I’m not allowed to have favourite players as a journalist, but if I had to choose one at Newcastle it would be Emre, a player I have affectionally nicknamed the Turkish Teletubbie.
Some of you will be mystified by my choice, some merely a little surprised, but I rate the little midfielder more than most a) because he reminds me a little of Maradona with his low centre of gravity b) he’s a rare creative rose in a Newcastle midfield of prickly thorns c) because he looks like a cuddly teddy bear.
I should probably point out at this stage before any of you get the wrong idea, that this is not some sort of crush, our relationship is purely platonic and professional, but there is just something cuddly about him. If the Newcastle marketing department were looking for a gimmick for Christmas, they should think about selling an Emre Teletubbie stuffed toy!
So I was delighted to see Emre have such a positive impact in the 3-2 win over Everton at the weekend, scoring a wonderful long-range strike and then sending over a perfect free kick for England’s Michael Owen to prove he was fit and raring to go for the national team in their Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Emre’s goal encapsulated his quality, a wonderful first touch to kill the ball and a sublime second to drill it into the bottom corner from just outside of the area. The free kick was also perfectly struck and was ideal for Owen’s run off the shoulder of the defender. With Nolberto Solano blowing bubbles in the East End of London, Newcastle have missed this sort of delivery this season.
Emre is not a traditional type of Sam Allardyce player. He is not 6ft-plus, athletic, good in the air and runs all day. He is small and stocky and makes the most of opposition tackles, but he has an eye for a pass and is capable of offering something different to a side which had looked all too predictable.
There have been persistent rumours linking Emre with a move back to Turkey over the summer, but I hope Allardyce is true to his word and does not sell him in January - unless he is going to invest the money in a better creative midfielder!
Allardyce described Emre as a “unique� talent in his squad last week and I hope he has the guts to change his midfield formula to accommodate him when the international break is over. Time will tell if the manager’s praise for Emre was just waffle or whether he really does have a key role to play.
As for the win against Everton, it puts the Magpies among the mid-table pack and once again hinted at better times ahead. I don’t think anyone was thrilled with the performance as such, but it was a good win over a team on a similar sort of level to Newcastle this season.
It was also encouraging to see Charles N’Zogbia on the left of midfield and Jose Enrique - Allardyce’s costliest signing as Newcastle manager - given a start at left-back.
Alan Smith was also finally given a chance to show what he can do up front alongside Obafemi Martins. Sadly, after a couple of encouraging link-ups with the Nigerian, there was no goal, just a booking which means he has picked up a one-game suspension.
So, with the table starting to take a realistic shape, the Magpies are ninth and challenging for a Uefa Cup slot with around half of the Premier League. As I’ve said before, solid but unspectacular from the new manager.
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