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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Summerbee | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-08-26)26 August 1971 (age 53) | ||
| Place of birth | Altrincham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1994 | Swindon Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1994 | Swindon Town | 112 | (6) |
| 1994–1997 | Manchester City | 131 | (6) |
| 1997–2001 | Sunderland | 94 | (7) |
| 2001 | Bolton Wanderers | 9 | (1) |
| 2001 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Nottingham Forest | 17 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | Leicester City | 29 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Bradford City | 68 | (4) |
| 2005 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2006 | Tamworth | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 471 | (26) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | England U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 1994 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nicholas Summerbee (born 26 August 1971) is an English former professionalfootballer, sports television pundit and commentator.
He notably played in thePremier League forSwindon Town,Manchester City andSunderland, as well as in theFootball League forBolton Wanderers,Nottingham Forest,Leicester City,Bradford City andTranmere Rovers before finishing his career with Non-leagueTamworth. He was capped by both theEngland U21 andEngland B sides.
Born inAltrincham, he had trials atManchester United,Leicester City, andNorwich City, before joiningSwindon Town; where his father, former England internationalMike Summerbee, had connections. Summerbee played 112 games in seven years for the Robins, scoring six goals and helping them get promoted to thePremier League in 1993 beforeManchester City paid £1.3million for his services a year later.
Summerbee joinedManchester City in 1994. His father Mike had become a household name at the club being part of the successful City team of the late 1960s and early 1970s and also being part of the star trio ofMike Summerbee,Francis Lee andColin Bell. Summerbee joined the team at a time when managerBrian Horton also brought inPeter Beagrie,Uwe Rosler andPaul Walsh.
In his first season Manchester City finished towards the bottom end of the Premiership table. Then chairmanFrancis Lee replaced managerBrian Horton withAlan Ball who failed to manage the team to increased success. The team were relegated to the first division. In the summer of 1997 he was offered a trial by the French clubBordeaux.[2] In November 1997, Summerbee joinedSunderland in a £1million-rated swap deal involvingCraig Russell.
Summerbee made his Sunderland debut on 15 November 1997, againstPortsmouth atFratton Park, as a second-half substitute for Martin Smith. With trademark un-tucked shirt and orange edged boots, Summerbee capped his debut by notching the final goal in a 4–1 victory, scoring with a satisfying low drive. He played out the rest of the season on the right hand side of midfield and enjoyed some of the finest moments of his career after Sunderland won promotion to the Premiership in 1999.
During that season, an injured Summerbee enjoyed a well-publicised liaison with TV presenter,Melanie Sykes. However, it came at a cost. He lost his place in the team following his capital night out with Mel and a 4–1 defeat atArsenal. Whilst he returned after one match, Summerbee was substituted in both of his next two games and was relegated to the bench for the next four. He returned triumphantly to the starting eleven by scoring his first goal of the season againstEverton. It turned out to be his last as aSunderland player. After this goal, Summerbee was in and out of the side. He finished the season on a high note though, starting in – and starring in – the final three games.
Summerbee was left in the wilderness by bossPeter Reid the following season. He sat on the sidelines for six months until he was given a game for the reserves againstNewcastle United. He was clearly unfit and unhappy, he lashed out at Newcastle United defenderAndy Griffin and was immediately substituted before he could be sent off.[citation needed]
Free transfers and quick stays at the likes ofBolton Wanderers (where he scored once against Crystal Palace),[3]Leicester City andNottingham Forest were followed by a two-and-a-half-year stay atBradford City, which included loan spells atSwindon Town andTranmere Rovers. In 2001 he even signed a rolling contract back at Manchester City but never added to his 94 City appearances under Kevin Keegan.[4]
Summerbee latterly played forConference National sideTamworth, but was released at the end of the2005–06 season.
On 10 May 1994, Summerbee won anEngland 'B' cap in a match against Northern Ireland 'B' atHillsborough.
He is the son ofManchester City cult heroMike Summerbee. His grandfather,George Summerbee, and great uncle, Gordon Summerbee, had also been professional footballers. Nick is married and has three children.
Since retirement Summerbee has worked as a Radio co-commentator for BBC Radio Five, as well as being a local pundit forManchester City games.
As of September 20, 2020 Summerbee is a pundit forbeIN Sports.
