Shola Ameobi came on as a late substitute in the 84th minute in the 2-0 win over Malawi on Saturday night in World Cup qualifying , for his 3rd cap, and he should pick up another cap tomorrow night in the friendly game against Burkina Faso. The win meant Nigeria won their group, and they now have a two game play-off to qualify for the World Cup finals next summer.
Shola Ameobi – Nigeria World Cup chance has energized him
The Newcastle striker turns 32 next month, and had been half expected to leave the club in the summer, but when Newcaysle couldn’t get a second striker through the door, there was no chance of the Nigerian-born player leaving Newcastle.
Ameobi is one of the Newcastle players away on International duty at the moment, but in Shola’s case manager Alan Pardew thinks that’s a good thing:
“We moan about players going out on international duty, but in this particular occasion, it’s done us a favor.” “Shola’s in good shape. I think he fancies a little bit of the World Cup, and we’re the beneficiaries of that.
“Sometimes players need a boost. We talk about moving on to different clubs. But he’s still our player.” “The biggest thing we’ve had is a new lease of life in him from that international.”
“He’s got a little sparkle in his eye from the Nigeria situation.”
Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations in January, but Shola couldn’t play because of a clause in his Newcastle contract which prevented him playing, but he has since had that removed.
Newcastle are essentially one striker short this season, so it would be great if Shola can chip in with some goals, and of course he has started the last two league games and been in decent form too.
With Loic Remy now fit, we would expect Remy and Papiss Cisse to be the first choice strikers for Newcastle, but Shola is adept at coming off the bench and scoring some vital goals for the team.
We hope he can keep doing that this season.
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104 comments so far
lesh
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Comment #1Lilongwe, Trust you went to cheer Shola on when your adopted country hosted Nigeria on Saturday
Haway Shola!!!
Ben3arfa
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:44 AM
Comment #2I can see Shola getting golden boot at the world cup!
Rooster
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:46 AM
Comment #3Jail, at this moment in time im as peed off as anyone else, i wont just back someone cos i have in the past, i like the club being stable, we are financially, but as for going forward and challenging the top six, well i dont think we can so that, i just cant see consistancy, and WLDraw is about as good as it gets, i think most now know mid table is what will suite the hiarachy, MA must know Pardew isnt a top manager and JK well OMG, so its more horsecrap for a while until he ships out, that said whoever buys us eventually will have a lot of good things in place, no debt, great stadium, and some decent players that a decent coach will be able to itilise properly, i would not trust Pardew with an under 11 team!!!! It is all about finances and unfortunatly the fans are being walked all over, it is laughable that Maiga failed a medical at the toon yet marv n gosling n remy n Ba all sailed through. Bare faced lying by all three, JK AP and sanctioned by MA is simply diabolical and indifensible, players comin in the winter window are not, it has really turned me for now against the regime at SJP, and if tjis is the case then the sands of time are moving quickly foe MA n co, just a atep to far.
Lesh, its Howay, not Haway!!!
Jail for Ashley
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Comment #4Rooster,
If that’s the best you can come up with for a grovelling apology then hmpphhh.
Santon03
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Comment #5So the petition is about forcing someone(ashley) out of the company that he owns legally?
Because we fail to force him spending his own money (not our money) into his investment and the people who signed the petition didn’t even have majority of the share (51%).
Good luck!
croftus5678
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:02 AM
Comment #6aye recieving a bit of paper with ashley sell on it will probably cheer ashley up and give him something to joke about with his mates at how idiotic some of the supporters can actually be !
he’s a business man so it needs to be in public view as it will hurt his reputation as a business man so it either kicks him into gear or he leaves due to not further damaging his reputation.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:05 AM
Comment #7Santon,
I don’t think anybody is expecting him to spend his own money, I think were over that now, what we do expect of him though is to be a fit and proper owner of our great club and put in sensible investment, without the fans there wouldn’t be a club.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Comment #8Whatever people think we may or may not achieve, sitting doing nothing won’t achieve anything.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Comment #9I’ve not bothered with this blog for a few days because every time I posted something, someone ignored the actual words and just ranted on about Ashley this and Ashley that, they may as well have copied and pasted their comments…
I did read something sensible about a campaign to try to attract a new owner to the club, I’m all for that.
Is anyone on this blog involved with the fans forum?
croftus5678
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Comment #10hehehe did you hear about di-canio ? he aranged a behind closed door match between his first team and his u21’s to build the first teams confidence and his u21’s p*&s%d all over them beating them convincingly by 3-1 lol.
toon kk
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:14 AM
Comment #11MA may own the club but the club wouldn’t exist without the fans, so at least Mashley can do is look after the fans.
If st James Park was empty on match days it may not affect thick skinned MA but the world would see him for what he is.
croftus5678
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:18 AM
Comment #12our young fergie seems to be doing great also ^^
2 assists for ireland last night and birmingham regular to the point they are really worried about him not playing because of an injury ^^
hope the lad has picked up some pace lately as he could be the winger we have always needed.
jayphoto
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Comment #13No petition will affect Ashley! My parents live near him, down there your so far from newcastle, you hear nothing about the club, its a world apart! If he lived in toon it’d be different but he doesn’t! When we riot he probably just smiles and thinks ‘poor alan’ or poor joe with a chuckle! His money that he cares about comes from the sky deal, the Wonga deal, season tickets and the free sponsorship of sports direct! Sports Direct Newcastle is one of their lowest money making stores already! The way to target Ashley is by targeting Wonga and Sports Direct! If Fans made difficult for wonga it would directly affect Ashley as hed have to deal with it! And sports Direct is the only reputation he cares about, not the clubs! Ashley couldn’t give a monkeys about fans protesting and rioting at the club, in buckingham he wouldn’t even know unless someone told him
jayphoto
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Comment #14Regarding English players – whats the point in NUFC having them? An england manager has only visited NUFC once since 2007 anyway and we’ve had a fair few english players since then
jayphoto
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:27 AM
Comment #15Sad to read this! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2415653/Clarke-Carlisle-Flash-kids-respect-England-great-Peter-Beardsleys-left-handle-dirty-kits.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Slank
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:28 AM
Comment #16ToonDarnSarf @ 9
Like you all I’ve seen is people ranting and raving about getting Ashley out of the club he actually owns but unlike you I haven’t seen any positive actions to deliver an alternative.
Santon03 @ 5
Well said.
BandB
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Comment #17We could have a push for the Champions’ League, but the owner isn’t going to fund that……Alan Pardew, July 2012.
It’s quite possible we won’t sign anyone at all this window……Graham Carr July, 2012.
The squad is strong enough…..Joe Kinnear, August 2013.
……
Sometimes the club officials are extremely frank in the things they say. The above pointers to our direction and policy were largely passed over when they were made, as if they were less credible than people projecting their own hopes and dreams as if they were facts.
TDSarf is right about this much. You can learn a lot more from listening to what people are saying than by talking loudly over the top of them.
If you know where people are coming from, you can usually plot where they are going to.
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:30 AM
Comment #18jay
We should have them as it would be very beneficial for the club. If we can bring through a few good players, create a strong academy where players go onto us or the other top couple division sides then we will attract even more talent to the academy.
If we can train them in a style the club want to play then we will have ready made players who know the area, know the club, know the team etc etc.
We just need to bring more kids through who are top players as a country.
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Comment #19slank
As fans we cannot raise enough money to buy out the owner, not possible. There is no way we can seek to get a new owner to buy out ashley either.
What we can do is try to pressure the owner to begin to actively seek a buyer instead of just plodding along waiting for somebody to contact him.
I agree we might not have a big say with ashley, but we can have a say. People over throw governments when organised around the world, surely we can at least pressure ashley to sell.
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Comment #20jay
Terrible story. Times have changed and kids are given the treatment of pro’s well before they have kicked a ball for a senior side.
A lot can be said for lack of discipline. At the end of the day though the club should put it’s foot down. If the kids won’t help coaches with stuff like that then they shouldn’t be selected and let go.
Most are too soft on kids these days.
Slank
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:37 AM
Comment #21croftus5678 @ 6
,.. it will hurt his reputation as a business man so it either kicks him into gear or he leaves due to not further damaging his reputation…’
The only people who matter are the shareholders (probably the pension funds of many supporters) of Sports Direct.
What do you mean by he leaves? You are assuming he will sell. That is an option but is not the only option.
Yes he can walk away (and why wouldn’t he?) but he would probably take all the money with him, sell all the players, make everyone else redundant, strip the club of its fixtures and fittings and close the club.
Nearly everyone wanted Llambias gone and what did they get as a replacement Joe Kinnear. Beware of what you wish for.
.
Ibizatoon
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Comment #22Morning lads and lasses,
Jay…I agree, it’s a sad situation, one that I think we’ve surpassed critical mass with, the inmates have taken over the asylum.
TS…In principle I completely agree, the club should make a stand. However, will that ultimately cost us?
The issue isn’t about Newcastle, it’s worldwide. We take a stand, players leave for another club where they’ll tolerate such behavior. Morally it’s the right approach, but in reality I think it’s a somewhat lost cause.
Oh Mondays, always full of joy.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:42 AM
Comment #23Slank
I think I read it on the blog over the weekend, but I didn’t comment because I didn’t want to be drawn in.
But there’s no unity, there’s no overall message from NUFC fans so it’s all just bluster and bravado. There’s no way a couple of thousand names on a petition is going to do anything.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:46 AM
Comment #24BandB
If only more people could engage in sensible debate then we might actually reach a consensus and be able to campaign together for some serious change.
Scottiedog
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Comment #25Ashley does not seem like a person who will roll over so what the hell is the point of writing a childish petition???? The club is looking even more foolish (if possible) by a section of fans wanting to hold protests which is going to back fire massively!! Any protest is going to affect players and cause game loss and possibly drive us lower down the league, and this will be “YOUR” fault not MA’s!!!
Who would want to buy a team with supporters protesting??
Support the team not the management!! and that way any new buyer will see that we are the best supported team in the League!!!!!!!!!!!!
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Comment #26TDS
the MAOC are working on a campaign, holding meetings in he city and working with local authorities on protests, etc
Ibiza
True, it may harm us but there is no reason we should put up with it. I’m only in my 20’s myself so during my time at school there was a significant change from having responsibilty to having everything done for you towards the end.
The club should make the kids help out with things around the club, after all they will be getting free coaching from well respected coaches/players.
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Comment #27scottie
Everton fans protested last year before games, the owner then went onto goals on sunday on sky sports and said he was actively seeking an owner that would be able to take the club forward. Everton finished 6th last season.
So protests before or after games didn’t do them harm.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:55 AM
Comment #28TS
But what are they actually campaigning for?? What’s the point in just campaigning that an owner sells up when, as Slank says, he legally owns the club!
It’s a bit like demanding that your neighbour sells up and moves away.
Slank
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Comment #29Transfer Sage @ 19
If there are 50,000 fans and each raises £10,000 they could easily buy Ashley out. £10,000 is not a lot money over a lifetime of support.
A different method would be for the fans to raise less but guarantee that a percentage of the future profits go to Ashley until his stake his paid off.
Have any of the protest groups engaged any lawyers to find a suitable buyer?
Similarly, have the same groups approached any venture capitalists in a joint venture.
Has anyone placed any ‘buyer wanted’ adverts in all the worlds leading financial newspapers and journals (eg Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Economist etc)?
I’m sure there are lots of positive things that can be done. Having demonstrations and marches is only going to bring out the reporters to interview some think Geordie slobs that reinforces the perceived Geordie stereotype as shown on the television program ‘Bouncers’ shot in Blyth.
Slank
Sep 9, 2013 at 11:59 AM
Comment #30thick Geordie*
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Comment #31All I can find out about the MAOC is less than 3,000 likes on Facebook, no real information of what they want to achieve (other than the obvious) and no recent articles talking about their achievements or plans.
Not very impressive…
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Comment #32slank
not a chance we’d get 500mil from 50,000 fans, people can’t afford 10k, especially not in these times.
Trying to pressure the owner to either spend money the club makes or to sell is the best way I feel. Pressure to sell may force him to look for a buyer as he could get fed up (much like what happened after the protests when he sacked keegan, made him put the club on the market).
Little adverts in papers may be fun and get attention, the same way a protest is designed to get attention.
As I said above, everton did pre or post game protests outside the stadium ,bill kenwright is now looking for a good owner to take them forward as he says he simply hasn’t got the money himself to bank roll players.
What shouldn’t be done is daft stunts during the game and horrific booing like blackburn fans did as that doesn’t help the players in the slightest.
Scottiedog
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Comment #33@ T S – 27
Everton had a top manager and always finish in the top 10 as well as having a good reputation. Newcastles problems have been going on for the last 5 Years, been dragged through every sports paper and show, so really I think this is a different situation!!
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Comment #34TDS
look in the chronicle or journal, can remember which. discusses their protest march they plan.
Facebook isn’t the be all and end all of things, most people who actually take action are older and wont be on facebook/twitter (bit of a sterotype but proves to be true).
lesh
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Comment #35Rooster @3.
Good to see that despite your frustration at the shennanigans at SJP, that you’re alert and can spit a typo when you see one!
Hawoy Shola!
kt97toonarmy
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:18 PM
Comment #36Nigeria will win the world cup now.
Just imagine it “shola ameobi celebrate his worldcup final hatrick against spain”
Transfer Sage
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Comment #37scottie
My point was not the end result in terms of league place but the end result in terms of how it effected the club.
Everton achieved one of their highest finishes in 10 years and got the owner to come out and explain why he didn’t spend, that he will sell up and that he is only taking time as he wants the correct buyer not just the first man to turn up.
I was merely saying that even with the protests it didn’t effect their season and also got the owner to offer some dialogue with the fans so they knew the situation.
I think if done properly the protests won’t effect the team performance but could (although may have no effect) make Ashley either sell or come out and explain the situation better to us.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:25 PM
Comment #38TS
I can’t find it on either after a quick look. If they are serious about being the main group to improve things at our club then they at least need their own website! I appreciate not everyone is on Facebook but less than 3,000 likes is still not much.
Mr Robson
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:25 PM
Comment #39Is Harper’s testimonial going to be on TV here or overseas?
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 9, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Comment #40Why would they put a testimonial on TV? Surely the point is that people go to the ground and pay their money?