Rob Lee

Robert " Rob" Martin Lee ( born 1 February 1966 in West Ham, London ) is an English former football player and was there for many years in projects for the clubs Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United. The 21- times England international was also part of the team that participated in the 1998 World Cup in France.

Sports career

Lee went through the youth academy of the club Charlton Athletic and established itself on the 1984/85 season in the first team. He quickly grew to become an important midfielder, although the team had at the end of the season 1989/90 relegated to the Second Division. Lee then stayed with his club to accomplish the re-emergence.

Charlton played in 1992 continued in the now renamed First Division Second Division. Due to the tense financial situation of the club coach Alan Curbishley was pressured to sell Lee to Newcastle United for £ 700,000. Newcastle, though also second-rate, was under Sir John Hall in an economically unequal better position than Charlton and presented in the 1992/93 season with Lee's help the promotion to the Premier League secure.

Under coach Kevin Keegan and his assistant Terry McDermott, the club played after returning to the excellence several times by the English Championship. Lee was there between 1993 and 1996 an important part of the team that competed for the top spots with teams like Manchester United, especially at this time. In 1994, Lee made ​​his debut in the relatively advanced age of 28 years for the England national team under Terry Venables in the game against Romania. After six other internationals Lee made ​​then also hopes to participate in the 1996 European Championship on home soil. Since Venables, however, a greater emphasis placed on creative elements in midfield, Lee was not reappointed to the committee, running strong and more physically oriented player in the squad.

Following the resignation of Keegan in January 1997, he briefly ensued after Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish was not able to play with Newcastle United again in the upper regions of the table and placed the team on several occasions only in the middle of the league. Lee succeeded in performing personally to a key player and took over the task of the team captain. Shortly after Dalglish was made redundant and succeeded by Ruud Gullit. In the National Team Lee came under Glenn Hoddle regularly, but usually only as a substitute, for use and was then nominated for the 1998 World Cup. After three operations in the last pre-season games but he came in the tournament itself only once for the course, as he was substituted after 79 minutes Darren Anderton in a 2-0 win against Colombia. After three further operations in the qualifiers for Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, including two tool changes, then meant the replacement Hoddles as an English coach after 21 games and two goals the end of Lees in the national team.

With Gullit Lee fell out in Newcastle, resulting in the loss of captain Office and its ancestral shirt number 7 meant. In addition, Lee was removed from the squad and was not allowed to train with the team. As Gullit was replaced by Sir Bobby Robson, Lee could return to the team, as well as his colleague Alan Shearer, who was also not favored by Gullit.

Lee received the shirt number 7 which Gullit had withheld from him and handed over to Kieron Dyer, after intense prayers back. His midfield role he performed then defensive than previously Robson and thus allowed the creative midfielders space for the offensive. In the middle of the 90s Lee himself had mostly acts as an offensive player in this role.

During the 2001/ 02 season, Lee expressed his intention to try to extend the contract at Newcastle. The association, however, insisted to begin negotiations in January 2002. Because Lee was not happy with this strategy, he asked to be released for a change of club. Both Robson and the Newcastle supporters were surprised by the development, but respected Lee's decision. In February of 2002, Lee then moved up to 250,000 pounds to Derby County.

However, the stay there should be only of short duration and Lee was sold to West Ham United, the club in Lee's home, for which he had been thrilled as a child. Also for the Hammers graduated from Lee but only a few games in the season 2003/04. He then moved to Oldham Athletic free transfer initially and later to Wycombe Wanderers for which was active until June 2006.