Yahoo News 'Imagine the shock' - Moment Bobby Robson told teen he was replacing Carl Cort at Newcastle United
Shola Ameobi has spoken of the moment Sir Bobby Robson gave him the shock of his life when he told him he would making his Newcastle United debut after just ONE training session.
Ameobi, now the club's loan manager and ambassador for United on global tours, still gets emotional when talking about the former England boss after he gave him his big break. The 6ft 3in former striker has turned the clock back 24 years and spoken about the day Robson called him up for training then sat him down to give him the positive news.
Ameobi was deemed as a suitable replacement for £7million summer signing from Wimbeldon Carl Cort who suffered a bad injury before Newcastle clashed with Chelsea and the ex-Nigeria international became involved in a heated exchange with Dennis Wise!
READ MORE: Newcastle United insiders say Sandro Tonali determined to repay club after betting ban
Ameobi said: "Famously at the time we'd signed Carl Cort who got injured early. Alan Shearer struggling with injury.
"They'd tried to sign players that summer, I was playing Under-18s football but unbeknown to me the manager had been watching and looking at the guys to move up.
"For me I asked to come up to the first team training ground in Chester-le-street. I trained for the first time with them and Sir Bobby turned round to me and said: 'You're going to be in the match day squad v Chelsea'.
"You can only imagine the shock in my face. I'd only trained once and then he was saying: 'I want you in the squad'. I did not have time to think. If I did it might have worked out very differently.
"To get in the squad was a dream come true then I was told I was on the bench. Two and half hours before he named the match day squad. As a boy that's something you dream of. To be able to live that dream is fantastic. Sir Bobby obviously saw something in me to give me that moment."
Ameobi admits he gets goosebumps even being at St James' Park given how tough it was to get a ticket during his days as a youngster in the city's West End.
Ameobi said: "I grew up 200 metres from the stadium as a kid and I was never able to afford a ticket to go in. I was always outside the stadium and hoping one day I could get in.
"So to play for the club was a dream of mine. As an 18-year-old to get the experience of that and make my debut. It was a whirlwind for me. My first game against Chelsea was a dream. Not many know but I had hardly trained with the first-team, I actually only met the first-team players the day before my debut."
Reflecting on that moment with Wise, Ameobi previously said: "He just came up to me obviously trying to be Dennis Wise and intimidate. But I was how I was like anyway. I would always stand up for myself. So that was just all it was. I wasn’t afraid of confrontation."
