Dear Elliot,
In the year and a half that you’ve been at Nottingham Forest, I speak on behalf of all self-respecting Geordies when I say you have been sorely missed on Tyneside.
While it has been a pleasure to see you blossom into the player we all knew you were destined to be, nothing is quite as painful in football as watching one of your own fulfil their potential elsewhere.
But be honest, no matter what happens or where you end up, no club other than your beloved Newcastle quite feels like home.
Newcastle United isn’t just another club on your CV; it is the very root of your footballing story.
Fond memories of Nottingham Forest star remembered as Geordie Maradona
From the moment you moved from Wallsend Boys Club into the academy to the very first time you set foot on the hallowed turf at St James’ Park.
From being dubbed the ‘Geordie Maradona’ to celebrating among the fans at Wembley Stadium during the club’s greatest day in modern history, all while not even being affiliated with the club.
You were never just another name coming through the system; you were a symbol of exactly what it means to be a Geordie living the dream.
This summer, you have as many different options as you could possibly ask for, all of which have been thoroughly earned.
Different projects, different promises, money, success – anything you could ever want. But they simply can’t offer you what a return to your boyhood club can.
Anderson must heed Sir Bobby’s Newcastle United words
The great Sir Bobby Robson once said, “What is a club in any case? It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city.
“It’s a small boy climbing up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”
You understand better than anyone that every single word of that quote is felt nowhere more than at Newcastle United.
You know what St James’ Park feels like when the crowd is behind you. You know what it feels like to have the energy, the pride and every morsel of passion directed at spurring you on.
Elliot Anderson, think about this
That’s not something you can replicate somewhere else, no matter how good the opportunity looks on paper.
So, before you make a career-defining choice this summer, think about this.
Success and money can only take you so far, and most footballers spend their entire careers searching for a place that feels like home.
You are in a unique position – you’ve already found yours. But it doesn’t just feel like home; it IS your home, and you have some serious unfinished business to attend to.
In other news, Newcastle ‘Refuse’ Forgotten Man’s Cut-Price Sale.
