Giving It All To Take Over From Shearer - Shola

By Matthew Jones
July 26 2005

This is going to be the most important season of my career so far and I'm well aware this could be a make-or-break year for me at Newcastle United. I don't want to think about what may happen if the season goes badly, but if it goes well I will stake a serious claim to take over from Alan Shearer...

... as the club's number nine. That is my ambition and I have a strong belief that I can make it happen.

It seems like the manager appreciates me as a player, but I know he wants me to score more goals. I am a striker and we are paid to score goals, it's as simple as that. Ever since I broke into the first team I think I've showed that my all-round game is good enough, but the one question mark has always been my goalscoring record. That has to improve if I want to be part of Graeme Souness' plans.

If I get a run in the side and avoid injuries I am fully confident I will score between 15 and 20 goals this season - and if I can manage that this year I should become an established member of the team. I still want to create chances for others, but maybe the time has come for me to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal.

This could be a make-or-break year for me. If it goes well I will stake a serious claim to take over from Alan Shearer.

If the goals arrive, I also think I can break into the England squad. It seems like Sven Goran Eriksson is keen on utilising the option of playing a big man, having picked Emile Heskey and Peter Crouch recently, and I believe I am as good, if not better than them.

I may not have made my international debut yet but I am definitely aiming to win a place in the World Cup squad. But goals are the only thing that can make me fulfil that ambition, so I know what I have got to do.

In the meantime, I am busy getting myself fit for the new season. My recovery from my hip operation is slightly behind schedule, but I should be ready to play in matches within a fortnight. I'm suspended for the opening two Premiership games so there is no rush, but obviously the sooner I return the better. I mustn't rush back too soon, but I do expect to be fully fit by the time my suspension ends in mid to late August.

-- Shola Ameobi