The banality of evil.I’ve read it many, many times now; passages of media stories about Papiss Cisse alleged objection to wearing a Newcastle United shirt with a Wonga advert on it which usually go along the lines of:
“Islam forbids the lending of money for interest, and Cisse has raised concerns with the club’s hierarchy about United’s new sponsors.”
Or:
“Cisse is a practicing Muslim and his reported objections over promoting Wonga stem from Islamic Sharia law which states that Muslims must not benefit from either lending money or receiving money from another person.”
This is usually accompanied by a disingenous or obtuse (it’s hard to tell sometimes) response by an alleged Newcastle United fan which is so common it has become another fallacious, dishonest cliche. This one along the lines of:
“He’s a hypocrite if he refuses to wear Wonga because they charge interest. He wore Virgin Money last season and they charge interest too.”(more…)
Demba Ba: Newcastle United’s hottest hitman in recent times.Below is a table comparing the main statistics of all of Newcastle United’s main strikers who have played in the Hughton / Pardew years. There are six, Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands, Andy Carroll, Leon Best, Demba Ba and most recently of course, Papiss Cisse.
Please note that this is for Premier League games only. Championship stats have been excluded as they would obviously give the players who played a full season in the lower division an unfair advantage. As well as that, cup games have also been escluded too to make as level a playing field as possible (if you’ll pardon the pun). I think you might find one or two surprises in there, which was partly the reason I did this post in the first place.
I suppose I could have included Kevin Nolan too, as his goalscoring and assist figures would also stand up with the names below after Chris Hughton moved him further forward into the “hole” as they say, however this one’s for strikers and Nolan has always been a midfielder, albeit a highly attacking one in recent seasons. (more…)
Cabaye, Cisse and Tiote: Three of NUFC's five signatories.62 players from 37 clubs around the world have called on UEFA chief Michel Platini to strip Israel of their right to host the UEFA Under-21 European Championship in solidarity with the people of Gaza after the recent killings by Israel of over 100 Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
Of the 62, five Newcastle United players, as well as one ex-Newcastle United player (Leon Best), have been signatories to the statement condemning the slaughter. This is the second highest contingent of players on the list after French club, Olympique de Marseille (though there was no Joey Barton on the list). The Newcastle United signatories to the statement are Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cissé, Sylvain Marveaux and finally, Cheikh Tioté. Strangely though, there is no Hatem Ben Arfa there.
The full statement, along with the list of 62 signatories and their clubs is below:
“We, as European football players, express our solidarity with the people of Gaza who are living under siege and denied basic human dignity and freedom. The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the death of over a hundred civilians, was yet another stain on the world’s conscience.(more…)
A high quality live stream of this evening’s second leg Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse’s Senegal, and Cheick Tiote’s Ivory Coast.
In case you don’t know, the outcome of this game could have important consequences for Newcastle United. If underdogs Senegal manage to overcome a two goal deficit (the first leg was 4-2 to the Ivorians), then the club could find that their only proper strikers during the ACON tournament proper, which will be held in South Africa from the 19th January to the 10 February, will be the Shola Ameobi and Academy hitman, Adam Campbell, though Shola’s brother Sammy can also play upfront at a push and Hatem Ben Arfa can act as a “second” striker. It’s not a great situation though. On the other hand, if favourites, Ivory Coast win, then we will be without key midfield enforcer, Cheick Tiote. Whoever goes, they will not be available for our games against Reading (19th Jan), Aston Villa (29th Jan), Chelsea (2nd Feb) and Tottenham (9th Feb).
Who do you think Newcastle United will miss more?
Looking forward to this evening’s game, Alan Pardew had this to say:(more…)
Africa Cup of NationsThe recent signing of Senegal striker Papiss Cisse by United added to the fact that Demba Ba is also a Senegal star potentially means that Geordie fans will take more of an interest in the African Cup Of Nations (ACON) which kicks off this weekend. And of course we also have our very own (at least at the time of writing!) Cheick Tiote involved as part of the Ivory Coast team.
Obviously, we hope the lads do well – but not too well considering the legions of scouts who will be out there – and that they return to Tyneside fit and injury-free. Here’s a look at the two teams that our African players will be representing.
Senegal – The Lions Of Teranga
The Senegal national football team are nicknamed “The Lions Of Teranga”. They first appeared in the World Cup in 2002 and made an immediate name for themselves by beating France 1-0 in the opening game of the tournament. They made it to the quarter finals that year eventually going out to Turkey. Subsequently, they failed to qualify in 2006 and 2010.
The team have featured more regularly in the ACoN since 1965, their most successful year being 2002 when they were runners-up. Senegal qualified for the finals of the ACON as top of their group, winning 5 of their 6 games between September 2010 and October 2011. This included a 9-0 aggregate demolition of Mauritius and notably beating Cameroon 1-0 at home and drawing 0-0 away. (more…)
