Pardew delighted with Ba, but still rues Carroll exit

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has hailed Demba Ba as a great piece of business, but admitted losing Andy Carroll left the team ‘vulnerable’.

Ba has effectively replaced 35 million-pound striker Carroll, who faces his old club on Friday for current employers Liverpool.

Pardew still has a bitter taste in his mouth over the England international’s departure last January.

He told The Telegraph: “When Andy Carroll left, it was as disappointing a week as I’ve had at this football club. You do not expect to lose a player of such significance on the last day and it put us in a very vulnerable position.”

“After selling Carroll we lost at Fulham, which was probably the worst game of my stewardship. There is no doubt that was an after-effect of the Carroll sale.”

“We felt it on the pitch. Even myself, I was feeling a bit dejected at that time. You arm yourself never to be in that position, but you can’t help taking away human emotions. So I couldn’t fault the players either.”

Carroll’s replacement Ba has scored 14 times in 19 appearances for Newcastle after joining on a free transfer from newly relegated West Ham in June.

Pardew first came across the Senegal international forward during his time at Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, and is not as surprised as others have been by his prolific form.

“We have done some good business there,” he said.

“It’s about good scouting and finding the players with the potential to be a success.”

“I’m not surprised by Ba’s record, although you do look at it and think, ‘Wow, that’s fantastic’. I am not surprised by anything he has done, I always thought he was a good player.”

“Last year at West Ham, he played out of position sometimes in a wide area and still did a job. You have to admire the way he is as a person to deliver the best he can in whatever position he is in.”