West Ham play Newcastle United on Sunday with the Championship trap door wide open. Either Tottenham or the Irons will succumb to relegation and former Newcastle -turned- Hammers strike Callum Wilson has made it absolutely clear where his loyalties lie for the crunch encounter.
Despite five seasons and forty nine goals in the Magpies’ colours (five, if I remember rightly, against the Hammers!) Wilson admits he has just one thing on his mind as the weekend approaches, despite the inevitable emotion of the occasion of his return to his former club. Newcastleworld.com reports:
“When I score at St James’ Park this year, I won’t celebrate.”
A St James’s’s Park winner would see everyone else celebrate apart from Callum Wilson – fair do’s.
And Wilson will be true to his word, hopefully. When the Hammers’ number nine was a Magpie, he loved banging in important goals against his best mate Michail Antonio’s West Ham. As he said in 2023:
“I love scoring at that place [London Stadium] and I’ve promised to do the Macarena,” said Wilson ahead of the match.
“I want all the bubbles blowing on me while I’m doing it if I score there. But maybe I’ll have to do it from the bench – I’ll be warming up doing the Macarena!”
No promises for Latin American celebrations this time though. We’ll even indulge Wilson his no celebration rule should he pop up again to score a late winner that could just be the most important of his career: Ten other West Ham players would go crazy along with thousands of fans if the former Newcastle striker scores, to tip the relegation battle back towards his adopted east London home.
Wilson didn’t leave under a cloud.
If he comes on as a sub hope he gets standing ovation.
I don’t think anybody wastes their time to celebrate these days as it’s only a matter of time before it is chalked of by VAR