A Sad Ending For Newcastle's Spiderman

Jonas Gutierrez's Newcastle United career all but officially ended Monday, when the zany Argentine joined Norwich City on loan until the end of the season.

It was an oddly quiet departure, considering the substantial role the occasionally-masked man has played at Newcastle since arriving in July 2008. Amid rumors that subsequent appearances in a black-and-white jersey would trigger a new deal, the gangly winger had essentially been shunned from the first team since early in the season. He'll almost certainly move on permanently in the summer.

It's hard to argue with Newcastle's decision. Jonas, while goofy and lovable, was coming off his worst season in England and turned 30 last July. The club has a pair of hard-working, run-themselves-into-the-ground types on the wings in Yoan Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko, so Gutierrez had become redundant.

But let us not forget Jonas' contributions throughout his time at Newcastle. His first season coincided with relegation — he was the least of Newcastle's problems in 2008-09 — but he established himself as a core player in the group that scrapped its way back into the Premier League. On a team possessing more fight than athleticism, Jonas was the default pressure reliever. Game after game, he and Jose Enrique pummeled Championship clubs down the left flank.

He continued to bail out his less leggy teammates when Newcastle returned to the Premier League, and showed his versatility by playing all over the midfield during the club's drive to fifth place two seasons ago.

Unfortunately, his production took a nose dive last season. Jonas has always been more crafty than dynamic and, in a team lacking creativity, he was often a scapegoat. His limitations — the lack of a telling final ball or dangerous shot (11 goals in 195 appearances at Newcastle) — began to outweigh his endless stamina and dribbling prowess, particularly as younger alternatives arrived.

But Spiderman managed to pull off one final superheroic feat: Not many players can leave a club and draw near-universal praise. Then again, few players have covered more ground for the black-and-white cause over the past six seasons.

Here's hoping Jonas makes a similar impression at Norwich and wherever else his career takes him in the years ahead.

Comments

[Jaeger]

always thought he got an unfair amount of the blame. definitely knew how to kill a game by drawing foul after foul. always loved his work rate though and his random 25 yard goals that he'd pull out of nowhere.

[Fatash]

Always liked watching Jonas, fantastic work rate and would play anywhere, still plenty to offer.
Good luck to him he should do well with a proper manager now in control of him.

[JeffC]

Agreed. Thanks for the miles Spiderman!

[Punter]

I ran into Jonas at the Castle in Edinburgh in January 2013 and he took the time to pose for a picture and chat (I was wearing my Toon scarf at the time!). He seemed like a good dude. Unfortunately, the good person isn't always the athlete who can help your team the most and vice versa. I wish him lots of luck at Norwich.