Demba Ba unhappy with role

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19635010

Demba Ba 'doesn't understand' Newcastle United role

By Mike Henson
BBC Sport
Demba Ba's agent says that his client "does not understand the management" of Newcastle after starting the 2-2 draw with Everton on the bench.
The 27-year-old forward came on to score both his side's goals, saying later he was unhappy at being named as a substitute by manager Alan Pardew.
"Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Demba doesn't understand the management," said Alex Gontran.
"If he continues to be a substitute all season, we'll look at other solutions."
After Ba was named on the bench, but before his introduction to the action at Goodison Park, his brother Hamady wrote on Twitter that manager Pardew was "crazy" for leaving him out.
"Demba is happy at Newcastle. He is playing in the Premier League, with lot of fellow French speakers and he loves the club's supporters," Gontran told BBC Sport.
Newcastle top scorers 2011-12
Demba Ba - 19 goals (3 this season)
Papiss Demba Cisse - 13 (0)
Hatem Ben Arfa - 6 (2)
Yohan Cabaye - 5 (0)
"He would like to start every game but he respects the choice of the coach, even if he does not always understand or agree."
Pardew claimed after the draw that he could not keep everyone in his squad happy and that "sometimes players play better when they're angry".
Ba has started all three of Newcastle's previous Premier League games, but has been regularly deployed on the left since fellow Senegal international Papiss Demba Cisse was signed from Freiberg in January.
After scoring 15 goals in 19 Premier League games prior to the Africa Cup of Nations and Cisse's arrival on Tyneside, Ba found the net just once in his remaining 15 club matches in the 2011-12 campaign.
"How could you put your best striker with full confidence on the left wing?" added Gontran.
"The choice to put Demba on the left last season was good for the club, because Cisse scored 13 goals.
"But there was a lack of recognition for Demba. It is more difficult to play well when you don't have the confidence of your staff."
Speculation linking Ba with a move away from Newcastle in the last two transfer windows was fuelled by a release clause in his contract that would be triggered by a bid of about £7.5m.

 

Im not sure the quotes show that he says he's unhappy with his role. All he has said is that he would like to start every game- shocking...

 

Ba said after the match he has not been happy with some things so was determined to show what he could do. Fine.

Personally, at the moment he needs to be the main striker through the middle. He is in form at the moment. If Cisse is to play as well (and I expect Cisse to find form soon as well) then I would play Cisse to the right of a 4 - 3 -3 and HBA to the left

 

Ba's been on the bench once. He's started as a striker every other game. If he can't accept being benched he can get to ****. This is most likely just agent bull**** though.

 

I'm with Scottish, the headline should be:

'Agent says Ba wants to play every game'

I don't know why the BBC journo has tried to make something out of nothing. The headline seems to have been written from one quote: "He would like to start every game but he respects the choice of the coach, even if he does not always understand or agree." Pretty innocuous.

 

If you watch his interview after Everton, he said he was unhappy for a while around the start of the season, but now he's looking forward and hoping for positives in the future.

I think we all know that our strongest line up is -

Ba-----Cisse----Ben Arfa

-------Cabaye---------

---Jonas-----Tiote------

Santon-Colo-Saylor--Simmo/Anita

----------Krul--------------

But we will need to rotate.

I think we should play that formation above with two wingers and Ba starting in the premier league, bring Cisse on later on. And for Europa, start Cisse.

Ba is playing much better at the moment, and scoring, so we should use him in our PL campaign. He should be a definite starter in our PL games.

Cisse needs to get his form back. The promising thing is, despite being off form, he almost scored a couple of times last night, and tried a few cheeky efforts, which shows he still has confidence, but maybe he's the sort that makes a slow start after a long break, and once he gets momentum, you can't stop him. I think it's best he keeps playing games, and he'll most likely get goals in the Europa League.

I think it would be great starting Shola next to Cisse in the Europa League.

 

Disagree slightly.

Our strongest line up is

HBA - Ba - Cisse

Certainly at the moment Ba is the more in form. Even when both are in form, I think Cisse would do better as a wide right player than Ba does as a wide left. I don't think there's anything between them when it comes to finishing.

 

Ba has pace and power, he'd be more suited to the LW, plus he's showed he can score from that and be a nuisance.

Cisse is better in the middle.

Ben Arfa would be better from the right, cutting in on his left.

You saw what happened against Everton last night, when he comes in on the left, he finds it more difficult to finish.

 

I'm not liking those quotes.
If he's unhappy then fine.. all players can't be happy all of the time... but to put out comments like that (if true) is dissappointing...

 

Agents talk ****. Most players have trouble controlling them.

 

Won't argue it to death, but Cisse is at least as quick as Ba. Power is an attribute best used in the middle. Cisse has not shown that he is better in the middle than Ba. HBA had no difficulty finishing from the left against Villa.

 

If Pardew insists on having Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa on the pitch, then I would have to agree that the only way we could line up would be Ba wide left Cisse central and HBA on the right.

The reason Pardew was able to shift Ba out left was because Ba has the all round ability to take people on, use his strength to hold up the ball and although probably about the same Speed as Cisse he can dribble the ball better and link up with the midfield. Cisse IMO is a poacher, and a tremendous finisher when in form, he is capable of some great touches and passes but not enough to play out wide IMO. Also HBA looked lost on the left wing, he is at his best just behind the striker or at RW.

However, with Ba being on fire at the moment it would definitely be best to play him through the middle against Norwich, I would personally leave Cisse on the bench, who knows we might get a Ba style reaction from him when he comes on? But at the moment I'd like to see Marv given a chance wide left Ba central and Ben Arfa right hand side, I think against lesser opposition Marveaux could do some damage, and it will be nice having a steady supply of crosses and through balls from every angle to an in-form Ba.


Edit: To the original issue about Ba being unhappy, I think he needs to realise its a team game, we need to rotate and we need to change tactics to suit different teams, if this means him occasionally playing out wide then he needs to either knuckle down and play for the team or leave, I don't care how good he is or how many goals hes scored, if he can't settle his ego and be a team player then he needs to go in January. But I hope this is not the case. I understand his frustrations, but its not like he had really set the world alight before being dropped had he?

 

Ba is definitely the fastest out of our front line, in terms of long term pace, and covering ground. Cisse and Ben Arfa are quicker over a short distance, and better agility wise, but pace wise, Ba is quicker.

Ba is a significantly more physical being than Cisse.

I think it would be best to start the 4-3-3 with Cisse in the middle, and rotate the forward 3.

We did it last season, in our good run. We kept on switching Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa around, and it ****ed up the other teams ****!

 

That West Brom away game comes to mind, sheer carnage.

 

Yep! First goal came from Ben Arfa switching from right to left, playing a pass across the ground to Cisse.

2nd, game came from Ben Arfa down the center.

3rd, came from Ben Arfa from the left, Ba causing havoc and Cisse finishing.

Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa in a 4-3-3. They're not routed to their positions, they can switch and they ****ed up a lot of peoples ****.

And Cabaye just behind them! Orgasm!

 

Last night Demba tweeted: "Good night people. So proud for that 1,000th goal. I'm not a legend like people say, but nufc is a legendary club!!!"

Doesn't sound unhappy to me, just sounds like the media are blowing this all out of proportion like with the £7M clause.

 

agent or media ****-stirring, nowt else. we'll take him off your hands though if he keeps whingeing. we'll let you have ji......

 

but the ol' "Hoof it to Fletcher" is working well for you guys

 

Agent Bullshit IMO, wouldn't be surprised if it was the same fecker who was stirring it up for the whole transfer window with all the rumours!

Ba said he wasn't happy but didn't say what, he could have meant the team performance for all we know. If he has a problem with how we are playing he should be speaking to Pards and his agent shouldn't be spouting this kind of crap off.

He is here until January and even then IF anyone comes in for him will need to pay top whack for him now his release clause has gone, who would be that stupid.

End of the day he was on the Bench for 1 game and we have Europa on Thursday, so has he rested him for that match??? would make sense.

Also if Ba is unhappy with playing on the left why did he make an effort to go away and watch vids of his games to find ways to improve??

All a load of crap.

 

needs must...