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Ba: PSG are a special club but Newcastle are my current priority
Dec 27, 2012 9:30:00 AM
The 27-year-old is determined to push the Magpies up the Premier League table after poor form has seen them fall to 14th, but suggested he would find a future move hard to reject
| Bet: | Returns: | FC Lorient £38.00 | Draw £35.00 | PSG £20.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | FC Lorient £42.00 | Draw £32.00 | PSG £19.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | FC Lorient £43.33 | Draw £33.00 | PSG £18.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | FC Lorient £40.00 | Draw £35.00 | PSG £19.10 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | FC Lorient £45.00 | Draw £34.00 | PSG £18.30 |
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The Magpies' late defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the Boxing Day thriller at Old Trafford, mixed with recent loses to Fulham, Stoke, Southampton and Manchester City, have left the club 15th in the league table.
And with Alan Pardew's side 13 points off the pace for the fourth Champions League spot, rumours suggesting that the striker, who has a £7 million buyout clause in his contract, could be on his way out of St James' Park.
Arsenal are among the clubs who have been linked with the 27-year-old but fresh speculation has French outfit PSG, the forward's own local team, down as a possible destination.
Ba, who has netted 11 times this season, insists he wants to help rectify the situation on Tyneside for now, but indicated that he would find it hard to turn down a move to the team he grew up supporting.
"I watch PSG as a fan, a supporter," he told RMC Sport. "I have never hidden my attraction to the club and have been a supporter since I was little.
"Now, they are doing important things, big projects for the future, and of course it would please me to play in the colours of a team I support.
"But as I said about Arsenal, it's something which is a long way off. For the moment, I am concentrating on what I have to do with my team - getting Newcastle out of the mess we are in.
"But it is true that PSG is a special club for me."
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Live!
Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
11:08 PM BST
Right, that's just about it from me, folks. Thank you so much for all your contributions. We hyped this one up. We said it was going to showcase everything that is great about German football. And you know what? It delivered. It was an absolutely absorbing final between the continent's top two sides, a fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic tournament. Impossible not to feel so, so sorry for Dortmund but they need only to look at what Bayern have done tonight, lifting the trophy just 12 months after throwing it away, to see that it's possible to bounce back from this kind of devastation.
But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.
But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.
11:00 PM BST
Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has finally faced the press and, judging by his comments, is a tad upset with perhaps something other than the final scoreline.
"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.
"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."
"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.
"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."
10:56 PM BST
Sir Alex Ferguson also has a new job... Well, kind of. The former Manchester United boss was entrusted with the honour of presenting the man of the match award after the game and relished the task: "It's my first job since I retired and it's a pleasure!"
Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.
Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.
10:51 PM BST
Heynckes, class act that he is, was also quick to empathise with a devastated Dortmund.
"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.
"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.
"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."
"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.
"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.
"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."
10:48 PM BST
And finally we get to hear from Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer.
The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!
"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."
The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!
"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."
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