Magpies goalkeeper coach Andy Woodman says the striker is being reminded “every hour” about his fine goalscoring record in Tyne-Wear tussles.
Should Alan Pardew break up the all-Senegalese strike partnership of Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé to make room for Ameobi, who has a fine record of notching seven goals in 12 of these derby games?
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Magpies goalkeeper coach Andy Woodman revealing the striker is being reminded “every hour” about his fine goalscoring record in Tyne-Wear tussles.
Woodman: “One player that rises to the occasion is Shola.
"He’s in our camp, which is a massive, massive bonus.
“We are mentioning it to him every day – every hour, even!
"Listen, he’s 6ft 3ins, but when he walks on the pitch he probably looks 7ft to them.
"Shola knows better than anyone how big a game it is for him. So we have a bit of banter with him and Shola loves that. He’s a gentleman.
“Shola’s fantastic. Whatever part he plays in the game, you can guarantee the opposition know all the stats about him and the derby.
"They will know his goals against them, what he brings to the party.
“He’s a fantastic professional footballer – he’s not just a big guy up front. He’s a very technically good player, just like we’ve got a lot of good players.
“I’m looking forward to the game but whatever the result, we’ll be making our way to their dressing room afterwards and we’ll be having a respectable drink.
“I hope that people realise it is just a football match.
"There’s no bad feeling. There were handshakes at the LMA awards and I think you have to give respect to both managers for that.
"Our manager is a solid guy, he’s no shrinking violet – that’s for sure – but then you’ve got Martin O’Neill, who has been at the top of his game as well.
"From our side of the fence, there’s no bad feeling from us. We’re going in as professional people and hoping emotions don’t get carried away as they did last time.
“The last thing we want is a nasty atmosphere creeping back onto the terraces. When all is said and done, sometimes it can get the better of you.”