it was in this game that Nick was to score his first goal for Liverpool with a header at the Anfield Road end, inspiring Liverpool to go on to win the game 3-1.
Barmby celebrates scoring the opener against the Blues in a 3-1 derby win (Oct 2000).
This was just the beginning of a good run for Nick as after the game against Everton he went on to score further seven goals for the Reds. A number of these goals came in the UEFA cup as Liverpool were heading towards the final stages of the competition. Unfortunately for Nick he was struck down with a serious injury ruling him out for the final three months of the season. This would be bad for a player at any time of his career but in this case it was made far worse for him as it meant he missed out on playing in three cup finals and playing in the three games that won Liverpool the historic treble. Despite missing out on the finals Nicks contributions in the previous rounds of each competition, especially the UEFA Cup, meant that he was still regarded a valued member of the 2000/01 squad.
Barmby in action during the 2-0 win in Rome during the run to the Uefa Cup Final(Feb. 2001).
The 2001/02 season was a complete disaster for Nick as he only played nine games for Liverpool as he suffered a serious ankle injury that required surgery. Before he suffered the injury he did manage one final big performance which came in his last appearance in an England shirt. Nick was one of four Liverpool players in the incredible 5–1 victory over Germany in October 2001. The other three Liverpool players in the England side that night were also the goal scorers, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey. This prompted many Liverpool fans to dub the result afterwards, Liverpool 5 Germany 1.
After almost an entire season missed through injury Nick was sold to to Leeds Utd for £2.75 million in the summer of 2002. He was reunited at Leeds with manager Terry Venables and his former Liverpool and England team-mate Robbie Fowler. This was Nicks last time playing in the top division of English football and unfortunately for him it came at a terrible time for Leeds Utd with the club sliding into incredible debts and most of the first team squad being sold to ease the financial situation. He spent a loan spell at Nottingham Forest during the 2003/04 season before moving to his hometown club, Hull City, in the summer of 2004.
Nick helped Hull City to gain promotion from Division One in his first season at the club. A personal highlight came when he scored the fastest goal in the clubs history after just seven seconds against Walsall in November 2004. Nick continues to play for Hull City at the present time and he has helped them to maintain their place in The Championship for the last two seasons.
Despite never playing a full season for Liverpool, Nick Barmby is recognised by the Liverpool fans for what he did for the team during his short time with the club. The dignity he displayed over his controversial signing as well as his performances and goals that helped us win the treble in 2001 were very much appreciated and this was reflected in his position at number 86 in the series ‘100 Players Who Shook the Kop’.
22.05.08 New home kit released
30.07.08 Villareal (a) [TBC]
12/13.08.08 CL Qualifer 1 CL QR3
16.08.08 New season begins!
26/27.08.08 CL Qualifier 2 CL QR3
When Nick signed for them, Spurs had just finished the previous season as F.A Cup winners and their manager Terry Venables had built an exciting side that included Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Nick was a popular player with Venables and he didn’t have to wait too long to make his first team debut as an eighteen year old in 1992. He went on to play alongside quality strikers like Jurgen Klinsmann and Teddy Sheringham and he started to gain notice as a player of tremendous ability. During this period Nick was a regular in the England under 21 and B sides and eventually made his first full England appearance in 1995 under his old manager Terry Venables. 
(7 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)
Loading ...
Newsroom
Latest Forum Discussion