Barney 0 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Toon striker: I banged on Pardew's door for two weeks to get my chance Eleven fruitless months, injuries, no goals and no assists, Leon Best knew there was only one way to convince new boss Alan Pardew to give him a chance at Newcastle. Bang on his door and ask. And bang, and bang and bang until the manager finally noticed he was desperate for a crack at proving his worth at St James’s Park. In fact Best says he knocked on Pardew’s door every day for a fortnight. He’d do his best to catch the eye in training, then ask: “Am I any closer.” Some 15 clubs wanted him on loan, and Chris Hughton wanted to let him go, but Best refused to go. The Ireland international’s persistence and resilience after a difficult first year are paying off. Four goals in five starts on and he is possibly the only man on Tyneside delighted Andy Carroll, a close mate, was sold. Best has given a revealing insight into the emotions and battle of a forgotten man desperate for a career kick start. What if feels like to be an unloved pro fighting for a chance. He said: “I knew I had been written off after last season, but that’s what happens in football if you don’t produce straight away. You’re just put to the back of the queue and slowly but surely you’re forgotten about. “The night I got the hat-trick against West Ham I was made aware that the fans were not keen on me playing! There were a few groans when my name was read out. There were no great hopes from the fans on me. It just shows you there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. That really set me up. “When Chris was here he asked me to go out on loan for a month to get sharp. “I had been on loan from 17. I wanted to play here. I told him that even if it needed three or four training sessions a day, I would do them just to get in. Just before he left, he said that it was the right decision to stay. “When the new manager came in. I knocked on his door every day and said ‘give me a chance, please be fair with me. If it’s a matter of you don’t like me, don’t rate me and you will never play me, then obviously I can’t affect that. If you are going to be fair, then I could do my best here’. I quite literally knocked on his door every single day for a couple of weeks. “He certainly got the message! I have just been taught to attack everything in life. I never sulk and toss it off. I will always try and keep going. When I was knocking on his door, I was saying ‘have you not being seeing what I have been doing in training? He said ‘why should I give you a chance? You have not scored any goals or made any assists even’. “I told him that I had scored ten before I arrived from Coventry last season. Then when I arrived I had Peter Lovenkrands, Shola Ameobi and Andy banging in the goals. It was hard for me to get in. Then I told him I scored two in three games during pre-season. He didn’t know I had been out that long through injury. I was emotional when Xisco got put on the bench before me. “The next game after training I said ‘am I any closer to the team?’ When I got the call against West Ham there was no pressure, it was just relief, and then everything falls in to place.” Best has gone from fifth choice to No1 striker in a month after the £35million sale of Carroll, Ameobi’s injury and Xisco’s loan move. But he’s not feeling the burden. “The weight is off my shoulders now. I feel like I am wanted and it is a proper chance for me. “On the day Andy was sold I spoke to him, he is a good mate. I hung around with him a lot and I was sad to see him go. I didn’t want him to go and I don’t think he wanted to go until things happened last minute. That’s football. “But I was probably the one person who had something to gain from him going!” Best says he has lived to be a footballer from the age of 12, when he realised he had a chance of a different life away from his home on the tough St Ann’s area of Nottingham. “I loved it. It’s made me what I am today. Not a lot of people could survive there but it’s good. My mum is still there, the family and most of my best friends still live there. It’s tough place from the outside looking in. It’s like a lot of areas all over the place, and my mum did well guiding me. She made it easy for me. “She got my breakfast ready in the morning and made it easy for my football. Football was my way out. I was not interested in school or working. Just playing football with my friends. “I stay in touch with them, get them signed shirts and pass my old boot on to a mate in the army at a barracks in York. I’ll never take anything for granted.” Leon Best is starting to convince people that he’ll always do his best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys1879SAFC 0 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 So... Best and Kuqi up front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46195 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I'll say this for him - if all that is true, then it's at least nice to have someone on the books that's desperate to play rather than just pick up a nice wage for doing fuck all. Reading that you want him to do well, but I just don't think he's good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney 0 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 I agree with that. The header last week against Arsenal, when he had time and space, was ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonGoodwyn 1 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Hopefully he'll get a bit better with some matches under his belt and a bit more confidence - same with Ranger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10978 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Sounds an honest bloke, which is seeming like the norm for the squad these days. Which is great iyam. We appear to be fostering a squad of lads who are all willing to graft hard for each other. We just need to find quality performers to add to it, without losing this togetherness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neville Neville Neville 0 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Toon striker: I banged on Pardew's door for two weeks to get my chance “He certainly got the message! I have just been taught to attack everything in life. I never sulk and toss it off. I will always try and keep going. When I was knocking on his door, I was saying ‘have you not being seeing what I have been doing in training? He said ‘why should I give you a chance? You have not scored any goals or made any assists even’. sounds like he'd rather smash it or hang out the back of it, rather than have a wank. perhaps a career on sky sports beckons plus I best he has Joe Esposito (on a constant loop) playing in the background when he is smashing it... and maybe wears that mask as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7192 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Not his fault he's shite. Sounds like a decent honest bloke Yet another insight into Pardews man management too When I was knocking on his door, I was saying ‘have you not being seeing what I have been doing in training? He said ‘why should I give you a chance? You have not scored any goals or made any assists even’. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 He's meant to be a good, honest pro like so fair play. Doesn't make him anywhere near good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie Burtons Grandad 0 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I dont doubt that the lad is indeed "trying his best" point is its not good enough for the Premiership. Lets be honest he did fuck all last season in the fizzy pop league so why expect him to suddenly improve, he wont. Ranger is young and should get better, although playing with the toss we have up front at the moment will not bring him on that fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden McGroin 6801 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) I'm going to stick my neck out here and say Leon Best is an ok player. He has a good leap on him and is comfortable on either foot. Needs to work on his movement and maybe run channels a bit more but I can see him getting better with the correct training/guidance. Certainly capable of being a 4th (perhaps even higher) striker next season if we show any ambition in the transfer market. His goalscoring record is sensational so far in as well ! Edited February 15, 2011 by Holden McGroin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10978 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 aye, he's "ok" but he shouldn't be near our first team. Though, seeing as he is and he's working hard to get his goals, I'll happily sing him a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 aye, he's "ok" but he shouldn't be near our first team. Though, seeing as he is and he's working hard to get his goals, I'll happily sing him a song. Anyone good enough to put the ball in the net at this level is good enough to be near the first team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10978 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 aye, he's "ok" but he shouldn't be near our first team. Though, seeing as he is and he's working hard to get his goals, I'll happily sing him a song. Anyone good enough to put the ball in the net at this level is good enough to be near the first team. Daniel Cordone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14020 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Best has already score more goals in less games... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 aye, he's "ok" but he shouldn't be near our first team. Though, seeing as he is and he's working hard to get his goals, I'll happily sing him a song. Anyone good enough to put the ball in the net at this level is good enough to be near the first team. Daniel Cordone? Leave Barney out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10978 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 In this form, yes, he deserves to be playing. However, I think that it is just good form and he'll soon be without the goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6700 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Not his fault he's shite. Sounds like a decent honest bloke Yet another insight into Pardews man management too When I was knocking on his door, I was saying ‘have you not being seeing what I have been doing in training? He said ‘why should I give you a chance? You have not scored any goals or made any assists even’. Heard something on the radio today where they were saying true fans expectations of players is 100% - no more, no less. If a player is giving his all (regardless of how shite he is), you can't really complain about him - about the selection, aye but that should be aimed elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden McGroin 6801 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Not his fault he's shite. Sounds like a decent honest bloke Yet another insight into Pardews man management too When I was knocking on his door, I was saying ‘have you not being seeing what I have been doing in training? He said ‘why should I give you a chance? You have not scored any goals or made any assists even’. Heard something on the radio today where they were saying true fans expectations of players is 100% - no more, no less. If a player is giving his all (regardless of how shite he is), you can't really complain about him - about the selection, aye but that should be aimed elsewhere. I think in the current climate thats about right. In fact it has been all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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