I Wish I Was A Geordie - The Blog of Newcastle United in the US

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.

Brighton Defeat Predictable Yet Painful

Undoubtedly like most Newcastle United fans, I fully expected the worst ahead of Saturday's third round FA Cup match.

Away at Brighton. With an undermanned squad. Could you get a more obvious upset? Newcastle predictably crashed to a 2-0 defeat against a Brighton team that looked hungrier, better organized and more skilled.

Newcastle's thin squad hardly needs more games, so from that standpoint the loss wasn't much of a blow. Still, the performance was downright atrocious, even when taking into account the patchwork nature of the team Alan Pardew was forced to field. Brighton thoroughly controlled the match, outpassing, outcreating and outworking Newcastle.

What else is there to say that hasn't already been written this season? Newcastle isn't playing attractive or effective soccer and hasn't done so for most of the season. Fans have griped about formations — turns out the 4-3-3 isn't a cure-all after all, eh? — and tactics, but those seem like minor points compared to the complete lack of confidence and grit in the team at the moment.

As badly as Pardew needs a new center back and striker, Newcastle could stand to add an on-field leader or two this month. Perhaps Yohan Cabaye and Steven Taylor will fill that void when they return from injury, which could happen Saturday at Norwich. Still, mental toughness should be a key part of the evaluations of potential new signings. Newcastle hardly needs any more players who wear the looks of lost boys when things aren't going their way.

Of course, as Pardew was keen to point out, a significant portion of Saturday's squad were youngsters who shouldn't be featuring for the first team just yet. That the decision makers at the club believed some of those players would provide sufficient depth this season looks downright laughable now.

Forgive Newcastle fans for failing to see the humor.

RMC France Reports Potential Remy Deal: £8 Million

Citing a source "close to the club," the reliable French broadcast outlet RMC is reporting a potential deal that would send Marseille striker and French international Loic Remy to Newcastle for €10 million (£8 million). (UPDATE: It's unclear from the story whether the source is from Newcastle or Marseille, which would make a difference in indicating how close the bid is to sealing the deal.)

"This is less than half the amount OM management was requiring for a transfer to Tottenham last summer," the RMC report says. That transfer fell through in part due to concerns about a heart condition turned up in Tottenham's medical, a condition that had been detected by Marseille in 2010. Marseille doctors eventually cleared Remy to play, and a similar condition hasn't held back other players such as Nwakwo Kanu and Mohamed Diame, though Diame's defect scotched a potential move to Manchester United last summer, and at Wigan the club kept a defibrilator on its sideline as a precaution. Remy has never suffered symptoms from the problem.

RMC also reports QPR was in the running for Remy, but the striker "does not favor that destination, resulting, according to our information, in QPR's retreat."

Aside from the heart condition Remy has been hampered much of the season by a thigh injury, not thought to be serious, but nagging enough for OM to prefer in-form André-Pierre "Big Mac" Gignac in its lone-striker formation. As was the case with the recently departed star whose transfer is helping fund this transaction, without the physical questions it's unlikely a player of Remy's pedigree would be available to Newcastle, much less at a bargain price. And Remy's experience on the flank should make for a more productive partnership with Papiss Cissé. It feels like a reasonable risk, and given recent events on and off the pitch, a necessary one.

No Defense For A Relegation-Worthy Display

Throughout Newcastle United's winter swoon, I've remained steadfast in my belief that at some point the tide of injuries, poor form and bad luck would turn. Newcastle would pull away from the bottom end of the Premier League table. The idea that any of us considered the prospect of relegation would seem fairly ridiculous.

After Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat to Everton, I'm no longer playing it cool. Sure, there's plenty of season (17 games) left for Newcastle to improve its fortunes. But relegation has to be considered a very real possibility at this juncture.

Newcastle fans could point to an inconsistent refereeing display from Martin Atkinson (hardly his first), Demba Ba's untimely (although not totally unwelcome) departure to Chelsea and Alan Pardew's decision to leave Papiss Cisse on the right of a 4-3-3 formation (the alignment in which Newcastle had prepared for the match before Ba's matchday exit) as factors in the loss.

Or, as Pardew correctly cited in his post-match interview, the key performers missing through injury and the need for reinforcements this month.

But, while all valid to varying degrees, any of those arguments misses the larger point: This team is a complete mess defensively. Only two clubs have conceded more goals in Premier League play than Newcastle's 39 this season: Aston Villa (41) and Reading (40). Newcastle has only managed three clean sheets in 21 Premier League matches. It merely looked like a matter of time before Newcastle conceded during a first half that saw Everton's Leighton Baines, Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman repeatedly threaten down the left.

Cheick Tiote seems more concerned with rampaging around the field and trying to foul the opposition into submission than protecting the backline and providing simple and steady distribution. Mike Williamson, for all of his effort, continues to look like a weak link at center back. None of Newcastle's right backs are difference makers, although hopefully Mathieu Debuchy will provide a significant upgrade. Usually-reliable Fabricio Coloccini has stumbled at several inopportune times. Even Davide Santon, who would receive a good chunk of votes for the club's player of the season at this point, struggled on Wednesday and failed to track substitute Victor Anichebe's run for the decisive goal.

Much of the attention in the coming days and weeks will no doubt center on Newcastle's search for Ba's replacement (and the preferred option seems to be, no surprise, Marseille's Loic Remy). But, as should have been the case last summer, the first priority in the transfer market must be at the back. In addition to Debuchy, Newcastle badly needs a Premier-League-ready center back. A utility man capable of filling several roles on the backline wouldn't hurt, either. Two days ago, The Journal reported that Newcastle had tabled an offer for Valenciennes' 21-year-old French center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, while West Ham's James Tomkins — a target last January — has also been tossed around as an option in recent days.

"We need some new bodies in, we need some bodies out of the treatment room and we need to get our best side back on the pitch," Pardew told reporters in his post-match press conference.

All of that is true. But if and when those bodies get on the pitch — remember, it's no guarantee that the injured players will return as planned or that no one else will get hurt in the remaining five months of the season — it's up to Pardew to once again instill the sort of discipline, organization and resolve that were the hallmarks of last season's team.

Or, as our Twitter friend @newyorkmagpie posted amid all the post-match doom and gloom, "I still believe in you Pards but give me something....anything."

Something. Anything. And soon.