Ba At Newcastle: Mercenary Or Misunderstood?

Mercenary. It's the most damning indictment that fans, who live and die with the fortunes of their clubs, can make about a player. Think about it. If I said last year that Alan Smith sucked, I wasn't trying to impugn his character, just expressing my rational belief that a randomly chosen Tyneside 12-year-old could probably run circles around him.

But calling someone a mercenary is not about how good a player someone is. It's about how good a person he is. And with Demba Ba's move to Chelsea now signed, sealed, and consummated with two FA Cup goals on Saturday, that's exactly the tag many Newcastle fans have used to describe him.

Ba's Stamford Bridge move was punctuated by a harsh Luke Edwards Telegraph article which seemed to confirm every supporter's worst fears. Though Edwards took pains to put his treatment of Ba in perspective, he did say that "ultimately his teammates knew he was in it for himself. Trust has been eroded, replaced by suspicion and bitterness." Edwards also revisted the now-irrelevant issue of Ba's restoration to the club's feature striker, which eventually forced international teammate Papiss Cissé to an unfamiliar right wing position. It paints an utterly unsympathetic caricature of the departed striker. No doubt many would say that Chelsea fits him to the core.

Yet through the whole saga, from Ba's original move to the left wing in favor of Cissé, to the release clause drama of the summer, and his recent brilliance while Newcastle has suffered, I've done my best to put myself in the striker's talent-laden boots. And honestly, I can't help but find myself having done much the same. 

First, outside of his dry spell at the start of 2012, Ba's record speaks for itself. Without his goals at the start of last season, Newcastle would have found itself much closer to this year's 15th than a Champions League-threatening fifth place. When he got cold, he was pushed to the wing to help feature the in-form Cissé, and often acquitted himself quite well. Sure, he complained - as did Cissé when treated identically by Alan Pardew in the fall. As much as Edwards portrays Ba as a divisive character, does he think that Pardew sticking with a faltering Cissé at the expense of a red-hot Ba would have been any less divisive? It's hard to fault the manager for featuring the striker who was playing well.

And shooting instead of passing to an open teammate? Flip on any match this weekend - or even head down to your local park - and you'll see the exact same thing. Selfish strikers are as much a part of the game as yellow cards. Cissé has been just as guilty as Ba on that front, as well. And if it's frustrating to see your leading scorer tee up a hopeless 25-yarder, it's even worse when a guy does it after missing a penalty. 

The criticism of Ba comes down to a natural disconnect between athletes and fans, one that has worsened as sports have become global. When the club consisted of local lads who bled black and white, just like those attending the match do, some extra loyalty is expected. But it wasn't Demba Ba's dream to don the striped shirt and walk out to "Local Hero." For that matter, it wasn't Papiss Cissé's - or probably anyone else out there now except the Ameobi brothers. And given the short careers of professional footballers, which may turn out to be particularly true in the case of Ba, it shouldn't surprise when they end up finding better deals elsewhere and opt to take them.

Obviously, the three of us aren't around in the locker room to watch the proceedings. (Though as an aside, a certain Derek Llambias - who isn't exactly known to hide his feelings while drinking among fans - vouched for Ba's character while chatting up my new pals in New York. So do with that information what you will.) But on the pitch, it was difficult to find fault with much of what the striker did in Newcastle colors. Although he wasn't my favorite player, Ba was instrumental to an absolutely unforgettable season for me as a fan. And for that, I'll remember him fondly.

Comments

[geoff777]

Good player.

A contracts a contract.
Agree to stupid clauses and you'll pay for doing so.

Good luck to the lad.

Ashley should have put up the cash to improve his contract.
We'll end up paying 10m for Remy plus his agents fees.
Surely that 10m+ would have kept Ba (proven goal scorer) at the club.

We have a pair of fools running the club, who know nothing about football, are in over their heads and can't get out.
So they are in damage limitation mode, trying to keep us in the Premiership without spending any more of Ashley's money.

On top of this Pardew's luck has run out and he's being shown to be inept managerially and tactically naive.

[Mathew]

Look Newcastle got him for nothing! They rolled the dice and if they really thought he was great and a steal they should have dropped some serious money on him before he showed the world how great he is! He stayed at Newcastle through 3 Transfer windows but still Newcastle failed to 1. secure a long term contract with him and 2. deliver on promises to build a team that could year after year compete at the top of the table.
On top of it he was benched and pushed aside when we signed Cisse and nobody was worried about him leaving, I'm sure that made him happy. So he bides his time goes on a massive run to start the season while Cisse misses open goals, horrible offside runs and terrible passes. Chelsea comes knocking with a big contract and the chance to contend for actual medals not a relegation fight!
The blame is on the owner and managers for not making him feel more wanted and paying him!

[Mathew]

Also @Matt I think you can build a team with players who have loyalty toward the club and city. The 'top of the mountain' example is Barca who have schools and camps for kids starting at age 8 and they have reminders all around their stadium, locker room and practice facility of the club and history you're playing for. Now you can also break that down to lower level teams and focus on a couple of things 1. The relationship the manager builds with his players. Money is one thing but most players rank the relationship with the manager and team mates very high when making a decision. I thought Newcastle was starting to build that. They probably are for the most part and some players just don't fit into the 'Loyalty mold'. Even in our age of big money, global teams you can build loyalty with players over just having to pay the most!

[Matt]

Oh, I agree, Mathew. That's why I've wanted NUFC to develop a consistent system/style of play that goes from the academy up to the senior squad - "the Newcastle way," if you will. To me, that's what the 8-year deals for Pardew and Carr were supposed to be about. Makes it easier to integrate the present squad with incoming transfers and reserve players. That seems like it's a work in progress. Of course, we have to make it through this season first!

[Mathew]

Yep make it through the season, hang on to our French internationals ;) and re-build for '13 - '14...

[Jaeger]

aren't all professionals mercenaries? they get paid for their services... can you fault someone if they got offered double their salary? would none of you take that opportunity? not saying every player would do that, some players value the atmosphere or the coach or the chance of winning trophies.

survive this year and build in the summer with first team ready players. we got a great deal of out ba when he was here for the price we got him, players come and go and we need to move on...hope this is the last article about ba ....bigger things need to be addressed at the club now.

[Bad Mario]

Mercenaries. Exactly the reason I hate Van Persie for moving to United. He was such a dick about it. And I don't hate Arsenal. But, I claim Geordie heritage, and NUFC are my team. I haven't been following Ba (or NUFC) seriously for that long (you at the Highbury know who I am, ha ha), so, I am holding off on my opiion, for now.