Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa in contention for Spurs game

Posted on October 13th, 2011 | 66 Comments |

Demba Ba in contention for Newcastle's game against Spurs on Sunday.
Hopefully fit enough to play
Good news for Newcastle United as both Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa look to be in contention to play on Sunday.

Some good news for Newcastle fans.

The first bit of good news is that Demba Ba is reportedly fit enough to play on Sunday. He picked up an injury during his last outing for us against Wolves and there was speculation that it might be related to his old knee problem but apparently that was not the case.

He returns to Darsley Park today and will still need to pass a fitness test for our own medical team, but apparently his chances are good.

And Ba isn’t phased by the pressure of history either having recently said:

“I knew about the history here and the names of the past. It does not daunt me. I am a striker, so I want to score goals anyway.

“I’m the type of striker who likes to play and help out in other areas on the field.

“It is about all-round performances, not just goals, and I want to contribute more in that way.“

It could be a tough game on Sunday and I’m sure Alan Pardew will breathe a sigh of relief if Demba Ba is fit enough to play in it.

The second bit of good news is that Hatem Ben Arfa is back in training after having been given a spell of compassionate leave to visit a sick relative in Tunisia. There was some speculation as to whether that visit might have just been a cover for a falling out between Benny and the club, but there’s nothing concrete to say that was the case.

I would expect Alan Pardew to go with a line-up as close as possible to the one he’s used in the last few games but I’m sure he’ll be pleased if Ben Arfa is on the bench to give him options.

More good news comes by way of Harry Redknapp’s doubts about playing on-loan striker Emmanuel Adebayor against us on Sunday. ‘Arry said:

“He has got a bit of a hamstring problem. He played on with it last week. He did it in the first half against Arsenal and he played on, which is not easy. He did have a tear. It’s touch and go for him really.

“It’s a dangerous one. If he tears it badly, he has got a grade one tear if he makes a real mess of it and he could be out for six or seven weeks.

“It’s a difficult one to risk him, but we will see how he feels. We will give him a couple of days yet, keep treating him and hopefully he could be okay.

“If he is a doubt, I wouldn’t want to risk him. I wouldn’t want to lose him long term.”

If we’re worthy of our 4th place I’d like to think we can take on a full strength Spurs but I won’t cry if Adebayor isn’t there.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Posted on by Hugh de Payen in category: Alan Pardew and Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa and Hugh de Payen and Injuries and fitness and NUFC gossip and speculation and Player interviews , with tags: , ,
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66 Responses

  3. Hugh,

    I would go with the ‘..if it ain’t bust..’ and have Santon, Marveaux and Ben Arfa on the bench and introduce them in the second half, around the 60 minute mark.

    Let Spurs worry about us and not us worry about them.

  4. @ Kamar

    Let Spurs worry about us and not us worry about them.

    I agree lets have confidence and give them something to think about to take us seriously Spurs have a crap record as St James. HWTL.

  5. The “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” attitude isn’t what you want going into this game, fair enough so far this season when called upon our players have performed, but we have had no real tests this season, we scrapped a draw against an arsenal team that got 8 put past em off man u and the same again against villa who have just sold their 2 best players who create 90% of their goals. But spurs kept their best. Changes need to happen against spurs this weekend or all the hard work done so far this season will be undone, santon has to play to contain bale, I think marveaux should start too jonas doesn’t offer enough with the final ball and he won’t be 100% after 2 hellish flights to south America, finally I think it’s time we unleashed ben arfa on the premier league in place of best, I don’t think anyone needs the difference between those 2 pointing out.

  6. This just shows what i discovered is true teams can lose there best players though injury or by selling and get stronger amazing. That is till you look at some startling facts Newcastle run round the football pitch better than Spurs and Arsenal these are the states Newcastle 1.21 Arsenal 1.19 Spurs1. What this means is Newcastle can chase the ball and squeeze the space and deny other teams space too pass and play. This is not a new thing and last year it was West Brom and Blackpool riding high in the premiership the year before Hull both run out of steam and got relagated. So if i was you Newcastle fans i would enjoy the extra miles your team are running because without a big squad burn out will happen. I hope its Sunday because Wolves were unbeaten when we met them. 3-0 Spurs Class beats energy if we match it.

  8. If spurs wer that good u wud b in the champs league. And don’t talk about money cos Harry the squashy face will spend spend spend till there is no more then leave cos he can’t get his own way. Let’s just see wot happens on Sunday but I think you’d r more worried about us rather than us about u my friend

  9. Webbo mate we spent 5 million in the summer and sold 6 players for over 30 million

    Last summer we only signed van der vaart for 8 million, in January we bought Pienaar for 2.5million.

    The last time we spent any real money was January 2009, nearly 3 years ago on Defoe for 15m, Palacios 12m and Keane 12m.

    Bareing in mind we had sold Berbatov and Keane in summer 2008 for 50 million overall we have spent less than what we spent with the Crouch, Keane, Hutton, Palacios and O’Hara sales just gone since Redknapp has been here.

    You talk wet, everyone believes we have spent soo much money because we have such great players but do you research our best players Ekotto cost 3 mill, Walker 3 mill, Huddlestone 2.5m, Parker 5m, Modric 16m, VanDerVaart 8m, Lennon 1m, Bale 5m, King Youth Team, Adebayor Loan, Dawson 3m, Kaboul 5m, Sandro 6m, thats the majority of our squad for less than 60 million or 1 and a half Andy Carroll’s

    Dont throw the money crap at us we dont deserve it, Man City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool are the sides to spend stupid money not us!!!

  10. Jay – you make a good point, spurs look a well run club.
    Webbo – “Harry the squashy face will spend spend spend till there is no more then leave cos he can’t get his own way” – nah, you’re thinking of keegan!

    I left a summary yesterday from a spurs site – they think we are roughly evenly matched, which I think is a fair assessement. I’d have Bale though (swap ya for smith+guthrie+gosling+5 woodbines).

  11. Word in Scotland is that NUFC are lining up a £5m January bid for Celtic striker Gary Hooper who scored 23 goals last season and 5 already this term.
    That’s all I know about him – any opinions?

  12. Supermac

    ‘..I’d have Bale though….’

    But would they have Santon?

    Hopefully he will play on Sunday and it will be an interesting comparison with Bale.

  13. Kamar says:
    October 13, 2011 at 11:54 am

    “Hopefully he will play on Sunday and it will be an interesting comparison with Bale.”

    Kamar, Bale has been playing in thee Premiership for years now and of course, has alot of pace. If Santon plays, it would be his first game ever in this league so I wouldn’t read too much into any comparison.

  14. Kamar – I’m sure we could (at a pinch) squeeze both Santon & Bale into the team somewhere – in fact, although it early days in the negotiations, I’d be prepared to up my earlier offer to 20 woodbines!

  15. Interested in whether Newcastle will play with two strikers at home or 5 in midfield and one striker like so many other clubs?

    If you play 4-4-2 the game should be wide open because Spurs are an attacking team wherever we play.

  16. I think we can take the spurs!
    We have our key players available & in form – in fact we don’t have room for them all!
    Whereas they could be missing Adebayor & van der Vaart.
    Let’s get into them! 2-0.

    HWTL

  17. asur? – we’re not telling you! wait & see.
    Seriously some of us want a 4-1-4-1 line up, we have the right players for it. Ironicaly the first time I saw this diamond formation was el Tel’s at WHL – what goes around comes around.
    However Pardew will probably stick with (or at least start with) a successful 4-4-2. Providing the results keep coming I’ll not complain.

    HWTL

  19. aspur says:
    October 13, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    “Interested in whether Newcastle will play with two strikers at home or 5 in midfield and one striker like so many other clubs?”

    Aspur, he will probably stick to the same formula and more or less the same teamsheet as previous games until we get hammered.

  20. Bale plays on the left generally so its Simmo who’ll have to look after him :( Unless you want Santon to switch to a position he doesnt play regularly ?

  21. Jay, well reasoned comment No. 9, hard to argue with those figures although I am sure there are probably a few who inhabit this blog looking for a fight. :)

    DavSpurs, not sure that the stats you quote mean much in the real world, modern players are fit enough and conditioned to run around for 90 minutes and if someone is looking knackered then thats where subs come in. To take the point further I have been amazed at the fitness levels of clubs in the lower divisions. Often in cup games they tended to tun out of steam in games, not any more!!

    If you want to use that argument though I would worry more about Bale as he seems to run twice as far as any of your lot and burn out is more on the cards for him. You’d miss him more than we would any of our players as I reckon he is virtually carrying your team at the present.

    As for Adebayor, it smacks of desperation by Harry if he is prepared to risk him against us although he is a loan player so he might be happy to send him back to ManC totally crocked.

  22. Cheers supermac & workyticket. Yeah managers often keep a winning team. Probably superstition as much as anything.
    If Adebayor is fit then he will def start prob with Defoe. If not Spurs will probably send out Defoe+Bale+Lennon+Modric+VDV to attack because Spurs are a bit crazy like that.
    Should be a good game with Newcastle flying and Spurs attacking, a full house and the Sky cameras too, good change of pace from the international break.

  24. supermac says:
    October 13, 2011 at 11:44 am

    “Word in Scotland is that NUFC are lining up a £5m January bid for Celtic striker Gary Hooper who scored 23 goals last season and 5 already this term.
    That’s all I know about him – any opinions?”

    That was the Stun supermac. We played him in the Championship when he was at S____thorpe. If my memory serves (usually not nowadays) I also seem to recall that they were trying to wind up we Geordies by making out that he would be tha big number 9 replacement for Carroll etc blah blah yawn.

    He’s been a peripheral off and on figure on the media’s Toon “swoopometer” for a while now.

  25. Thanks worky – still can’t place him, mind you I never realy noticed Long until he was suggested as a buy – just goes to show that there are a lot of average players knocking about that are offered for £5-6m.

    Reminds me of Tommy Doc at manure when Rangers said 100,000 wouldn’t buy Derek Parlane (big money in the 70s) = aye, he said, and I’m one of them!
    If 5million won’t buy Hooper, it looks like we are 2 of them mate.

    HWTL

  26. supermac says:
    October 13, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    “Reminds me of Tommy Doc at manure when Rangers said 100,000 wouldn’t buy Derek Parlane (big money in the 70s)”

    Supermac, using a top of the range Barcelona Johan Cruyff / Lionel Messi scale as a guide, as Cruyff was bought by Barca for £920,000 around that time and Messi would be about 100 times that nowadays, that would be around £9/10 million in todays footballer money. Well, very very roughly anyway. :-)

  29. add says:

    “How do i register ?”

    That’s it done add :)

    Dont expect sugary sweetness and platitudes on this site. If you want a “Fatman Kiss Ass” site then try .co.uk

  30. add says:
    October 13, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    “How do i register ?”

    Add, below the login part on the top right there’s a link called “register”. Click on that, fill out your details and click on the button at the bottom.

  31. Add, if you’re on here via a PC / Laptop etc, on the right hand side of the ‘home’ page, you’ll see two boxes (username and password). Underneath there is a link saying ‘register’, just click that, fill in your details and bang you’re there.

    If you’re on here via your phones browser, I dunno how to navigate that. I’m sure Worky will be able to assist you better than I.

  33. add says:

    “Andymac ive checked that out ,dont like it ,looks like your the blog hard nut”

    I tell it like it is add, no more no less :lol:

  34. add says:

    “Andy them guys on Co.uk are always having a go about you ?”

    Nobody mentions me on .co.uk add because the Toonsmeister banned me for having an opinion :lol:

  37. batty, you ain’t exactly the sharpest tool in the box. You’re an retarded, ignorant, illiterate, witless, charmless, alcoholic forty odd year old with absolutely no life whatsoever, otherwiae you wouldn’t be wasting your time doing this.

    Go ahead, make an exhibition of yourself for a few minutes if you like. Do the same old routine about ladyboys and theives and all that shite for the hundredth time Oscar Wilde. ;-)

  40. Phisix says:
    October 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    “Because you banter and write the same way he does..”

    And has also uses the same e.mails and same addresses as he’s done it about a million times before Phisix. He’s as thick as shite. Anyone who does what he does in his forties must be a bit of a twenty watt bulb anyway.

  41. If you Webern Batty you would not care and change the subject into something else. Something ike ladyboys and thieves maybe.

  44. phisix is there anything you can tell me about as i dont want to register if there is any weird stuff going on here. I just want to talk to likeminded footie supporters, and i dont like ladyboys and i hate theives ?

  46. I own the blog mate. You can send all queries to my secretary Worky.

    So, scores for Sundays game then lads?

  51. Jimbob says:
    October 14, 2011 at 12:03 am

    “Alan Davies? The guy from QI? Thought he was a funny chap.”

    It’s just batty being a halfwit again Jimbob. Somehow I think that’s he’s a big “QI” fan. :-)

  55. I’m not saying to do any revisions, but it seems Spurs have more injury concerns than first thought… It’s my fault for doing it yesterday, as I usually wait until the Friday for the squads and that… I think RVDV may be missing on Sunday… Hope so anyway!

  56. Glizzle @ 5#

    You are absolutely right, in regards to the “If it aint broke” attitude.
    Show’s a lack of overall understanding of the game.
    Most astute managers pencil in players, that will match up best against the opposition,rather than a one size fits all tude.
    If one looks at the top sides, you will find a constantly changing lineup, horses for courses, as i have stated numerous times, why would you field the same side against both Arsenal and Stoke, does that make sense ?
    It appears change comes slow to many EPL sides, most still playing a 4-4-2 line up, when if they look at Europe’s most successful sides few use those out of date tactic’s.
    I’m not sure Pardew is that tactically astute, guess we will have to see, when facing a team with the talent Harry has put to-gether, could tell the tale ?

  57. No, I’m just magnificently different, strange and good humoured. I resent your remark at 76, but I forgive you as I know you didn’t mean to type it.

    No I can’t find a squad… Maybe just run it, and update it at a later stage.

  58. Tottenham – Winger Aaron Lennon could return following a groiun Striker Emmanuel Adebayor is battling to be fit, having suffered a hamstring strain against Arsenal last time out. Spurs also have fitness concerns over defender Vedran Corluka and midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who were both forced off during international duty with Croatia, while Sandro (calf) and Rafael Van Der Vaart (hamstring) are also doubts. Tom Huddlestone (ankle), William Gallas (calf) and Michael Dawson (Achilles) are all ruled out.

    Last team Vs Arsenal – Brad Friedel, Kyle Walker, Ledley King, Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Rafael Van Der Vaart (Sandro 63), Scott Parker (Vedran Corluka 90), Luka Modric, Gareth Bale; Emmanuel Adebayor (Jake Livermore 84), Jermain Defoe
    Not used: Carlo Cudicini, Sebastien Bassong, Giovanni Dos Santos, Roman Pavlyuchenko

    That’s best I can do. Maybe the squad will be printed tomorrow in the rags.

  61. Jimbob says:
    October 14, 2011 at 1:06 am

    “Yeah I’ve finished it now. Some point tomorrow morning would be ideal thanks.”

    OK Jimbob.

    Jimbob / Andy /Phisix I’ve just cut batty’s / add’s comments so you’re all gannin’ to look a bit daft now. Me too. :lol:

  62. Phisix says:
    October 13, 2011 at 10:39 pm

    “Can you see peoples I.P address when they post here, Worky?”

    Every blog displays IPs to the Admin Phisix.

    I’ve just been looking at batty’s house on Googlemaps. Thanks BT!

  63. AndyMac says:
    October 13, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    “Nobody mentions me on .co.uk add because the Toonsmeister banned me for having an opinion”

    That was actually Moreno ;)