, We ll miss you, Cheicky
Reflects on the Newcastle United fan ALEX STOREY passing… career of Cheick Tiote after his untimely
IN EARLY June, the football world mourned the death of the former Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote after his tragic and sudden passing overseas in China.
The Magpies had not long since clinched the Championship title, but as the news filtered in about Tiote’s death after collapsing on a training field during a session for his club Beijing Enterprises, there was an obvious sense of perspective sweeping the air on Tyneside.
He would have turned just 31 a couple of weeks later and his funeral was attended by many of his team-mates past and present for both club and country.
But this should be an opportunity to reflect and celebrate what was a solid career from a boy who grew up playing barefoot street football in the capital city of Ivory Coast, Yamoussoukro.
The midfielder began his professional career at Belgian side Anderlecht after being scouted in 2005 and quickly became noticed for the hard-hitting and physical demeanour that he carried through his whole career.
It was here Tiote made his Champions League debut in a 1-0 loss to Real Betis at just 19 years of age.
The Ivorian swiftly moved on to Dutch side FC Twente in 2008 after struggling for game time in Belgium.
He gained respect and popularity among the fans in Holland due to the tough and resilient nature of his game and within two years he totted up more than 50 league appearances before his big move to the Premier League.
Tiote was originally signed by Chris Hughton in the summer of 2010 but Hughton was sacked in December, and it was under his successor Alan Pardew that Tiote built his relationship with the Newcastle faithful. He made more than 150 appearances and was their longestserving outfield player before his departure in January to the Chinese capital.
On Tyneside, he was mostly loved. He had his critics, including myself at times, but the fact is “Cheicky” was a unique fit for Newcastle’s midfield and players like him were hard to come by.
Somebody who could sit deep in midfield and do the simple things – like win the ball back and pass it to someone possessing more skill and flair such as Yohan Cabaye or Hatem Ben Arfa in those days. On occasions, he may have been guilty of trying to do too much but opposition players knew all about him and he was not exactly a favoured opponent. Former Anderlecht team-mate and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany labelled Tiote as one of the toughest players he’s ever played against, as well as being one of the nicest.
There were plenty of other tributes via social media that poured in after the news broke, including some of Tiote’s ex-managers.
Pardew delivered an emotional tribute for a player who was a constant feature during his sides in the four years he managed Newcastle, before moving on to Crystal Palace.
“I loved him,” said Pardew. “He’s everything you want in a Newcastle player. To hear the news that he has passed away at the age of 30 breaks my heart.”
His words were echoed by Newcastle fans far and wide as well as ex-Toon and Twente boss Steve McClaren who described Tiote as a “ferocious competitor on the field but had a beautiful smile off it”.
One old Newcastle team-mate who was at
his funeral was striker Papiss Cisse, who plays in China for Shandong Luneng.
Cisse and Tiote were very close during their time together on Tyneside and their bond was telling on the pitch.
The Senegalese international dedicated a goal in China to Tiote by revealing a t-shirt that stated: “Love you Cheicky, Forever Tiote.”
Undoubtedly, Tiote will forever live in the memories of every Newcastle United fan who remembers the famous 4-4 draw against Arsenal at St James’ in 2011, where Tiote scored his only ever Newcastle goal (despite a fine strike against Man City in 2014 that was wrongly disallowed for offside) in the dying minutes that earned a point.
Tiote did feature under Rafael Benitez in the latter part of the 2015/16 season during the relegation run-in.
I personally remember tweeting after a home draw against Manchester City that he was my man of the match by a country mile. However, after relegation his appearances were limited and his last came in a 3-1 FA Cup replay win against Birmingham City at St James’ in January.
Looking back, it is heart-breaking to think that when he left the pitch that evening to a warm ovation from the fans because it was accepted he’d be leaving for China, it would actually be the last time they’d ever see him and the last time he’d set foot in their beloved St James’ Park.
The causes and the science of Tiote’s death are yet to be delved into by the professionals, and I would expert questions to be raised regarding heart conditions in professional sport in 2017, but those debates are for other days. We, as football fans, should never forget him. RIP Cheicky.