Ahead of this weekend's Sky Bet Championship fixture, Rob Newman spoke to our matchday programme OTBC about his time at both Norwich and Bristol City.
A popular and well-respected former player at both Carrow Road and Ashton Gate, Rob Newman made a combined 732 appearances for Bristol City and Norwich City.
Newman helped the Robins establish themselves in the second tier in 1990/91 before Norwich City came calling in the with the offer of top-flight football in the summer of 1991.
Despite his lengthy time in the Robins’ first team, Newman had only one season of Second Division football under his belt and admitted a mix of nerves, excitement and pride in going on to play in the top flight.
“Yes, you will always have a few nerves – but it was really nicely handled as Jimmy Lumsden, the manager, came to me and said that Norwich had come in and the club had accepted the bid. We had only had one season in the Second Division (today’s Championship) but we’d done OK and finished halfway up the table.
"If he would have said the club had turned the bid down, then I probably would have stayed because it was great being a one-club man and we were progressing and nothing would have pleased me more than getting to the old First Division with Bristol City. But, when a club comes calling that are already in there and are established then you have to think seriously about it.
“I spoke with my family and with Jimmy. It became a case of 'I need to go' as nothing was guaranteed with Bristol City. It was a good value fee for me back then so I felt not only am I gaining the opportunity to go and play in the top division, but it also gave Bristol City some well-earned money from overseeing my development over the years.”
If Newman had any concerns about stepping up to First Division then he soon realised he’d joined the right club to make the transition with.
“Even back then you noticed the gulf between the two divisions, and it wasn’t easy to start with, but Norwich suited me – there were no superstars although Flecky (Robert Fleck) and Flash (Dale Gordon) tended to grab the headlines. As a group, the players all knew I’d not played in the top division before, but they all embraced me and helped me along the way."
You can read our exclusive interview with Rob in full in our matchday programme against Bristol City. You can purchase HERE or from one our vendors on a matchday.
Words: Peter Rogers
