North-East Sport
Ba urges Magpies to remain positive
8:00am Tuesday 14th February 2012
DEMBA Ba insists Newcastle remain on track for an extremely successful season, provided they do not allow the occasional setback to derail their push for a European place.
Saturday's 5-0 defeat at Tottenham might have been a humiliating affair, but other results tempered the effect of the Magpies' heaviest defeat of the season.
With Chelsea and Liverpool both losing, Newcastle remain just one point off a Champions League place. Indeed, if they beat crisis club Wolves in 11 days time, and Arsenal and Chelsea draw with each other, they will claim fourth position with just 12 games of the season to go.
Lessons still need to be learned from Saturday's fiasco, but Ba is urging his team-mates not to lose sight of everything they have achieved so far this season.
"I didn't think it (the season) would be as successful as it has been," said the striker, who is third in the Premier League's goalscoring charts. "You always work to be one of the best and that is what I am doing here - it is what I will continue to do.
"Other teams are working to be the best too and maybe they have a bit more quality than us but we're doing very well. This season is ours - we just need to enjoy it."
Saturday's game saw Ba start alongside fellow Senegal international, Papiss Cisse, for the first time in a Newcastle shirt.
There was little in the way of intuitive link-up play, although a complete lack of service was clearly a major factor in the Magpies' lack of an attacking threat.
Cisse's debut goal against Aston Villa showcased his goalscoring potential, and with a blank weekend looming because of Newcastle's exit from the FA Cup, the 26-year-old should have settled in nicely by the time Wolves visit Tyneside a week on Saturday.
The former Freiburg striker is gradually beginning to master the English language, although the North-East weather continues to present its own set of unique challenges.
"It's not too bad at the moment, and as long as it doesn't go below zero and there's no snow, he should be okay," joked Ba.
"Seriously though, Papiss has come in and he's been made to feel welcome straight away. I'm sure he's going to be okay here, he'll be fine. We have a strong dressing room and he'll be part of that."
Ba and Cisse both made an early return from the Africa Cup of Nations after Senegal suffered a surprise exit at the group stage, and Cheik Tiote is expected to fly back to Tyneside this week after Ivory Coast suffered a dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat to Zambia in Sunday night's final.
Tiote scored with the first spot-kick of the shoot-out, but misses from Kolo Toure and Gervinho eventually resulted in an 8-7 defeat for the pre-tournament favourites.
Meanwhile, teenage midfielder Steven Logan has signed his first professional deal with the Magpies.
Carlisle-born Logan, who is 17, joined Newcastle's academy full-time 18 months ago and penned a two-and-a-half year senior deal with the club last week.
He is a Scotland Under-17 international and has already joined in a handful of training sessions with the first-team squad.
"I've been at Newcastle for seven years as they spotted me playing in a tournament over in the North-East," said Logan. "I'm really pleased with the way things are going, and it's great to get my first pro contract.
"I've been working with (academy director) Joe Joyce since I was about 14 as I've come right through the ranks at Newcastle. He's played an important part in my development."