KEVIN PHILLIPS recalls it was the words of a Toon legend that spurred him on to hit 30 Premier League goals for Sunderland.
Alan Shearer had claimed no other player would match the feat he achieved three times with Blackburn.
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Despite Sunderland usually struggling, Kevin Phillipps was still among the top scorers in the top flightCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Kevin Phillips was one of the finest goal-poachers in the history of the Premier LeagueCredit: PA:Press Association
Eight-cap Kevin Phillips played alongside big rival Alan Shearer for the Three LionsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
But Phillips did manage it in his maiden top-flight campaign 20 years ago and scooped the Prem’s top-scorer gong.
It also saw the Black Cats hero awarded the European Golden Shoe for being the most deadly marksman on the continent.
Philips remembered: “After Al had said he didn’t think another player would score 30 league goals, I was desperate to get to that.
“When I was on 29, I went a few games without scoring and it was towards the end of the season.
“I managed it against West Ham and with my celebration I did the 10, 20, 30 hand gesture.
“I never even thought about a European Golden Shoe. I didn’t even realise at that time it existed!”
PHILLIPS WAS QUINN IT TO WIN IT
By Alan Shearer
I DO remember saying it would be tough for someone else to do it.
The number of games had been cut from 42 to 38 and players were beginning to be rested more and more.
I’ve never had an issue with Kevin. We’ve always got on well and I admire everything he achieved in his career.
From being told at Southampton that he wasn’t good enough, to going away to non-league, to coming back and suffering a serious injury, to coming back again and playing for England — he had a magnificent career.
He was a predator in the box and was exceptional during that 30-goal 1999-00 season.
I was second that year on 23, with Dwight Yorke third on 20.
And alongside him in big Niall Quinn, Phillips had the perfect foil.
A classic big man-little man partnership, the two were very difficult to play against. They had great rapport.
And they also had a brilliant understanding, with Phillips getting in close to Quinny — who got 14 goals himself that season — picking up all the bits in and around him.
Phillips has both his Premier League Golden Boot and European trophy sitting in pride of place on his mantelpiece — while also lending it to the Sunderland fan museum from time to time.
His feat in the 1999-2000 campaign was phenomenal and he puts it down to being afforded more chances than normal for a promoted side, his partnership with 6ft 4in Niall Quinn and his own unerring self-belief.
The former England striker, 46, told SunSport: “I was always confident in my own ability but I didn’t envisage I would score as many as I did.
“I have to give loads of credit to my team-mates who gave me so many opportunities.
“I was very surprised by the amount of chances we created — I got two or three chances a game.
“At the time I think we took the Premier League a little by surprise with our little and large combination between myself and Niall.
“I’ve always said the goal never changes, it stays the same size.
“There’s always going to be one person between the sticks — and it’s about trying to remain calm when you get that opportunity.”
Phillips, who stood 5ft 7in, actually had a slow start to his Sunderland career, netting four goals in his first 15 games in the old First Division.
The turning point came in a 4-1 defeat at Reading, which had the fans and manager Peter Reid raging.
From then on, as Reid picked a settled side, the team went on a roll and Phillips could not stop scoring.
KEV WAS ONE OF THE BEST
By Danny Higginbotham
HAVING played with and against Kevin Phillips I can safely say he is one of the best finishers I’ve come across.
He was brilliant alongside Niall Quinn at Sunderland, as he was partnering James Beattie when we were at Southampton.
But you only have to look at how many goals he scored for a number of clubs to realise that he didn’t just rely on playing next to a big man.
His shooting accuracy was incredible, as was his ability to let off shots from anywhere with next to no back-lift.
Whether hitting a volley or a bouncing ball on its way down, Kev had an incredible knack of getting it up and down.
I’ve seen very few people be able to hit a ball like that, with Matt Le Tissier the only other I can think of.
While most would see it rise over the bar, he managed to get it to dip at the last minute — think Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick technique!
While quick off the mark, Kev was not rapid.
But he was intelligent, consistently winning half a yard by predicting where the ball would land before anyone else.
And if some would naturally lay it off if the ball dropped 30 yards out, he was not afraid to hit it.
We both arrived at Southampton in 2003 and I remember he came off the bench to make his debut when we were 2-0 down at Leicester in the opening game.
With one of his first touches he scored an unbelievable goal from 30 yards past Ian Walker and we ended up drawing 2-2.
And later that season I remember a pinpoint strike against David James at Manchester City into the far corner to seal a 3-1 win.
For a spell that season it really did feel as though he would score every time he got the ball at his feet.
He probably was better than the eight caps he won, but it was tough around then competing against Alan Shearer and Michael Owen for the England No 9 shirt.
But he was a magnificent striker who scored consistently all the way until he retired at 40.
He hit 29 league goals in his first campaign, which ended in heart-breaking play-off final defeat to Charlton, then 23 in the following season which finally saw the Black Cats promoted.
Despite those impressive figures, there were many that doubted he could replicate it in the big league.
Rodney Marsh, then a prominent Sky pundit, famously predicted that Phillips would struggle to score “five or six” in the top flight.
Phillips recalled: “I loved that sort of pressure and thrived on it.
“Ever since being shown the door by Southampton as an 18-year-old — and telling manager Chris Nicholl that I was going to prove him wrong — I had that belief in me I would always succeed.
We were desperate to put a final nail in the coffin. Nothing personal to Gullit, but as local rivals you want to upset them as much as you can. Reidy didn’t give a team talk, he just pinned their team-sheet up with Shearer circled.”
Kevin Phillips
“When I heard Rodney say that, I thought fair enough — but I’m going to prove you wrong.
“It was nice to ram it down his throat after about five or six games.
“It’s just a shame I’ve never bumped into him ever since!”
Marsh’s tip did not look under threat on the opening day, as Sunderland were thumped 4-0 at Chelsea, with Phillips touching the ball about “four times”.
But he notched a double in a 2-0 home win over former club Watford three days later — and from then on the goals were flowing.
Possibly his most memorable goal that season came in the Tyne-Wear derby in August, when Shearer was famously dropped by Ruud Gullit.
SO MANY TOP RIVALS
Phillips netted a brilliant chip to win the game with 15 minutes to go — and Gullit quit days later.
Phillips said: “You knew things couldn’t be good in their camp if they were dropping their top striker for their biggest game of the season.
“We were desperate to put a final nail in the coffin. Nothing personal to Gullit, but as local rivals you want to upset them as much as you can.
“Reidy didn’t give a team talk, he just pinned their team-sheet up on the board with Shearer circled.”
Phillips then hit his only hat-trick of the season in a 5-0 win at Derby to land the Player of the Month award for October.
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But it was his knack for bagging braces, EIGHT across the campaign, that saw his tally soar. Other standout moments were scoring in front of the Kop, a revenge double against Chelsea — and two at home to Newcastle which sparked “the best atmosphere” he had ever witnessed.
Phillips also started for England alongside Shearer in a 2-1 win over Belgium at the Stadium of Light, where the Newcastle captain netted an overhead kick.
The Black Cats legend beamed: “When Kevin Keegan pulled me aside and told me I was starting up top with Alan, I wanted to be the top dog in front of my home crowd.
“It would have been great if the roles had been reversed but he was a world-class finisher.
“I am proud to have won my eight caps in competition with elite players… If I was at my peak, who could I reel off today that I feel would give me major competition? Not many.”
Kevin Phillips
There was a bit of rivalry there. Maybe he could have passed to me more! But you don’t get to the top as a striker without a bit of selfishness about you.”
Phillips could have moved on after his stunning season, with a few clubs showing interest, but instead penned the biggest contract Sunderland had ever offered a player at the time.
He has no regrets — but does feel if he was playing for a bigger club he would have had more than his eight Three Lions caps.
Phillips certainly believes that would be the case if he were playing today. Although he admits that the modern lone-striker role would not suit his game.
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The former Aston Villa and Crystal Palace star said: “Whenever I do sportsman dinners, someone always asks if I felt I should have won more caps. I answer that in two ways.
“One, I reel off the competition of Robbie Fowler, Shearer, Michael Owen, Emile Heskey, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Chris Sutton and Matt Le Tissier.
“Second, I am proud to have won my eight caps in competition with elite players and that was playing, no disrespect, for Sunderland.
“At the end of the day, yes, I probably feel I should have had at least another six or seven caps — and should have been given a run-out at Euro 2000. If I was at my peak, who could I reel off today that I feel would give me major competition? Not many.”
Phillips was also crowned the best marksman in Europe.
Yet he recalled: “The night of the do in Switzerland I couldn’t go, so someone from adidas just gave it to me before a game the next season.
“It was shake hands, get the trophy, and that was it. Which was a bit disappointing, being the only Englishman to have ever won it.
“But I’m still very proud of what I achieved.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
