Newcastle United supporters will surely be in awe of what Jonjo Shelvey has just said about his pre-match routine.
Shelvey was signed by Steve McClaren during a January transfer window spending spree to try and stop the club from experiencing a second relegation under Mike Ashley, however, he and other additions were not able to prevent it – although the midfielder didn’t jump ship.
Does Shelvey get enough praise?
Yes!
No!
The 30-year old has become a regular in the Newcastle side under Eddie Howe, starting all but three games under the new manager, such is his ability and experience that Howe must have identified as something necessary in their relegation battle.
Shelvey is now closing in on 200 appearances for Newcastle, something that may not have been imaginable when the club went down into the Championship, but he appears to still be loving every minute of his time on Tyneside as he spoke to BBC broadcaster Alex Sixsmith and had this to say about what he does before every home match:
“I listen to Local Hero as I’m driving down Barrack Road with my 8-year-old daughter before a game. I love playing at St James’ Park. Words can’t explain it when the fans are firing!”
Sixsmith loved what Shelvey told him as he shared his words:
I don’t know about you #NUFC fans, but I love what Jonjo Shelvey told me this morning!
? “I listen to Local Hero as I’m driving down Barrack Road with my 8 year-old daughter before a game. I love playing at St James’ Park. Words can’t explain it when the fans are firing!” pic.twitter.com/lQwofsrx9f
— Andy Sixsmith (@SixsmithTV) April 19, 2022
TIF Thoughts on Shelvey…
Local Hero is a song that has been part of Newcastle United’s history forever and is played before the start of every home game at St James’ Park, and it’s a song that has clearly got under the skin of Shelvey in the correct way if he is playing it with his daughter before a game to get him in the mood for a big 90 minutes.
If Shelvey is playing local songs like this to his children, it proves he and his family are fully in love with the area, the club and its culture, so it’s little things like this that will endear players like Shelvey, who is from nowhere near the region, to the fans and cement his legacy within the club for the longevity he’s been able to show under several different managers.
Since PIF bought Newcastle United, fans have started to see signs of life in their club and it is beginning to heal once again. Their owners attend games and take part in flag displays, and now players are talking about how the club is seemingly part of them, with Shelvey playing such a historic song to his children, and it will certainly mean a lot for fans to feel as if their club is back.
In other news: Newcastle supporters will surely be excited over what Paqueta has done on Twitter – opinion