Former Newcastle United striker reveals big regret about shock move to 'special club'

Then-manager Alan Pardew needed a striker in February 2011 following the controversial £35million deadline day sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool the previous month.

With the transfer window closed, Pardew didn’t have too many options. So in came Shefki Kuqi on a short-term deal.

Kuqi’s contract at Swansea City had been terminated by mutual consent – and he was available as a free agent.

Even Kuqi didn’t see it coming, and the 34-year-old striker – who had idolised Alan Shearer as a young player – had a lot to think about as he made the long journey up to Tyneside to sign for the club.

“I left Swansea, and I had a phone call from Alan Pardew,” said Kuqi. “Of course, I was over the moon.

“The feeling of going to play to play for that club was really unbelievable. When I was playing, I always said I loved Alan Shearer, the way he played and how he represented himself. I thought about that when I was driving up there.

“Basically it was my time to play for the same club, and it meant a lot to me.”

Kuqi, however, could well have joined the club much earlier in his long career, and he regrets that he didn’t get to play for the club in his prime.

“One hundred per cent, without a shadow of a doubt – I would have loved to play for that club (when I was younger)” said the former Finland international, who moved into management after hanging up his boots.

“I actually got told later on that Sir Bobby Robson tried to sign me once. There are always ‘ifs and buts’. That club is a special club. You have to be there physically to get that feeling.

“I used to love the way the supporters were passionate about their club. Basically, being there, myself, as a player, you get the real feeling of how passionate they are about their club.

“I pretty much understood straight away why Shearer never moved away from that club.”

Even in his mid-30s, Kuqi was a handful.

Kuqi – who moved to Finland from Kosovo as a child – got 23 minutes on the pitch spread across six substitute’s appearances in the Premier League.

Fans, however, didn’t get to see his famous belly-flop celebration, and the one regret Kuqi had at the end of his playing career was that he didn’t score for Newcastle during his few months on Tyneside.

“After I finished my career, the only regret I have is that never managed to score a goal for Newcastle,” said Kuqi, who is in contention for the Kosovo Under-21 manager’s job after leaving Finnish club FC Inter Turku.

Kuqi’s time at St James’s Park left an indelible mark on him.

“It’s a club which always, always will be in my heart,” he said. “I just wished I could have gone a bit earlier and show my strengths and abilities. It could have been something special.”

Kuqi, roared on the pitch each time by United fans each time he was sent on, quickly got what the club’s fans were all about.

“When you get on, the passion the show and the support they give to you, you grow a few inches, you know,” he said. “Again, going there, you always want to help the team, so you can leave the stadium on a high.

“The passion is exactly what kind of person I am. I really, really understand what that club means to them.

“All they want is for you to give 100%. They understand. They spend their lives supporting the team. Sometimes they know the opponent is better.

“As long as they give 100%, that’s all the fans want. Sometimes your 100% isn’t enough - or it doesn’t work for you. They accept that as well. As long as you give 100%, they appreciate that.”

“When I was a player in England, I felt ‘this is my job’. Now, after I finished my career, I get that appreciation, that respect for what I’ve done as a player. That’s huge. It means a lot to me. When I was a player I didn’t really realise that.”

Kuqi returned to St James’s Park a couple of years later for a derby against Sunderland.

“After I left Newcastle, I came to watch a game,” said Kuqi. “I didn’t want to go to the directors’ box. I went behind the goal, just on the side. It was the derby against Sunderland when Paolo Di Canio was coach.

“We lost that game. I remember it was absolutely freezing. I had my little daughter as well.

"I always remember the fan sitting right next to me. He was on his feet all the time. It was freezing cold, but it was a sunny day. He was shouting ‘do something – I’m cold!’. He turned to me and said ‘Shefki, have you got your boots?’.

“I had to take my coat off and wrap my daughter up – and she slept! The guy was so upset - and said ‘even she’s fallen asleep! Come on!’. It was a great experience, and it’s how you get even closer to those fans.”

Kuqi now follows the fortunes of the club, which was the subject of a £300million takeover bid from a Saudi Arabia backed consortium this summer, from a distance.

“Some teams are doing well, for example Leicester and Wolves, but for me, Newcastle are on a different level,” said Kuqi.

“If you don’t win trophies, people can’t see that. They’re established back in the Premier League, and I hope the structure gets set up properly and they move forward season by season.

“It seems there’s always something in the press about a takeover. I’m sure that’s unsettling – let’s hope that gets sorted.”

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