Papiss Cisse’s obvious dissatisfaction at being withdrawn for eventual match-winner Shola Ameobi was a major talking point of Newcastle United’s 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. The Senegalese striker’s goals have dried up alarmingly since Alan Pardew shifted him onto the wing to accommodate the in-form Demba Ba up front, yet Ba is also a topic of discussion given his apparent desire to leave St James’s Park despite being played in his preferred position having himself taken up a wide role to accommodate Cisse in the second half of last season.

Is it time for the Magpies to accept the imminent departure of their top scorer and put Cisse back where he’s most effective? Or does Ba’s current goal-scoring form demand his inclusion regardless of what happens in January? Football Burp visited NUFC-forum.com and TalkOfTheTyne.com to see what the Toon Army faithful had to say about this tricky issue…

NUFCforum…

Yorkie…

I feel for Cisse like. He’s being deployed in an absolutely ridiculous role that he is completely and utterly unsuited to. I’m no football manager, but i’m sorry, there has got to be more options than: a) up top in a 4-4-2, or b) 60 yards away from goal on the wing. It’s total bullshit. He’s playing out of skin, and the only thing rendering him more than totally useless is some nice footwork here and there.

Fenham Mag…

He wasn’t sulking too long he was going wild when Shola scored high fiving everyone in the dugout.

Skirge…

I am glad he was p*ssed off maybe he needs to get angry, yeah Shola scored but how would Shola do if he was stuck out on the wing.

Ryan…

Feel for this lad, really do. Can’t believe Pardew is criticizing him for not getting goals when he is stuck out on the right win, such poor management that we’re wasting this guys talents.

Geordie Ahmed…

Our number 9 is being played as a winger, it’s absurd. He didn’t sign up for this and I’m surprised he has been extremely patient about it

Gallowgate Toon…

He had every right to be furious, the lack of faith AP’s shown in him has been horrendous.

Cronky…

He came here, he scored a shedload of goals, and then he gets displaced from his position by a player who has threatened to leave if he doesn’t get the role that he wants.

Psychologically, that’s a difficult blow to overcome and today it looked like it had really got to him. He did as well as he could in that role and still (rightly) got taken off.

Shak…

The difference is that Ba is well able to play effectively out on the flank while Cisse looks completely unsuited to the role. When Cisse has played out wide he’s looked hopeless, while when Ba plays there he looks very comfortable in the role and has helped the team play some of it’s best football. The only thing missing from his performances was the goals.

I’d be very confident that should we move Cisse back into the middle of a front three then the goals would start flowing again. Not at the same ridiculous rate he was banging them in last year, but play him in that role and he wouldn’t be looking like the donkey he’s come across as in the last few months. Would he have scored as many as Ba this year? Hard to know, but I doubt he’d have been far off. We wouldn’t have had an absolute passenger in the team either (which is what Cisse has been all year), and it would also have allowed Ben Arfa play in a more advanced role than he’s been finding himself in all year.

But yeah, as long as Demba gets more goals for himself then that’s the main thing, and anyone who has a problem with his insistence on playing central hurting the team as a whole is obviously a moron!

tollemache…

tbh I think Cisse on form, like Ba, is quite a good hoofball player. They’re both great at dealing with early balls into the box. Normally.

As for what to do about the pairing… I don’t think Ba should be a sacred cow just because the goals are coming through him right now. We’ve seen that Cisse can bang them in if he feels like it. If Ba is disrupting things, then selling him while he’s hot and getting an alright fee for a player whose knee is liable to explode and who we signed for free would be fine by me. Ideally we’d keep him for another couple of years and then sell him at his peak a la Wenger but maybe that peak is now.

What I’d like to see is HBA playing off Cisse, or in behind Cisse and someone else, and I’m going to resist the urge here to go on about the clear, ready-made 4-3-1-2 we have on our hands. Either way, put HBA in the middle of the pitch with license to do what he wants and whoever is in front of him will get goals.

Talk of the Tyne

ManxMag…

In an ideal world we would keep ba and his goals and he would play exactly where it suits the team best. For £50k a week for tge club that took a chance on his dodgy knee last hear. Sadly it seems as though he’s a sulky greedy fucker who winds up the rest of the team by demanding his own way. If we can function more as a team with remy in and get a decent team spirit back then we might have a chance.

taffontyne…

I have to say this about Ba though – he delivers.

Paul Kannell…

Yep, one player who’s given 100% in every game he’s played this season

Bruce68…

Can’t understand why the majority seem to be happy that we will be losing our top goalscorer.

BrassyNUFC…

because they all think that once Ba is out the way, Cisse will be revitalised and start banging in goals from all angles again, and we will all live happily ever after..

..Amen

OldLeazes…

Remember, it’s not about the money. Ba only wants to be loved. He wants that love to be shown in the form of a massive pay rise and the choice of playing wherever he wants.

It’s not about money though, Ba is a beautiful person. Let’s not forget that.

cameron-nufc…

i want Cisse in the central role. If remy was to sign and Ba was to go, we’ve strengthened up front in my opinion.

Ben arfa Cisse Remy is a better combo than with Ba on the left. we’d have someone who has no problems playing there for a start.

We have to play 3 up front with Cisse in the central role, it worked wonders last season and thats where we’ll get the best out of Cisse

st-pedros-basin…

putting his wonder goals aside for a moment, I said last season that Cisse reminded me so much of Lineker in his movement, style of play and work rate, and who would dream of putting Lineker on the wing. No wonder his confidence is shot to shit.

How would you handle the situation if you were Alan Pardew, Newcastle fans? Have your say in the comments section below…