The speculation was brought about by Harry Redknapp mainly, who made it public knowledge that there is a release clause in Ba’s contract although the true extent and details of the clause are unknown.
Ba has been superb since he got settled on Tyneside and hasn’t stopped scoring since. He’s notched 16 goals so far this season and adds so much to our front line. With him and new signing Papiss Cisse up front we have two dangerous dedicated forwards for the first time in a long time. Let’s hope they both stick around for a while!
“I never talked to anyone to say I wanted to leave,” said Ba. “I was just listening to people saying ‘He’s going there, he’s going there, he’s going there’ and I had a big smile on my face. It was funny to me. The most important thing is being happy with your football and I am happy here.”
Ba then turned his attention to Tottenham at the weekend and believes that we can go to White Hart Lane and spring what would be a surprise by bringing home all three points.
“We go there and believe we can win,” said the former West Ham man. “I look at the table and think ‘Fifth, woah.’ Now we just need to continue our road, continue what we are doing. We need to keep our focus but, as long as we do that, we’ll be dangerous.”
The thing is, we now have the firepower to worry teams and can cause our own problems for just about any team in the league. The fact that both strikers found the back of the net on their return from the African Cup of Nations demonstrates this, and the good thing is that it will only improve as they both settle into life back at the club.
A lot has been said of Papiss Cisse’s goal already. It was a cracker. Instinctive, accurate, unstoppable. It shows what a real clinical striker can do and I can’t wait to see him doing more of the same. I don’t think there is a Newcastle fan out there who isn’t happy with Cisse’s arrival, but what makes it better is the fact that Demba Ba told him all about it.
“I am really, really happy for Papiss,” he said. “It’s really important to score for a new club early on; when you come in and score right away you feel much better. It helps a lot and his was a goal of real class on the perfect return to Newcastle for me. It was such a good day; there wasn’t even too much snow.”
Ba added: “Papiss was a great signing for us. I was really happy when he signed because I talked to him a little bit beforehand. I just said, ‘Go on. Sign.’ He asked everything about Newcastle, about the supporters and the club but I’ve not told him everything because I wanted him to see for himself what it’s like here. I think he loved the reception he got but he hasn’t seen anything yet.”
It’s safe to say that Ba has done enough to earn the number nine shirt and few people had already said that he should be given it next season. However Ba is happy with his current number 19, and was happy for Papiss Cisse to take the number nine straight away.
“I always said that I wanted to keep my number 19,” said Ba. “I always said that, if someone comes in and you want to give him No9, don’t even ask me – just give it to him if he wants it. The manager asked me if I didn’t mind it going to Papiss. I said just give it to him if it helps to sign him.”
“Papiss is a very quiet guy, all the fuss and hype will not affect him. I’ve told him everything about the No9 shirt here but I’ve always said it is just a number.”
Great words from Ba, although I’m still concerned about the summer. We’ve been here before with quotes from players who are happy at the club only to end up moving on…
What we need to do is get Ba sorted on a new contract, a contract without a clause. I know there is his knee to consider, but the fact is that he hasn’t had any problems with it for years now and has done alright for us thus far. He’s earned a new deal, and if we’re honest a career ending injury can happen to anyone at any time regardless of any history or potential for problems.
If we can keep this squad together and add a bit more quality and depth in the summer we could be setup for some interesting times ahead.
And keeping hold of Demba Ba will be pivotal to that!
I am so happy we finally have TWO strikers up front that have genuine quality and although like any strikers they can go through lean patches. I will always feel we have the ability to score goals.
I never had that feeling with Shola up front. But what I must give Shola credit for is the encouragement he gave Cisse before he came on while they were warming up.
He may be a poor player IMO, but he is a class man. He reminds me very much of Smith in the way, I think he knows his legs have gone, but he is good to have around the place. Maybe not on 30k to 60k a week though.
I hope one day Shola can be some sort of ambassedor to the club, and he certainly deserves a testimonial. Even though he has put me through countless hours of anguish. 😉
Also with Cissa and Ba up front, I get the feeling me might be seeing a bit more out of Ben Arfa if he gets the chance. As well as Guti and Obertan, because these guys can turn half chances and poor crosses in goals.
JJ(Quote)
hopefully he’s so happy he’ll sign a new contract.. clause-less 😀
Harry obviously had some coppers-nark running back and forwards with updated details about Ba’s clause.
Come to think of it, Ive thought it a few times now everytime he mentions the Cockney mafia etc. I’m sure he knows to much about the goings-on up here. probably doesnt help Ashley being best pals with Paul Kemsley.
mark(Quote)
I genuinely believe that if we try and beat spurs,we might be 3rd after a few matches. 😯 😈
Seeing that spurs will face the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd,Everton after our match with them.
Chelsea face Everton,Bolton,WBA.
We face Wolves,Sunderland,Arsenal.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Spurs had a strong team out last night and didnt buckle under pressure. I think we’ll get beat down there 2-0, hopefully not by more 😥
mark(Quote)
I agree wi JJ 😯
My cousin knows Shola quite well and used to go mad when I slagged him off, “but he’s a lovely lad” she used to say, like I used to tell her, I wouldn’t give a **** if he ate cute cuddly puppies in his spare time,if he did the job on the pitch. I didn’t pay £500 a season to watch a lovely lad….that’s JJ’s thing 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Is no one else surprised he didn’t spend the whole interview pishing and moaning about not getting this world class CB that was gonna propel us to the Champion’s League?
Disappointed in the lad – obviously not a realist then!
Shame he doesn’t user that Twitter account of his to tell us all what cnuts Ashley and Pardew are. 🙄
Toon Chicken(Quote)
I think we’ll score Mark with the Demba’s up front……it’ll be a Perch screamer though
richietoon(Quote)
We should take advantage of their injury list. 😈
Hopefully they are still not fit when we meet them. 😐
Injury left them without Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon (hamstring), Younes Kaboul (knee), Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Rafael Van de Vaart, Sandro and William Gallas (all calf).
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
richietoon
hope we do m8. Theyre a decent, organised team tho. If we do score I still think theyre too strong. I’ll be over the moon with a draw.
If we had a full strength team, I reckon we’d win.
mark(Quote)
Mark….just gotta feeling we’ll get something there…..and i did score the most on the predictor league this week so ya never know 😆
richietoon(Quote)
TC
What the fck are you on about? Stick to the thread mate. You don’t have to take every unrelated opportunity you have to kiss Ashley’s arsehole. 😐 😆
JJ(Quote)
Someone needs to crock Bale, he’s too good that lad, like a left footed Ronaldo.
JJ(Quote)
JJ – I am directly referring to how genuinely happy Ba appears to be with life and the situation at NUFC.
It’s not my fault you’re not sharp enough to see that. 😉
I just find it quite sad that so many of our wonderful “realists” don’t share his enthusiasm.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
TC…I think everyone(or most) are happy where we are but there’s nothing wrong with being dissapointed with not getting a defender in, I’m sure Pardew is, being as a CB was what he wanted going into the window, so I guesss he’s a “wonderful realist” too 😉
richietoon(Quote)
JJ….he was **** last night, let’s hope he has 2 **** ones in a row!
richietoon(Quote)
TC
I could see what you were doing mate, but you always doing it by either having a dig directly or indirectly. I’m surprised you left out the word “neggers”…
Ashley’s done good things, no doubt, there is reason to be optimistic now. But that will never translate to everything has boiled down to some master plan. He has made some serious **** ups, and there still are some negatives.
But people will always give credit were credit is due, and people will always be postitive if they see reason for it. Same as they will ***** and complain if theres reason for it.
JJ(Quote)
TC you dont half talk some ***** lad.
JJ your right they will go through lean spells but im hoping that when one is on a kean spell the other is on fire, but like you atleast we know we have the ability to score.
Ba has some goal return this yr, but I would expect that to drop a bit, now that we have another proper striker that scores goals.
Big Dave(Quote)
Richie
Ye, one thing I noticed was without Suarez on the field, Liverpool looked impotent, and with Bale a bit off so did the Spuds.
Similar to the **** with RVP, if they lose those players they quickly become ordinary mid table teams.
So if we eliminate those players from the games, we have every chance of beating them.
Unlike certain “neggers” (realists) who will tell you we havn’t a snowballs… 😎 -> you see what I did there TC 😉
JJ(Quote)
@richietoon
aye m8, I think Ive predicted the last 5 results right 😉 but i’m not one for boasting 🙂
mark(Quote)
JJ I don’t think he’s kissing Ashleys **** at all.
It seems much worse that that, I think he’s been stitched to it as feature in The Human Centipede.
Pootle(Quote)
Toon Chicken
let’s see if youre saying that when he’s at Man u in the summer 😯 😉
mark(Quote)
TC@6 , silly billy if colo gets injured who will help us get into europe at ch after such a great start !
JJ@11, we weren’t even 10 posts in and they are puckering up to mikeys *** on a post about a happy player , who are the negs again !!! 😐
keith(Quote)
@Unlike certain “neggers” (realists) who will tell you we havn’t a snowballs…
I’m not a negger in the slightest m8, but I can’t see us getting a result..
ok, I think we’ll win 18-2 😆
mark(Quote)
@keith22
Santon in the middle, Fergy or Raylor on the left. plenty cover in defence.. 😯
mark(Quote)
the chat is boring… i love Mike, I hate Mike zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
bring back the window i say
Nathandio(Quote)
Ba is SUCH a legend.
He genuinely seems so proud of the club. It’s so nice to have players like him and Krul etc that want to be one of us and treat the club like it’s their own. I think it’s really promising in terms of keeping the players here in the future.
Far cry away from the days of having a captain that thought he was better than the place in Owen isn’t it, the boos when he came on last season up here may have been the highlight of my life.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Jj@16 balanced and sensible I like it 😉
Pootle@20 , he he 😳
There like father jack of father ted just shouting neg neg for no reason all day 😉
keith(Quote)
cant believe Troy gets so much stick about dragging all the threads down, and there ye go TC tries to do it for no reason.
Not a bit of wonder Troy is giving the place a miss, so that he doesn’t get accused in the wrong all the time.
Mark I get your point about trying Santon as a CB but we could try lovenkrands or anyother player we have, but the point people were making is that we shouldn’t be trying to make do in our position.
Here endeth 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
The other good thing with Ba and Cisse is that we will never be getting any ***** from the rags about them getting into drunken brawls etc.
Unless their magic syrup has some magic potions or herbs in it 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
@BigDave
“but the point people were making is that we shouldn’t be trying to make do in our position”
I agree entirely m8 but I have faith in Pards that he’s happy with the cover we’ve got, although I would of been over the moon if we had of secured Ridgewell or Nelson..
mark(Quote)
Is Troy really giving this place a miss? 😥
he’ll be back under a new alias, I’m sure he posted as shitheed y’day.. can’t believe Troy has given in to a little bit of flack, what a *****.. 😯
here ***** *****.. come out and play troyore 😆 that should do the trick 😀
mark(Quote)
To the tune of Johnny comes marching home;
Pappis Cisse and Demba Ba hoorah, hoorah,
Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba Hoorah, Hoorah,
Pappis Cisse and Demba Ba, Toon and Senegal Superstars,
La la la la la la la la la la la la
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Mark you need to get an avatar back on, as it makes it easier when your browsing to know who’s who 😉
Mark he doesn’t have much choice even if he wasn’t happy mate ?
Big Dave(Quote)
Mark@24 , that’s worrying !
keith(Quote)
@the bouncing butterfly
I rarely post after a toon match cos I suffer from huge hangovers by drinking with my friend Stella Artois all day.
You missing the crack like Tigger? 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
wooo hooo hooo
I knew I could entice the ***** back out 😆
mark(Quote)
Nathandio..”i love Mike, I hate Mike”….make ya bloody mind up 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
@the bouncing butterfly
I saw the comment yesterday by Shitheed. That wasn’t me.
I was too hungover to get involved.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
@Troy
aye, its too normal around here without your cheap wind-ups 😉 😀
aye, I had a cpl of days on the drink, out Sat and went to the corner house for the match.. I’m a **** drinker so still feeling groggy nu 🙄
mark(Quote)
@richietoon
I think he loves to hate mike or could be he hates to love Mike 😕
mark(Quote)
@Troy
Stella Artois? ooh thats a definate recipe for a hangover try a real mans ale, black sheep 5.5% 😀 tasty and ne gas..
mark(Quote)
@Big Dave
It’s typical, that I leave it for a couple of days and as soon as I clock in, TC is posting his usual neggars tripe.
I have no problem with it but he’s so hypocritical.
@TC live by the sword die by the sword. I don’t whine when I get slated but I never cry on to Toonsy for back up like you do when I target you in retaliation.
Woo hoo hoo hoo. What a creep.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Welcome back Troy 😆
Mark thats better now with the avatar, now its easy to just sail past your post 😀 😆
Richie I was thinking the same Troy says Mark flutters about, Nathandio is more like a bizzy bee, he must get a sore head.
Big Dave(Quote)
@Big Dave
eee, I thought I was the only one that did that 😉 😆
mark(Quote)
@the bouncing butterfly
I took the car and had 15 pints. It’s true what they say about being a better driver on the drink.
I had nee nerves when taking over cars on Benwell front street at 80 mph!
Cops can never catch me as well. 😯
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Best line of today has to go to BD;
Mark thats better now with the avatar, now its easy to just sail past your post 😛
Comedy genius!
Dave , are the crew showing us enough respect today? 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
AOD@8, Spurs injuries? it had to have been mentioned 100 + times by the commentators last night along with the fact Arry was missing, vomit inducing and im prepared for more of the same on Saturday.
A result against the current media darlings would be oh so sweet.
Robert(Quote)
Dave @17
With the company you keep I guess you should know! 😆
Toon Chicken(Quote)
I must say I think it’s very sweet that two grown men have found love on a Toon blog.
Congratulations guys – it must have taken a lot of courage!! 😆 😆
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Not to mention vaseline!!! 😆 😆 😆
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Troy they show lots of respect when 1 on 1 but when there is a few of them together in the playground they get a bit lippy.
There was a lot wanting a membership to the reality crew lastnight on Shamrocks realist’s blog 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
TC im on my phone so dont have comment no’s
Would you be so kind to refresh my memory 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
@BD
I’ve just seen Shamrocks article and made a belated comment.
Cracking article and summarises everything we’ve been saying in snippets.
The bouncing butterfly was fluttering around like an airfield wind sock. I was getting very concerned his wings might snap and bearing in mind his springs collapsed after we failed to get a CB, I was on standby to come to his rescue. He would have been like a daddy long legs after some evil kid has pulled all it’s legs off.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
@troy , not even 10 posts in and he’s wittering on about MA , I don’t think they even like him I think they just love to be heard,
Me me me me me 😐
keith(Quote)
TC @ 49 wolfie and mark have said nowt to you so why you gettin on about them 😕 😉
batty(Quote)
Anyone taking any notice of you today Chicken? 🙂
Troy Stavers(Quote)
“I had nee nerves when taking over cars on Benwell front street at 80 mph!”
lol.. aye coz most of the cars in Benwell are burnt oot 🙂
mark(Quote)
I believe Carroll was happy too. 😉
Stuart79(Quote)
Was Andy Carroll any good last night? I fell asleep after 20 mins but he looked sharp up to that point.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
ah well, I suppose thats the footy talk over for the day now its turned into a reality v dream bitchfest again, well done lads 🙄
welcome back troy 😉
mark(Quote)
@the bouncing butterfly
You tw@t;-)
Troy Stavers(Quote)
I am firmly of the opinion that the players are really happy at the club just now. What a difference from a couple of years ago. None of them around the first team are looking for a move away and seem genuinely excited at the prospect of upsetting the media appointed regular order. More importantly, Ashley is in a position where he doesn’t have to sell and doesn’t want to either as no doubt he is enjoying what is happening at the club right now both in prestige and financial gain. Don’t for one minute underestimate the effect the pleasure that Ashley will be enjoying will have on his demeanour and future strategy. So the regular suggestion from some posters (oh ye of little faith) that Ba, Tiote, Collo, Krul et al will be away in the summer for greener pastures and loads more money I believe is way off the mark. Onward and upward imo.
Tony Toon(Quote)
Does anyone think that we should stick Santton on Bale whichever side he turns up on? Hopefully Lennon will be out and Simmo can cope with Kranckjar on the other wing. Santoon is fast as and I think is a much better defender than Simmo so would shackle him better?
Raffo(Quote)
@Troy
aye, he looked sharp, still doesnt fit perfectly into their style although he was getting about a bit more. He had a decent touch too a few times.
thats Spearing had a bad game, passing was woeful
Suarez makes them tick.
mark(Quote)
@Troy 61 😉
mark(Quote)
Mark who started it but ????
I think you might find it was one of the dreamers, don’t want to name names but its the one with no mates 😉 .
Big Dave(Quote)
tbh I’ll be a bit gutted if the bindippers finish above us, we have a much better team, theyre a little stronger in defence but a full strength toon team look more fluent then L’pool. Their midfield and forward line look a little lost at times.
mark(Quote)
Carroll looked better but still missed a couple of good chances.
Stuart79(Quote)
@BigDave
who started it? lol how old are you.. detention for u big dave and a good wolfie spanking..now get onto the naughty step 🙄
mark(Quote)
@Stuart79
missed a bit of a sitter when he lashed at one shot, he had plenty time to control it but got excited. He got applauded by the L’pool fans for his commitment shown.
mark(Quote)
@mark
Liverpool play fluent football but scoring is their Achilles. If they had Cisse and Ba they could win the league. But they haven’t we have. 🙂
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Mark did Bellers get sent of ? Or was it just someone talking **** .
As for the bindippers I won’t let it annoy me if they did finish above us. If we finish where we should around the top 8 i’ll still be happy.
Even though im supposed to be a ‘negger’
Big Dave(Quote)
@ the bouncing butterfly
Yeh. But who did start. Dave makes a very valid, well thought out point . Goog on ya Davo!
You do this everytime Mark. Spoil it for everyone !
😉
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Talking of pussycats what about the one who was on the pitch at Anfield. Idunno in my day we threw loo rolls on the pitch, kids today eh 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
Agree Tony @62. More likely to stay and help us push on than move elsewhere, as long as FAIR contract changes are made where needed, but we shouldnt go giving everyone £100k a week.
Starting to see the fruits of Pardew/Carr and Ashleys plans and I am content
Raffo(Quote)