'Don't sell Cabaye. Yohan Cabaye. I just don't think you'll understand. For if you sell Cabaye. Yohan Cabaye. You're gonna have a riot on your hands!' In Lisbon, wherever there were inebriated Newcastle fans, we heard these lines being sung to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus's 'Achy Breaky Heart'. You'd hear the song at the clubs and pubs where members of the Toon Army gathered to drink and dance the night away. You'd hear it resonating in the Estadio da Luz (Benfica's home stadium). You'd even hear it at the hotel lobby! Terence and I would join in the chorus. The words testified to the importance of our beloved 'frog on the Tyne' to the team. Today, Newcastle United sold him to Paris Saint-Germain.
In my opinion, Cabaye's one of the best midfielders we've had during my twelve years as a Newcastle fan and he proved to be an absolute bargain at a mere £4-4.5 million. A player with a marvellous footballling brain, he made many a defence-slicing pass for the likes of Cisse and Ba to latch onto. Not to mention his own ability to score important goals. My personal favourite is the wonderful free-kick that doubled our lead when we played the then-still-mighty Manchester United in January 2012. We ended up winning that game 3-0. It was the first time I had watched our team beat the Devils. Equally crucial is the fact that he's an incredibly hard-worker, constantly chasing opponents down, and he's a player you'd look to when you needed someone to lift the team after it goes a goal down. The statistics certainly don't lie when they highlight the difference that his presence makes to our performances (and results). Sadly, the Newcastle United today is no longer the ambitious club fans saw during the Keegan and Robson eras and I, for one, am not surprised at the fact that he's elected to move on (he had never concealed his desire to move to a club where he could play Champions' League football). The news inevitably disappointed me, as it would any Newcastle fan, but it's the loss of the player, rather than the player himself, that's upset me.
Thanks for the memories, Yohan. For the 100% you always gave during your performances in black-and-white and for the times you helped to send St. James' Park into raptures. It was a privilege to have had the chance to watch you play the beautiful game live. Needless to say, female supporters will now have one less reason to watch the team.
(Photo taken from http://www.nufcfans.co.uk/2012/10/yohan-cabaye-newcastle-united-rumours-manchester-united-personal-trainer/)
