While the feel-good factor was definitely there as Sunderland clinched promotion back to the Premier League in style, amassing 105 points and blowing away all comers, that mood was soon to be dampened when Lee Clark’s antics at the FA Cup Final emerged, an impasse with Allan Johnston’s contract, and Michael Bridges’ desire to get regular football.
While Bridges had taken on a supporting role the previous season his talent was there for all to see. Johnston, however, had been a showstopper all year,
while Clark – despite missing three months with a broken leg – was a player with genuine star quality.
That was all to unfold over the coming weeks. One thing that was certain was that another player who’d been a regular all season, and had played fantastically well, Welsh international Andy Melville was departing. He’d started all but two league games as Peter Reid dispensed with the youthful stoppers of the previous season – Jody Craddock and Darren Williams – and opted for the robust and experienced duo of Paul Butler and Welsh international Melville.
Melville had made 52 starts – including 44 in the league – as we won the championship, while Butler amassed identical numbers. Melville hadn’t been able to agree a new contract, however, and with his present deal expiring he headed off to Wolves on a Bosman – leaving Reid’s defence worryingly short.
The manager knew he needed high-level experience, and unsurprisingly it was the centre of his defence he first looked to strengthen – and he made an ambitious early-summer move for Spain and Barcelona legend Miguel Angel Nadal.
Of course, today, the surname Nadal conjures images of tennis royalty – but back in 1999 it was Rafeal’s uncle, Miguel Angel, who had the superstar quality.
Nadal – a tough central defender – had been the rock upon which Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona team had been built, helping Barca win five league titles, two Copa del Reys and the 1992 European Cup.
He’d been linked with a move to Manchester United previously, but nothing had ever materialised, and on the verge of turning 33 it was clear his time at Barca was coming to an end – and this was likely to be the last chance he had of playing in the English top flight.
His departure from the Catalan capital wasn’t purely football related. Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal had arrived to replace Bobby Robson – who was ‘keeping the seat warm’ for the Dutchman, after his compatriot’s departure.
Van Gaal wanted to oversee revolution, and ostracised some of the key players remaining from the Cruyff era – including Nadal, who played just five games in his final season.
That alerted Reid, who made a move to capture Nadal’s signature. There was some brinkmanship going on – Nadal publicly stating he was happy to sit around the following season to see out his contract before leaving on a free, Van Gaal making it known through whispers to the press that he’d happily accept a lot less than Nadal’s £5m buyout clause.
A source in Spain told The Sunderland Echo:
Van Gaal does not really want the old guard hanging around at Camp Nou. He has already brought in a lot of Dutch players and more could arrive. Nadal does not seem that anxious to leave and has been quoted saying he would stay until the end of his contract, even if he does not play.
All Spanish players have a buy-out fee set in their contract and Nadal’s is about £5 million, but if Van Gaal really wanted him to go he would probably accept less.
Nadal did leave Barcelona that summer, and he did end up playing in red and white – but Wearside was not his destination. He returned to his former club Mallorca, where he played for another six seasons before hanging up his boots in 2005, after turning out almost 200 times.
Reid, of course, did manage to get some experience in his defence – Steve Bould and Thomas Helmer arrived at the club – although made just 22 starts between them (Bould accounting for 21) due to a combination of injury and rumoured training ground fall outs.
Fortunately for Reid, Butler acquitted himself well in his first season in the top flight, while Craddock also stepped up admirably in place of Bould in the second half of the season.
However, you can’t help but wonder just how much fun it would have been watching ‘The Beast of Barcelona’ in that team, too.
