' Crazy,Angry and a brilliant footballer '

A Fair assessment of Craig Bellamy in my opinion,except I felt his last year of his career at Cardiff was not great at all.

' Crazy,Angry and a brilliant footballer '
Daily Mail

Craig Bellamy was a crazy, angry and brilliant footballer... He might cringe when he looks back, but he should be proud of his playing days and turning his life around

Bellamy has announced his retirement at the age of 34

Striker played for clubs including Liverpool, Manchester City and West Ham

Welshman admits he was not proud of himself during his early career

Bellamy worked with psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters to turn his life around

By MATT LAWTON
Friday 23rd May 2014.


Craig Bellamy would be the first to admit there were times in his career as a footballer when he was utterly dislikeable.
He was talented, of course, the success he enjoyed in tandem with Alan Shearer at Newcastle earning him the PFA’s young player of the year award in 2002.


But Shearer also found him irritating — extremely irritating. In fairness to Bellamy, he wasn’t too fond of himself either at times, to the point — as he said in his quite brilliant autobiography where he struggled to watch a recording of himself playing football. ‘I hate it,’ he says. ‘I hate watching how I confront the referee. I don’t like that side of me.’


In a senior career that spanned 18 years and nine clubs, among them Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and his beloved Cardiff City, controversy was too often his companion. When he tells the story of attacking John Arne Riise with an eight iron, he sounds like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas; Goodfella rather curiously also being the title of Bellamy’s book.
It was, he concedes, the behaviour of a ‘madman’, someone who rather disturbingly concluded that he had been ‘disrespected’ in front of his team-mates because Riise responded to persistent requests to sing a song one night during a training camp in Portugal by losing his rag and saying no.

There was no insult. The Norwegian said he had ‘simply had enough’ of Bellamy ‘banging on about it’.
Bellamy stopped short of pulling out a revolver and shooting Riise there and then. But he did go to his room later that evening and whack him with the golf club before issuing a few threats of what might also be coming his way should he complain to the Liverpool management.


Bellamy at least deserves credit for the honest account he provides of the incident, coupled with the following admission: ‘I look back at what I did now and I cringe. It was pathetic. It was drunken, bullying behaviour.’
With the help of Steve Peters, the much-respected sports psychiatrist, the combustible Bellamy has worked hard to reform. But beyond focusing on the fall-outs and football, on the 135 goals he scored in 452 league appearances, we should perhaps trust the judgment of those who know Bellamy best.



Back again: Bellamy enjoyed two spells at Liverpool during his 18 years as a professional
NINE CLUBS, 169 GOALS
Clubs Games Goals
Norwich (1996-00) 91 34
Coventry (2000-01) 39 8
Newcastle (2001-05) 128 43
Celtic (loan, 2005) 15 9
Blackburn (2005-06) 32 17
Liverpool (2006-07) 41 9
West Ham (2007-09) 26 9
Man City (2009-11) 51 15
Cardiff (loan, 2010-11) 35 11
Liverpool (2011-12) 33 9
Cardiff (2012-14) 52 5
Total 543 169
Country Games Goals
Wales 78 19

You can certainly judge a man by the company he keeps and among his best friends in football are Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. And few players were as close as Bellamy to the late Gary Speed, as classy a man as you could wish to meet in football.


Gerrard, together with Mark Hughes, wrote the foreword to Bellamy’s book. On hearing that Bellamy was joining Liverpool in 2006, Gerrard said he was expecting a ‘bit of a hothead’ and ‘someone who was more interested in being a footballer rather than actually living like one’.
But Gerrard’s view changed once he got to know Bellamy. ‘I was totally wrong,’ he admitted. ‘It surprised me how professional he was and how much he loved the game. He ended up being a terrific ally for me at Liverpool as well as becoming a good friend.’
The sentiment is echoed by Carragher. ‘He is right up there with the best Welsh players of his generation and beyond,’ Carragher wrote in these pages. ‘He expects the highest standards from those around him and certainly isn’t afraid to say if he feels someone has fallen short.
‘He had problems with certain players and managers during his career because of his character but I loved him.’
Bellamy loved Speed, and the death of the Wales manager had a profound effect on him. It made him re-evaluate his life and seek the help of Peters, a man he credits with making him the person he is, someone who feels equipped to pursue a career in management.


‘When I started talking to Steve Peters in the aftermath of Speedo’s death, I thought my life wasn’t going to get better when I finished playing football. My life was going to be dark.
‘If I hadn’t started seeing Steve, if I hadn’t begun to change, my people skills — or lack of them —would have destroyed my chances of being a successful manager.’
On the last page of his book, he writes of how Speed’s death forced him to look at himself. ‘If I hadn’t done that, I don’t know what would have happened,’ he says.
Most moving, however, are the final few lines. ‘I think differently now,’ he says. ‘Be thankful for what you’ve done. Keep trying hard. And don’t ruin your life. I did that for too long.’

Even now, there are episodes that will make him reflect and cringe. But he should listen to his peers and, indeed, be thankful for what he did on a football pitch.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... z32U9plH00
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He really got some negative publicity off some of our fans this season,but for me overall has been fantastic for this club in both spells.
Of course he has not had his speed this year,but to me he always gives 100% and drives others on.Lets not forget his body is shot to pieces and many a player would not have carried on!
His goal on his debut against Doncaster,screamer against Leeds,no will forget the winner against the jacks but for me therecord breaking goal for 7 different clubs in the Premiere league stands out the most.
Thank You Bellers and all the very best in the future.

He really got some negative publicity off some of our fans this season,but for me overall has been fantastic for this club in both spells.
Of course he has not had his speed this year,but to me he always gives 100% and drives others on.Lets not forget his body is shot to pieces and many a player would not have carried on!
His goal on his debut against Doncaster,screamer against Leeds,no will forget the winner against the jacks but for me therecord breaking goal for 7 different clubs in the Premiere league stands out the most.
Thank You Bellers and all the very best in the future.

I remember back in the day when he was playing for Liverpool... He injured his team-mate John Arne Riise by hitting him with a golf club..Reason..? Riise wouldn't sing Karaoke at a bar ....

He has issues ..

I'll never forget the game against Birmingham at home in our promotion season.

He scored, and it was quite simply the most committed, outstanding display that I have seen for many a year from anyone in a City shirt.

I'm firmly of the opinion that without his influence we would not have got up last season and for that he will go down as a Cardiff City legend

whilst talking to craig a few years ago he told myself and my hubby that he would do his best to help Cardiff get in the premier leaugue....he achieved that I believe.....he is a very good friend of ours and to be honest I am appalled by the animosity against craig....at the end of the day hes not a super hero he just and average guy who has had injuries,marriage problems etc....think about it, if my marriage failed I would be devastated but the likes of craig have got to get on with things like playing footy keeping up appearances for the sake of our fans...he has a spat with anyone and its in the papers that's all people remember him for..hes normal ffs....he absolutely idolises his children and think the time is right as a father to give up his football and take some time out for himself and to enjoy his children Ellis,cameron and lexi and spend some quality time with them.....hes a really genuine guy and I wish him all the best.........

I love his passion and honesty his book is an excellent read and lets you understand the man a lot more. If he hadn't got injured against Reading i think his sheer passion and work rate would have inspired all around him and he would have got us to Wembley and with Bellamy playing we would have beaten the Jerks and got to the Premiership a year earlier.

There is no doubt his best days were behind him when he joined us but you could never question hie work rate and will to win perhaps not worthy of being a City legend on account of not enough appearances but he is certainly a Welsh legend due to the number of times he turned up to play for Wales and has mentioned a brilliant player in his prime.

I wish Bellers well and would be very happy if he was to join our coaching staff as his work rate and dedication to the game could be an inspiration to our young players

Thanks Craig

I wouldn't say the man was crazed.

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