Pavel Srnicek

Day -907. WorldCup2018

There was sad news in the football world today. Pavel Srnicek, most well known as Newcastle United's goalkeeper in the nineties, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest just before Christmas. He was only 47.

Srnicek played 49 times for the Czech Republic but unfortunately never at a World Cup as the Czechs did not qualify for the 1998 World Cup when he was the first choice goalkeeper and he retired from international football when they failed to qualify for the 2002 finals.

He did however play in the inaugural Fifa Confederations Cup in 1997 where they finished third. As runners-up in the 1996 European Championship Finals they took Germany's spot after the Germans declined to take part. Srnicek also played in the 2000 Euros where the Czechs were eliminated in the first round.

However, it was as Newcastle's number 1 that he made a name for himself. He had two spells with Newcastle, 1991-1998 and a short return in 2006-07. He was a vital part of the exciting 1995-96 Newcastle team that was 12 points ahead of Manchester United at one point but a poor end to the season saw them end up second. Nevertheless that team, managed by Kevin Keegan, lit up the Premier League and were many neutrals' favourites to win the title. I remember many nail biting, end to end matches, in true Newcastle kamikaze style, in Mach and April 1996. I watched them surrounded by Newcastle fans in a bar in Malta where the emotional highs and lows of the fans around me was as enthralling as the entertainment on the pitch. Srnicek's agent, Steve Wraith, said Srnicek's last conversation with him was about bringing that team back together (the "entertainers") next year for a charity match to mark the 20th anniversary of that oh-so-close end to the season.
"We will make that happen and celebrate this great man’s life together,” Wraith said.

Srnicek had also just visited Newcastle to promote his autobiography, "Pavel Is A Geordie". I'm sure there will be many more a Geordie who will now be purchasing that book.