3. The Sale Of Demba Ba
The sale of Demba Ba to Chelsea back in January was a turning point in the Magpies' season. Along with Cabaye and Ben Arfa last season, the Senegalese striker was another of those hugely impressive individuals in Alan Pardew's side and but one reason why they finished fifth. Here's a statistic for you. Three months after swapping St James' Park for Stamford Bridge, Ba remains Newcastle's leading goalscorer, level on 13 strikes with Cisse. That statistic alone speaks a thousand words and puts into brutal clarity just how badly the Magpies have missed him. The truth is, they simply haven't been able to find a way to restart the flow of goals on Tyneside that has since been stunted by his exit, and goals have simply been hard to come by since - which brings us on to the next item on our list.