JOE’s Forgotten Footballers: Stephane Guivarc’h

In our weekly look at forgotten footballers, today we look at the short-lived and incredibly underwhelming Newcastle career of French striker Stephane Guivarc’h.

By Declan Whooley

In the summer of 1998, everything was rosy in the garden for the French striker with the odd apostrophe.  For the second year in a row he was the top scorer in Ligue One and played his part as the French won the Coupe de Monde on home soil. Initially picked as the lone striker in Aime Jacquet’s side, he was in and out of the side but failed to hit the net. Forget Messi, this was the first false number nine we had ssen.

On the face of it a move to the North-East seemed a good move all round. The previous season the Magpies had lowered Barcelona colours in the Champions League and finished runners-up in the FA Cup. A price tag of £3.5 million was not an outrageous sum to spend on a World Cup winner – Duncan Ferguson was signed for more than double that price – and there was genuine optimism about what the Auxerre striker would bring to St. James Park.

It turns out it would be just one goal in four games. His Toon career got off to a flyer when he scored on his debut in a 4-1 crushing of Liverpool, but that was as good as it got. Kenny Dalglish soon left and Ruud Gullit took over and he would feature in just three more league games for the Magpies.

“After two games Kenny Dalglish, who had signed me and wanted me to play alongside Alan Shearer, quit. Ruud Gullit arrived and immediately stuck me in a cupboard out of the way,” he said.

World Cup champ, Newcastle chump

Whether he was put into a large cupboard is unlikely, he most likely means that Gullit saw little to convince him that the frontman merited a place in a Magpies side that was struggling badly. Though considering Alan Shearer was dropped under his tenure, Guivarc’h was in good company. But that will be the last time the Frenchman shares a sentence with a prolific striker.

My mistake without doubt was leaving Newcastle too soon.  Although it was tough at the time, Gullit completely cut me off.

The Frenchman was named by The Daily Mail in 2009 as the worst striker to ever grace the Premier League, which may be a little harsh considering that Newcastle got exactly what they paid for him. In November he left as quick as his legs would take him - which wasn't particularly fast - and moved north of the border to join Rangers. He played just the one season in Scotland, winning the treble, before moving back to his homeland with his pride a little dented but his pockets far heavier.

He returned to Auxerre for two seasons before retiring at the end of the 2002 campaign after a solitary season with Guingamp where he scored just once. He later became a coach in the lower leagues of French football.

He has since stated that he regretted jumping the Newcastle ship so soon and that he should have waited it out longer, but was keen to join his friend Lionel Charbonnier at Ibrox.

“My mistake without doubt was leaving Newcastle too soon.  Although it was tough at the time, Gullit completely cut me off,” he said.

We’re not sure if we agree with the Daily Mail’s verdict that he is the worst striker to have played in the Premier League – we have a few gems over the coming weeks that would give him a good run for his money – but he won’t be remembered with any fondness by English football supporters. Not unless you are a Middlesbrough or a Sunderland fan.