Thered been rumours, sure, but I never thought it would happen, says Lee Dixon, whose stint at Arsenal was extending into a 15th and final season. In 2006, he became the only player to have represented England in six consecutive major tournaments, playing in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships; and the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. Things do take a toll on people and, even though hes a very strong character, its still not easy. Centre-half Campbell knew he was not fit but felt he could still influence the game. Oh, and he would not be signing for anybody else while under contract. Respectfully, I tell him, I beg to differ. Campbell At the end of the 200809 season, he made the surprise move of dropping down three levels of the English football pyramid to join League Two side Notts County on a free transfer. People don't realise how that affects you as a kid. [111] It was announced on 15 August 2019 that Campbell would be leaving the financially troubled club, by mutual agreement. New head coach Fabio Capello did not select Campbell for his first squad in January 2008. [28], In the summer of 2001, Campbell's contract expired. Sol was obviously really apprehensive. Its even tougher.. [118] In June 2020, the season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Find Kevin Campbell's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. He was going to help and promised to be there for me. Campbell, 45, was in the stands as the Shrimpers fell to their heaviest ever home defeat at the hands of Doncaster. Ive not had a massive PR machine. Above all, you get the feeling that after everything he has endured, he is just happy to be back, even if its at a League One club 10 points adrift of safety. Former Portsmouth team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson and ex-Manchester United striker Andy Cole will form part of Campbell's coaching team at Roots Hall. [49][50] Towards the end of the campaign, Wenger began playing Kolo Tour and one of Pascal Cygan and Philippe Senderos in central defence, and Campbell was benched, leaving him to complain to the manager that Senderos was a "lucky player" who should not be considered good enough to play at Campbell's expense. Vote for Campbell to enter Hall of Fame. Most had been accompanied by scepticism over whether Arsenal could match the wages on offer from the likes of Inter Milan. [37] He made his debut for the Gunners on 18 August the opening day of the 200102 Premier League season, in a 40 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. I wanted to challenge for honours., There were always nagging doubts about the reaction the move would inevitably trigger. The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. When was Kevin Campbell drafted? Hes sticking a win bonus on your wages every month if hes any good, so you soon get accepted into a place. No ones perfect., Sol Campbell: Trouble is people got the wrong end of the stick about me. I tried to lighten the mood a bit by saying, As you know, Sol came from Spurs. Sky Sports Clare Tomlinson, in a post-match interview in the new year when Spurs were in the midst of a run of six clean sheets in seven matches in all competitions, asked outright, What about your situation, Sol? Thats how big Sol was for the supporters and us as players.. By then, clubs across Europe were circling. It is no surprise that he has since spoken of Dein making him feel protected. Sol Campbell - Wikipedia Regarded as one of the best English centre backs of his generation, Campbell was a strong, athletic and imposing defender, with a good positional sense, and was also a strong tackler. Does he reckon that blithe self-confidence was ever mistaken for arrogance? The subject of abuse within football is even more prevalent in recent times with the English game taking part in a social media boycott in order to send a message to supporters that hate will not be tolerated. [87] Campbell headed a corner into the Argentine net and wheeled away to celebrate his first international goal, which appeared to be the winning goal which would have put England into the quarter finals. He has had an injection in his right ankle, troublesome since the previous autumn but damaged playing for England against Albania in a World Cup qualifier, and the joint is heavily strapped beneath his sock. Although he had only one cap by the time Terry Venables selected his squad for UEFA Euro 1996, Campbell made the squad as defensive cover. Youre going to get hired. Were two black guys from the East End. [11] At age 14, he was one of only 16 young footballers accepted onto a training programme at Lilleshall Hall. There was vague talk about putting an offer in writing and arranging a follow-up. I think hed said he wouldnt go to Arsenal at one point, too. Campbell continued to play for England after Euro 2004, although his place in the international team had become less secure since the emergence of the central defensive partnership of Terry and Ferdinand, which blossomed during Campbell's period of absence with injury in 2005. We had several meetings with Sol Campbell and we played out this charade, including one on so-called neutral territory in a hotel, and [Pleat and Graham] would say, Yeah chairman hell come round tomorrow. And of course tomorrow it was always, No, Sol would like to leave it at the moment. All that stuff. Campbell started again in Newcastle's next two fixtures with West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool, but lost his place upon the return of Coloccini. The thing is, he replies, Im respectful, Im understanding, Im open-minded. ABA Child Law Practice: Finding Family for Foster Youth. Campbell was given an unsurprisingly fiery reception upon his return to Spurs (Photo: Getty), But it was his decision and, ultimately, he felt he was going to a better team. It takes a very strong character to do what Sol did and, putting financial offers aside, say, OK, I need to get this right for my football. [80] On 28 November, Campbell made his first Premier League start for Newcastle against Chelsea, and was given the captain's armband after Shola Ameobi was substituted. Inside Sol Campbells 50million property empire and luxury furniture business he co-owns with wife Fiona Barratt. But it mustve been very difficult for him.. Nevertheless, the assumption was very much that a move outside England was likely. As you can imagine, it was incredibly sensitive for him to meet somebody from Arsenal. I went on Sky (Sports) News and said that it was a total, absolute lie. Instead, with each passing day and his intransigence to moving entrenched, Campbells market value effectively dropped. I told them: This Sol Campbell fellow, orchestrated by his agent Sky Andrew he is not staying with us. Following a decision not to restart the season, Southend were relegated to League Two. Barcelona offered the biggest deal, says Andrew. Inter had finished fifth in Serie A and were about to lose Laurent Blanc to Manchester United. A rock at the back. At that time, Barcelona were not at the top of their game. Campbells former team-mates were on a pre-season camp at the La Manga resort in Spain, drifting back into the hotel lobby after a training session, when the news flashed up on the big screen behind reception. A concrete offer was put on the table. Wherever he goes, I wish him luck. Campbell had always kept his cards close to his chest, even in the dressing room at Spurs, so no one knew precisely where he would end. plus all the related posts. I kept strong to myself. Something went wrong, please try again later. Kevin Campbell was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 13th round of [30] Several top continental clubs expressed interest in signing him, but he joined Arsenal Tottenham's biggest rivals on a free transfer. They never finished higher than seventh during Campbells eight years in their first-team. Sol Campbell: Southend United name ex-England defender as Related To Maria Campbell, Eric Campbell, Christina Campbell, Mary Campbell. What people dont realise is that, for a long time, Sol was one of the lowest-paid players in the England team, and one of the lower-paid players at his club. Everyone was up against it, mucking in. [93] However, referee Urs Meier decided that John Terry had pushed Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo and instead gave a free-kick. Would you like some breakfast? He then made us some French toast.. They stayed up on the last day of the season with a 11 draw with Cambridge United. Chelsea news: The Blues face a tough task when they travel to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. He insisted that, if we were going to meet, it had to be very, very discreet. [65] His time at Pompey started well, as he formed a successful partnership in the centre of defence with Linvoy Primus and helped the club to keep five consecutive clean sheets. It feels anticlimactic to report that Campbell is disappointingly normal in the flesh. And for a man who has graced the games biggest stages, this is curiously the environment he loves best: mud and muck, grit and graft. Jon Boon. Other honours in the game include being in the PFA Team of the Year three times, in 1999, 2003 and 2004. Changwony, Frederick Kibon and Campbell, Kevin and Tabner, Isaac T., Social Engagement and Stock Market Participation (January 31, 2014). He left the club by mutual consent in September 2009, having played just one match for the club. Kevin Campbell - Wikipedia Most players, when they are offered a contract, will just sign it because they want more money. We havent got big guys at the front, he says. In truth, while they publicly pushed for a positive resolution, Sugar, Pleat and the manager George Graham always suspected the centre-half had no interest in either re-signing or leaving until his deal was far closer to its expiry date, and his hand strengthened as a result. The title was secured with a 22 draw with Spurs at White Hart Lane on 25 April. A bit odd, was a frequent comment. As the players fell, Parlour landed on Campbells right ankle, twisting the joint back into spasm. [95] He played four matches under McClaren as England's qualification campaign failed.[96]. That wed tried to speak to the guy three times, that he was playing a game with us and, unfortunately, our manager and director of football did not understand whats going on with this Bosman thing. [5] He left the Youth programme at Upton Park after a coach joked to him that Campbell would be pleased to hear that the West Indies were beating England at cricket; Campbell took this to be offensive.