Dembas Ba and Cissé Miss Blackburn

Alan Pardew has had to admit defeat in trying to get Dema Ba and Papiss Cissé back in time for Wednesday night’s match at Ewood Park, even though they’d likely to have started from the bench at best anyway.

Speaking to the Evening Chronicle, Alan Pardew is now expecting the players back to Tyneside on Thursday in plenty of time to prepare for Sunday’s match against Aston Villa, the logistics making Ewood park impossible for the returning players.

To be honest, it might not be the worst thing in the world as stepping straight off a plane and onto the pitch could well have backfired with a potential injury and/or the players stepping out in black & white and there being unrealistic expectations of players who had been travelling for a lengthy period and not had a chance to get on the training ground.

Hopefully the rest of the team will step up to the mark and show why  they deserve a shirt, regardless of whoever else is or isn’t available for Newcastle United.