Happy? Reasonably so it seems.Newcastle United striker Demba Ba was allegedly ‘unhappy’ when he was taken off against Bolton but there was little hint of any unhappiness in Ba’s recent interview.
There has been a bit of speculation about whether or not Demba Ba is happy to play on the left of a front three but the man himself has come out and said that he his. Sort of.
Ba said:
“The coach told me he would put me on the left and, for the team, I thought, ‘Let’s do it’. I know the qualities of Papiss as a finisher.
“As a striker, you like to be in the striking position but now the coach has made the decision – he has decided Papiss will be there.
“I do what I have to do to balance the formation for the good of the team. If I can be in the finishing area, I do everything to be there. If I cannot be there, we do the work for Papiss.”
So it’s obvious he’d prefer to be playing right in front of goal but he seems to be prepared to do a job wherever he has to play, which is what I’d expect of a professional like Ba. (more…)
Chelsea Target?It’s being reported in The Mail On Sunday today that Chelsea are looking to make an offer for Tim Krul this summer. And they apparently think they can get him for £15M. This story maybe links with the one we’ve run in the last two days over the future of United’s other top keeper Fraser Forster.
The Mail offers the opinion that this interest from moneybags Chelsea will “knock Tottenham out of the race for the keeper”.
Now far be it from me to suggest this is the London media trying to unsettle our keeper at a time we are entering the final five games of the season and vying for a Champions League spot with – you’ve guessed it! – Chelsea and Tottenham!
However, even though it’s only newspaper speculation, should United fans be worried?
Tim recently signed a new 5 year contract with the St James’ Park club, just before the derby with Sunderland, and he said at the time: (more…)
Forster - Celtic Bound?Newcastle United Goalkeeper Fraser Forster is approaching the end of his second loan spell at Glasgow Celtic, and decision time is fast approaching over what happens next for him.
The big keeper has in the past been the target for some unfair and unhelpful comments from some sections of the United support. Personally, and as a plastic Celtic fan who probably has seen more of him than most, I rate the lad highly, and would much prefer to see him back at United next season, where I think he could give Tim Krul some serious competition for the No1 spot.
Forster has done well at Celtic, and has developed into a very good keeper. Neil Lennon, Manager of the Scottish Champions also rates him highly, and has already begun to set out his stall with a view to taking him permanently. This of course will depend on what view the United heirarchy take. It will also depend on whether any silly money is put on the table for Tim Krul’s services this summer – it has been rumoured, for example, that Tottenham Hotspur see him as an ideal replacement for the ageing Brad Friedel. I’m sure they do! But whether they have enough money to buy him is another matter! They can always have Rob Elliot of course. (more…)
For puposes of illustration onlyNewcastle United striker Demba Ba undergoes cryogenic treatment and tweets accordingly.
I can remember a time when it was all the rage for ‘eccentrics’ to have their head removed and stored in freezing conditions. After death that is. It’s definitely not recommended before death as heads can be useful to living beings, not least as a place to keep a hat. The premise was that in some far-flung future the technology would be available to either transplant the head onto a new body or somehow ‘download’ the brain’s data into a computer and carry on a life within some technical reality.
Personally I have no truck with ‘far-flung futures’. When I was about 12 or 13 – which would be at a time when flares, fizzy cola bottles and Earth Wind & Fire were the vogue – my maths teacher told me that, by the year 2000, technology would have replaced much of the work people do and that we’d all just turn up for work two days a week and live a life of leisure the rest of the time.
Needless that turned out to be the single most inaccurate thing I learnt at school and I’m sure my professional life would have been completely different if I hadn’t been taught that by the year 2000 I could loll around on beaches all day and still collect a fat pay-cheque.
Anyway, that’s all padding for a post that is about nothing more than Demba Ba’s recent cryogenic treatment. He didn’t remove his head but instead removed his clothes and spent 3 minutes in a room cooled to -110C, which is exceedingly chilly, and tweeted thusly: (more…)
Toon's Messi?Hatem Ben Arfa has scored some excellent goals since joining Newcastle United – which is your favorite?
Hatem Ben Arfa has certainly brought some flair to Newcastle United and scored some cracking goals in the process. He also seems to do a job defensively when necessary now too. Earlier in the season Alan Pardew was a little critical of Benny’s defensive work and that might be the reason why a lot of his 25 appearances for The Toon were as a substitute, but he now seems to command a regular staring place so his defensive duties must at least be up to Alan Pardew’s satisfaction.
Ben Arfa started his senior career at Lyon where he’d previously been a youth player. He played for Lyon from 2004-2008 and scored 11 goals in 87 appearances before moving to Marseille for €11m. In his time at Marseille he notched up 15 goals in 91 appearances before first being loaned to Newcastle in 2010 and then being transferred in 2011 for approximately £5m.
He’s played for us 21 times now and scored 7 goals – 6 league and 1 cup – and of course he had to contend with a major leg break injury after a crunching tackle from Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong. Of those 7 goals, I narrowed it down to 4 contenders for ‘Ben Arfa’s Best Goal So Far’, so take a look at these and vote for your favourite. (more…)
