Could you stomach these players playing for Newcastle United?
I have seen countless players turn out for Newcastle United down the years.
Some real extremes.
Newcastle United players of the highest quality.
The likes of Alan Shearer, Rob Lee, Bruno Guimaraes, Yohan Cabaye, Peter Beardsley, David Ginola, Laurent Robert, Chris Waddle, Kevin Keegan, Gazza, Nobby Solano, Jonathan Woodgate, Shay Given, Alexander Isak, Joelinton, Les Ferdinand…
We may not have won trophies but Newcastle United fans have certainly been blessed with some truly outstanding individuals.
There are many more I can name above but those were the ones I instantly thought of.
Of course, it has also been a case of the good, the bad and the ugly.
So many players not good enough quality, who pulled on the black and white.
As for the ugly?
Some players who I really wished hadn’t played for Newcastle United, not due to a lack of ability, or at least not totally due to this. More their characters, or indeed just the whole package, my opinion of them.
In this last category, there are plenty of players down the years who never played for Newcastle United, BUT I have wondered… if they had ended up playing for NUFC, would my opinion of them have changed?
I think fair to say that not many of us had a positive opinion of Anthony Gordon, Everton’s scouse workie ticket charva.
When he became OUR scouse workie ticket charva, it then becomes a different ball game. I am not saying it was immediate for all Newcastle United fans but once he settled in and saw what he could do, plus his character on AND off the pitch. I reckon pretty much all of us saw a different player and person.
I saw an interesting article on The Mag the other day, where a Newcastle United fan/writer said that he wouldn’t mind seeing Jordan Pickford playing for NUFC one day. That if our Mackem mate moved to us, then we would see his qualities as a player and indeed as a positive character in terms of the team at least.
This got me thinking.
I have came up with a full team of 11 players, some current and others retired, could I/we stomach them playing for Newcastle United, overlooking my/our perceived flaws?
Jordan Pickford
John Terry
Ashley Young
Lee Cattermole
Vinnie Jones
Roy Keane
Steven Gerrard
Dennis Wise
Bruno Fernandes
Luis Suarez
Cristiano Ronaldo
Now I know this isn’t the most balanced of playing sides, unless you are talking chips on shoulders.
However, they are eleven names that instantly occur to me as players who I don’t like at all, BUT could I stomach the idea of them actually playing for Newcastle United, if it happens, or had happened before they retired.
My verdict on the eleven above:
Players I could have stomached playing for Newcastle United:
Jordan Pickford
Ashley Young
Roy Keane
Steven Gerrard
Cristiano Ronaldo
Players who under no circumstances I could have stomached playing for Newcastle United:
John Terry
Lee Cattermole
Vinnie Jones
Dennis Wise
Bruno Fernandes
Luis Suarez
I welcome the views of The Mag comments section jury…
