A few Newcastle United players sites for me to draw your attention too. Please take a look. You will find some good articles on them!

Nolberto Solano
Jamie McClen
John Beresford
Robbie Elliot
Official Player Sites

Now, the questions!

When walking out onto the pitch, what is going through your head?
I only think about ending the game with no injuries. I was quite lucky so far, apart from one long-turn injury, after which I appreciate more what it means for an athlete to stay away from injuries.

Do you prefer playing home or away games? Why?
Home games. It's always nice playing in front of your supporters.

Who, in your opinion, is the best footballer you have played against?
Zidane, we played against each other in 96 (international game).

Who, in your opinion, is the best footballer you have played alongside?
Alan Shearer. I do not think I really need to explain why!

Do you treat a big derby/rival match any different to a normal match?
The preparation is exactly the same. You try to be in the best possible shape anyway. The only difference is of course that when facing a derby you may think more of the moment you will be walking onto the pitch. Once you are there all the thoughts go away though.

What do you think about Newcastle's champions league form?
I am not very happy with the way things turned out so far. We still have a chance of going through and as long as this chance does exist everyone will be hoping for the best. If we were a bit luckier, especially in the Feyenoord and the away game against Juventus things would have been completely different now.

What is your worst footballing memory?
It was the last qualifying game for Euro98 against Denmark. We needed to win in order to qualify but we only managed a draw. I had a great chance in that game when the ball hit the crossbar.

What is your best footballing memory?
Winning the Greek Championship with Olympiakos.

If you were not playing football, what other sports would you CONSIDER taking up?
Not really. Perhaps I would have been involved in track n field events but not as a pro.

If you were to take over as manager / chairman of Newcastle United, what (if anything!) would you change?
Well first of all I would have hoped I could do as well as they do! If I was the chairman I would have tried to find more revenue streams to compensate for a lower ticket prices. It's great to give as many people as possible the chance to watch football and I think that lowering prices will make it even more accessible.

If you have a bad day on the pitch, does your family say things like "it's ok", etc, or do you prefer to be left alone?
It's good to have someone to share the good and the bad moments in your life, especially when it comes to your own family.

After a bad performance, do you try twice as hard in the next game?
Well you always want to try more to improve your game, even if you had the best game ever! Of course a bad performance is an extra motive and usually makes you more determined to get the best out of you in the next game.

What is your worst habbit?
Scoring?!

You is your footballing "god"?
I could not pick one. There are many Greek and foreign players I admire. Each one of them has his own attributes that make him special.

Who is your money on for the Euro 2004 competition?
France

Which club would you most like to play for?
Real Madrid

Cheers Nikos!!!

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