When, and if, Alan Shearer starts his new reign at the Newcastle club. he will have a new player wearing the famous Newcastle number 9 shirt that he, Malcolm McDonald, Jackie Milburn, Hughie Gallagher have made so famous at Newcastle.
Oba Martins – looks like he doesn’t want to leave Newcastle
That’s because Oba Martins, the current owner of that shirt, will be sold in the summer, and there is already considerable interest in the player.
Of course nothing is ever easy for Newcastle, and Martins needs an operation on the injured groin he had at the end of the season, but continued to play for the team, in hopes of saving the side from relegation. He will need another operation on it, and will probably have it in the Munich clinic of world-renowned surgeon Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck.
One club who are very interest already in Oba is Italian Serie A side Fiorentina – who are said to be weighing a bid for the Nigerian striker in the range of £8M, which of course would be a loss for the club, on the £10M we paid Internationale in the summer of 2006.
The injury to Oba is relatively minor, and we expect the operation to be routine, but only after that will he leave Newcastle, and before that – let’s hope there’s an auction for him to drive up the price.
The Newcastle club needs all the money it can get, when it unloads some of its disgraced stars this summer – Oba is not one of them we hasten to add – but that will not be easy with as many as 12 ( or more) players who will be put up for sale.
Shearer will need that money to top the squad up, with some good buys, if we are to have any chance next season of challenging for promotion, which many who are familiar with the Championship say will be difficult, at best.
It will be a little sad to see Oba go, because he loved it at Newcastle and the fans loved him – and he had shipped some of his family to Newcastle to be with him. Oh well – that’s what happens when you allow yourself to be relegated. 🙁
There are some youngsters at the club, in particular local lad Andy Carroll, and even England U19 striker Nile Ranger – who could be future star number 9 strikers at the club. It will be more than interesting to see who gets the number 9 shirt net season.
Martins scored 8 goals for the side last season, and in his 3 seasons on Tyneside he has scored 35 goals – which is not too bad, given he’s been hampered this season with a niggling groin injury, which he has never really recovered from.
Surprisingly the surgery he had in Munich early in the year didn’t do the trick, and Oba was not involved in last night’s Nigeria friendly against Ireland in Dublin – was far from fit when he eventually returned to action. The result last night was a 1-1 draw, with Damien Duff and former Newcastle goalkeeper, Shay Given, playing the whole game for their country.
Martins’ last goal was in the brilliant 3-1 win against Middlesbrough at St. James Park but it was another false dawn, and two weak performances and 1-0 defeats in Newcastle’s final two games took the club down, when a single goal in those games would have saved us.
Comments welcome.
15 comments so far
Johno Toon
May 30, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Comment #1Glad to see him gone dont think he good enough , to unpredictable for my liking tho he would rip apart the championship
waddler
May 30, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Comment #2I know he has scored spectacar goals for Newcastle in the past, however I think he runs aroud the field like a headless chicken and Caroll is going to need a hungry inside forward to feed off his flicks.
Zangwill_Ho
May 30, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Comment #3Don’t do that. he is important for Newcastle United. Don’t do that, please. Owen must be sold! Martins is a super loyal player!!
Toon_Ksk (Huh? u mean David Craig is real?)
May 30, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Comment #4Imagine Ameobi taking over the No.9 shirt. Yes, try picturing it and tell me your reaction.
Little Willie
May 30, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Comment #5Good luck to Martins wherever he ends up.
Doocey
May 30, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Comment #6Must say, I’m a massive fan of this lad.
Love him, with his magical goals and super somersaults. Pity he hasn’t scored enough.
I’ll never forget that goal against Spuds, one of the best I’ve ever seen!
Sorry to see him leave but if we get a good few million, then we can reinvest into Doyle maybe 😛
JJJ
May 30, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Comment #7These fans that keep saying he runs around like a headless chicken need to learn a bit about football… they are the same fans that tell me Owen’s movement is world class and if we had better midfielders he would be world class.
Owen never touched the ball, Martins always created something and had the ball fed to him…
WHY? Because he was the one doing the running down the channels, or behind the defense… He was the one making intellegent runs… His only fault was perhaps snatching at shots on the odd occasion instead of placing them or being slightly more composed…
Please bugger off with your headless chicken bullsh!t… If he had a strike partner with the pace to keep up with his runs he may have had options to pass or cross the ball to, instead he was left on his own and had no choice but to try something spectacular…
NorthernPaul
May 30, 2009 at 1:08 PM
Comment #8We need another Mickey Quinn. None of these overpaid tossers.
ian
May 30, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Comment #9What a shame I adored this player, his personality his attitude and his skill, I totally disagree with the fact that people say he was not intelligent and missed to many times, when he did miss he was usually the only player within sight of goal, no support, Owen maybe didnt get the supply he needs but Oba got no support at all especially once Zog went, apart from the short Viduka stint.
Quite rightly because Owen was the big signing we didnt build a team round Oba, had we decided Oba was our number one striker and bought players and kept players to compliment him and always given him the prime goal scoring striker position instead of playing so many games second fiddle to an ‘about to be superb, he needs 5 games to settle in after injury, and doesnt get the supply Owen’ he would have no doubt scored many more goals. When Owen was on the pitch he had Obas work rate and assists to help him, when Oba had Owen on the pitch he had nothing, when Owen wasnt on the pitch he had no decent strike partner as Viduka wasnt there either.
If we really are aiming to be back up next summer (I dont think we are) Oba should be loaned out for one season with an option to buy if we do not get back up, I am certain that we will not be able to afford or attract another player as loyal, hard working and capable as Martins on an Ashley budget.
Good luck Oba, you will be our biggest loss, everything a footballer and top sportsman should be, a top entertainer on and off the pitch.
Girth
May 30, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Comment #10martins to be sold in the summer…
good!
ahh but he does the unexpected and scores some great blah blah blah, inconsistency of players has got us into the position we are in and he is one of the worst offenders! Massively over rated in my opinion, when that ridiculous story came about in Jan about swapping him with Darren Bent people were like noooooooooo, but what is his goal per game ratio??
For his transfer fee we could get two outstanding youngsters who could actually trap the ball, pass to a team mate once in a while and maybe, just maybe, hit that proverbial barn door from 4 yards out…
sirjasontoon
May 30, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Comment #11I think Martins has been plop..great 1st season and was like lighting on pro evo in the Milan side.
Never a 20 goal prem man and think he would be lucky to net 10 in the championship if he could manage a full season injury free.
Time to go Oba.
BASSKING-FUSE
May 30, 2009 at 2:27 PM
Comment #12My favourite Newcastle player since Al retired. I admit he was wayward at times and his finishing was sometimes not great, but nobody can say he was not GREAT to watch. Him and Bassong will be the most missed and i sincerely think in the championship he would be a 20 goal player, barring injury. If you leave Oba you will be for ever remembered.
ian
May 30, 2009 at 3:43 PM
Comment #1320 goals per season in the premiership, waken up and get some sense, start thinking £25m plus.
20 goals in the championship I reckon he would be good I agree bassking
For a £10m player in the outback where players who are on top form do not want to go, he is absolutely superb.
If he ever got a place, which I doubt he ever will because most football clubs are like sheep, in a decent club with good movement like Everton you will see his quality. He is injured and has been for a while.
Brewcastle
May 31, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Comment #14I feel sorry for Martins. He didn’t deserve to be put in front of lazy lads that doesn’t give him the chance to be the top-class striker he are.
I had hoped he could stay, with some better/working players backing him. Skjelbred from Rosenborg f.ex.
Tom_Toon
Jun 1, 2009 at 1:02 AM
Comment #15#######