Newcastle had one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League in the early 2010s.
Indeed, the Magpies weren’t necessarily the best team in the world under Alan Pardew, but they had an incredible 2011/12 season in which they finished fifth in the Premier League.
Of course, many fans’ lasting memory of that season was Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse banging in the goals as one of the Premier League’s greatest strike partnerships.
However, according to Ryan Taylor, speaking on the Everything is Black and White Podcast, Ba and Cisse actually didn’t get on at Newcastle.
Indeed, the defender says that Ba actually wasn’t too happy when Cisse joined the club and stole his thunder, and the two barely ever spoke to one another.
Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse barely spoke at Newcastle
Taylor spoke about Ba and his relationship with Cisse.
These two strikers scored tons of goals during that 2011/12 season, but apparently, off the pitch, they weren’t friends.
Cisse was gutted when Ba was sold, but it would appear that Ba wasn’t so fond of his strike partner.
“He (Ba) was so laid back. I loved him. And then Papiss came in and everything he hit went in,” Taylor said.
“It was like, I was watching him in training and he was so unorthodox with the way he was shooting and his technique and stuff. But he just hit the ground running here and it was like, just let him shoot. The Chelsea goal, the goal against Villa at home, I think his debut, everything he hit just went in.
“It was like, he just went for a real purple patch. And like I said, Demba Ba as well, I think he got his nose pushed out of joint a little bit when Papiss came and Demba had to go on the left. So it wasn’t all flowers and roses.”
“They didn’t get on, did they?” Taylor was asked.
“No, they barely ever spoke to each other, yeah.
“Yeah, seriously, and they played with each other for the countries and obviously they came to Newcastle and they were the same, but they didn’t really get on, did they?
“You would think, wouldn’t you, he’d come here and be quite pally, best mates, but they weren’t really.”
Demba Ba form after Papiss Cisse arrived
Taylor says that Ba wasn’t happy when Cisse arrived at St James’ Park, and his form did reflect that.
Ba was fantastic for Newcastle, but he did have a dry patch after Cisse arrived.
Indeed, Ba’s form fell off a cliff after Cisse arrived at Newcastle in 2012.
| Demba Ba 2011/12 stats after Papiss Cisse arrived | |
|---|---|
| Games | 14 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
Meanwhile, Cisse did pick up the goalscoring burden that season, banging in the goals from his arrival up until the end of the season.
| Papiss Cisse 2011/12 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 14 |
| Goals | 13 |
| Assists | 2 |
Ba and Cisse were thought to be great friends. After all, they were fellow countrymen, and they often celebrated together, but, according to Taylor, the two strikers’ relationships behind the scenes were frosty at best.
