[101], Bellamy made his debut for Cardiff on 21 August in a 4–0 win over Doncaster Rovers, in which he scored from a 35-yard (32 m) free kick. [35], Bellamy was involved in controversy when he was one of four players sent home early from a winter training camp in La Manga after unwittingly missing a team meal in honour of former chairman John Hall. "[148] When Giggs returned to the Wales squad in November 2006, Bellamy was relieved of the captaincy but was named vice-captain. [68], In February 2007, Bellamy was involved in a fight with teammate John Arne Riise during a training session in Portugal before a Champions League tie with Barcelona. [120] In the final on 26 February, Liverpool met Cardiff City; Bellamy featured as a second-half substitute in place of Jordan Henderson but he did not take a penalty in the ensuing shootout after asking to be omitted from the five nominated takers. For years we keep hearing about good old "Bellyache"; how intense he is, how well prepapred his teams are. [194] In 2009, 1,600 boys aged between 11 and 14 played or trained in the league on a daily basis. [54] Minutes later, Bellamy gave an interview saying he was prepared to play in any position for his club. Bellamy was born 3 October 1959 in Portland, New South Wales, Australia. In a pre-season friendly against Southend United prior to the following season, Bellamy ruptured his cruciate ligaments in an innocuous challenge with an opposition defender and was ruled out for between six and eight months. The area was considered a traditional working-class environment and had been experiencing an economic downturn following the closure of the East Moor steelworks the previous year. Before the match, Souness stated Bellamy was left out because of a hamstring problem but in a post-match interview said it was because Bellamy was unwilling to play as a right-sided midfielder. Although Wales endured a disappointing start to the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Bellamy was encouraged by the progress being made under Speed's management, including victories over Switzerland and Norway. I was wearing a kit about three sizes too big for me, I touched the ball twice, we lost 2–0 and it was over. So I did what everybody had told me not to do. His replacement was Graeme Souness, who had a reputation as a disciplinarian and quickly clashed with Bellamy, who was particularly fond of Robson. Bellamy became involved in a row with his club side Newcastle over his participation after he postponed a knee operation to play in the qualifiers. Craig Bellamy on the Howie Games Podcast. He could have ended my career", "Manchester City's Craig Bellamy is rewarding unwavering trust shown by Mark Hughes", "Football's best and worst goal celebrations", "Bellamy out for rest of season but Dyer recovery softens blow to West Ham", "Craig Bellamy set to be £43m man for Spurs", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2008/2009", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2009/2010", "Craig Bellamy talks of quitting football", "Craig Bellamy left out of Man City's European squad", "Craig Bellamy set to train with Cardiff City", "Craig Bellamy moves to Cardiff City on loan", "Craig Bellamy to lead Cardiff City on debut", "Craig Bellamy is surprise favourite to succeed sacked Jones at Cardiff", "Cardiff City match new manager Malky Mackay's ambitions", "Craig Bellamy 'pleading' with Manchester City for a free transfer", "Craig Bellamy: Cardiff City reveal late bid for player", "Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy rejoins Liverpool", "Craig Bellamy pulls out of Liverpool match after death of Gary Speed", "Bellamy haunts old club as Reds book Wembley ticket", "Cardiff 2–2 Liverpool (Liverpool win 3–2 on penalties)", "Dalglish hails Bellamy impact in Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final victory over Everton", "Hometown hero Craig Bellamy enters Cardiff City folklore", "Can you name the strikers who have scored for six or more Premier League teams? Quinn Rooney/Getty Images But standing in the way of Penrith's date with destiny is a 61 … [3] The couple eventually moved into their own accommodation in 1996 after Bellamy signed his first professional playing contract. At the end of his first season, Bellamy had scored 14 goals for the Magpies and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award. [13], At the age of 15, Bellamy moved away from Cardiff to start his youth apprenticeship with Norwich, being placed with a local family along with another apprentice. Over the next fifteen years, Bellamy gained 78 caps for his country and scored 19 goals. "[56] Bellamy rejected a £6 million transfer to Birmingham City to move to Celtic. Few in the NRL are held in higher regard than Craig Bellamy. The injury, however, continued causing problems and after playing in a 1–0 defeat to Wigan in February, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. [12], Despite speculation he would move to the Warriors or St George-Illawarra as coach, he signed a new three-year deal with Melbourne Storm in early 2013. [11] Prior to signing with the club, several other teams took an interest in Bellamy; Leeds United offered his parents £10,000 if he signed for them. He met with Speed in Cardiff to discuss his future. He coached New South Wales Country to victory and his club, Melbourne won the 2006 minor premiership and reached the 2006 National Rugby League grand final, but finished as runners-up to former mentor Bennett's Brisbane Broncos. Bellamy later stated, "I just whacked him across the buttocks with the club. Melbourne supercoach Craig Bellamy is so confident Canberra coach Ricky Stuart won’t beat him four times in a row that he’s bet a nudie run on it. The goal meant Bellamy became the first player to score for seven different clubs in the Premier League. [48] Bellamy enjoyed a prolific scoring run following his return, scoring seven goals in two months before his season was ended due to a pulled hamstring as Newcastle finished fifth. [63] He instead signed for Blackburn Rovers, managed by his former Wales manager Mark Hughes, for an undisclosed fee. Wayne Bennett Unlike Bellamy, Wayne Bennett has coached six different teams including Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights and South Sydney. He played the majority of his career in the centres but was also used as a utility player, appearing at times as fullback, winger, five-eighth and lock. Coates’ agent, Nash Dawson, said the 19-year-old was in no rush to make a decision. [88], Further player purchases ahead of the 2009–10 season increased competition for Bellamy; forwards Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez both joined the club. [67], Bellamy made a goalscoring debut for Liverpool against Maccabi Haifa in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round on 9 August 2006, in a 2–1 victory. I told Strachan I’d sign. For the 2010–11 season, Bellamy dropped a division to the Championship to represent his boyhood club Cardiff City on a season-long loan. You couldn't really call it a swing. [15] Bellamy reached a turning point in his career when his girlfriend Claire became pregnant while he was a youth player. [140], When Mark Hughes was appointed as Wales' new manager, Bellamy was suffering from an injury and missed the first match to be played at the Millennium Stadium, although he was included in the training squad. Bellamy will finish an ultra-successful 19-year stint as Melbourne’s head coach this year and the Broncos have offered him a coaching director role at Red Hill from 2022. I know because I spoke with Craig during the week and he said, 'there's no way in the world you'll get us four times in a row - if you beat us I'll run around the Twin Waters golf course naked.' The pressure of the situation led Bellamy to agree to the move but he regretted his decision, commenting, "They were persuasive. Cardiff had led the game twice before Adel Taarabt's brace held them to a draw. It is a football academy that supports 32 children in Tombo to gain free football coaching and an international level education. [15] Bellamy had previously travelled to Norwich by train on Saturday afternoons, played a youth match on Sunday morning before returning to Cardiff. [70] In his first appearance following the court case, Bellamy scored two goals during a 4–0 victory over Wigan Athletic on 2 December 2006. [52][53] Although the two said the rift had been healed after Bellamy scored a last-minute-winning goal in a 4–3 victory over Manchester City in late October, on 23 January 2005 Bellamy was omitted from the team for a Premier League match with Arsenal at Highbury, which Newcastle lost 1–0. [8], On 20 June 2006, Bellamy was the subject of a £6 million transfer bid from Liverpool, triggering a clause in his contract that obliged Blackburn to allow him permission to talk to the club. Wayne Bennett with his seven premierships and more than 900 games coached in a storied career that began way back in 1988 at Red Hill. According to a data from 2009, 1600 boys aged 11-19 get trained and coached daily through the Craig Bellamy … [73] The incident earned him the nickname "The Nutter with the Putter" in the press. Incoming Broncos coach Kevin Walters is open to working with his former coaching partner at the Storm Craig Bellamy in a bid to bring a first premiership to Red Hill since 2006. Forced to field a team full of young players due to the regular side's representative commitments, the 'Baby Broncos' upset the Wests Tigers. In Canberra he played under the coaches Don Furner (1982–87), Wayne Bennett (1987), and Tim Sheens (1988–92). [19] During the early stages of the campaign, Bellamy played his 10th match for the first team, leading to new contract negotiations. [111], Bellamy returned to Manchester City for pre-season training but was placed in the club's reserves and was excluded from the first team. Bellamy also writes a column for The Australian. [74], In the first match following the incident, a Champions League last-16 round, first-leg away match at Barcelona, Bellamy celebrated his goal that tied the score at 1–1 by emulating a golf stroke. He wrote, "There would be weeks, sometimes months, when I couldn’t get myself out of it". Bellamy later said being away from the family home in Cardiff for extended periods caused him to suffer from homesickness for the first time since he was a youth player. He visited the country's diamond mining industry and was shocked at the poor living conditions of the workers, often children. In the post season Bellamy continued as Kangaroos assistant coach, now under Ricky Stuart for the 2006 Tri Nations series. Hawks coach Brian Goorjian has revealed how premiership-winning Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has inspired his side’s history-making start to the NBL season. [6] In 1998 he became performance co-ordinator and assistant coach to Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos. His performances led to a permanent place with the Canary Rangers, Norwich's youth development side. Storm recruitment chief Paul Bunn is confident Bellamy will reject the Broncos to stay for the Storm, a club he has coached since 2003. [66] Blackburn had previously opened discussions about paying £2 million to remove the clause with Bellamy but negotiations had not been completed when Liverpool made their bid. Coventry were relegated at the end of the 2000–01 season after the team finished 19th in the Premier League, ending 34 consecutive years in the top tier of English football. Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater has been endorsed by four of rugby league's biggest names to take over the head coaching reigns of the Queensland Maroons. Bellamy reacted to the defender pinching him, which resulted in a three-match ban. [109] The new Cardiff boss Malky Mackay, who knew Bellamy from their days at Norwich, did not confirm whether he would attempt to sign Bellamy. He played his early junior football for Portland Colts. Football statistics of Craig Bellamy including club and national team … He was the Wales captain from 2007 to 2011, when he stepped down from the role due to injuries. Despite an attempt by Premier League side Crystal Palace to sign him for a fee of £2 million, he chose to extend his deal with Norwich. He always gets the best out of his players and after the COVID-19 stoppage he changed his team's game in order to compete for a championship. [11][13] He saw several of his friends using cannabis and sniffing glue but Bellamy never used the substances himself. The Raiders are one the verge of entering rare air and becoming the first team in history to beat Melbourne four times in the space of a year when the teams meet at GIO Stadium on Saturday. Craig Bellamy is already a man in demand for when he comes off contract at the end of next year at the Storm but has revealed why he is ready to retire as a head coach … On one occasion, Bellamy received a final warning from staff after he broke the arm of a trialist goalkeeper during a fight on the training ground; Bellamy later said Norwich showed him leniency when disciplining him in fear of losing a player regarded as having a bright future. Hawks coach Brian Goorjian has revealed how premiership-winning Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has inspired his side’s history-making start to the NBL season.Goorjian has only met Bellamy once – during his coaching days in Melbourne with the South Dragons in 2008 and 2009 – but he has long admired the accomplished rugby league … [144] Wales finished second in the group, four points behind winners Italy, reaching a two-legged playoff match against Russia for a place at the finals. Bellamy, however, backed out of the transfer after an awkward final meeting with Moyes, describing him as "tense and hostile". [164] Hughes acknowledged that Bellamy developed a reputation as being "trouble" but stated, "If you understand him and support him, he will play his heart out for you". Rugby league guru Phil Gould expects 2021 to be a huge test for the Broncos' master plan with Kevin Walters set to ride solo for a year before the expected arrival of the club's potential saviour Craig Bellamy.Bellamy is yet to sign with the Broncos and has recently shot down… "Any team coached by Craig Bellamy you know they're going to be ready," Stuart started off. He scored again against Middlesbrough in the Premier League in a 1–0 win for City; it was his third appearance before scoring twice against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup two weeks later. During Bellamy's first training session with the first team, Gould was involved in a wrestling match with John Hartson that left Gould with a bloodied nose. [142] In the 70th minute, Hartson received the ball and played-in Bellamy, who rounded Gianluigi Buffon to score Wales' winning goal. [183] In the book, Bellamy said he suffered severe bouts of depression, particularly when he was unable to play football for long periods due to injury. In 2018 the Storm had a successful year making it to the 2018 NRL Grand Final before being beaten by the Sydney Roosters. Bellamy coached the club’s President’s Cup side to premiership success in 1995 … "You always want to … Craig Bellamy as his usual animated self in the coach's box. Before the match, Bellamy telephoned his former Norwich and international teammate Robbie Savage who played for Derby, and offered the players £30,000 if they won the match. [51] The pair had a public argument when Bellamy was pictured swearing at Souness after being substituted during a match and later had a physical altercation during a training session. ... We want it to add to the team, so we need to have a good think about it and get some opinions when everyone is back. [97] The next week, Bellamy was allowed to train with Cardiff City, fuelling speculation he might sign for his hometown club. Bellamy scored the winning goal in the South Wales derby against Swansea City on 6 February 2011 with a long-range shot in the final minutes of the match; it was the first time Cardiff had won at their rival's ground since 1997. He ashes with the group on more than one occasion and accused them of lacking effort following a 2–0 defeat against Portsmouth on 14 February 2009. Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy makes a stunning admission about his side after losing the plot with an epic meltdown when his team was WINNING the NRL Grand Final Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has admitted thinking his side may lose Bellamy burst into a profanity-ridden meltdown in the box as Penrith scored Speaking after […] The manager fielded telephone calls from the parents of other players who said Bellamy was too small to play in the side. [83] Two offers from Manchester City were rejected but on 18 January 2009, West Ham accepted from a third undisclosed bid from City, said to be around £14 million. In April, 2008, Bellamy signed a five-year contract extension through to 2013 with Melbourne despite interest from the Brisbane Broncos. [37] Under manager Bobby Robson, Bellamy formed a productive striking partnership with Alan Shearer; Bellamy's pace and creativity complemented Shearer's game. https://www.zerotackle.com/bellamy-set-to-walk-from-the-storm-50792 Enough of the moving and the following me round. Had they been allowed to accumulate points however they would have made the top 8 again. [44] The charges were later dropped but Bellamy was convicted of using foul and abusive language and was fined £750. [9] He first attended Baden Powell Primary School before switching to Trowbridge Juniors where he joined the school football team at the age of seven. [41] After returning from injury, Bellamy made his UEFA Champions League debut against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv and was later given a retrospective three-match ban for headbutting Tiberiu Ghioane in the latter stages of the match. At the time of his birth, the family lived on Swindon Street near the Splott district of the city. [165][166], In his autobiography, former Wales manager John Toshack described a fractious relationship with Bellamy, saying, "Occasionally, he could cause problems where they weren't necessary and you always felt there was a possibility that he could upset the applecart". * = Denotes season in which Melbourne Storm were in breach of salary cap, "Darren Lockyer story reflects code's steady growth", "Australian Rugby Football League Annual Report 2007", "NZRL coffers to benefit from early exit", http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/coach-craig-bellamy-to-sign-new-contract-with-melbourne-storm/story-e6frexnr-1226575053545, "Cooper Cronk notches up 250 games with Melbourne Storm", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Bellamy_(rugby_league)&oldid=997949665, Country New South Wales rugby league team coaches, New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin coaches, Rugby league players from New South Wales, Articles with dead external links from September 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Articles with dead external links from August 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Finished 16th (out of 16) due to gross long-term salary cap breaches, Knocked out in Elimination finals match by, Lost in 2015 NRL Preliminary final against, This page was last edited on 3 January 2021, at 01:07. Bellamy has credited Hughes with "restoring his career" during his time at Blackburn. Teams deliberately conceding strings of penalties on their own goal line is just good tactics. Late in the 2013 NRL season during an interview with Paul Vautin for Channel 9's "The Footy show", it was revealed that Bellamy was an electrician by trade, though downplayed it by saying that he was "not a very good one." He later admitted to acting as a lookout while his friends broke into vehicles to steal car stereos to sell for drug money. He also led the Storm to the minor premiership in 2011, and won his first legitimate premiership as a coach in 2012 when the Storm defeated the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Bellamy won his second recognised NRL premiership as coach with the Melbourne Storm after a dominant 2017 season in which the Storm lost only four games. In this situation Craig Bellamy coaches the Melbourne Storm and has been since being appointed this position in 2003. [18] Bellamy made his first career start in the opening month of the following season in the first round of the League Cup against Barnet on 12 August 1997, and started in the league for the first time on 20 September against Manchester City. [155] Bellamy continued with Wales for a further 18 months under new manager Chris Coleman before announcing his retirement from international football after Wales' final 2014 World Cup qualifiers in October 2013. Following his departure, Souness stated it was "him or me" at Newcastle and that allowing Bellamy to remain would have ended his managerial career. Maroons legend Billy Slater revealed he felt sorry for Storm coach Craig Bellamy when he coached the NSW Blues. "Any team coached by Craig Bellamy, you know they're gonna be ready," Stuart said on Thursday. [52] His last goal for the club came in a UEFA Cup group stage match against Sporting CP in December, a 1–1 draw at St. James' Park; it was his 10th goal for Newcastle that season. He returned to action to win his 50th international cap in a friendly against Iceland on 29 May. [8] As a boyhood fan of the club, Bellamy described the move as "like a dream" and took a reduction in wages to join Liverpool. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said he feared players would leave the NRL's biosecurity bubble and return home earlier this season … [5] With both his parents working full-time, Bellamy spent most of his school holidays at his paternal grandmother Mary's home in Adamsdown. His advisor had recently met former footballer John Fashanu and telephoned him for advice, and Fashanu arrived at the meeting unannounced. [142][143] Consecutive victories over Azerbaijan put Wales into a strong position in the group but they failed to win any of last four matches, losing to Serbia and Montenegro (twice) and Italy, and drawing with Finland. [40], Bellamy underwent knee surgery during the summer break and was originally expected to be fit in time for the new season. [63], During mid-2005, Bellamy attracted interest from numerous clubs, including Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Benfica, before agreeing terms with Everton following discussions with manager David Moyes. [82], Bellamy spent mid-2008 in the Algarve training with physiotherapist John Green to regain fitness. "[153], In December 2010, Gary Speed, Bellamy's former team-mate at both Newcastle and Wales, was appointed manager of Wales. [81] He began suffering from arthritis that required surgery; he made a brief return in October, playing two matches for Wales and one for West Ham. Bellamy coached Melbourne to their 3rd successive NRL grand final, but could not repeat the feats of the previous year as his side suffered an enormous 40-0 defeat to Manly. [21] Bruce Rioch was appointed Norwich manager in 1998 and instantly moved Bellamy from central midfield to attack. Celtic had the option of making the transfer permanent at the end of the loan. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy already has three flags – but a fourth before retiring at year’s end would cap his brilliant career perfectly. [158], In June 2012, Bellamy was confirmed as one of the three over-aged players selected by manager Stuart Pearce for Great Britain to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics alongside Micah Richards and fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs. [167] He also blamed Bellamy's relative lack of trophy wins during his career as partly to blame; "a lot of managers signed him but a lot of managers got rid of him as well; ... all were trophy winners, but none of them won anything with Bellamy in the team". [57], On 31 January 2005—transfer deadline day—Bellamy joined Scottish Premier League side Celtic on loan for the remainder of the season. On 10 December 2000, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Leicester City to gain his side three crucial points and Bellamy's form improved further after the arrival of his Wales strike-partner John Hartson.