All hail Le Toon's French revolution

 

Romilly Evans looks at Newcastle's foreign legion whose recent January additions should stave off relegation.

 

While most of us take a day trip on the cross-Channel ferry to load up on decent cheap plonk, Alan Pardew has been bottling another kind of French export at bargain basement prices. And he hasn't been shy about introducing it into the Newcastle water supply. It's already had a devastating effect on the Toon Army, who have suddenly found themselves chanting: "vive la révolution!"

 

Pardew's five last-minute acquisitions in the January transfer window would've looked like panic-buying to most. But that would be reckoning without the astute eye that his talent scouts have shown in recent years - think Demba Ba, Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye - attracting foreign talent at comparatively rock-bottom prices. And increasingly these players are hailing from the other side of La Manche.

 

Of course, an entente cordiale with the French foreign legion is well-established at St James' Park - ever since David Ginola, Olivier Bernard and Laurent Robert all came to flourish in the black-and-white silks. It's a proud tradition which perhaps inspired chairman Mike Ashley to cough up another £20m for this recent raid in the closing sales. For such a fistful of dollars, you'd certainly expect a handful of decent players. But even though Pardew only gave two of them their home debuts in Saturday's victory over Chelsea, it already seems as if a handful is exactly what he's got.

 

Moussa Sissoko (a steal at thrice the price of his reported £1.8m) has become an instant hit with the Newcastle faithful, bagging a brace at the weekend, including the pile-driving winner. What most impressed, however, was his raw blend of power and speed, terrifying the usually faultless Ashley Cole (who isn't short of a yard or two himself) and offering some promising link-up play with compatriot Yoan Gouffran. The pacy pair combined neatly for the second in Newcastle's first come-from-behind win in 27 months.

 

Those still to be let off the leash for a top-flight start comprise Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Massadio Haidara. Of this troika, Debuchy, a proven French international and Cabaye's best pal, appears particularly exciting - especially if he is given his head as a potential playmaker. Yanga-Mbiwa and Haidara will bid to shore up things defensively by bringing size and composure to the back line (only three sides have leaked more goals than Newcastle this season). And Yanga-Mbiwa has already proved his worth with a crucial late block against Aston Villa earlier in the week to help his side to their first away success of the campaign.

 

So it's now two wins from two games since Sissoko and Co joined, restoring smiles to the faces of the Geordie Misérables. In the space of a week, the Magpies have soared from the murky depths of a relegation dog-fight to the comparative safety of 15th (four points above the drop zone). Judging by their mammoth price of 14.4 to be relegated, the only way is up for Newcastle now. And if the mature stage of the season makes mid-table mediocrity an uninspiring aim, at least they have the trophy hunt of the Europa Cup to look forward to.

 

That said, it wasn't long ago that fears were trumping hopes on Tyneside. Pardew's new additions have nurtured those hopes, coupled to a receding injury list which has seen the valuable Cabaye and Cheick Tioté (still on African Nations duty) rebound to fitness. It may also just be another fortnight before Ben Arfa returns from the treatment table. Small wonder their manager is talking about "a renewed spirit and personality" at the club.

 

As evidenced by most of those names, that personality is now decidedly Francophile. And the existing French presence at the club was clearly vital in luring that quintet of January purchases. Newcastle now have 14 French-speakers in their dressing room and the solidarity - not to mention understanding - born of such patriotic cohesion is not to be underestimated.

 

Their teammates and the wider City itself are clearly warming to this new identity. After all, this combined French resistance has already warded off the threat of relegation. With the likes of Sissoko now pulling the strings of invention and purpose, it's a revolution that may endure for years to come.

 

In which case, the Toon Army could soon be renamed Les Toon Amis.

 

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