Vs Aston Villa (5th February 2012) It feels like decades ago now, but the signing of Papiss Cisse just under four years ago was a hugely impactful moment in Newcastle's recent history. Slotting into the front three alongside Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa, the Senegalese striker was an immediate success, scoring for fun - including some unbelievable hits - as Newcastle sprinted to a 5th place finish. He started with a bang too, coming off the bench against Aston Villa after just 14 minutes when Leon Best went off injured. It wasn't exactly an eye-catching game, in all honesty, but Cisse showed the first glimpse of what he'd offer over the remainder of that incredible season by taking Jonas Gutierrez's early cross down with his chest and thumping a half volley into the top corner. Did It Last? For that season, undoubtedly, but the rumoured complaints in the summer of Demba Ba - unhappy with playing out wide - forced Cisse back into a front two and turned Ben Arfa into an unthinkable scapegoat. Thanks Pardew. Since then, Cisse has scored 36 goals in 109 appearances for the club - many of which have been absolute rakers - but his form has been patchy and wrong-headed tactics have left him isolated and frustrated too often. He came to Newcastle an instinctive genius and had it taught out of him by Pardew's idiotic training regimes.
