Signing young prospects will always have a bit of excitement attached. In the past there’s regularly been the feeling that this one might be the one that makes the breakthrough and triggers something monumental for the team as well as the satisfaction that we might just have beaten all of the other clubs to a bit of a gem. For me, Charles N’Zogbia had all of that and then some. Until we discovered his personality, that is!
Signed from Le Havre after much deliberation and court action, N’Zogbia’s complicated arrival should have been a sign of things to come. But it wasn’t long before he was making his mark on the pitch. I still remember his first appearance as a sub in a game at home against Blackburn and with his pace and what appeared to be a willingness to run at full backs and work for the team, he really made an impression. He didn’t seem afraid to get stuck in and didn’t shy away from hard work. How gullible I was!
Playing as an attacking midfielder or on the right or left wing, N’Zogbia made 41 appearances in the 2005-2006 season and there was much to admire. His pace was blistering, akin to that of former player Craig Bellamy, and he had more than a few tricks in his bag, meaning that he was the kind of player that got the crowd on their feet. I remember him scoring a beauty in the 4-1 away win against the mackems, as well as winning the penalty that saw Alan Shearer score. The club acted fast and Charles signed an extension to his contract that locked down his future. And what a future it looked like being.
Then, it all started to unravel. In his next season, with a new manager in Glenn Roeder, Nzogbia fell a little out of favour with Damien Duff being Roeder’s preferred option on the left wing. N’Zogbia still managed to make over 20 appearances, but didn’t score once. At this point, the first signs of discontent were showing and it looked like the player might be moving on come the end of the season.
However, in the following season, with Sam Allardyce now in the hotseat N’Zogbia was back in favour and made 35 appearances. He signed a new 5 year contract and everything looked positive for the lad. He would continue to produce moments of magic with this season seeing a cracker of a right foot curler at Boro and yet Charles still never quite seemed to be fulfilling his promise on Tyneside.
By late 2008 N’Zogbia’s name would be making the headlines though. Only not quite in the way we might have expected. This was the year when Joe Kinnear, inexplicably named as manager by owner Mike Ashley, called him ‘Charles Insomnia’ in an interview. The player subsequently issued a statement saying that he wouldn’t play for Kinnear again and that he wanted “to reach a higher level of ambition” than Newcastle could provide. Cue late in the January window when he went for £6m to those giants of the game Wigan Athletic and all their higher levels of ambition…
N’Zogbia’s career would see him later join Aston Villa for £10m in 2011. Rumours had suggested that we were interested in bringing the player back to St. James’ Park, but it never happened and instead N’Zogbia spent 5 years in the Midlands making only 80 appearances and scoring just 4 goals. So much for a “higher level of ambition.”
In terms of his time in Toon, N’Zogbia clearly could have achieved a great deal more based on potential alone. However, it seemed to be his attitude that got in the way. N’Zogbia never seemed happy or settled and it always felt like he had a far greater opinion of himself than his managers and coaches had. You wonder what he could have achieved under a coach like Eddie Howe who has transformed the careers of several of our first team squad.
N’Zogbia never seemed like the kind of player who we could depend on. Turns out, he just wasn’t a grafter, preferring instead to pass on the hard work to others in the team. With the ball at his feet he combined electric pace with genuine dribbling ability, but in the end he was living proof that sometimes talent just isn’t enough.
One that got away? I’m inclined to say yes, but am fully aware that only the perfect storm of team mates and manager could have really brought out the best in him. I’m sure that opinion will be divided on this one!
Middle Age Fanclub 