One striker signs, with one more to follow!

Shola tied up!
Shola Ameobi has penned a new deal with Newcastle United that will see him extend his stay until 2014 and effectively end his career at the club where it all began.

The Fenham Eusebio is one of them “Marmite” characters as, quite simply, you either love or hate him – there is no middle ground.

At his best he can destroy teams, just ask Sunderland, although people will point out that he is far too often not at his best. Personally I have a soft spot for him. He frustrates the hell out of me, but at a time when loyalty and commitment are rare commodities we have a player who displays just that.

Shola is quite understandably delighted that he has managed to secure a contract extension, especially when you consider that discussions had reached an impasse not so long back. In quotes I took from the Shields Gazette, Shola had this to say:

“All I’ve ever wanted is to play for Newcastle United, and it is a really happy day for me. Newcastle is, and always will be, my club, and I’m looking forward immensely to the next three years, beginning this Saturday with the new season opener against Arsenal.”

“I would also like to thank the board and the manager for their continued support, which is very much appreciated.”

It’s hard to grasp that Shola made his debut way back in 2000. Mental. I’ve always thought that he has all the physical attributes needed to be a cracking striker but injuries and sometimes a seeming lack of application have got in the way. Remember he played second fiddle to great strikers like Shearer and Bellamy and, ahem, Owen and Martins, with the first two being at the club during the most important formative years of his career.

Still, Shola sticking around will give the bashers something to have a go at for a bit longer anyway although I have a sneaking suspicion that Shola will see less time on the pitch than some think. Basically just think of Alan Smith – great to have around the place albeit very expensive. I reckon Shola will be our new Smith going by what Alan Pardew had to say.

“We are delighted to have confirmed Shola’s new contract,” said Pardew. “He has done a terrific job for me since I’ve been at the club and he is also a great character to have around the place. It is important to have continuity, and keeping Shola on board helps us achieve that aim.”

“It is also great for the club that his younger brother Sammy is developing well and we hope he can go on to have a successful career at Newcastle.”

Great to have around… Great character…. Continuity…. Cheerleader. You get my point. I mean who else is there at the club currently that knows the passion of the fans, the area, what hat to wear…

So with Shola signed on it means that Alan Pardew can concentrate on bringing in a striker to bolster our attack. Pardew insists that the hunt is still on and that there is a space in the squad ready to be filled.

“We still need another striker and we’re still pursuing that, and if we lose a player we’re going to replace him,” Pardew told the Northern Echo.

“Within the squad at the minute there’s one place available for a striker and that search is ongoing until such time as we get the right player in. I’d be surprised if it goes down to the wire, I will be, but it might do.”

So from that it looks as though we are going to go with what we have with just the addition of a striker to the squad. Fair enough, especially when you consider that the club are apparently going to replace any players who leave (like Jose Enrique for example) although I would like another defender in as I feel we are a bit short at the back in terms of cover.

Well done Shola, I guess, and hopefully he’ll have a new striking team-mate to show around his crib and make feel welcome.

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

146 thoughts on “One striker signs, with one more to follow!

  1. He’s never been consistant enough and never will be. The only reason he’s signed a new contract is because he knows he’ll never get better and we’ve offered him on because we’re that fcking desperate!

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  2. I’d rather have a decent striker or two than a Shola or an Owen.
    You ***** and whine spending any sum of money on new players but are quite happy to squirt it up the wall on a player who can’t even be called a has-been because he never was really any good.
    I’m glad you want him in for a smiley face and all that, maybe we could get Gazza back for the midfield – he always cheered everone up too.

    Why do people who think they are being ‘positive’ always mention Owen as if it proves some kind of point. I never wanted Owen here from the start – I thought it was a bad idea when you ‘positive’ types were probably pissing your knickers with excitement at the news he was coming here.

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  3. Bobby Shinton number 9 says:
    August 10, 2011 at 15:54
    @MDS
    You say;
    AOD- it’s due to all of the negativity around the club- most of it manufactured IMO. No serious person with football knowledge can say that we are worse than QPR, Wolves, West Brom, Wigan, Swansea, Blackburn or Norwich, and very likely S-land and Stoke

    You’re probably right but in reality are you pleased with that? It indicates that we are still a mid table side at the best and I still maintain by losing Carroll, Nolan, Jose and Barton then we are considerably weaker than last season.

    I don’t believe for a second the players brought in have the skill or attitude to compete with those going out.

    Jose n Barton are still newcastle players at the moment Bobby 🙂

    Only time will tell if the players we brought in so far are better than the ones who have left and who may leave. Still think we have a great chance of a top 10 finish

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  4. Dog- Valencia might be interested, but considering Collo is on a reported 80K a week, I would say it probably isn’t true. 😉

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  5. Jose n Barton are still newcastle players at the moment Bobby
    ————————-
    Apparently it’s OK to judge the club based on no Jose and no Barton, but you can’t judge the club on any potential new players coming in 😉

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  6. ******. I’ve missed my opportunity. I should see if Newcastle would sign me up – I’m desperate to play for them and I would try 100%.
    Apparently that’s all it takes these days.

    I had no idea that so many people in Northgate were allowed to use the computer unsupervised.

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  7. One thing i am sure about is that Cabaye wil make more of an impact than Nolan did last season after Carroll was sold . Cabaye can move a bit and pass the ball . Nolan can’t

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  8. Ameobi is the only bloke six foot plus I have seen get consistently beaten in the air by someone five foot six.
    In fact he’s the only player I’ve ever seen jump to header unchallenged and miss the ball by a foot more than once in the same match.
    If you don’t want Smith and complain about him collecting money for nothing then how the hell can you want Ameobi?
    Ameobi is loyal because no one road wants him.

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  9. Ice @ 78-
    I agree with MDS, Colo’s wages are probably too high. All of heard abotu Valencia the last two years is how strapped for cash they are. Also, if we were going to sell Colo, would £5m be anywhere near enough?

    MDS@81-
    Forget potential new players coming in. Apparently, we’re not even allowed to judge the club on new players we’ve already signed.

    Some people argue that losing Nolan is extremely problematic, often pointing to his 12 goals last season. But can anyone really say that he set up goals for other players, or that he even did that much to create his own goals? Between Ben Arfa, Vuckic, Obertan, Cabaye, Marveaux and Gosling, we might not have one player who can score 12 goals, but we have players who can potentially create far more than that.

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  10. Shola is unlikely to cause any waves at SJP. This is a major contributory factor towards securing a new contract here. But I would`nt get too cosy Shola because i think you will end up on loan to Birmingham before the end of the season.

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  11. Actually, I take that back. Ben Arfa could easily score 12+ goals, not to mention setting up another 12.

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  12. @86- agreed. Nolan was a poacher, which is a good skill. Still, 3 goals post Carroll? I think we’ll miss the locker room presence more than anything else.

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  13. Valencia.. totally skint. Work stopped on their new stadium nearly 2 years ago, half built stadium, nae cash, nae chance.

    I said the other day that Shola is still here for one reason only…..the best terrace chant…..now that Sammy is coming through then the chant can go on without Shola 😉

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  14. Fans
    there has been no more talk about pieters here in the press but the next time anything will be in the dutch press about it , is if a real bid has been placed or the deal is done . They don’t do rumour mongering here like the press back home .

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  15. I see tweets saying bendtner is the striker? 😕

    Any thoughts or comments about it if is true? 😯

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  16. ” Nolan was a poacher, which is a good skill. Still, 3 goals post Carroll? I think we’ll miss the locker room presence more than anything else.”

    So once we lost our only decent striker the goals dried up for our midfield poacher?
    How surprising!
    Maybe if Shola and the other strikers had half the ability of Carroll then the goals would have kept coming?
    Maybe with Ba in front of him Nolan would have scored more this season.
    Maybe Cabaye or Ben Arfa will score a similar amount of goals – I bet if Ba gets injured and we have no new striker and have to rely on Shola and the rest of the dross up front then the goals will dry up for the French boys too.

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  17. @toonsy: TCB: Is there anyone you’d give your right arm to bring in?

    NUFC: You do realise that I use my right arm for sometimes sinister pleasure right?

    Cheeky there. 😆 😈

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  18. That article about us being relly contenders is utter tripe; dreadful use of stats and a load of waffle, combined with missing out on any of the glaring positives.

    BS9; I can never be sure if you’re just wumming, but if you seriously think our squad is weaker than before the window opened then… well, it’s your opinion and someone’s got to have it.

    Back on the Shola thing, I think there’s one admission I have to make: if I thought he was costing us anything like as much as a top-end striker, I’d be less happy. He’s probably cost no fees; just a salary in line with others expected to spend a lot of time on the bench. If that is the case, he’s great value.

    Anyway, Bobby; question for you: if we get in a reasonable striker (assume someone around the Bendtner level), do you think we’re looking ok? Better than last season?

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  19. Incidentally, those who still think the club should have caved in and given Nolan a 5-year deal on £65k to stay (bend over pass the butter…) –

    Who would you drop to get him on the pitch? Benny, Gosling, Cabaye, Vukic? Because you’d have to drop at least three of them.

    Let’s face it, the club knew he was going to be another Smudge; there for spirit, leadership and continuity; not necessarily playing each week. £17,000,000 is a lot to pay for that.

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  20. Maybe if Shola and the other strikers had half the ability of Carroll then the goals would have kept coming?
    ——————-
    Any maybe if Nolan could score at a decent rate without AC his performances on the pitch would actually be missed.

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  21. Jesus, Shola!!! what happend to the brilliant future of newcastle by signing one more striker instead we sign this donkey

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  22. To me the contract extension for Shola shows the club’s lack of ambition. He isn’t completely lacking in skill but really probably belongs in the Championship with Peter. I’m sure the money for his new contract will come out of the Carroll money as well. Are people really happy with this? Where has the supporters’ ambition gone let alone the clubs? My god no wonder the pundits aren’t sure about us. His time should be up at the end of this season then take him on as some kind of coach like Pedro if the club love him so much.

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  23. Anyone got advice on this: I’m getting a new newcastle shirt but don’t know whether to get a players name on it or not. I was thinking I could get the players number instead and then my name above, anyone know what I should do?

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  24. @whumpie

    There’s a hardcore who have very similar opinions about the regime and players abilities.

    I yet wait to be corrected about anything ive predicted.

    I just hear absolute drivel coming from the fantasy bus.

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  25. Zoe…your name, check the squad numbers & pick one that isn’t assigned to a player.

    That way you get your own squad number, your names on the back & technically available for selection?!? 😆

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  26. ZOE a number for me,not no 9 like 😀 putting money in ashley pocket 👿
    batty sells good copys 😉

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  27. Haha, I already have my own number for the team I play for!!! 😀 Last time I had Vicarage and 13: let’s just say that shirt isn’t so lucky anymore

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  28. Ice: Hopefully getting it tomorrow. Do players get commision for their name on the back of a shirt?

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  29. Haha, well I was going to get coloccini but I dunno if he’s going stay what with those rumours 😕

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  30. To me the contract extension for Shola shows the club’s lack of ambition.
    ——————————
    I don’t think he was re-signed to be the new no. 9. If another striker comes in, Shola will be 4th choice, in a team that seems to be moving towards a lone striker formation. How good do you want our #4 striker to be?

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  31. From what I gather on hear most of you think Nolan was a waste of space and yet signing Shola to a contract extension is a great idea? Shola is so injury-prone he often injures himself. Shola one of the clumsiest humans I have ever seen. Yes he occassionally scores good goals but we play more often than occassionally and he often goes completely missing. Whumpie you are absolutely right. Nolan wasn’t worth another 17M pounds but surely Shola isn’t worth a 2 year contract extension at his age and with his injury record.

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  32. Shola is a good lad and bleeds black and white and says all the right things, but then he has been paid good money to warm the bench for more than 10 yrs, and if we’re lucky we might get 20 games out of him for the next 3 yrs.
    Never mind under soil heating I think it would be cheaper to get a heated bench 😆

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  33. We don’t know what Shola signed for. In my opinion, Shola on £20k/week is a lot better than Nolan on £65k/week. Like MDS said, he’ll be our third or fourth option in a one-striker formation.

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  34. GeordieTwo…Shola wants to be here. Let’s face it, he knows he’s going to spend time in the bench & is an experienced player albeit not the best. He’s next seasons Kuqi 😀

    And the contract offered to Nolan would have taken him to 31 as well no?

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  35. If Shola is on 20K a week, that is just over 1M pounds a year, so 3 years means 3M pounds out the window for 20-30 games over 3 years (if we are lucky as he goes past 30). That is still a very expensive bench sitter who mostly disappears in games. I agree with you Big Dave with an elderly Shola still in the squad Ashley will probably offer to chip in for a hot water bottle.

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  36. Zoe dont waste your money pet get your own name, I made the mistake of getting my wee lad Carroll last season and onece he went he wouldn’t wear it anymore, and before that he had Owen so didn’t get much use out of that either.
    Saying that his last yrs away kit has S Taylor on it 😀

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  37. So thats £20 k a week wasted would it not be better putting that towards a good player that wont always be injuried, or offside, or falling over, or fouling 😀

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  38. I don’t ever recall him striking a clean shot on goal!!!!

    His goal per game ratio must be horrendous.!!!

    If he had been playing for some other team and we bought him, would any of you be happy?

    This sentimental thing you talk about is ludicrous. He has only stayed here because it’s his comfort zone, decent wages and no one has come in for him.

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  39. Haha, I’ll probably get my name and the number I wear for my footy team. I used to have shearer on mine but that was years ago. I don’t think I want to risk it if colo leaves.

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  40. What is your point exactly Witters? You mean if a player wants to stay then he should stay? What about the concept of improving the team? Surely Shola has seen his best days (such as they were) long ago. He is only going to get worse. There is a saying that goes young players get better, old players only get older. I think this fits Shola perfectly. Just can’t understand this move by the club. Why not wait until his contract expires next year and see how we are doing and if we need an aging injury-prone striker taking up a squad place. People are always moaning on here that we have a full squad and we would have to get rid of someone to bring in another player. Well to me one of the players to get rid of next year would have been Shola at age 30 and as injury prone as ever (if not more).

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  41. @Charlie prince

    I’m not saying Nolan is worth £65k per week, but he did score more goals from midfield than Shola. 😕

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  42. Let’s see:

    Shola- two year extension on (likely) a reasonable wage to be our 4th striker.

    Nolan- 5 year, 50K a week to play a positoion where we already have Ben Arfa, Golsing, Vuckic, Cabaye and Barton.

    Big difference there

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  43. @big Dave

    Agree. 😕

    @witters

    I wouldn’t care but you’ve been crying to get on my reality train and I won’t let you on.
    Sour grapes. 😆

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  44. Zoe – I have this debate with marktoon all the time. He insists on player numbers while I’m dead against it as there is always a chance of the player leaving which makes the shirt useless.

    How many mugs got Carroll on tge back? Mugs 😆

    Ching ching

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  45. Ok lads I’m giving up on this one, but lets see how we all feel about still having Shola around in 2014, taking up a squad place. To me the 4th choice striker should be someone young and on the rise. The other thing people moan about on here is that the youngsters never get a decent chance. How can they with lumps like Peter and Shola taking up squad places?

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  46. haha, well i did think about getting just the number and then my name. I’ll decide tomorrow

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  47. GeordieTwo…my point was you implied a player on £20k for 2-3yrs playing 20-30 games is money out of window…I’m saying that’s probably the going rate for a 3rd or 4th choice striker a la Shola. This is the way the game is nowadays. I do however think he’ll offer a lot more than just playing time when it comes to squad cohesion.

    Re your ‘You mean if a player wants to stay then he should stay’ comment. If the club want him to stay & player wants to stay then he stays. This is what’s happened here.

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  48. GeordieTwo…do you not think the new striker could replace Loverman given shola’s signed up & assuming we sign a new striker.

    Agree re youth but as you say he’ll play 20-30 games in 3yrs so there’s opportunity for the youth

    Not deliberately trying to break your balls either 😆

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  49. GeordieTw0 – Thanks to the 25-man squad rules and the Home-grown rule, the young players don’t need a squad place so they can still get their chance. To be honest the way things are looking at the minute it would appear that our youngsters are going to get loaned out until they are deemed good enough to come back and fit in the squad/bad enough to be released.

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  50. Ok lads I’m satisfied now. Let’s revisit this sometime in the season and see if everyone is still happy with it. Whatever is said about his skill level and being injury prone I still see this as a money saving move by Ashley and nothing more. Would any of the top clubs keep Shola around? Not likely I’m afraid. And Toonsy I though it was you who said we had a full squad and would have to move someone out to bring someone in. I count at least 24 players who are senior age on contract. Other than loans can they be hidden in some other way?

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  51. Our headline was going to be “if Shola signs, we’re in the sh*t” but on reflection it’s no shock that our number 23 has been offered and accepted a new deal – more proof of the club’s lack of ambition and acceptance of mediocrity.
    I guess I’m not quite finished. This is from NUFC.com. It reflects my feelings exactly. That is now the last I will say about this for a while. Everyone breathe a sigh of relief now. 😀

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  52. Jeez, Shola gets a hard time. Smith, Perch, Xisco, Ryan Taylor are FAR worse and should be first out. We’re not going to get rid of them all you know! And as MDS said, how good do people think our 4th choice striker is going to be?!

    Bobby 😆 😆

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  53. i you want committment on the pitch shola is an absentee,i cannot count how many times he gave up in and around the box last season,the funniest thing was seeing him run like hell for a ball that was outside the box in the west brom game after the crowd in the gallowgate rollicked him for not trying,he must of **** himself.

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  54. dave wright says:
    August 10, 2011 at 23:10
    If you want committment on the pitch shola is an absentee,i cannot count how many times he gave up in and around the box last season,the funniest thing was seeing him run like hell for a ball that was outside the box in the west brom game after the crowd in the gallowgate rollicked him for not trying,he must of **** himself.
    HE IS THE LUCKIEST PLAYER I HAVE EVER SEEN PLAY AT PREMIERSHIP LEVEL,AND AT A CLUB LIKE NEWCASTLE ITS SIMPLY A JOKE ,PARDEW IS CLEARLY AN IDIOT GIVING HIM A CONTRACT EXTENSION.

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  55. Shola is loyal, but we need a Class A striker! Get your act together Ashley and put some decent money on the table, you tight ****.

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  56. We all know he`s good in the air with his heigth and strength. If we need a goal we can let him play the last 10-15 minutes.
    I bet his wage has been cut, so he`s a cheap squadplayer. I don`t think there are any better strikers to that price, wage to have in the squad. And he`s always shut his mouth and never said a word wrong. And he will get a 6-7 goals a season….

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  57. Disgraceful, despicable but all too sadly predictable. A new contract and no doubt the number 9 shirt too, for a player we should have got shot of years ago. This more than anything sums up the total and utter lack of any ambition at St James’s Park these days. If Shola Ameobi had been released on a free transfer this summer he’d have struggled to find a new club at any level of English football.

    That’s it. There will be no new striker. We’re going to be relying on a 29 (soon to be 30) year old striker who has a career average of 4 Premiership goals per season. I could weep. Championship here we come.

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