Our ex Georgian hero/rebel Temuri Ketsbia is 44 today. ____________________________________________ The popular madman/hoarding molester was signed on a free transfer from AEK Athens as Kenny Dalglish rebuilt the squad ahead of of his first full season in charge at SJP. Things began well, with Ketsbaia's first goal ensuring qualification for the Group Stage of the Champions League - his extra time effort securing a 2-2 draw in Zagreb. And his celebration after scoring against Bolton in January 1998 has gone down in history, his shirt going into the crowd and only the intervention of colleagues stopping his boots following. The Gallowgate End hoardings also took a bit a howking.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlqCCDh9XT0 A popular figure with the fans, Ketsbaia is not only remembered for his performance, but also for his bizarre celebrations, such as aggressively kicking the advertising hoardings (McDonald's and Adidas ones specifically) after scoring a goal against Bolton Wanderers. As a Newcastle player, he participated in the 1998 and 1999 FA Cup Final against Arsenal and Manchester United. Although Newcastle lost 2â0 on both occasions, these matches were the highlight of his football career. Asked about his time at SJP, Ketsbaia said: "Everyone thinks about the team, lives it, breathes it, people wait outside the shops at 2 o'clock after midnight to buy new shirts. Unbelievable. If nothing else, I wish we had won one Cup. âWhen we got back , they brought an open-top bus to get us from the airport to the city. There were hundreds of thousands of people outside. "It is 20 minutes maximum to the city centre, but that day it took three or four hours to get there. Incredible. I was asking Didi Hamann on the bus, âDid we win the Cup?' I could not imagine what would have happened if we had won it.â Info from Wiki and NUFC.com
Very funny. Wish him all the best. He had loads of passion but truth be told I dreaded when I saw his name on the team sheet. He just would not release the ball!! That Everton game at home will live long in the memory. He picked the ball up just outside our box, ran all the way up to their end, had Shearer screaming for a pass, only to turn back round dribble back virtually from where he started, and then back into their half again. Alan was not a happy bunny!!
Remember Shearer using him as a distraction for a free kick against Sunderland that he dispatched into the net. Great theatre.
