'I was surprised to see misunderstood Liverpool cup winner become head coach'

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James' Park and Wales head coach Craig BellamyCraig Bellamy won the League Cup with Liverpool in 2012(Image: Getty Images)Former Newcastle striker Lomana LuaLua has expressed his surprise at the managerial triumphs of Magpies head coach Eddie Howe and his ex-teammate Craig Bellamy.The latter, 46, is best remembered by Liverpool fans for his two spells on Merseyside. During this period, he formed a bond with Bellamy, whose "hot-headed" character, according to LuaLua, led to some misunderstandings.Upon leaving Newcastle, LuaLua moved to Portsmouth, where he played alongside Howe, whom he described as "quiet."Howe has since risen to prominence as a top-tier manager, propelling Bournemouth from League Two to the upper echelons of the Premier League, before leading Newcastle to two Champions League qualifications and securing the club's first domestic trophy in 70 years by clinching the Carabao Cup last season, beating Liverpool in the final.Bellamy is now the head coach of Wales(Image: Getty Images)Bellamy, on the other hand, began his coaching career under former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Burnley before taking the reins as head coach of the Wales national team.Under Bellamy's guidance, Wales has reached the World Cup playoffs in March and is just two victories away from qualifying for next summer's tournament in North America.Despite being "shocked" by their success, LuaLua is genuinely pleased to see two of his former teammates flourishing in management."I enjoy watching them when I get the time because I played with Eddie when I was at Portsmouth," LuaLua shared with Chronicle Live.

Four years ago, I went to see Bellamy when he was in Anderlecht with Vincent Kompany because I was in a transition from playing and trying to see what I wanted to do."So I went to see him to get some advice and talk to him about how he sees coaching, and I was shocked because I never thought I would see Bellamy as a coach. At the time, you never really have time to see if someone will be a coach."But I am glad he is doing really well.

He is a great coach, and I am happy Newcastle have given him the time to build. A lot of managers now don’t even get one or two years, so I am glad they have given him this opportunity, and he has repaid that by winning a trophy and getting them back to the Champions League."