Anthony Gordon

[OpenC]

It's looking increasingly like a no brainer I reckon. Personally have no interest in England and the way this season has gone I'm 95% sure he'll be shipped back to us in a box with his legs arriving separately, but it'll be good to see his emergence recognised

[KaKa]

As good as his numbers are, they could easily be so much better. Wilson robbed him of at least 3 more assists earlier this season by spurning great chances after being played through.

 

A greater threat from the right side next season and that should create more chances for him to score at the back post as well.

 

Fantastic player and such a great signing.

[GeordieDazzler]

This numbers don’t show the defensive contributions and his creation of space for others too. That Man U cup game when he didn’t score/assist but he made all three goals with his running.

[Paully]

Five of the six writers have him in their 23 man squad and rightly so!

 

https://theathletic.com/5317495/2024/03/06/england-euro-2024-squad-picks/

[Aldo]

42 minutes ago, Paully said:

Five of the six writers have him in their 23 man squad and rightly so!

 

https://theathletic.com/5317495/2024/03/06/england-euro-2024-squad-picks/

First post so please go easy…😬

 

For my sins I’m a Scottish (Geordie father) and have been brought up supporting Hibs and Newcastle.  

 

AG is a no brainer for plane to Germany however we all know what Southgate is about and even though he’s injured it wouldn’t  surprise me to see Grealish make it. 
 

Not saying he would start however AG performances and stats would suggest he should be part of the squad. 

 

 

Edited March 8 by Aldo

[PauloGeordio]

 

[gbandit]

He’s now one of the first three names on the teamsheet for us. Very few players have the versatility he does to play multiple positions well 

[Erikse]

19 minutes ago, gbandit said:

He’s now one of the first three names on the teamsheet for us. Very few players have the versatility he does to play multiple positions well 

 

Going by influence, him and Bruno. Isak aswell when he's fit, but Gordon and Bruno are more realiable. I feel like Gordon has taken Trippiers spot on that list in the last 5 months (no dig), atleast in terms of performance.

 

 

Edited March 8 by Erikse

[The Prophet]

 

[gbandit]

Anyone able to share key quotes from Flash?

[NWMag]

Great read. Love Gordon. Howe is a real gem isn’t he

[nufcnick]

37 minutes ago, NWMag said:

Great read. Love Gordon. Howe is a real gem isn’t he

Any chance of sharing, it’s paywalled

[NWMag]

16 minutes ago, nufcnick said:

Any chance of sharing, it’s paywalled

I used 12ft mate to bypass it

 

https://12ft.io/

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/match-day/article-13173761/ANTHONY-GORDON-Scouse-Newcastle-celebration.html
 

pop the mail link into the first one and you can read it all

 

 

Edited March 8 by NWMag

[TBG]

I'm not Craig Hope, but if I was the article would go something like this.

 

Anthony Gordon won't give up the culprit, but his bloodied ankle sock shows he took a hefty tackle in training earlier. 

Now, it is his turn to do the tackling, and the subject is perception.

We all have an opinion of this lean, bleached haired, nuisance winger from a deprived suburb of Liverpool - it frustrates his manager, Eddie Howe, who believes the general impression to be wildly inaccurate - but the player himself has, so far, accepted those beliefs as, while mistaken, not entirely unfair. Until now.

Sitting here at Newcastle United's training ground, the 23-year-old, a new dad, wants to challenge the perception of him. 

Not with hostility and anger - and this will surprise many - but with a desire underpinned by eloquence, maturity and a gentle wit. He was not supposed to be like this.

 

'I understand the Scouse scally perception but, away from football, I'm not like that at all,' he begins. 

 

'Everyone who meets me says, "I thought you were gonna be a…." I won't say the word, it's not a good one. But if they leave with a better opinion, that makes me happy. To be honest, the lads here hated me before I joined!

 

'But the way I have played, at times, can villainise me. I'm fine with that, because I'm just trying to win. That is why I can't really blame people for having that perception. 

 

'The environment I was in at Everton, that Scouse environment, it's very aggressive. When teams came to Goodison, I felt a responsibility to be the antagonist. 

 

'I have more security in myself now, I have grown into who I want to be. I'm more focused on changing that perception because I feel I'm in a place to do so.'

 

You could also just have brown hair?

 

'Well yeah, that definitely hasn't helped!'

 

As we chat, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar wander by. Following Gordon's £45million arrival from Everton last January, he had to win over his new team-mates before anyone else.

 

'I walked in and thought, "There's no way this lot will like me!". I'd had a scuffle with a few of them up here, including Fabby (Schar). 

'So I made a joke with him when I met the lads and he said, with such a straight face, "You have to earn your protection". I thought he was going to laugh! 

 

'That put me on edge! It was a good icebreaker, though, and he was right, I didn't have a problem with earning their respect.'

Gordon has achieved that, on and off the pitch. This season, he has scored 10 goals, assisted five and played in every game, bar one for suspension. It was not like that last season.

 

'It was naive of me. I thought I'd come in, fit right in and not look back. I got a rude awakening! I couldn't keep up with the intensity in training. 

'In games, I would run forward and the gaffer would be screaming at me to use the same effort all the way back. I just couldn't do it, and it was getting me down.'

 

Things came to a head when he brushed off Howe after being substituted at Brentford in April. At what point did you think, "I wish I hadn't done that"?

 

'Straight away!' says Gordon. 'I won't shy away from this, because I feel it's been a vital part of my journey. My relationship with the manager could not be better now. If you take things like that away, maybe it wouldn't be the same.

 

'We had two days off after and I just remember the anxiety. Nothing could get rid of it. I couldn't really go about my day. I was horrendous company for my family. It was that sick feeling in my stomach. 

 

'I'm passionate, but that was way overstepping the mark.'

 

The last thing you needed was two days off?

 

Gordon squares up to Newcastle defender Fabian Schar during his Everton days

 

'Exactly! Honestly, the days off killed me! Someone text saying, "Are you training with the Under-23s?". I'm thinking, "What? No-one has told me so, but am I?!".

'I spoke to the gaffer as soon as I came back in. I was so surprised at how he handled me. He basically said, "Whether you like it or not, you're going to be a success here". 

 

'I did not expect that conversation. He understood where I was coming from. It was the insecurity of not doing what I thought I would. I regret it, of course, but the way the manager handled it, that helped me so much.'

 

He wants to say more about Howe.

 

'This is fresh in my mind because I was speaking about it yesterday with Matt Ritchie. I say to people, "You don't understand what he (Howe) has done for my life, never mind my football". 

 

'His standards and the way he treats people, how good a person he is, how hard he works and how determined he is to be successful, that is the reason I am doing well at the moment - he has dragged me to that level. 

 

'I was not like that when I first joined. I'm like that outside of football now. I'm so glad I've had him in my life.'

 

He is not just thankful for his manager. Top of the hit parade at St James' - and wherever the Toon Army march - is a song about Gordon. It has been so since last season. 

 

To the tune of ABBA's Voulez-Vous, 'Gordon, running down the wing, Gordon, make the Geordies sing, Gordon, we're all going to Milan'.

 

'I remember hearing it for the first time and I couldn't believe it was for me. I didn't feel like I'd earned it at the time. It would be very easy for the fans to go, "Ah, he's not good enough". 

 

'But they stayed with me, accepted me and allowed me to grow - I'll never forget that in my lifetime. I don't think fans know how much that can mean to players. And the song is so catchy - I'll be walking down the corridor here and one of the lads will be singing it in the dressing-room - we love it!'

 

He should have known the fans would take to him after what he calls a 'crazy' episode on his first day.

 

'Me and my girlfriend had gone to the MetroCentre to get a few things, but we just could not get a taxi back to the hotel. A fan came up and was welcoming us to Newcastle when I said, 'I can't get a taxi'. She said, 'Do you want a lift?'. 

 

'I looked at my missus and was like, 'We don't know these people, but they seem nice, let's go!'.

 

'They were picking up their son from work. He got in the car, dead nonchalant, chatting to his mum, turned around and he sees me - he just went white and didn't speak for the first few seconds! 

 

'But they were lovely, I got a good feeling from that moment.'

 

At home, Gordon has a bedside notebook in which he writes his thoughts and ambitions. His partner, Annie, has holiday brochures. Here go conflicting interests.

'I'm not going to shy away from my aim of going to the Euros,' says Gordon. 'I don't think that I should. My missus has been nagging me , "Can we book a holiday? Places are getting full". I've told her, "Germany is very nice".

 

Germany, in June, is where England will travel as favourites to win their first major tournament since 1966. Gareth Southgate names his squad this Thursday for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium and Gordon is on the cusp of a maiden call-up. 

 

He was player of the tournament last summer as England won the Under-21 European Championship. He then skipped a holiday to return for pre-season.

So, how does he want to make his case for England inclusion, with polite diplomacy or to tell the world he's good enough to be in there, like team-mate Callum Wilson did - with great success - ahead of last season's World Cup? Gordon laughs.

 

'Good question. I'll give you my honest answer. I absolutely love playing for England. Those words can be said too easily. I've played with players in the youth system and they'll throw on Instagram, 'Always an honour'. I'm thinking, 'You've just hated those two weeks away'. I take so much pride in it. It feels like a going-to-war-type feeling for me.

 

'I wrote in my notebook at the start of the season that the top target was England. I also wrote that I wanted to be Newcastle's most important player, someone the manager could depend on. I wanted something in there that I could hold myself accountable for.

 

'I feel like I've done everything I can to get in the squad. I understand the competition, and the ability in that team is frightening. But I've done my utmost - I've ran every yard I possibly could and I've scored and assisted at a good level. I've still got more to give, but I can be proud and say, 'I've given it everything'. Every time I'm tired, I think, 'Dig in, England could be watching!'.'

 

There is another motivation that trumps England and Newcastle and, until now, Gordon has not spoken publicly about his son, five-month-old Antonello.

'He's the best thing that ever happened to me. The responsibility that comes with it, although hard at times, has changed my life for the better. Footballers, we can live this very easy, laid-back life. Football, home, rest. Now, it's football, home, baby!

 

'On the pitch, it's given me so much more purpose. Having a child changes everything. It's bigger than you now, you have to succeed for more than just yourself. I have a picture of him on my shin pads. 

 

'I look at that before I go out, kiss it and remind myself who I'm doing it for. The 'A-sign' celebration I do is for him. People think it's A for Anthony, no wonder there is a certain perception of me!'

 

That essence of childhood takes us back to Gordon's own, and the terraced houses of Kirkdale. He is the oldest of three brothers.

 

'I come from an environment where you're not really built to succeed, it can beat you very easily, there's a quick path to failure. There is a lot of gang violence, not good stuff. I'm fortunate that I'm quite introverted and stayed away from that, I was just off playing football. 

'It's more the personality traits of friends and people around me. Some of that rubbed off and I've had to slowly take those things out of me.'

 

One trait he has not lost is an addictive personality, and nor does he want to. Gordon attributes that to the extra work he does after training and the 'challenge' he now sets himself in being able to run back as hard as he runs forwards. Annie, however, thinks he has ADHD. Why?

 

'Ah, there's so many reasons! She says it because I'm a bad hobby hopper. If I'm playing snooker for the week, I'm buying the best cue, I'm googling how to hit shots. But within the week, 'Nah, I don't play snooker anymore, I like golf'. She says, 'You're not normal'. 

 

'I think that personality is a positive, I want to be the best at everything. She hates that, we can't even play a game of Connect 4!'

 

What's the latest craze?

 

'I've got a new darts board. Luke Littler has been my inspiration. It's easy. Go home, you play. Snooker, you have to plan your day around it. Also, you realise how hard it is. I honestly think doing a 147 is the hardest sporting achievement. 

 

'Thirty-five was my best break, which isn't bad, but it's a long way from 147! Me and Elliot Anderson were going to Whitley Lodge to play. There's a big Newcastle badge on the wall, so people were a bit shocked when we walked in every day!'

 

How about TV?

 

'This is another reason she thinks I've got ADHD. I like watching the same things over and over, which is quite strange, isn't it? I have four boxsets - I finish one, do the next one and go back.'

 

What are they?

 

'Friends. Big Bang Theory. How I Met Your Mother. Entourage. I like rom-coms, light-hearted.'

Sticking with light-hearted, how about this - I've written down three words that best describe you as a player, what are they?

 

'Passionate. Fast. Determined,' he offers.

 

They were actually hard-working, direct and robust.

 

'Yeah, I like robust,' he says. 'It's a mindset thing. I made it clear when I first joined, the medical staff never see me. I never want them to see me, and they don't. For me, availability is the best ability. There's no point being a good player if you can't play.'

 

OK, I've also written one word that captures you as a person? He pauses. For the first time in an hour together, he is stuck for words.

 

Misunderstood, I tell him.

 

'Yeah, I should have said that,' he says. 'I get that a lot. I just know when people meet me they change their mind.'

 

He is right. As we walk outside to take some pictures, Gordon points to our camera and says: 'I've always fancied photography. Maybe that will be my next thing.'

 

Pictures of the Olympiastadion in Berlin, scene of the Euro 2024 final, would no doubt look very nice on his bedside table.

[toon25]

2 minutes ago, TBG said:

I'm not Craig Hope, but if I was the article would go something like this.

 

Anthony Gordon won't give up the culprit, but his bloodied ankle sock shows he took a hefty tackle in training earlier. 

Now, it is his turn to do the tackling, and the subject is perception.

We all have an opinion of this lean, bleached haired, nuisance winger from a deprived suburb of Liverpool - it frustrates his manager, Eddie Howe, who believes the general impression to be wildly inaccurate - but the player himself has, so far, accepted those beliefs as, while mistaken, not entirely unfair. Until now.

Sitting here at Newcastle United's training ground, the 23-year-old, a new dad, wants to challenge the perception of him. 

Not with hostility and anger - and this will surprise many - but with a desire underpinned by eloquence, maturity and a gentle wit. He was not supposed to be like this.

 

'I understand the Scouse scally perception but, away from football, I'm not like that at all,' he begins. 

 

'Everyone who meets me says, "I thought you were gonna be a…." I won't say the word, it's not a good one. But if they leave with a better opinion, that makes me happy. To be honest, the lads here hated me before I joined!

 

'But the way I have played, at times, can villainise me. I'm fine with that, because I'm just trying to win. That is why I can't really blame people for having that perception. 

 

'The environment I was in at Everton, that Scouse environment, it's very aggressive. When teams came to Goodison, I felt a responsibility to be the antagonist. 

 

'I have more security in myself now, I have grown into who I want to be. I'm more focused on changing that perception because I feel I'm in a place to do so.'

 

You could also just have brown hair?

 

'Well yeah, that definitely hasn't helped!'

 

As we chat, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar wander by. Following Gordon's £45million arrival from Everton last January, he had to win over his new team-mates before anyone else.

 

'I walked in and thought, "There's no way this lot will like me!". I'd had a scuffle with a few of them up here, including Fabby (Schar). 

'So I made a joke with him when I met the lads and he said, with such a straight face, "You have to earn your protection". I thought he was going to laugh! 

 

'That put me on edge! It was a good icebreaker, though, and he was right, I didn't have a problem with earning their respect.'

Gordon has achieved that, on and off the pitch. This season, he has scored 10 goals, assisted five and played in every game, bar one for suspension. It was not like that last season.

 

'It was naive of me. I thought I'd come in, fit right in and not look back. I got a rude awakening! I couldn't keep up with the intensity in training. 

'In games, I would run forward and the gaffer would be screaming at me to use the same effort all the way back. I just couldn't do it, and it was getting me down.'

 

Things came to a head when he brushed off Howe after being substituted at Brentford in April. At what point did you think, "I wish I hadn't done that"?

 

'Straight away!' says Gordon. 'I won't shy away from this, because I feel it's been a vital part of my journey. My relationship with the manager could not be better now. If you take things like that away, maybe it wouldn't be the same.

 

'We had two days off after and I just remember the anxiety. Nothing could get rid of it. I couldn't really go about my day. I was horrendous company for my family. It was that sick feeling in my stomach. 

 

'I'm passionate, but that was way overstepping the mark.'

 

The last thing you needed was two days off?

 

Gordon squares up to Newcastle defender Fabian Schar during his Everton days

 

'Exactly! Honestly, the days off killed me! Someone text saying, "Are you training with the Under-23s?". I'm thinking, "What? No-one has told me so, but am I?!".

'I spoke to the gaffer as soon as I came back in. I was so surprised at how he handled me. He basically said, "Whether you like it or not, you're going to be a success here". 

 

'I did not expect that conversation. He understood where I was coming from. It was the insecurity of not doing what I thought I would. I regret it, of course, but the way the manager handled it, that helped me so much.'

 

He wants to say more about Howe.

 

'This is fresh in my mind because I was speaking about it yesterday with Matt Ritchie. I say to people, "You don't understand what he (Howe) has done for my life, never mind my football". 

 

'His standards and the way he treats people, how good a person he is, how hard he works and how determined he is to be successful, that is the reason I am doing well at the moment - he has dragged me to that level. 

 

'I was not like that when I first joined. I'm like that outside of football now. I'm so glad I've had him in my life.'

 

He is not just thankful for his manager. Top of the hit parade at St James' - and wherever the Toon Army march - is a song about Gordon. It has been so since last season. 

 

To the tune of ABBA's Voulez-Vous, 'Gordon, running down the wing, Gordon, make the Geordies sing, Gordon, we're all going to Milan'.

 

'I remember hearing it for the first time and I couldn't believe it was for me. I didn't feel like I'd earned it at the time. It would be very easy for the fans to go, "Ah, he's not good enough". 

 

'But they stayed with me, accepted me and allowed me to grow - I'll never forget that in my lifetime. I don't think fans know how much that can mean to players. And the song is so catchy - I'll be walking down the corridor here and one of the lads will be singing it in the dressing-room - we love it!'

 

He should have known the fans would take to him after what he calls a 'crazy' episode on his first day.

 

'Me and my girlfriend had gone to the MetroCentre to get a few things, but we just could not get a taxi back to the hotel. A fan came up and was welcoming us to Newcastle when I said, 'I can't get a taxi'. She said, 'Do you want a lift?'. 

 

'I looked at my missus and was like, 'We don't know these people, but they seem nice, let's go!'.

 

'They were picking up their son from work. He got in the car, dead nonchalant, chatting to his mum, turned around and he sees me - he just went white and didn't speak for the first few seconds! 

 

'But they were lovely, I got a good feeling from that moment.'

 

At home, Gordon has a bedside notebook in which he writes his thoughts and ambitions. His partner, Annie, has holiday brochures. Here go conflicting interests.

'I'm not going to shy away from my aim of going to the Euros,' says Gordon. 'I don't think that I should. My missus has been nagging me , "Can we book a holiday? Places are getting full". I've told her, "Germany is very nice".

 

Germany, in June, is where England will travel as favourites to win their first major tournament since 1966. Gareth Southgate names his squad this Thursday for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium and Gordon is on the cusp of a maiden call-up. 

 

He was player of the tournament last summer as England won the Under-21 European Championship. He then skipped a holiday to return for pre-season.

So, how does he want to make his case for England inclusion, with polite diplomacy or to tell the world he's good enough to be in there, like team-mate Callum Wilson did - with great success - ahead of last season's World Cup? Gordon laughs.

 

'Good question. I'll give you my honest answer. I absolutely love playing for England. Those words can be said too easily. I've played with players in the youth system and they'll throw on Instagram, 'Always an honour'. I'm thinking, 'You've just hated those two weeks away'. I take so much pride in it. It feels like a going-to-war-type feeling for me.

 

'I wrote in my notebook at the start of the season that the top target was England. I also wrote that I wanted to be Newcastle's most important player, someone the manager could depend on. I wanted something in there that I could hold myself accountable for.

 

'I feel like I've done everything I can to get in the squad. I understand the competition, and the ability in that team is frightening. But I've done my utmost - I've ran every yard I possibly could and I've scored and assisted at a good level. I've still got more to give, but I can be proud and say, 'I've given it everything'. Every time I'm tired, I think, 'Dig in, England could be watching!'.'

 

There is another motivation that trumps England and Newcastle and, until now, Gordon has not spoken publicly about his son, five-month-old Antonello.

'He's the best thing that ever happened to me. The responsibility that comes with it, although hard at times, has changed my life for the better. Footballers, we can live this very easy, laid-back life. Football, home, rest. Now, it's football, home, baby!

 

'On the pitch, it's given me so much more purpose. Having a child changes everything. It's bigger than you now, you have to succeed for more than just yourself. I have a picture of him on my shin pads. 

 

'I look at that before I go out, kiss it and remind myself who I'm doing it for. The 'A-sign' celebration I do is for him. People think it's A for Anthony, no wonder there is a certain perception of me!'

 

That essence of childhood takes us back to Gordon's own, and the terraced houses of Kirkdale. He is the oldest of three brothers.

 

'I come from an environment where you're not really built to succeed, it can beat you very easily, there's a quick path to failure. There is a lot of gang violence, not good stuff. I'm fortunate that I'm quite introverted and stayed away from that, I was just off playing football. 

'It's more the personality traits of friends and people around me. Some of that rubbed off and I've had to slowly take those things out of me.'

 

One trait he has not lost is an addictive personality, and nor does he want to. Gordon attributes that to the extra work he does after training and the 'challenge' he now sets himself in being able to run back as hard as he runs forwards. Annie, however, thinks he has ADHD. Why?

 

'Ah, there's so many reasons! She says it because I'm a bad hobby hopper. If I'm playing snooker for the week, I'm buying the best cue, I'm googling how to hit shots. But within the week, 'Nah, I don't play snooker anymore, I like golf'. She says, 'You're not normal'. 

 

'I think that personality is a positive, I want to be the best at everything. She hates that, we can't even play a game of Connect 4!'

 

What's the latest craze?

 

'I've got a new darts board. Luke Littler has been my inspiration. It's easy. Go home, you play. Snooker, you have to plan your day around it. Also, you realise how hard it is. I honestly think doing a 147 is the hardest sporting achievement. 

 

'Thirty-five was my best break, which isn't bad, but it's a long way from 147! Me and Elliot Anderson were going to Whitley Lodge to play. There's a big Newcastle badge on the wall, so people were a bit shocked when we walked in every day!'

 

How about TV?

 

'This is another reason she thinks I've got ADHD. I like watching the same things over and over, which is quite strange, isn't it? I have four boxsets - I finish one, do the next one and go back.'

 

What are they?

 

'Friends. Big Bang Theory. How I Met Your Mother. Entourage. I like rom-coms, light-hearted.'

Sticking with light-hearted, how about this - I've written down three words that best describe you as a player, what are they?

 

'Passionate. Fast. Determined,' he offers.

 

They were actually hard-working, direct and robust.

 

'Yeah, I like robust,' he says. 'It's a mindset thing. I made it clear when I first joined, the medical staff never see me. I never want them to see me, and they don't. For me, availability is the best ability. There's no point being a good player if you can't play.'

 

OK, I've also written one word that captures you as a person? He pauses. For the first time in an hour together, he is stuck for words.

 

Misunderstood, I tell him.

 

'Yeah, I should have said that,' he says. 'I get that a lot. I just know when people meet me they change their mind.'

 

He is right. As we walk outside to take some pictures, Gordon points to our camera and says: 'I've always fancied photography. Maybe that will be my next thing.'

 

Pictures of the Olympiastadion in Berlin, scene of the Euro 2024 final, would no doubt look very nice on his bedside table.

Always loved @TBG me

[gbandit]

Those are outstanding quotes. What a top lad and it’s great to hear the love for Howe. I’m excited again about where we’re going after reading that 

[Kid Icarus]

Antonello, the 5th Ninja Turtle.

[toon25]

Oof, love that interview. Seems like an absolutely top kid. Would love to see him play for England this summer.

[Optimistic Nut]

He definitely deserves to be in the squad. I don't particularly like it but all managers have their favourites and "go-to" guys so would be unlikely to start, but he's been the best English player in that position this season on the back of a great U21 tournament. He should be there.

[GeordieDazzler]

Was on board until he mentioned the Big Bang Theory. Sell.

[Shak]

That's some truly awful taste in television he's got there

[gbandit]

Aye, as much as I love the football and general character related quotes, the Big Bang Theory mention may have put him out of the running as my player of the season

 

 

Edited March 8 by gbandit

[Tiresias]

yep sell sell sell

[NE27]

Aye big bang is atrocious, maybe he is the c*nt we thought after all

 

 

 

 

But nice quotes in there, comes across like a very dedicated pro and very doting on EH.

[TBG]