The doom and gloom of the Premier League season so far may have produced one notable positive.
Only four Newcastle United players have scored in the Premier League this season: Mike Williamson, Daryl Janmaat, Rolando Aarons and Papiss Cisse.
Of them, only Cisse has scored more than once. That hardly paints an optimistic picture, does it?
But, within that picture lies a statistic – and one that may actually give all Newcastle fans some hope
Indeed, a look at Cisse’s goals per shot ratio is rather encouraging.
| Team | Pos | Goals/Shot (%) | Total Shots | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Williamson | Newcastle | DF | 100.00 | 1 | 7 | 629 |
| Papiss Demba Cissé | Newcastle | FW | 50.00 | 8 | 3 | 151 |
| Rolando Aarons | Newcastle | MF | 16.67 | 6 | 2 | 39 |
| Daryl Janmaat | Newcastle | DF | 9.09 | 11 | 7 | 619 |
As Opta stats show, the Senegal striker has scored 50% of his shots, meaning four out of eight.
In just three appearances, then, the 29-year-old has produced a snippet of goalscoring form that, extended over the season, could see him become one of the most clinical forwards in the Premier League.
And perhaps the most important fact to note is that Cisse is still not fully match sharp yet. The Magpies striker has only played 151 minutes sincereturning from a long-term knee injury and, when he becomes a regular starter, his goals could quite easily win Newcastle matches.
Yes, the rest of Alan Pardew’s squad need to improve immeasurably – but, with Cisse, Newcastle fans may just have some hope.
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