The footballer Kevin Campbell, who has died aged 54 after a brief sickness, received a league title, the FA Cup, a League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup over a four-year interval from 1990 till 1994 with Arsenal, the membership he had supported, and joined, as a boy.
As a striker he scored eight occasions in 10 matches in the course of the second half of the Division One championship in 1991, and in the course of the victorious 1993–94 European Cup Winners’ Cup marketing campaign he contributed 4 necessary targets throughout the knockout levels, together with one within the semi-final towards Paris Saint-Germain.
After he left Arsenal in 1995 Campbell by no means encountered the identical stage of success, however grew to become a extremely regarded determine – and membership captain – at Everton, the place he spent six years between 1999 and 2005. He was additionally well-liked at every of the 4 different golf equipment he appeared for throughout his 19-year profession: at Nottingham Forest, the Turkish facet Trabzonspor, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff Metropolis.
Campbell was ebullient, clever and personable; nevertheless, his recognition stemmed not simply from his private attributes but additionally from his wholehearted, direct method on the sphere. Speedy and muscular, 6ft 1in and 14 stone, he was a flexible ahead and a dedicated workforce man.
Of Jamaican heritage, Campbell was born in Lambeth, south London, and grew up in Brixton. An Arsenal supporter as a youth, he had no cash to go to house matches, so would wait outdoors Highbury on match days till the North Financial institution gates had been opened earlier than the ultimate whistle and he may sneak in to observe the final a part of a sport. He signed for the membership on schoolboy phrases underneath Terry Neill as supervisor, shortly garnering consideration with an abundance of targets.
At 18, after a successful look and a hat-trick within the 1988 FA Youth Cup last, he was handed knowledgeable contract by the membership’s new supervisor, George Graham, and his first workforce debut got here quickly afterwards towards Everton.
More often than not, nevertheless, he was enjoying within the reserves, and in 1989 he was despatched on mortgage to the Division 4 membership Leyton Orient to get some sport time. Shortly proving his price, he scored 9 targets in 16 appearances, however underneath the foundations of the day needed to return after three months to his house membership. There was an extra mortgage interval with Leicester that yr, and he was unable to make a full breakthrough into the Arsenal first workforce till the 1990-91 season.
Most of Campbell’s 15 league appearances throughout that marketing campaign arrived within the later levels as Arsenal mounted a robust problem for the title, and his burst of eight league targets between February and April was instrumental in securing the league championship by seven factors from Liverpool.
In 1993 he scored 4 occasions in Arsenal’s run to a 2-1 victory towards Sheffield Wednesday within the League Cup last, during which he performed upfront with Ian Wright, a pairing that was repeated in each matches of that yr’s FA Cup last, additionally towards Sheffield Wednesday – a 1-1 draw and a replay that was received 2-1 after further time.
Within the subsequent European Cup Winners’ Cup marketing campaign of 1994, it was Campbell’s aim within the 1-0 semi-final second leg defeat of a robust PSG workforce that put them by to the ultimate towards Parma, which they received 1-0 in Copenhagen.
All these glories had been underneath the managership of Graham, who had nurtured Campbell fastidiously because the early days. When Graham departed in 1995 there was no such chemistry together with his successor, Bruce Rioch. “I used to be out of contract and was anticipating to remain,” stated Campbell. “However after one assembly with Bruce I knew I used to be off.”
Quickly afterwards he decamped to Nottingham Forest, the place, though his new workforce completed ninth within the Premier League in his first yr, they had been relegated the next 1996-97 season. He helped them bounce straight again up with 23 targets, however in a shock transfer was then offered towards his needs to Trabzonspor within the Turkish league for £2.5m.
Campbell spent simply seven months in Turkey earlier than returning to the Premier League in early 1999 on mortgage to Everton. At Goodison Park he grew to become an instantaneous hero, virtually singlehandedly saving the workforce from relegation on the finish of the 1998-99 season with 9 targets in his first eight begins. By the center of 2001 he had signed a brand new long-term deal and had turn into membership captain.
When that contract got here to an finish in 2005, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free switch, once more collaborating in a dramatic escape from Premier League relegation because the Baggies defied the chances with a late run underneath Bryan Robson as supervisor to keep away from the drop. Eighteen months later he joined Cardiff Metropolis within the Championship earlier than retiring on the age of 37 in 2007.
By the tip of his profession Campbell had performed 521 occasions for his varied golf equipment, with a tally of 149 targets. Often on the perimeter of the England squad, he by no means fairly made the nationwide facet however did characterize his nation at Beneath-21 and B-team ranges.
After his enjoying days, he was in demand as a vigorous soccer commentator on TV and radio. He additionally co-owned a safety firm supplying private safety to rich shoppers and ran his personal small document label, 2 Wikid.
He’s survived by his sons, Tyrese and Kyle.
