U-turn did me a good turn
JONJO SHELVEY will be forever thankful for the seven years he spent at Newcastle United.
And to Eddie Howe for granting his wish to leave – against the Toon head coach’s initial judgement.
Shelvey is sitting in his new surroundings at Nottingham Forest. At ease with himself and his decision to leave St James’ Park.
But most of all with respect for his former head coach – who has allowed him to play football for Steve Cooper. “Eddie said no when I first asked about moving, so I pleaded with him,” said midfielder Shelvey.
“He said he would sleep on it. He said he would only let me go if they could get one in. I said I needed a fresh start and put my points across.
“The next day, he said that he had granted my wish. I asked him why and he just said, ‘I won’t stand in your way of happiness’.”
Shelvey really did ride the rollercoaster on Tyneside. Relegation, promotion then year after year of circling the Premier League plughole before the Saudi takeover and the surge upwards under Howe.
Feelings came to a head when he walked around the famous old stadium during the interval of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Southampton at the end of last month.
He said: “Leaving was emotional. It probably didn’t affect me as much as it affected my family because they were settled up there. It was a hard one to take. I’d been there seven years. Having to just get up and go, basically, was difficult.
“But it was a decision I made for football reasons. Everyone who knows me knows I love playing. And it’s been tough. I’m not really an emotional person but the kids were a bit upset and the missus was crying when I was walking around the pitch but it’s part and parcel of football.”
Shelvey added: “The manager, personally, was brilliant for me. Eddie spends a lot of time on the training pitch.You’re out on the training pitch for two to two-and-a-half hours.
“You do individual reviews so you’re constantly working on your game. You go home and think about your sessions, clips. I see a lot in Eddie that I’ve seen in Steve Cooper. They’re both young, exciting, up-andcoming managers and they’ve both done so well so far in their careers.”
Now aged 30, and with new arrivals coming in at Newcastle Shelvey needed to feel wanted again.
“Newcastle are on the up – massively – but then so is this club,” he said. “Two great cities. I wore that black and white shirt with pride and I will wear this one with pride too.”
Fulham head coach Marco Silva expects a stern test against a Forest side undefeated in the league this year. His team won 3-2 at the City Ground in September, but Silva said: “They are different than when we played against them at Forest. They are in good momentum.”