Shola: Move "Music To My Ears"
By Tyne-Talk
March 28 2008
Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi has made a last minute move to Stoke City on loan for the rest of the season, for what seems to be a 6 figure sum, with a view to a permanent move rumoured to cost Stoke a record £3M. Shola who has a year left on his United contract has been left out in the cold after the arrival of Nigerian Obafemi Martins and Australian Mark Viduka,
The 26 year old joined Newcastle in July 1995 through the academy and made his Premier League debut for the club in September 2000 against Chelsea.
Shola became Newcastle's 2nd top scorer in the 2003/2004 season after scoring against Liverpool, which saw Newcastle take a UEFA Cup place. He signed a new deal in 2004 for 5 years. In total he has scored 46 goals for Newcastle.
Despite that he has only played 8 times this season, 4 of those appearences were as a substitute and is pleased he will finally be playing regular football.
He said:
"I've come here to give my all. I hope I've come here to add that extra quality to ensure this club goes into the Premiership next season.
First and foremost, I've come to score goals.
Hopefully, I can grab one or two and also bring in some of the play I know I can produce to help us reach that target of Premiership football.
I hope to get a few goals, a few assists and just work hard for the team, which I know the manager wants from all his players.
To be given the opportunity by the manager to come and play was music to my ears.
I'm just excited, and hopefully I can come and help the club get into the Premiership.
Football's what matters to me, and I've been given the opportunity to get out of a club when I'm not playing.
I'm delighted to be here, regardless of whether it's the Premiership or Championship.
I know a few of the guys here, like Griff (Andy Griffin), and I heard it's a great club.
I've been trying to get out and get a few games, so I was delighted when I got the phone call."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis has already named Shola in this weekends squad for their trip to Sheffield Wednesday where his new striker could begin his campaign to push Stoke into the Premier League for next season.
Stoke are currently top of the Championship with 1 point to spare between themselves and Bristol City who are currently in 2nd place.
I'd snap their hands off for 3 million to be honest.
3M for Shola? Hellz yeah!!!1!1
Good luck to the lad, saw the highlights of the Stoke game yesterday and he wasn't too shabby. Had 2 penalty shouts and the first definitely one.
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fair play, he isnt up to the standard we hope to be used to in the near future, but if he had been constantly fit he would have rivalled martins last year for top scorer and i honestly believe he would be in double figures by now had he played the number of games alan smith has this season.
i know smith hasnt played that many games as a striker for us, but thats just one player, none of our forwards has scored regularly this season. i think the big man would have, and i hope he shows his class wherever he starts next season.
if anyone slating shola can be bothered, they should check his stats under roeder, when he did as much as anyone to keep us in this division after souness was sent packing. until the injury stopped his run in the autumn he was one of the top scorers in the country for the calender year, in a@#$%&team
And he may be in the PL next year yet, in any case. It's not like we sent him to Sheffield Wednesday.
*rubs hands*
The Eastenders of football.. Newcastle!
Quote:And we'll all get some fruity refreshment tooToon Lad Rob
I'll have a packet of Starburst for Shola. . .If it means him going on to improve his career and become a decent player with a happy life.
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Here's to seeing him line up against us next year!
I thought I heard something to the effect of the move being automatic if Stoke are promoted. Can anyone confirm or refute that?
it could be that stoke consider other options if they havent already signed him. i've just tried searching the news articles from when he left, and the only actual quotes concerning a permanent deal i found were those denying the story, by the stoke city chairman. it seems the talk of a done deal for the summer first came from glenn roeder, who spoke out after missing out on taking shola to norwich. he went public with details of a conversation between himself and dennis wise, in which he claimed to have been told how much stoke had agreed to pay, first for the loan and then for a permanent deal.
a lot of papers picked up on the theme, but none i saw had any confirmation from anywhere, so they may well just have taken roeders comments at face value
The idea of getting a few million pounds for him, though, was the only reason any of us really gave a damn about his time at Stoke or paid it any attention. And now we learn that it was all just Roeder covering his @#$%& for not getting Sho?
Balls!