Newcastle United 'father figure' helped develop Premier League icon who left St James' Park too soon

Let us during a lull in domestic hostilities when the mind takes a trip down memory lane pay homage to one of Newcastle's significant former stars incredibly still in harness. A man who has lit up the Premier League at the highest level for so long that he was bought for us by Sir Bobby Robson.

Can you believe James Milner made his first team debut for Leeds United at the tender age of 16 in 2002 and is still going to this very day at 38, coming up 39 on my birthday January 4, having clocked a mammoth 880 appearances of endless running, supreme fitness, and exhilarating enthusiasm.

I mean, is he super human? Or the Duracell Bunny?

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One hundred and thirty six of those 880 games were played for us way back in the day having left his boyhood club Leeds during the summer of 2004. Milner was a bairn who arrived as a through-the-middle striker, was converted to a winger by Sir Bobby plying his trade with gusto before becoming a top quality midfielder. He ended up being able to play virtually anywhere and play well.

In many ways United were the making of James Milner. It is where he honed his trade before a career take off. Born in Yorkshire but made in Newcastle. England were to cap him 61 times and baubles galore awaited him mainly with Manchester City and Liverpool.

If he won two Premier League titles plus the FA Cup and League Cup with City he unbelievably topped that by claiming literally everything at Anfield _ Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League backed with two runners-up finishes, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup.

Indeed such has been his quality he has only resided at top clubs....Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool, and now Brighton.

I vividly recall during the 2004 European Championships in Portugal bumping into Bobby Robson and discussing the signing of Milner which had come about after Leeds had been relegated and launched a fire sale. It was a shrewd bit of business.

Actually it was prompted by a good mate of mine Paul Montgomery, a Geordie who had scouted for Robson at Newcastle where Bobby referred to him as his 'rough diamond.'

Even after Monty left NUFC to work for Glenn Roeder at West Ham the two kept in touch and one day 'The Gaffer' phoned his former scout to say that Leeds were unloading players after going down and was there anyone who had caught the eye. Monty remembered a young lad he had watched play as a support striker through the middle in their youth team and recommended Milner.

On a later visit home Monty popped up to the ground for a natter with Bobby and there outside the office window was United's newest young signing practising set pieces and crosses long after team-mates had set off home or for the bookies.

Paul recalled: "Years afterwards when I was working for Birmingham we used to go over to Aston Villa's training ground because our pitches were often frozen in the winter and there was Milner still practising his art long after others had left. This was even after he had made the big time, been bought for big money, and played for England. He has always had an amazing dedication to his craft."

A young man burning with ambition, Milner viewed Sir Bobby as many players did. He was a father figure and after United disgracefully ditched a manager they later honoured with a statue Milner never viewed his time with us the same.

He was farmed out to Villa because Newcastle wanted to bring back Nobby Solano and was eventually sold to them. Graeme Souness had never been rated personally by Milner and though he came back from loan to play for Glenn Roeder and Sam Allardyce he eventually handed in a transfer request.

James admits that he learned much in those formative days by closely monitoring United's senior pro's like Alan Shearer and Gary Speed. How they handled themselves and were to prolong their careers. Speed was still playing for Sheffield United when he was 40 _ older than Milner is now _ and around that time ran the London Marathon in under three hours and 50 minutes to raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. That is the sort of fitness levels Milner has replicated.

That he is a supreme athlete capable of a never ending career is hardly surprising given his early background and natural all round sporting ability. He played for Yorkshire Schools at cricket and was a relentless runner, long distance or short becoming school cross country champion for three successive years and district champion over 100 metres two years running.

Milner is part of a special club of top flight footballers who have amassed a huge total of games when performing on these isles. Outside of goalkeepers who enjoy longer career lives Milner's 880 in league and cups puts him in the same bracket as Ryan Giggs (963), Gareth Barry (832), and Frank Lampard (884). He can hold his own with all of them and is still running the race.