Our Scouse Scally | OneFootball

The competition for Newcastle United player of the season has never, in my memory anyway, been more intense than this season.

We have a number of players vying for the honour at the moment, with Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Alexander Isak all having strong cases for consideration.

However, for me, one lad has stood out week after week and it will be very hard for any of that trio – brilliant as they’ve been – to overhaul him. Step forward Anthony Gordon!

Our adopted Scouser has been exceptional this season – even to the extent of forcing the myopic Gareth Southgate to reluctantly tear his gaze away from the London / Manchester / Merseyside corridor in search of international inspiration. Not only did young Flash force his way into the squad but he was selected and proved to be England’s best performer against Bruno and the other Boys from Brazil.

A lot of regulars who comment on The Mag don’t want him in the international squad at all. For many, it’s a case of the less games the better – keep him fit for our games – whereas for many others it’s very much an anti “Ingerlund” thing. For Anthony though, it’s a dream come true. Upon being called up for the first time, he proudly declared , “Words can’t describe what it means to be honest.”

Personally, I’m with the lad all the way on this one. As a schoolboy athlete I had the honour to represent my county and I would have been absolutely ecstatic to have been picked for the National team. For the vast majority of footballers it must be the pinnacle of their career and their utmost dream must surely be to win the World Cup.

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A shoo-in for the upcoming Euros? Well, that’s down to the man dubbed Gormless Gareth by the adoring masses so I’m not going to be putting my shirt – or even a string vest – on it. I’m not as down on him as many folk and I do, at least, understand that the likes of Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson all play in different positions than Anthony Gordon, so their selection wouldn’t automatically count him out. However, his early approach, when he picked young and in form players does seem to have been ditched in favour of recycling old favourites.

Flash seems to be in a battle for a seat or seats on the plane with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Jarrod Bowen. Personally, I don’t think any of that quartet have come anywhere near his levels on a consistent basis this season.

Bowen has looked good for West Ham at times but I haven’t seen him give opposing full backs and centre backs the sort of nightmares that Anthony Gordon induces week in and week out. Grealish is a seasoned performer now and can do a high grade professional job for his team, working both ways, but the other two have largely been woeful whenever I’ve seen them play this season. If either of them manage to nick young Flash’s seat then I’ll want to know how much they’ve forked out for the privilege.

So, how has Anthony Gordon achieved this turnaround in fortune?

His exit from Goodison was rather ignominious to say the least. Blamed for the dire situation created by reckless owners, he was disgracefully hounded from the streets of Liverpool by gullible and disgruntled punters – to then land in a city with fans who had, up to that point, vilified him almost to the same level as his Jurassic colleague between the sticks.

As he said himself recently about playing for the toon, “To be honest, the lads here hated me before I joined!” Well, Anthony, I’ve got news for you- it wasn’t just the lads!

Actually, I always appreciated his passion and feistiness when playing for Everton. It was his club – he was a lifelong fan and, quite rightly, loved the place. Getting up the opposition’s noses was his job – and he did it well. But it was according to plan as he explains himself, “:…..the way I have played, at times, can villainise me. I’m fine with that, because I’m just trying to win.……When teams came to Goodison, I felt a responsibility to be the antagonist.”

After arriving at a club where both players and fans had dutifully cultivated a healthy dislike for him, how has he become such a popular figure both in the dressing room and on the terraces? Quite simply, he has become the epitome of what we always asked for during those frustrating years under the miserly and unambitious stewardship of a certain cockney barrow boy. We wanted a team that tries and Anthony Gordon personifies that image.

He gives 110% for every minute he spends on the pitch – and he spends more of them on there than most. In a season where injuries have been more common than steak bakes in the Bruce household, Anthony Gordon has been refreshingly available. Obviously, luck plays a part in such things, but it must help to have a mentality like his:

“The medical staff never see me. I never want them to see me. For me, availability is the best ability. There’s no point being a good player if you can’t play.”

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Sheer effort, enthusiasm for the game, a genuine passion for the badge and regular end product at the highest level have helped to open people’s eyes to what a great player we acquired for £45 million but, for me, the game changer was the realisation that young Anthony Gordon esq isn’t, as he puts it himself, a “Scouse scally” who happens to be a decent football player.

He is clearly, upon closer scrutiny, a very nice lad.

He speaks very well in interviews, revealing a more perceptive and thoughtful character than his outward appearance might suggest. His interaction with the young mascots pre match always show him to be considerate and caring and his role of celebrator in chief is clearly a popular one within the squad.

“I understand the Scouse Scally perception but, away from football, I’m not like that at all. 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.“

If he is a Scally, then he is most definitely now OUR Scally – an Evertonian who has defied the odds to take on and win over the Geordie masses.