We needed to take a step backwards before we could move forwards
SHELVEY HAILS TOON’S TEAM SPIRIT
WHEN Jonjo Shelvey first arrived at Newcastle United, he walked into a divided dressing room.
Some players were already dreaming of life away from St James’ Park, while others appeared to lack the heart and desire to wear the famous black-and-white shirt.
Now, almost two years on, Shelvey has witnessed a dramatic transformation in both the mood and character of the Newcastle dressing room under Rafa Benitez.
So united and close-knit is the current Magpies squad that Shelvey actually looks back on a season in the Championship – which was unwanted when Newcastle were first relegated – as precisely the tonic the club needed.
A transitional campaign in the second tier afforded Benitez the opportunity he needed to reform the squad, in terms of attitude as much as personnel.
“Last year, I think the club needed that, to be fair – to drop down a league and get that spine back to this football club,” Shelvey explained.
“It was a good time, last year. We had a lot of fun in the team and we just tried to continue that team spirit over the summer.
“We’re always chatting on the WhatsApp group and doing dinners and things like that. There’s a great team spirit.
“Everyone in this squad works for each other – you’ll run that extra 10 yards for your team-mate, because we’ve got such a good bond.
“I think that started since Rafa came into the fold. He bought players last year that knew that league and had that team spirit and togetherness. I think that’s what got us promoted. We’ve got to keep maintaining that.”
But Shelvey has not only forged a close bond with his Newcastle teammates, but also with Magpies fans.
It is for that reason that the 25-year-old was so keen to attend the NUFC Foundation’s 125th anniversary dinner last week; so that he could see first-hand those who benefit from the charity’s work, and to give his time to help the cause.
“It was nice to be asked this year to come, and I jumped at the chance to be involved,” Shelvey said at the event on Newcastle’s Exhibition Park.
“As a player, you literally come into training, train and do your gym work and then go home back to your family, so it’s nice to hear the stories [of people who are helped by the Foundation].
“The fans play a big part in this club. We get 52,000 showing up every other week to support this football club, so it’s important to get them involved and for us, as players, to attend events like this.” Now a Premier League player once again, Shelvey had a somewhat chastening start to the campaign after being sent off on the opening day of the season for stamping on Dele Alli. Having regained Benitez’s trust, however, Shelvey has found himself restored to the Newcastle starting line-up in recent weeks and has displayed flashes of his brilliant best.
After grinding his way through a gruelling 46-game Championship campaign in order to earn the right to play in the top flight again, Shelvey is now relishing Premier League football again.
He is eager to feature in every match – most particularly against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. “It’s just good to know
Jonjo Shelvey
– no disrespect to teams in the Championship – that you’ve got teams like Man United and Man City, and the Liverpools, Arsenals and Chelseas, coming to St James’ Park to play football,” Shelvey added. “That’s the way this club’s been for so many years. I think last year was more of a case of trying to get the job done as quickly as possible so we could build for this season. “There’s no bigger game than Man United away at Old Trafford, after all.” Following back-to-back defeats by Burnley and AFC Bournemouth before the international break, Newcastle have slipped from the top six down to 11th place. Yet the Magpies remain five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone in their first season back in the top flight, and Shelvey believes they have displayed enough to suggest they will retain their status. “That’s the big difference between the Championship and the Premier League.
“You make one mistake, and you’re punished for it. Whereas in the Championship, you can probably get away with it three or four times,” Shelvey added.
“In this league, there’s no getting away with it, so it’s just a matter of trying to rectify those mistakes and being more clinical in front of goal.
“I think people should remember how well we’ve actually done this season. We’re sitting in 11th place and we’re a newly-promoted team.
“There’s a lot of expectation, which comes with this football club, but I think we’ve done very well so far to be five points clear of the relegation zone.
“Obviously, we’ve got a difficult Christmas period coming up, but I’m sure that we’ll be all right. I think we’ve started well enough to make sure we stay up in this league.”
If Newcastle do survive this season, then Shelvey will no doubt point to the character and togetherness in the St James’ Park dressing room.
An awful lot has changed in the 22 months Shelvey has been on Tyneside – thankfully, much of it has been for the better.
You’ll run that extra 10 yards for your team-mate because we’ve got such a good bond