Ba won’t be the only absentee of course as Cheik Tiote will also be away for a few matches at the turn of the year. It’s not ideal but the form of Danny Guthrie in Tiote’s current absence shows that at least we have some cover for the Ivory Coast international. Cover for Ba however is a different matter.
Ba has scored eight league goals in his ten league appearances for Newcastle and has proved to be a shrewd signing after being picked up for nothing in the summer. It’s not just his goals that will be a miss though as his work rate and the trouble that he causes defences will be hard to replicate.
The African Cup of Nations is, being honest, a pain in the backside for any team that has to lose players during the middle of the season. But it’s important to remember that the players involved have a right to go and represent their country irrespective of the wishes of the club. This is something that Ba was keen to express when he spoke about representing Senegal in the winter.
“I understand why Newcastle supporters are disappointed that I will be away for a few weeks at the African Cup of Nations, but I hope they also understand why it is so important to me to play in it,” Ba told the Daily Mail.
He continued: “Senegal is my nation and back home in Senegal, it would mean so much to the people if we were to do well in the competition. Playing for your country is still one of the biggest honours in the game, and when it is in a major tournament, it is even more special.”
“I want to go there and try to help my team-mates and my country win the competition.”
Ba then reasoned that the African Cup of Nations is no different to how football fans will feel when the European Championships rolls around next year. Ba said:
“Next summer, everyone over here will be getting excited about England playing in the European Championships and this is the same for us, it is just unfortunate that it happens during the Premier League season and it is a shame I will have to miss some Newcastle games.”
Ba never needed to say any of this as I’m sure most of us will agree that playing for your country in a top international tournament is a priority as a professional footballer. England players take note instead of pissing it all up the wall again!
Yes it’s a shame that Ba is going to miss some club games as he has just started to hit a bit of form for us and has most certainly found his shooting boots. Unfortunately it goes with the territory. If you sign African international players then you have to be prepared to lose them during the season every couple of years.
We just need to try and find someone who can fill his boots whilst he is away!
Club v country, if the international fixture calender was reduced and we reverted to releasing players a few days before the games i would be all for it but as it stands, the league is constantly being disrupted, just look at the current break, 2 weeks off for 4 play off games and a batch of friendlies. And then i am reading in the Journal today that the French manager is retaining Cabaye in the hope that he will be fit enough to play in a friendly on Tuesday in Belgium and also that the same manager, Blanc, is touting our player to ManU behind the scenes?
Its about time the tail stopped wagging the dog, we pay players vast wages and can well do without the likes of our players being flogged to death just to make Blatter wealthier and more powerful, its gone beyond representing your country and more like a battle for dominance, they should be deferring to the clubs and not the other way around.
Robert(Quote)
Good luck to the lad I say. I’m pleased he’s getting some international time.
If his country go all the way then the hardest game without him will be spurs. If they finish early then we’ll only miss him for some ‘easier’ games (blackburn etc).
😉
nobby(Quote)
The clubs are not really losing out from having their players in international fixtures. (Consider: if it was that big a hardship, wouldn’t the clubs have arranged an embargo by now?) Consider: Demba Ba of Senegal will be playing at the African Cup of Nations, but he never stops being Demba Ba of Newcastle United. This raises the club’s profile around the world, which has an impact on its commercial operations.
The squad is another matter. But I think the international fixtures are a small thing next to the effects of other commercial decisions.
Wellington(Quote)
No bad feelings towards the guy at all; why would there be? It’s not like we didn’t know about it or paid huge money. And at the end of the day, would we rather he wasn’t going because he wasn’t good enough to be picked?
Good luck Demba – hope you win the thing!
Whumpie(Quote)
I agree that Ba ddn’t need to comeiut to tell us of his reason’s etc.
But im glad he did as it proves that he is a decent lad that thinks about the supporters and how they feel.
Unlike MO etc who didn’t give a fuk and basically used us as an international training camp.
Big Dave(Quote)
Ben Arfa off Best/Shola for a few games and with Maiga coming Mali probably won’t go that far in tournament so we’ll have him too.
dan4toon(Quote)
Yeah as I said in the article, fair play to him. I do think he’ll be the bigger miss out of him and Tiote purely as we’ll miss his goals and attacking play in my opinion.
This is why I think (hope) that the Maiga deal is just a smokescreen for a European player.
toonsy(Quote)
Like many I welcomed the break to gain recovery time for the walking wounded. Didn’t last long and the Manc games seem along way off now. Funny how Tiote’s not getting a mention anywhere. Just how bad is that knee injury?
5 live tonight have a special feature “Turnaround at the Toon”. Wonder why that is now.
georgio(Quote)
Toonsy I’m suspicious of the Maiga move too. Is he really all that?
georgio(Quote)
I know we can’t be 100% but I’d be very surprised if Mali go far in the tournament and it wouldn’t surprise me if Maiga’s back with a week or so of the tournament starting.
dan4toon(Quote)
Georgio – Not in my opinion, but to be fair I’ve only seen bits and pieces of him and never even flickered an eye at him before the **** over the summer.
However, if it is him we’re supposedly signing then I guess we’ll have to trust the judgement of the club as they haven’t done too badly so far.
toonsy(Quote)
I’ve never seen Maiga play – enlighten me somebody. Is he quick? Good ball control? What?
georgio(Quote)
Georgio, he’s quite fast but with his height he’s not Walcott quick.
He’s got quick feet, good shot (left footed) and has a good header on him.
Personally I think him and Ba could become a real force!
dan4toon(Quote)
Thanks mate – sounds good.
georgio(Quote)
Obviously there’s question marks whether he will fit into out team ethic and spirit with him refusing to play for Sochaux in order to force a move to us but as Toonsy says we have to trust our scouting system for playing ability and his personality.
dan4toon(Quote)
cabye is better off in france…he is getting the best possible treatment…if he wasnt good they would have sent him back..
asim(Quote)
What’s Joey Barton been up to then? Read some stuff about his tweeting?
toonsy(Quote)
He’s been kicking off with the The only way is Essex or ‘TOWIE’ as people call it 🙄
Quite funny actually, basically saying what everyone else is thinking 😀
dan4toon(Quote)
I saw summit about him being criticised by mencap for calling them retards…
toonsy(Quote)
I don’t watch the show so don’t really understand it all but there was this picture with an old women, apparently called Nana Pat holding a sign up and he was calling us a corpse 😆
dan4toon(Quote)
calling her*
dan4toon(Quote)
When will he learn just to let things slide though? Isn’t that what actual intelligent people do? Learn from mistakes?
toonsy(Quote)
Totally agree but it’s not our problem anymore so we can sit back and enjoy 😆
dan4toon(Quote)
“Isn’t that what actual intelligent people do? Learn from mistakes?”
Couldn’t have hit the nail more firmly on the head. I was always a big fan of Barton, and have lost count of the amount of times I’ve defended him to the Devonshire/Brightonian Prawn Sandwhich Massive, but his pseudo-intellectualism is growing so thin now! He is literally several lightyears (still quite far) away from the intelligence level he thinks he is. Fair enough, he’s smarter than people give him credit for, but he’s seemingly addicted to proving to everyone how disarmingly and unexpectedly intelligent he is. The whole philosophy thing sums it up perfectly – did you see how terrified he was when Dan Walker brought up Immanuel Kant on Friday Focus? It’s one thing copying and pasting quotes on your twitter feed, but maybe Joey wasn’t too keen to discuss the Theory of Perception in front of the cameras?
Rant over.
DevonMag(Quote)
You can’t really blame him, that Immanuel is a reet kant
richietoon(Quote)
First of all good luck to Ba i hope Senagal do really well he seems a honest professional .
As for Tiote i do believe we may stuggle a bit without him Guthrie has had a couple of good games but is nowere near the player Tiote is he is propably the best player in the premier league at supporting the back two and winning the ball in midfield .
But surely Toonsey we have no need to worry about goals as you have told me on several occasions Leon Best is the most prolific goalscorer in the premier league ( over 16 games ) has the ability to score goals against the best teams in the league and is not just a static striker his alround game is great ! 🙂
keith(Quote)
Devonmag: “Devonshire/Brightonian Prawn Sandwhich Massive”. Know ’em well…
Anyone remember Kevin Klien’s stupid, pretentious brother in A Fish Called Wanda? Perhaps we should send a link to a clip of him to Joey.
SO glad he’s someone else’s problem.
Whumpie(Quote)
Not arsed about losing Ba, we’ve got Nile Ranger innit BrrrrrrrrrrAP!
…we might (should) have another striker in by the time he jets off anyway.
What’s all the fuss about with this poppy lark anyway? Obviously I’m in favour of wearing poppies but FFS, footballers only started wearing them on their strips last year. We’ll still have a minute’s silence, poppy wreaths on the centre circle, players wearing poppies on their suits, and wearing poppies on their training kits. I don’t think it’s disrespectful of FIFA (although they’re a bunch of imbeciles), they’re just adhering to strip rules.
Cameron says it’s not religious or political so should be allowed. Hahaha, not political? Shut yer fkn gob then you political tw@t.
Personally just think this smells like a big FA PR smokescreen to take the heat of John Terry.
Rodzilla(Quote)
In so many ways im glad Joey isn’t our problem anymore, he comes of with **** that has FA to do with him, but I do think he is try to set himsel up for a tv job for when he is finished playing.
Rod whats that about poppies ?
Big Dave(Quote)
DAVE FIFA have banned the players haveing a poppy emblem on there shirts bloody dicks 👿
icedog(Quote)
Its about time someone told fifa to Fuk off 😆 but then the FA dont have the balls to go against them.
Big Dave(Quote)
Yep, can’t argue with him or fault him or anyone who wants to play for their country, ideally it should always be bigger than club football except in certain circumstances, but for england it doesn’t seem to matter to any.
It will be a shame, but hopefully we’ll have ourselves a new striker coming in along with a return to fitness for Ameobi, I think Shola and Best might work decently as well. The key is to not play lovenkrands, shola and loven as a pair are horrendous, and I think Shola is the better to keep around. Even sammy might be pushing for some first team then?
Newkie(Quote)
…alreet Dave, yeah soz, disappeared for a bit. Like Ice says, FIFA had disallowed England to wear the poppy emblem on the strip shirts.
It’s all been settled now though. We’re allowed to wear a poppy emblem on the black armbands, on the strip shirts.
Nice bit of political foot-stamping saved the day, and everybody’s happy!
Rodzilla(Quote)
@31, think it’s more about the FA not having the power rather than balls though Dave. The FA were told it wasn’t gona happen but persisted, as soon as Big ******* Bullshitter Cameron stepped in it became political though, and Sepp blattered his keks.
Rodzilla(Quote)