A slick performer

Newcastle striker Demba Ba told Goals on Sunday that playing in the Premier League is a dream come true.

The 26-year-old, who has scored 16 league goals for the Magpies so far this season, admitted he was reluctant to leave relegated West Ham last June but could not pass up the chance to keep playing top-flight football.

"I'm quite happy with the 2011 year I've spent in England," he told Kammy and Ben. "I just enjoy it, I love it. Like I always say to my friends, football is in England.

"I've always watched the league, even when I was in Belgium, France or Germany; I was always watching Premier League games."

Best

Ba was on the brink of signing for Stoke from Hoffenheim in January 2011 only for the move to collapse over his medical but the forward, who subsequently scored seven goals in 13 appearances for the Hammers and has played over 30 games for Newcastle, says he holds no bitterness towards the Potters.

"I just came and did my medical," he recalled. "I won't say I failed it because I didn't fail anything. When they said they weren't going to make it, I was with my agent at the time in the office, and I said 'let's just go'.

"I went back to London and then signed one week later for West Ham. It was something big for me because finally I was in the Premier League.

"When I got to West Ham I just wanted to enjoy it and save West Ham from relegation; unfortunately we didn't make it but I enjoyed the time when I played there. Upton Park was a proper stadium.

"We [West Ham] drew some games we should have won - like the one against Blackburn, when we played them at home.

"I was thinking about staying but when I heard about Newcastle I had a big chance to stay in the Premier League and continue showing people what I did in the last three or four months of last season, so I just went there.

"As soon as I signed for Newcastle I was just like 'ok, now I give my best to this club'. That's what I'm doing every day.

"Of course I knew [about the club's history] and even if I didn't, everyone was talking about it! It wasn't a pressure. I just want to enjoy football; it's a game and as long as I am smiling when I am playing I'll be good."

Learnt

Team-mate and fellow Goals on Sunday guest Danny Simpson began his career at Manchester United in 2005 and said it was an invaluable learning experience.

"It was great being 11 years old and playing for the team you support; I was playing with people like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, people I'd watched since I was a kid.

"I learnt a lot from Sir Alex Ferguson; he's a top manager and a top man. He helped me a lot. Maybe at the time I got caught up a little bit in off the field stuff; all of my friends and family are United fans and all of a sudden you are playing for the Champions League for them!

"If I had concentrated a little bit more and stayed focus, things may have been different. I learnt a lot from my time there and I'm happy where I am now."

Simpson told the lads all about the time he got the hairdryer treatment from Fergie - on his first Premier League start, against Everton in 2007.

"At the time Joleon Lescott was playing left-back and the manager said 'stop the crosses because Cahill will score headers', so 25 minutes in Lescott crosses it for Cahill!

"I've come in at half-time and he's come straight to me, straight in my face. He dragged me off at half-time. He put John O'Shea on. I feared the worst but the lads were fine afterwards. They said 'that's what he's like - you'll learn from it'. At the end of the game we won 2-1 and he's come up to me and shook my hand!"