Started his career as an apprentice at West Ham alongside Darren Currie but failed to make a breakthrough at Upton Park and moved on to Swindon on a free transfer in 1992. Went on to play in the Premiership for the Robins, scoring 22 goals in 163 League games for the club, form that persuaded Manchester City to sign the Northern Ireland international in January 1997 in a £1.25m deal. The midfielder spent six years with City, playing under Joe Royle's management for half of that time and clocking up 232 appearances for the club, scoring 42 goals. In the summer of 2003, Glenn Roeder took him back to West Ham and the 31-year-old was a regular in the heart of the Hammers' midfield for the first half of the season but he gradually drifted out of favour with new boss Alan Pardew and when the opportunity came along to rejoin Joe at Town in the summer of 2004 he grabbed it, signing a two year contract. Capped 32 times by Northern Ireland but now retired from the international game.