Ba happy for Cisse to take the iconic shirt (From The Northern Echo)

Ba happy for Cisse to take the iconic shirt

10:46am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Newcastle United News By Steph Clark

NEWCASTLE UNITED'S top scorer Demba Ba has revealed he was happy to let Papiss Cisse take the club's iconic No 9 shirt after manager Alan Pardew had consulted him before offering it to his new striker.

Cisse marked his Newcastle debut with a stunning goal to claim victory against Aston Villa on Sunday following his £9m switch from German club Freiburg in the transfer window.

The win also marked Ba's return having missed five games while on international duty with Cisse for Senegal at the African Cup of Nations, and he too got on the score sheet.

The 26-year-old's first half strike was his 16th goal since joining on a free transfer in the summer, a record that saw the striker linked with a move to Manchester United during the January transfer window.

And such has been Ba's impact at Newcastle, Pardew had openly admitted prior to Cisse's arrival that the former West Ham United man could be given the iconic shirt at the start of next season.

However, after signing a five-and-half deal at Newcastle last month, Cisse agreed to take over the famous shirt.

And despite being touted as a future No 9, Ba was happy to let his fellow countryman take on the responsibility of wearing the shirt and insists there is no extra pressure on Cisse to score because of it.

"I always said that I wanted to keep my number (19). I always said that if someone comes in and you want to give him No 9, don't even ask me - just give it to him if he wants it,'' he said.

"He (the manager) asked me if I didn't mind it going to him. I said just give it to him if it helps to sign him.

"I have told him everything about the No 9 shirt, but I have also said it is just a number.

"And as for the fee - he doesn't chose to pay it or demand that it is paid, it is the club that decides it so if something bad happens - which I hope it doesn't - it will not be down to him.

"He is a very quiet guy. All the fuss and hype will not affect him"

Ba admits Sunday's win was the perfect way to return to club action and mark the arrival of Cisse, who he revealed asked for his advice prior to making his switch to the Tynesiders.

He said: "It was the perfect return to Newcastle for me - the goal, the victory. And not too much snow! So it was a good day.

"I am really happy for Papiss. I thought he tried really hard and he'd already had a couple of chances to score before he actually did.

"It's really important to score for a new club early - when you come in and score right away you feel much better. It helps a lot so I'm really, really happy for him.

"It was a goal of real class. He's actually right-footed but he showed that it doesn't matter if the ball comes to him on his left or on his right, he's going to hit it.

"It was a great signing. I was very happy when he signed.

"To be fair I wasn't too bothered who we signed, as long as we got a new striker it would help us. But fortunately for me it was someone from my country who I know well and I know how good he is. So I'm happy about that.

"He talked to me before he signed a little bit. I just said to him 'Go on - sign'. He asked everything about Newcastle - how were the supporters, the club.

"I've not told him everything because I want him to see for himself what it is like here. But he's going to see it now.

"And he hasn't seen anything yet. I think he loved the reception he got."

Sunday's win over Alex McLeish's side saw Newcastle move back up to fifth in the Premier League table.

Pardew's men also passed the magic 40-point mark after just 24 games, but Ba warns that feat doesn't mean it is time to take their feet off the pedal.

"I look at the table and think 'Fifth? Woah'. We just need to continue our road, continue doing what we're doing this season and see where we are in the end," he said.

"We need to keep our focus but as long as we do that, we'll have some very good games.

"I don't want to talk about exactly where we'll finish because it depends on a lot of things but as long as we keep going we'll be a dangerous side. We go to Spurs and believe we can win."

Meanwhile, the club confirmed Leon Best will undergo a scan on his medial knee ligament injury today.

Best was forced off in the opening stages of Sunday's win and the Magpies expect to be without the striker for a number of weeks.

It was better news for Ryan Taylor though, with the club revealing the player only sustained soft tissue damage to his lower right leg.

There were fears the 27-year-old had suffered a fracture in the challenge with Stephen Warnock, but X-rays revealed the extent of the injury wasn't as bad as first feared.