Such was Peter’s class that hometown club Newcastle United, which once had him on his books, paid £150,000 to bring him back to St James’ Park – effectively confirming that they had made a mistake in releasing him. He enjoyed four fruitful seasons with the Magpies, which saw them get promoted from the Second Division in 1984 and survive relegation in the following seasons. This preceded a then-British record £1.9m bid from Liverpool.
During his Anfield career he played in 175 matches and scored 59 goals, claiming two English Championships and an FA Cup along the way. Peter then became one of the few players to turn out for both Liverpool and Everton when he signed for the blue Merseyside club in 1991, and once again excelled for his employers, notching up 25 goals in 81 appearances.
The hometown club, however, came calling once again, and in 1993 Newcastle secured Peter’s services for a second time, which would prove one of the best in recent years for the Tyneside outfit as they finished runners-up in the Premier League for two successive seasons.
As his career wound down in the late 1990s, he also played for Manchester City, Fulham and Hartlepool United before retiring at the age of 38, during which time he also accrued 59 England caps.
In a career spanning 799 games and 238 goals in all competitions, Peter’s record is considerable in light of the fact that he was seen to be more of a playmaker than outright goal scorer. A wonderful football speaker, Peter describes his time at the top of the beautiful game in a mixture of anecdotal tales and invaluable advice for aspiring sportspeople and businesspeople alike.
