After nearly two decades of service in black and white Shola Ameobi appears to have put the lid on his Newcastle career after rejecting a new contract. Both the Mag and NUFC.com have reported that Ameobi declined the offer of a one-year extension and will depart St James' Park after playing 397 competitive games for the Club and weighing in with a paltry 78 goals since he was handed his debut by Sir Bobby Robson in September 2000. We wrote yesterday that the 32-year-old was a target for Hull boss Steve Bruce but it's now rumoured that he will wait until after the World Cup, where he will represent Nigeria, before assessing his options. It brings the curtain down on a nineteen year association with the Magpies that started when he joined the Club's academy from Walker Central in 1995 and ended in the most dishonourable manner after being sent off for dissent in our final match of the season against Liverpool 10 days ago. Naturally the departure of a long-serving player is always poignant but we imagine few will shed a tear for Ameobi when he officially becomes a free agent at the end of this month when his contract finally expires. He's had his moments, we'll give him that, but for the last couple of years he's become symptomatic of the malaise that has engulfed the Club from top to bottom and thankfully he had the good grace to jump before he was pushed.
