Rob Lee
Lee in 2007
Personal information
Full name Robert Martin Lee[1]
Date of birth (1966-02-01) 1 February 1966[2]
Place of birth West Ham, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder[1]
Youth career
0000–1981 Hornchurch
1981–1983 Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1992 Charlton Athletic 298 (59)
1992–2002 Newcastle United 303 (44)
2002–2003 Derby County 48 (2)
2003–2004 West Ham United 16 (0)
2004 Oldham Athletic 0 (0)
2005–2006 Wycombe Wanderers 38 (0)
Total 703 (105)
International career
1986 England U21 2 (0)
1994 England B 1 (0)
1994–1998 England 21 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Martin Lee (born 1 February 1966) is an English former professional footballer and sports co-commentator.

As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Newcastle United and West Ham United. His time at St James Park saw him win the Football League First Division in 1993. He also played in the Football League for Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Oldham Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers. He was capped 21 times by England, scoring twice and was a member of the World Cup 98 squad.

Following retirement, he harboured interests of becoming a manager and in 2006 he was interviewed for the vacant AFC Bournemouth job, but ultimately has worked away from the sport with a stint as co-commentator for TEN Sports. He was inducted into the Newcastle United Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early and personal life

Lee was born in West Ham, Greater London.[1] His sons, Olly and Elliot, also became footballers.[4]

Club career

Charlton Athletic

Lee started his career in the youth team of Hornchurch and actually played for the first team at the age of 15 in a pre-season friendly under manager, Brian Kelly.[5] Hornchurch wanted Lee to sign a contract with them but he was offered an academy place at Charlton Athletic and established himself in the first team by the 1984–85 season, when he scored 10 goals in the Second Division. He rapidly became the Addicks' star player playing as a winger and helping Charlton to promotion to the First Division at the end of the 1985–86 season and gained international recognition at under-21 level. He remained a regular in the top flight over the next four years until Charlton were relegated back to the Second Division at the end of the 1989–90 season.

Lee remained with Charlton for more than two years after relegation, but he was sold shortly after the start of 1992–93 season as the club needed money to finance its return to The Valley. At the time, Charlton were second in the table, and Lee moved to the league leaders, Newcastle United, for a fee of £700,000. He moved to Newcastle after their manager, Kevin Keegan, told him that Newcastle upon Tyne was closer to London than Middlesbrough, the other club interested in signing Lee,[6] and who were already in the Premier League.

Newcastle United

Lee who also has ancestral ties to the North East, having relatives who marched in the Jarrow March,[7] signed for Newcastle in 1992.[7] Despite his North East connections, Lee noted it was his childhood footballing hero Kevin Keegan who influenced him to move to Newcastle United.[7] Keegan also promised Lee that if he moved to Newcastle United he would play for England.[7] Newcastle player Gavin Peacock had first alerted Keegan to the ability of Lee. In passing a comment, Peacock stated to Keegan that there is a player from Charlton who could play at the highest level.[8]

Lee made his Newcastle début as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Peterborough United. Newcastle were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, with Lee scoring 10 goals from 36 matches. Newcastle's first season back in the top division for four years ended well, as they finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup, although it was top scorer Andy Cole rather than Lee who made the most headlines at the club during this campaign. In the first round against Royal Antwerp Lee scored a hat-trick as Newcastle won 5–0 in Belgium in their first European game for 17 years.[9]

Lee finished the 1994–95 season with nine goals from 35 matches as Newcastle finished sixth in the table, although they had topped the league early in the season after winning their first six games.

Manager Kevin Keegan refreshed the side over the summer of 1995, shelling out nearly £9million on David Ginola and Les Ferdinand, and allowing Lee a more attacking role. He won the Premier League player of the month for November 1995 as Newcastle built up a wide lead at the top of the league and looked increasingly capable of winning their first top division title since 1927. Newcastle finished the season in second place, after being 10 points ahead of Christmas and remaining top until March, but Lee was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 1995–96 season.

After Keegan's shock resignation in January 1997, Kenny Dalglish was named manager, and he made Lee captain as Newcastle again finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League. After Dalglish's sacking early in the 1998–99 season, Ruud Gullit was named Newcastle manager. After a good start, Gullit tried to quickly discard Lee, as well as Stuart Pearce and John Barnes, forcing them to train with the reserves.. For the start of the 1999–2000 season, Lee was not given a squad number by Gullit, and after Gullit had dropped Alan Shearer for the Tyne-Wear derby defeat against Sunderland, he resigned and was succeeded by the former England manager Bobby Robson.

Robson put Lee and fellow midfielder Gary Speed (signed in February 1998) back in the heart of Newcastle's midfield. Lee scored in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, but Newcastle lost 2–1. Lee was awarded a testimonial in 2001, nine years after joining the club, and a crowd of 18,189 turned out as Spanish side Athletic Bilbao won 1–0 at St James' Park. Lee's last goal for Newcastle came in a 4–3 win over Manchester United in 2001.

On 7 February 2002, with Newcastle outsiders in the title race for the first time in five seasons, Lee called time on almost 10 years on Tyneside to join struggling Derby County for a transfer fee of £250,000, signing for the club just eight days after John Gregory was appointed as manager.[10][11]

Later career

After a short, unsuccessful spell with Derby, which saw them relegated from the Premier League, Lee was sold to West Ham United in 2003, after scoring twice in games against Reading[12] and Ipswich Town.[13] However, he played only a handful of games for the Hammers during the 2003–04 season. Following this, he signed for Oldham Athletic on a free transfer, playing just the 1 game, leaving the club within a month. Following this he was signed by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams, to help Wycombe Wanderers climb out of the newly named League Two. He played two seasons in League Two with the Chairboys, before leaving in June 2006, following the dismissal of John Gorman as the club's manager. This took him past his 40th birthday, and he was among the oldest players still playing professional football in England by the time of his last game.

International career

Lee played for England between 1994 and 1998, scoring twice in 21 appearances. He was called up for the first time for a friendly against the USA in September 1994,[14] and scored on his début the following month against Romania.[15] He was in the squad for the 1998 World Cup under Glenn Hoddle,[16] and came on once as a substitute against Colombia.[17] He had been surprisingly omitted from the England squad for Euro 96 under Terry Venables despite being in arguably better form in 1996 than two years later.

Post-playing career

In October 2006, Lee was interviewed for the manager position at AFC Bournemouth,[18] but the job went to Kevin Bond. Lee was arrested in July 2007, alongside former teammate Warren Barton, for taking a limousine[19] but was not charged.[20] He also appeared for Newcastle on the charity television show Premier League All Stars in September 2007.

In May 2008, he captained Legal & General to victory in a charity five-a-side tournament in St Albans, helping to raise £15,000 for the leukaemia charity the Anthony Nolan Trust.[21]

In 2008, he worked as a regular pundit for Singapore's Football Channel.[22] In 2010 he was also backup commentator alongside John Burridge for TEN Sports' UEFA Champions League fixtures.[23]

On 5 November 2019, Lee was inducted into the Newcastle United Hall of Fame.[24]

In 2019 and 2020, Lee featured in both seasons of ITV show Harry's Heroes, which featured former football manager Harry Redknapp attempting to get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends.[25]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[26]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Charlton Athletic 1983–84 Second Division 1140000——114
1984–85 Second Division 39102020——4310
1985–86 Second Division 3581020—1[lower-alpha 1]0398
1986–87 First Division 3330031—7[lower-alpha 2]3437
1987–88 First Division 2321030—1[lower-alpha 1]0282
1988–89 First Division 3153110—1[lower-alpha 1]0366
1989–90 First Division 3713130—1[lower-alpha 1]0442
1990–91 Second Division 43131020—004613
1991–92 Second Division 39123030—004512
1992–93 First Division 71———1[lower-alpha 3]081
Total 29859142191—12334365
Newcastle United 1992–93[27] First Division 36104231——4313
1993–94[28] Premier League 4173031——478
1994–95[29] Premier League 35941203[lower-alpha 4]4—4414
1995–96[30] Premier League 3681041——419
1996–97[31] Premier League 33521108[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]0456
1997–98[32] Premier League 28460206[lower-alpha 6]0—424
1998–99[33] Premier League 26030001[lower-alpha 7]0—300
1999–2000[34] Premier League 30041106[lower-alpha 4]0—411
2000–01[35] Premier League 2200040——260
2001–02[36] Premier League 16100303[lower-alpha 8]0—221
Total 303442752332741038156
Derby County 2001–02[37] Premier League 130————130
2002–03[38] First Division 3520020——372
Total 4820020——502
West Ham United 2003–04[39] First Division 1601020—00190
Oldham Athletic 2004–05[40] League One 0000——1[lower-alpha 9]010
Wycombe Wanderers 2004–05[40] League Two 70————70
2005–06[41] League Two 3101010—3[lower-alpha 10]0360
Total 3801010—30430
Career total 703105437474274173837123
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearance in Full Members' Cup
  2. ↑ Five appearances and three goals in Full Members' Cup, two in Second Division play-offs
  3. ↑ Appearance in Anglo-Italian Cup
  4. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Cup
  5. ↑ Appearance in FA Charity Shield
  6. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  8. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
  9. ↑ Appearance in Football League Trophy
  10. ↑ One appearance in Football League Trophy, two in League Two play-offs

Honours

Newcastle United

England[43]

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rob Lee". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Rob Lee". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Robert Lee: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Player profiles – Olly Lee". West Ham United FC. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Badcock, Matt (9 May 2021). "Former Newcastle United Ace Rob Lee is backing Hornchurch boss Mark Stimson in Trophy Final". The Non League Paper.
  6. ↑ King Kev reigns supreme, Newcastle 1992–93 promotion campaign Mirror Football, April 2010
  7. 1 2 3 4 Bolam (2012), Foreword By Rob Lee.
  8. ↑ Keegan (2018), Kindle location 2577.
  9. ↑ Ryder, Lee (28 September 2011). "Ten top Newcastle United hat-tricks". nechronicle.
  10. ↑ "Gregory named Derby boss". 30 January 2002 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ Ley, John (7 February 2002). "Carbone and Lee lead moves for strugglers" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  12. ↑ "Derby 3–0 Reading". BBC Sport. 10 August 2002. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  13. ↑ "Derby 1–4 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 4 May 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  14. ↑ Moore, Glenn (10 September 1994). "Lee at the centre of Newcastle's intentions: For one player this week's England call-up marked the end of a long wait for recognition". The Independent.
  15. ↑ Moore, Glenn (13 October 1994). "New boy Lee gets England: Tottenham's Dumitrescu shows how to breach Venables' defence". The Independent.
  16. ↑ 1998 FIFA World Cup France ™ – England FIFA.com
  17. ↑ Match Report: Colombia – England 0:2 (0:2). Archived 4 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine FIFA.com, 26 June 1998
  18. ↑ Shepherd denies he wants to sell stake in Newcastle, The Guardian, 3 October 2006
  19. ↑ "Footballers in limo theft arrest". BBC News. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  20. ↑ "No limo theft charges for players". BBC News. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  21. ↑ "Soccer stars help raise £15K". St Albans Observer. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  22. ↑ Where are they now? Wycombe Wanderers FC, 7 May 2008
  23. ↑ WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLASS OF 1993? The Journal, 7 April 2010 (Archived)
  24. ↑ Newcastle United [@NUFC] (5 November 2019). "Our second inductee of the evening into the #NUFC Hall of Fame is Rob Lee" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 November 2019 – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ "Who is taking part in Harry's Heroes: Euro Having a Laugh?".
  26. ↑ Rob Lee at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  27. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1992–93". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  28. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1993–94". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  29. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1994–95". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  30. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1995–96". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  31. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1996–97". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  32. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1997–98". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  33. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1998–99". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  34. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 1999–00". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  35. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 2000–01". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  36. ↑ "Season Details: Appearances: Season 2001–02". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  37. ↑ "Games played by Rob Lee in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  38. ↑ "Games played by Rob Lee in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  39. ↑ "Games played by Rob Lee in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  40. 1 2 "Games played by Rob Lee in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  41. ↑ "Games played by Rob Lee in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  42. ↑ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 346–347, 588. ISBN 978-0-7472-7895-5.
  43. ↑ Campbell, Paul & Lacey, David (25 June 2013). "From the Vault: Recalling How England Won Le Tournoi de France in 1997". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  44. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1996). The 1996–97 Official PFA Footballers Factfile. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-85291-571-1.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rob Lee.
  • Bolam, Mike (2012). The Newcastle Miscellany. United Kingdom: Vision Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907637-74-2.
  • Keegan, Kevin (4 October 2018). Keegan, Kevin. My Life in Football: The Autobiography. United Kingdom: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1509877201.
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