Newcastle United player Kieran Trippier wins the FWA North East Footballer of the Year 2023.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [Applause]
00:16 [Music]
00:30 Before we do Kieran, I think John would just like to say a few words as well.
00:35 Yeah, what a privilege it is Kieran to present you with this trophy.
00:40 Frankly, what a career you've had and are indeed having.
00:44 When we think about World Cup semi-final, I mean that's the goal.
00:48 A year later, Champions League finalist, Atletico Madrid, you win La Liga.
00:54 And then you challenge yourself again and they're almost a symbol of Newcastle United
01:00 and their improvement and their fantastic rise.
01:04 And for everything that you do, you're a leader to the young players on the pitch.
01:09 You're an inspiration. Fantastic for England, the club and country.
01:13 You wear your shirt with such pride. You put so much passion into your play.
01:17 Absolutely fantastic. Also, I'd really like to mention we are here from the Football Writers' Association.
01:22 You're brilliant for the media. It's hugely appreciated.
01:25 You always speak so well from the heart. You always start beating, even when you've had, you know,
01:31 where I was with the fans, it's fantastic. Honestly, it's hugely appreciated.
01:34 And you get your point across. The guys that I was saying before to the guys that I know you spoke to before the ceremony,
01:40 they were saying as well, just how much you do it on a weekly basis is hugely appreciated.
01:45 How fitting it is then, therefore, that you are the XWA Football of the Year.
01:49 Many, many congratulations.
01:51 Thank you, Brett.
01:53 Well, I'll be honest with you, you've already won your prize. No congratulations.
01:58 But when we were announced, that was all that transfer speculation to Bayern Munich.
02:03 We're thinking, "Bloody hell, is he going to turn up?"
02:05 So it's wonderful to see you.
02:07 The Germans would say wunderbar.
02:09 And then, of course, yesterday, you were in this because of the calf injury.
02:11 So first of all, what is the situation with you? Are you all right? You fit?
02:15 Yeah, I'm all right.
02:17 I'll need to see the results from the medical team.
02:21 So, yeah, obviously, it's my holiday.
02:23 Well, I know Jon's had a few words.
02:25 There's somebody else who has also been saying a few words to describe your impact and your time at St. James' Park.
02:30 You slip to the monitor now.
02:32 Hi, Eddie Howe here from Newcastle.
02:35 I just wanted to say what a fantastic choice you made in picking Kieran to be your player of the season.
02:41 Kieran last year was absolutely outstanding in every phase of the play,
02:45 whether that would be creating goals or helping us not concede.
02:49 Not only that, he also led the team incredibly well during different moments of the season
02:54 and was always an inspiration of it to help be a role model and guide our younger players as they progressed their careers.
03:01 So many congratulations to you, Kieran. Fully deserved the mic.
03:05 And I thank you for adding that to those words.
03:11 What have you done at the dressing room? How did you take that sort of like the steps to the next level?
03:17 You know, it was difficult when I first arrived. It was a team in a really difficult position.
03:23 It was just about believing and I feel like when I first arrived at Newcastle, I had to use my experience
03:29 and just try to be a leader in the dressing room on and off the pitch.
03:33 At some point I broke my foot as well, so it was difficult to help the team on the pitch,
03:37 but I travelled with them every away game, every home game obviously,
03:41 and just trying to support them as much as I could because it's a great squad.
03:45 We've got a top manager there who just wants to coach players, wants to improve players, and he's certainly done that.
03:50 And just trying to take that next step.
03:53 That year was a good year, a good second half of the season where we stayed up and I'd never looked back.
03:58 And obviously you got to Wembley in the League Cup final, which was ultimately disappointing,
04:02 but how much with the reaction that you saw from the supporters, does that whet the appetite to maybe go one step better in the FA Cup this year?
04:10 No, it's massive. We've got obviously a lot of Jordans in the team and they explain what it means to play for the club in a Cup final.
04:18 You see the support when they travel to Wembley and to bring silverware back to Newcastle would be amazing.
04:25 The Jordans are crazy, as I've realised since I've lived there.
04:29 I dare to imagine what it would be like if we actually brought the trophy back to Newcastle.
04:33 And obviously later in the season, England are going to play at St James' Park as well, one of the warm-up games for the Euros.
04:40 How special will that be to be playing at your home ground but for your country?
04:44 No, it would be amazing and I think it's good that we're doing that.
04:47 I've tasted it before when we played at Leeds, Bringham, before the World Cup in 2018.
04:52 It gives the supporters a chance to watch the team and I think it's going to be a great experience for the lads.
04:59 It's amazing playing at St James' week in, week out. I hope they give us a good send-off before the Euros.
05:06 With an eye on England, obviously going close in Russia, it's been close before obviously at Wembley against Italy.
05:12 Could it be this time more than any other time, as they said in 1982?
05:17 Probably the one for the kids by the way!
05:19 Hopefully, obviously we're close in Russia, then obviously got beaten by Italy in penalties.
05:25 But we've got a great squad, top manager. So hopefully we can go that one step further and bring the trophy home.
05:31 Because the talent in the squad is ridiculous.
05:33 Yeah, it's frightening and it's tough in training every day as well.
05:37 We've got that much quality and so many young players coming through with great experience.
05:41 They're playing Champions League football season in, season out.
05:44 So we've got a great squad, so hopefully this is the year where we can bring the trophy back.
05:49 We've had a fabulous season, a fabulous year.
05:51 Truthfully, lovely to see you. Congratulations.
05:53 Ladies and gentlemen, Kieran Trippley!
05:55 [Applause]