Shola Ameobi: Redefining 'Legend'

'You put your left foot in,
You put your left foot out,
You put your left foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Ameobi and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.'

It was on a train from Durham to Newcastle on match day where I heard a few young Geordies singing these lines to the tune of ' The Hokey Pokey'. When I first started supporting Newcastle in 2001, Shola Ameobi was being touted as the 'next Alan Shearer'. A decade or so later, songs like these are being sung about our Nigerian-born but Newcastle-bred striker (the aforementioned song would sound ridiculous if you replaced 'Alan Shearer' with 'Ameobi'). Needless to say, Shola did not become the next Shearer (players of Big Al's stature are, after all, simply inimitable) but not many Geordies will disagree with me when I say that the big man has become a cult hero in his own right. Although he never turned out to become a prolific goalscorer, he did score many important ones over the years. Many may not remember this but he equalised against Barcelona in the good ol' days when we were in the Champions' League under Sir Bobby. He maintained a pretty good goal-scoring record in the Championship (before being hit by injury) which helped us win promotion at the first time asking. And of course, his goals against our fierce rivals Sunderland (only Newcastle great Jackie Milburn has scored more against our neighbours) have accorded him the nickname 'Mackem Slayer' on Tyneside. I was at the Tyne-Wear derby at St. James' in 2012 and recall how his late equaliser sent the Toon Army into raptures. The 50,000 or so home fans went absolutely bonkers; I ended up hugging everyone within a one-metre radius. Shola, a staunch Christian, was a player who had admitted to struggling with a lack of aggression and he is known to sections of supporters by the moniker 'Bambi'. When on the field against the team in red-and-white, however, he was the Incredible Hulk. Besides his goals, I believe that Shola's loyalty to the club and his attitude on the pitch (with the exception of a few matches where his horrendous performances may only be explained by possibly having consumed too much Newkie Brown Ale; he was clumsier on the ball than Joe Biden is with a microphone) were attributes which the Geordie faithful came to cherish. Fans would praise him at times and curse at him at others but I've not met a Geordie without a soft spot for the man. It was great to see him score a goal in his final home game. And I think a handful of fans must have chuckled when he appeared to talk himself into getting sent off in his last game for the club. It was as if he wanted to leave the Northeast with a statement to the fans indicating that his problems with aggression (or a lack thereof) were a thing of the past: 'Call me "Strolla". Call me "Carl Cort" [Sir Bobby used to call him that by mistake]. Call me anything. But DON'T call me "Bambi".' At the announcement of his departure, Shola was the only player in black-and-white who was around when I first supported NUFC. It will be strange not seeing him don our famous colours next season.

Now for an anecdote before I close. I was at St. James' Park in 22 December 2012 for the home game against a struggling Queens Park Rangers. It was the last game before Christmas Day. I remember walking up the snow-covered walkway to the stadium and having worn a layer too few, I sat in my seat shivering for most of the second half. With each passing minute, the fans' impatience grew as both teams struggled to fashion meaningful chances. When our gaffer elected to take striker Papisse Cisse off, replacing him with Shola, boos could be heared ringing from the terraces. A female supporter in front of me, in a shrill voice (it was so unpleasant that I can remember the sound to this very day), chanted, 'You don't know what you're doing'. The fans had no idea why our manager would replace our main striker - admittedly, Cisse was struggling with form - with someone with a less than encouraging record, with a player who had so little pace, he could, when in possession of the ball, slow a game down the way Thatcher's closing of the mines retarded the economy of the Northeast. You need to see the way Newcastle fans respond each time he manages to get past a player to understand what I mean. The fact that we hardly react (that's if we do not laugh, and we only do when we can afford to, i.e. when we're leading by three goals or more) when he trips over the ball speaks volumes. It seemed that for many of the fans, the substitution transformed the impatience into sheer resignation. In the 81st minute, however, Shola expertly side-stepped a defender and, with his left, placed the ball beyond the reach of the goalkeeper and into the bottom-corner. I can still recall the reaction of the crowd. The previously sedated stadium sprung into life like the eruption of a dormant volcano. Those very fans who were jeering his entrance joined the chorus in singing 'Oooh, Shola Ameobi'. It proved to be the winning goal. As I left the stadium, David, a lifelong fan who I had the pleasure of being seated next to for a number of home games and with whom I still keep in touch via email, said these indelible words to me: 'It's funny how one kick of a ball can change the entire festive mood.' That year, Shola helped to give many Geordies a merry Christmas.

(Photo taken from http://www.nufcblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Shola-Ameobi.png)