Cisse planning long NUFC stay

Some positive news from our number 9.
He doesn't give many interviews and seems a quiet lad but he comes across very well indeed.


http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/200548.html?CMP=OTC-RSS#

Papiss Cisse has admitted his second season in the Premier League has not gone as planned, but he has no intention of jumping ship from Newcastle.

The forward arrived at Newcastle in January 2012 and lit up the Premier League with some stunning strikes, notably the amazing effort against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that swerved up and over keeper Petr Cech.

Cisse was tipped to carry on the form in the current campaign but, in mirroring the side's struggles in the bottom half of the table, he has not hit the same heights.

The Magpies remain in a relegation fight, but Cisse is confident Newcastle will pull away from danger and he is looking forward to a productive spell at the club.

"I've signed a contract for four-and-a-half years and I am going to be playing out my contract," Cisse said. "I feel at home in Newcastle. I've been welcomed ever since I came here.

"My first six months here were extraordinary. Everything I touched turned to gold. Obviously I was hoping it was going to be the same as the first six months this season. But when I first arrived defences didn't know what to expect - I was something a little bit new.

"Now defences have worked me out a bit and they've kept me quieter but I've been working hard to get back to my form of last season."

While the focus is on avoiding relegation, Newcastle remain in the hunt for Europa League glory and Cisse feels silverware is achievable.

He said: "In terms of winning trophies, we are in the Europa League and we have every chance of winning that.

"We are not saying we are going to but we are going to go out there and go as far as we possibly can in it.

"It's not going to be easy. We are expecting a tough match against Benfica who are a very good team. But we are not going to go there and make it easy for them.

"We are going cause them as many problems as we can and try and get the win."

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/200548.html#c2H01uWi0xkzYY1h.99

 

Top man

 

Good stuff.

He's had a hard season this season, mainly because for the first half he was playing a hoofball side that doesn't compliment him at all.

Since we've started playing it on the deck he's been scoring on a decent basis. He's a 15-18 goals a season striker in the right set up.

 

Still a good lad to have on your books. He has done a bit better of late and I think his all round game has improved since being here. What we need is competition for him and the option of a partner (s) who compliments him when we play two up. The Carroll/Bony type would fit that bill, but so would a Beardsley type who plays from deeper. They are the two types of striker I'd like to see us go for in the summer.

I like Cisse. I know he is not everyones cup of tea, but he seems a good character and has worked hard at his game. I'm still convinced he'll get back to more regular scoring. He has done already since we sorted our **** out in January.

Get those two strikers and two centre backs to cover the inevitable departure of Colo, and hopefully the replacement of Willo.

After that all we need is another winger and a cover ball player in the middle. But they would be wants not needs. The squad is shaping up nicely.

 

Cisse just needs someone alongside him to complement him and share the goals. He's starting to score again because he's not having 70 yard balls hoofed at him.

 

The loss of Ben Arfa has clearly hurt Cisse, not to mention him being played out wide for half the season. Had Ben Arfa been fit all season and Cisse played through the centre, I think he'd have 5-10 more goals for sure.

 

I think 15 - 18 is an underestimate. He should have about 13 at the end of this season, which has had about everything possible working against him.

 

This.
They are on the same wavelength.

 

Can't blame him totally for his form this season, the service to him has been utterly dreadful. Give him a quality pass ala Sissoko vs villa or marv vs stoke and he scores goals. I'm surprised by this interview because he seems to be very frustrated on the pitch. If he gets good service he is quality.

 

I really like Papiss as a football personality and he's the kind of lad it's easy to wish success for.

However...

I find an article like this slightly hollow and poorly timed tbh. It's kind of easy to say you're settled and keen to stay when you're not in the kind of form that makes you desirable to rival clubs.
I'd be more heartened to read it if he was in electric insane form again, banging everything in (sitters included) from bewildering angles.

Will he honestly feel the same if he recaptures that and the vultures start circling his agent?

In his defense, the service and support to him has been WOEFUL all season and Demba leaving has hindered as much as helped him in my view.

But, he's still had plenty of chances I would expect most professional footballers to get on target never mind score and him fluffing them has cost us big points.

Needs to work on his general awareness and time his runs better... He's flagged offside even when he's not!