Demba Ba (now retired)

[The College Dropout]

Would you work at a shite company for double your wages? I would. But I am a mercenary.

[Dave]

Wonder if he's been watching tonight?

[LFEE]

Hard to make out the print but he's speaking out against the current tactics in this morning's Journal...

[Elliottman]

DEMBA Ba has revealed his frustration at Newcastle United’s style of play this season as the sense of uncertainty surrounding the striker’s future builds.

United’s top scorer has scored 11 times this season but, despite his fine form, the spectre of the upcoming transfer window looms large over both the striker and the club.

The Journal can reveal Newcastle have made their “best and final” offer to Ba who gave a revealing interview to French TV station Canal+ in which he talked candidly about interest from Arsenal and admitted to concern at a lack of creativity in the team.

That is unlikely to go down particularly well with Alan Pardew or the board, who privately admit the uncertainty over the striker is their biggest concern as they plan for January.

They have made an offer which would bring Ba parity with the club’s other big earners, but his advisers are not willing to agree a deal.

The Journal understands the player has expressed a desire to play in the Champions League while at the peak of his game and, although he said leaving is “not on his mind”, he also praised Arsenal in his interview, which was broadcast on Sunday night.

There is a conviction, however, the demands around the deal – any buying club may have to shell out almost double the £7.5million release clause to complete a deal – make it far from certain he will leave.

The uncertainty is not helpful, and it was surprising Ba spoke publicly over the weekend after maintaining a silence for much of the summer on his future.

He was speaking to the channel’s flagship football TV programme L’Equipe du Dimanche, who had journeyed to Newcastle after the striker agreed to their request for an interview.

Whether Pardew will welcome his intervention just before the January transfer window is another matter, although the striker did strike an optimistic note in the run-up to the crucial QPR clash on Saturday. Ba’s comments strike at the heart of many supporters concerns this season, with Newcastle clearly suffering because of injuries to two of their creative sparks Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa.

Ba said: “I’m not happy when the team does not create anything

 

“Fans come to see beautiful games with beautiful actions and not long balls from the goalkeeper to the striker.”

On the prickly issue of his future, Ba admitted the Gunners are “very attractive” but made it clear there had been no contact from North London.

The Journal understands the player would only leave for Champions League football, with the wage demands not the only consideration of his agents as they try to resolve his future.

Ba himself said the links were a case of people putting two and two together, especially because of the clause inserted in his contract, and refused to be drawn in any depth on his intentions in the New Year.

He added: “Journalists just do their job.

“They know Arsenal need strikers, they know a release clause is inserted in my contract, so they make speculations.

“I don’t really want to comment on that, because there hasn’t been any contact, clearly, but it is true Arsenal are a very attractive club.”

In another segment on the TV programme, Ba was pictured taking a delivery of gym equipment – which the interviewer said was not exactly the actions of someone who was about to move.

That drew an interesting response from the Senegal striker.

He said: “I’ll do what I have to do in Newcastle and if I have to leave I will move all this stuff out.

“For now, though, it’s not in my mind.”

Newcastle need no distractions this weekend, especially with a game against QPR on the horizon. Harry Redknapp’s team won their first game of the season on Saturday and have not lost since the former Spurs boss took over – but. even so, Ba reckons they should be beaten at St James’ Park.

Taking heart from Newcastle’s display against Manchester City, Ba said Newcastle could handle the pressure of the must-win game.

He added: “Next Saturday against QPR, if we make mistakes the fans will become more demanding.

“If we play like we did against City, we should win.

“Don’t forget it was the champions we played last Saturday.”

[Dr Venkman]

I wouldn't mind a few beautiful actions.

[AlanSkÃrare]

I think he wants to go. It's pretty obvious from those quotes.

 

And if that's the case, we'd probably be better off without him.

[Skeletor]

@MsiDouglas: Ba interview is not helpful, is it? Unsanctioned too. Not good in time of crisis. Remy (OM) is on #nufc list for Jan but is it coincidence..

 

@MsiDouglas: ..that story emerges while Ba is playing games with #nufc?! Welcome back transfer window, we've (not) missed you....

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Those quotes are fairly standard foreign-player-in-foreign-press stuff aren't they?

 

No doubt Ba would leave if he got a brilliant offer, but then so would most people. If his clause was that attractive someone would have activated it already.

[alexf]

Used to love demba, but it's becoming increasingly clear that he is a bit of a pain. The clause, the apparent resentment for playing out wide to help the team, all the drama over him being benched against Everton and now this.

[Minhosa]

Douglas has got the hump because him and his useless cronies didn't get the interview.

[Ketsbaia]

If he wasn't scoring so many goals, it'd be much easier to hate him. They're being twats and his attitude irks me, it's just a question of should we risk losing our main goalscorer for the sake of possibly improving the team?

[thenige]

He's making a valid point in regards to some of the hoofball stuff we play. Thinking winning 3-0 against Man Utd was one of the worst 'positive' things we could have done last season. As we were so direct Pardew seems to think it's something we're really good at. Sadly as results have proven this season, we're really not.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

He wants off. Whether he'll go or not is another matter.

[Mike]

He can say whatever he wants, imo. He's one of the few guys playing well. Pards doesn't learn from mistakes fast enough (set penis), so I don't begrudge any player that wants out, tbh.

 

[Jaehyun]

I think it's time to sell and move on. His goals haven't resulted in us climbing the table. He is scoring but our team isn't working coherently and I believe that it's partly due to Ba's selfishness on and off the pitch.

 

Even without his goals I think we'll finish higher in the league with a coherent front three consisting of Cisse and HBA (and another player) that works together for the team.

We're getting to the point now where Ba is destroying the greatest asset we had last season which allowed us to overperform and that is team-spirit.

[Hanshithispantz]

I love Demba but it's pretty clear that him and Cisse is never going to work, they both need to be in the limelight. As a team Remy-Cisse-Hatem looks better than Cisse-Ba-Hatem. I'd still prefer Demba over Remy, like.

[Penn]

We're getting to the point now where Ba is destroying the greatest asset we had last season which allowed us to overperform and that is team-spirit.

 

What the fuck? That is absolutely ridiculous conjecture man. 

[GuyP]

I swear in the space of like a couple of months, suddenly Ba has gone from being everyone's favorite player to Hitler 2012...Just wait til he slates us when he leaves before saying he is destroying team-spirit and setting fire to schools etc.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KLDKcM_IPhQ/T3XSynJKR0I/AAAAAAAAA-s/2a5oYLfCL-A/s1600/thefunnyinbox-everyone-calm-the-fuck-down.jpg

[Ronaldo]

None of which is true, to be fair.

[Jaehyun]

None of which is true, to be fair.

Yeah Ba is the African male version of mother Theresa.

[littlelunchbox]

Can't disagree with anything he said, to be fair I would also want to leave if I had to play for coach like Pardew.

 

Life is too short, especially a footballers career, and one that has a dodgy knee.  Cannot blame him if he wants to maximise his career.  Clearly the way he's gone about it leaves a bit to be desired but he's telling it like it is and i kind of appreciate it, atleast this will start the wheel of motion forcing Pardew's hand on having to deal with our frontline situation.

 

Lets be honest it always take something to force Pardew's hand before he actually makes any significant changes.  Poor traits of a poor manager to be fair.

[BottledDog]

Can't disagree with anything he said, to be fair I would also want to leave if I had to play for coach like Pardew.

 

Then you shouldn't have fucking signed for Pardew.

[littlelunchbox]

Can't disagree with anything he said, to be fair I would also want to leave if I had to play for coach like Pardew.

 

Then you shouldn't have f***ing signed for Pardew.

 

You forgot salesman Pardew.

 

Tells players he likes his team to play great football , gets them to sign, and the then they realised he was bullshitting. 

 

Wouldn't you want to leave a manager who you can't trust?

[BottledDog]

Of course. But having never worked under Pardew or know the players minds, that means diddly squat.

 

Back to Demba. Yes, it would be sorely disappointing to see him go, but like most players we have been able to capture (not just in recent years), he came here with something to prove.

 

Now that he has done that (both his fitness and his quality), without any ties to the club, he'll try and push for a bigger club or more money - And fair enough up to a point (tho he'll not get the reception he maybe deserves on a return if he carries on in the press to lack even so much as a thin veneer of loyalty).

 

I'd like to think he'd stay and sign a new contract if we were doing better, but him failing to do so before the summer would suggest otherwise.

[Guest bimpy474]

Well i make Demba right about fans not wanting to see football.....Goalkeeper to Striker. Long ball is a lazy useless talentless wanker of a managers tactic.