Pardew craves continuity at Newcastle (as long as it’s cheap enough)

Posted on August 10th, 2011 | 55 Comments |

Newcastle United's Shola Ameobi gets a 2 year contract extension.
Two year extension for 'continuity'.
Alan Pardew craves ‘continuity’ as Shola Ameobi gets a two year extension to his contract at Newcastle United.

‘Evening all, apologies for my absence over the last two days but I’ve been engaging in a rather offensive activity beginning with ‘w’. By which I mean work, lest those with their minds in the gutter start thinking otherwise!

It seems we’ve given Shola a contract worth another two years. Alan Pardew had this to say about the matter:

“We are delighted to have confirmed Shola’s new contract.

“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.”

I think what Pardew forgot to say on the subject of ‘continuity’ is that it’s a good idea only if the contract is cheap enough. 29 year-old Shola’s evidently was, whereas 29 year-old Kevin Nolan’s clearly wasn’t and 28 year-old Joey Barton’s probably isn’t.

Anyway, Shola was quite pleased about it, saying:

“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.”

I must admit I find Shola a difficult person to dislike despite his somewhat understated record of 70 goals in 303 games for us, so whilst my head says it’s time to move him on, my heart is kind of glad he’s staying.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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55 Responses

  1. He should have been moved on he does not meet the boards or owners criteria,also the main point is he’s shite

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

    Not thanking your massive fanbase then?
    Tut Tut.

  6. from what i have herd hes a nice guy

    hes championship level at best and that is being very kind! no other club would keep him on the books as long as we have and i have wasted alot of time wondering how the hell we have managed it!!!!

    70 goals in 303 games

    I HATE THIS STAT!!

    its league goals that count and

    hes only got into double figures in a season once! and that was in the championship! we are a premier league club!

    be honest how many games have you seen him be completely ineffective? hes like a donkey on ice! he cant finish to save his life and he cant even pick up his man to defend corners! he is the most fustrating player on the planet to watch! i dont care that hes ‘loyal’ its not like hes been a bargain hes on 30 grand a week x10 years!

    i thought he might come good in the early days but hes long since past his best and to give him another contract makes me bang my head on this desk!!!

  7. I right shoal will truely ever love the newcastle fans. when shearer, Owen, even Martin he was booed off the pitch. yet time after time her comes back like a stray dog. is that love, loyalty or just sheer insecurity? stoke wouldn’t take home when. they were a championship side so in two years, when he is 30 it will be good to see where he ends up. he will probably slot straight into hartlypool in league one or POP down to see captain Clark at huddesfeild providing they don’t get promoted in the next two years. but lads I must say. forget shearer, keagan or even ketsbiaithink lee Clarke will be tipped for the top job at the toon when pardew first says the word NO to Mr. ashley and lame arse

  10. I love the fact he has scored more european goals than the mackems, and that he is a geordie too, but he should be a squad player at best. I just hope partridge is not seeing him as first choice alongside ba! I would not be surprised if this is the striker signing he has been going on about!

  11. hes not a Geordie he was born in Nigeria and has made himself available to play for Nigeria he only lives in Newcastle!

  12. I thought if you supported Newcastle for 12 months you could by the Geordie title?

  15. I’ve slagged Shirley off in the past mainly for his lack of urgency. However if you look at the bigger picture, most BPL teams need a “Shola” to stand up and be counted every now and again when called upon from the bench.

    IMO Shola is good enough to play a part in this club’s (hoped for) development, he’s a great bench warmer and can threaten defenders but not necessarily for 90 minutes.

    I have to say though that his cap must fit at the club whereas Nolan’s and Joey’s obviously don’t ? Seem to recall “Pardwho the Twatt” said Shola was a good trainer along with Lovenkrands apparently.

    So maybe thats the answer Joey ? Keep your nose clean, arrive early at Darsley and suck up to the grey haired muppet and suddenly you’ll get a new contract.

  16. excellent news Shola is a toon legend. Good to have him around for three more years, his presence at the club will help bring young Sammy on too…

  17. get real man will ya’s…of course Shola is a Geordie…he’s been in the toon since he was a bairn.

  18. AndyMac how can you suck up to a bloke like Barton who has brought more than enough trouble to many people who has came across in his life, but slag off and ridicule a thouroughly nice lad like Shola Ameobi who has dedicated his career to the toon, and scored a few goals in his time too ? “Keep your nose clean”….gimme a break man..

  19. Munich mag- “excellent news Shola is a toon legend. Good to have him around for three more years”

    What sort of a gimp are you? Do you live on earth?

  21. Shola is a Geordie, regardless of what you think of the lads skills. & a loyal one, to the end, the bitter end if necessary.

  22. Clint…I don’t take kindly to the personal insult given out by John Hoy. I think you should ban him for being abusive.

  25. While he isn’t exactly going to set my world on fire and have me reaching for my cash to buy a season ticket and in my opinion he’s a good championship player, I will always have a place for Shola at the bar and buy him a pint.

    He seems a canny lad and I will never forget his goals against the Makems.
    In my mind he’s as Geordie as Jackie Milburn.

  27. dead right Micky Toon…Shola is a legend for his goals against the makkems alone…

  28. Munich…doubt he’ll back, he’s probably been saving that one up for while & needs time to come up with another!

  29. how many geordies do you know swear there allegiance to another country?

    and all this loyalty crap aswell

    its not loyal when no other club will pay for you
    shearer was loyal coz every club in the land would have taken him and he stuck with us!
    its like say the verruca on my big toe is loyal coz i cant bloody well get rid of it!

  30. You either like him or hate him, I for one have said many times we need to replace him but now due to the way the club is now been run he fits the bill, cheap knows the league and can score the odd few goals..

    Dont forget he will help his young bro to settle in also…

    We know what we would be getting with him so dont have to worry about a new risk, but as long as he is a super sub / bench warmer and not first team starter

  32. MM,
    ignore mate.

    Aye,
    Shola the ‘mackem killer’, he’s got legend status just for that imho.
    :)

  33. His ratio in’t as bad as you would think. Of those 303 appearances he has started 184 so 71 goals suddenly doesn’t look awful. Shola’s problem as always is his fitness not his ability. Last season he scored 9 in 30 and i dare say he would have scored more if he hadn’t got his jaw smashed. It’s a shame that a large section of fans focus on what he can’t do and they forget all of the good that he has done for the club. Granted he is not a world beater but in case you hadn’t noticed we’re not pulling up trees as a club and haven’t been for a long time so someone like Shola is valuable to have around.

  34. geordiedug…are you doubting Shola’s loyalty ?

    Haven’t you heard the Fenham Eusabio one before ?

  35. With a whole bunch of new & overseas players just come into the club, we would be wise to keep a few who know the craic. Shola, Harper, Saylor etc.
    I think that’s the ‘continuity’ in the title.

  36. MM,
    aye, the ‘fenham eusebio’ that’s his moniker. Like it or not, meant or ironic.

  37. @ andy mac

    Shola Ameobi who has dedicated his career to the toon, and scored a few goals in his time too

    @ bobthedodge

    Dont forget he will help his young bro to settle in also…

    sorry lads i cant agree we are a premier league club and ameobi has no business being anywhere near us! over 3 quarters of the games hes played for newcastle he has been ordinary at best and extremely ineffective in more than his fare share

    hes like bambi on ice, he cant shoot for s**t and cant even mark his man on defensive corners! the list is endless!

    i do agree hes a nice lad and would never boo him but come on the mackem goals aside nobody on this planet can justify him being at the club!

  38. Geordiedug,
    i don’t think anyone’s raving about him mate, they’re just accepting him for what/who he is.
    No team is full of players that we would all want there, all day long.

  39. Lossy says: “His ratio in’t as bad as you would think. Of those 303 appearances he has started 184 so 71 goals suddenly doesn’t look awful.”

    Lossy, fair point, but then you have to ask why he hasn’t started more games. Not good enough? Too many inuries?

  40. munich mag wrote

    Haven’t you heard the Fenham Eusabio one before ?

    haha yeah i have never herd him called that before it made me smile!

    @lossy

    i hate that bloody stat!

    league goals are your bread and butter and over 11 seasons hes only got into double figure once and that was the championship!

    11 season!!!!! man!!!! bloody hell!

  41. @ clint flick

    i agree with what your saying but enough is enough when it comes to shola!

  42. Hugh@39….probably a bit of both mate…

    Shola has scored some immense goals for the toon, I recall one a few years back against Chelsea in his sprogdom…immense…

    Don’t forget he also had a really bad hip injury that kept him out for almost a year…

    “Bambi on ice” does also come to mind too though !…as well as “Makkem Slayer” !..

  43. As I said in the article, I find it difficult to dislike Shola.

    It’s Pardew’s bollocks about continuity that got me after he sells our team captain and is in limbo about our best player of last season. If he really wanted continuity those would be the first two players he’d keep.

    But even that’s not the troubling bit. It’s just the glib way he throws in ‘continuity’ like that and doesn’t admit what we all know – it’s only ‘continuity’ because Shola’s relatively cheap.

    Oh I dunno – I’m tetchy tonight!

  44. i think pardew has to make the best of each situation

    i think if he had his way he would have offered barton a new deal if it was up to him

    with regards to nolan he wanted a longer contract and got a better offer so what can he do about that! you couldnt have had nolan on the same wages hes on now for the next 4 years as he wasnt going to get a regular game and he was only going to get less mobile and then you have the alan smith scenario all over again

  45. @ 42 munich mag

    says
    Don’t forget he also had a really bad hip injury that kept him out for almost a year

    yet another reason to get rid

  46. Maybe Hugh you have to look at this “continuity” bollocks in the light of Pardew’s previous statement about “buying into Newcastle United”. Nolan and Barton were players not buying into Pardew, Ashley and Llambias’ version of NUFC whereas Shola does.

  47. i’m glad ameobi has 3 more years to prove yous doubters wrong, i hope it’s soon but considering that he been ur best ST pre season and he still getting slagged, i doubt it.

  48. He will also always be remembered for assisting Shearer’s best ever goal, v everton & his record breaker v portsmouth.
    Oh! & his goals v barca.

  49. @ 47

    madaboutthetoon

    i’m glad ameobi has 3 more years to prove yous doubters wrong, i hope it’s soon but considering that he been ur best ST pre season and he still getting slagged, i doubt it

    seriously??????

    @ clint flick

    after 11 seasons shola is remembered for 2 assits and a goal against barca? not a bad return!!!!!

  50. Its a fundamental paradox that’s what it is…

    Barton undoubtedly one of oor best players last season , twitters all over the web, and gets cast off , he’s being disloyal and can go…

    Shola or Shirl girl , as one lovingly puts it , is LOYAL to the last , so much so that he has a Geordie accent …

    GOOD ENOUGH ?? though the records show he has not been good enough in the Premier , but good enough in the Coca Cola !
    There lies the rub, for the sake of good old shola , although he is as loyal as a retriver , he should be shipped out to a 1st div outfit who will appreciate his efforts more than warming oor benches perpetually , because we feel we owe him a gratitude for staying at the club …
    Look I’d rather play 85 – 90 mins and look good , than 5-10 mins and look crap , I’m sorry lads I’ve loved shola in days gone by , but thats what they are now memories, need to look forwards, and new centre forwards ! , sell him and move on boys like it or not he ain’t quite the premiership article !

    KTF……..

  51. he doesnt complain if he doesnt get a start, he doesnt throw his toys out of the pram and slag the world and his derg on tw*tter – he just gets on with it

    he may not fit in, he may not be the worlds most explosive striker – but he will have played for us 19yrs – very rare that we can say that about any player!

    he’s worth the new contract just to ram a few in against the great unwashed in my opinion

  52. so what do you think of coloccini’s potential departure to Valencia the final straw that break the camels back for most fans!.

  54. I very much doubt I new captain will be leaving, just mongo’s in the papers looking for a non-story to spread more doom and gloom about us