Newman signed for
Bristol City as an apprentice in October 1981, later serving as club captain and eventually playing 483 games for the club, leaving him seventh on Bristol City's all-time appearances chart. After three consecutive relegations Bristol City were in financial turmoil in 1982. Eight of the club's top-earning players – known as the 'Ashton Gate Eight' – saved the club by ripping up their contracts and taking redundancy. On 6 February 1982 Bristol City played Fulham at Ashton Gate in the first match following the departure of the eight senior players. The team was populated with several young reserve team players, including an 18-year-old Newman. Having been with the club at this low point, Newman was a key figure in improving the club's fortunes. Playing predominantly in central midfield and defence, he helped the club win promotion to Division 3 in 1984, win the Associate Members' Cup in 1986 and achieve a further promotion, to Division 2, in 1990. After a decade at
Ashton Gate, Newman was sold to
Norwich City for £600,000 in the summer of 1991. He was a member of the Norwich team that finished a club record third in the
FA Premier League in
1992–93 and went on to play a part in the defeat of
Bayern Munich in the following season's
UEFA Cup. He had also helped them reach the semi-finals of the
FA Cup in his first season at
Carrow Road. During his time with Norwich, Newman was initially used in 1991–92 as a central midfielder, where he managed to score several important goals. He even deputised as a forward covering for injuries. He was ultimately primarily played in central defence in the majority of games for Norwich, particularly later on in his career. Newman was noted for his determination, versatility and a very hard (if not always accurate) shot. During a dead ball competition at Wembley in 1994, it was found that Newman had the hardest shot in the league at the time. He stayed at Norwich until the end of the
1997–98, when new manager
Bruce Rioch decided not to renew his contract. He then signed for
Southend United, and later worked on the coaching staff at
Roots Hall, as well as having a spell as assistant manager. Towards the end of the
2002–03 season, Newman signed as cover for
Chelmsford City. In July 2003, Newman signed for
Gorleston. In October 2004, Newman was appointed caretaker manager of Gorleston. ==Coaching career==