Newcastle United’s veteran striker Shola Ameobi believes that building upon last season’s success will be a very tough challenge for the club, and perhaps the biggest achievement of his career with the Magpies.
The Tyneside club have been one of the better teams last season, finishing at fifth. This came as a surprise to many, considering how two seasons ago, the team had been playing in the Coca-Cola Championship.
At one point, Newcastle were firm favourites for the fourth spot, which would have put the team through to play a Champions League qualifier. This however did not happen as the club experienced a slight dip in form towards the latter half of the season.
It was due to the absence of key players such Cheick Tiote and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Demba-Ba-c10812, who had left to represent their respective countries for the African Cup of Nations this January.
Newcastle still managed to finish their season on a high note, and qualified for the Europa League and have become a very attractive destination for many up-and-coming football players.
The club has signed promising youngsters such as Frenchman Romain Amalfitano, Gael Bigirimana and Curtis Good, while it remains linked to established players such as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Douglas-c11600.
Now, Newcastle head into the new season with more expectations weighing down on their back. The club and its players have proven their class and quality, and have a lot of hype to live up to.
Shola Ameobi has been with the club his entire career. The Nigerian born striker has played in the Champions League and also experienced the heart break that comes with relegation. Ameobi insists that replicating last season’s form will be a tough task for
the club, but is hoping that they are able to do it.
Speaking to the press, the 30-year old said:
"It's certainly going to be really difficult to replicate what we did last season.”
"Just look at teams such as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 - I can't see them doing as badly this time in terms of where they finished in the league last season, so we are going to have to raise the bar again.”
"If we did manage to do that, for me, it would mean finishing in a European spot again this season. Certainly, as I look back at my career with Newcastle, to do that this time would be our biggest every achievement."
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